CONTENTS
I[Westy Gets a Good Start]
II[Rip Isn’t Convinced]
III[A Dangerous Silence]
IV[A Hero by Chance]
V[A Step to Glory?]
VI[Discussion]
VII[Imagination]
VIII[A Real Find]
IX[Lola]
X[On the Edge of the World]
XI[Many Years Ago]
XII[Just a Few]
XIII[Pages]
XIV[Out]
XV[Of the Past]
XVI[Thoughts]
XVII[A Lake Bewitched]
XVIII[The Legend of Death River]
XIX[Rip Makes Himself Heard]
XX[Shadows of Doubt]
XXI[Growing Deeper]
XXII[To the Rescue]
XXIII[Westy Has a Struggle]
XXIV[A Thought for To-morrow]
XXV[Lost]
XXVI[They Meet a Lowly Stranger]
XXVII[A Little Hope]
XXVIII[Water]
XXIX[Despair]
XXX[A Scout with Wings]
XXXI[The Trail Once Again]
XXXII[Dreaming]
XXXIII[Just a Few Hours to Go]
XXXIV[When Ignorance Was Bliss]
XXXV[Westy Runs True to Form]
XXXVI[Billy Does Some Reminding]
XXXVII[Old Scout and the Legend]
XXXVIII[Some Light on the Subject]
XXXIX[Flames]
XL[A Heap of Embers]
XLI[Westy Has a Part to Play]
XLII[Setting Out to Do It]
XLIII[Paul Mitchell]
XLIV[On the Right Trail]
XLV[Voices]
XLVI[A Trust Well Kept]
XLVII[Homeward Bound]

WESTY MARTIN ON THE SANTA FE TRAIL

CHAPTER I—WESTY GETS A GOOD START

Westy felt that he was in hard luck! In fact, he felt that Fate had played the meanest kind of a trick on him, just when he needed all his vision to live up to the plaudits of the multitude.

The truth of the matter was, some stray particles of dust had been blowing around and at a most inopportune moment sought seclusion in his eye, much to the annoyance of our hero.

Now, Westy Martin had every qualification needed to deserve the title of hero. At least every scout in Bridgeboro was unanimous in this instance, so, what right has a tenderfoot questioning the wisdom of the scout’s decision!

Indeed, if one were to betray any tendency toward incredulity, by so much as a slightly uplifted brow, they would descend en masse upon the unbeliever and shout with loud derision. In short, you would be the object of their amazement that your stupidity could be carried to the point of not knowing who Westy Martin was.

They would then go on to tell you in stentorian voices (Pee-wee’s being the nearest and loudest, thus forcing you to move a little out of its range) that Westy Martin was now about to embark upon the motion picture industry through the intervention of Mr. Madison C. Wilde, Field Manager of Educational Films.

“Why, sure,” gasped Pee-wee, taking the center of the stage as usual, “this Mr. Wilde has always been friendly with the Martins ever since Westy did a good turn for him out in the Yellowstone. And now, this summer, Mr. Wilde is going down through some parts of Texas and New Mexico and take some pictures of the Santa Fe Trail. When it goes on the screen the name of the picture will be, To-day and To-morrow.”

“You poor dumb-bell, it will not,” interposed Ed Carlysle. “It’s to be titled, The Old Santa Fe Trail—Past and Present.”