.

THE FIRST BLOW IN THE FIGHT.
Letters went speeding to Irish and Jack Bates, absent members of the Happy Family of the Flying U; letters that explained the situation with profane completeness, set forth briefly the plan of the proposed pool, and which importuned them to come home or make haste to the nearest land-office and file upon certain quarter-sections therein minutely described.

Those men who would be easiest believed wrote and signed the letters, and certain others added characteristic postscripts best calculated to bring results.
After that, the Happy Family debated upon the boldness of going in a body to Great Falls to file upon their claims, or the caution of proceeding instead to Glasgow where the next nearest land-office might be found.

Slim and Happy Jack favored caution and Glasgow.

The others sneered at their timidity, as they were wont to do.
"Yuh think Florence Grace Hallman is going to stand guard with a six-gun ?" Andy challenged at last.