Show J 4 BAR WILLIAM PATTERSON WHITE I iy Little Brown ani U g Continued from our last Issue He lie saw beyond the table Felix Craft Cran with a gun gun in each hand The gambIer's gamblers gambler's gam gam- bIers bler's face despite the tears that overflowed overflowed over over- flowed his eyes and ran down his hisch ch cheeks was fairly murderous Tip rip Where are arc you Dont Don't you move Bill Bm Craft was saying the barrels barrels bar bar- I reis of his two guns weaving to and fro uncertainly Get away from that door Bill Dont Don't you try and get away I I- I Ican can see you Billy leaned forward picked up a a. from from his setout on the table and flung It across the room It fell with witha a a clatter Craft fired at the sound The next Instant Billy Dilly kicked him Under under under un un- der the chin and flattened him outPut out Put your our hands behind you Tip he directed Tip answered the question by haltIng halting halt halt- Ing his groping wa way toward the speak speak- er He stood still sUll his body swaying his muscular fingers locked in the palms of his hands Billy stooped over the senseless Craft and whipped off his neckerchief Tip hesitated then suddenly he thrust his hands around him laid his six six- shooter on a chair seat and drew the handkerchief beneath Tips Tip's crossed wrists The next Instant Tip had whirled about crowded his body I against Billy Dilly and struck outside with all his might In an instant Tip wason was wason on top and Billy Dilly underneath The I older man Jammed both both- thumbs Into Billy's Billys windpipe and wrenched himself astride Billys Billy's body The strangling Billy HIlly spread wide his legs hunched up I his knees planted bot both feet against Tips Tip's ribs and straightened his legs with a a. jerk Tips Tip's hands were torn loose from Billys Billy's s throat and Tip himself himself him him- self crashed backward against the wall Billy scrambled to his feet and wIthout without with wIth- out the slightest hesitation clipped Tip over the head with the barrel of his six shooter Tip remained where whore he was Billy stood over him pistol poised till he made sure he was senseless sense sense- less Then he took pains to mal make e fast the trios trio's respective arms and legs with strips trins torn from a a. nightgown be- be longing to fo Sam I It wa was his laudable Intention to pack I Ithe the unconscious Felix town and jail him for the stage coach robbery It was a bold plan but Billy always rather favored the bold plan With Craft In jail and wearing the clothing worn by the robber to which the complaisant Jerry Fern and his passengers would undoubtedly be prepared prepared prepared pre pre- pared to swear it would be hard In Indeed indeed In- In deed l if Bill could not fasten the robben robbery robbery rob rob- bery ben on him Craft It must roust have been his good angel who wco caused him to look through the front window He lie looked and saw a cloud of oC horsemen scouring toward the ranch house lIe He Immediately recognized recognized recognized to his disgust half halt a a. dozen of oC Sam Larders Larder's pun punchers hers i He lie abandoned the plan of taking Felix Craft to town lie He would be hard put to escape himself Billy topped his mount struck in the spurs and fled The Tho other horse ho he perforce left standing CHAPTER XII Nate Samson weighing sugar for I Hazel Walton WE looked at her sidewise Heard the news Hazel Red lIed Herring the town marshall marshal slouching against a showcase covertly wa watched the tWo girl Somebody killed Tip OGorman O'Gorman in his own house last night said Nate Hazel Hazl wondered why why- Nates Nate's eyes never left left her face Tip OGorman O'Gorman He was one of oC Uncle Toms Tom's friends Who did it it They found Bill Wingo's quirt on the floor beside be the body and right I inside the door a snakeskin hatband the whole town knows belongs to Bill Hazels Hazel's cheeks began to glow That doesn't prove anything she declared in a level voice Hazels Hazel's black eyes were glittering through eyelids Really Nate Samson should have been warned You think Bill did it asked Hazel Wn Walton 1 t nn Nate nodded So does everybody else At any rate Nate pursued with relish rel rel- rel- rel ish theres a warrant out for tor Bill Another warrant Hazels Hazel's hand moved move imperceptibly nearer a cheese- cheese l knife that lay on the counter Another warrant That makes three counts hes he's wanted on on stage stage robbery rustling that chestnut horse of Sam Sani Larders Larder's and now this murder I always said Bill Wingo was too good to be true Hazel Walton allon made no further re remark re- re mark She reached for the cheese- cheese knife Nate Samson ducked under the counter The whirred Within an inch of his pricking scalp and stuck quivering in the edge of ofa ofa a shelf Liar announced Hazel in a loud unsympathetic lc tone Im only sorry I haven't a gun with me Talking like that about a a. man youre you're not fit to say hello to Here I dont don't want any of this stuff You can I keep ep e-ep it So saying she toppled over her whole pile of wrapped purchases and marched out of the store The marshal followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed