Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 229: what you’re looking at

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

Where Karl Went. 217 would indicate the direction whence his quarry had escaped, he felt exceedingly dejected. t? Hope had sustained him through all the hours of this terrible chase. And now even that was gone. ‘All had been in vain. Those he had chased would come together again at’ some prearranged rendezvous far up in the broken country, where desperadoes always found a retreat, and Jasper could go where he pleased with poor little ‘Polly. Never in all his life had defeat so galled the prairie-born boy. He had some wisdom left, however, and knew it was folly to go roaming about in search of these human Jack-o’-lanterns, who might be here, there or anywhere. The only thing to be done was to camp on the spot until daylight allowed him to see the trail, and then persistently follow on, no matter where it led. Buckskin was glad, at least, ofa respite, and Karl himself needed rest. Without a bite of food he dropped upon the prairie, and, despite the worry that naturally filled his mind, was quickly in the Land of Nod, reveling in the slumber of exhaustion. It was broad day when he awoke, somewhat re- freshed; the eastern heavens gave token of the day king’s coming, and all nature seemed bright and cheerful. A slight hoar frost was on the grass blades, tell- ing how keen the air had become in the last hour before dawn. Karl felt somewhat stiff from his work and the exposure; but that was a mere trifle, hardly worth mentioning to one who, like himself, had served his time as night wrangler when the storm raged over the range, and who had fought through many a comiclbooks C©