Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 4, 1925 — page 68: what you’re looking at

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

858 “You don’t understand,” he murmured gently. So she grasped his coat, his sleeve and fiercely pleaded with him. * Ah, stop him! Help me! I can’t let you! I wont Jet you! to me!” She cried out the last words in a pas- sion of pleading. “Tf you go to that place and die,” she cried, “‘I shall never forgive myself!” Firmly he took her by the shoulders and turned her from his path. “If I should run away,” he said, ‘‘ you would never forgive me!’ Good-by.” And she became limp in his grasp, so that he had to place her in the arms of Gaines before he plunged through the door and sprang into the car which awaited him out- side. Don't go! Listen CHAPTER XVI. DEFIANCE. ERT FARLEY regretted the death of Klien. He had cherished no affection for that harsh, barbaric figure, for Wert had not an affectionate disposition; but now that Klien was gone, Farley missed him. And he missed him because he knew that his remaining con- federate was not to be trusted. As he shared the ranch house with Cliff Lederer this evening, the absence of the cow-puncher having left these two together, that mistrust was emphasized in Farley’s mind by the involuntary reluctance with which he responded to Lederer’s insistence that he make clear the details of their sit- uation. “Shore,” he answered guardedly to Lederer’s importunities. ‘ Shore we’ve got to stick together. But you, Cliff, have got to play a different hand to me, and we'll each play our hand alone. The boys’ll be here to-night, for this necktie party yo’re staging, but I don’t want to know anything about it. I don’t even want to know who’s in it. It’s yore party, an’ you play it alone. Likewise I’m playin’ with the law- yers an’ such, An’ I play my hand alone. See?” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Lederer saw. He made that known with profane gayety. ‘‘T ain't no unweaned calf,” he protested. “TIT can see how we got to keep the two sides separate an’ come into court all nice an’ clean thataway. But all I want to know is, what did you do with Jake’s gun?” Farley gazed at him bleakly. ‘ That’s to do with my part of the game, Chiff. It don’t concern you where Jake’s gun got to. According to the evidence, he didn't carry no gun.” Lederer laughed. His laugh was ugly. ‘* Then I want to know what he did with it.” he sneered. Farley was perplexed. Lederer’s tone ad- mitted no doubt of his determination to know the particulars whereby Cosgrove was to be sacrificed to their passionate ambi- tions, and yet Farley was loath to trust Lederer with those particulars. If there was to be a double-cross in this game Far- ley was determined that Lederer should possess no opportunity of exercising it. “The fewer people who know that,” he parried. ‘ The safer we’re goin’ to be.” ‘“ An’ vou expect me to take the lead in Stringin’ this pilgrim up to-night without knowin’ how the evidence is fixed? Huh! That would be nice, wouldn’t it? A fine chance for you to turn ’round when yo’re through with me an’ show ’em how I strung him up fer nothin’!” “IT don’t cheat!” “No?” Lederer grinned broadly. * Don’t fool yourself, Wert. You an’ me ain’t do- in’ nothin’ else but cheatin’. That’s our game. We're playin’ fer high stakes, an’ we got the cards stacked. Now that’s fine! That's how I like it to be! But I want to know how they’re stacked! Before I go on any further, I want to know that gun ain’t goin’ to turn up an’ bobble the deal!” ‘Well, it ain’t!” “Why not?” “T’ll see it don’t, that’s why!” ‘Then where is it?”’ Lederer’s voice was an ultimatum. Farley knew it. He gazed at his fellow creature without rancor, but with great reluctance and mistrust. ‘“ Make it quick, Wert! We ain't got all night!” GIOok