Fifteen Western Tales, March 1954 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

— a ee ¢ — —~ ats 7 _ -s “26 — : ‘ FIFTEEN WESTERN TALES — — =, - ee > A A eS * - De ™ oe ws _ a Me ae Pua me << ——* 4 Pardee dropped Marie’s arm and turned swiftly. “I’m Pete Decker, up from the Pecos,” the man said, and braced his legs - and waited as though the whole mattter were explained. . Decker was tall and thin-limbed. His ragged levis had turned a motley gray wom the caliche dust picked up in miles of travel. His hands were bony and long- fingered. They twitched nervously while they hovered above the outthrust butts of two ivory-handled Colt .45s. Around him the dancers were as still as desert dunes. A. shadow-laced aisle opened between him and Pardee. — : “T don’t know you, Decker,’ Pardee said evenly. “I’ve got no quarrel with you. Why don’t you help yourself to some grub and join the shindig?” Decker’s lips pulled back to allow a bleak smile’ to break through the dark stubble on his hawk face. “They know you along the Pecos, bucko. Before I was sent up to the pen in Seventy-nine I was knowed as the fastest thing on the river. When I busted out a while back some told me you was faster. I didn’t believe them so I come to find out.” Decker paused, flexing his poised hands. “T’m ready when you are, Pardee.” Pardee shook his head slowly from side to side, as though to shake the picture from his mind. His glance touched Ma- rie’s bewildered face and she took a step toward him, asking, ‘What is it, Dale? What does he want ?”’ “Nothing,” Pardee said sharply. “Walk on outside, Marie, and wait for me.” “Tf you’ll tell me why he’s here.” “He wants to kill me,” Pardee said savagely: ‘Now do what I tell you, Marie.” “But why, Dale? What have you done to him? What’s—”’ There was a stir in the crowd, and Par- dee saw Ed Gilcher’s hulking form out of the corner of his eye. He heard the ranch- er’s gruff voice explaining, “Because Par- dee’s a gunman, honey. There'll always be men hunting him, jealous men who ° want the name Pardee’s got. The only way. Pardee can get rid of them is to let one of them kill ‘him, and.then it'll start all over again with the killer.”’ ““But—but that’s so cruel! Dale doesn’t want to—” ETE DECKER’S nerves couldn't stand any more. The movement caused by Gilcher’s interruption had made him jump, but he knew if he turned his head hed lose an advantage. He screamed, ‘Grab it!’’ and Pardee almost welcomed the mo-: ment. , As Pete Decker yelled, his bony hands plunged toward his oiled holsters. No- body knew when Pardee first moved, but it was some time after Decker got his own guns free. A single shot echoed through the high loft of the barn and Pete Deck- er’s dead hands could not lift the guns he’d drawn. Decker spun _half-around. twisting his legs grotesquely, and then fell heavily on the planked floor. For a long time no one moved or spoke. A man finally said in an awed whisper, “By God, what I read in the papers wasn’t. no lie. Pardee’s quicker’n quicksand.”’ Pardee looked hesitantly at Ed Gilcher and said lamely, “I saw a reward dodger on Decker a while back. He shot a guard in the back when he broke out of Huntsville, and he had a lot of notches on his guns before that.” The disapproval on Gilcher’s face was as plain as a brand, and he pretended not to hear Pardee’s words. But Marie heard them, and she sensed the agony which had caused them to be spoken. She pulled away from her father and ran into Dale Pardee’s arms. Her words were so loud it seemed she wanted everyone to hear her. “T love you so much, Dale! I love you even more because everyone else is afraid.” Ed Gilcher came up to them slowly and (E@) mM GEomie IOOKS Se oer