Show AC OLE if- if iff M MI f JACKSON GREGORY 41 I ca GREGORY V THE T E STORY SO FAR FAH Old Early DID BID Cole bad had known for lor or six sir months that his days dars were numbered Of late be he bad been up op and about each morning earlier than thin usual telling some part of his bis wide wide- widespread widespread spread acres aeres the King Kine Cole Ranch a alast alast alast last adios It was still sUU hall half dark one morning as he be was walking through his beloved belond pines when a rifle ride shot rang ran clear dear through the stillness and Early Dill felt a stab of pain Leaning against an old pine he be blazed away at a man crashing through the bushes Then be he laughed for lor be he bad had shot the mans man's hat bat hatoff off oas Staggering home borne Early BUI DW sent Gaucho Ortega one of his Mexican hands lunds for lor Doc Joe and the Judge t Now continue with the story First Doc lets let's know mow where we stand I 1 need a little time and a amite amite amite mite of Im I'm not going to pop off of in a hurry like a candle blown out am I I 1 feel pretty good after that drink Youre a tough old bird Bill said Doc Joe Jo thoughtfully IX U you hadn't been on the skids anyhow this thing wouldn't have done you in Its It's just hurrying things along some I No theres there's no rush Say the word and I 1 can keep boosting you along along- Ob Oh how do I 1 know Anyhow shoot the works and take your time Fair enough and gracias ami ami- amigo go said Early Bill Bm Here we go It was a fairly long sided one talk with Bill Cole now and then forced to silence and rest and be before fore the conference was over every everyman everyman everyman man man- manof of them had taken several drinks And pretty nearly every time that Doc Joe went for the drinks the Judge got up and went outside and nearly every time the Judge played Hebe Doc Doe Joe stepped out into the patio Fortunately both Doc Joe and the Judge knew pretty well what Early Bill Cole had in mind though the definite thing the old fellow was go go- going going ing to do had yet to be told Merely taking into consideration the facts of the case the whole thing should be simple enough since it was merely the making of a will But they saw the old familiar gleam in Early Bills Bill's eyes and were dead sure that right up to the last he was plotting some sort of devilment Hadn't he said to them on one occa- occa II I 1 i I 1 t I J l 9 Cc r r iii You sure bled like a stuck haw Doc Joe told him sion slon Im having me a barrelful of fun when Im I'm dead Both his listen listen- listeners ers remembered that remark and were to recall it more than once in days to days to come They figured that they knew Early Bill Bm Cole pretty well though they had lad to admit they'd had the pleas pleas- pleasure ure of his friendship for something like ike twenty or twenty five years only And that much longer ago than that he had had two friends who had meant much m ch very much to him aim Forty years before and more there here had rioted through the moun moun- mountains mountains mountains a small company known mown far farand farand farand and wide as Hells Hell's Triplets Early Bill Bm Cole Busty Lee Buck Cody Busty Lee and Buck Cody were haply hap hap- hapy ly y dead these many years having been cen swept away together in a night of violence and about all that they had lad left behind them was their va various va- va various rious offspring Busty Lee had left lefta a B daughter with little dower save her ler loveliness and Buck Cody had bequeathed to the world a son and not much to go along with him They knew that little Ann Lee was teach teach- teaching teaching ing school somewhere or another and living with her Aunt Jenifer Jenifer- her aunt wing living with her rather r and that tha t young Cody was trying to tomake tomake tomake make a mining engineer out of him him- self All AIl this they knew because old Bill had told them them and and that with the first creeping of the shadow over him some months ago he had piled Into the stage and had been away for a couple of weeks weeks and and had come comeback comeback comeback back with that Santa saint Claus gleam In his eye I looked em both over he be an an- announced announced announced triumphantly And they i didn't know me from Adams Adam's off ox I either because I 1 didn't didn happen to I speak up They're aces Busty's and Bucks Buck's pups and me Im I'm going to have me some fun with them After youre you're dead they grunt grunt- grunted cd ed at him And now he was getting ready for his hb fun In a minute Judge youre you're go- go goIng going going Ing to make me a couple of wills wills wills- Hold on there Bill Just because there are two legatees you dont don't need two wills He lie looked at Early Bill narrowly maybe the old devil was too far gone already to know enough to make any sort of will willi Then in that case everything lock stock tock and barrel would go to Rance Ranee Waldron as nearest of kin the kin the only kin so 10 far as Early Bill knew I though luckily distant doing this Early Bill grunted Im leaving everything I got to young Cody and the Lee girl Hes He's an