Fifteen Western Tales, March 1954 — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

_SIX-GUNS SAY DIE! ee ae ee ee ee pe pe arrow pointed upstairs. stairs slowly, reluctant now, for some rea- gon he could not clearly name, to come face to face with this woman he had risked - everything to see again. The door to her office was ajar, and he started to knock but checked himself as he heard a man talking. The man’s voice was loud, and his words came clearly. ~ “You went to Silver City yesterday to try to get financial backing,’ he was say- ing. “I told you what would happen if you did that.” A woman’s voice said coldly, ‘““And what will happen? Clay Evers’ moved slightly so that he could see into the room. The man stand- ing there was big. His handsome, heavy- featured face was red with anger, and a ‘ half-smoked cigar was clenched tightly be- tween his teeth. Mary Raines was standing behind her desk, and her face was exactly as Evers had pictured it this morning except that now it was white and strained. The big man was saying, “I'll tell you what will happen. My offer for that junk in your warehouse is half what it was last week. If you make any more plays to bring in outside help, I'll cut my price in half again.” Mary Raines laughed bitterly. “Don’t think I’d sell to you at any price, Crandell,” she said. “‘I’ll give every length of pipe and every foot of wire away first.”’ The man called Crandell took a half step forward. His eyes bulged slightly. Boe cheap slut!” he said. “If you try that— H® GOT no further. A savage fury, so - intense that it almost made him sick, swept over Clay Evers. He came into the office without thinking. He caught the big man by the shoulder and — him sharp- . ly around. He said with a deadly flatness, “Tell ner you're sorry you said that.” > a He climbed the Crandell angrily jerked away. He looked at Mary Raines, who stood motionless in surprise, and said with a sneer, "So you hired yourself a gun tough. You think that’s gonna help you?” Evers slapped Crandell across the face, and the big man stumbled against a chair and fell to one knee. “Tell her you're sorry you said that,” Evers repeated, and he drew his gun from his holster. Sudden fear showed in Crandell’s eyes. He got to his feet and he was looking at Evers instead of Mary Raines, but he mum- bled through lips that were flecked with blood, “I’m sorry I said that.” The cold, killing fury still raged in Evers. He jabbed his gun barrel into Crandell’s stomach so hard that the man gasped in pain... | “Get out of here,’”’ Evers said, and when Crandell started for the door, Evers fol- lowed him. 2 At the head of the stairs Evers grabbed the man by the shirtfront. “Next time I[’ll kill you,” he said. He shoved Crandell then, and with a ry , »¥; tie hoarse yell the big man half stumbled, half. fell down the stairs, his arms flailing the’ air helplessly until he landed in a heap. — Evers turned away abruptly and walked back to the office where Mary Raines still stood unmoving. In her brown eyes he saw a look of amazement. “Who on earth are you?” she asked. Now that the time for talking had come, — he realized that there was nothing he could say. He couldn’t even answer her ques- tion about who he was. He reached into his shirt pocket for the glove he had found | this morning, and now the returning of it seemed a foolish thing, but he handed it to her. “T found this. She took the glove and now her puzzle- ment was complete. “Why, where did you I believe it’s yours” find this?’’-she asked, and ste repeat : “Who are you?” comichbooks ee oe A Pa ai 330 mat