Adventure, February 20, 1922 — page 170: what you’re looking at

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

168 pulled off their boots—you can’t tell in the grass and leaves—but all that don’t count, and it’s up to the Weasel to back-track them to where they left their horses, and maybe we'll find out some more.” . . And the Weasel made good. Half a mile away the trailers found where two horses had been tied for several hours, but the most painstaking search revealed nothing but the half-burned stubs of two matches and a tiny scrap, torn from the end of a cigaret paper. “‘Made themselves a smoke before they rode away, the cold-blooded curs,’ said Carson. ‘‘And that’s where they fell down, or one of ’em did, because that piece of paper is just as good as a photograph. Of course it’s a cinch that they’re from the Broken Bow, on account of that row the other night. And when we get the guy that tore that cigaret paper we'll come pretty near finding out who ordered the job.” And so Dick became a memory to big and little Alice and to his friends, but to these last the memory was a living flame, and they waited and watched with tireless patience for time to deliver his slayers into their vengeful hands. <<) A RIDER pulled up.a panting and er! lathered horse at Gorham’s ranch one evening, and went hurriedly in. “Frank,” he said, “I reckon we’ve got our man. We’ve kept close cases on every one from the Broken Bow that’s been in town for a month, seen ’em all, and he’s the only one that smokes a short cigaret. It’sa Mexican, fellow they call Pedro, and as near ~as we can find out he was one of Newton’s men down south—did a lot of dirty work for him there. He’s in town on a bat, so ain’t likely to leave, and won’t be allowed to anyway, for I put some of the boys wise. They wanted to hang him right away on general principles, but I told them what you said; so they are waiting for you.” An hour later Gorham walked into the ~ long barroom of the Diamond Flush Saloon. There were more men there than usual, and most of them were more heavily armed than was customary in town. As Gorham came in the Mexican, Pedro, had just taken a drink, and stood near the bar. Gorham walked directly up to him. _ “Stick ’em up,” he rasped. “You know what for.” Adventure The Mexican’s hand flew to his gun, but quick as he was, Gorham was quicker. His left hand snapped on to the Mexican’s right wrist like a steel trap, while with his right hand he pulled his gun and smashed it down on the head of the killer, who went down like a shot beef. Gorham jammed his gun back in the scabbard and looked at the prostrate form. “Throw a couple of buckets of water on the cur and he’ll come to,” he said. “TI hit him a glancing blow on purpose, though it went against the grain. I’d sooner have split his head open.” A little later the Mexican stood in the log breaking corral back of the livery stable, in the center of which was a heavy snubbing post. He had refused to give the name of theman who had helped him commit the murder, and Gorham had ordered him taken there. “Tl make him talk or skin him alive,” he said savagely. “Jerk off his shirt and tie his arms around that post,’ he now ordered, “and start a fire and rustle some irons; we'll try a little Indian treatment.” To remonstrance from some of the more humane ones he refused to listen. “He don’t deny that he was one of ’em, does he?” he said. “How much of a show did they give Dick? If you fellows are so chicken-hearted that you can’t stand it, pull out, but he’ll talk or go to —— ona blazing chariot, one or the other, —— quick.” But at the first touch of the red-hot iron the Mexican screamed and confessed: “It was Anderson. He gave me fifty dollars to help. Yes, Anderson, the big man that wears two guns. Yes, a Broken Bow man; he’s one of the wagon foremen.” But beyond that he claimed to know nothing. : Gorham admitted that this might be so. . “Put on his clothes, tie his hands behind him and take him to the livery stable office. A couple of you watch him, mighty close; there’s no telling what he might do. “Now that we're not doing anything unlawful we'll go wake up old man Hughes and get a warrant for Anderson, and a bunch of us’ll go out to the Broken Bow and serve it, and then maybe we'll find out who’s back of the whole thing.” But before this was accomplished, a fusillade of shots and the rush of a running — horse brought every one on the run. (E@MMICELOCOL KS