Show am by EUGENE EUGEN E cunningmam LD EUGEN eubene E cunninbham EA 5 E THU THE STORY SO BO fani FAB I 1 when mien coo can cam eron fa trives la in wild horse bone after his ahli first trip r ai 81 a cowhand he be finds himm ott cu light la 14 the midd 0 1 trouble rouble wild W bone I 1 con controlled d by asa A brock cats cat tit tie boy buyer t W who h h hai as the marshal mars haJ dyna dyn mitt mile do ane on his tide side neall lowe lone ft rancher oh arp quarrels reli with brock and con COB avei lowe W from torn being shot by a deputy called el Mucha Mu chacho eba 11 after that the town li is no longer safe for or him so 10 he hit alti eg the tra trail ino lag again aim ae leavans av lag his pat pal caramai year vast behind at fronteras Fron terai i mother another frontier town he be meats lee welsh rod and his two companions companion the lie ran for len who invite him to jola them but con coa learns that the tag trio to li wanted wan tedor for murder and when tho ati banters kul welsh daring a quarrel con goes on alone toward alvan v an where nevil lowe has ha just juit been made marshal marf hal C 0 lowe will help him im since be li Is indebted to con for saving laving his ufa life but when con gets to civan he li Is seized as ai partner of welsh and the raiders retries to scope but li Is struck down by lowe himself now continue with the story his eyes grew used died to the dim light he blinked aro around inq and saw that the room holding hol ag him was small perhaps eight by ten feet with a door on his bis left standing alar ajar from his handcuffs a yard of chain ran to a cottonwood log in the wall that freckled and cheerful cowboy who had bad refused his bis drink in fronteras was chained on his bis right he grinned at con well he drawled out of the stars huh about time nevil lowe hogtied you there seems like half an hour back youre jeff aumon allmon con said slowly lowly maruno martino palafox mentioned you to us the other night you work with quirk ellis I 1 bear no morel jeff allmon denied the door on cons left was wag hooked booked open by a toe he looked into a larger room and lighter by swaying he be could see two rows of three men each chained to the walls as he andreff and jeff aumon allmon were in the center of one una line a tau tall man cat bat comfortably fort ably smoking a cigar a dark and handsome figure more than well dressed milam pant fant jeff aumon allmon informed con in an admiring under tone he was sheriff till they got the govnor to jerk him hian out account of some killings and missing cows they say he knows about ive heard of him con admitted he checked himself as he was about to say that he had bad heard beard little dood of pant fant except as to physical bravery Ir avery and efficiency he was marshal of a half dozen tough towns before he came back here what are you bundled upeor up tor title trouble jeff said with widening of his perennial grin con sat with lessening headache to consider his own troubles he moved slightly and the handcuffs pressed upon his wrists something very like panic began to rise in him as a key rattled in the door behind him and it squeaked open he turned to face ace a short wide man a very ordina ordinary ry cowboy little older than himself notable only because his round face wore a tension that did not seem to belong upon it behind this cowboy though was neall lowe he did have a swollen cheek sheriff Sherif fl con called instantly can I 1 talk to you a minute I 1 was looking for or you when gain bain jumped me im sorry I 1 hit you but things were moving pretty fast and later lowe said evenly without looking at him im busy now come on chunky he went with the cowboy trailing into the other room con had a glimpse of him moving from prig prisoner to prisoner seeming to inspect their handcuffs he talked briefly to someone not pant fant nevil lowe came out followed by pants jeering voice he looked at a man in the door and shook his head bead hes not going to talk I 1 think he would mr tenison its as chunky said oil was a good man and except for his bis mistaken notions about other mens stock hes a good man yet well just have to scout around tor for his friends can you do it topeka tenison nodded slightly lowe turned expressionless face upon con 1 I wired salado about you I 1 dont know how long it will take but the sheriff there seems pretty anxious to return any or all of the ranier bunch hes sending deputies you played in tools fools luck when you resisted arrest or you be waiting for or the salado men Li listen stent do you know buzz ot of the 20 bar he sold to asa brock at the same time you were dickering with brock if hes still in wild horse or sacaton Va caton hell identify me and prove to you by telegram that I 1 was with his herd and have been shooting at that express messenger iland and in wild horse Is a a friend of mine from the 20 bar william year vear goes by caramba he will identity identify me tor for iou you ill pay for the telegrams ive got a lot of things on my mind in ind besides you I 1 cant be bothered right now with hunting trail bosses and cowboys I 1 dont know the salado min men will look you over you can when the door had bad closed behind lowe chunky and ad topeka tenison con stared grimly at it what con grunted looking at jeff hear bear you i ellin youre toure up salt creek without a paddle youre up salt creek without a paddle and a hole in the boat did yau really see nevil lowe to in wild horse 1 I saw him there he was wag pointed out to me as a man who was on the edge of a lot of trouble briefly he told of lowes difficulty with asa brock while OU oil informed pant fant and the others ot his opinions jeffs shrewd eyes were on him steadily dont tell me youre the man that shot lincoln tool jeff said grinning he began to talk of dud paramore more and con listened sullenly by e jeffs a account paramore was a gunman and horse thief second to none the southwest had ever known when are you going to ask lowe to let you go con said sourly or do you want me to ask him instead of answering jeff began to whistle he shook his head when con asked questions the gloom of the improvised jail became dusk the door opened and chunky the deputy brought a mexican waiter who carried a big tray A wall lamp was lighted in each roon room from the flat voiced OU oil came caustic