OCR Text |
Show 1 1 I Rimrock Trail ! K I y J- ALLAN DUNN ' Authorof'AMantoHlsMaVetc en jjj !! Copyright, wa, by J. Allan Dona J 4 1 1 ' ; I I $ looked at hire calculatingly, flahs could not ride. But he wouldn't die for a while. To leave him here whew the raiders would find htm might mean a confession wrung from him that would tell of the get-away trail by Spur rock and Nipple peaks. lie shook Hahn by the souud shoulder. "Brace up," he said. "You can hide In Split Rock cave. I'm going to put the girl In there. Take another drlrvk. l'lck up some grub. There's water In the cave. You can come out Boon's the const Is clear." "I'll not be coming out," said Iltihn huskily. "But It's a good move." He weukly collected the bottle, some scrups of food. l'llmsoll stooped over Molly, coming out of her faint, and gassed her with her own scarf as her eye opened and looked at him. He took off her belt and strapped her arms behind her back. Then, despite his wounded wrist, he lifted her easily enough and strode with her out of CHAPTER XIX. Continued. 18 Molly cast an Involuntary glance at the opening door, watched it close after the pair et blackguards and braced herself. The Issue was ai hand. Pllmsoll slid a bolt on the door, brought over one of the makeshift chairs and placed It In front of Molly, Mol-ly, seating himself. Ills alcohol-laden breath reached her nauseatlngly and she turned her head aside. As If a trigger hnd been released Pllmsoll's face became Inflamed with a passionate passion-ate fury. "D n you!" he said. "Don't you turn your head away from me. I'll train you to better manners before I'm through with you. You'll be Jumping to do what you think I want you to before long. You'll be begging me for favors. You may think you're too good for me now. You won't presently." She saw thnt she hnd gone too far In her disdain; that she must try to leash the devils that had broken loose in his brain. "Just what do you want?" she aKked, and her voice seemed not to belong to her as she uttered the words thnt showed no tremor. "You! Not for love, my beauty I Because you are good to look at yes. But I'll take my time. I'll sip at the dish, my dear. I've got a big score to settle and I'll do It properly. We'll go over some of the Items." He got up and emptied a bottle that still held a generous measure. He staggered slightly and fumbled the chair as he sat down again. Molly watched him Intently. If only he got sufficiently drunk. Before the rest came back. Perhaps she could get his own gun? l'llmsoll laid a familiar finger on her knee and Instantly loathing loath-ing showed in her eyes. He laughed. "Using that busy HT brain of yours, eh? Figurln' I'll get drunk. soil, and the devil himself won't stop them from skinning you alive." l'llmsoll shrugged his shoulders, but his eyes flickered and for a second his cowardly soul shrank. "I'll look out for that," he said. "If you are delivered back to them as damaged goods they'll never know It till you tell them. Maybe you won't be over-anxious to do that." His eyes grew moody, his manner sullen. He was passing Into another alcoholic phase. Molly sensed Imminent danger. "I'll take those kisses now," he cried, and lunged for her, catching her about the waist as she rose from the chair. "And more to boot," lie added thickly as he drew her to him, one hand at the back of her head, fingers fin-gers twining In her hair, twisting her face forward, upward. She had both arms Inside of his, her hands on his chest. With all her strength she strained and pushed away, her right hand slid up to the holster, groping. The gun was not there. l'llmsoll had reloaded It during the meal and left It on the table. His breath sickened sick-ened her. She got her arm clear and struck him viciously on the mouth, breaking the lips against his teeth. Fighting like a cave-woman, she scored his cheek with nails that dug deep from the corner of his eyelid and brought the blood. As he shifted ' his hold she wrenched loose, leaving strands of brown hair In his Angers, and Jumped for the door. In her spring 6he saw, too late, the pistol on the table. She drew the bolt, half opening the door before he caught her and dragged her back again. "You wildcat," he panted. 