Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 152: what you’re looking at

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

« 778 “Tf he falls now,” Tex was saying to himself, “ they’ll swing him up to a rafter before he could bat an eye.” Tex’s trigger finger began to itch, but he waited. “It ’d be a damn nuisance,” he said, “ to kill a lot of men to save one.” Another blow from Wyndham’s fist and a vaquero rolled over. Six of them closed in. ‘““T guess he'll swing if the rafters are strong enough,” Tex remarked, looking up to the ceiling. Then: “ By hell!” he ex- claimed. ‘“‘ Why can’t he tear the whole house down about their heads? He swore a dozen times to wreck the place! Now’s his chance—his only one.” The outlaw’s face lighted up, the serenity giving way to a smile, to a radiant, an ex- traordinary excitement. ‘“‘ Damn him, he’s using his whole power now if a man ever did! He’s growing stronger every time they throw him to the ground! Sawdust is giving the boy strength! Come on for the big bust there, boy, if you want to save your name! There you go!” Tex laughed at the spectacle. ‘“ He’s going to put a stop to the whole business if he has the strength of a he-man. Now those uprights that hold the weight of this rotten old roof—” In a brief moment of respite—scarcely more than a second or two, while the gang had surged back to make another onslaught, Tex caught a glimpse of Phil. The boy was straining every muscle; his head was thrown back, revealing the full young throat and the bulging red tendons of his neck; his shirt sleeves were torn away from mag- nificent biceps; his huge shoulders were bent forward. “Hurrah! He’s doing it. He is the man! He’s passed the test I set for him! He’s got the strength. He’s got the bean! He’s doing the one thing, by hell!” It hadn’t been long—a few weeks—since Phil Wyndham had tried to ride the buck- ing mare down at the Crockett farm. On that occasion the wish of the Widow Crock- ett had been a peculiar one: the little world- ly disappointed woman, lying on her death- bed and watching her foreman making his futile attempt to ride that outlaw, had ae —— one of the few times in her life. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. And her petition was a paraphrase of that heartrending prayer of Samson, shorn of his strength and plagued by the Philistines: “Remember me, I pray thee, O Lord God. Remember and strengthen me only this once.” Her prayer had not been answered then, although perhaps it had not been offered up for the insignificant, the inconsequential breaking of an outlaw mare. If the Widow Crockett had lived she might have seen her prayer answered in a manner considerably more soul satisfying than she had wished for—a manner resembling the last deed of Samson in the temple of the Philistines. Now the house was full of men and women: and all the lords of the Philistines were there—that beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God— And Samison took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his _ right hand, and of the other with his left— And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein! CHAPTER XXIX. THE PHILISTINE. HIL’S desire to break away from his assailants and follow Hayden and the girl to that little room was the only urge necessary for him at that moment. Had he known how much she actually need- ed him, there could have been no deed too great to do, no bonds too strong to hold him. On the other side of that wall scarcely ten feet distant, in the little make-up room, Hallie Crockett found herself confronted by a man who was maddened to the point of hysteria. Hayden’s intent appeared to be to beat her with his fist; that was what she could read in his eyes. He was infuriated by what she did not exactly know. She was certain, however, that it was not through any act of hers that he was so crazed. _ The man had passed through certain events that nee of which the ‘girl was not — comicbooks. con pe