Show R RBy g-EIt g By EUGENE CUNNING HAM 0 3 CUGENE CUNNINGHAM W y u N-u Ma TIlE THE STOUT STORY BO SO FAR raa r in the tir railroad town tow o of t Wild WIlM force Doue n rr attar after his bli Sect arst 1111 expert I once c riding berd Con COD Cameron Casa r Gees luel I with Vear another aDother cowhand to the Ue Drovers Saloon sal There Th r they th y see lee Asa A prock bock a ft buyer quarrel quartel with Ith a cable man maD named Neva N vU Lowe Lew who bo wont w OD t sell leU leUto to him Brock Br ck Is li a sharp trader tra T and aal a crooked kec one ODe but t he be ba has bas the th tb la law In the person periOD o of f Dynamite Dy Downes DowDel D we tilt mar marIba steal Iba on OD his side Mi r In the h midst t o of f faro lame game Con COD misses il s Caramba and aDd ar goes E oe to and d him OB On Ur the wy way k b he sees leel Lowe L w kiss kill kloa kissa a pretty girl tirl good e a by and aDd put pat her ber h r on OD a atraIn atrain traIn Ue Be U locates Caramba at the tk Widow WH Klel Klaus li house boule ur and J then thea goes loel back blu k to the Drovers Drover There Tk r be h saves lagel Lowe Lew h from m be beIne being bIKE ing Ine shot t by one n o of t Brock Br ck s I crowd cr wJ a dep dep- Qty uty ty marshal caned El EI and aDd has bal to let get Rl out or of town tow in ID a harry Later on the f trail tran b he meets some lome cowboys rom from other olber ranches and aDd learns learDI that the story of 01 I his al fight has bal ai already lra r traveled far and aDd 4 that fal the lh country c try u-try around arc a there II I no DO lon longer leer er lar safe for r him lie H tarts starts on OD having kea been warned warDed J against the th town tow o of and aDd aU all the th people I In ID It It Now c nU M with Ith the Ur tory tory CHAPTER III in I Fronteras looked harmless from I the height where Con sat eat Pancho to I stare downward The Th single sine street was empty except for a horseman and a le file of wood burdened burros I moving slowly I He H pushed the sorrel down the I winding trail looking with very real interest to right and left A shabby young man with cheerful freckled ed face said Hi Hi and waved toward a ee alar-ee large house housa out of which came an unmusical toned deep-toned chanting Just Quirk Ellis the th freckled cowboy reassured Con Him and hIs one on song Thanks 1 Con Can said smiling faintly wondering If iI this friendly cowboy would be b one of ot those visitors tors to Fronteras of whom Easy and Two Eyes and Hogpen had warned him He H wondered what he would actu actually actually actually ally find in the big cantina He H twisted slightly to let his shell belt move and holstered bolstered pistol sag more comfortably Then he walked Into the dusky dirt floored room and looked all around There was a bar made mad of rough planking and tables of the same rude carpentry around the th walls Boxes and kegs and stools tools seemed to serve the dozen customers or loafers as seats At the far tar end of the bar bara bara a big man slouched with a tin cup and a bottle before him He stared fixedly at Con and continued to sing huskily And now my time is i dea drawing wing nigh When for my evil I must die dieSo dieSo So all young men be warned by me And shun all evil As his eyes accustomed them themselves themselves themselves selves to the th gloom of the th low room Con Call faced the drinkers blankly Quirk Ellis was a florid man with long sandy hair by his hi rough cloth clothIng clothing tog Ing cowman or cowboy A tall and slim man near Ellis was very neat his blue shirt looking as if 11 just Ironed his dark trousers drawn over the legs of glistening kid boots But Con disliked the hatched fare faoa with great hooked nose and dark eyes sunk in deep sockets and straight almost lipless mouth Three men close together were nearer Con Can Two looked like brothers vaguely In tow towy hair and square sul suI suIlen sullen sullen len beard faces aces The thIrd was a hulking red faced man heavier ler ier even than Quirk Ellis as shabby as his companions Howdy Con greeted them all generally If It there s no objection III I 11 buy the drinks For the house I got thirteen dollars in this pock pocket pocket pocket et et Ellis Eills announced at last sandy head on one side as he h looked at hIs money So I 11 give you that for forthe forthe forthe the sorrel But you ought to throw In that carbeen account of the th way you re skinning me Pack it in to here and stand it up in the corner comer yon yonder yonder yonder der I m awful tired somehow today Here Herel He yawned and Indicated the all sil allver veT ver Con looked d at lit all nil the faces within range without seeming to study them themI I m sorry t I he told Ellis sadly You never will know how sorry I Iam Iam Iam am But 1 promised my aunt I 1 never would She said to me that out In the Wild West and certainly In Fronteras there would be chances chanc sto to get rich taking advantage of kind kindly kindly ly people But she the said it wouldn t be honest So 1 I promised her I wouldn