CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE—THE MEETING CHAPTER TWO—THE BETTIN’ BARBER O’ BOGGS CHAPTER THREE—ABOVE THE DUST CHAPTER FOUR—TY JONES CHAPTER FIVE—THE HOLD-UP CHAPTER SIX—A REMINISCENCE CHAPTER SEVEN—HORACE WALPOLE BRADFORD CHAPTER EIGHT—A CASE OF NERVES CHAPTER NINE—TREATING THE CASE CHAPTER TEN—INJUNS! CHAPTER ELEVEN—BENEFITS OF FASTING CHAPTER TWELVE—A COMPLETE CURE CHAPTER THIRTEEN—AN UNEXPECTED CACHE CHAPTER FOURTEEN—HAPPY’S NEW AMBITION CHAPTER FIFTEEN—TENDER FEELINGS CHAPTER SIXTEEN—THEMIS IN THE ROCKIES CHAPTER SEVENTEEN—KIT MURRAY CHAPTER EIGHTEEN—TESTING THE FRIAR’S NERVE CHAPTER NINETEEN—OTHER PEOPLE’S BUSINESS CHAPTER TWENTY—QUARRELING FOR PEACE CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE—PEACE TO START A QUARREL CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO—A PROGRESSIVE HUNT CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE—A LITTLE GUN-PLAY CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR—NIGHT-PROWLERS CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE—THE TRADE-RAT’S CHRISTMAS-GIFT CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX—A CONTESTED LIFE-TITLE CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN—A STRANGE ALLIANCE CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT—THE HEART OF HAPPY HAWKINS CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE—THE LITTLE TOWN OF BOSCO CHAPTER THIRTY—TY JONES GETS A WOMAN CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE—JUSTICE UNDELAYED CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO—THE FRIAR GOES ALONE CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE—THE FRIAR GIVEN TWO WEEKS CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR—A CROSS FOR EVERY MAN CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE—THE FRIAR A COMPLICATION CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX—A SIDE-TRIP TO SKELTY’S CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN—PROMOTHEUS IN THE TOILS CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT—OLAF RUNS THE BLOCKADE CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE—SKIRMISHES CHAPTER FORTY—AN IRRITATING GRIN CHAPTER FORTY-ONE—THE NIGHT-ATTACK CHAPTER FORTY-TWO—HAND TO HAND CHAPTER FORTY-THREE—THE GIFT OF THE DAWN CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR—TY JONES NODS HIS HEAD CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE—THE LITTLE GUST O’ WIND CHAPTER FORTY-SIX—THE FINAL MOVES CHAPTER ONE THE MEETING It’s a curious thing—life. Ya might just as well ask a kitten to chase her own tail or a dog to bay at the evenin’ star, or a periodical spring to run constant, as to ask a feller right out to tell a story. Some things can only be done spontaneous. Friar Tuck used to say ’at whenever he could cut it, he allus got on the lee side o’ human nature and let it blow down on him natural; and my way o’ gettin’ to the lee side o’ human nature in story-tellin’ is not to ask for a story, but to start tellin’ one myself. And it’s a good plan not to put over too good a one either; ’cause if it seems as though a feller is short run on stories, some listener is likely to take pity on him and fit him out with a new assortment so as he won’t be such bad company for himself when he’s alone again. This is the way I’ve picked up most o’ my stories.