Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 4, 1926 — page 63: what you’re looking at

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

EXCITEMENT TRAIL. 373 blotch of white, and whose chin carried the mark of smallpox. On his last raid this man shot a friend of mine, who lay on the ground. For that I swore to kill him. I crossed the border alone—in that way my chance of success was better—and I rode for days, ever seeking this man. Last night I found him. My friend is avenged —as you know.” “YT think you speak the truth, senor,” the vaquero admitted thoughtfully. “ Your face is not the face of a man given to lies. But this that you ask of me is dangerous. One cannot idly take such chances for a stranger.” “True enough,” Rusty assented, “ and you’d have to go to the Crossed Arrows ranch to collect your pay. What time is it now?” for he suddenly realized that the light outside was growing dim. “It is after sunset, senor. You lay un- conscious for nearly a day.” A tumult of thoughts raced through Rusty’s brain at the bad news. Far more time had elapsed than he suspected. He could not, of course, leave without Rosita, but there remained the problem of getting in touch with her. It began to look as if his attempt at brib- ing the guard might after all succeed, but the whole affair had to be planned very adroitly. Rusty still felt weak and dizzy, certainly in no shape to carry through so desperate a scheme as the one now forming in his mind. ‘Twenty-four hours later is the best bet,” he reasoned. ‘‘ To-morrow night.” He turned to the Mexican. “Tm offering you the chance of a life- time, amigo,” said he. ‘ Five thousand dol- lars for a good horse and a gun, That would make you a rich man. No longer would you have to work hard for thirty pesos a month. You can ride to the Crossed Arrows Ranch, and there collect the money. If in addition you want a job, it is yours as long as you wish—at three times the pay Perenzo gives you.” “But suppose I do my part, and you fail even so to escape,” the vaquero pro- tested. “I go to this Sefor Towers and say he is too pay me thus and so. He laughs—and it may be holds me responsi- ble for the trouble that has befallen his son.” ‘We'll fix that up,” Rusty declared con- fidently,.“ though if I once get started noth- ing ‘ll stop me. I'll give you a letter to my father, telling what you’ve done for me. Depend upon it, he’ll pay you what I say. And if it happens that I don’t pull through, he’ll pay you ten times that much to guide a crowd of his riders back here, T hey’d go through this outfit like a charge of shot through a sage hen.” “But if Don Perenzo finds it out—” The Mexican was still hesitating. ‘““Shucks!” Rusty laughed. ‘ He won’t find out unless you tell him yourself, and that ain’t likely. How long are you on duty here?” . “Till midnight. Then another man will take my place. It will be impossible- to ar- range things for to-night, senor.” “T don’t want to go away to-night; to- morrow ‘ll do fine, and that ‘Il give you more time. Play straight with me, and you'll never regret it.” ‘I will play straight, senor. Fear not.” ‘* All right. Now what’s the chance of collecting a little chow? My bread box is plumb empty. Some nourishment might stop my head from buzzing.” “TI can give you food, sefior. you wish.” “Trot it out,” Rusty ordered. He sat on the edge of his cot while eat- ing, and the room appeared to him less like a ship in a hard gale. But there was no getting away from the fact that young Mr. Towers was still a very sick man. “T’ll be all right by to-morrow, though,” he mused. “ Gosh, I got to be!” When it became totally dark outside the guard lighted a small oil lamp. Rusty lay back on the bed, considering his fortune— or lack of it—from all angles, But most of all he thought of Rosita. He wondered if he dared trust this friend- ly vaquero with a message for her, unable to decide on taking that risk, yet seeing no other way out. Suddenly there came a light tap at. the door, which the guard opened. Rosita swept in, regally, as befitted the ee of Don Eugenio Perenzo. 3 Now, if