His actions seem to stamp him a rogue if ever there was one; and yet, Thad, I seemed to see something different in the depths of his twinkling blue eyes." "Oh! thunder! however are we going to get rid of such a sticker ?" groaned Thad, as though at a loss to know what next to do.
"Listen," resumed Hugh.

"Among other things he mentioned was an account of his adventures down in Texas in the big oil field there, where he said men make fortunes one day and lose them the next in speculation.

He went into some details to tell me of a strange thing he had witnessed there, and among other names mentioned, he chanced to speak of a Marshal Hastings, who, it seems, is much feared by the bad men of that community.

Somehow, I thought I could detect a little quaver in Brother Lu's voice whenever he spoke of this party; and, Thad, do you know, the idea flashed through my brain that perhaps he'd had an unpleasant half hour with that same Marshal Hastings himself." "I take it that you mean the officer may have warned Lu to shake the dust of that region off his brogans, and make himself scarce, if he didn't want to pull hemp; is that your idea, Hugh ?" "Something along that order," came the steady reply.

"At least he could not think of Marshal Hastings without some memory that was unpleasant, making him shiver." Thad's eagerness increased by jumps, and showed itself on his face, which was now lighted up with anticipation.
"I'm beginning to sense something coming, Hugh," he hastened to say.
"What you saw gave you a sort of idea, didn't it?
You reckon right now that there may be a way to frighten this lazy loafer, so that of his own free will he'll cut stick and clear out.