Show e 1 1 a I MACLEOD AC L ED RAINES RAINE'S EsS o the IJ COPYRIGHT WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE RAINE SERVICE I CHAPTER X X Continued 17 17 Im 1 1 m armed all right the bandit sneered anee ed Dont make any mistake about bout that But I may take you up upon upon on n yore offer olTer Maybe I can cnn use yo t guns cuns Norris ate ravenously He drank cup up after niter cup of coffee More than once nee he went back to the bottle At Al Alast 1st ast he pushed his chair back backI I I reckon you know it was Lee Leeh LeeCh Chiswick's Ch h swick's crowd crowd attacked us inLine In Line Ire Oak canyon he said I left leftin in n some some hurry Me and Kansas Did they hey collect the rest of the boys Mile High got away But Sid Hunt lunt was killed Lou they cap- cap tur d. d Too bad about that Sherm the theother theother other ther man jeered Hell blab of course ourse and you'll be in this up to yore ore neck The big man looked at him bleak- bleak bleakly ly but made no answer In words Kansas got away with you didn't he c was his comment A film of wary blankness came over vcr the eyes of the hunted man Kansas made it Out but of the can can- canon canon canon on with me me he said slowly A posse osse Jumped us at the old Walsh place ace and got Kansas I 1 fought em ff and lit out with the girl Got Kansas You mean killed m Hell never be any deader Nor- Nor NorIs Is answered callously Come clean Morg Weve We've got to now just where were we're at Did you to this Chiswick girl any harm In Iny iy y way The sulky look spread over the theace theace ace ce of the kidnaper hurt he c lil WI fool at all outside of slap slap- ing ling her white face once when she shet ot t sassy What are yore plans Howard First off I 1 aim to dress my rounds lounds and bathe my feet in hot rater later Sure Morg the fat man said rith lith th oily smoothness Help yore- yore elf el- el elto to anything I 1 have here You Youre Youe re e welcome to whatever Ive I've got Norris leered at him Ill bet beto 1 0 o Q feel like I 1 was as s your prodigal on n. n A fatted ca calf wouldn't wo be near od Ile nr n I i for f mey 1 ms Hb t l de idea apt ot t to put the An D ouk Morg Nor- Nor NorI C I Sire w. w n D his passions feud au c cn n a tu tuH j H I straight Morg inc Ilc j y v ll a 9 G ate KT Lr r Wit he retorted youve o ve played yore and ad nd like a I 1 was hop- hop hopI g I you sh w up here but uld buld slip sUp across the line to Mexico Tell ell youre you're here Theres There's nothing can do but give you a lift rut on yore ray ay Right now all aU the passes will wille e watched You wouldn't have a aad acad cad ead ad mans man's chance of getting trough rough unless you had all the luck 1 the world Question is Is where o you aim to hole up They will atch latch Tail Holt the way a cat oes a mouse mousehole Even now some- some somene ne ic may know youre you're here Only Sherm Howard and of ourse urse he wouldn't give me away orris said derisively Sure nobody saw you come in Sure While I 1 think of it Sherm 11 1 take that other gun you prom- prom ed me The eyes stabbed to Ito those of the older man For a barely perceptible instant toward award hesitated He had a lon ion on Morg was not armed If so e could be killed now with no risk he man had become a menace It could be well to get rid of him He Duld use just now the credit that could come to him bin for rubbing out oute e desperado But he could not noto o it He found he had not the heer nerve to draw and pump lead ot of with the killers killer's gaze gazo on him nd his hand close to where the of a revolver might lie inside insides Is s vest Glad to give it to you Howard rid aid in his cheerful voice of false alse find it In the theY IY iy Y of the trunk were ere Its It's a good un too Throws just a mite high ut you'll make allowance for tor that I I You get it for me Sherm the urged You know just where Is Howard got the gun He handed t to Norris who broke it and made ure the chambers were loaded Much obliged Sherm the out out- iw said mockery in his voice I Ian Ian 1 an sure use this Haven't had a aun un unpin In my hand since those skunks me at Wild Horse The fat tat man made the best of it itc ite e c e could He lie said promptly Im ot of dumb Morg Knew all aU the time I ou didn't have a cutter Trouble with ith you is youre you're so damned ious lous Why wouldn't I let you have gun when youre you're up against it iTou ou dont don't think straight bust a trace to help me wouldn't you Sherm the killer J far as Im I'm con- con you can go to hell yore own c org erg Howard told him blunt blunt- y ut I stand by my crowd and ond ro 10 re one of the gang even if you io o wear out our patience You cant can't cantlay lay fay here of course Everybody n a town comes and goes to this cuse CUC as you know Where do you im ilm to hole up till you can slip lIp cross across the border burder I 1 wont won't worry you about that that I Norris said with a cynical grin If U you are arc a Good Samaritan ln to me while Im I'm