'Til fix you." Like a panther Molly fought, matching her young muscles against his, striking, clawing, biting. Her riding coat ripped, the neck of her waist was torn away. Maddened at her resistance, he struck back. Once he got her about the throat, but her soil kicked the body viciously, taking the bandanna from his neck and tying It tight about his wrist, fastening the knots with his teeth. With a look at Molly, crumpled unconscious In the corner, he sought for more liquor, found It and poured himself a big Jorum, gulping It down while the blood dripped heavily from the bandage. He was soggy with shock and fatigue, the strong stuff half paralysed his faculties facul-ties and he dropped Into a chair, gazing gaz-ing stupidly at his wrist. His imagination was a curse to him. He had seen Grit's slavering Jaws as they rose In the leap, the crimson glare In his eyes. To all Intents the dog was mad. It had been lying wounded In the sun. Only madness could have given it strength to track so far What If It meant lockjaw hydrophobia. Water that was the test! There was water that Cookie had brought In for coffee, half a bucket, by the stove. He felt a sudden repugnnnce toward it. The slashed veins in his wrists burned and throbbed as If they were oozing molten lead Instead of blood. And he was growing weak. If he didn't get a tourniquet fixed he might Meed to death. But what was the use? Grit, who had opened a way out for Molly, lay still beneath the table. Molly, overtaxed, was In a swoon. PUmsol! sat In a stupor. The door swung wide. Cookie rushed in, his face muddy with alarm. "The show's gone wrong," he cried U Pllmsoll, who stared at him half-comprehending. half-comprehending. "For Gawd's sake, what's happened here? Gimme a drmlc." He snatched st the bottle and swallowed from the neck. "Here, you need a swig. We got to g'.t out of here, pronto. Have you scragged the gel?" He thrust the bottle at Pllmsoll, who drank, senses rallying ty the urge of danger that emanated from the cook like the sweaty stench the door, Hahn following. Hnhn's horse was standing thera obediently with pendent reins anchoring anchor-ing It I Blaze and Pllmsoll's black were nipping grass in the little corral where they had been placed. Hlazs whinnied at the sight, or the scent, of his mistress. Pllmsoll turned Into a cleft, stopping at a rock whose almost al-most flat surface was level with his feet, a great mass of granite that some freak of weathering or convulsion convul-sion of earthquake had split almost In half. Into the crevice a wild grape-vine had twined, and died. "Can you make it, Hahn?" he asked. The dealer nodded and knelt, using his sound arm to aid himself by the tough fibers, bracing with his knees. Down some ten feet In the crack ha looked up, his ghastly face pallid In the shadow, with an attempt at a grin. "Good-by, Pllm," he said. "Good luckl What do I do with the glrir "Keep her from calling out. She's gagged but she might try It. Maka her nurse you. Do anything you d n please with her!" Hahn dropped out of sight Pllmsoll Pllm-soll did not wait, but picked Molly up from where he had deposited her, a helpless bundle, on the rock. "The bottom's soft down there," he said. "Sand. It ain't mora than fifteen fif-teen feet. Down you go, you h I cat! They'll have a fine time locating you. And you've got a dying man for company. com-pany. He'll be a dead one before morning." He lowered her, feet down, released her and watched her disappear. He swung about and ran back to the corral, his hurt arm throbbing with his exertion. He flung himself Into the saddle of the black horse, once leader of a sllckear herd of wild mustangs, mus-tangs, magnificent for speed and symmetry, sym-metry, worthy a better master, and galloped out of the corral, out of tha slde-ravlne, Into the open park. The rough towel about his arm was becoming becom-ing soaked. Every Jump of the black horse seemed to increase the bleeding. bleed-ing. The spurt of fictitious energy that had carried him through since the arrival of Cookie was dying away. But he was on a mount that none could match, he was going on a trail that was hard to follow, practically unknown. Unless he was headed off he could break through. At Nipple peaks he could rest, attend to his wound. A shout, a bullet whistling past that nicked the stallion's ear and sent hlra plunging and bucking, warned him that his enemies hnd found the way In and were after him. He did not look back, but bent forward In his saddle and sunk the spurs Into the blnck's flanks. The half-tamed mustang's mus-tang's Indignant bounds spoiled the aim of the marksmen, and, though the