remarks about restaurant meals bought with stolen money when the waiter had gone an elderly mexican woman brought food in pots and pans for or the other prisoners in the large room she did not serve jeff and con he looked at the deputy sheriff says you two can eat in his kitchen chunky explained donol dono chyl lie he saw the mexican woman out then produced a single pair of handcuffs he locked con and jeff wrist to wrist then unlocked the heavy old fashioned gyves which had chained them to the log the two stood stretched twisted they went out ahead of chunks Chunk ys drawn pistol and into a narrow hall waited while he locked the door behind them then descended a narrow flight ot of stairs at the back ot of this adobe building was the dirt floored kitchen presided over by the mexican woman who had bad carried food but at a table op cosite that on which two plates and cups were set janet lowe kneaded dough she looked up at the two and con kept his face blank his eyes trained to the side of her jeff seemed at ease hi janet he said cheerfully looks like pie crust save me ma the middle will you with the UT ring of pie that goes out to the edges of the pan im partial to that part of 0 pies did you he slipped into spanish as he be grinned at the cook make that stew ot of the marvelous aroma with your own tiny illy bly hands Pl carol earol Ra rascal carnacion Carna clon snapped compliments to a grandmother I 1 will not be fooled who is this handsome boy someone has made a mistake or he would not be in el calibozo calabozo cala calab bozo ozol he Is the boy who rode with three robbers janet broke in also in spanish my brother had bad a telegram about these men martino palafox met them not knowing more than that they s seemed edmed dangerous and came toward civan so he telegraphed then young bernardo hernandez met them and heard beard one admit that they were bus ca deros he told his tather father who telegraphed so when this boy rohe in alone he was taken con understood only a part of 0 the rapid fire talk but quite enough to be un comfortable jeff looked curiously at him as they ate cuffed right and left hands on the table between their plates with their spoons that were their only utensils nevil lowe came into the kitchen with a telegram he looked coldly at con 1 I wired wild horse about your men and vear it seems that brought in a herd as you said but he left right away nobody knows exactly where to locate him As tor for vear mrs kleiss at the Netro pole says hes not there either but she knows him tor for a scoundrel and any friend of his bis Is probably the same con stared frowningly he was oddly unmoved except that lowes contemptuous expression the eyes eye ot Janet upon him roused an ugly irritation 1 I see he be drawled she had caramba roped but he got away before she tied him so hes a scoundrel maybe so but my notion Is hes a lucky one but she say anything about his introducing me to her and telling just when and how I 1 joined the 20 bars too full of her disappointment ably he tumbled tor for tobacco and papers you put your sister on the train and told her to have a good time you went on to the and saw mrs kleiss I 1 went there too hunting caramba vear we stood in the door of the dining room while you ayou thanked mrs kleiss tor for being nice P 0 o janet but I 1 can see that all this still leaves me a bus cadero it if you feel that way even leaves me as this comanche who was shot in the robbery and died in the saddle lee welsh said all righta im done talking lowe said nothing only turned to go out janet got up quickly and followed from the next room the murmur of their voices carried to con as he and jeff stood nota thing lowe was saying to janet except the description of comanche warns against being deceived by baby face and remarks that he is amazingly plausible liar aar and born murderer murder erl 1 I 1 take a chance even if I 1 felt inclined and I 1 dont feel inclined not the least bit when they were chained to the log once more and alone jeff leaned to con and whispered how do you feel about taking a paseo maseo to the lobo hills 1 I wont kill anybody to get out con whispered grimly but about the only line I 1 drawl you got awful little hands try twisting these old cuffs ar are stiff and clumsy you can slip eca m tryl try I 1 it was hard bard and painful maneuvering but amazedly con found himself free of the right cuff then jeff passed to him a tiny bit of pointed steel which be called a picklock under his whispered directions con worked at the left handcuff until it opened 1 I had the pick hid all time jeff told him but these cuffs keep your hands so close together I 1 work it try it on mine now they continued to sit in the dim light of the wall lamp when both were free jeff seemed unmoved just a lil more oil in that lamp he muttered when it goes out ill tie into the door lock time went there was some talk in the next room as the wick that con watched gave off a smaller and smaller same flame then milam pant fant wondered audibly why chunky had bad not come up to put out the lights we got a self cocker lamp in here jeff called just wiggle your left lil finger and out she goesl like thail the flame rose brilliantly then shrank to a red edge and disappeared pant fant F ant laughed and called to jeff to come in and put out the other one con and jeh jeff were at the door jeff whistling almost soundlessly as he worked with the pick at the cheap old lock there was a click that sounded thunderous to con and jeffs triumphant ahl the door swung slowly open a crack come on COW cowboy bOyl 1 jeff breathed nobody in the ballf hallf he stopped tor for long enough to r relock e the door as quietly as it had been unlocked A muttering of sav several voices sounded below them then feet this way jeff grunted they went into the storeroom as several sets of feet climbed the stairs the window was a casement and only latched they dropped two yards to the ground when hanging at arms length from the sill dimly from overhead they heard what seemed many voices snarling por for alosi jeff breathed gaspingly in g ay 1 I told you I 1 smelled a ban bang 9 knot if that aint the Wang stranglers lers taking lem em out no wonder chunky nev never er showed api upi come out what we need Is caverl cover ire he led the way at a run to a ditch near some TO HE BE CONTINUED |