Show AF F P ED N G by EUGENE CUNN cunningham INGHAM JL C EUGENE cunninbham CUNNiN JJ RELEASE THE STORY SO 80 VARI FAR lo in the railroad own wn of wild wad birss bona alter after his first brit 8 eipers PH herd con cameron goes goei with caramba vear mother another cowhand to the drovers drover saloon there they see gee aw aim brock A buyer buyer quarrel with a cattle man named m nevil lowe who wont sell leu to him brock li Is a she harp r P tr trader der a and a crooked one hot but be hai bai the ia law la in the person period ot of dynamite downes the marthai thai on en his side ilde lo in the midst of a taro aro lame game con misses caramba and goes to find him on the way he sees lowe kin idea a pretty girl goodby good by and put her bar on a train he be locates caramba at the widow bielss boons and then goes back to the vr Dro veri overs there he be saves bavei lowe from to tie ins ing sis hot t by one of brocks brocki crowd a deputy marsdal manhal called el Mucha Mu chacho ebo and u b bai se to let got out of 0 town in a hurry burry later on th the trail be meets some cowboys cowboy fro from other ranched a a and learns leardi that mat the tory story of we nil light has hai already traveled far ar and md that the country around there li Is a DO I 1 longer gar ate for him lie starts on having b been a warned ne 4 gal at the town of ada Fron terai m and all U t the h peo people ale I 1 in n it IL f now ca continue with the story CHAPTER III fronteras frontera 3 looked harmless from the height where con sat pancho to stare downward the single street was empty except for a horseman and a file of wood burdened burros moving i slowly he pushed the sorrel down the winding trail looking with very real interest to right and left A shabby young man with cheerful freckled race face said hit and waved toward a large house h 0 u se out t of which came an unmusical a L deep deep toned chanting just quirk elus ellis the freckled c cowboy ie reassured assured con him and his one song Thank Than kal gl con said smiling faintly wondering if this friendly cowboy would be one of those dixi visitors to fro Fronte 11 rag of whom easy and two eyes and hogpen had warned him H he e wondered what he would actually find in the big cantina cant lna he twisted slightly to let his shei shell belt move and bolstered pistol sag more comfortably then he walked into the dusky dirt floored room and 10 k looked all U around there their was a bar made of rough planking and tables of the same rude carpentry around the walls boxes and kegs and stools seemed to serve the dozen customers or loafers as seats seat B A at t the far end of the bar a b big g man s slouched with a tin cup and nd a bottle before him he stared fixedly at con and continued to sing hus huskily kili A A and now arne a Is drawing nigh W when he fo r vil I 1 must die so si all 11 y yoneo n be warned by me and sh compan eee 1 As n accustomed them a deiv gloom 10 orn of the low room co he a drinkers blankly QU avas as a florid man with I 1 lair ir by his bis rough cloth pr r cowboy A tall and kt euls ellis was very neat at t looking as if just lark ark trousers drawn over glistening kid boots but 1 ithe l the hatched face with loose nose and dark eyes sockets and straight b mouth three men er r were nearer con like brothers vaguely 7 hair and square sul bubbled faces the third ng ing red faced man heavin n quirk euls ellis as shabby lan anions ions con greeted them all it if theres no objection drinks for the house 1 I teen dollars to in this pocket ells announced at last sandy head on en one side as he looked at his mone so ill ID give you that tor for the sorrel but you ought to throw in thal thai car carbeen bein account of the way pack it to in here vo ire skinning me anu and stand it up to in the corner yonder im awful tired somehow today here V he yawned dawned and indicated the silver con looked at at all the faces within range without seeming to study them im sor dorryl ryll he told euls ellis sadly you never will know how sorry I 1 am but I 1 promised my anunti aunt I 1 never would she said to me that out to in the wild west and certainly in Froat fronteras eras there would be chances to get rich taking advantage of kindly people but she said it be honest so I 1 promised her I 1 would ret but he looked thoughtfully down at the silver while euls ellis stared without expression at him tell you youl just to make some kind of trade ill buy that bunch of dollars from you ill give you eighty cents for every one of em and if av you ou want to bring to in some more ill take any number you want to get rid of elus ellis shook his head gloomily and ad him so young he drawled too lazy to strip his huu hull off my horse and pack my carbeen to in here and me asking him as pretty like you all heard he slouched up the barroom and when near the door turned to look at con and abade his head then he went on outside con moved backward two steps step so that he could look through the doorway ellis stood before pancho but with side to the door his right hand was thumb thumb hooked to in his bis shell belt tapping the butt of his colt he stepped across P to the sorrel slapped him so that poncho moved and was M 1 11 P con checked cifra between ellin and the door con kept his face blank while euls ellis jerked loose the lati goes and dropped the saddle into the dirt then he shook his bis head and returned to the bar he leaned quickly and from rom its balls behind the bar jerked the sawed off shotgun he had seen while havlac his first drink the bartender began a yell of protest but con was wag across the floor with the gun hammers haim nerg back under his thumbs before anyone could interfere he slid outside and put his back to the wall fills ellis had seen him instantly and with flashing jerk drawn his pistol and leveled it but the grin froze on his face as he be saw the shotgun con drew a long breath and made hi himself relax against the wall at your age he said carefully and I 1 really dont know how you ever got to be that age either your hearings naturally poor you evidently thought I 1 said id sell pancho but what I 1 said was that I 1 dont want to sell him so put the little popper away and saddle him again better put that down sonny euls ellis told him harshly it might go off and hurt somebody put it down aown or youre right con agreed it might amigh t go off and hurt somebody right where youre stand standing ing in tact fact it if youre thinking of doing anything with that dogleg better do