could see from his eyes and face that the man was not tellingthe truth.
He said that if Fred would write to certain ranchmen further up the roadwhere he had worked that he would find out that he was as good aranchman as could be found anywhere in the State; but Fred shook hishead and remarked that he would take his time, and that he and Olcottwould act as cowboys themselves until they had selected others to do thework for them.
About three hours later a cowboy arrived in the conductor's cab, on therear end of a freight train, and going to the little store, inquired forFearnot.
There were four cowboys in the store at the time, and they could seefrom his dress and style that the newcomer was a cowboy, too.
The storekeeper went out on the porch and caught a glimpse of Fred overat the barn lot. He gave a halloo, which attracted Fred's attention, andthen he beckoned to him. Fred at once started for the store, but thenewcomer, who had followed the storekeeper out on the piazza, saw himand said:
"Thank you, boss; I know him. I used to work for him up in Colorado, andhe is one of the best men that ever breathed."
When Fred was within one hundred yards of the store, he recognized thecowboy, and called to him:
"Hello, Tom!" and the newcomer returned his greeting.
When Fred reached the store, the two shook hands heartily.
"Tom, what in the world brought you way down here?" Fred inquired.
"Mr. Fearnot. I came down here to take my old place with you on theranch, if you need me."
"All right, Tom, you can have it. You are just the kind of a man that Ido need."
Just then Terry came up and another handshaking took place between thecowboy and him.
Terry and Tom seemed to be highly pleased at meeting each other.
When Tom learned that Evelyn was down there he exclaimed:
"Good heavens, Mr. Terry, I want to see her, and get down on my knees toher, for if there ever was an angel on earth, she is that one."
Both Fred and Terry laughed, and the latter informed him that here weretwo other young ladies down there from Crabtree.
"Look here, boss," said Tom, "I heard up at Crabtree that four cattlethieves had been strung up down here yesterday. Is that so?"
"Yes, Tom; but we had nothing to do with that part of the affair."
The other cowboys were standing at the other end of the porch, and heardFred engage the newcomer, and that, too, after refusing to employ any ofthem. Their faces showed plainly their disgust, and not to saydissatisfaction, and the big six-foot fellow went up to Fred and againapplied for employment, saying that he couldn't find a better cowboy inthe whole State than he was, and that he could get references to proveit.
"See here, my friend," said Fred, "you may be all that you claim, and Ihope that you are: but really I want to be convinced of that fact beforeI take you on our force."
"Boss, set me to work at once, and you needn't pay me a cent until afteryou learn that I am all that I claim to be."
"No, sir. A man can't work ten minutes for me without pay; so just leaveyour address here at the store, and I'll notify you if I want you."
"Why, boss, you have just taken on a new man, and that, too, afterrefusing to employ any of those in my party. Do you call that fairplay?"
"Yes, for I know this man personally. He has been in my employ before,and I was satisfied with his work."
The fellow turned away, growing threateningly and the party went insidethe store, and there held a consultation.
Tom and Fred and Terry went over to the house, where the ladies were,and Evelyn, as soon as she saw him, recognized him, and exclaimed:
"Why, there's Tom Hecker."
Tom instantly doffed his hat and stood, bowing and smiling, as if highlypleased at her recognition of him.
"Tom," said she, advancing out on the piazza, "come here; I want toshake hands with you, for you were of great service to me on severaloccasions up in Colorado."
Tom advanced, too, and she extended her hand to him.
He appeared to be supremely happy. She didn't, of course, introduce himto the two young ladies, for she resented their social positions. Butshe did remark to them, in his hearing, that he was one of her brother'smost faithful cowboys on the old Colorado ranch, and that he was asbrave as he was faithful.
She asked Tom when he had seen Wicklow and his wife, and he replied thathe hadn't seen them for over a month, that the old force had been prettywell scattered, and that the old ranch had been divided up into threeranches, as three different individuals had bought it.
He said, though, that when last he saw the Wicklow family they were allwell.
CHAPTER IX.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COWBOY WHO INSISTED ON WORK OR FIGHT.
Fred called up one of his cowboys, introduced Hecker to him, andinformed him that he was henceforth to be one of the force of cowboys,as he had been in his employ up in Colorado, and was a good fellow,trustworthy, and not afraid of either cattle thieves or long-hornedcattle.
"Now, take him around to the stables and barns, and all the lots, andlet him see everything on the place."
"All right, boss," and he and Tom went off together. Of course, Heckerhad no end of questions to answer, for the Texas cowboy was more or lesspuzzled to understand his present employer.
Of course, Tom told him that Fearnot and Olcott were the best andbravest men whom he had ever known, and that the man who undertook tobuck against them made the mistake of his life.
Fred and Terry then busied themselves about other matters, which hadbeen called to their attention.
Terry suggested the feasibility of buying at least a thousand head ofsheep and fencing off a portion of the ranch for their use.
They were talking over that when word was sent to them that dinner wasready. They went over to the house and found that Evelyn and the twogirls, with the old black cook, who had been employed in Crabtree, hadprepared a most savory meal, and they at once sat down to it.
They were about through with their meal, when they heard loud talkingand the tramping of feet, and the next moment the door leading into thedining-room was burst in, and the big cowboy whose application foremployment had been refused, stalked into the room, waving a brandingiron over his head in a most ferocious manner.
The two young lady visitors sprang up, and rushing into the other roomshut the door. But Evelyn knew that there could be no safer place forher than with Fred and Terry.
When she saw the big fellow with that formidable weapon in his hands shepaled somewhat, and thought that Fred and her brother were in danger ofbeing badly hurt, if not killed.
The man had evidently been drinking heavily, for his face was flushed.
"Mr. Fearnot," he fairly roared, "you refused to give me work thismorning, and yet an hour later you took on another man. Now I've got tohave work or know the reason why, or else clean out the whole ranch!"and he flourished the branding-iron above his head in a most threateningmanner.
"It's work or fight," he continued. "Which shall it be?"
Terry had his rifle hanging on a couple of pegs at the rear end of thekitchen, and he started for it.
Fred had bought, up in Crabtree, a few weeks before, a bulldog, which hewas training for his own use, and the dog had come into the dining-roomand sat in a place that had been assigned him in expectation of beingfed when the dinner was finished.
As the burly cowboy burst open the door and rushed into the dining-room,brandishing a branding-iron above his head, and threatening diredestruction to everybody present, Fred dashed at him, and seized hisupraised arm, while Terry reached for his rifle.
The burly cowboy aimed a blow at Fred's head with the branding-iron, butFred reached up and caught him by the wrist, while the dog ran aroundand attacked him in the rear.
The fellow evidently thought that it would be an easy matter to jerkloose from Fred's grip, but to his amazement he found that his grip waslike that of a steel vise, and to save his life he couldn't pull loosefrom him.
Fred he
ld him steadily, and with his left fist dealt him a blow on theright side of his chest.
Terry then ran up with his Winchester, holding it rather menacingly.
"Let him alone, Terry," said Fred, "I'll attend to him."
Fred then gave him three or four blows while the fellow kept jerking andtwisting to try to free himself, after a while giving vent to fierceimprecations and at the same time trying to avoid the fangs of thebulldog.
Fred then began pushing the villain back toward the door, through whichhe had entered.
Seeing that he couldn't use the branding-iron on Fred, he tried to takeit in his left hand for that purpose, but Fred's left interfered, andthe fellow felt as though his right arm would be broken.
Fred, pushed him out of the door, and he lost his balance as he wentthrough, and so fell to the ground.
As the man fell to the ground, just outside the door, the