Show R A N G all by EUGENE EUGEME cunningmam cunningham L 0 EUGENE cunninbham CUNNIN RELEASE story SO 0 VARI fahl much a ai 11 he the idea C con 0 a cameron a ow cow boy with BO bestre to kul kill anybody li Is to turn outlaw to save lave we III we Il Because lie he wall WAI seen leen with the lie rattlers who are w wanted anted for robbery an and 4 murder he be li is sus inspected pecked ol of betas being co comanche he uan lt ma c one of their gans ani arrested when he be rides into T alvn van he li Is in danger ol of being basted in ol of the ali fact act that he had lived the we 1116 ol of the marshall manhal levu low only a I 1 lew day before low laws sema to have it I 1 lor or totten otters wait that so 10 con cape from jail with an outlaw named ra jeff allmon and goes goei with him to loin join a 1 1 gang headed by dud paramore con 1 li forced to kill one of Par Pira amores men in self defense de fenie shortly atler after me that hat low and aad a posse pona surprise them and kill some of the paramore crowd dud dad 5 wears mean vengeance they all so go to bowe 1 I ranch whits while he be to li out con discovers ah that I 1 dud dad plans to kidnap locci sister liter janet he it felpi her bar to escape pon but has hai to ride for or ahli 0 own life when jeff allmon warn warm ida him that dud will kill hill win him when e n ile he find out that janet 1 li gone one B now 0 w continue with th th the jang atory ry CHA CHAPTER PTER IX jon con rode at the easy lope back to the cottonwoods cotton woods catfish went very willingly the inocent moment he be was out of sight eight con ventured to start the horse horses aback back on the trail over which they had ad been driven it if there was pursuit it missed him that day he slept on a hill that night ate breakfast the next day near four of the afternoon at a dexl mexican c an h house 0 use forty miles from the NL mi his spanish helped and he took a great deal of pains to make himself simpat leo with the women and children encountered encounter fd ragged unshaven he felt safe in riding into gurney and having a few drinks at the palace there were elou enough g b rough customers in the county seat to cover him talk at the bar and around the gaming tables informed him that since their failure at the NL the Par amores had been very quiet when he rode away from gurney he was barbered wearing new shirt and overalls well fed los alamos bunkhouse held him for or nearly a week peek lit taylor was selling some LA ho horses r sea and con rode in place ot of an in injured ared peeler he could have had a job but even as 11 twenty johnson Joh neon he felt nervous lit paid him off with taint faint grin if grave voice nearing civan con went more cautiously watching from the high lines like any lobo wolf keeping out of sight when a rider showed so he be came back to the lobos and to san par jl farcos a it seemed at least a year since he had last been here only the drowsing population ol of the placita was there so he rode boldly up to the store saloon of old garcia and left pancho behind the big adobe garcia greeted him like an old friend and set out the drinks when they stood somewhat to them selves he leaned confidentially elo you have sufficient spanish now to me buenola then I 1 will talk with plainness I 1 am a friend to him so are others here we cannot be enemies and livel live but I 1 tell yau con the good men here are like me we do not like his trying to take lake that pretty sister of nevii lorvel that was bad and it was also foolish now ranchers who live tv t lonely places they are looking at their wives their daughters their sisters thinking that they are not safe so he has hands turned a against him which before would help at least not hurt it may be that he has shortened his life by that business which you stopped like the good man you are con thanked him there was more in what the can cantineri tinero implied than appeared in the words he had used when presently he drifted outside he be was thinking of that so when it a womans comans shrill cry of warning sounded he stopped short not under standing landing instantly then a winches flat metallic report down the line of houses was followed instantly by the rap of a slug into the wall behind him there was a doorway just ahead and he plunged into it and flattened himself out of sight the shot had come from a pile of mesquite roots thirty or forty yards ahead it was amelia with whom he had danced at the balle baile who had screamed a warning she was to in a window opposite him calling to him to go inside calling to someone named margarita to open the door the winchester was drumming steadily bullets chipped the edges of the thick adobe embrasure and dust powdered cons shirt then the JAlo anor gir opened behind him A woman was there tat fat middle aged calm basl she invited con 1 I think one of my windows you can safely killuim kill him 11 he nodded and followed her through two rooms of her house until she indicated a window now he be co could uld see ate a patch of blue shirt behind 0 the great heap of mesquite grimly con aimed his bis pistol and let the hammer drop thumbed it back and fired a second shot A tall cowboy jumped to his feet beet and shrank back into shelter con wished fervently for the carbine that hung on his saddle wished tor for it even more strongly when from a new position his bis attacker opened fire on the he window he stepped back and the woman called to him when hi be gurnei tur nei he be stood beside a grinning wide eyed toy of ten or eleven holding out the winchester from his scabbard 1 I 1 am glad that you thought to tell me he ha thought you would wish it the boy said he told me to bring it to you now you can killuim kill him it Is that one of yellow hair and blue eyes called saint kin kill him el Co manchel Coni anchel con re holstered his colt when he had reloaded swiftly the empty chambers with the carbine he went outside through a back door and to the corner ot of the house he sent a hau half dozen shots into the mesquite roots and stopped saints fire then he ran to another position where he could see a little of 0 the blue shirt he drove saint around the root pile dodged back himself when the tall tail cowboy loosed a desperate burst of 0 shots then caught saint when he was running tor for cover ot of a house he saw dust puff from the blue shirt and saint staggered but caught himself and jumped around a corner he will carry my brand he told garcia as he bought the towns drinks and traded rough jokes with the men VI 1 I see that when you ot of san marcos say that you are my friends it is more than words I 1 would have been killed without knowing whose lead struck me I 1 think