Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

58 Ci ef the other men; he was looking straight at. Kelly, and something in his eyes caused Kelly’s to waver. Kelly cleared his throat. “Three days, eh ” he said. “ Well, Mr. Cameron, I’ve got to hand it to you. You're a fast worker. You’ve been here three or four days. You’ve bought the land; you’ve knocked out Strong; you’ve bought the Judd. buildin’; you’re goin’ to give Ran- some telephones. Ransome ain’t used to travelin’ so fast. Why not say three years instead of three days?” _ “Three days,” repeated Cameron quietly, ~ Kelly’s hands came out of his pockets , tight-hand was no longer fingering the butt and went to his hips, where they rested, his elbows projecting. His face had paled; there was not a vestige of color in it, and his eyes were glittering with rage. ‘Damned if you don’t mean it!” he flung out, his voice hoarse with passion. “Certainly. The building is in the way, - It has got to be disposed of. Three days will give you plenty of time to get your stuff out, to find a place in Ransome. I’m sorry to trouble you, Mr. Kelly. But three days is the limit.” Cameron turned, walked to the edge of the veranda. Kelly’s voice halted him, Cameron turned. Kelly had drawn the gun from the holster at his hip, The weap- on was held rigid at his side, its muzzle was gaping at Cameron. Kelly’s body was tense; the muscles of his throat were work- ing; his eyes were blazing pools of passion. “ Damn your hide!” he shrieked. ‘‘ You can’t come into this country an’ pull off any of that kind of stuff! You'll die so damned fast you’ll think somebody is shovin’ youl! Understand that? | “This bar has been here for fifty years! Better men than you have tried to bust it up, an’ it ain’t busted yet. It ain’t goin’ te be busted! I’m warnin’ you! — “ There ain’t so much law in this country but what a man’s got some rights in the place where he lives, an’ if you come back here again with any | of that three-day talk Tl blow you into o hell! Don’t you forget that!” CPM: sorry, Kelly; as I told you before. But this i is my: Jand. I’ve got certain plans “ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, and I’m going to put them etek Your place is in the way. moved. You've got to get out. You’ve got three days. “You've talked so much that you've put an idea into my head. Put up your gun, Kelly. You can’t shoot me for telling you about my plans regarding this place. And I’m not a bit afraid of you.” The wayward light had come again into Cameron’s eyes—a light of such intensity that it caused Kelly to marvel, and slowly to restore his gun to the holster at his hip. “* Now listen carefully, Kelly,” Cameron was saying when Kelly, amazed that his of the gun, blinked rapidly at him: “ It is nine o’clock now, of the fifteenth. At nine . o'clock on the morning ef the eighteenth Pm going to blow this building up! If you don’t want your stuff to go up with it you’d better get it out. I think you can under- Cameron stepped down from the veranda, mounted his horse and rode away. For an instant Kelly stood watching him, his eyes narrowed to slits. His right hand slowly descended toward the butt of the weapon at his hip. He was in the grip of an insane rage, and would have done mur- der, “ Quit it, you darned fool!” The voice of the cowboy startled Kelly; brought him out of the frenzy that had seized him. He looked at the cowboy; at the other men, and slowly backed to the wall, where he stood, staring at Cameron’s vanishing figure. “Tve been around a little in my time,” offered the cowboy by way of explaining his action in speaking so urgently to Kelly. ‘* T know when a man’s bluffin’ an’ when he’s tryin’ to run a whizzer. That guy goin’ there means business. When-he s2y8 a thing he don’t mean somethin’ else. “Tf I was in your boois, Kelly, I’d be somewheres else on the mornin’ of the eight- eenth. As sure as shootin’ this here joint is goin’ to be blowed up! - ‘* An’ there’s another thing, Kelly. I was watchin’ that guy when you thought of throwin’ your gun. You’d never have throwed it successful. | GComicbooks It’s got to be re- ss Eom