f breath, and tingling
nerves. He had reached Blake. Whatever his doubts of the man, and
they had been many, Pan divined that he could stir him, rouse him out
of the lethargy of sordid indifference and forgetfulness. He would
free him from this jail, and the shackles of Hardman in any case, but
to find that it was possible to influence him gladdened Pan's heart.
What would this not mean to Lucy!

The door opened behind Pan.

"Wal, stranger, reckon yore time's up," called the jailer.

Pan gave the stunned Blake a meaning look, and then without a word, he
left the room. The guard closed and locked the door. Then he looked
up, with cunning, yet not wholly without pleasure. His companion at
the card game had gone.

"Panhandle Smith!" whispered the guard, half stretching out his hand,
then withdrawing it.

"Shake, Mac," said Pan in a low voice. "It's a small world."

"By Gord, it shore is," replied Mac New, wringing Pan's hand. "I'm
known here as Hurd."

"Ah-huh.... Well, Hurd, I'm not a talking man. But I want to remind
you that you owe me a good turn."

"You shore don't have to remind me of thet," returned the other.

"It pays to do good turns.... I'm lucky, old timer."

"I savvy, Panhandle Smith," said Hurd, with gleaming eyes, and he
crooked a stubby thumb toward the door of Blake's jail.

"All right, cowboy," returned Pan, with a meaning smile. "I'll drop
around tonight about eleven."

Pan slowed up in his stride when he reached the business section of the
town, and strolled along as if he were looking for someone. He was.
He meant to have eyes in the back of his head henceforth. But he did
not meet anyone he knew or see anyone who glanced twice at him.

He went into Black's general merchandise store to look at the saddle
Moran had recommended. It was a bargain and Pan purchased it on sight.
Proof indeed was this that there were not many cowboys in and around
Marco. While he was there, Pan bought a Winchester carbine and a
saddle sheath for it. Thus burdened he walked out to the camp.

Lying Juan had supper about ready and the boys were noisy up at the
corral. Some of their language was indicative of trouble and mean
horses. Pan found a seat by the fire very welcome. Emotion had power
to exhaust him far beyond physical exertion. Darkness had just about
merged from dusk when the boys dragged themselves in, smelling of dust
and horses. They went into the water basins like ducks. P