all the Greasers was crazy about him. Called him El Capitan.
He got drunk an' went roarin' round fer Pat Hawe. You remember that
Greaser who was plugged last October--the night Miss Majesty arrived?
Wal, he's daid. He's daid, an' people says thet Pat is a-goin' to lay
thet killin' onto Gene. I reckon thet's jest talk, though Pat is mean
enough to do it, if he hed the nerve. Anyway, if he was in El Cajon he
kept mighty much to hisself. Gene walked up an' down, up an' down, all
day an' night, lookin' fer Pat. But he didn't find him. An', of course,
he kept gettin' drunker. He jest got plumb bad. He made lots of trouble,
but there wasn't no gun-play. Mebbe thet made him sore, so he went an'
licked Flo's brother-in-law. Thet wasn't so bad. Jack sure needed a good
lickin'. Wal, then Gene met Danny an' tried to get Danny drunk. An'
he couldn't! What do you think of that? Danny hedn't been
drinkin'--wouldn't touch a drop. I'm sure glad of thet, but it's amazin'
strange. Why, Danny was a fish fer red liquor. I guess he an' Gene had
some pretty hard words, though I'm not sure about thet. Anyway, Gene
went down to the railroad an' he got on an engine, an' he was in the
engine when it pulled out. Lord, I hope he doesn't hold up the train! If
he gets gay over in Arizona he'll go to the pen at Yuma. An' thet pen
is a graveyard fer cowboys. I wired to agents along the railroad to look
out fer Stewart, an' to wire back to me if he's located."

"Suppose you do find him, Stillwell, what can you do?" inquired Alfred.

The old man nodded gloomily.

"I straightened him up once. Mebbe I can do it again." Then, brightening
somewhat, he turned to Madeline. "I jest hed an idee, Miss Majesty. If
I can get him, Gene Steward is the cowboy I want fer my foreman. He
can manage this bunch of cow-punchers thet are drivin' me dotty. What's
more, since he's fought fer the rebels an' got that name El Capitan,
all the Greasers in the country will kneel to him. Now, Miss Majesty, we
hevn't got rid of Don Carlos an' his vaqueros yet. To be sure, he sold
you his house an' ranch an' stock. But you remember nothin' was put
in black and white about when he should get out. An' Don Carlos ain't
gettin' out. I don't like the looks of things a little bit. I'll tell
you now thet Don Carlos knows somethin' about the cattle I lost, an'
thet you've been losin' right along. Thet Greaser is hand an' glove with
the rebels. I'm willin' to gamble thet when he does get ou