Adventure Magazine Cover — page 172: what you’re looking at

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

166 ‘‘None o’ yore—” begins the feller, but Bassett stops him. “Hol’ on, Cale. “T can run my own “You shut up!” snaps Bassett. ‘This feller askin’ questions is the feller who in- herited the Godfrey ranch that time. This other feller is his pardner.” The storekeeper stares at us, and kinda gerumbles to himself, but goes back inside. Them other three hombres gawps at us considerable but don’t say nothing. Bassett leads us to the end of the little board sidewalk, and we all sets down. “What are you fellers doin’ here?” asks Bassett. ‘Waitin’ for you to think up a lie to tell us about that killin’,” says Hashknife. “Yuh might as well tell us the truth. Who was the feller what got hit?” “Eph Sillman.” “Tim Sillman’s son?” “Uh-huh—Glory’s brother. He done busted all our laws. Yuh see, he married an outlander about seven year ago.” “VYou’re doin’ most of the talkin,” re- minds Hashknife. “Eph brought that woman here, but nobody’s ever had anything’ to do with her. They got a kid about seven year old. On ‘count of Jim Sillman we had suffered ’em to live here and trade the same as the rest of us; but not havin’ much truck with him and his. He gets drunk the other day and he talks too much. The council takes action on him and decides to outlaw him. They says he can’t buy nor sell here. He knowed he couldn’t buy that medicine, but he was hard-headed.” “His woman couldn’t associate with other women?” asks Hashknife. “Nope: Yuh see; she's a ———” “His little kid can’t play with other kids?” “No. The other “Kinda tough, don’t yuh think, Bassett?” “When a feller makes his bed he’s got to lay on it.” Hashknife nods and looks at his toes. “Bassett, did:yuh ever read the Bible” “No e. »? “Yuh ought to, Bassett. It tells yuh how to pray.” “Pray?” says Bassett, kinda queer-like. “Whatcha mean?” “You could learn some prayers,” Hashknife soft-like, Lemme tell him.” ? says “and then yuh could Adventure teach ’em to the rest of the Crick, ’cause they’re goin’ to need °em—bad. Who will tell his widder about this?” “The council, I reckon. Jim Sillman, Sim Sellers and Black Albright.” “‘Goin’ to be a nice chore for Jim Sillman —tell her that his own son is dead. Didn’t Glory have nothing’ to do with Eph’s wife?”’ ‘““Glory—I dunno,” says Bassett, scratch- ing hishead. “Some says shehas. There’s been several quarrels about it in the last year. She has been watched close, but nothin’ comes of it, except that “Tug’ Williams got a rifle bullet into his shoulder one night.” ‘Where does Eph Sillman live?” Bassett points down the road. “About two mile down there. ranch to the left. House sets back in the cottonwoods. You ain’t goin’ down there.” “You’ve been misinformed,” says Hash- knife. ‘We're goin’ down there, I reckon.”’ “Better keep away, Hartley. Willer Crick ain’t askin’ yore help. My advice to you would be——”’ “Tonored,” finishes Hashknife. ‘Abso- lutely, Bassett. You ought to know us better than to give us advice. You ain’t forgot how we acts, has yuh?” “Willer Crick remember you two.” “Tf anybody cares,’ grins Hashknife. “Come on, Sleepy.” We swung back on to our broncs and points off down the road. Bassett joins them other three fellers and they watches us ride away. Outside of the body on the sidewalk, Willer Crick is just the same as when we rode in. “T hope to see buzzards circlin’ that place,” says Hashknife. “I’d like to be called upon to say a prayer over the whole works.” “What would you say?” I asks. “Td say, ‘The rest of you ordinary sinners stand back, ’cause there’s goin’ to be one awtul fire in Seay We found the place, and tied to the front gate is the Reverend Cobb’s mule. “Whatcha know about that?” grunts Hashknife. “Leave it to a preacher to smell] out things like this.” ~ Second WE WALKS around to the back ¥.f door. Standing in the doorway K@f4 is Glory Sillman. She’s kinda lean- ing against the side of the door, looking away from us. Then she turns. = CORMICOOOLKS (C@