CHAPTER V.
SHOTS FROM THE DARK.
As the broncho boys swung through the streets of Soldier Butte, afterleaving the ball, Ted Strong was in the lead, and Bud, Ben, Kit, andClay were riding on either side of the carriage, while Jack Slate, withhis black coat tails flapping in the breeze, brought up the rear.
They were passing an alley, at the corner of which an electric lamp sheda path of light across the street, when a revolver shot cracked out, andTed's hat left his head.
The ball had just grazed his scalp, and the merest fraction of an inchlower would have killed him.
Instantly every one pulled up, and Ted, wheeling suddenly, rode at fullspeed for the mouth of the alley.
As he did so another shot came from the alley.
Ted's revolver was in his hand, and he fired at the spot where he hadseen the flash from the muzzle of the assassin's weapon.
He heard Mrs. Graham scream, and turned back to the side of the carriageonly to find that one of the horses attached to it had been hit by thebullet, and was down, but that neither Stella nor Mrs. Graham had beeninjured, and he rode straight into the dark alley, followed by Bud andKit, leaving Ben and the other boys to guard the carriage, for he didnot know from what direction another attack might come.
The alley was as dark as a pocket, and as Ted rode into it he well knewthat he was taking his life in his hands.
At the far end of the alley he heard the beat of feet running swiftly,and fired his revolver several times in that direction, and heard a yellof pain.
"Come on, fellows," he called. "I think I got one of them that time."
As he said this they saw two dark figures dart out of the alley into thestreet at the end opposite that at which the boys had entered, and theyspurred in that direction.
But when they came to the street there was no one in sight, butsplotches of blood on the sidewalk testified to the fact that a woundhad been inflicted upon some one.
They rode up and down the block, but without discovering where theirattackers had taken refuge.
It was a low part of the town, and there was scarcely a house on eitherside of the street into which a criminal would not be taken andconcealed.
"We'll have to give it up," said Ted, at last. "We could hunt here allnight without being any the wiser."
Disappointed, they rode back, after tracing the bloodstains along thesidewalk to where they were lost in the dusty street.
They found that the carriage horse had been so badly hurt that itsrecovery was impossible, and Ted mercifully put a bullet into its brain.
The carriage was surrounded by people from the dance hall, who had beenbrought by the shots.
Among them was Billy Sudden.
"I reckon I called the turn," said he, as Ted came up.
"You sure did," said Ted.
"I ain't presuming to give advice none," said Billy, "but if it was methat got his sky piece knocked off and had a horse shot I believe I'dalmost be tempted to round up this yere man's town and capture everyhoodlum in it, and sweat them to find out who fired them shots."
"It wouldn't do any good, Billy," said Ted. "The people in this townhave got it in for the ranch people. They think the ranches are takingtrade away from them. They'd sooner see the ranches split into farms offorty acres each. They'd have so many more farmers to rob that way."
"I reckon so. But what are you going to do? I want to tell you that meand my boys stand with you till the burning pit freezes over, wheneverand wherever you need us."
"May have to call on you one of these days, but not now."
"Ain't you going after that young imp, Creviss? Say, he's the meanestboy I ever saw. If I was his father I'd make him behave, or I'd bust himwide open."
"I understand his father thinks Wiley is just smart and spirited, and isready to back him up in anything he does."
"Ought to make the old man popular."
"Not so you can see it. But that boy is a tough citizen, and gettingtougher every day."
"I'm hearing a good deal about that kid these days. He trains with abunch of bad ones over at Strongburg."
"For instance?"
"Lately he's been running with 'Skip' Riley, a crook who has thereputation of having made more money out of holding up trains than byworking."
"I know his record. How long has he been there?"
"Several months. He came there from the Nebraska penitentiary, and hewas smooth enough to work the reformed-criminal, first-offense racket onthe women there until they finally got him a job in the fire department.He seems to be a hero in the eyes of a lot of tough young fellows hereand in Strongburg, and they follow him in anything he suggests."
"That's not a healthy proposition for a boy. Mr. Riley ought to beconducted out of town."
"The worst of it is he has banded them into some sort of secretorganization."
"What do they call it?"
"I did know, but I've plumb forgotten. There's a young fellow uptownwhom I'm trying to keep straight on account of his folks back East. Iknow his sister." Ted could see Billy's face get red as he said this."His name is Jack Farley. Perhaps you know him."
Ted shook his head.
"Well, he's a good kid, but he got into bad company at home and skipped.I corresponded once in a while with his sister, and she wrote me abouthim, and one day I run across him in a gambling house here. I hadn'tseen him since he was a kid, but I knew him straight off because helooks so much like Kate--Miss Farley I mean--and I called him outsideand had a talk with him. He was mighty uppy at first, and threw it intome so hard that I had to turn in and whale some sense into him."
"That's one way of doing it," said Ted dryly.
"It was the only way for him. He thought he'd get sympathy by writinghome about it, but all he got was that they reckoned he deserved it orhe wouldn't have got it. After that he was good. But he'd got in withthat Creviss bunch and didn't seem able to get out of it, so I let himstay, only I made him come to me every day or two and tell me what he'dbeen up to, and that's as far as I've got."
"Send him out to me."
"He won't work on a ranch, or I'd had him out at the Dumb-bell long ago.He likes to work in town, so I got him a job, and so far he has stuck toit. But the gang keeps him from doing any good for himself. He knows thename of this organization of boys under Skip, and the next time I seehim I'll find out what it is. Then you keep your eye peeled for it, forCreviss is one of the leaders, and I'm afraid, after to-night, he'll doall he can to make things lively for you. He's a mean, vindictive littlecuss."
