Front matter

“WHO ARE YOU?” “WATER!” HE GASPED. Page 20.

BRAND BLOTTERS

BY

WILLIAM MacLEOD RAINE

AUTHOR OF

WYOMING, BUCKY O’CONNOR, MAVERICKS,

A TEXAS RANGER, RIDGWAY OF

MONTANA, Etc.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY

CLARENCE ROWE

GROSSET & DUNLAP

PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

Made in the United States of America

Copyright, 1909, by J. B. Lippincott Co.

Copyright, 1911, by Street & Smith

Copyright, 1912, by

G. W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY

Brand Blotters

TO

FRANK N. SPINDLER

In Memory of Certain Sunday Afternoon Tramps

Long Ago, During Which We Solved the

Problems of the Nation

CONTENTS

PART I MELISSY OF THE BAR DOUBLE G

CHAPTER PAGE

I A Crossed Trail 11

II Brand Blotting 18

III An Accusation 35

IV The Man with the Chihuahua Hat 49

V The Tenderfoot Takes up a Claim 61

VI ”Hands Up” 75

VII Watering Sheep 98

VIII The Boone-Bellamy Feud is Renewed 109

IX The Danger Line 121

X Jack Goes to the Head of the Class 141

XI A Conversation 156

XII The Tenderfoot Makes a Proposition 163

XIII Old Acquaintances 182

XIV Concerning the Boone-Bellamy-Yarnell Feud 191

PART II Dead MAN’S CACHE

CHAPTER PAGE

I Kidnapped 199

II A Capture 209

III The Tables Turned 217

IV The Real Bucky and the False 231

V A Photograph 243

VI In Dead Man’s Cache 255

VII “Trapped!” 266

VIII An Escape and a Capture 276

IX A Bargain 286

X The Price 301

XI Squire Latimer Takes a Hand 306

XII The Taking of the Cache 322

XIII Melissy Entertains 334

XIV Black MacQueen Cashes his Checks 340

PART I

MELISSY OF THE BAR DOUBLE G