15 Western Short Stories — page 82: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

by KENNETH FOWLER GOT A scheme—” begins Windy McCarthy. I groans and says, “To land us in the Tanktown cala- 4 boose, I suppose.” That sawed-ofi, addle-pated pard- ner of mine can think up schemes taster than i can say no to ’em. His latest, which is callin’ on “Marshal “Grumpy” Gordon to somos a matrimonial alliance between himself and the marshal’s daughter, Luella, has just landed him on his ear in the middle of Main Street. Per- sonally I can’t see what a runt like Windy can see in a big husky female like Luella Gordon, except that my pardner, though small, has a very large appetite, and Luella’s maple sugar biscuits... Windy hooks his right boot heel into the well-worn brass rail of the Mcosehead and takes a generous swallow of the amber Solly Weizenheimer has just slid across the bar to him. “You're plumb right about this scheme landin’ us in the hoosegow,” he states authoritatively, “but it won’t be as inmates. Piccolo’”—he sticks out his chest and pushes back his Stetson from the rim of his forehead— “Tm gonna run for Marshal of Tanktown against old Gordon.” I lightens the shock of this announcement with a deep swig of Solly’s throat oil. “Just think,” pleads my pevehiNep* ‘a hundred a Epon we can sleep right in the jail!” i Ir A see aS oAANNS, You can see now why he [That sawed-off, addie-pated needs the protection of an older and more experienced | Saddlepard of Piccolo's had a | ee a holsterful of heil fer any salty | a lidcD. axe cies | son who mighi figure he may- | : be wasnt exactly the man te | —— be Town marshal: : | WESTERN [ee says coldly, “ain’t no privilege to me, and if I recollect, it ain't no novelty to you. "| got a scheme—' Windy began, copyright 1942, Manvis Publications, Lim, CO