E-text prepared by Giovanni Fini, Shaun Pinder, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustration. See 50464-h.htm or 50464-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50464/50464-h/50464-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50464/50464-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/lonesometrail00neihrich THE LONESOME TRAIL [Illustration: _Drawn by F. E. Schoonover_ THE RACE WITH THE FIRE _See “The Nemesis of the Deuces,” page 300_] THE LONESOME TRAIL by JOHN G. NEIHARDT “_In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud._” New York: John Lane Company, MCMVII London: John Lane, The Bodley Head Copyright, 1907, by John G. Neihardt TO VOLNEY STREAMER “_Friend of my Yester-age_” _The stories in this volume have appeared in the following magazines: Munsey’s, The American Magazine, The Smart Set, The Scrap Book, The All-Story, Watson’s, Overland Monthly. The author gratefully acknowledges permission to republish._ CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. THE ALIEN 11 II. THE LOOK IN THE FACE 31 III. FEATHER FOR FEATHER 45 IV. THE SCARS 58 V. THE FADING OF SHADOW FLOWER 75 VI. THE ART OF HATE 93 VII. THE SINGER OF THE ACHE 110 VIII. THE WHITE WAKUNDA 123 IX. THE TRIUMPH OF SEHA 143 X. THE END OF THE DREAM 151 XI. THE REVOLT OF A SHEEP 168 XII. THE MARK OF SHAME 182 XIII. THE BEATING OF THE WAR DRUMS 194 XIV. DREAMS ARE WISER THAN MEN 204 XV. THE SMILE OF GOD 219 XVI. THE HEART OF A WOMAN 229 XVII. MIGNON 239 XVIII. A POLITICAL COUP AT LITTLE OMAHA 255 XIX. THE LAST THUNDER SONG 276 XX. THE NEMESIS OF THE DEUCES 288 _THE OLD CRY_ _O Mourner in the silence of the hills, O Thing of ancient griefs, art thou a wolf? I heard a cry that shook me—was it thine?_