"An' now, ladies an' gents, you can transfer an' go on when the train
pulls in on t'other side, or yon can stay an' enjoy yourselves amongst
us Wolf River folks an' go on tomorrow when the trussle gits fixed----"
"Ye-e-e-e-o-o-w! W-h-e-e-e-e."
Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang! A chorus of wild yells, a
fusillade of shots, and the thud of horses' hoofs close at hand drew
all eyes toward the group of riders that, spreading fan-like over the
flat that lay between the town and the railway, approached at top speed.
"The cowboys is comin'! Them's the Circle J," cried the Mayor.
"Things'll lively up a bit when the T U an' the I X an' the Bear Paw
Pool boys gits in." The cowboys were close, now, and the laughing,
cheering passengers surged back as the horses swerved at full speed
with the stirrups of their riders almost brushing the outermost rank of
the crowd. A long thin rope shot out, a loop settled gently about the
shoulders of the Mayor of Wolf River, and a cowhorse stopped so
abruptly that a cloud of alkali dust spurted up and settled in a grey
powder over the clothing of the assembled passengers.
"Come on, Slim, an' give these folks a chance to get their second wind
while you let a little licker into that system of yours."
The Mayor grinned; "Tex Benton, hain't you had no bringin' up whatever?
That was a pretty throw but it's onrespectable, no mor'n what it's
respectable to call the Mayor of a place by his first name to a public
meetin'.
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