WE MEET DOUBTFUL CHARACTERS 



"The old storekeeper says they've just taken 

 possession of his store," he continued, "helpin' 

 themselves to his liquor or anything else they 

 want, tellin' him to ' chalk it down* an' by an* by 

 they'll settle with him. 



"A boy from the neighborhood who had been 

 down to their camp to sell 'em some butter told 

 the old man that there was only seven men of 

 'em an' they had a tent an' a two-horse wagon. 

 The boy said they had lots of good horses, an' 

 the old man thinks they gather in all the good 

 horses an' mules they can find in the country an* 

 now an' then send a lot of 'em in to Leavenworth 

 an' sell 'em to the contractors there who are 

 buyin' up horses an' mules for the government. 



"Whatever happens," continued Tom, "we 

 must be careful not to compromise this old store- 

 keeper an' his family, for he's very much afraid 

 of these jayhawkers an' cautioned me several 

 times not to let them get a suspicion that he had 

 told us anything about them. 



"I put an idea in his head, though, which may 

 be the means of ridding this neighborhood of these 

 rascals. I told him to write a letter to General 

 Hunter, in command of the department at Fort 

 Leavenworth, tellin' him the situation out here, 

 an' to request the general to send out a company 

 of cavalry to clean out this gang an' give protec- 

 tion to the farmers an' people travelling the road. 



"He jumped at the idea an' said he would 



49 



