Kit is a fifteen-year-old orphan who works doing chores at a ranch. Because he cannot remember his parents, there is always a thirstiness in him, until he sees a mysterious man pass by on the road, named Laramie Jim. After he sees Laramie, Kit starts thinking about what he wants to do with his life. He thinks about how he has been working hard at Joe Scammel's cattle ranch for nine years, but none of the men respect him, and they call him "kid" or "young feller" instead of "old timer." Kit decides that he should be allowed to do the spring roundup and not just chores given his age. He confronts Joe, but Joe says that he needs to do the chores because there is nobody else to do them. Kit says that he is leaving, and Joe calls him a young fool and says that he will be back in a week. Kit leaves the ranch and buys some spurs and riding boots with his money. He then is hired by a man named Al Christie to be a horse wrangler, and he works with Laramie Jim and other men, including Soupbone Dodge. Kit is treated as an important part of the group, and he enjoys listening to tell stories by the fire at night. One night as Laramie Jim is singing by the fire, the deputy sheriff Dan Roney and three other men come looking for Powder River Bob. Roney asks Laramie where Bob is, and Laramie responds that he does not know. The next morning, Laramie is gone. Kit asks Soupbone who Powder River Bob is, and Soupbone reveals that he is an outlaw. He asks where Laramie has gone, and Soupbone says that he suspects that he just got bored and moved on. Kit does not enjoy working as much without Laramie there. The men call him "son" or "young feller" and they try to protect him, which offends Kit. A few weeks later, they reach the end of their territory, and Kit is now a free hand until the fall roundup. He decides that he will go hunt for Laramie Jim, and he asks Soupbone if he knows where Laramie has gone. Soupbone looks at him strangely, and says that he does not know expect that Laramie went westward. He gives Kit a hat and a bridle. Kit rides west, asking everyone he sees if they have seen Laramie. One day, he asks a man standing near a blacksmith shop if he has seen Laramie Jim, and the man laughs and says that Laramie Jim is an outlaw who robbed a bank a week ago. Kit says that the Laramie he knows is a fine cowhand, and that there must be two Laramie Jims. Kit keeps on riding to another town, where he decides he will spend the night. He sees a saloon with horses outside, and one of the horses looks like Laramie's horse, but Kit realizes it is not. Kit sees the man who owns the horse walk unsteadily out of the saloon and mount it. The mare rears, and the man falls onto the ground. He beats the horse on its face, then gets back on and rides away. Kit is appalled at the man who had half killed the horse, and he decides to follow them. What seems like a long time later, Kit finds the mare standing by a creek. The man is nowhere to be seen. Kit turns his own horse loose, and wipes the mare with cool water before riding it away. He knows that people might be coming after him, so he decides to leave the trail. He rides to a creek, where he decides to rest for the night with Soupbone's hat over his face. Kit wakes up hearing the thundering of hooves and jumps to his feet, regretting resting. He sees a horseman come thundering up the valley and vanish into the trees. Kit runs to get his rope, but trips and falls, hurting his wrist. He sees five more horsemen appear on the horizon. Suddenly, Laramie Jim steps out of the trees. Kit is happy to see him, and Laramie asks where he got the horse. Kit tells the story, insisting that he is not a horse thief. Laramie assures Kit that they will not be coming to get him, because the horse belonged to Powder River Bob, and they killed him this morning. Kit says that he can just explain what happened to the other men. Two of the riders are much closer, and Laramie says this will not work because before Powder Mill Bob died, he told them some things that they are now coming to find out. Laramie turns white as the riders get closer, and he tells Kit to ride away as fast as he can. Kit tells Laramie about the man who said that Laramie Jim had robbed a bank, and how he told the man that there must be two Laramie Jims. Laramie laughs. Kit says farewell to Laramie, and Laramie says "so-long, oldtimer" to him. As Kit rides away, Laramie's words echo in his head.