Show RED R By EUGENE CUNNINGHAM o l EUGENI CU W N MU NU U t Tin I STORY 80 50 O JARS To T a lab bl w Hie alter after he ba quarrels ca la with b Ute boa bo of wad Morse Dora Aa Asa Brock Brock feck COn Came bile be ta trail trail Til Ua pal 1 Car Caramba Cara CaraT Veer Vear T ar be behind hlf Oa Or Ute the th trail raB be a h me meets tile the Rader and aa ride rille rr i with wita them Ura oath UI b be kiI learn leana TU they are ar wanted for toi robbery r bb nr slid lid murder T r tha that Neva Neu Lows LAW whoa h r Ills W lae be k bad kaj saved shortly before bas baa a ranch ruck near Dear a ar TTa Con Coa C a goes c there Urr opy to be k seised ebed eta es a a murder r r sad aDd rob rob- robbery ber bery leaped p t Decease air o of t W Ua cl clU lion U with Ur the nen ashler a k b la le beamed tobe to tob Uk b be Comanche Una LIDa Low Lowe L w ties kaa lIeD bean k l i imade made marshal but ba k t wW wID DO not t release rl k hint So 80 he k b and aad ad Jeff elf Allmon AU B krak break out o of JaU JaD and aaa join J la Dud Dad D Parmore r ra r laal Par Pan Paramore swore amore hale bate katoa Low Lowe LAW lid and ute iris U-l U to 0 tile the death tk o of I some ome of f Id h Us men mea killed klU J II by Low Lowe w posse pone M r by Lowe L tie lit litter ter Janet aneL Ii la rit o of t Lowe L w treatment tr l of I him hi CM Coo kelp belp Janet escape caf Then Tk ak he be foil rou l Ui Dud a attempt to 0 rob r k the tk dI bank WB When he be k Dad axia Jeff Jelf Ramon All killed dUed klUe by ky DUd D J be k leave leav a note Dote by ky err Jeffs body k telling c what happened Caramba Caramb Wear Vear V catches up with him alter alfr looking l kl for tor him himas kl aU as U this Uila thI time Ume Urn and d persuade him hl to 0 stay itay Ita in ID tile the tk neighborhood rk l U k h I la Is not Dol t seen with tile the tk Paramore rara r gang Kaa k b may not Dot be k b recognised If be b run rua b be I almost certain tain to 0 be k caught Caning himself kl eU Twenty I ty Johnson B Con COD C i got coe B with Caramba to toi toa toa toa i a saloon al where kr they meet I Gale Oal Gores Gore G r foreman of the tk Broken r k Wheel ranch ranel Now Nw w c BUH with the th story dery tory CHAPTER XI Con and Caramba ate ata in a place the bartender recommended a clean house called only Carmelita Joint where the tha cooking was wa wholly Mexican Con talked of Slash Ox weld and speculated concerning the th gunman I a next movements Caramba nodded agreement with Con s measure of Gale Gal Goree The rh real quill Yes Ye sir lr Much of 01 ofa ota a man Reckon we wa measure mea ur up to Busted Wheel size Ize We W might hit bit hitup hitup up Goree for tor jobs job huh I 1 wonder how come they thay call this Tenison out out- outfit outfit out fit the Broken Wheel Wagon Wheel I have hav heard of ot lots of times Umes But a busted one one- one Back In the tha cantina explanation of the Ur brand came from the nervous bartender That was the Wheel up to twenty twenty twenty ty thirty year back Seems Seem old To- To Topeka To-peka To peka had him a partner In to some Ii 11 1 mine and they tell fell out and this partner figured Topeka d skinned him Which maybe Topeka done Anyhow Emory was wa awful mad and anda anda a hard man him himself sell He grabbed up the Tenison boy that was six or seven even and he h run Nobody a seen the kid from that day to this either this Emory killed him or maybe mayb he s got kids of his own by now But Topeka come back from the last of 01 his and he b knocked a chunk out of his changed brand brand changed it to the Broken Wheel You know I 11 bet my uncle knew something about all this Con said thoughtfully He Ha n never ver was much to talk but he did use around and on over in his hi young days be- be before before be before fore my aunt knocked his horns off I ye ve v heard him tell a thing or two and he must v ye been something ex extra extra extra tra with a gun He- He He Slash the bartender in interrupted interrupted interrupted his vOice voica almost a groan i He s got everybody plumb cat cat- eyed cat eyed since Goree and the Wheelers i pulled out Slash is poison As soon I kill you back or front without a bobble lie He just aims to get the llie kill killIng killing Ing done Now he s plenty fast fast- faster fast faster r n Goree I bet you But some somehow somehow somehow how he just can t get the glue out of his holster t olster around that Texas man If Ie t I e c uld he would kill him I 1 bet you any I ing But But- But There was a i f oker same game ame going toa Iii to ina a corner of the big rc n r m I Con Can and Caramba drifted over to VI watch atch A cowboy got up professing himself empty of both mo mosey and liquor Con Can slid nto the teat seat and began to r flay lay aga against three cowboys and two nondescript townsmen Caramba Ca Caramba looked on Con had poor cards for several hands hand and lost a afew afew afew few dollars Then as he picked up his cards on the sixth or seventh deal and found three jacks he leaned back a 8 little and swore with artful amazement i