but amelia called then mar garita let me into her house and the boy came with my long gun I 1 thank you all 11 those words did not come from the mouth only garcia said e earnestly a r they came from he here re also I 1 I 1 he pounded his thick chest and others of the men nodded con went to find amelia and margarita carrying bottles of the most crimson perfume on garcias shelves he was in amelias house surrounded by her small brothers and sisters when that woodcutter who had warned him against gonzales appeared appeared d a at t th the e door his dark face w was as e excited x he motioned to con el Co comanche manchel you remember me deantonio antonio salazar I 1 have that to tell you which will not wait which is tor for you only of coursel course con cried 1 I owe you tor for that other time when y you D U kept me from walking out U upon p 0 n gonzales he went through the children and trailed the woodcutter to the corral behind amelias 1 I was not here when you drove saint from rom san marcos antonio said qu quickly bickly 1 I did not know that you were here but he met m me a on the road today and I 1 had a bottle ot of tequila he took it irom from me and W when hen he had drunk the most ot of it he be talked he boasts always but more when he has been drinking he came to san marcos tor for cartridges el comanche and tor for why for robbery ot of the bank at civan tomorrow night he did not say tomorrow night but I 1 am sure he had gathered from saints bragging talk that the Par amores were already on the move he was to join them outside ot of civan with the shells they were taking advantage ot of nevil lowes absence from town to make duds biggest blow to date it seemed to me that you would wish to know antonio jogged bogged him when he was quiet for a long time thinking 1 I know that it Is war between you and them now 1 I am glad that you thought to ten tell me say nothing to anyone as you thought there is war between me and dud paramore so I 1 have interest in anything he plans herel here buy drinks for or yourself something for or the woman and the children I 1 am rid riding As he rode across the hills he considered what lay ahead ot of him it seemed to him that he could do no more than ruin duds raid but he could do that effectively and with safety lie he was early on an the road next day daiy but that was only habit the whole day and part of the night lay before it him im for covering an easy ride con did not intend to show himself in civan alvan while there was light or movement bain or chunky or some townsman of sharp eyes and long memory might see him at dark he was within three mil miles as of town there was a moon and with its rising he finished his cold supper and mounted to look grimly at the hang bang of his pistol and the set of his carbine ho he jogged bogged along the road until almost at the edge of civan then turned quietly off ob to come to the rear of the buildings building that lined the main street when opposite the bank he swung down and hitched pancho behind a saloon he moved up the side of the building along the yard wide space between it and the store adjoining to squat in the gloom with winchester across his bis knees it was still early something alter after ten As the minutes dragged toward midnight and the passersby passers by were fewer he watched the bank impatiently tient ly he had no plan except to startle the gang with his tire fire stop the robbery attempt bring the town swarming out and force the para mores to run then ill send word to dear old dud ho he thought grinning tightly let him know who put the cockle burr under his saddle and how saint talked too much and let out the scheme midnight past midnight when only a few lights were shining on the street tr t and the saloon he be watched beside beld lo 10 was quiet a shadowy figure appeared at the corner of the bank con stood carbine ready watching another vague shape joined the first hardly visible they seemed to wait as he was waiting one by one the lights of civan were blinking out then a dull explosion sounded con swore softly shortly they had moved faster than he had expected at the bank he shoved the carbine out and fired three shots at the lurking men and they disappeared from the saloon came yells con ran straight across the street as men appeared in the doors of the towns buildings from that corner where the men had stood he could see in the moonlight a flurry of figures at the rear of the bank they were busy with horses he wondered if they had got the money from the vault or if his shooting had startled them before they had finished between bank and horses a tall man appeared running con placed him as dandy he was carrying a sack and con began to fire at his bis legs legi saw him pitch forward and drop the sack the high singsong vo voice ice of dud d lifted shrilly Hight aill onto us high taut he appeared out of the milling group mounted con leaned against the bank wall and fired at him steadily the horse went down a and d took dud out of sight now fr from am right and left of the harried robbers civan men opened ragged fire from the difference of reports con guessed that snatched up guns of all kinds were being brought into play three riders whirled clear of the confusion and fairly burled their horses forward low over the horns they disappeared at the racing gallop one horse was down another began to trot off A man lifted himself from the ground on one knee and as firing continued dropped again 1 I think con told himself that this is where I 1 robil he edged into the gloo a wooden awning and kept close to the front wall as he be worked toward a corner down the side wall of a store to the rear where he could look toward pancho then quickly across the litter of bottles and cans and trash to the dozing sorrel he moved with an amused grin lifting mouth corners dud had bad got away he was fairly certain out of the darkness of some doorway or passage opposite pancho a man stepped suddenly he was wa within a yard of con when he said laid well and automatically C con 0 n seeing the carbine he carried pivoted and struck muck him in the face ace the long swing owing carried all his weight and the fist connected squarely back into the shadows the man fell with no more than a short grunt he sprawled there and con efter after a r split plit second of staring ran a cross to pancho and mounted he rode at the walk to a safe distance then skirted civan at the trot and came at the lope to pick up the trall trail of the three survivors ot of duds raid he made no effort tt td actually trail them but the genital direction they would take was tasy to decide with the lobos loboi rising to the northeast fio TO BE CONTINUED |