upstanding young he he- wildcat and she's the cutest trick and the nicest and well and well the sweet sweet- sweetest sweetest sweetest est you ever laid eyes on So they get the works The whole of the ranch and the whole of the cash The moneys money's in your bank Judge if you haven't stole it yet anyhow a couple of hundred thousand dol dol- dollars lars lars about about two five now I 1 reckon in case the interest hasn't et up all the principal or you haven't been losing heavy at drawl The Judge eyeing him thought He knows what hes he's talking about Now went on Early Bill Ive got a Job for each one of you horn toads and Im I'm paying each one of you a dollar a day and found high wages for you two Judge you go goin goin goin in there and hunker down at the I table and write me those two wills Make em just the same giving i granting and disposing and so forth all I got got- In one will give every every- everything everything everything thing to her In the other give ev ev- everything everything ev- ev everything to him And you date em i both the same as of today You Doc you move that tha t old trunk of mine to one side and yank up a cou cou- couple couple pie of loose boards and hand me what you find Lets Let's go gol Wages i start when you start getting busy Doc Joe shoved aside a battered old leather trunk scrabbled in the corner comer got a couple of loose boards up and after some further scrabbling scrabbling scrabbling bling came up red faced with a small iron lock box in his dusty hands The box was eighteen inches long about six inches in the other dimensions and was provided with two locks each set about six inches from the end endI endI endI I think it was that box of mine put the whole Idea into my head Early Bill Bm said Having two locks like notice Look at em good Doc What about em demanded Doc Joe just two locks locks- By the way said Early Bill when you boys go out send Cal Roundtree to to tome me Tell him to bring Gaucho Ive I've got me a great hunch bunch Its It's my ace in the hole Youre crazy like a hoot owl snorted the Judge Doc just asked you a question What's this about two locks Look at em good goodlI I am looking looking They're They're different that what you mean Takes two different keys to open cm em said a triumphant Bill Cole To two old sitters porch-sitters in front of the Bald agle Eagle Hotel came a ayoung ayoung ayoung young man on on horseback T two watching everything that went on smoking their after alter supper stogies took stock of him when he be first rode into town down at the far end of the street He rode straight to the ho ho- hotel hotel tel dismounted dismount dismounted S and approached He was young and lean and brown and tall In the saddle he had been loosely graceful one felt that for all that seeming carelessness in his way of riding that if his horse had of a sudden sought to leap out from under him he would still have been sitting there in the saddle confident and vaguely arrogant Here where men dressed as they pleased this young man struck a note From flashy ashy high heeled ed boots to the silk bandana bright red around his brown throat t and on up to his forty dollar hat he displayed a touch of elegance A handsome young dark devil too when they saw his face Howdy gents he greeted them and sat sa t on the porch holding his horses horse's reins He removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair that was inclined toward length rich darkness and curliness Civilly they returned his greeting Howdy they said Im a stranger here he told them them- You look like you belonged here Maybe you can tell me the way to Bill Bm Coles Cole's ranch They directed him telling him it was a couple of hours' hours ride indicating Indicating ing the short cuts to take on horse horse- back He said Thanks rolled a cigarette smoked half of it it tossed the butt into the dust and stood up Only said Doc Joe I I dont don't know as they're wide open for com- com right now Bill Bm Coles Cole's sick Sick Say Say What's What's wrong Noth Noth- Nothing Nothing ing bad Is it He aint feeling any too good said Doc Doe Joe The young man eyed him in a pen pen- penetrating penetrating sort of way I You might be the doctor he judged And Doc Joe nodded Well all the more reason I 1 should ride along You see Im I'm his nephew My names name's Rance Ranee Waldron Waldron tarried a a moment as though thinking some word might be added When none was forthcoming he swung up into the saddle again lifting easily and somehow graceful graceful- gracefully ly a man full of strength and youth and vitality and lind rode away They watched him out of sight Hail Hm said the Judge then lie He had a hat hat ha 1 mused Doc Joe Yep Wasn't any hole In it though Rance Ranee Waldron huh brooded Doc Joe Do you know Judge that old fool Bill BW Cole has some some- sometimes sometimes times Umes struck me as a pretty fair Judge of ot folks This young Waldron I dont don't cotton to him much much- I 1 dont don't like the cut of his eye Me neither agreed the Judge I noticed we were both sorry he didn't have a hole in his bLe hat Lets Let's Letsgo Letsgo go eo get a drink TO BE DE CONTINUED |