steel-nosed missiles hummed like bees about them, they gained the sheltei of the same trees that had covered Nothin' doln', m' dear. I made that booze and I know Just how It treats me, snbe? Now, then. "Your guardian angel Sandy chiseled chis-eled me out of my share In the Molly i B mine belongln' to me 'count of grub-stakln' grub-stakln' your father." "That's a lie." ,1 "That's easy to say when It nets you a fortune. Easy to go back on a dead man's agreement. Four-flushing Sandy Bourke . . ." Molly suddenly slipped back into the primitive. Something seemed to click and the refinement she had learned and used so far fell like a cloak that Is dropped for freedom in battle. With the realignment of Sandy San-dy and her father she wns Molly Casey, daughter of a desert rat, once more. "That's another d n lie," she said. "Haven't forgotten how to swear, have you?" "I've heard how Sandy Bourke chased your rotten hearted Jumpers out off the claim and gave you until sunup to sneak out of town. I've heard how you were afraid to look at hlni through the smoke but went galloping off while the whole camp laughed at you. Sandy a four-flush- Ha Brought the Heavy Butt Down With a Crash. vi a iriKiueuru annum. "Brandon's gang has come back," said Cookie. "It's the d dest streak of luck. They must have fell In with Wyatt or some of his pals. They must have teen to the ranch. They cut off the boys and the horses over by Sand crldt 1 Reynolds got clear. He saw them comln' an streaked It. They were shootln' like h 1, he said. Hahn an' Butch has gone up to the lookout to . . . Hear that?" That was a single rifle-shot,-followed by the others, the last almost as one, "H 1 !" cried Pllmsoll, "thpy've got us this end. It's Wyatt. Just my d d luck for him to meet up with Brandon." Cookie ran outside and Pllmsoll followed fol-lowed to the door, lethargy leaving him In the face of disaster, though he could not think fast or clearly. Hahn came clattering over the rocks on his horse, his face chalky white. "Go get him a slug of whisky," Pllmsoll ordered Cookie. But Cookie, his face twitching with fright, Jumped for his own mount and went galloping down the valley to the south. Pllmsoll sent curses after him, reaching for his own pistol before he t fl U .....1.1.. ,1..!,. Cookle. Belly almost to ground, the black swept over the cropped turf at racing speed, the drum of his hoofs like distant thunder, crest high, crlni-son-satin nostrils flaring, mad at the sting of the red notch In his ear. Hound the elbow of the Hideout, with Brandon's men distanced. Into the gorge at the south end. A wild scramble up a steep slope and the way to Spur rock was clear, l'llmsoll smiled grimly. "D n them, I'll beat them yet!" For a second he was silhouetted sil-houetted against a aky-line, then he plunged down. Fresh droppings told him that Reynolds had won clear. He was safe from pursuit. If the wound-he wound-he should have cauterized It. But . . . He reined In for a moment. The sound of a shout rang in his ears. It wns an echo, be fancied, It must he an echo, flung back from the mountain moun-tain wulls ahead. But It could mean nothing else than a view-halloo. Someone Some-one had glimpsed him disappearing beyond the ridge. (TO BE CONTINUED.) er i a coyote u ngnt wnen u s cornered, cor-nered, but you , . ." Pllmsoll grew slowly livid. "Heard ail about It, did you?" he said slowly. "Then you know some of the score. And I can wipe off what I owe Sandy Bourke through you. And there are more Items. There was the first time e met. I haven't forgotten that. There was the kiss you said you tried to bite out after you'd burned the doll I gnve you. You told about that the next time I kissed you In the hammock ham-mock at Three Star. You tried to rub out that kiss, too. Maybe the next ones will stay put." "That was the time Mormon map-handled map-handled you." She saw the blue snakes crawl on his purpling skin, and she kept her eyes on them, though her mental vision was on the holster beneath his vest. She deliberately taunted him to provoke him to an uncalculated move. Molly knew her own littleness, her strength. If she could get Inside his arms, If even to endure a moment of his beastly embrace, em-brace, and could get a grip on the gun? But there was something In Pllmsoll that delighted In playing with a victim vic-tim he felt sure of. It soothed his broken vanity. "So," he raid, "I'm going to get even with Sandy and with