Show W WILLIAM I 1 L L I 1 A M MACLEOD MAC LEOD R A 1 IN N E ES S vz boiku lae 0 WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINIE SERVICE CHAPTER continued lou howard lay on a bunk staring at the ceiling buck conrad his guard had turned in for the he was sullen and despon dent why was his father not doing something to get him out of this trouble he knew sherm had sent a messenger to chiswick threatening reprisals of any harm barm happened to his son but why he do something instead of just talk the prisoner could not get to sleep he was worried the best bes t he be could hope for was a term in the penitentiary dunles his father could work out some slick scheme for getting him off the only escape from this was to turn stat states es evidence if he did this his bis name nam e would be a hissing by byword word he would have to get out of the country A faint tapping on the window reached him he sat up as well as he be could for his bonds his stomach muscles tightening A prickling of the skin ran over him A voice murmured that you lou yes who is it he whispered the saw ripped through a resinous knot died down for a moment and attacked another imor morg 9 norris listen where does this gray hes gone to town get me out I 1 of here morg please all right wake up the guy there tell him lee has been calling him when he comes to the door well fix him A second voice asked ho arsley only one fellow in the dog bouse bous with you yes buck conrad all right ill tell him conrad wakened at the sound of young howards Hov ards urgent voice catin you he asked sleepily someone has been calling g you sounds like chiswick buck sat ur UD and listened someone outside shouted his name he went to the door not waiting to light a lamp and threw it open who wants me he asked they were his last words two guns roared the cowpuncher cr caught at the jamb and slid down dom his knees buckling under him morg norris ran forward and flung another bullet into the pione pi one body the tace face of the outlaw wa distorted with aage ile he had nothing personal against buck abut but the fury of the kill was on him he HC spat out a venomous epithet get out your knife and cut in mt free implored Howai cl the second man mail came into the loom icom with a jackknife he be sealed the lope that bound the prisoner lou howard was sui to note that the sinister face bent over him was unfamiliar hurry urged the young nun man hear the shots and be us in a minute we got to get out sudden let em come boasted us I 1 with an imprecation impie cation were ready to lead with them anyone else with you lou asked rising from the bunk no more we came to get ariy lucky for him hes not here dont need an army do we the killer wanted to know he added cruel laughter in his voice wisht it had been the spy gray we hid had croaked instead of this dumb skull here the three men passed S swiftly wi aly out of the cabin already they could hear voices and the sound of m men en running L it was time to be gone someone came out on the ole porch of the big house bouse and wanted to know who was there norris morris was in the saddle he galloped up to the porch and fired at the man standing there out of the foremans cottage came dan brand sketchily dressed he blazed away at the young outlaw with a rifle the me bandit wheeled his hor corf e and cantered back to his companions hit the grit boys he ordered gonn bonni be hot here if we stick around the stranger gave loll 1011 a foot for far a rt ret and howard swung to his siddle saddle behind him As the horses pounded down the road th alic griir rn ir of alln ilni followed folloN IVed tl farm rm how d looked booko d back m IT in l ed in a window he saw the dacej of ruth ch av wick 1 I I 1 the fugitives fil stives headid to 11 I 1 holt chev kept kent to tn the ernp tn suit would he be li uc elp lr the q enold him info to the brush whenever thelie hard rd the sound of riders back of them th liht li ht wee we o till 11 11 hinr in the golden alen chev 1 UT at the hiar ht park aek norri wad vall d i tto to tl tp r tr chhn house the calr two st at his heel mil diio eiph tair li pr apri rne me others vp v v p nt tr bi ini ner A mn min t f af his h s glass nut it doi down nat nelv into tto bp ap mi lii l i 1 t an fn hirn AU all PP az turned upon flip thice thi ce who had iu ill fred fr th tha place tt tnt T t dri f alp P nr n 1 10 n nto tn ri tr 1 ap p nr alil 11 T tn t w haf tp ot nt t I 1 nill all before vou tat ta t foz m nv I 1 tri T olit nut t alio ta T P 1 I impi 0 o ali 1 an fn I on tf T rl T alim l birr pd off ap f b ta VT rons 0 ro 1 r I broucht hank 1 41 th mo mia T rm TT T T rt nv 1 I T 4 to f na nt cotins 4 that hat grav gra tip hf w wn arif th fb trant Trl nt T vio to tn rl with ith nil jhc thc capp p ocl 4 n alo lw cio vm tont clop iv vib ih r rut kilt I 1 thau th nu lt of nf i it t T rn r n fl fh show the killer swaggered to the bar mile high said not lifting his eyes from korzis you got quite some explaining to do fellow kansas ile ho was aimin to give me up to Chi Chis vicks warriors ois I 1 had to get him lie he got me same with caily he was firing at me when I 1 wounded him I 1 could oi of killed him but I 1 and I 1 reckon you ran away with the young lady for a joke no sir I 1 made a mistake there but I 1 was taking her back home when grays posse bumped into me shell tell you I 1 buit bui ther her any send for sh ei in well have a powwow and fix you run gog wild then come back and say forget it boys I 1 got a better memory than that mile high flung back morg slid an ugly look at him but he spoke with unusual restraint this was not the time to indulge a bad temper 1 I went out to the L C with doke here and rescued lou dian didn it 1 I while you lads ads were talking about what a helava hole he was in what he did young howard said someone go get father we got trouble enough on our hands without fussing