“Riding for my health, but it’s the most unhealthy place I ever got into.”
“Know anything ’bout a diary that a fellow named Petersen—a hoss thief—got robbed of by one of your party?”
“My party never robbed anybody,” objected Stacy indignantly.
“Shut up! Answer me.”
“How can I answer you and shut up at the same time?”
The man addressed sprang up and struck the fat boy with the flat of his hand and Stacy toppled over.
“You’re a coward! A miserable sneak—”
Whack! A second slap laid the boy flat on the ground again. He got up, red of face and raging within.
“If I had a gun you wouldn’t dare do that, you ruffian!”
“Here’s a gun,” answered the bandit, thrusting a revolver towards the Overland boy.