Mormon and that bow-legged fool Sam Manning, Man-ning, who call you the Mascot of the Three Star, all at once; while I get even with you. And get what should have been mine at the same time. We'll have you tucked away .vhlle we mail the letter that will bring your raimom. Never mind the details of handling the money. I'll attend to that. Hut we'll bleed you dry. The price of ail your slock and that of the three suckers at the Three Star at parand nil they can borrow on the nmcli that will be the price for "i. my holy. With three days to deliver In." ''You talk like a crazy nan, or n flrunkon one. If you lay a linger on they'll trail foil to h-l, J!u Pllm- i i fingers were st his face, tearing at his eyes and he had to beat her off. The girl fought with all the sublimated subli-mated despair of attacked womanhood, woman-hood, the man like a gorilla. The struggle was unequal, with more than forty pounds In favor of Pllmsoll, though If Molly had possessed the puniest of weapons, she might have won. He held her at last, close to him, one arm wrapped about her. his right hand forcing the heel of the pnlm under her tneked In chin, slowly, inexorably forcing it back while his bleeding, distorted face lowered. This time her arms were locked in, bent double, useless. Her kicks were futile; fu-tile; she had only her teeth left and she was going to try those. But she knew her strength sapped, knew In another moment or two she would be at the mercy of this brut who did not know the meaning of the word. A shadow barred the half-open door, low down. A pointed head appeared with biasing eyes, with a neck-ruff flaring high. White teeth showed as red gums bared In hate, and, forgetting forget-ting the wounded leg that had held him back, Grit hurled himself In a staggering but magnificent leap. lie could not reach Pllmsoll's thront, he had lost much momentum through the damaged leg, he lacked power from loss of blood, but fury gave him strength for the spring thnt brought his teeth within reach of Pllmsoll's right wrist, exposed; the cuft halfway half-way up the forearm. Grit's teeth slashed like chisels, ripping through flesh, tendon and artery, sending Jets of blood spurting before Pllmsoll, with H yell of surprise and consternation, tln'ng Molly Into a corner, dazed and weak, and' threw up his left forearm to guard against the dog's second leap. It fell short. Pllmsoll's right hand, scattering blood, groped blindly for the gun on the table behind hlin. He found the barrel and brought the t M,vy butt dmvn with n crash on Writ's head, back of the ear. The dog .jropped like a bngth of chain. Pllm- reinemuei iu n m,a uiour, umui). Halm's half out of Its holster and then quitting as the fleeing cook tan-gented tan-gented and disappeared behind some timber. The handkerchief about Pllmsoll's wounded wrist was now a sodden rag, but the loss of blood had cleared his brain. He set his left arm about Hahn and helped him Into the cabin. Molly was stirring and Pllmsoll scowled blackly at her. He gave Hahn a drink. "Brace up," be said; "what happened? hap-pened? I know about Reynolds. I mean at the lookout." "We no more than made the lookout," look-out," said Hahn, "before six men came riding along, heeled for trouble. One of them was the black-bearded guy from California who was here with that Brandon, first time they came nosing around. And another was Wyatt. Wyatt was Just starting to point 'em out the entrance when Butch lets him have It. Hits hlin smack In the forehead. Before he could show 'em the way In. He may have told 'em about It on the way up. But Blackbeard must have caught the shine of Butch's barrel. He fires back they all had their rifles bandy cross the pommel the bullet goes plumb through the tree and knocks Butch down. Went through both hips. He falls against me and I show In the open, sliding on that d d slippery bowlder, sliding Inside and out of range, but they got me. "They'll be through any ininutv. Pllm. You can't Ml how much Wyatt told 'em on the way up. They've got me. I can't ride. My lungs are filling up. Butch Is paralyzed If be ain't .lead. A b 1 of a wind-up! You can make It out the way Reynolds did. None of the gang that left with Wyatt knows about the shle-trall by Spur ,o, k. But you'd better heat it. Me, I've turned n.y Inst card. The case Is e.np'.v HU head fell forward onto Irani, Ir-ani, s. A trickle of scarlet c.mie from U,0 corner of his mouth. Flimfiii |