stride, but the man seemed tireless. The
sun was an hour high when they climbed the long hill, and loped into
Carson City. The cantonment was to the right, but Keith, having no
report to make, rode directly ahead down the one long street to a livery
corral, leaving his horse there, and sought the nearest restaurant.

Exhausted by a night of high play and deep drinking the border town was
sleeping off its debauch, saloons and gambling dens silent, the streets
almost deserted. To Keith, whose former acquaintance with the place
had been entirely after nightfall, the view of it now was almost a
shock--the miserable shacks, the gaudy saloon fronts, the littered
streets, the dingy, unpainted hotel, the dirty flap of canvas, the
unoccupied road, the dull prairie sweeping away to the horizon, all
composed a hideous picture beneath the sun glare. He could scarcely find
a man to attend his horse, and at the restaurant a drowsy Chinaman had
to be shaken awake, and frightened into serving him. He sat down to the
miserable meal oppressed with disgust--never before had his life seemed
so mean, useless, utterly without excuse.

He possessed the appetite of the open, of the normal man in perfect
physical health, and he ate heartily his eyes wandering out of the open
window down the long, dismal street. A drunken man lay in front of the
"Red Light" Saloon sleeping undisturbed; two cur dogs were snarling at
each other just beyond over a bone; a movers' wagon was slowly coming in
across the open through a cloud of yellow dust. That was all within the
radius of vision. For the first time in years the East called him--the
old life of cleanliness and respectability. He swore to himself as
he tossed the Chinaman pay for his breakfast, and strode out onto the
steps. Two men were coming up the street together from the opposite
direction--one lean, dark-skinned, with black goatee, the other heavily
set with closely trimmed gray beard. Keith knew the latter, and waited,
leaning against the door, one hand on his hip.

"Hullo, Bob," he said genially; "they must have routed you out pretty
early to-day."

"They shore did, Jack," was the response. He came up the steps somewhat
heavily, his companion stopping below. "The boys raise hell all night,
an' then come ter me ter straighten it out in the mawnin'. When did ye
git in?"

"An hour ago; had to wake the 'chink' up to get any chuck. Town looks
dead."

"Tain't over lively at this time o' day,"