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Show Fiction BENNY WISES UP V Richard H. Wilkinson Corner "No, sir. Not a soul. I done jest like you told me." "Good. You're comin' with us." The second outlaw came from behind be-hind a screen of bushes riding one horse and leading another. Slick swung aboard the extra animal. There came the sound of a shot. The second outlaw uttered a scream, clutched at his breast and plunged from the saddle. A second shot followed, and Slick's mount went to its knees. SLICK SWORE VIOLENTLY as Benny crawled up beside him. "You damned little rat! Thought you said nobody followed you out of town?" "Honest Slick" "Shut up!" Suddenly Slick seized him around the middle and leaped out of plain view of the two coming com-ing up the canyon. The pair reined in, holding their fire as the outlaw, out-law, using Benny as a shield, began shooting rapidly. Sheriff Conrad and Joe Hicks, sensing the bandit's purpose, flung themselves from the saddle and scurried for shelter. Benny suddenly understood the purpose he was serving, suddenly knew that Slick was using him as a means of protecting his own hide. "Slick! Slick! Lemme go. They'll blast me down in cold blood!" "Shut up, you rat" Slick brought the barrel of his gun down crush-ingly crush-ingly on the boy's head. Benny gasped, struggled feebly, then went limp ... When Benny opened his eyes he found Sheriff Conrad and Joe Hicks bending over him. "Feeling better kid?" "Ye-e-ss. I'm all right. Where's Slick?" "Taken care of." Sheriff Conrad eyed Benny intently. "Listen, Benny, Ben-ny, you better get home before your' maw begins to worry. You can say you helped us run down Slick Dearborn. Dear-born. Fact is, you did. When we saw you talkin' with him three weeks ago we figured somethin' like this, which is why we did some talkin' so you could lead us to where he was." "Gosh!" said Benny. There were tears in his eyes. For the first time in his life he realized what a perfectly per-fectly swell guy Sheriff Conrad was. BENNY got a big kick out ol eavesdropping on the sheriff. It smacked of adventure and the wild life he loved. He got a bigger kick when he heard Sheriff Conrad mention Slick Dearborn. Slick Dearborn was the smartest outlaw with whom Conrad had ever had to contend I I He was Benny's 3- Minilte idol, for he repre-FiMinn repre-FiMinn sented the danger-, danger-, ricnon ous freedom 0 which the boy had always dreamed. One day three weeks ago Benny had seen Slick in the Faraway Saloon, and something about the worshipful look in the youngster's eyes had attracted the , outlaw's attention. Benny had been almost speechless with gratitude when the outlaw spoke to him. They had a long conversation, con-versation, and when it was over Benny knew a sense of importance that was almost the fulfillment of his dreams. Ear glued to the side of the building. Benny held his breath while Sheriff Conrad and his deputy, Joe Hicks, carried on their low-voiced conversation. At 4 o'clock that afternoon Benny drew rein in the secret canyon where Slick was hiding. He gave the secret whistle that he and the outlaw had agreed upon, then waited wait-ed breathlessly. Minutes passed and nothing happened. hap-pened. Benny moved down the canyon can-yon a ways and whistled again. Suddenly Sud-denly two men emerged from behind be-hind a boulder. One of them was Slick Dearborn. Benny shouted at them. "Slick, I just heard the sheriff and his deputy talkm'. They found out it was you who held up the Latin A 1 - x& m ,miim- At four o'clock that afternoon Benny drew rein in the secret canyon where Slick was hiding. bank last week, an' they know you're hidin' up here an' they're comin' to get yuh." "You come with us," said Slick shortly. "Nemmine keepin' guard," Slick called, and the other outlaw out-law slid back to the ground. "We gotta get out of here and git fast. Kid, did anyone see von leave town?" |