A True Westerner

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At last Bob Bonner had saved enough money to buy a little home out west, which Uncle Bill had selected for their mother. So, with his younger brother, Jack, he set out to look the place over, and in due time arrived at their small western station. Here, seeing no conveyance in sight, the young men decided to walk. They had gotten scarcely half way to the ranch when, fortunately, they sat down to rest in the shade, where they overheard the plans of two holdup men, planning to waylay a ranchman and his foreman at that spot. Getting their new guns in readiness, the boys crept stealthily after the holdup men, surprising them as much as they did the ranchman. But, although the bandits managed to get away, they were forced to leave Uncle Bill's (for it proved to be he) nice bag of gold behind. Acting upon his Uncle's advice, Bob decided to look around before buying, so it was a couple of months later ere he wrote to Mrs. Bonner that he considered the first place the best, and for her to come on at once. In the meanwhile, however, Jack had fallen into bad company at the gambling house, and had already "borrowed," unknown to his brother, half of the money for their little home, so that when Bob advised him that their mother would arrive the next day Jack slipped the rest of the money from his brother's wallet and hastened to the gambling house, determined to win what he had lost. But this went like the first and the young man staggered blindly from the room, not noticing that Uncle Bill had been observing their play, indeed, observing it so closely that he promptly accused Jack's partner of cheating and insisted upon the money being given him. From there he hurried home to find Jack, who, almost frantic from the loss of his brother's money, was in the act of opening the ranch safe. Suddenly, the young man paused, from the next room came the strains of his mother's evening hymn. Shamed and remorseful, Jack replaced the money in the safe and rose to confess all to his mother. Then Uncle Bill stepped forward, returned the money from the gambling house and loaned the boy the balance, and Jack met his mother a thoroughly repentant and wiser young man.