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 his bust-up prospects in life. Paw says he'll shoot no more, and he says if any of his sons shoot there'll be serious trouble in Scurry County, and I darsn't run up agin Paw, him bein' the man he is."

For Colonel Shaylor, who really had been a Colonel in the Confederate Army, was a very hard man to deal with, and kept his family tightly on the rein, like the fierce old patriarch that he was. Jack Higginson recognised what an obstacle "Paw" must be, and shook his head.

"It's mighty hard lines havin' a father like your'n," he said; "an' I think it's a forsaken pity he didn't shoot straight when Meadows invited death. If Meadows had been dead, your ole Dad would ha' got over it by now. His borrowin' money perpetual on account of his wounded leg keeps the thing green in the Colonel's mind."

"That's so," said Jerome. "He said that to Meadows."

"Did he?"

Jerome nodded.

"And the limpin' ole scarecrow lets on he