here that will about let you out for right now I 1 dont don't care where you CU hide the older man replied Nothing to me Go to the L C ranch and stay with the if youve you've a mind to Point is when they crowd me Id I'd like to make sure Im I'm giving them th m the wrong Tong steer Sure You'd hate to see them collect me But dont don't worry about it They wont The outlaw got a basin poured hot water into it from the kettle and reduced this to the proper temperature All AU the time he watched his host out of the cor cor- corner corner corner ner of his eyes But theres there's one thing you can do for me Sherm since youre you're so anxious to help Im I'm about out of mazuma Ill I'll take a small loan if you can spare it it Howard took his time to answer Money was his god To part with it unless he saw a chance of getting it back with interest was a positive pain to him He could read Norris like a book The fellow was sneer sneer- sneering sneering sneering ing at him but back of this lay a threat His request was an order got much here Morg but what I 1 have is yours the big bigman bigman bigman man said Ten dollars dollars or or even twenty twenty- twenty twenty-to be of any use to me Norris said coolly Ill take five hundred Five hundred Howard stared I at him Youre loading me Morg r 1 J 5 IY I 1 7 t l I FYI y P Mile 1 Highs High's forty-five forty came into action You know I 1 haven't got anything like that in the house better have it Dont Don't try to fool tool me me Sherm I 1 know you The narrowed eyes were glittering dangerously Howard knew he had to make a choice He must either pay or fight For a moment he played with the idea of shooting it out Reluctantly he gave this up Morg was a dead shot From a pot coffee in the cupboard he drew out a roll roU of bills He counted five hundred and pushed the money across the table There was about fifty dollars left With his evil grin Norris men men- mentioned mentioned mentioned that it was more blessed to give than to receive Pay you when Jay Gould sends me a mil mU- million million lion he added cheerfully He busied himself doctoring his wounds and taking care of his feet Before he left leIt he be gave Howard in in- instructions instructions Instructions a purring threat in his voice I You haven't seen me Sherm You dont don't know where I 1 am It wouldn't be healthy for you to get busy rustling a posse to take after atter me Understand Coldly Howard answered No use trying to help you Morg You dont don't know how to appreciate kind treatment If Ii I got any from you Id I'd sure keep my eyes skinned till I 1 found out why the toe man on the dodge cut back He l e backed to the door and stopped there for a last word of advice Ill stick around a few minutes outside Dont Don't move from yore chair for half haft an hour Just take it easy and see if it you can beat the solitaire game Presently the door closed behind him Howard sat In the chair as he had been advised He was busy think think- thinking thinking thinking ing and his thoughts all aU pointed to toone toone toone one one conclusion Norris was too dan dan- dangerous dangerous dangerous a man to let live CHAPTER XI I Morgan Norris closed the door of the Howard house and ran through the garden to a back street Be Be- Before Before Before fore moving into the open road he glanced up and down it to make sure nobody was in sight light Swiftly he went up the road until he be came to a path crossing the vacant space used by the town for tor a baseball ground This Tins he followed Behind the plate were two or three adobe houses belonging to Mexicans He wound around these and came to the rear door of the Golden Nugget He lIe did not enter the gambling gambling- house but crept along one of the walls until he could look through a window and see what was going on inside The sight of that room gave him an acute nostalgia He had been one of the pins king there for many months He had ruffled ru it with the best of them Fifty times he had bad cantered into town with some boon companion and strolled in to drink loaf or play the wheel Sick and weary as he be was nothing would have pleased him more than to drop in there and relax But he dared not show his face The Golden Nugget was closed to him forever When he had run away with Ruth Chiswick he had put himself beyond the pale If he were to open the door and walk in now nowa a dozen cold hostile faces would stare at him and at the right mo mo- moment moment moment ment bullets would crash into his body as they had bad into that of Wild Jim Pender Howard had been right The be thing he had done had I hurt all the Tail Tall Holt outlaws If they got the chance they would square themselves by planting him himin himIn in Boot HilL He crept along the wall toward Main street From this spot he had fired the shot that had wounded Lee Chiswick only a few weeks ago Then he had been riding the top wave a leader among the reckless lawless cowboys of the vicinity Now he was a fugitive every mans man's hand against his A poor stolen