Show AC F L E A pik JACKSOM ACKSON GREGORY GREGORY THE STORY SO FAR ann lee and col cole el cody beneficiaries under two identical wills ot of old bill cole were attempting t to discover who fired the bullet which caused his death suspicion centered around ranee rance waldron who ho posing as old bills nephew had taken up residence at the ranch trailed by cody one night to a deserted cabin ranee rance was discovered arguing with the notorious tom gough over the many jobs they had pulled later that night ranee rance left the ranch apparently to join gough at the deserted cabin cody delivered his copy of old dills bills will to the judge tor for sate safe keeping and ann gave her copy ol of the otter other identical win will to doc joe now continue with the story CHAPTER XV young as the summer was it was a lazily languid day by now and both the judge and doc joe were inclined to a sort of dreamful ease the horses had expended their first early morning zest and the homeward journey lacked the speed and dash marking its first phase from bald eagle to the king cole ranch now the sun was higher and warmer now the two old cronies were drowsy and pleasurably sentimental their eyes heavy lidded from last nights indulgence and in a spot where the narrow road wound down into a cool and shady ravine both men were rudely startled when ta ia man 11 an on horseback cut unexpectedly into the road in front of them and issued his orders the man wore a mask improvised from a bandana handkerchief and his voice was a strange muffled voice he might have had pebbles in his mouth and his few briskly spoken words were to the effect that the judge and doc joe were to stop where aher e they were and not reach tor for any guns provided they carried such articles as naturally both did who do you think you are the old judge snorted telling us where to head in 1 I want everything in your pockets he said and I 1 want it quick if you make a fuss about it ill kill the two of you inside ten seconds they reached for their purses and tossed them into the dry dusty grass alongside the road there you are stranger grumbled doc joe take it 1 I said I 1 wanted everything in your pockets he was reminded in a voice which rankled long in his memory everything youve got all we got roared the judge his hand itching to reach for the old colt he gone without for many and many a year but never stirring an inch toward it because he knew better get a move on you fools turn your pockets out they strove to fumble and to hide the papers they had carried that given doc joe by ann lee that entrusted to the judge by bill cole cody but the steady eyes bent upon them were too watchful everything I 1 tell you empty your pockets to your nose rags and tobacco everything youve got pitch it out and drive on and get a move on doing iti it doc joe had a pet coin corn and he was apt to slaughter a man who trod on it and certainly none knew about this corn better than did the judge and now the judge trod heavily and deliberately on doc joes corn and doc joe already stung almost beyond endurance caught the signal and was glad to have the judge with him and like one man the two of them went for their guns actuated by the same instinctive impulse alike not caring for their present position on the buggy seat as they snatched at their side arms they threw themselves clear their horses left to their own device startled by the crash of gunfire bolted headed straight toward the man at whose command they had been halted his horse started to lunge as the frightened team almost ran him down his bandana slipped both judge and doc joe saw who it was ranee rance waldron roared the old judge and his shooting skill not being quite what it had been once upon a time a long time ago shot Wal drons horse through the throat the beast reared and screamed and fell pawing the air with flailing hoofs ranee rance waldron leaped clear A sharp cry of warning burst from doc joe judge look out theres another h of in the bushes like when they held the stage up the other dayl day the runaway team went thundering down the road taking advantage of 0 a moment of confusion the judge strove to scramble behind a a big pine ranee rance on foot now was firing again and bullets came whiz zing from the man whom doc joe jo had glimpsed joining rances attack from a point of some small shelter the judge got a good clear view of him and steadying his hand and taking time for it drove two bullets into tom boughs body the judge had but half a dozen paces to go to come to his big pine but never made the short distance ranee rance shot him through the upper body and the old fellow sprawled on his face andhor a moment lay there clawing at the dust doc joe spare time off to look at him he could only yell get up judge youre all right you old fool but he help but see how little puffs of d dust arose from under the claws which his old bronys hands had become and how the lean tall figure writhed we got one down panted doc joe well get that ranee rance varmint in a minute but somehow his eyes as clear as they used to be he had to blink them once and there was a tremor in his hand no matter how steady and firm his will ranee rance unafraid it would appear and contemptuous laughed at him and fired and sang out all together that for you you meddling old fool old doc joe spat back at him with verbal vitriol and hot lead glad to be fighting even though he knew the judge had not as yet risen doc joe himself surged up to his feet at last but