Marshal Hastings, who, it seems, is much feared by the
bad men of that community. Somehow, I thought I could detect a little
quaver in Brother Lu's voice whenever he spoke of this party; and,
Thad, do you know, the idea flashed through my brain that perhaps he'd
had an unpleasant half hour with that same Marshal Hastings himself."

"I take it that you mean the officer may have warned Lu to shake the
dust of that region off his brogans, and make himself scarce, if he
didn't want to pull hemp; is that your idea, Hugh?"

"Something along that order," came the steady reply. "At least he
could not think of Marshal Hastings without some memory that was
unpleasant, making him shiver."

Thad's eagerness increased by jumps, and showed itself on his face,
which was now lighted up with anticipation.

"I'm beginning to sense something coming, Hugh," he hastened to say.
"What you saw gave you a sort of idea, didn't it? You reckon right
now that there may be a way to frighten this lazy loafer, so that of
his own free will he'll cut stick and clear out. Well, perhaps
after all something like that would be the best way to get rid of
him. I don't believe the people in this civilized section of country
would stand for any night-riding business like they did in the
Kentucky tobacco district; or such a thing as that tar and feather
picnic. So go on and tell me your scheme."

"Well," Hugh continued, "you could hardly call it by such a name as
yet, because the idea is hardly more than half hatched. But when
he told me about the way the bad men used to shake at mention of
that brave marshal's very name, and I saw him doing something along
the same order, why, I began to figure out that if only Brother Lu
could be made to believe Marshal Hastings was here from Texas,
looking for _somebody_ he meant to take back with him, why, he might
get such a bad scare he'd skip by the light of the moon between days,
and never, never come back again."

Thad gave his chum a vigorous pound on the back that made the other
wince; but then he was accustomed to taking things of this nature
from expressive Thad.

"Oh! that sounds good to me, Hugh!" he burst out with. "I honestly
believe you are getting close to a bully scheme that may pan out
firstclass. Argument and all kinds of pleading wouldn't influence
that man a bit, because he's selfish, I know he must be, or else he
wouldn't burden his poor sister, and see her working for his
miserable c