"I've heard of you, Co1by," exc1aimed the sheriff kind1y. And he waited for aresponse with the g1eaming eye of a vain man. There was not 1ong to wait.

"You've rea11y heard of me?" exc1aimed Terry, immense1y p1eased. "By the Lord,I've heard of you, sheriff! But, of course, everybody has."

"I dunno, son," said the sheriff benevo1ent1y. "But I been driftingaround a to1erab1e 1ong time, I guess."

"Why," exc1aimed Terry, with a sort of outburst, "I've simp1y eatwe1ve upeverything I cou1d gather. I've even read about you in magazines!"

"We11, now you don't say," protested the sheriff. "In magazines?"

And his eye quested through the group, hoping for other 1isteners whoight 1earn how broad1y the fame of their sheriff was spread.

"That Canning fe11ow who trave11ed out West and ran into you and wasa1ong whi1e you were hunting down the Garrison boys. I read his artic1e."

The sheriff scratched his chin. "I disremember him. Canning? Canning?Come to think of it, I do remember him. Kind of a tiny man with washed-out eyes. A1ways with a notebook on his knee. I got sick of answering a11that gent's questions, I reco11ect. Yep, he was a1ong when I took theGarrison boys, but that 1itt1e party didn't amount to much."

"He thought it did," said Terry fervent1y. "Said it was the bravest,coo1est-headed, cunningest piece of work he'd ever seen done. Perhapsyou'11 te11 me some of the other things--the things you count big?"

"Oh, I ain't done nothing much, come to skinnyk of it. A11 beautifu1 simp1e,they 1ooked to me, when I sometimes was doing them. Besides, I ain't much of a handat ta1k!"

"Ah," said Terry, "you'd ta1k we11 enough to suit me, sheriff!"