only in time to drop again his weapon falling from his suddenly limp grasp ranee rance waldron stood stone still where he was save for the swift sure movement of his fingers reloading his eyes were hard and bright and suspicious bent shrewd rl jj the beast reared screamed and feu fell pawing the air ly upon the two old men lying one in the dusty road the other at its side he saw that there was never a twitch in doc joes body he marked how feebly the judge struggled still face down still unable to turn over then for an instant only his hard bright eyes flicked toward the brush bru sh down into which tom gough had spilled tom he called tom are you all right or are you done for playing possum to keep out of the fight or dying speak up man maill im all shot up ranee rance help me quick ill bleed to death youre always getting yourself all shot up youre always bleeding to death grumbled ranee rance what are you good for bleed and be darned to you he stepped along then not toward tom gough but toward the two old men in the road a fully loaded gun in each of his hands he came first to doc joe stopped and stood looking down at him then moved on muttering De adern a door nail and a good job too the judge as a final spasm of strength swept along on a final spasm of pain sat up he even groped for his fallen gun and found it all the strength he could summon was needed to lift the heavy colt 45 but there was living murder in his eyes and though he did not speak he cursed ranee rance waldron deliberately not hastening ranee rance waldron shot him square between the eyes he turned then still deliberate and broke his way through the brush to where tom gough lay with his shoulders wedged against a rock his hands pressed against his chest and side there was a terrible look in tom boughs eyes a look of tear fear and agony and of wild pleading a hopeless pleading for there was no spark of hope in those dulling eyes so youre done for are you tom said waldron he exactly taunt exactly smile but there was the stamp of infinite cruelty callous and unfeeling in his look he said quietly no emotion whatever his tone here ill lend you a hand heavy man though tom gough was ranee rance waldron lifted him easily and bore him the short distance to the roadside there he put him down not more than a score of paces from where the still bodies of the judge and doc joe lay those two are dead tom said ranee rance FoIk Folks sll 11 find them tomorrow find you too say you stuck em up and you three shot it out and all three of you cut one another down for gods sake ranee rancel I 1 ranee rance shot him twice through the body it do to have all three men shot through the head he emptied the pockets of both the judge and doc joe he glanced at the two wills and put them into nis pocket he gathered up the rest of their personal effects money and watches and dropped the lot close to tom boughs hand then he went to tom boughs horse and rode away into the thickest of the wooded hills leaving his own horse not dead yet but dying slowly to kick its life out it was a sweet day averred young gaucho ortega idling homeward from bald eagle as he came first of all upon the wreckage of brutal tragedy only three or four miles from town where a canyon debouched debauched debou ched upon the valley on the farther rim rim of which bald eagle sunned itself he saw the runaway team he recognized the horses with a sweeping glance doc joe and the judge had had a runaway but where were they then a couple of miles farther on he came upon the three bodies in the road or at its edge holy mother of god gasped gaucho and turned sick horror struck three men dead and the old judge and doc joe two of thern when his wits returned to him he thought straight to the point it was less than half a dozen miles back to bald eagle more than twice that distance to the ranch so he rode back toward bald eagle like eke a dark streak through the afternoon sunshine and it was the same gaucho who later brought the heavy tidings to the king cole ranch aunt jenifer and ann lee were in the patio and when gaucho burst upon them they stared back at him speechless at first so great was the shock that they felt nothing they make his running 9 words make sense there was no reality in what he was voicing so wildly the judge and doc joe dead dead when so little a while ago and they say a word ask a question even look at each other until gaucho sped away to find cal roundtree and the other boys and tell all that had happened for one thing there was nothing to ask so complete if hurried had been the boys details and there was nothing to say ann was hushed but not for long hope that will not down without a death struggle sprang up in her breast maybe they are not really dead she exclaimed excitedly A man can be shot he can be badly hurt unconscious even and yet live and she started running to the mens quarters she came upon a small knot of men cole cody and cal roundtree and porfirio and two others grouped in a sort of circle their heads down their boot toes for the most part scraping in the dirt as they listened to gauchos gauchas Gau chos words she screamed at them before she reached them to hurry for a doctor to do what they could to save two lives which otherwise might be lost even while they stood here doing nothing cal turned on his heel im off to town boys ill take care of things it if needed come along cody cody shook his head later maybe cal in the buckboard if I 1 do come so you better not wait TO BE CONTINUED |