it make up your mind im ramrod ding this hurrah and I 1 say y youve uve got live five seconds one I 1 two i three pour four he saw ellis bills shoulder stiffen slightly then relax the colt sagged while he watched tensely from the corner comer of his bis oye he be saw the packed doorway but he watched while elus re holstered the pistol and took a step toward h him im then he gestured with the shotgun your hea hearing he said irritably 1 I said saddle himl him and do it right even it if I 1 let my tender heart get the best of me and just shoot you in the legs you wont me like it III for this cannon will aiu probably carry high 1 now listen sonny you li listen steril its your hearing bearing bad get that saddle back on or from the barroom the voice of the bartender was suddenly lifted yelling indignantly about his shotgun con only gestured toward the door with the muzzles and there was the sound of sudden scrambling and oath those trampled ellis furiously red leaned to the fallen saddle con directed him critically icalla as he put on the blanket and settled the saddle upon it when the cinches were tight and ellis bills would have stopped con checked h him m reprovingly why its all dusty wipe it nice and clean with your hat it if you cant find anything else if you want to argue just think how much use have tor for that hat it if you dont euls ellis glared but when con moved the shotgun in a small menacing droop and stiffened ened he be fished a bandanna from his pocket and cleaned the saddle after a fashion fine final con complimented him now lets go back inside I 1 want a drink looking at all the pain that job was to you made me thirsty GUIs ellis walked stiffly inside the drinkers gave back to let the two enter con checked his bis prisoner at the near end of the bar and himself stood so that his bis back had solid mud bricks protecting it he trained the shotgun muzzles upon the floor but did not the hammers somebody Is going to buy a drink he informed the scowling bartender maybe the old gentleman of the bad eyes and ears noo no o I 1 can see by the south side of him that he wont so I 1 will tor for the house you take something special barkeep I 1 owe you tor for the loan of this equalizer alazer you wont buy this round the hulking red faced man beyond euls ellis grunted he looked at euls ellis and burst into a roar of amusement young fellows I 1 like your style I 1 go by lee welsh and im strange to fronteras as you are these fine upstanding cowboys with me strangers too they go by chick and odd cousins androu and you can tell em apart by chick he shoots his al vistol pistol lett left handed and odd he shoots his right handed awful good shots and so BO am 1 I but not quite so go good d as chick and odd set em up bar keepe riding are you welsh asked con com you can side us tt if you are so BO minded were cutting stick too maybe tor for faith no never mind which away just saddle lobos glad to side you said con barkeep I 1 am buying this one quirk euls ellis seemed to have decided to bide his time he said nothing when con asked with exaggerated politeness for or the pleasure ot of his company outside he came to stand before the hitch rack florid face blank con broke the shotgun in shelter of pancho extracted the shells and put the them m I 1 tn n his pocket with the carbine across his arm he set the shotgun at the hitch rack end and tossed a dollar d 0 aar to the bartender who stood sourly behind euls ellis the tour four swung into their saddles for several days they rode slowly westward missing the towns getting tobacco and meals at little pla bitas altas or stopping overnight at some small ranch they were in no hurry con least ot of all at the little ranch th they ey talked with a blue b lue eyed red haired mexican deputy sheriff sheri fl he was a friendly and talkative soul this martino palafox A shrewd and efficient man too con decided his quick glances missed very little he was riding from anthony to faith on an all n errand tor for his superior the sheriff in the slow talk he spoke of tl ti va van farther west a good little town he called it a salty little town milam fant marshal of a half dozen hell roaring cow towns up and down had come home to be sheriff martino spoke admiringly of feats gunplay hes what my people call un bru jo a wizard about as slick as they come I 1 heard beard that he had bad a deputy in wild horse named dynamite downes about as fast hard to believe how about nevil lowe aon con asked carefully Is he fast well hes always been fast is s t enough but I 1 put him near a milam fant uh uh but nevils one of them fellows as calm as a cat in the sun awful hard to figure and hes figuring all the time hes stood and just looked himself out of lots of scrapes a shaky shaki man killed somebody in or got killed himself if youre figuring on hitting bitting him up for jobs hes one of the best to ride for him and ana his sister both fine no people con called to mind the pretty face of that dark haired dark eyed girl small and graceful admired in wild horse A sister not a wife andrevil and neall Nevil lowe was a good man to work for the canlers Ran lers lee welsh and con slept on a narrow porch at the back of the house con heard them talking after all had bad rolled in their blankets but they kept their voices down so that he caught only mutter togs ings he forgot them presently tl TI van sounded interesting he tried to recall what hugh nor ris ri had bad said at one time or another over a period of years about civan but he be could remember nothing definite at some time his hi uncle had been in civan and exciting interesting things had bad happened but con could not piece together the bits of stories to make them explain hugh norris all ali he be could recall was waa his boyish conviction that civan must be a wonderful place to see and his determination to go there some day now he was going navil lowe had bad a ranch in the neighborhood arid and certainly he had bad saved bivil lowes life in wild horse it was pleasant to look forward to m meeting eting lowe he had bad no intention of introducing himself as lowes rescuer but he could inquire about the herd and lowes trouble with asa brock then remark casually that he had thought a bowling bell ball or two might help and what was the pretty sisters name janeal through the quick breakfast con found martino watching him but he said nothing more ali AH of them saddled andy the rancher to ride northward with martino the rest of them went west TO BE CONTINUED |