Show aall ala Q la W allwood ol 01 isepy cat by FRANK H i SPEARMAN V service copyright by Cli arles scribners sons J STORY FROM THE START john selwood gentleman gam g am bler and manager of a stage ll 11 line no at sl sleepy eedy cat cornea upon a I 1 cottler whose wagon has mired in IA a creek lie helps get the outfit clear after picking up a girls shoo shea and being attracted by the supposed owner thereof in fy frier lera the settlers wagon moses mccracken a youth Is robbed of 0 in a sleepy cat rambling gambling don den selwood getwood forces the swin titers bartoe and atkins to return u rn the money fyler opens it a dry goods store with Es big haynes running a mock auction s selwood elwood learns the girl whose shoo shoe he picked up Is christie daughter selwood makes christies christias Chri sties acquaintance and warns fyler faier that atkins Is a crook starbuck head of 0 the crooked gamblers camb lers attracted tries to ingratiate himself with christie the girls mind Is pol pat against selwood fyler Is in beaten and robbed christie seeking doctor carpy meets sol wood and informs him that atkins bas thrown her father out of his store claiming to own it fyler Is not badly h hurt u rt christie tells selwood of t threats made by starbuck also that he had asked her to marry him with his two companions selwood drives atkins and haynes from ayiers attore it CHAPTER VII continued a selwood approaching the high shuttered window on the north side of the building felt carefully all around it the two dogs crouched at scotts feet selwood studied the building a moment then tie lie turned to ills his companions pan ions lons look for us first at the back door the natural way to open this oyster ill smash this shutter dill bill you go around to tile the south side and slam away at the other window dust it if you can but whatever you do make plenty of 0 noise when I 1 get through this shutter with an ax bob drops the logs dogs in here one after the other they wont get both of em when you hear me yell bill it will mein me in the dogs are in then run to the back door nith your ax as bob and chop at it ill take the sledge and nai n ai anfu info ritto franf conr eill when you hear the dogs inside join rne me at the front door and give it the sledge tor for all in you now get to your place bill when I 1 hear our ax I 1 start here bere keep out of 0 range best you can theres at least one hard shooter in there A moment later the thud of par baloes ax against the hollow shutter on the opposite opp side of the building would have waked the dead had there been any in sleepy cat proper timed at the expected signal came the crash of Sc Se lwoods ax into tile north shutter A loud shout from within fol followed loved by a shot greeted tile the attack chloe and sweetheart savage with excitement yelped and whined A shotgun discharged from close inside the he north shutter warned the besiegers what to expect and a buckshot glancing from tile the blade of the ax caught selwood above tile the ear scott crouching with the dogs jumped as a second bullet stung ills his wrist and a third brought an angry belp elp from the dog chloe there was no sign or thought of a retreat SelA selwood le ie doubled his blows one or at most two more charges of buk buckshot shot lie bell believed eved were all that were to be feared for a moment and the sooner they came the better it would suit him ile he sank the ax head bead again and again into the thick lock rail of tile shutter intent on reaching the hook fastening again a 1 charge of buckshot hurtled through the damaged casement and annl sprinkled the axman the indian and the dogs but there was no do cessation ess atlon in the ferocious shower of blows the splintering crapsi that follo followed Nied each one told how fast the shutter was and the sound of a fourth report from a shotgun also told that Par daloe was under throwing all his energy into one last swing awing selwood drove the fix ax completely through the jamb to pry out the stai e pie the ax helve weakened by the blow broke with an oath selwood called for the sledge and the next minute what remained of the shutter hung loose within selwood and scott heard the shouting of the defenders the rite doors boyst roared selwood Par daloe yelling like an indian was plying ills his ax selwood tore the shutter from its hinges stopped caught chloe in ills his arros arms una unsnapped napped her lensh and threw tier lier like hie a shot into the store from scotts arms sweetheart flew in after her in an instant pandemonium raped raged olde wild li shooting booting the snapping of bf the infuriated dogs mingled with the cursing of the bewildered defenders the crash of scotts ax at tile back door and Pard aloes sledge at we the front wood and iron coull not withstand the positions of the two parties were now reve reversed I 1 tin lie trouble was all on the lie inside dark kesa the danger of shouting shooting one another in shooting at the dogs and with it all the three men in tile the store bavine all they could do to keep trow from being torn to pieces the hickory crossbar cross bar that held the front doors splintered before the first blows of Pard aloes sledge and the stout front doors gave way throwing himself against the weaker one selwood smashed and an d shouldered through it