Show 2 c AC OLE IOLE M- M GREGORY OO bf JACKSON GREGORY RELEASE W J d TilE THE STORY SO FAR Ann Lee Lu and Cole Cody beneficiaries under two Identical cal wills of Old Ole Dill Bill Cole Cale were attempt attempt- attemptIng Ing Inc to discover who fired the build ballet which caused causee his death Suspicion centered around Rance Ranee Waldron who posing as asOle Old Ole Bills Bill's nephew had taken up op residence at the ranch Trailed by Cody one night to a deserted cabin Ranee Rance wa was discovered eyed ered arguing with the notorious Tom Couch Gough over the many Jobs they had bad pulled polled Later that night Rance Ranee left Idt the I ranch apparently to Join Conch Gough at the deserted cabin Cody delivered his copy of Old Dills Bills will 10 to the Judge for safe safekeeping safekeeping keeping and Ann gave cave her ber copy of the theother theother theether other ether Identical will to Doc Joe Now continue with the story CHAPTER C APTER XV V Young as the summer was it was wasa a lazily languid day by now and both the Judge and Doc Joe were in inclined In In- dined cUned to a sort of dreamful ease the horses had expended their first early morning zest and the home home- homeward homeward ward journey lacked the speed and dash marking its first phase from Bald Eagle to the King Cole Ranch I Now the sun was higher and warm warm- warmer I er now the two old cronies were drowsy and pleasurably sentimental tal their eyes lidded heavy-lidded from last nights night's Indulgence Indulgence and and In a aspot aspot aspot spot where the narrow road wound down into a cool and shady ravine both men were rudely startled when a man on horseback cut unexpected unexpected- unexpectedly ly into the road in front of them and Issued his orders The man wore a mask improvised from a bandana handkerchief and his voice was a strange str muffled voice voice voice-he he might have bad had pebbles in his mouth and and his few briskly spoken words were to the effect that the Judge and Doc Joe were to stop where they were and not reach for any guns provided they carried such ar ar- articles as tidies as naturally both did Who do you think you are the theold ther old Judge snorted telling us where whereto r to head in I want everything in your pock pock- pockets pockets ets he said and I want it quick If you make a fuss about it Ill I'll kill the two of you inside ten seconds They reached for their purses and tossed them Into the dry dusty grass alongside the road There you are Stranger grumbled grum grum- grumbled grumbled bled Doc Joe Take it Il itI ItI I said I wanted everything in your pockets he was reminded in ina Ina Ina a voice which rankled long in his memory Everything youve you've got got all we got roared the Judge his hand itching to reach for the old Colt he be hadn't gone Ione without with with- without without out for many and many a year but never stirring an inch toward it because he be knew better Get a move on you fools Turn your pockets out They strove to fumble and to hide the papers they had carried that given Doc Joe by Ann Lee that en en- entrusted entrusted entrusted trusted to the Judge by Bill BIU Cole Cody But the steady eyes bent upon them were too watchful Everything I tell teU you youl Empty your pockets to your nose rags and tobacco Everything youve you've got gol Pitch it out and drive on and on-and and get geta a move on doing Hi Doc Joe had a pet corn and he was apt to slaughter a man who r J trod on it Il And certainly none knew about this corn better than did the Judge And now the Judge trod heavily and deliberately on Doc Joes Joe's corn And Doc Joe already stung almost beyond endurance caught the sig signal nal and was glad to have the Judge with him and like one man the two of o them went for or their guns Well along in years they might be but they were not the type of man whose coat tail taU you tread on with impunity any more than you go poking a stick at an old rattle snake Inake Actuated by the same instinctive 4 impulse alike not caring for their present position on the buggy seat as they snatched at their side arms they threw themselves clear over the wheels into the road landing anyhow sprawling Doc Joe sat up and began firing at the masked rid rid- rider rider rider er the Judge rested on his knees and loosed his own screaming bul bul- I lets r Their horses left to their own de de- device device F vice vice by the crash of gun gun- gunfire gunfire fire bolted b headed straight toward ti j he e man at whose command they M bad had been halted He He too was fir fir- firing firing r ing rapidly yet not so rapidly as to bespeak any storm nerve-storm wasting s no time Urne yet spacing his shots coolly His horse started to lunge as the frightened team almost ran him down his bandana slipped both Judge and Doc Joe saw who it was Rance Ranee Waldron roared the old Judge and his shooting skill not be be- being