Throw em cm away before they land you In trouble and trouble and let a man manset manset manset set down and show these tinhorns how to play Slash Ox weld snarled at his shoulder Three jacks is nothing I Con put his cards down without so much as turning his head A man who had been looking on from the theother theother other ollier side of the table edged away and began to walk fast toward thedoor the thedoor thedoor door looking back Con stood andI and pivoted deliberately to meet Ox weld s a grinning stare I You asked a ked for it ill It said In a high flat fiat voice You just justI asked for tor U it He grinned I justI His thumb had been hooked In the belt just over his tied down holster Now his hand twisted I Left handed he slapped down and outward just as he would have blocked a boxer a s punch to knock I s hand away from the Colt butt H s own gun was inside hIS shirt comfortably snuggled In his I waist band As he h struck he drew drewi i and let the hammer drop as all the i muzzle bore upon thumbed I the hammer back and fired tired his sec second secand second and ond shot staggered with each impact of lead The Th flaming I powder at this pointblank range set Bet Beti i his shIrt afire He spun with a groan and lurched one step away i from the table then fell feU fiat flat sprawled without movin moving Caramba s g shot was like lika an echo I to 0 the th report of that other man a awe d Y 1 1 1 Y e f I want II a detective but JU CU take two gun A cowboy came cama in sight be be b side aide Ida a table tabia with lifted Colt and Ca Caramba Caramba Caramba shot again and puffed putted dust duet from the man a shirt He H dropped the gun and went scrambling toward the door on hands and knees knee Ahead of him bim a fat tat lIttle man jumped up from under another table with a high squealing scream He H ran ran still squealing to the Ur door The cow cowboy cowboy cowboy boy whom Caramba had shot ahot Rol I lowed still IWI on hands and knees knee The fat man plunged out Caramba sent senta senti a slug Into the tha floor lust just behind the i cowboy and he ha fell flat and began to roll to the tha door In the cantina there was wal sudden quiet then a abuzz abuzz abuzz buzz of voices Stick Stick cm ern up you alII all a nervous voice commanded from the shadows around the tha back door I m the constable And I got you covered with two barrels full of o buck buck- buck He H was a lank and fidgety and un ua uncertain uncertain certain seeming man this officer But the tha short double gun in his bands hands was trained upon them and Con shrugged and lifted both hands to his ears a as the constable moved slowly toward them You don t mean that you d ar arrest arrest arrest rest a man for or trying to save his hl life I he said Irritably has been on the prod ever since ince Go Go- Go- Go Goree Goree Goree ree showed him and up-and up and you know It it Maybe so But there s a law that bas baa got to be followed I All I I A tall man long of face race and nar narrow narrow narrow row of 01 dark eyes pushed through the growing crowd and waved the constable s a shotgun down impatiently Impatiently He said in almost a tone to Con Put your hard hardware Ware away 1 I can hold an Inquest right here right now Some of you men Up you come for a jury Those who didn t tsee tsee tsee see it It by preference It If you did forget it it We ve Ye got plenty of wit wit- witnesses witnesses witnesses nesses The form ill ties were very slight When three the play players players ers era at the poker table had testified promptly the jury called s a adeath death justifiable The justice looked a at t Con That was fast work But it was wa more more-It more it was thoughtful I 1 take It that y u didn t think yourself fast fast- faster faster ast aster er just because of the way Goree treated No No I d do t Con answered slowly frowning All I thought was that dy would have to kill or he d be killing him hima a man When he th sh ved himself into our poker gime in a way that not only was wasi wast t necessary ary but would make almost g on two legs fit to tie expos tie expos ng a decent hand I hand fig fired Ired that he d picked me to kill lie wasn warn t in a poker humor he t want my place I just looked the tender young p grim to him So before I stood up I knew it was Ox weld eld or me I And knew wha what t you Intended to todo todo todo do to make It the justice said still studying him shrewdly I thought so Are you and your friend working I INo No We thought about hitting up the Wheel If Tenison t got gotI I jobs we 11 go on to see Lit Taylor I I rode for tor him a while and he h told me to come back when I wanted to I The Wheel the justice said soft softly softly ly Iy Why you couldn t peel em cm for fora fora fora a better outfit Are you Vear or Twenty Johnson Twenty Johnson But Oh But Oh I re- re remember re- re remember re remember member I told the llie bartender our names Does the justice here check checkon checkon checkon on every saddle lobo He looked with open curiosity atthe at atthe atthe the tall man maIL Caramba was watch