Show I I I The Th s Wing g Copyright p 1924 by Little Brown w Co I. I By By B. B M. M BOWER I Continued from ye yesterday I IThe The old vulture vulture crance craned his neck his his' malev malev- forward forwar his eyes eyes' pIer piercingly I Think Ive I've waited fifty year fer that gold t be robbed of it now earth Thc They aint no on what's whal's mine c- c can cah step in an take Ill I'll blow cm to hell first Ill I'll illAs ill i'll- As once before when he thought his gold was threatened Old Jess Van the full fun gamut o of anathema Kev Nevada dl fled from the sound of oC his Ic cracked ac d voice shrieking maniacal threats and maledictions lIe He shook his his fist fist under Hawleys Hawley's nose and stamped star ped his feet and nd raved Young Jess vas was ridden over-ridden silenced by bythe the he old mans man's insane outburst t. As 45 onee once before Peter said absolutely absolutely nothing until Old Jess I had I reached leached the zenith of oJ his rage Then he lie rose deliberately and without without with with- out out excitement took tho the old man manby manby manby by the collar COnal and headed him toward towar the door Go and cool off he advised dispassionately You old vulture than you jou ou cant can't scream any louder the Eagle You too Jess he lie added turning harshly upon his half Youre a pretty good goodman goodman goodman I man when it comes to swinging a single-jack single but youre you're a damn poor hand at thinking This thing is away beyond your depth You cant can't holler the government down Get out Young Jess blustered and threatened threatened threatened threat threat- ened still flailing his fists and mouthing oaths about all from you grated grate Rawley stung to action b by some vile ile threat against th the gov- gov Is hey Young Jess advanced ad upon him Then Hawley Rawley went for him the blue eyes of the Kings gone black with fury The fight if it could I I be lie called that was short and uni un- un dramatic No Ko tables were overturned overturned overturned over over- i turned no glass was shattered Young Jess aimed a sledge blow at Rawley Hawley g got t one on the jaw that spun him so that he laced faced faced the theother theother theother other way and I Rawley forthwith fO kicked him off the porch Young Jess rooted gravel looked over his shoulder and saw Rawley coming I at him again and started off ort on all fours When he lie regained his feet he went away blathering blasphemy blas bias blas I phemy phem He Ie was going for his gun gunso so so he said Peter stood looking after Young I Jess his brows prows pulled together A 40 slim figure slipped past him and I went sent straight to Rawley who was pulling puling at his tie which had gone goneI crooked She was pale breathless with the fear that looked out of I her big e eyes es Oh you jou must go now go-now now she breathed clasping her two hands I II around his arm You think hes he's I just like any other bully buty all blus blus- I blus-I tel ter Hell He'll kill lilI you jou just as sure sura as you stand here Grandfather too I I Uncle Jess will shoot you in the I back back oh oh anyway Hes He's the worst I of the Indian blood once you OU I rouse him theres there's nothing hell he'll stop at Get him away Uncle Peter It isn't brave to stay and be killed It Its It's the worst kind o of cowardice the kind that is afraid to show it itself elf Uncle Peter Were going Nevada I know Young Jess A rattlesnakes rattlesnake's a prince alongside him when hes he's mad Son you jou ou should have left leCt him to fo me I Ican can handle him pretty well no matter how mad he gets Come Come along h hell he'll ll nat not be above potting you ou from ambush Injun style I He lIe left the porch at at the farther end pulling Rawley Hawley after him himi and much as Rawley Hawley hated the thought of retreat he was was was' forced to believe that Nevada and Peter neither of them timid souls must know what they were talking about Nevada disappeared with no word of farewell to Rawle Hawley Rawley Young Jess could be plainly heard bawlIng bawling bawl bawl- ing lag at Gladys because his shells had been misplaced Peter chuckled One of the kid kids shot himself through the hat a month or so so ago he el explained his amusement Since then the guns are kept un un- un- un loaded Jess is hunting cartridges God bless Gladys for a poor housekeeper housekeeper housekeeper house house- keeper He lie still held eld a firm grip on Raw flaw leys ley's arm leading him down the path to the river giver But suddenly keeping an ear cocked toward the sounds behind him he swung away from the trail toward the bluffs Hes found them from th the way things have quieted down back hack there Hell He'll be hot o