ou will have something left
when you reach that part of Oklahoma to which you decide to go."

Before Bob could recover sufficiently from his surprise to express his
thanks, Mr. Perkins had arisen, and saying that it was necessary for him
to get off the train at the next station, went back to his car, leaving
Bob in contemplation of his pass and money.

CHAPTER IX

A TALE OF THE PLAINS

Placing in his pocket the money and the precious piece of pasteboard
which possessed the magic power of procuring for him transportation to
the land of his dreams, Bob rose from the breakfast-table and made his
way back to his chair.

As the train stopped at one station after another, people kept getting
aboard, and soon the car in which Bob was riding was filled to its
capacity.

Having nothing better to do, the lad amused himself by studying each new
passenger, and he was amusing himself in trying to assign them to their
proper vocations, when he was attracted to the man who came in and took
the seat directly in front of him.

Tall and inordinately thin, the man's clothes seemed simply to hang from
his shoulders. His hair, of a curious rusty gray, seemed to stick out
from under the faded straw hat, and his whole appearance suggested
nothing so much as a scarecrow.

Despite the man's ungainly appearance, however, his face was one that
would attract and hold attention. So thin was it that it seemed as
though the cheek bones would any minute pierce the bronzed skin, and
from under bushy eyebrows two restless black eyes glistened.

Like Bob, this man surveyed his fellow passengers, giving them, however,
only a momentary glance, until his eyes rested upon Bob, and upon him
they lingered, glancing him over from head to foot, and then dropping to
the lunch-box which was on the floor.

During this inspection of himself, Bob had also been examining the man
more closely, and had discovered that his forehead was marked with a
deep scar.

"You don't happen to have any lunch in that box, do you, that you would
be willing to sell me?" asked the stranger. "I didn't have time to get
any before I started. In fact, I came mighty near losing the train as it
was, and there won't be any station where I can get anything before
noon."

"Why, yes," replied Bob; "that is, I have some lunch. But I won't sell
it to you. You are welcome to some of it, if you would like it."

How the man had been able to divine that his package contained fo