being fired at, broke her traces and galloped wildly

away -- Mexican Sam sent a ball neatly through the
fulness of Nancy Derwent's shooting jacket.

"Lie down -- lie down!" snapped Littlefield. "close
to the horse -- flat on the ground -- so." He almost

threw her upon the grass against the back of the recum-
bent Fly. Oddly enough, at that moment the words of

the Mexican girl returned to his mind:
"If the life of the girl you love is ever in danger, remem-

ber Rafael Ortiz."
Littlefield uttered an exclamation.

"Open fire on him, Nan, across the horse's back.
Fire as fast as you can! You can't hurt him, but keep

him dodging shot for one minute while I try to work a
little scheme."

Nancy gave a quick glance at Littlefield, and saw him
take out his pocket-knife and open it. Then she turned

her face to obey orders, keeping up a rapid fire at the
enemy.

Mexico Sam waited patiently until this innocuous
fusillade ceased. He had plenty of time, and he did not

care to risk the chance of a bird-shot in his eye when
could be avoided by a little caution. He pulled his

heavy Stetson low down over his face until the shots ceased.
Then he drew a little nearer, and fired with careful aim

at what he could see of his victims above the fallen horse.
Neither of them moved. He urged his horse a few

steps nearer. He saw the district attorney rise to one
knee and deliberately level his shotgun. He pulled his

hat down and awaited the harmlessrattle of the tiny
pellets.

The shotgun blazed with a heavy report. Mexico
Sam sighed, turned limp all over, and slowly fell from

his horse -- a dead rattlesnake.
At ten o'clock the next morning court opened, and the

case of the United States versus Rafael Ortiz was called.
The district attorney, with his arm in a sling, rose and

addressed the court.
"May it please your honour," he said, "I desire to

enter a nolle pros. in this case. Even though the defend-
ant should be guilty, there is not sufficient evidence in the

hands of the government to secure a conviction. The
piece of counterfeit coin upon the identity of which the

case was built is not now available as evidence. I ask,
therefore, that the case be stricken off."

At the noon recess Kilpatrick strolled into the district
attorney's office.

"I've just been down to take a squint at old Mexico
Sam," said the deputy. "They've got him laid out.

Old Mexico was a tough outfit, I reckon. The boys
was wonderin' down there what you shot him with. Some

said it must have been nails. I never see a gun carry
anything to make holes like he had."

"I shot him," said the district attorney, "with Exhibit
A of your counterfeiting case. Lucky thing for me --

and somebody else -- that it was as bad money as it was!
It sliced up into slugs very nicely. Say, Kil, can't you

go down to the jacals and find where that Mexican girl
lives? Miss Derwent wants to know."

A NEWSPAPER STORY
AT 8 A. M. it lay on Giuseppi's news-stand, still damp

from the presses. Giuseppi, with the cunning of his ilk,
philandered on the opposite comer, leaving his patrons

to help themselves, no doubt on a theory related to the
hypothesis of the watched pot.

This particular newspaper was, according to its custom
and design, an educator, a guide, a monitor, a champion

and a household counsellor and vade mecum.
From its many excellencies might be selected three

editorials. One was in simple and chaste but illuminat-
ing language directed to parents and teachers, depreca-

ting corporalpunishment for children.
Another was an accusive and significant warning

addressed to a notorious labour leader who was on the
point of instigating his clients to a troublesome strike.

The third was an eloquent demand that the police
force be sustained and aided in everything that tended

to increase its efficiency as public guardians and servants.
Besides these more important chidings and requisitions

upon the store of good citizenship was a wise prescription
or form of procedure laid out by the editor of the heart-

to-heart column in the specific case of a young man who
had complained of the obduracy of his lady love, teaching

him how he might win her.
Again, there was, on the beauty page, a complete

answer to a young lady inquirer who desired admonition
toward the securing of bright eyes, rosy cheeks and a

beautiful countenance.
One other item requiring special cognizance was a

brief "personal," running thus:
DEAR JACK: -- Forgive me. You were right. Meet me

comer Madison and -th at 8.30 this morning. We
leave at noon.

PENITENT.
At 8 o'clock a young man with a haggard look and the

feverish gleam of unrest in his eye dropped a penny and
picked up the top paper as he passed Giuseppi's stand.

A sleepless night had left him a late riser. There was
an office to be reached by nine, and a shave and a hasty

cup of coffee to be crowded into the interval.
He visited his barber shop and then hurried on his

way. He pocketed his paper, meditating a belated
perusal of it at the luncheon hour. At the next corner

it fell from his pocket, carrying with it his pair of new
gloves. Three blocks he walked, missed the gloves and

turned back fuming.
Just on the half-hour he reached the corner where

lay the gloves and the paper. But he strangely ignored
that which he had come to seek. He was holding

two little hands as tightly as ever he could and looking
into two penitent brown eyes, while joy rioted in his

heart.
"Dear Jack," she said, "I knew you would be here

on time."
"I wonder what she means by that," he was saying

to himself; "but it's all right, it's all right."
A big wind puffed out of the west, picked up the paper

from the sidewalk, opened it out and sent it flying and
whirling down a side street. Up that street was driving

a skittish bay to a spider-wheel buggy, the young man
who had written to the heart-to-heart editor for a recipe

that he might win her for whom he sighed.
The wind, with a prankish flurry, flapped the flying

newspaper against the face of the skittish bay. There
was a lengthened streak of bay mingled with the red of

running gear that stretched itself out for four blocks.