t But But- ButHe ButHe But He looked thoughtfully down at atthe atthe the silver w lIe Ellis stared without expression at him Tell you youl Just to make some ome kind of trade I 11 it buy that bunch of dol dollars tars lars from you I 11 give you eighty cents for tor everyone every one of em cm and if you want to bring In some more I III U 11 take any number you want to get rid of of Ellis shook his head gloomily And him so young I he drawled Too lazy to strip his hull off my horse and pack my carbeen in here and me asking him as pretty lIke you all heard He slouched up the barroom and when hen near the door turned to look at Con Can and shake his head Then he went on o Con moved hack hackward hackward backward ward two steps so o that he could look through the doorway Ellis stood before Pancho but with side to the door His right hand was thumb hooked in his hi shell belt tap tap- tapping tapping tapping ping the butt of his Colt lie He stepped across to the sorrel slapped him sq sa that Pancho moved and was lit 1 r rn Con COD checked him reprovingly between Ellis and the door Con kept his biB face blank while EBi Ellis jerked loose loos the and dropped the saddle into the tha dirt Then he be shook his Us head and returned to the bar He H leaned quickly and from its nails Dail behind the th bar Jerked the ofT sawed off shotgun he be h had bad seen while having his bis first drink The Th bartend bartender er began a yen yell of ot protest but Con was across the th floor with the th gun hammers back under his hi thumbs be- be before before be before fore anyone could Interfere He slid outside and put his back to the th wall Ellis had seen him instantly and with flashing Jerk drawn bis his pistol and leveled it it But the grin froze on his face fac as he be h saw the th shotgun Con Can drew a long brea breath th and made himself relax against the th wall At your age he said carefully and I really don t know how you ever got to be that age either your hearing s naturally poor You evi evidently evidently dently thought I said I d sell sll Pan Pancho Pancho Pancho cho But what I said was that I 1 Idon Idon don t want to sell him So put the little popper away and saddle him again Better put tha that t down sonny Ems Ellis told him harshly It mIght go off and hurt somebody Put it down or- or or You re right Con Can agreed It might go off and hurt burt somebody right where you re r standing In fact iI if you re thinking of doing anything with that you d better do It Make up your mind I m ramrod ding this hurrah and I 1 say you vi ve got five seconds second One Two Three Four He saw Ellis shoulder stiffen slightly then relax The Colt sagged while he h watched tensely From the corner comer of his eye he b saw the packed doorway But he h watched while El EI Ellis ils ha the pistol and took a astep astep astep step toward him Then be he gestured wi with th the shotgun Your hearing bearing I he be b said irritably I 1 said Saddle him And do It right Even 11 if I let lat my tender F eart get the tb best of me and Just shoot you in the th legs you won t like Ilke lik it it For this cannon will probably carry high Now listen sonny sonny- sonny You listen I It s a your hearing that s bad Get that saddle back onor onor on or- or From the barroom the voice of the bartender was suddenly tilted yelling indignantly about his shot shotgun shotgun shotgun gun Con only gestured toward the thedoor thedoor thedoor door with the muzzles and there was the sound of sudden scram scrambling scrambling hung bling and oaths of those trampled Ellis furiously red leaned to the fallen saddle Con Can directed him Grit crit critIcally critically as he h put on the th blanket and settled the saddle upon It It When the were tight and Ellis EUls would have stopped Con Can checked him re- re reprovingly re- re reprovingly re reprovingly Why it its s all aU dusty Wipe it nice and with clean clean with your hat if you can t find anything else If U you want to argue just think how much use you 11 Il have for that hat If yOUdon youdon you don tI t EllIs Ellia glared but when Con moved the shotgun in a small menacing droop and stiffened he h fished a bandanna from his pocket and cleaned the saddle after a fashion Fine Con complimented him Now let s go back inside I want a drink Looking at all the pain that Job was to you made me thirsty Ellis walked stiffly inside The drinkers gave back to let the two enter Con Can checked his prisoner at atthe atthe atthe the near end of the th bar and him himself himself self seil stood so that his bis back had solid mud bricks protecting It it He trained the shotgun muzzles upon the floor but did not the hammers Somebody is going to buy a drink he Informed the scowling bartender Maybe the old gentle gentle- gentleman gentleman man of o the bad eyes and ears N No-n No oI No-oI 0 I can see by the south side of 01 him that he won t So 1 I will for the house You take something special Barkeep I owe you for or the loan of 01 this equa equalizer You won t buy this round the hulking red