in the hills had brought him to town but buthe buthe buthe he intended to leave on a better mount That was why he had ven ven- ventured ventured ventured so close to the heart of the town There were sure to be horses in front of the Golden Nugget A half a dozen of them stood at atthe atthe atthe the His eyes went up and down the street A few people were in view two or three of them lounging in front of saloons one or two others moving briskly toward some destination Norris stepped to the to choose a mount To him there came cam the sound of hoofs Three men rode round a corner comer and drew up at the Golden Nugget One of them was Curly Connor Back of a horse Norris crouched revolver in hand He guessed that these men had just come back from froma a fruitless search in the hills for tor him They swung stiffly from their saddles as riders do who have not left them for many miles Me I 1 could use a drink one of them said wearily The speaker was Mile High He tied the rein with a slip knot and turned toward the Golden Nugget As he did so his glance stopped abruptly He was looking into the glittering eyes of someone standing back of a horse its it's Morg he broke out outRight outRight outRight Right first guess Norris said evenly not raising his voice Dont monkey with yore hardware any of you unless you want to go out in smoke Mile High said bitterly You killed Kansas you double crossing deviL So I did the bad man jeered And Im I'm still on the shoot Mile MOe High Roll right along and get that drink with yore arms down Stepping swiftly to the left for a better view of the man Curly dragged out his revolver Two guns blazed one of them that of Connor With a ribald yell of triumph Nor Nor- Norris Norris Norris ris vaulted to the saddle Mile MOe Highs High's forty five came into action but the horse was plunging at the feel of the spur Again Norris tired fired his mount still in the air An in in- instant instant instant stant later he was dashing Into the darkness crouched low in the seat Rout the boys out of the Golden Nugget Jim Curly said excitedly Get after alter him immediate I He got me Bad Curly asked Mile High In the shoulder Ill I'll make the riffle rIme all aU right but I 1 dont don't t reckon I 1 Ican Ican can ride with you The lank puncher picked his hat out of the dust There bere were two little holes in the crown The son- son gun of-a-gun of-a of gun sure gave me a haircut Been one inch lower he would of collected me Better get inside and have the boys look after alter you Curly Yes agreed the headed black man Ill be all right when Im I'm fixed up Get fresh horses Mile MOe High That rapscallion dont don't aim to pick no daisies on the way way Curly was right The fugitive had already left the road and turned up a gulch trail leading into the hills If there had been any room for doubt as to how he stood at Tail TaU TailHolt TailHolt Holt there was none left now His roaring gun had cut down the most popular man in town He had seen Curly stagger from the impact of the bullet As soon as possible he must get out of the country Until that time he be must lie hidden Old Man Haskins would take care of him him for for a price That bat was one of the reasons he had been forced to hold up Sherm Howard Nobody did anything for nothing the bandit reflected bitterly Not when you were down on your luck with the cards stacked against you He would have to pay Pete well for protection Norris rode steadily till late at night He was in a vile humor His swollen feet tortured him The clout on the head a souvenir from Jeff Gray still pained at times From lack of sleep he was dead tired The cabin of the nester was dark when he rode up to it but a hound dog filled tilled the night with its bark bark- ing A man came to the door He opened it only an inch or two Who is it a piping voice de Lemme in Pete Its It's Morg Nor lor- ris 4 The hillman human hesitated I 1 aint exactly fixed for visitors 1 That's a fact sure enough He lowered his squeaky tones to a whis whis- per I I aint ain t alone I 1 done got some some- someone someone someone one here The hunted man was taken aback He had counted on Haskins being alone Few came up to this neck of the woods Who you got here Norris Norris' asked Why I dont don't rightly know his I name Haskins said A fellow from Texas i Morg swung from the and I walked close to the other Im listen in Pete he said and his voice dripped menace Is this some guy sent up to get me Haskins was w s a big unkempt slovenly slovenly slovenly enly man He was of middle age large with a deep barrel chest from which one would have expected the roar of a bulL no nol The high falsetto registered excitement Dont Don't start lookin for trouble Morg This is a bird sent up by Sherm Howard Hes He's on the dodge Someone inside the cabin joined the talk Who is it Pete A friend Clint Wants to stay with me a spell He got into a kinda kind a jam Name is Norris The fellow they're after atter Yes all the powwow about Why dont don't you bring him In TO BE CONTINUED |