A Private Chivalry

BRANT awoke on the morning following his excommunication with one idea dominant, and that pointed to flight. Whatever he might be able to do with his life elsewhere, it was evident that the Denver experiment was a pitiful failure. This he said, cursing the fatuous assurance which had kept him from flying to the antipodes at the outset. The city of the plain was merely a clearing house for the mining camps, and sooner or later his story would have found him out, lacking help from Harding or any other personal enemy.

"Anybody but a crazy fool would have known that without having to wait for an object lesson; but, of course, I had to have it hammered into me with blows," was the way he put it to himself on the walk downtown. "Well, I have had the lesson, and I'll profit by it and move on -- like little Joey. If they would give me the chance I'd rather be a sheep dog than a wolf; but it seems that the world at large hasn't much use for the wolf who turns collie -- damn the world at large! If I hadn't given my word to Hobart I'd be tempted to go back and join the fighting minority. As it is, I'll run for it."