Show ACYE ACEr N 0 LE JACKSOM ACKSON GREG GREGORY RY GR E gokay RELE RELEASE ASE TUB THE story 80 FAR fahl ann am lei lee tad and cole coily cody beneficiaries under two identical blui will ol of old bill cole ought to discover ill to vei who hid bad fired uie the I 1 fatal to bullet at old full bill suspicion cantered cont centered ered round around i arance waldron who posing as a old pills deghow was wai eving at t uie the r when h e a ann nad and cody arrived doe jo oo 00 A ind n d the judge e commissioned 0 fey by old EM bin to entry carry out ahli last t were waylaid wishes and shot hot by rase ranc Wald waldron ton believing both men seed dead and to divert 1 raa raabe Is killed we accomplice tom gough gah but bat doe joe foe did not noi die and nd be was wai at the ranch to lend lead a hand when cole cola cody doe decided d 11 d to uck rance waldron Wal dion who 1 ave va up op almost at once now coi conclude eon cluda clude tte the story CHAPTER the gun fell ell from rom waldrine IVal ns fingers little ann lee standing so close to them both now caught it up ran for the other backed off and stood in a corner with both weapons to in her hands all right waldron said 1 I know when im licked if cody shook bis head he was thinking of the old judge of old early bill even of tom gough shot like a dog lie he said eald quietly no waldron youre not licked yet stand up I 1 waldron stood up new rage reddened the pinpoints pin points of his hl eyes new strength flowed int into him and perhaps new courage H he acte charged like a bull bill cody struck the one blow then that was like a coup de grace it took range ranft waldron on the point of the chin it seemed to td lift him inches from the floor and this time when he be fell whether taunted by words or threatened with further bodily punishment he was beyond rising ann lee thought him dead so did aunt Je jenifer alfer so tor for that matter did doe doc joe in the kitchen oh cole bodyl your poor dear bacel gulped little ann lee your poor eyel and tears began spattering like summer rain bill cody caught her in his arms he forgot the of his bis battered face and crookedly leering eye he drew her tight and tighter and kissed her and it la Is of record that atin ahn lee returned his kiss exactly the way it was received a fact to be sworn to if necessary by cal roundtree who just then bursting into the room stood a moment transfixed on the threshold cal virtually brushed ann lee aside gi grasping asping bill cole cody by an arm yanking him close then into his ear 1 I bet rance hance Wal drons b here ere from the looks of you was what he said and cody no secrets from ann lee sid said cody pulling away sure hes here and so Is old doc and both ann and aunt jenifer know that too doe doc joe and aunt jenifer hearing voices came into the kitchen keep all this dark from waldron until tomorrow said cal round bound tree all I 1 ask I 1 fair enough cal nodded sold old doe doc joe only just what is it that were to keep dark but at that cal closed his mouth after the fashion of buttoning it then he be shook his head finally be said aid tell rell you at sunup sun up just keep ranee rance waldron auve allye and handy bandy night inight folks before bunup bun aun up all in the house bouse breakfasted even to a savage sullen ranee rance waldron save doe doc joe alone who as yet wanted waldron to know nothing about his presence about his still being above ground yet waldron though battered and angry had a certain mall malicious cious grin in his eye over the coffee he said with a dash of his bli old cocksure cock sure sare arrogance my lawyers coming out this morning the sheriff will be with him or close behind this place it Is mine la Is going to be proved mine and every da darned med one of you inter lopers clopers is going to clear out beg bag and bog baggage gage 1 ob and cal roundtree came up from the funkhouse he carried an open envelope in his bis hand he cleared Us his throat forgot all about saying good morning and announced a bit of f news that came pretty close to knocking several people out of their chairs me said cal 1 I just got a letter last night its a letter from a guy by name of at mr william cole known tar far and wide as early bill the first to gasp out a word was ranee rance waldron hastily on his feet tY ayou you ou foell early bills dead and arleda larlest are you crazy nope I 1 aint crazy yep the old devils dead and buried me I 1 saw law him die and I 1 helped bury him just the same be wrote me a letter and I 1 lust just got it last night he tossed the missive to the table here cody you read it be said read it right out loud cody caught it up whipped the letter out of its envelope and stared et at it a long minute he stared from face to face then back at the letter heres what it says he be said slowly lowly and its in early bult bills handwriting and he rea read dear cal you old sinner T rae ne being dead and dug under ground my old bones sort of feel cramped id sort ot of like it if dig me up icon as you get this which im writing sitting on top a nice inice big pink and white cloud sort of learning to get the hang bang of