Fifteen Western Tales, March 1954 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

FIFTEEN WESTERN TALES If all I’ve been thinking 1s true, Ram wont come back! He'll be too scared to come back. Thacher’s chest quivered from the quickened pounding of his heart. “T’m heat-crazy,” he sneered aloud. “Lord, the things a man thinks in all this emptiness.”’’ He lifted his head and shout- ed. “If that’s true—if he’s so much a cow- ard, how come he ran off with me? How come he left everything just to come with aihiaig now, he. walked five more steps and the thought hit him with the power of a fist. Maybe he came because he lied about how Struthers died. Maybe it was Ram who'd killed Struth- ers. Because Ram had been sober; he didn’t drink when he played poker, he had a terrible fear of being cheated. And they both had been cheated. kam crazy,” Thacher shetted: clutch- ing his head with his hands. “Stop it— damn it, stop it.”’ But with each step, certainty grew and the voice in his head was mocking. Ram had sat next to him. Thacher didn’t remember drawing his gun. He remem- -bered the gun being in his hand, yes, but after the shooting. It would have been easy for Ram to lift his gun under the cover of the table and shoot Struthers. Then push the gun into his hand. But why? was atraid. Thacher, ECAUSE Ram, even then, It would be better if he, thought he had done it. would run away with him. And be grate- ful, thinking Ram was doing it to save his neck ! “No,” Thacher mumbled, “‘no .. .” But the voice said, ‘ Yes.” “He'll come back,” he shouted. will come back for me!” Thacher realized everything hinged on it . whether or not his brother came back “Ram -» for him. Then Thacher . The scorched, brown prairie lay vast and silent in front of him. His legs seemed boneless and his throat was-as burning and dry as the earth. He stumbled on, eyes on the hills ahead. The posse moved at a trot. Sheriff Ran- dle, in the lead, uncapped his canteen and took a long thirsty swallow. This, he thought, is what will beat them. Water. They'll be in agony now and by the time we catch up with them, they d sell their souls for a swallow. He thought of the four full canteens in his saddlebag and took another swallow. “Damn idiots,’’ Malloy groaned, behind hini. “They could have gone north, south or east. But, no, they had to follow the damned sun. Why do lawbreakers allus head west? That California must be quite © a place.” ‘Because there ain’t much chance of bein’ caught once they hit the mountains,” the sheriff replied. “Law hasn’t reached that far yet. Leastways, not in number enough to count.”’ “You think we'll catch them soon, sher- iff °”’ “Yeah. [ never heard of nobody crossin’ this hell without water.” McCloud spoke up. “If anyone got across t with water, I’d be surprised.” “That Thacher,” Malloy said sadly. “I don’t understand what hit the boy. Him and Ramsey are as unalike as right and wrong. I don’t mind Ram rope-dancin’ but it won't set right with my stomach when Thacher swings.”’ | “Maybe he_won’t,’’ Sheriff Randle’ said thoughtfully. He could feel the men’s eyes on his back and he smiled a little. The ride > had been silent for the most part and he’d done a lot of thinking. “He helped Ram escape, didn’t he, Sher- iff ?’’ Malloy asked in amazement. “Maybe. You saw the shootin’, yourteis"s “You know. I did.” The sheriff turned to face him. “You told -- COMMGEIOOKE CO! didn’t ae