o on your trail I now Unless now Unless Nevada can stop him which I I doubt He's Hes Injun enough to hold women in contempt when it comes to a showdown Here He lIe pulled Hawley Rawley down between two great upstanding boulders stan standing black t the stars Rawley felt a movement of Peters Peter's arm aim and knew tha that t Peter had pulled a gun from somewhere and was aiming it across a ridge of rock Rawley Hawley himself could hear nothing but the crying of the wakened wakened wakened wak wak- ened baby In the shack the yelp of ofa ofa ofa a kicked dog For For a long time it seemed to Rawley they waited He could not hear a so sound nd But Peter still held his gun leveled across the rock before bo- bo fore him hirn and Rawley Hawley c uld feel h how w Peters Peter's muscles were tensed for a struggle Two T greenish lights showed faintly as a struck the eyeballs of a dog A shuffling sound approaching through the weedy gravel a sniffling at Peters Peter's hand Hawley felt a crimple down his spine though he did not think that thai he was afraid A pebble plunked into something close beside I him and the dog shied off with a faint staccato yelp Young Jess then was close A muttered muttered muttered mut mut- curse reached the ears cars of the two between the boulders ImmediatelY Immediately Immediately Imme Imme- afterward Neva Nevadas Nevada's whisper whis whis- whis-I whis per er came distinctly I II I think hes he's hidden here here SOmewhere Somewhere somewhere some SOme- where In the rocks His car is down downin in the canyon but he wouldn't wouldn't go that waY waY-he'd hed he'd expect you ou to fol fol- fol- fol low Watch Vatch the dog He hasn't any gun gun I I know Can you creep back toward back toward the hill hill hill- Sh You call calI him Quiet as asif asif asif if you was scared Make Male out youre you're sweet sweeton on him him him- I 1 cant He knows knows- knows t 1 hate him V We quarreled toda today I hate his snobbish ways ways ways-I I 1 told him so Call his name if it you run onto him Then rhen duck Ill I'll Ill I'll- Sh he Sh he may Y 1 bo he 0 near i I I I I I I I I The two were standing close to together together together to- to gether Just beyond the boulder that thai reared its bulk beyond Peter Rawley Rawley Raw Raw- ley bit his lip straining his ears to hear more You call him lIe He wont won't Young Jess urged in a whisper Hed be a fool tool J If he I tell he knows s you Hes stuck on yuh That makes a fool fool ool- 1 I Sh Hes He's not not not not- Inch by inch Rawley Hawley was drawing drawing drawing draw draw- ing himself backward until now he was free freo of the boulder and Peter 1 From rom the sounds he knew that the two were standing close to the rock He lie thought that they were facing the river though he could not b be sure sure ure It did not greatly matter He inched that way until he could faintly distinguish two upright upright up up- right blots in the darkness of the boulders boulder's shadow Upon the taller of ot the two he launched himself reaching re Instinctively instinctively instinctively for the gun he knew was there His hand closed on the cool steel of the barrel and he gave a mighty wrench as he went down Young Jess caught unawares from behind had no chance to save him him- self Rawley Hawley landed full on his back his chest forcing the face of Young Jess into the gravel His left hand gripped the back of Jess' Jess neck Peter please take this fighting squaw to the house and lock locI her up somewhere Then come back here I want ant to have a talk with you jou be before before bei fore I go he said hardly I 1 can handle this vermin but I leave the squaw to you jou As you like ilee Pet Peters Peter's rs r's voice was t as noncommittal Come Nevada Rawley had expected some Outburst outburst outburst out out- burst from her some bitter reply to his taunt But f she fhe he went vent away with Peter and spoke no wOl word d to anyone So Rawle Rawley pulled off his necktie and tied Y Young ung Jess' Jess hands behind him and made himself a smoke while he waited wafted Peters Peter's re re- re turn ru I I git you ou and Ill I'll git you lOU right gritted Young Jess when Rawley had his going You better kill me now or you'll see the day dav you'll be begging me to kill yuh Ill I'll ketch yuh and take yuh back in the mine an Ill I'll Ill I'll- He lie amused amused himsel himself himself him him- self sel for some minutes making up tho the program of his revenge He lie would finish he decided by building building building build build- ing a bed of powder kegs legs and placing placing placing ing Rawley full length upon It It with a ten-foot ten fuse spitted just before Young Jess bade him good- good b by Continued tomorrow |