and fell into the store Par daloe unopposed dashed in from the front end and selwood springing from ills his momentary shelter grappled the form of a man in lie darkness tha th two clenched on the floor call off on your dogal 1 came in a stentorian voice from somewhere it sounded like bis big II aines selwood rolling its hla mail in a fierce scuffle toward the front dragged him to the doorway threw him into the street md ran back to help scott from outside had set a lighted lantern up in the battered window opening and ha hastening sterling to the hie door with a second lantern ran in to secure the dogs just as selwood reached Par daloe lie ile sat astride it a prostrate defender ills his bony fingers fastened on the mans windpipe selwood understood too well what that meant catching a lantern from scotts hand he be held it on the mans distorted features under Parda lops hand tet let loose bill I 1 let loose I 1 tell aou ou youre killing him dash it john protested parda loe joe struggling to get away from the gamblers hands land what im fill tr trying ling to do le ie me alone lie tried to plug met me who Is he lie exclaimed as selwood held tile the lantern closer to the maua mans swollen face get your knee out of his chest bill remonstrated selwood cant you see hes slipping he cant breathe with many reproaches aimed at selwood for unwarranted interference Par daloe shaking himself loose baffled and eyeing his prey stood by till Seh rood bending over tile the gasping man saw he was coming to and started to drag him forward to throw him out Par daloe bared ills arms stand awall away I 1 tie he exclaimed to in a hoarse boane grov growl 1 stand away johnt you thrond yourn out I 1 throw mine ile he picked up tip and carried atkins forward bodily selwood turned to help belp scott with alth the dogs these had rig big haynes II avnes grent greatly ly embarrassed behind two big boxes in a corner and held back by scott they were tearing to shreds with inith fiendish delight the be blanket haynes had slept in haynes called loudly for quarter and as selwood went forward again scott while lie held tile dogs advised cinnes to hustle out the back door the party was over 0 4 0 0 it was the work of only a few minutes for selwood to regain his room back of the gambling hall lie he slipped out of its ills rig and began to wash up tip within fifteen minutes he be was bark balc at the post lie he lied had left on hour earlier with the few sitters around him who had gathered at th last table where faro was being dealt that sunday night hardly ten minutes later three men appeared at the open doors of set gel woods place starbuck accompanied by atkins and bartoe walked into the hall and stood for a moment looking about selwood knew what they were viere there liere for to see bee whether lie he was missing front from ills his ordinary post ile he impassively pressed the case spring and kept an untroubled eye on the layout ills his visitors rs lingered only a moment but it was past the closing hour and while the last of the players sl ap aled out starbuck came in agius what have 3 bour our barn bullies been up to tonight selwood lie he demanded without preliminary selwood asked aled that he meant starbuck told of the hie attack on the alie store aruns and bartoe hold a hill bill of sale fur for that stock lie J indignantly thing have come collie to a pretty piss pa in fit sleepy cut cat when legitimate owners are to be chewed up by dogs and thrown out into lie this ti tiling 1119 ims hus got to stop or boull have to woe mue our out of this town selwood parried wath walli ival answers the questions roughly asked and met untroubled the threats roughly made and asked only tin an occasional question himself have iu heard beard any talk of vigilantes organizing in sleepy cat lie he asked 1 I dont know much about tl IL but the little talk I 1 heard here a few minutes igo ago about some kind of a right fight at eylers store was that the vigilantes lied gt got utter after the men wito had robbed feier and tried to io kill him theres no use your tour talking to me about my men they do as they pleasa you know that talk to them lie suggested while very angry continued to blow off bartoe says there were half a dozen pr or more men inen in it and ant in the store yet he says selwood thought Pardi Parth iloe and one indian in it possession must be bd making a good deal it f noise but lie he said nothing theres going to be a cleanup clean up in this town before boig added starbuck significantly folks bolks that are arc making ought OU ht to get ready for U W meaning just whom starbuck asked selwood pacifically who evers behind all this rowing going on here latey lately well Star burk returned sel wood with sonic some slight appear appearance aDee of fatigue you enow or ought to know anuw that im the man that threw atkins and bartoe into the street tonight they ought to know it if they dont tell them so go of course I 1 nt have done it it if id knon known n there were friends of yours in the store if it been tor for me they would have been hanging to telegraph poles by tills this time the fact and tell them the next nest thing like that fyler job they try to pull off they will be hanging to the poles the he plain straight everyday every day english of 0 I 1 it t starbuck had never