Part 6 (2/2)

”I shouldn't think he would want to carry that money in his vest pocket,” said Tom ”How easy it would be for somebody to knock hi revolver in his pocket,” said the clerk

During the rest of the trip to Memphis Torown there, and listened to soood advice, which, had he seen fit to follow it, would have h life a coibes” which he knew his uncle would throw at hiry He said that was all that kept hiave it up in despair

On arriving at Meood-by to some of the officers whose acquaintance he had made on the way up, and stepped ashore with Tom at his heels The latter kept a close watch over the sharpers, and was not a little annoyed to find that they were going ashore, too He called Mr Bolton's attention to it, but all he got was a sood view of it, he told himself that there was iven him credit for Indeed, Mr Bolton, with his overcoat on and a valise in his hand, and the free, swinging stride hich he stepped off, lookedelse

Mr Bolton was evidently acquainted in Me-houses, and finally turned into an extra fine one, where he said he wanted to see the longest and thickest overcoat they had His boy was going away into a country where blizzards were plenty, and he desired to see hiarment that was handed doas a fit, and Tom stood by with it on, and saw Mr

Bolton buy another valise, an extra suit of sheep's-gray clothing, a couple of blue flannel shi+rts, and a nuht of When the articles had been paid for, Mr

Bolton took off his pin, wrapped it in a little piece of paper, and thrust it into one corner of the valise, then locked it and handed the key to Tom Then he turned and walked out

”Mr Bolton,” said To after him, ”I never can repay----”

”Oh, yes, you can Whenever you meet a fellow that is hard up, and you can afford it, just hand hiht Now, be careful of yourself on the way up You'll find some lawless ot

Reet what I have told you Put it there So long”

To else, but before he could form the words his hand had been squeezed for a moment and he was alone He watched thethe crowd

”I wonder if anybody ever had such luck as this,” said Tom, as he turned his face slowly toward the levee ”I almost dread to think of it, for fear that there is worse luck in store for me”

He was alone now, at all events

CHAPTER VI

TOM ADMIRES THE COWBOYS

Tom Mason slowly made his way back to Wolf River, the place where the _Jennie June_ was discharging her cargo, locked his baggage in his state roouard to watch the deck-hands and think of Mr Bolton, if that was his naot off at Meot on to take their places, but froo up the Arkansas River there was no one who had anything to say to hiht he had never seen so lonely and desolate a country as that through which the Arkansas flowed Woods were to be seen in every direction, and here and there a sro or two scattered about to show that somebody lived there The boat stopped a few tin of a fence anywhere around, but she never got out a line for them She awoke the echoes far and near with her hoarse whistle, shoved out a gang-plank, a couple of deck-hands ran ashore with the passenger's baggage, and then she went on her way up the river The town of Little Rock was situated in the woods, and above that it was all wilderness until Fort Gibson was reached The _Jennie June_ did not tie up alongside the levee, but ran on till she came to a little boat with stea, andall the while, so as not to pull her away fro?” said Tom

”Yes, sir,” replied the clerk, who hurried past him with a book in his hands and a pencil behind his ear ”She's the only one who can go above here at all Plenty of rooo with you in ten e between his feet Tom sat down to await the return of the clerk, and to make a mental estimate of the vessel that was to take him 150 miles further on his journey He saw that she had no Texas on board of her, her pilot-house being seated on the roof of the cabin Her engines were s capacity equal to passing over the shoal places she would find before her, her spars were ready for use, and she had no roof over hervery well in dry weather, but ould she do when a rain-store was laid out on the boiler deck, and no doubt soers slept there; and consequently it would be a dangerous piece of business for any of the wakeful parties to attear, as he had often seen done on the _Jennie June_

”I hope we shall have pleasant weather all the way to Fort Haht To and proceeded to size up the passengers ”I don't see how they can get all thoseTo, were a couple of Indians, taking good care to keep out of the way of the swiftlydeck-hands But Indians he could see any day by si-legged, lank felloho took just as much care of their rifles and knapsacks as the Indians did? They were hunters, and Tom could not resist the temptation to turn his eyes away from the fore-castle back to the roup of men he had seen there They were cowboys all of the, especially their hats and boots, were as nearly perfect asfellows, froe, and wore their six-shooters strapped around theh they had been born with the to work for the furs they captured, while the cowboys illing to work for a salary, and they earned every dollar of it, too

”That's what I aht Tom ”I'll have a horse and lariat, and I'll soon learn to ride with the best of the of when he bought ray suit None of the cowboys has the the cowboys and telling hiht, the clerk ca a motion of his hand, Tom stepped after hi out To:

”I have spoken to the clerk about you, and he proive you a nice room with a lower bunk Good luck to you”