ahara a harp and I 1 want you to shift me over bere where I 1 told you now get a movi move on and me im having me my fun un yet so long cal gra gracias clas amigo win cole allas alias early bill ranee rance waldron pretended to laugh the thing ol of course was some sort of hom hoax no it aint said cal soberly this letter just come like I 1 say into bald eagle by stage last night it was sent in another envelope from a feller id heard old early bill talk about a time or two a teller feller that used to be friends with him I 1 reckon bill gentit sent it r roundabout round 0 und about way to get here when h he i wanted it to he cleared his bli throat again and added As for him squatting on a cloud twanging a harp its a lie he and id tell win him so most mely likely hes shovel J and bill cole cody very gently put hla his arm about little ann lee and led her away toe ing coal down hell wards but never mind I 1 got porfiria outside and gaucho and a couple shovels and we start doing what the old fool said do come ahead out under the three pines hushed and wondering and with a touch of awe at early bills favorite dawn hour benl men went to work with their shovels so exclusively were they occupied in what was going forward none particularly remembered rance bance waldron who sneering after his bis fashion hands on his hips stood a few steps withdrawn none that is 18 except old doc joe who had taken his chance to slip out of the house and follow on and who now peered from behind the farther of the three pines litile little ann lee her face very white her eyes enormous clutched aunt jesifers Jeni fers arm tight in both hands and aunt jenifer put a comforting arm around her the sods flew under the strongly wielded shovels the soll soil was light and loose very swiftly the excavation took form some seven feet long half as wide two or three feet deep im going to the house murmured ann 1 I I 1 cant stand itt cal roundtree down in the ecca looked up and said sharply you stay right where you ar are L 1 I and an instant later he be exclaimed triumphantly here it 1st he reached down scratched in the loose soil with both hands and unearthed a small mall iron box he tossed it up to them to cody and ann both and said see e this one opens with two keys just like the other you two better open III it old early bill aint here at all me and gaucho moved him the night eight affet lie was planted here with trembling fingers angers they did get it open there were folded papers within the top one said brief ly ir this is my ace in the role hole me I 1 always figured to hold one in any game like this then there was a letter addressed to ann lee there was one tor for william cole cody there wasa was a lone sealed envelope and it was addressed to them together and next was a picture a fine ane likeness of an old lean devil may care man with a humorous gleam in his eye and it was inscribed to ann lee and cole cody from an old friend early bill and ann came close to shrieking au out t why I 1 knew himl aunt jen ny ay looka dont you remember that old man who came to our house and he be was broke and sick and sad looking and we took him in and and cole cody a queer catch in his voice wai was muttering so early bill huh the darned old rascal I 1 played poker with film bun he be let me skin him out of his eye teeth he h stuck around and let me stake him he even asked to borrow money from me ceif if id have known who he was id have chased him oft off the ranch 1 they read their letters ha hastily atily ann was crying softly and cody was making rough noises in his throat t open the big envelope said CL cal bills ace in the hole again they found a brief note tor for them both ive had bad me my fun I 1 reckon I 1 thought as how knowing the two of you pups you might fight a while then tall fail in love and get married rd id like that fine but maybe things will go some other way and maybe that darned sneaky varmint name of ranee rance waldron might throw a a hunch hes the bozo hired somebody to shoot me down him being too foxy and maybe scared and now heres my third will and by gravy my last and find it leaves everything ive got to you two kids fight or dont fight marry or dont marry and honest kids I 1 did have a good time and im still having it right now so long and there was the will and there was doe doc joe grab that waldron hombre he shouted hes going to hang and me im going to see that he do does es 11 waldron whirled his face went as dead white as arms anns had been he could have had bad no thought for that first instant save that he was looking on a dead man one he himself had murdered then he was quick to know he had been tricked and he was quick to snatch out from his belt a gun that no one had seen that no one dreamed he had that no one ever knew where he had bad come by it he swung it murder in his eyes upon doc joe very neatly Por porfirio firlo as watchful as a cat shot ranee rance waldron through the back of the head and bill cole cody very gently put his arm about little ann lee and led iad her away led her clinging to him back to the patio into which the early sun was just entering THE ETHE END |