Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 4, 1926 — page 59: what you’re looking at

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

EXCITEMENT TRAIL. speak of will I gladly go without for his dear sake. You will let me, won’t you?” ‘No, foolish child,” he retorted. “ Your father thinks too dearly of you to permit this mistake. You are to wed Don En- rique to-morrow. He will gratify your ev- ery desire, even as I, your father, have al- ways done.” “ Rather would I kill myself!” Rosita gasped. ‘“ All we’re doing is talking,” Rusty ob- served mildly, “and not getting any place.” « He turned to Don Perenzo. “You call me a range rider. All right, let it go that way. But range rider or not, ld. be a-better husband for your Rosita than that spavined excuse of slippery man- hood you aim to tie to her for life. He’s a murderer and a cattle rustler! A price is on his head north of the border!” “Por Dios!” Perenzo gasped, turning pale. ‘“‘ You insult my friend, my guest, my son-to-be!” He turned to the other. “You heard what says this pig, Enrique! What shall be his fate? You I give the satisfaction of deciding.” Mendez tossed away his cigarette. “A pig have you well called him, Eu- genio. I would not sully my hands to kill him myself, But he shall die. We will turn him over to some of my Indians back in the hills. They have a shrewd way with prisoners, these Yaquis.”’ “No, no!” Rosita cried fearfully. “ Not that!” Rusty quieted her with a reassuring pres- sure from his hand. “ Don’t 1 have something more to say about this proposition?” he inquired plain- tively. ‘I ought to, seems like, being’s I got a personal interest.” “You have said already enough to as- sure your death sentence,” Perenzo told him sternly. “ Talk, talk, nothing but talk!” Rusty croaned. ‘‘I’d hate to start any rough stuff at Rosita’s party, but you chaps don’t seem aware that I could kill the two of you before you could do more’n let out a wild yell for help. I don’t want to hurt you,” he added to Perenzo, ‘‘ because ?’m planning to be in the family, but ’most any AA 369 minute I’m liable to forget myself and turn loose on your cattle rustling playmate.” Don Enrique appeared a trifle less bored and self-complacent, for he recognized the deadly earnestness behind the threat. Even Perenzo seemed less sure of himself. ‘‘ But he is no cattle rustler, this friend of mine!” he protested. “He is a man of honor—a high born caballero.” “You think so, eh?” Rusty grunted grimly. ‘ Just shows how much you’ve got to learn. He hasn’t denied what I said, Why don’t you ask him? Though he’ probably deny it,’ he added as an afterthought. “How about those Crossed Arrow steers?” he demanded of Mendez. ‘“ If you value your life, tell the truth for just this once.” Don Enrique shrugged his shoulders. “ To help oneself to gringo steers—that is not stealing,” he declared. ‘“ We call it stealing north of the line,” Rusty observed, “but likely we’re more fussy about trifles than you are. And about that wounded cowboy you murdered?” ‘* Maybe I have killed a gringo cowboy now and then.” Another heedless shrug of the shoulders. ‘‘ What of it? That is a virtue, not a crime.” “To be sure!”’ Don Perenzo added loy- ally. ‘‘ What of that! And to-morrow you shall wed my Rosita, while the Indians amusé themselves with your enemy.” He put a small whistle to his lips and blew a shrill blast. Three or four servants appeared as if by magic, so quickly in- deed that Rusty concluded they had been hidden not far away, awaiting their mas- ter’s summons, Rusty found himself wondering how Don Eugenio had been led to take these steps. It might have been from the man ‘with whom Rosita had been dancing just prior to his own arrival. “Pedro! Ramon! Rodrigo!” the don ordered harshly. ‘‘ Catch me yon infa- mous dog who has dared lay hands on my daughter! To-morrow he dies!’’ ‘You forced my hand!” Rusty cried. “T wasn’t hunting for this!” His pistol flashed from its sheath, its — crashing report a rude interruption to the c com Ebooks;