Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 18, 1928 — page 146: what you’re looking at

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

944 And then he wondered a second whether his father was right—whether the real West had died when the mines and the ir- rigation and the cities came in, and whether to-day’s pageant were simply make- believe. He shook his head. The West lives, For no power on earth is or ever will be strong enough to subjugate these hills completely or to break their free spirit. Jim gazed off across the field. The stands were jammed. For the West loves its rodeos, no matter how many it has seen. Furthermore, to-day, Morton’s presence was an added drawing card. Cottonwood was anxious to behold its master. Morton and his party sat in one of the front boxes. Morton, the angel of Cottonwood! Jim’s lips tightened in bitter irony. But he had little time to reflect. The bulldogging followed closely on the heels of the steer tying. Tensely, Jim took his place. He was, to be sure, to be no very active actor. His function as hazer was simply to ride one side of the steer while the bulldogger, Red, came up on the other side—to prevent the animal from veering sharply away just as the bulldogger made his flying leap from the saddle to the beast’s horns. In a moment, the gates of the chute flew open, and the steer came charging out. Then, as he darted over the white line, up ahead, the official at the chute dropped his flag. Like two bright arrows, Red and Jim shot forward. They came up on the animal in perfect codrdination, timing their speed accurately to meet the steer’s so that as the surprised animal slowed his pace abruptly, they did not ride beyond and temporarily lose him. His heart pounding as if it were his own act, Jim watched Red reach a cautious hand out for the far horn. He clasped it; his other hand simultaneously reached the horn on the near side. Ina flash, Red and the steer were in the dust, wrestling it out. “Nice work, Red,” Jim shouted. But in a second, his heart stood still. - For Red’s riderless horse, bucking and pitching now at every step, began charging ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. straight across the field for the grand stand. And Jim realized that there would be no stopping at the fence. For as Red had slid off, the saddle had turned, coming now to rest under the horse’s belly. | The animal was no longer a sensible cow pony, but a crazed, frenzied beast, striving by some inane system of horse logic to out- run this terrible, strange thing which beat beneath him. And Jim knew that a horse in that condition runs in a straight line— and that he stops at nothing. There was a mad scramble in the stands as the animal approached. Jim paused not a second. Giving his own mount the spurs, he was off in a flash, shaking out a noose as he rode. He gave the rope one twirl over his head, then tossed it out full length. But at that moment the maddened horse made an unexpected burst of speed so that the noose fell short, catching the cayuse about the neck instead of about the front feet. He came to the end of the rope with a bang, and the hemp snapped like a piece of ticker tape. Ahead of him, Jim beheld the crowd. And, to his horror, he saw directly in the path of the horse, in one of the front boxes, a man of about fifty working feverishly to loosen the foot of a young girl which was in some way caught in the boards. Jim reined his horse sharply to one side, then back toward the crazed animal, so that he now approached the beast as nearly at right angles as he could. He dug in his spurs in a final, convulsive effort. He must, he must cut the horse off. In an instant there was a terrific thud as the two animals collided, not three feet from the stands. For a moment the air was filled with flying hoofs and twisting necks. But the collision had served its purpose. The cayuse did not crash through the fence. Jim, however, felt himself catapulted high into the air. He lit with a sickening jar, sprawled out limply. jump to his feet. back dizzily. There had been a violent stab of pain in his leg as the horses had crashed. And He strove to But instead, staggered 9A 0X0 Ko) <S (EO) MAI com