t the aged
stranger and cried:

"Stand still or I'll bore you!"

The command was so threatening and Snake was in such a good position to
shoot that, for a moment, Nort feared a bullet would end the matter.
But the old man wheeled about, took in the situation at a glance and
mildly said, as he lowered the bottles:

"No harm intended at all. I'm only trying to save this young man's
life. You've got no call to shoot me."

"Oh," exclaimed Snake rather lamely, seeing how the matter stood.
"Well, I don't just like your attitude, and----"

"He's only selling a patent medicine," broke in Nort with a smile.
"It's the Elixer of Life."

"I make it myself, from roots, berries and herbs," eagerly went on the
old man. "Only a dollar a bottle or six for five dollars. If them as
were here before you had taken it they'd be alive to-day. But they
were scoffers. They spurned me and look what happened to them."

"I've seen you before, old man!" said Sam and there was something
menacing in his tone. "I've seen you around this ranch a lot, and I've
heard some say you was always around when something happened--I mean
when men and cattle were found dead. I saw you just before my own
horse died and I passed out and now I want you to explain. I've got
you now!"

He made a grab for the old man, who did not seek to elude Sam, but
stood quietly while the cowboy held one arm and took out a gun with
which he covered the inventor of the Elixer.

"Now, son," said the old man, soothingly, "don't get excited. I
haven't done any harm and I don't intend to. It's true you've seen me
around this ranch a lot--I live a few miles from here back in the
woods. And I've been around when there's been deaths. But I was
trying to stop death--not bring it about. Only I was always too late.
They never would listen to me--them cowboys. And I was around when I
saw your horse go down. I rode back, later, thinking I could sell you
a bottle of my Life Elixer before you passed away, but I got there too
late. I saw that you had expired so I went on."

"I'm a pretty live man for a dead one!" chuckled Sam. "But what's your
game, anyhow?"

He had released his hold of the aged one and had put his gun back in
the holster as Snake had done. And then Nort made, unseen by the
stranger, a motion to his two companions which served to explain
matters. Nort made a circular motion with one finger up near his head
as though to indicate wheels going around