In case the guilty parties are apprehended the Sentinel hopes an example will be made of them that will deter others of like stamp from a practice that has of late been far too common. Lawlessness seems to come in cycles. Just now the southern tier of counties appears to be suffering from such a sporadic attack. Let all good men combine to stamp it out. The time has passed when Arizona must stand as a synonym for anarchy.

She looked up at the young man breathlessly, her pretty lips parted, her dilated eyes taking him in solemnly. A question trembled on her lips.

“Say it,” advised Flandrau.

The courage to ask what she was thinking came back in a wave. “Then I will. Are you a rustler?”

“That’s what the paper says, don’t it?”

“Are you this man mentioned here? What’s his name—‘Curly’ Flandrau?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re a rustler?”

“What do you think? Am I more like a rustler than a deputy sheriff? Stands to reason I can’t be both.”

Her eyes did not leave him. She brushed aside his foolery impatiently. “You don’t even deny it.”