Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 158: what you’re looking at

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

-___ brusquely. at How t’ hell was I goin’ te know ’at I ~ | couldn't trail the geezer?” he snarled. “¥ou said I wasn’t to let him know any- body was eeDEY cases on him. fve tramped more ’n a hundred miles since he broke loose, tryin’ to find out where ned gone to!” “Shut up!” snapped the big man in advance. ‘‘ You’ve balled it—that’s all. _ Mou can talk ’til hell freezes over, but that’s ‘what it comes to.” _ - Quite methodically Barrett drew his re- volver from its holster and aimed it at the leading man. It was only his ineptness with the weapon that gave the bride of a day time to throw herself: upon him be- _ fore he could pull the trigger; and by the time the silent little struggle was ended, the three men had disappeared in the tun- nel, Oh, ea Heavens, Jimmie, dear!” she panted, “ have you lost your mind? Let’s -tun! We can reach our car before they | sre us!- Come, quick, before they come back and find out what’s beer done to them!” “You may go,” he gritted. “I want - you to go—and take this sack of stuff along with you. But when I go, these ban- _ dits go with me—dead or alive.” ~ “Oh, you glorious fool!” she wept, throwing her arms around his neck. “Are you going to make a widow of me before —we’ve been married a day? You can’t fight ‘three of them. They'll kill you, and then what will become of me?” A faint glow of the returning flashlight was beginning to show in the depths of the tunnel, and Barrett freed himself master- fully and thrust the sack of money upon her. “ake it and fly,’ he commanded “Run on down to the car and - PI be with you when the show is over. Pm not going back to Copah empty-hand- ed. Rum, I tell you—while you have a ‘chance! The bullets will be flying here in = ~— @ second or two, and whatever happens, = <=. money’s got to be saved!” _. “Oh, don’t send me away!” she begged. “TF you’ve got to stay, let me = = =e with you!” = ass in 1 this world. This is 2 man’s you right where you stand! ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. job. tf you love me, take ‘that = and | run with it!” Thus adjured, she snatched up the ae = and ran—a little way. As she reached the corner of the log eabin she saw the big touring car standing before the door. It had been turned around and was headed for the flight down the mountain. Her first impulse was to drop the sack of money and try to disable the car, thus making pur- suit with it impossible if Barrett should come to his senses and run while there was yet time for flight. But time was no more. Even as the thought flashed inte her mind, the three men came stumbling out of the tunnel; two — of them accusing the third and cursing him savagely. | - “Vou damned - coyote ”—it was the harsh voice of the touring car driver that was ripping sawlike into the high mountain. silence—“ d’you think f’r a holy minute you cam double cross us like this and get away with it? Drop that gat ¥ I’ll bore’ Now you've - got ‘til I can count ten to tell us what you've done with the swag! One—two— three—” The interruption was a sharp command of “ Hands up!” from the tree shadows, and the counting stopped abruptly. According to the time honored custom firmly estab- lished by the scenario writers and armchair annalists of wild Western moments of stress, the three men should have reached for the stars in prompt capitulation. But they did nothing of the sort. In- stead, two of them opened fire instantly upon the tree shadows, while the third stooped to erope for the gun be had just” dropped at the Sxoekene: command of his accuser. It was all over in a minute. The bang- ing fusillade was answered by spiteful spurts of fire from the tree covert; one of _ the three—the one who had stooped and was rising to get into action—staggered and sank back to his knees; and the next in-_ stant the other two had darted back to cover in the tunnel, dragging the wounded man with them. ——_-- After that, silence. profound and unbrok- __ err = the wbiepering of the night wind — — meas —_—-- — = = — = = aoe = ~