| Show the he man a jd ajl from r am yonder W M I 1 wo by HAROLD TITUS alu S service e rv I 1 c a copyright 1934 harold titus ft 0 a 0 SYNOPSIS ben ellott from condee Yond Yon dee tr arri arrives at the little lumbering ilni town ot of tincup accompanied pan ed by don stuart old very lck man whom he be has haa befriended CHAPTER I 1 continued 2 thought of the rules swept the crowd because duval was edging easing to the right ue moved sloay awkwardly at the cost of grent great effort clyott on toward the center of the log was he trying one more trick not likely A man under such a strain does not attempt strategy not fair strategy As he progressed an inch at a time elliott court countered ered by also creeping toward the center so his end might not dip beneath the surface doth both men bad their arms extended and El Elf Motts lotts grin had faded to a sort of curious smile a speculative alertness close and closer they came together and then as their extended bands were all but touching duval suddenly flecked his right wrist in a pass at alliotts elliotts Ell Elli lotts otts left hand all ah th dirty put bur bird eyes high scream was cut short by an ominous roar the bull facing defeat had overstepped over stepped all rules the slightest touch on the others body would upset his balance now and after el llott ilott had proven himself above taking what was even recognized as a fair advantage the last vestige of loyalty to town or whatever it was which had bad put men on dugals side was whisked awai away on dugals face was ruthlessness along with the flush of fatigue and humiliation ile he would be the last man on that to log though disqualified for any prize at any cost he would stay on that log but would be elliott El llott a steely quality coming into his grin retreated until unfit he be was out of the others reach the log sank beneath him but he did not slow his cadence despite the tact fact that he ran in water he loosed the last reservoir of his energy and by the way his feet flickered and clawed and spurned that log one might well have believed that until now he be had only played with this crowned king of the river that flowed past tincup watchers felt their middles aching as they followed those straining contestants te again the bull boug sought glit to strike alliotts elliotts Ell Elli lotts otts extended hand band and missed by inches ills left hand raised jerkily up and up ills body tilted ills great torso was twisting wrenching at the hips and seeing this elliott leaped high came down running sent water sloshing slashing shing back and forth the length of the stick until with a throaty cry of rage and humiliation of hatred and jealousy the great bull missing a stride went side ays and backward disappeared ben bendte ath the surface of the pond with a mighty splash and came up blowing and shaking his black it thatched batched head hats went into the air then along with alps yips and yells arid and enthus enthusiastic lastic oaths as ben elliott El llott panting heavily brought the log to a stop and hands on his knees stood blowing and grinning grinding and watched the man whose title ne be had taken swim for the boom sticks stick 8 the pull bull slunk quickly toward the holler boiler room of the mill water streaming from his pants and sleeves the pond man threw out his pike pole dole and brought the cedar log to shore and there birney the announcer an master of ceremonies greeted elliott with a clap on the back and with the other hand thrust a roll of currency at him ll heres eres your money and you sure deserve he cried close in rens ear to make himself heard got it t on a foul anyhow better this way p 1 birdeye bird eye grasped his hand and shook it with congratulations as profane as they were shrill others surged around the victor and elliott accepted this homage modestly luckl he be said to co one enthusiastic well wisher 1 I got the breaks in luck luck be dom damned nedi 1 shrilled birdeye ill lick any mon ave me own on old or me own heavy who says luckl luck I 1 you got me by you got guts I 1 thanks chuml elliott laughed 1 11 I hope you dont find me outly out I 1 he shouldered his way slowly to his packsack pack sack and surrounded by tits his admirers with birdeye bird eye kye in the tore fore changed to his bis shoes again he had the usual run of questions to answer that la is the lot of any winner in a spectacular contest and he did it with that amiable grin with his bis marked modesty and yet with a likeable frankness he looked about tor for don stuart craning his neck to see over the crowd which was now moving up toward aln cups cupa main thoroughfare who ya y mean bard U biye se asked donny yeah stuart the old duffers broke on top of being sick and I 1 want to look out for him A man ma n at his bis ell elbow jow said cautiously y ini im afeard old don wont do much in tip bird kye irye turned to him film and the man nodded ile he found him here while th hi birlin una its goin on iles hes likely i S rn air reflected concern errs the other mans a cynical acceptance of some unpleasant tact fact th dirty st blinker inkerl I 1 birdeye bird eye said beneath bis big breazil so hes darivin him out already Is ile he well th tb low 1017 down chos driving who out elliott asked Mis listher ther brandon Ame ricky be a free country