among ourselves shove that bottle this way pete the tension relaxed A mexican boy was sent to bring sherm howard to an admiring but not altogether friendly audience norris narrated his adventures they lost nothing in the telling howard senior arrived ten minutes later with him came a leath er faced man known as the fat man looked at his son then at norris no expression in his wooden face Is so you youre I 1 re back he said to the latac Yb etch all set for the fatted batted calf sherm howard ignited the attempted blitheness ill listen to you morg lie said tile the killer swept a hand in the direction of the rescued man lou hell do my for me he boasted while you were sleeping comfortable me and clint risked our hides to get yore boy for or you Y oil we had to bump off an L C rider and fight a battle with Chi Clil gang gan g but we brought lou back with us fine we would have had lou anyhow in a day or two the ill fathomless eyes of howard rested in those of N torris norris did you bring kansas back with you too 11 na nonis ails began to bristle kansas was a double crossing son of agun a gun you told me the other day a posse killed him that right the killer hesitated there was no use holding to that story since everybody knew that ruth chiswick IV ick harl had refuted refute i it A fellow has n P go 0 O through lie he said sulkily kansas was vas fixing to throw me in e down it was him or me I 1 ha had d t to 0 bent him to it pete the bartender threw in a low voiced suggestion right p sharl l tile the young lady sa YS kansas 1 1 ansas told her lie he meant to line 11 ne up with her dad like to have a little talk with lou the young mans father said 1 d I 1 want to see you and milt mie hi h mor 11 lou followed sherm into the little loom curt dobbs used as in office the bi bif min man closed the lie he sat down ponderously in a chair what vou wart 1 to 0 see me about WS ins sen nerv tile the aldr ml mii m i i plump white hands Hs H s P eye ep wee bcd on the other come acan lou he b hat at does this grov know what did vou tell fell him h ma dinv beads of perspiration ic hc zin ein to stand out on the forch pad ld of the bouner man you do a thing for me he protested th ohp v nc of weakness apt rno t tn lip if I 1 th ant Ival nt art rth rith home site ant it aloid bac ba c tri tn mp me too anu u iok after bour WT h hid d mir hav voll eai hut but ou far conf n tin rt tn ir 1 tho an me 1 I wa N a dolp doin an all T for ou t nev neva riall and alst n pap pot got to know ehrp 0 o vat did yon voll iray ind nn Chiq ivick T told linder of coith nt count lou iou vied adv 11 I 1 o T q aal 1 m an T oll lj so would vo bild lild you have so would anyone rm loll lii til 1110 11 h ho had confessed bit hv b ht hi his s f fahr seating s eating the sto stoa out nut of him aft ohp on 14 1 4 fd the codr old r rqn r bat it ap in n front of efm ni to pta the thim 9 ti tb that 1 hp kne and those that he c d what lou had told c it did not matter much it had been general and it had dealt only with the attack on the mexicans mexie but what lie he had bad admitted e to the united states slates mard i would hang d 0 put behind bars half a dozen of the tail holt out davs the questions gray had put showed that lie he had plenty of in fon fondation nation and was only seeking confirmation sherin howard knew lie he must act acl quickly he had to destroy gray before tile the mais marshal lial closed the net on him tomorrow Tomo irow might be too late tell morg and AT mile ic high I 1 want to see sec them ni m here lie ordered you go home and go to bed keep your mouth padlocked dont tell anybody else what youve told me if you do someone is liable to fill you full of lend lead I toward howard waved the two outlaws to chairs when they entered the room weve got to get busy boys he told them lou is right light thia fellow gray is dangerous while he was at the L C lou picked up one or two bits of information gray knows a lot more than we think amp do you expect me to comb the brush for him asked norris the big man slumped in the chair slid an oblique look at the killer if youre looking for him you can be accommodated morg gray is in town in tail holt snapped norris boosting roosting Ro Rc right here you mean was here corrected mile high IF five ive or six hours ago we bumped into him morg in curles room bumped into him an and d knock him off jeered norris youre a fine bunch of warriors I 1 lou was still at the L C mile high retorted angrily we das sent touch the fellow for fear Ch chiswick isvick would hang lous hide up to dry gray had the gall to tell us so so you said adios amigo and walked out on him tile the other young man snarled if it had been me I 1 would sure have sent him to hell in smoke keep feeling that way morg said howard evenly lou at the L C any more far as im concerned its an open season on mr jeff gray well all be safer when the dirt is patted down on him in boot hill im an old man myself and peaceable but if you young bucks are snorting for battle I 1 can give a guess where find him four eyes fastened to those of howard wheres lie he at asked norris a sharp edge to his voice unless im way off hes spending the ni night lit with his friend hank ransom how ayou know 1 I dont know for sure im reasonably S certain maybe a little bird told me howard was secretive by nature tu re it was his opinion that one made no mistake to live under his hat as he expressed it the habit lad grown on him when mystery was not necess necessary arv he had an irritating ri way of hinting a at t one there was no reason for not tel lm ne that a mexican me ican had brought bt bi him word he had seen random ratch catch and nd saddle a horse hors C in wil rals rr ls Dasti na sture lre none except that he epli to coave convey y on an impression of omniscience norn i civi p irei afi to the door followed 1 bv 11 filp bif hiah h to be continued |