watching watching lag ing him also with blank face and narrowed eye eyes Not every saddle lobo no Not as justice either My name Is Wi Wiley WIley ley Suppose we have a talk You walt wait five or 01 ten minutes then drift Go past r swing wing right around the next house walk straight ahead until you bump Into a little corral I U II be there Nobody seemed Interested In their movements when they got their horses and rode through damp dark darkness darkness darkness ness up tt ti the corral Wiley WileT had indi sated a led Beyond was a small mull adobe house and one shaded window wasa wasa was a yellow square They put Pancho and Caramba a black Jeb Job Stuart Wider under a s ramada and went cautiously to knock at the tha house door Wileys Wiley's calm voice answered and Con av gave h his aUa alias aUas The Tha door opened and aad Wi Wt WIley Wiley ley stepped back to let them in in The Tha clean comfortably untidy kitchen and bedroom had bad no place that would have bava hidden bidden a man WUey Wiley gave them chairs in the bedroom by bya bya a table that held beld whisky and cigars cisar under a shaded reading lamp When they sat with glasses asses and cigars Wiley shifted his lean length in the old leather chair opposite I think you two shape up aa as allbe the be answers answer to a question he said calmly swirling the liquor in to his bia glass Before we go any deeper into our business discussIons let m me make It plain that who you really may be or what you may have done donais Is nothing at all to me I 1 want a detective but I U II take two since ince you boys seem to be siding aiding each other Will you pass your words word not Dot Dotto notto notto to mention anything I m going to say without my permission whether er or not you go to work for or me m 7 Why I think we wa can do da that that Con said after an Inquiring glance at Caramba I promise I I trot with you Caramba agreed No talk Bueno I I m not only a justice but I 1 own half hall the Walking X X Some Som Soma Soma- Sometimes times my partner and I have said we own thieves thieve half thieves own the other haft balf and collect a damn sight light more mora Income in- in income in income come than we can Well Well most of the outfits in i the Territory are ar in our fix Some months ago we or- or or organized a private association Any Any- Anyway Anyway Anyway way there s a more mora and more expensive expensive give sive stealing going on than we ye ve had for a long time And a detec detec- dete detective detective tive Uve s g job is more dangerous I want you to take on with the Broken Wheel if it Tenison will hIre you Well then Con said slowly as asI asI aaI I see the layout you yuu want us to work for Tenison in two ways ways-as ways hands and as detectives But be b s I Inot snot not to know that we re anything but hands and we wo keep our eyes skinned to see if the rustlers have got help on the llie Broken Wheel Suppose we uncover something You 11 have to use your own judg judgment judgment Judgment ment Well it sounds all right to me meCon meCon meCon Con t Id him How about you Caran ba Want to give the propos tsar a whirl Caramba shrugged But his eyes were twinkling I m a scary man Judge Ca Caran Caran Caran ran ba said whimsically But Bul If this n an oke stomping fire Ire brea breathing thing ter terror terror terror of o the prairies here he 11 g ar antee to protect me I 1 m your gos gosI l I ng We 11 hang and rattle for you f the pay s right Two hundred a month You can split spIlt it to suit yo And And- And here s something for each of you He got up and crossed to a bat bat- battered battered battered desk fumbled in a drawer and turned holding up two dull brazen disks English pennies I 11 scratch my initials on each one W W A word goes with them Eye Any member of our association will recognize the penny the Initials and the word aa a Identifying a detective Suppose a detective working for lor or us joined a sticky looping gang and was caught wi with th the rustlers He d say he was just a passer by Search me I he d dye dyell dyell ye yell 11 Our member In the necktie party would do that that very promptly Sight of the penny would be almost enough to tell him the truth The word would make him sure So be would arrange for our man to get getoff getoff atoff off without ever exposing himself if possible poI Does Nevil Lowe belong to the association Con asked Oh yes In fact fact he s an original member Don t worry at ell all about him They drank a little played a little I stud poker and turned in at mid mId- mIdnight midnight midnight night in the livery corral near their I horses without excitement They ate at at Carmetha s a in let the early morning and drifted about returning to the tb cantina to sit it talking to loafers like themselves Near midday Wiley appeared and looked at them as at the merest ac- ac ac Didn Dido t you men say you re r job job- job hunting Well Topeka Tenison of othe the Broken Wheel is la down dow at the rooming house bouse I don t know kaow but he be tight have a place for tor you TO W BB CONTINUED |