The Prairie Detective: Secret Service Series No. 24 — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

THE PRAIRIE DETECTIVE. 41 explain. But, after awhile, when the two had begun their walk up the river, he mentioned the occurrence which had led to his condition when found beside the stream. He was very much surprised, however, when his companion checked his words, saying that he already knew what Dan was about to tell him. | ‘Why, how’s that?”’ asked the detective. “Oh, simple ’nuff. This morning I was prowlin’ round over nigh the bank on the Smoky, when I ketched sight o’ a camp-fire. Vixen, hyar, beginned to git excited, an’ by thet I knowed as how summat crooked was goin’ on. So I crept up nigh to the two duffers what was in camp, an’ to my wonder, I foun’ myself face to face with two o’ the worst men in all Persimmon Bill’s bad gang. ‘“‘Now I don’t like thet crowd very derned much, an’ so I drawed bead onto the biggest ’un, an’ blazed away. He drapped dead into his tracks, but t’other one got away. I tried to reach him with my six- shooter, but *twan’t no use, fer the derned thing wouldn’t go off. Vixen would hev nabbed him ef it hedn’t been fer the boat. He got into thet, an’ pushed off fer t’other side, an’ we couldn’t foller, of coorse. When I got to camp I foun’ blood all ’round onto the grass, an’ also some papers w’ich I knowed didn’t belong to neither o’ them snoozers. Then I seen tracks leadin’ to the river, an’ I knowed ina minnit what was up. So I jest started down the Smoky, an’ fin’lly I found ye. Lucky, wasn’t it?” “Tt was indeed. And you say you killed one of the men?”’ ‘“T reckon I did. Fire an’ brimstone! two ounces o’ lead through the brain is a good dose fer any €O ~ GEomicbooks