but tincup aint in it thin bowld donny aint welcome here nd ts is likely hes got his orders to move on elliott hitched his packsack pack sack higher this orders wrong with him seemed like a harmless old gaffer to me bent on coming to tincup too wanted it like a little kid wants candy got my goat chos going to run him off birdeye bird eye had bad hopped nimbly to a log from which point lie he could see across bobbing heads ah ha he exclaimed sure its meisther brandon himself chos arun a run DID bowld donny ofa elliott craned his neck and could see half balf way to the depot two men on the sidewalk one was his compit companion nion in travel earlier that day the other a man he had not seen before the latter had don stuart by one arm but that dint contact was not the friendly assistance which cen ben had offered the old fellow As elliott looked the feeble old man tried to draw away but the other was insistent scarcely hesitated in his progress toward the station train bests due now birdeye bird eye said sure nd pore bowld donny hell be a passenger its a caryln shame kapin him away from lineup sol elliott started forward birdeye bird eye at his heels libels crossing the street leaping to the high board sidewalk and swinging on lie ile overtook the two he followed just in time to hear bear stuart gasp aint long to live nick id like stay here aint pleasant to be sick and not among friends never mind the other said as one might to a protesting child ive told you any number of times to stay av aay ay on this reply elliott moved abreast of theman the man hello old timer I 1 he said addressing stuart going some place he did not dot look at the man said to be nicholas brandon his manner on the question was almost casual oh hello don panted 1 I ulster mister brandon here wont let me stay then elliott looked at brandon A man of age not old neither young powerfully built with a peculiarly white face and eyes as black as night those eyes bored into alliotts elliotts Ell Elli lotts otts now keenly intelligently with the look of a man who is accustomed acus tomed to gauging others without delay or hesitation they were the eyes of a man who knows men the glance of one accustomed cus tomed to rule men oh this man want you to stay ben said softly and then with a smile to brandon 1 I sort of took the old timer under my wing today lie ile wants to stay here quite badly ill look after him theres no do place for him here biere brandon said positively come stuart its almost train time he twitched at the old mans arm but ben broke in brow wrinkled as if he wanted to handle a perplexing matter fairly well now say no place suppose a place was made for him a few days id sort of planned on that theres a hotel here and id be willing to 1 I 1 dont know you brandon interrupted and irritability crept into his voice ive never even seen you ive known this man for years he hes s an old employee of mine this Is my affair I 1 never have others especially strangers med meddling adling A low whimper came from stuart and ben rubbed his bis chin with ith one knuckle yeah I 1 am butting in I 1 guess but you bee the old timer told me a ait little tl e about himself hes been lonesome a long time I 1 take it IL iles hes not w what hat call in robust health I 1 figure that it if I 1 was in hla his shape id like to be with a few old friends myself and it if in the distance a train whistled and on the sound Bran brandona dons eyes snapped ive not time to argue my affairs he said sharply come stuart buts nick see here nick ill never get back again its lonesome beta sick alone where you cant I youre hurting my wrist 1 ile he winced from the grasp and on tb that at the last shadow of smile went out of ben alliotts elliotts Ell Elli lotts otts face the slightly apologetic look at interfering in a matter which T was as not strictly his affair passed from hlf big eyes lie he put himself squarely before brondon brandon let him go he said quietly but his look drove hard into those black eyes the man hesitated and flushed bushed if you arent looking tor for trouble lie he said voice edged with wrath keep out of this 1 fair enough but unless youve got a better reason than I 1 know about let the old timer alone I 1 let go BO hla his wrist I 1 he added sharply as stuart winced again I 1 ril ill wank you ta 0 keep out of lot let go his wrist you d d bully P 1 he had grasped Bran dons forearm with both hands letting his pack slip to the sidewalk the clutch on don stuarts tB arm loosened with a snarl brandon drew back and sw swung ung tor for bens jaw elliott ducked swaged forward and bending his supple stipple body caught brandon about the middle drove his head into the mans chest raised a knee to ills his groin lifted him from his feet swung shoved and flung him free with a sharp oath brandon went down in the half thawed mire of 0 the street sprawling I 1 on his back well cowl this was something else again men had been coming edging cautiously near during the brief argument between elliott and nicholas brandon but when brandon the man who ruled tincup and its county was seen lifted from his feet and tossed ignominiously into the mud trampled by his horses stirred by the wheels of hla his wagons and tractors the street which led through his town to his mill well then they came arun a run nin 1 I