been faced quite so bluntly selwood never had shown his land hand quite so carelessly parted with his caution quite so completely ely but a i woman stood between them and she meant the mo maie e to selwood because though hough lie he cherished slight hope of holding tier her himself the thought of her going to starbuck vas bitter enough to make him ready for any manner of fray starbuck eyed the gambler intently then he spoke with composure selwood youre cutting quite a R figure liere here in affairs that youve got no business in youre playing too many 2 3 1 1 0 tr 1 b big haynes was prompt in his reply games to win all of them do you know that selwood was too absorbed la in watching Star bucks eyes to make the slightest response in words whether you do or not starbuck went on evenly rind find our dual du idu al nl role will wind up if you play it long enough it wont work in sleepy cat starbuck paid ills his enemy one compliment ment without any attempt to back out of the room he turned and walked straight to tile the door there he paused and looked around good night sir selwood So lwood hemi he called led out calmly its pretty late tor for that sir mr starbuck retorted selwood good morning daylight was really breaman breaking 9 hold on a minute lie he added walking forward to where starbuck stood at the door youre giving me sonic some advice ill give aou ou a little theres NI vigilante gIlante talk brewing in sleepy cat sir mr starbuck when the vigilantes get me cried starbuck get you sir mr set woul wood in that case the cross cros aranof arm of one pole will do for both of us but why fly wait for the vigilantes we can call lix fix up our differences any time some time not any time aline mr selwood some time for you sir air starbuck arLuck St selwood as starbuck still stalked ked heavily down the steps any time for me it wits late that monday before selwood appeared at norin noon in ills his room at the hotel he was pulling himself together for a shave after lunch luncie he be walked down file I 1 lie street street in tho the sunshine with a careful eye for enemies ene nilea but bill passed to see what tile the place looked like after the change of owners scott had patched up the scars tile front doors shoich fewer traces races of tile the rude assault than selwood ailed expected but bill there was a deathly quiet about the place the town own knew that there had been a flight fight at the store during the night but for various reasons the principals concerned had kept their own dans cl when selwood approached Fyie ayiers rs two men stood on oil the corner talking isi haynes anil and harry barbanel barba Barb ancL selwood understood perfectly well that harry chief gossip of the river quarter was uptown up town to bore into haynes for all the file information lip lie could get as to who the pseudo VI vogl fantes had been that his sore and aching friends be posted accordingly dig big haynes hames however had been uncommunicative and when selwood hove in sight flight left Bar barbanel Barbi banet inet unceremoniously and drew selwood abelle aae 1 I want to explain things a little john sold said the big fellow this sneak he nodded toward barbanel Bar banet who left alone was walking up the steps into the store llis la up here trying to pump me about who was in tile the party ito ho get anything what I 1 want to say to you Is this I 1 want in no way mixed up in this scheme to rob fyler I 1 had bad some goods of my own in there and stayed with them fellows so BO as not to get robbed myself ive got no money john you know that its come easy go easy last night I 1 fired no gun and hit no man all john right Is right aint it johnl john N you know the facts I 1 helped the girl n the indian and mcalpin pet get fyler up here early this morning tell you that too they understood the situation and I 1 tant to tell you tween you n me that man fyler aint hurt much neither selwood had no reason to doubt dolbt claynes story 1 I hold nothing against you haynes II aynes as far as im concerned and I 1 dont know rightly what youre talking about somebody at the hotel said been a flight fight it if any of my men were mixed in it and have bave injured anybody they 11 have to make it right I 1 nar Dar banet came town down the steps with a satis satisfied fed smile on his facca clo smile meant to ingratiate him with the two men talking on the corner nothing lacking in assurance lie he nd ad dressed selwood a nice girl in there lie he nodded back toward the store selwood only looked at him in silence turned ills his back abruptly on the impudent loafer and walked away haynes nodded toward tile the store go slow on whit what you say gay about anybody an body in there to selwood harry efow so soa friends of his barbanel Bar banet smiled anew she thinks selwood Is a mining man she and her old ralin man were talking about him just now I 1 asked whether site she meant selwood the gambler she no she meant the mining man the min inin in m in that runs the Il russell and wentworth wagons she dont know inow he runs the place up the hill grinned barbanes Bar Barb banet ancL 1 I guess from the way ar mr gentleman john walked off just now lie he like her to know lies hes a gambler ive got a better guess than that when alien he wants tier her to know it hell tell her himself |