Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 155: what you’re looking at

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

PAN ty a wy r THE BAD MAN OF thin’ happens, see? We don’t want t’ leave you up in the hills fer the wolves t’ nibble at.” But this last sally was quite unneces- sary. Kid Goler was a newcomer. He didn’t know Butch Keever. He still held to the idea, despite Dugan’s repeated as- surances to the contrary, that the bad man of Banter Mountain was not such a much. One of the old time bad men. Lots of noise. No stuff. “T’ hell with you! I’m goin —right now —alone. An’—I’m bringin’ back that little runt. An’ I'll stan’ him on his head— ys ee Ill. TEN minutes later Butch Keever was on his way to the Gregg homestead in the foothills of Mount Currier. And he trav- eled—alone. Not until his long legs, urged by a right-. eous rage, had carried him halfway to his destination, did it occur to him that the sun was high and that he had come away without food. The instant he realized it, however, he was possessed of a mighty hun- ger. By the-time he reached the fringe of cot- tonwoods bordering the gentle slopes oi Mount Currier, he was actually suffering. _ Hunger shared first place in his feverish thoughts with Andy Gregg. Fortunately he encountered no difficulty in locating the cart path, which, according to Squint Dugan and Kid Goler, led to the Gregg homestead. ‘“‘ Just a piece up the road,”’ they had said. - Butch plodded on and on, getting hun- erier and hungrier, uglier and uglier. The sun was low when he came out upon a sizable clearing, in the center of which reposed a substantial log cabin. Andy Grege’s place, without doubt. Yes, that was Gregg himself, puttering about in the garden. Although tired and hungry to the point of exhaustion, seething with long ac- cumulated rage, Keever, nevertheless, ap- proved of the workmanlike job which the man, Gregg, had done in establishing this, his home, in the wilderness. The soil was undeniably rich, too. An agricultural bonanza in years to come. BANTER MOUNTAIN, He followed to the furthermost tip of a triangular shaped grove of poplars. At this point the little cabin was less than a hun- dred feet distant. Andy Gregg was still working in the garden, dabbing here and there with a short-handled hoe. | But his mind didn’t seem to be on his work. From time to time he looked back over his shoulder, longingly it seemed, to- ward where a noisy stream tumbled down — over the rocks. From within the cabin came the sound of singing. A woman’s voice. The pleasant clatter of pots and pans. Butch Keever fidgeted about uneasily. Women appalled him. He was invariably helpless in their presence. What to do? He must keep his word. Bring Andy Gregg back to Banter Flats. But—how to avoid — the woman? A chorus of shrill calls from behind the cabin presaged the appearance of two youngsters. A girl and a boy, perhaps five and six years old, respectively. The boy - disappeared within the cabin. The little girl joined her father. She carried the pink. - doll. Butch eyed her appreciatively. . He liked kids. She was a pretty little thing with a pert, saucy face framed with — honey colored hair. Here was more trou- ble. How to isolate Andy Gregg? had laughed. And—his reputation as the bad man of Banter Mountain must be main- = tained. ward, whack the homesteader over the head — with the hoe and carry him away bodily, © when a new involvement presented itself in the guise of a warm, softly moving breeze. — This gentle breeze conveyed the unmistak- - able aroma of fresh cooked coffee to Buten Keever’s quivering’ nostrils. He sighed gustily. Edged about so that he could see the inside of the cabin. The woman was préparing supper before an open fire. As he ‘watched, she turned a huge slice of steak ina pan. Saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth. Great Heaven, he was hungry! Gregg abruptly laid down his hoe and started purposefully toward the cabin. Dis- — 465 shrugged disgustedly. His heart wasn’t in ~~. it somehow. Still, it had to be done. They = He had about decided to rush boldly aS eee Zz . 1 ee te a week” ems ; ° Ne > i a . ta he” Aas —= o~ mr" vb ecammlepoo (S70!