and then sententiously remarked:
"Major, I think I'll light out and find some of the boys. You ain't got
no call to know anything about it, but I allow it's about time them
cusses was bounced."

Three nights after this, a powerful party of _Vigilantes_, stern and
inexorable, made a raid on all the gambling dens, broke the tables and
apparatus, and conducted the men to a distance from the town, where
they left them with an emphatic and concise warning as to the
consequences of any attempt to return. An exception was made in Jeff
Johnson's case--but only for the sake of his daughter--for it was found
that many a "little game" had been carried on in his house.

Ere long he found it convenient to sell his business and retire to a
town some miles to the eastward, where the railroad influence was not
as strong as at Barker's. At about this time, Sinclair made his
arrangements to go to New York, with the pleasant prospect of marrying
the young lady in Fifth Avenue. In due time he arrived at Barker's,
with his young and charming wife and remained for some days. The
changes were astounding. Commonplace respectability had replaced
abnormal lawlessness. A neat station stood where had been the rough
contractor's buildings. At a new "Windsor" (or was it "Brunswick"?) the
performance of the kitchen contrasted sadly (alas! how common is such
contrast in these regions) with the promise of the _menu_. There was a
tawdry theatre yclept "Academy of Music," and there was not much to
choose in the way of ugliness between two "meeting-houses."

"Upon my word, my dear," said Sinclair to his wife, "I ought to be
ashamed to say it, but I prefer Barker's _au naturel._"

One evening, just before the young people left the town, and as Mrs.
Sinclair sat alone in her room, the frowzy waitress announced "a lady,"
and was requested to bid her enter. A woman came with timid mien into
the room, sat down, as invited, and removed her veil. Of course the
young bride had never known Sally Johnson, the whilom belle of
Barker's, but her husband would have noticed at a glance how greatly
she was changed from the girl who walked with Foster past the
engineers' quarters. It would be hard to find a more striking contrast
than was presented by the two women as they sat facing each other: the
one in the flush of health and beauty, calm, sweet, self-possessed; the
other still retaining some of the shabby finery of old days, but pale
and haggard, with black ring