birdeye bird eye cackled an impudent laugh and turned to watch the faces of the vanguard who came to see their liege lord sprawled in the mud there scram k dl with A sharp oath brandon went down into the half thawed mire of the street ble to his feet their voices were raised in incredulity in two decades and more no man save sare birdeye bird eird eye blame blaine had dared lift even his voice in tincup in other than respect for nicholas brandon and now tills this stranger had picked him up and thrown him awall away but brandon was up lurching for the sidewalk where here ben elliott stood legs spread fists clenched but with good humor re possessed and grinning as he had grinned at bull duval grinning grinding as a man will who aho loves combat for its own sake and not dot at all as one who tights fights in red rage however tits smile faded and his jaw settled as brandon uplifted his face in that rush murder was as there in the black eyes in the loose hanging of the lower lip in the purple lush flush of his cheeks murder find and no less As quickly as that homicidal look had come it passed something like fear swept those eyes driving it away not fear of this encounter ben knew not fear of a stronger younger man mall something else again something entirely different it was as the sort of fear that comes from within Nl thin the kind of fear a man has tor for his own impulses brandon halted abruptly ills fists relaxed into hands and with one of them he brushed rather aimlessly at mud on his sleeve A dozen men were close then holding back watching at ching waiting listening others were coming many more pounding over the walk splashing through melting puddles keyed to grand excite excitement meaL and as brandon halted looking up into alliotts elliotts Elli utts otts face and evidently lighting fighting for self control one of these new arrivals pushed to the front and came up tip importantly the matter mr brandon he asked sharply bliar ply with the manner of one ready to render service brandon did not reply at once ile he settled his coat on his big shoulders sheriff arrest this young man immediately he said then ill swear to a complaint of assault and battery myself eel f A sigh of reller relict of disappointment of taxing tension or of all these corn com up from the growing group the sheriff turned to elliott and touched his arm al significantly b better et ter come along elliott El llott he said you took in too much territory ben looked about almost foolishly he was embarrassed arid and surprised ue he had expected a rough and tumble light fight in what he considered a righteous cause and surely he was th the sort who would have been on familiar ground in such an encounter but here he was with a sheriff plucking at his sleeve 1 ue ile laughed a bit sheepishly all right sheriff if its arresting you rou run to here in tincup likely im it ile he turned for his packsack pack sack and aa he did so observed old don stuart sitting weakly on the stepon step at the vacant store building before which the scene hild had been enacted perspiration beaded tits his waxen face ace and his quick breath came through open colorless lips tie he was obviously a sick man and trouble clouded elliotts alliotts Elli otts eyes 1111 minute nure sheriff he said and crossed to t don thrusting one land hand into a pants pocket here old timer he said gently the hand came out and into stuarts palm he pressed a thin packet of bill bellg and some change get one of your old buddles buddies here you 1 straightening and beckoning birdeye bird eye who approached pro ached with alacrity get the old timer to a hotel better get a doctor too lies heeled enough to take care of himself a few days after that well see lie ile turned then and fastened a severe gaze on brandon and you chum let him alone he warned until a doctor says he can travel you watch your step with him I 1 but brandon ignored this tie he was wai buttoning his coat pushing big hla way through the group which fell ell aside respectfully fully all right sheriff said ben to that worthy lets got go CHAPTER II 11 able armitage justice ot of the peace in tincup looked over his spectacles into the face of the prisoner before him and a twinkle appeared in his bla keen blue eyes ue he asked now young man youre charged with assault and battery on the person of nicholas crandon brandon are you guilty gunter from the rear windows of his little office able had watched young ben elliott emerge from the status of a complete stranger to the populace to that of its latest hero by sending mr bull duval dural to a damp and ignominious finish in the log birling after that be picked up an old clarinet and commenced to play a halting aimless and not completely musical tune he was so occupied either with the musical performance or with hit his thoughts that he did not hear the tha tramp of many feet on the walk outside and was unaware that he be was wai about to be called on to function in an official capacity when the door opened though and ben elliam El llott hick ens the sheriff and nicholas brandon follo followed Aed it seemed by the total nial mali population of the county surged through the doorway the clarinets clarl neti squawking leaped into a shrill squeal and died away the judges feet feel dropped to the floor and he swung his |