belog log ing quite what it had been once upon a time a long time ago shot hot Waldron's Waldron horse borse through the throat The beast reared and screamed and tell fell pawing the air with flailing hoofs hoob Rance Ranee Waldron Valdron leaped clear A sharp cry of warning burst from Doc be Joe Judge Look out Theres There's another er u of them hid bid in the bushes like bushes like when they held beld the stage up the theother theother theother other day dayl The runaway team went thunder thunder- thundering thunderIng ing lug down the road Taking advantage advantage tage Uge of a moment of contusion confusion the Judge strove to scramble behind a abig abig abig big pine Rance on foot now now was wasing I ing again and bullets came whiz whiz- whizzing zing ling from the man whom Doc Joe JoeD Joeand D bad and d glimpsed Joining RAnces RAnce's attack from a point of some small shelter The Judge got a good clear view of him and steadying his hand and taking time for It drove two bullets Into Tom Gough's Coughs body The Judge had but half hall a dozen paces to go to come to his big pine but never made the short dis tance Ranee Rance shot him through the upper body and the old fellow sprawled on his face and for a mo mo- moment moment moment ment lay there clawing at the dust dusl Doc Joe couldn't spare time off oft to look at him he could only yell Get up Judge Youre You're all aU right you old fool But he be couldn't help but see how little puffs of dust arose from under the claws which his old crony's hands had bad become and how the lean tall taU figure writhed seeking I to roll roU over to get back into the fight his strength failing falling him We got one down panted Doc Joe Well get that Rance Ranee var var- varmint varmint varmint mint in a minute But somehow his eyes weren't as clear as they used to be he had to blink them once And there was a tremor in his hand band no matter how steady and firm his will Rance Ranee unafraid it would appear and con con- contemptuous contemptuous II laughed at him and fired and sang out all aU together I That for you you meddling old fool Old Doc Joe spat back at him with verbal vitriol and hot lead- lead glad to be fighting fighting even even though he knew the Judge had bad not as yet risen Doc Joe himself surged up to his feet feet at last but only In time timeto to drop again his weapon fall faU- falling falling ing from his suddenly limp grasp and when he fell feU lying crookedly on his bis side facing the Judge yet falling failing to see him or anything else on earth the reason for his fall faU was written in a bright red dripping smear upon his temple Rance Ranee Waldron stood stone still where he was save for the swift sure movement of his fingers reloading re re- reloading reloading loading his eyes were hard bard and bright and suspicious bent shrewd shrewd- sh ewd t p- p pi pi hI y i J I i e J r t th r h l The beast reared screamed and fell eU pawing the air ly upon the two old men lying one in the dusty road the other at its side He saw that there was never nevera a twitch in n Doc Joes Joe's body he be marked how feebly the Judge struggled struggled still sUU face down still unable to turn over Then for an instant only his hard bard bright eyes flicked rocked toward the brush down do into which Tom Cough Gough had spilled Tom he called Tom I Are you all right Or are you done for Playing possum to keep out of the fight or dying Speak up man Im all shot up Rance Ranee Help me quick Ill I'll bleed to death Youre always getting yourself all aU shot up youre you're always bleeding to death grumbled Rance Ranee What are you good for Bleed and be darned to you He stepped along then not toward Tom Gough Cough but toward the two old men in n the road a fully loaded gun gunin gunIn gunIn in each of his hands bands He lie came first to Doc Joe stopped and stood looking down at him then moved on muttering a door doornail doornail nail and a good Job too The Judge as a final spasm of strength swept along on a final spasm of pain sat up he even groped for his fallen gun and found It All the strength he be could sum sum- summon summon summon mon was needed to lift the heavy Colt 45 But there was living murder mur mur- murder murder der in his eyes and though he did not speak be cursed Rance Ranee Wal Wal- dron Deliberately not hastening Rance Ranee Waldron shot him square between the eyes He turned then still deliberate and broke his way through the brush to where Tom Cough Gough lay with his hit shoulders wedged against a rock his hands hand pressed against his hi chest chestand chestand chestand and side There was wasa was a terrible look lookIn lookIn lookin In Tom Coughs Cough's eyes a look of ot fear and of at dumb agony and of wild pleading a hopeless pleading for r 1 there was no spark of hope bope in those dulling eyes So youre you're done for are you Tom said Waldron He didn't