Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 7, 1928 — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

192 from the trees and moved rapidly to- ward the place where Solitaire sat in the shadows beside the road. As the rider drew closer Stevens gave a start. It was a girl who rode so hastily, lashing her already galloping mount to even greater speed. She wore no hat, and short blond bobbed hair fluttered about her white, frightened face as she gazed anxiously behind her from time to time. She had scarcely passed before Sol- itaire heard other riders pounding after her. ‘There was a shout, followed by the growl-of a heavy revolver, and the hidden puncher heard a bullet whine by the girl. As he did so a grim rage stole over the whistling waddy; he had been a lonely wanderer all his life, and women had never interested him, but he did possess a great deal of reverence and respect for them. That a man would shoot at a girl went against the grain; it was not the sort of thing that his creed would permit him to let happen without his going into action. As two hard-faced men galloped up Solitaire entered into the fray. His gun roared and a bullet hummed dan- gerously near the head of the man who rode a little in the lead. Startled, both men halted their horses abruptly and looked about them nervously. “Hands up!” barked a hidden voice. The two men gazed in the direction of the sound, but they could only make out the dim form of a horseman in the shadow of the trees beside the road. As they hesitated Solitaire rode out on- to the road, a heavy Colt in either hand, blue handkerchief tied about the lower part of his face so that only his eyes were visible beneath his hat. “Yuh heard me!” he said, his voice hard, and ominous. “Up, I said, or there’s gonna be a couple of dead jas- pers, pronto!” “Who th’ devil are yuh?” growled ene of the men, an evil-faced brute with a jagged scar running across his left cheek. ‘‘ What’s this, a holdup?” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Never mind what it is!” said Sol- itaire. ‘‘ Put them hands up an’ keep ‘em there! I ain’t tellin’ yuh again!” Slowly the two men raised their hands high above their heads. They were very reluctant about it, but there was something in the crisp tones of this masked man which warned them it was best to play safe. “That’s better,” remarked Stevens as he observed their actions, and then a cold rage again swept over him. “Yuh two birds oughta be ashamed!’ he said. “Jt must take a couple of damn brave men tuh shoot at a girl, What's the idea?” “That's our business!” remarked the second man, a dark, slender individual with a black mustache which could not hide the cruelness of his mouth. “Yea?” Solitaire laughed softly, dangerously, beneath his mask. “ Me, I’m just hell on minding other folks’ business !”” As he talked, the whistling waddy heard the steady pounding of the girl’s horse grow fainter. ‘This was what he was working for now; the longer he delayed the two men the better chance the girl would have to get away. “You acts like it,” said the scar- faced man sullenly. “ Sure,” Solitaire remarked. “It’s a bad habit I got of buttin’ in an’ play- in’ a hand when it kinda looks like th’ cards was stacked against somebody!” zs “50 it seems!” said the dark man. Maybe if I was tuh tell yuh that yuh was interferin’ with th’ law yuh wouldn’t be so damn smart!” That these two men might possibly be officers of the law had not even en- tered Solitaire’s head; it would have made little difference in his actions if it had occurred to him. He had all the more contempt for the men if this was the case, for surely justice could be carried through without two strong, able-bodied men shooting at a woman. He was not inclined to believe the dark man’s statement anyway. “Oh, I-donno.” There came what 3A COLMIC IOS (E@)