"I'll keep a weather eye out for him, never fear. Thank you for the tip.This is the first time I've heard of the bunch, I've been away from theranch so much lately."
The boys had hitched Jack Slate's horse into the carriage, and he got onthe seat with Carl, and they were ready to start.
With an "Adios" to Billy Sudden and his boys, they were off, and arrivedat the ranch house without further incident.
Mrs. Graham and Stella had retired for the night, and the boys weresitting before the fire in the living room, for the night was chilly andSong had built up a good blaze against their return.
Naturally, the conversation drifted to the shots fired at them from thealley.
"While I wuz ambulatin' eround ter-night I overheard some conversationwhat wuz interestin'," remarked Bud, who was sprawling on a bearskin infront of the fire.
"What was it?" asked Ted, who had been turning over in his mind whatBilly Sudden had told him of the organization of tough boys under theguidance of the ex-convict.
"I wuz standin' clost ter one o' ther winders what opens out onter theralley when I hears two fellers talkin' below me," said Bud.
"What were they saying?"
"I wuzn't aimin' ter listen ter no one's privut conversation, but Icaught your name, an' I tried ter hear what wuz said erbout yer."
"Naturally."
"One feller wuz talkin' pritty loud, ez if he'd been hittin' up thertangle juice, an' ther other feller wuz
tryin' ter make him put on thersoft pedal, what Clay calls talkin' pianissimo. But when the booze is inther wit is out, an' ther feller would shut it down some fer a while,then he'd get a good lungful o' air an' bust out ergin."
"What was it all about?"
"Erbout runnin' us off'n ther reservation."
"They'd have a fine chance to do that," said Ted, laughing.
"It seems they hev some sort o' a club, ther 'Flyin' somethin' erother'--I couldn't jest catch what. To hear them fellers talk they'reholy terrors."
"How do they propose to run us off? Did you hear that?"
"No; they didn't discuss ways an' means, but they said as how ther boss,they mentioned his name, but it's clear got erway from me, hed riz up onhis hind legs an' hed give it out straight to ther gang thet ez long ezwe wuz in ther country they couldn't do no good fer theirselfs,consequentially we must skidoo, ez they needed this part o' ther countryfer their own elbowroom. They wuz real sassy erbout it, too."
"I suppose they thought all they had to do was to serve notice on us,and we'd vacate."
"I reckon thet's ther way they hed it chalked up."
"Well, that bears out what Billy Sudden told me to-night after we wereshot at."
Then Ted related what Billy had told him about Skip Riley and hisinfluence on the boys of Soldier Butte and Strongburg.
"Thet thar's ther very feller they wuz talkin' erbout, thet Skip Riley.Now I recolict it, an' ther name o' their sweet-scented aggergation isther 'Flyin' Demons.'"
"Oh, mercy! Aren't they just awful?" said Ben, with a grin. "But whichway are they expected to fly, toward you or from you?"
"If they come monkeyin' eround these broad acres they'll be flyin' ferhome," said Bud.
"Or to jail, if we can prove what I believe against them," said Tedthoughtfully.
"What is that?" asked Kit.
"You haven't forgotten the mysterious robbery of the Strongburg TrustCompany's office, have you?"
"Nope."
"You remember that a great many people to this day disbelieve that theoffice was robbed at all, because everything was found locked andbarred, and the most careful examination showed that no one could havebroken into the room from which a box containing twenty thousand dollarsin currency and a package of negotiable bonds was stolen."
"Shore, I remember. That's allays been ther greatest mystery in theseparts."
"You haven't forgotten the robbery soon afterward of the Soldier Buttepost office and the disappearance of the registered mail pouch that camein on the train at two o'clock in the morning. It was thrown into theinner office by the carrier, and the office securely locked. Yet in themorning it could not be found, and there was nothing to show that thepost office had been entered."
"I reckon I haven't. We lost a bunch o' money in it ourselves."
"But we got it back."
"That's so, but the carrier is still in jail, awaitin' trial ferstealin' the sack, an' I don't believe he had any more ter do with itthan I had."
"And yet the most careful examination by the post-office inspectorsfailed to show that the place had been forcibly entered, and, althoughthe carrier, Jim Bliss, had witnesses to show that he went into the postoffice with the sack, and came right out without it, still he is injail, accused of stealing it," said Kit.
"There are several other cases of mysterious robberies which I mightcite, but those are enough," said Ted. "But the curious thing about itall is that the robbers left not the slightest trace, not a broken lock,not a mark to show that a window was forced or a hole bored. When theplace is closed up at night there is the money, when it is opened in themorning the money is gone. And again, these robberies only occur whenvaluables are accidentally left out of the vaults."
"It is curious. Everything yer say is true, but I never thought erlongit ez much ez you, an' I didn't figger out how near they wuz alike."
"Well, what's your theory?" asked Ben. "You started to tell us."
"Yes, who do you think committed these robberies?" asked Kit.
"Who but a gang of bad boys under the leadership and tutelage of acriminal?" answered Ted. "Who but the gang of Strongburg and SoldierButte young toughs who go by the silly name of 'The Flying Demons'? Ifthey get gay around this ranch, we'll have to tie a can to them and headthem for the reform school or the penitentiary."