faced man beyond Ellis grunted He looked at Ellis and burst into a roar of o amusement Young fellow I like your style I Igo Igo go by Lee Welsh and I m strange to Fronteras as you are These One fine upstanding cowboys with moo mil they m-they they re strangers too They go to by Ranier Chick and anc Odd They're cousins and you can D tell em apart by Chick Chick he h shoots shoot his pistol left handed and Odd he b shoots his right i banded d They're awful good shots and 10 so am em I but feut not quite quit so good goodas goodas goodas as Chick and Odd Set Sat em am up Bar Bar- Barkeep keep Bar keep I Riding are ar you Welsh asked Con You can side sid us if 11 you are so minded We W re r cutting stick too Maybe for tor Faith No never nver mind Just saddle lobos I Glad to side aide you said Con Barkeep I am buying this one ona Quirk Ellis seemed to have hav decided de to bide his bis time tim He said nothing when Con asked with exaggerated exaggerated gera ted politeness for the th pleas pleasure pleasure ure of his bis company outside He HeI I came to stand tand before the th hitch rack II florid face faca blank Con broke brok the shotgun in shelter of Pancho ex extracted extracted the shells and put them In his hb pocket With the th carbine carbin across i his arm arm he set the shotgun at the hitch bitch rack end and tossed a dollar to the bartender who stood sourly behind Ellis The four swung into their saddles I For several days they rode slowly I westward missing nUssing the towns get getting getting getting ting tobacco and meals at little litti pIa or stopping overnight at some Borne small ranch They were in no hurry hur hurry hurry ry Con least of all aU- At the little ranch they talked with a blue eyed red haired Mexican I cars deputy sheriff He was a friend friendly friendly friendly ly and talkative soul this Martino Palafox A shrewd and efficient man too CO Con decided his quick glances missed wy very little He was riding fro Anthony to Faith on onan onan onan an errand for tor his superior the sher sherIff sheriff Iff In the th slow alow talk he be spoke of Ti van farther west a good little town he called it a salty little town Mi MIlam Milam lam Fant Fant marshal of a dozen halt half II hell roaring up and down had come coma home horn to be b sheriff Mar spoke admiringly of Fant s gun gunplay gunplay gunplay play He s what my people call calI un bru bruJo jo a a wizard About as slick sUck as they come corn I heard that tie he h had a deputy in la Wild WiM Horse named Dyna Dynamite Dynamite mite Downes about as fast That s shard shard hard to believe How about Nevil Lowe Con asked carefully Is he b fast fast Well he s always been fast enough But I wouldn t put him anywhere s near a Milam Fant Uh uh But Nevil s a one of them fellows as calm as a cat in the tha sun Awful hard to figure and figure and he s a figuring all the time He s stood and just looked himself out of lots of scrapes a shaky man would ve ye killed some somebody somebody somebody body in or got killed himself it if you re figuring on hitting him bim up for jobs he s one of the best to ride for Him and his sister both they re r One fine people Con Can called to mind the pretty face of that dark haired dark eyed girl small and graceful admired in Wild WildHorse WildHorse WildHorse Horse A sister sater not a wile wife And Nevil Lowe was a good man to work for The Lee Welsh and Con slept on a narrow porch at the th back backof backof backof of the th bouse house Con heard them talk talkIng talking trig Ing after aU all had rolled in their blankets but they kept their voices down so that he caught only mutter mutterings togs ings He forgot them presently Tj Ti van sounded Interesting He H tried to recall what Hugh Huth Nor Norril Norris Norris ris ril had said at one on time Urn or another over a period of years about But he h could remember nothing del definite finite At some som time his uncle had been in and exciting Interest Interest- InterestIng interesting interesting Ing things had happened But Con could not piece together the th bits bita of stories to make them explain Hu Hugh h Norris All AU he could recall was his bis bOYISh conviction that mu t be a wonderful place to see see and his determination to go there some som day Now he h was going Neves Lowe bad a ranch in the neighborhood And certainly he h bad had saved N Nevil evil Lowe s life lite in Wild Horse Hors It was pleasant to look forward to meeting Lowe He had no intention of Introducing himself as Lowe s res- res rescuer res rescuer cuer But he could inquire about the herd and Lowe s trouble with Asa Brock then remark casually that he be had bed thought a bowling ball baU or two might help And what was the pret prep pretty pretty ty sister lister s names name Janet Through the th quick breakfast Con Confound Confound Confound found Martino watching witching him But Buthe he be said nothing more mor All of them saddled Andy And the rancher to te ride northward with Martino The be Th rest of them went west TO BE Sf CONTINUED |