The Project Gutenberg EBook of Ben Blair, by Will Lillibridge

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Title: Ben Blair
The Story of a Plainsman

Author: Will Lillibridge

Release Date: February 24, 2006 [EBook #17844]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEN BLAIR ***

Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

[Illustration: Florence touched his arm. "Ben," she pleaded, "Ben,
forgive me. I've hurt you. I can't say I love you." Page 114.]

BEN BLAIR
THE STORY OF A PLAINSMAN

By WILL LILLIBRIDGE

Author of "Where the Trail Divides," etc.

A. L. BURT COMPANY, PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK

* * * * *

COPYRIGHT BY
A. C. MCCLURG & CO.
A. D. 1905

Entered at Stationers' Hall, London

_All rights reserved_

Published October 21, 1905
Second Edition October 28, 1905
Third Edition November 29, 1905
Fourth Edition December 9, 1905
Fifth Edition December 14, 1905
Sixth Edition February 28, 1907

* * * * *

_To My Wife_

* * * * *

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. IN RUDE BORDER-LAND 1
II. DESOLATION 9
III. THE BOX R RANCH 23
IV. BEN'S NEW HOME 37
V. THE EXOTICS 44
VI. THE SOIL AND THE SEED 53
VII. THE SANITY OF THE WILD 66
VIII. THE GLITTER OF THE UNKNOWN 74
IX. A RIFFLE OF PRAIRIE 83
X. THE DOMINANT ANIMAL 94
XI. LOVE'S AVOWAL 106
XII. A DEFERRED RECKONING 117
XIII. A SHOT IN THE DARK 134
XIV. THE INEXORABLE TRAIL 148
XV. IN THE GRIP OF THE LAW 164
XVI. THE QUICK AND THE DEAD 185
XVII. GLITTER AND TINSEL 193
XVIII. PAINTER AND PICTURE 204
XIX. A VISITOR FROM THE PLAINS 217
XX. CLUB CONFIDENCES 230
XXI. LOVE IN CO