her to the door Its all right Nate he said gone gone over to the other store Arrived home Hazel unhitched and turned the team into the corral and carried her purchases into the kitchen and dumped them on the table She hung up her mans man's hat and fluffed the hair by the aid of oC the mirror that hung below the Terry clock her uncle had West est with him She had aha always s 's liked the Terry clock clock clock- from the cheerful painted l pumpkins and grapes that graced the patterned top to the peculiar pEcullar throbbing rIng rim it gave grave on striking the hour she liked lt it And on a day the old clock was des- des I I tined to repay that liking lilting lull full meas measure measure re I pressed down and running over Lo Hazel Hello Sally Jane she said ing Ing- Ingas as a face appeared at the boor Put your horse In th corral and come comeI I on in I tied d him to th the wagon said S Sally Sally Sal Sal- lly l- l ly Jane You look mad dear she continued I am declared Hazel Listen to what I heard In town this morning Nate told m me nip nip- there there now she concluded What hat do you think of that for a job Why Its It's not even clever No agreed Sally Jane Too many articles belonging to Bill Bm Either the quirt or the hatband but not both Id I'd like to know how they the got hold of oC them Tip had enemies enemies several But nut Im I'm afraid the gang wont won't take that into consideration consideration much All they'll be able to see Is the quirt and the hat hat- band Confound It Bill shouldn't have disappeared this way All his friends know he didn't didn't-couldn't didn't couldn't have either held up the stage or really rustled Sam Larders Larder's precious horse which by I the way was found mud to the ears ears' near Sams Sam's corral this morning Fact dad told me But Dut why didn't Bill TIm stay and face the music He Ho should have known hed he'd only only- hurt himself by running running run run- ning oft off this way But I rode over here eSt especially to bring you back with me to stay as long longas as you like Hazel shook her head Cant dear Id I'd like nothing better but Ive I've Just got to look after atter the ranch When Sally Jane was gone gont Hazel started a fire Ire in the stove put on the coffee pot and ground up enough coffee coffee cof cof- cof- cof fee for tor four cupfuls She liked coffee coffee cof cof- cof- cof fee did Hazel Walton Valton Bacon and potatoes were sputtering on the stove when the faintest of creaks at the door made her look up She did not move Just stood there I staring stupidly at the bareheaded man I that blocked the open doorway Forthe For Forthe Forthe the bareheaded man was Dan his harsh face rendered even less prepossessing prepossessing prepossessing th than n usual by a weeks week's stubble The lu whirred within aninch nn an inch of his scalp and stuck quivering in the flue edge of n a shelf of beard A six shooter was in Dan hand and the barrel was pointIng point point- pointing ing at at- ather her breast Dont go makin any move toward that rifle on the hooks back of you ou said Dan slipping Into the room and closing the door behind him If you ou do Ill I'll have to beet beef you Dish u up that grub there on the stove Im I'm hungry Get a move on At that she turned in a flash and reached for tor the Winchester She had it barely off the hooks when Dan e was beside her With his left hand he seized the gun barrel and shoved it upward And as he did so he ho smote her across the top of the head with his pistol barrel A rocketing sheaf of sparks danced before her eyes and her knees es gave I way He lie dragged ed the Winchester from her falling failing grasp as she fell Hazel slowly raised her body to a sitting position She clung to a leg of oC the table for support She passed a hard hand 1 very tenderly across the top of her head She felt a little nauseated Dan watching her with hard bright eyes strode to the stove and poured himself out a cup of ot coffee be all right In about 10 min mm- utes he said calmly I didn't hit you ou so awful hard I He drank the coffee slowly with evi dent enjoyment He lie came and stood over her hands bands on hips and looked down at her grim grim- ley She shrank away her wide eyes fixed upon him In fright and loathing It was evident that he found his survey survey sur sur- sur- sur vey of her satisfactory for he kicked her In the side Not hard Simply as an earnest of ot what lay In store for her Get up he commanded The nausea and most of the dizzy feeling had evaporated She was perfectly perfectly per per- able to get up but It was Intolerable Intolerable erable that she should do the bidding of her uncles uncle's murderer She continued continued contin contin- to lie still Get et up up he repeated and kicked her harder again again harder She got up gasping a hand at her side She felt as though one of her ribs was broken She had set the table for tor herself hersel be before before be- be fore he ho came in He lie sat down at her place his eyes eres bright upon her lier Fum Fum- she filled a plate with bacon and fried potatoes She brought him another cup of ot coffee and placed the condensed milk and tho the sugar within his reach Continued in our next issue |