exactly ex ex- exactly exactly taunt didn't exactly smile but there was the stamp of infinite cru cru- cruelty elty city callous and unfeeling in his look He lie said quietly no emotion whatever his tone Here Ill I'll lend you a hand Heavy man though Tom Gough Cough was was Rance Ranee Waldron lifted him easily eis- eis easily ily fly and bore him the short distance to the roadside There he put him down crown not more than a score of paces from where the still bodies of the Judge and Doc Joe lay Those two are dead Tom said Rance find them tomor tomor- row They'll find you too They'll say you stuck em up and you three shot it out out and and all aU three of you cut one another down For Gods God's sake Ranee Rancel Rance Ranee shot him twice through the body It wouldn't do to have all three men shot through the head I He emptied the pockets of both the Judge and Doc Joe He glanced at the two wills and put them into his bis pocket He gathered up the rest of their personal effects money and watches and dropped the lot close to Tom Gough's Coughs hand Then he went to Tom Gough's Coughs horse and rode away into the thickest of the wooded hills leaving his own horse not dead yet but dying slowly to kick its life out It was a sweet day averted young Gaucho Ortega idling homeward from Bald Eagle as he came first of all upon the wreckage of brutal tragedy Only three or four miles from town where a canyon debouched upon the valley on the farther rim I of which Bald Eagle sunned itself I he saw the runaway team He rec rec- recognized recognized recognized the horses with a sweeping glance Doc Joe and the Judge had had a runaway But where were they Then a couple of miles farther on he came upon the three bodies In the road or at its edge Holy Mother of God Godl gasped Gaucho and turned sick horror struck Three men dead And the theold theold theold old Judge and Doc Joe two of I them When his wits returned to him he be bethought thought straight to the point It was less Jess than half balt a dozen miles back to Bald Eagle more than twice that distance to the ranch So he rode back toward Bald Eagle like a dark streak through the afternoon sun suo shine And it was the same Gaucho who later brought tidings the the the- the King Cole Ranch Aunt Jenifer and Ann Lee were in the patio and when Gaucho burst upon them they stared back at him speechless At first so great was the shock that they felt nothing they couldn't make his running words make sense there was no reality in what he was voicing so wildly The Judge and Doc Joe dead Dead When so little a while ago ago ago- And they didn't say a word didn't ask a question didn't even look at each other until Gaucho sped away to find Carl Roundtree and the other oth oth- other other er boys and tell all that had hap hap- For one thing there was nothing to ask so complete if It hur hur- hurried hurried ried tied had been the boys boy's details And there was nothing to say Slowly their impassive faces changed and their eyes met The dazed look had gone and in its place came horror then grief splashed with sudden tears Those two fine gallant old men dead Ann Lee wept softly then her face hidden in her hands her body rock rock- rocking rockIng ing tog convulsed Aunt Jenifer J dashed the tears from her eyes and sat very straight her ber head up her eyes steady now with almost the glint of steel in them bent upon far away distances Presently she spoke very gently but she did not stir from where she sat on the old green bench They were two fine men Ann darling they were old they had to togo togo togo go sometime like Early Bill DIU they had had bad their fun Her lips thinned to bleak silence then she added crisply And they killed the mur mur- murderer murderer murderer derer who shot them down That's That something Ann was hushed but not for long loni Hope that will not down without a adeath adeath adeath death struggle sprang up in her ber breast Maybe they are not really dead she exclaimed excitedly A Aman Aman Aman man can be shot he can b be badly hurt unconscious even and yet live I And she he started running to the themen's themen's themen's mens men's quarters She came upon a small knot of men Cole Cody and Cal Roundtree and and two others grouped in a sort of circle their heads beads down their boot toes for the most part scraping in is the dirt as they listened to Gauchos Gaucho's words She screamed at them before she reached them to hurry burry for a doctor to do what they the could to save two lives live which other other- otherwise otherwise wise might ml ht be lost even while they stood here bere doing nothing Cal turned on his bLa heeL Im off to town boys boy Ill I'll take care of o things if It anything anything's needed Come along Cody Cody shook his head Later maybe Cal In the buck- buck buckboard buckboard buckboard board If It I do come co so you better not wall wait waitTO TO BE CONTINUED 1 r 1 |