The Prairie Detective: Secret Service Series No. 24 — page 131: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

~, THE PRAIRIE DETECTIVE. , - 129 ‘‘Thet’s dangerous work, pard. Ye’ll be likely to git some attenshun ye don’t like, ef ye keep on. The light o’ yer fire kin be seen miles off sich a night ez this.”’ ) ‘‘Can’t help it,’ rejoined the detective, with some asperity. ‘“‘I have had nothing to eat since last night, and I’m going to break my fast now, even if I do have to fight for it.”’ So saying he touched, a match to the dry leaves, and soon had several fragrant slices of bacon friz- zling over the little blaze. As soon as the frugal repast was cooked, however, the fire was extin- guished, for the detective, although hungry, had no desire to run unnecessary risk. , The bacon was soon devoured, and the friends fell to talking. ‘“This,’’? said Ryan, reflectively, ‘‘this is a day I sha’n’t forget very soon, doggoned ef I do.”’ ‘Nor I,’? added Dan and Esther in the same breath. ‘‘Bekase,”’ continued Ryan, as if he had not heard what his friends said, ‘‘to-day I hev ben the dern- dest id-jit as ever traveled upon this earthly ‘foot- stule.”’ ‘“There’s a pair of us,’’ suggested the detective. “How so?’’ asked Esther, who had not yet learned the circumstances leading to their captivity. Sycamore Dan related in as few words as possible the story of the battle, the defeat, and his own — search in the tent for Esther and her sister. | “Not finding you there,’’ he added, “I felt con- fident that you must have been captured. already, and it occurred to me that if I was going to rescue you from the hands of your captors the best way for me to do was to fight shy of that place for the pres- (eo) , se comicbooks