Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 189, No. 4 — page 123: what you’re looking at

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

DRY AIR. Making sure that the big forty-five was still hanging on my hip, I locked up and started for the station with Saunders follow- ing close behind. It wasn’t long before we were rolling down the tracks toward Purple Rocks. While we were pumping away, Saunders and me, things began to look fine. Even the dried-up country, with its cactuses and sand, didn’t give me the willies like it most generally did. I could just picture how surprised the sheriff would look when he got back and found the Bright Lode’s pay money all snuggled up in our old safe. And the boys over at the Wet House bar—wouldn’t they stare at me with big eyes while they fought each other for the turn to buy me a drink! ““'There’s only one piece of hard luck about this whole thing, Mr. Saunders,” I says, feeling like a prince, ‘‘ and that’s be- cause I didn’t get a chance to give this Red Handkerchief some pointers in real, honest- to-goodness shooting. I’ve been praying ever since I’ve been here for the opportunity to call his bluff, but the sheriff had to show up just a couple of minutes too soon. And I wanted to run across that fellow so bad!” “Not for me!” Saunders grunted, pump- ing hard. ‘“ I’m well satisfied to stay away from him—once is enough! You must have met a lot of bad men in your time, since you’re so eager to go after this bird—and so suddenly!” 3 “ Say,” I says, ‘‘ I’ve tamed down some of the worst bad men in this whole country of ourn. Blow ’em‘up Gus, they calls me where they know my rep. Ever hear of Pock-marked Pat? Well, Ill tell you how I nailed him!” Then I goes on spieling until we comes to the express car, coupled fast to the dead engine, But when I looked about, my spiel stopped quick. I began to feel kind of sick to my stomach and as weak as a rat. There was the engineer, leaning out of the cab, with a bullet hole through his head. The fireman was lying back in the tank, drawn all up in a knot. And before the one open side door of the express car— that green-painted box car—were the bod- - ies of the conductor and express messenger. SA | 593 The safe lay pitched out on the sand, door up, its nice shiny paint battered and burned. The sight gave me the creeps! “Get to work on the safe!” Saunders said, nervouslike. ‘‘ We want to get away from here as quickly as we can. ‘There’s no telling who may show up!” He wasn’t any more anxious to get out of that place than I was—not with them stiffs lying around! 1 was twisting the knob in a jiffy. When I hit the last number, I could hear the bolts click back. Then I got hold of the knob with both hands, ’cause the door was awiully heavy lifting with the safe lying on its back. As I got the door halfway up, I felt my gun slip out of the holster, just like it had worked loose and fallen on the sand while I was stooping over. Giving one last pull, the door dropped open wide with a bang. Then I turned to Saunders, panting like a mule. I never got such a jolt in my life! I stood like I was made of glass. My eyes seemed to be fighting to get out of my head. My tongue was stuffing up my throat. There I stood looking into the yawning muzzle of my own big six-shooter, held steady in Saunders’s hand! His mouth was drawn tight and his eyes didn’t look a-tall like they did a minute ago. ‘Much obliged, Blow ’em up Gus!” he snarls. ‘“‘ You’ve helped me out of a bad hole.” ‘ But—but Mr. Saunders,” I stutters, cc don’t—”’ “ Saunders—hell!” he roars, ‘“ You wanted to run across the Red Handkerchief —and you have, you fool! I’m him!” I was scared petrified. I tried to holler, but I couldn’t make a sound. ‘“ Even if I failed to draw the sheriff and his men down to the Springs,” he went on, “this job would have panned out all right if it wasn’t for that damn safe. It was too much for us! And we had already killed the express messenger, the man who knew the combination—very stupid on our part. But you’ve helped us out fine! I’m glad I remembered you, after we’d started on our, getaway, and left the gang and circled back.’ ‘ Hailing from the East, myself, I really Gomichbooks (E@)