Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

750 “ Then, again,” pointed out Billy, “ why not on earth?” “ Talk sense.” “Well, if he should start whitewashin’ them bars, he’d probably finish just one section an’ leave orf. Then if you should have any more of them redcoats come sparkin’ you, you could send him out to whitewash another section. I can see that corral from the top of the cafon. If two sections are white I’ll know enough to stay away. If three are white I'll know yore visitor has come and gone again. And so on. Reckon I’ll sashay down the line.” “You're a bright young man,” she said. The ride to Sleepy River was somewhat elaborated for Billy that afternoon by vir- tue of the circumstance that some time be- fore he left the MacKreagh homestead Con- stable Willis, ten miles away, had met an Austrian rancher. He had asked that Aus- trian rancher whether he had seen the quarry pass his way, and the Austrian had answered that nothing living had come with- in his vision for three days, not even his own cattle. “ Mr. MacKreagh told me he had seen Argent riding in this direction.” |. “ You mean Mrs. MacKreagh.”’ “ No, Mr. MacKreagh.” “ He’s dead. She’s a widow this three ~ months.” And Willis, remembering the appearance of the fictitious Mr. MacKreagh, saw his mistake. “This is very irritating,” he said, and rode back at a furious gallop. He lost the trail going back, but did not abate his speed, and finally debouched from broken hill country upon the open prairie to see Billy in the far distance, single footing on his way to Sleepy River. But Billy saw him first. Concho raised up her heels and flew, but the police horse had been riding since dawn, and Concho had been riding all night. Billy early saw that Concho would have little chance of losing the fresher horse on the beaten trail, but knew that her lighter weight would tell upon open ground. So he turned from the trail, and the po- lice charger was soon wallowing in thick grasses, soft earth and sagebrush. But Wil- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. lis was irritated, and he stuck. Half a mile, a mile, a mile and a half, they thun- dered over the prairie. Concho gained a fair lead as Billy skill- fully guided her through ways he knew would worry the pursuer, but the tenacity of Willis began to tell upon the little ani- mal’s wind. The constable’s fresher mount persistently plugged behind. The lead was gradually diminished. Billy, his eyes to the front and every muscle helping Concho in her gallant effort, seldom looked back, but he wanted to know if there was to be any firing, and his occa- sional glances showed the policeman rapidly drawing into easy range. ‘““ Ride, Concho, like you was chased by something.” And Concho rode. Billy noticed that Willis had missed one of his turns—Billy was riding a wide circle —and had ridden well past the kink that Billy had made in his trail. This gave Billy a chance to cut back, but he did it with misgiving. “ He’s herding me round,” he muttered. But he gained a little, and was glad, for he didn’t want to exchange fire with this youngster. He gazed backward at the scarlet figure, and he saw Willis smile. - “Tf I kill him, he'll tell on me,” he in- formed Concho. And Concho reared, al- most throwing her master off. “Canned catfish!” swore Billy, reining in. For at Concho’s hoofs lay the edge of. a cut bank which fell away fifty feet to swift moving yellow water. Then Billy un- derstood Willis’s smile. “‘ Corraled!’’ he remarked, and freed his gun. Constable Willis charged down. Billy noticed that the redcoat had made no move to draw, and suddenly remembered that that sportsmanlike rule of the force. “All right, sport!” he yelled. “I’m playin’ the game.” . He put up his gun, whirled Concho in her length, set her at the cut bank, and rode her down. She did it in three jumps and a slide, and splashed into the river. Willis sat on the top of the bank, appalled; but Concho came to the surface and strug- gled with her rider through the current to the opposite shore. Gomichbooks (EO)