COMRADES OF THE SADDLE Or The Young Rough Riders of the Plains BY FRANK V. WEBSTER AUTHOR OF "ONLY A FARM BOY," "THE YOUNG TREASURE HUNTER," "THE BOYS OF BELLWOOD SCHOOL," "TOM THE TELEPHONE BOY," ETC. ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY BOOKS FOR BOYS By FRANK V. WEBSTER ONLY A FARM BOY Or Dan Hardy's Rise in Life TOM THE TELEPHONE BOY Or The Mystery of a Message THE BOY FROM THE RANCH Or Roy Bradner's City Experiences THE YOUNG TREASURE HUNTER Or Fred Stanley's Trip to Alaska BOB THE CASTAWAY Or The Wreck of the Eagle THE YOUNG FIREMEN OF LAKEVILLE Or Herbert Dare's Pluck THE NEWSBOY PARTNERS Or Who Was Dick Box? THE BOY PILOT OF THE LAKES Or Nat Morton's Perils TWO BOY GOLD MINERS Or Lost in the Mountains JACK THE RUNAWAY Or On the Road with a Circus THE BOYS OP BELLWOOD SCHOOL Or Frank Jordan's Triumph COMRADES OF THE SADDLE Or The Young Rough Riders of the Plains Copyright, 1910, by CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY COMRADES OF THE SADDLE Printed in U. S. A CONTENTS CHAPTER I AN EXCITING ESCAPE II MR. ALDEN BRINGS NEWS III WORD FROM THE WEST IV GUS MEGGET V THE HALF-MOON RANCH VI IN THE SADDLE VII A RACE IN THE MOONLIGHT VIII HORACE IN DANGER IX THE MESSAGE FROM CROSS-EYED PETE X THE RETURN TO THE RANCH XI PREPARATIONS FOB PURSUIT XII WHAT NAILS LEARNED XIII OUT ON THE PLAINS XIV ANOTHER DISCOVERY XV THE CONTESTED TRAIL XVI WHAT JEFFREYS KNEW XVII LOST! XVIII A MYSTERIOUS CALL XIX A TERRIBLE PLOT XX THE PRAIRIE FIRE XXI A RIDE FOR LIFE XXII LAWRENCE'S PLAN XXIII IN THE MOUNTAINS XXIV CAPTURING THE CATTLE THIEVES XXV HOMEWARD COMRADES OF THE SADDLE CHAPTER I AN EXCITING ESCAPE Twilight was settling on the land. The forms of trees and houses loomed big and black, their sharp outlines suggesting fanciful forms to the minds of two boys hurrying along the road which like a ribbon wound In and out among the low hills surrounding the town of Bramley, in south-western Ohio. As the darkness increased lights began to twinkle from the windows of the distant farmhouses. "We're later than usual, Tom," said the larger of the two boys. "I hope we'll get home before father does." "Then let's hurry. The last time we kept supper waiting he said we'd have to give up playing ball after school if we couldn't get home before meal time." "And that means that we won't make the team and will only get a chance to substitute," returned the first speaker. As though such a misfortune were too great to be borne, the two young ball players broke into a dog trot. The boys were brothers, Tom and Larry Alden. Larry, the larger, was sixteen and Tom was a year younger. Both were healthy and strong and would have been thought older, so large were they.