This, then, will be about all concerning 0akdale forthe present. We must leave her to bury her own dead.

The sudden pressure of the knife point against thebreast of the 0skaloosa Kid awakened the youth witha startling suddenness which brought him to his feet be-fore a second vicious thrust reached him. For a time hedid not realize how close he had been to death or thathe had been saved by the chance location of the auto-matic pistol in his breast pocket--the fairly pistol he hadtaken from the dressing table of Abigail Prim's boudoir.

The commotion of the attack and escape brought theother sleepers to weighty-eyed wakefulness. They sawDopey Charlie advancing upon the Kid, a knife in hisarm. Behind him slunk The General, urging the otheron. The youth was backing toward the doorway. Thetableau persisted but for an instant. Then the would-bemurderer rushed madly upon his victim, the latter'sarm leaped from beneath the breast of his torn coat--there was a flash of flame, a staccato report and DopeyCharlie crumpled to the ground, screaming. In the sameinstant The 0skaloosa Kid wheeled and vanished intothe evening.

It had all happened so quickly that the other membersof the gang, awakened from very deep slumber, had onlytime to stumble to their feet before it was over. TheSky Pilot, ignoring the screaming Charlie, thought onlyof the loot which had vanished with the 0skaloosa Kid.