Argosy, Vol. 120, No. 1 — page 98: what you’re looking at

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

- ‘ - oa let i ee | . Stay! _ things howl in these parts. - the saddle as he had been. 838 . “ Shorty,” said Lawler evenly, “ you do as I say.” “Tl be damned if I do!” declared Shorty, his face flushing. “ That’s the kind of palaver Blackburn handed me when he sent me after Caldwetl’s outfit, makin’ me miss the big scrap. I ain’t miss- in’ nothin’ else. If this thing is to be a clean-up, I’m goin’ to be right close when the cleanin’ is bein’ done! . “Tm stayin’ right here, as long as you _An’ when you git goin’, little Shorty will be taggin’ along, achin’ to salivate some more of the scum that’s been makin’ Get goin’ where you’re goin’, Lawler!” Shorty had not told. Lawler all he knew of the wound in Lawler’s shoulder. He knew that Lawler had lost much blood, and that he was losing more constantly; and that nothing but the man’s implacable courage was keeping him up. And he did not intend to desert him. Lawler laughed. But he said nothing as he urged Red King over the Willets trail, riding at a fair pace, not so steady in His face was chalk white, but there was a set to his lips ' that told Shorty there was no use in arguing. Shorty permitted Lawler to hold the lead he had taken when they reached the Wil- Jets trail. But Shorty kept a vigilant eye upon the big horse and his rider as they - went over the plains toward town. Twice Shorty saw Lawler reel in the saddle, and both times Shorty urged his horse forward to be close to him when he fell. But each time Lawler stiffened and rode onward— silent, grimly determined, with Shorty rid- ing behind him, watching him with awed admiration. . Lawler had not mentioned the purpose of his ride to town, and Shorty was lost in a maze of futile conjecture. Shorty knew, however, that a man in Lawler’s condition would not ride to town to gratify a whim; and the longer he watched Lawler the deep- er ‘became his conviction that another tragedy was imminent. For there was something in Lawler’s manner, in the steady, unflagging way he rode; in the set of his head and the cold gleam of his eyes, that suggested more of a ~-——~ = C@minrcbook THE ARGOSY. the kind of violence in which both had par- ticipated at the Dickman cabin. The sun was low when Lawler and Shorty rode into town—Lawler riding ahead, as he had ridden all along; Shorty a few yards behind him, keehly watching him. There were many men on the street; for word had been brought in regarding the big fight between the Circle L outfit and the rustlers—and a doctor had gone, sum- moned to the Hamlin cabin by a wild rider on a jaded horse—and Willets’s citizens were eagerly curious. And when they saw Lawler coming, swaying in the saddle as he rode, they began to run toward him. However, they were brought to a halt by Shorty—who waved a hand savagely at them, his face expressing a cold intolerance that warned them away. And so they re- treated to the sidewalks, wonderingty, to watch Lawler and Shorty as they rode down the street—Lawler looking neither to the right or left, but keeping his gaze straight ahead as though in that direction lay what he had come to seek. Shorty’s eyes gleamed with understand- ing when he saw Lawler halt Red King in front of the building in which was War- den’s office. He was out of the saddle be- _fore Lawler clambered slowly out of his, and he stood near as Lawler walked to the door of the building and began to mount the stairs—going up slowly, swaying from side to side and placing his hands against the wall on either side of him for support. And when Lawler finally reached the top of the stairs and threw open the door - of Warden’s office, Shorty was so close to him that he might have touched his shoul- deg. . Warden was sitting at his desk when Lawler opened the door, and he continued to sit there—staring hard at Lawler as the latter swayed across the room to bring up with a lurch against Warden’s- desk, his hands grasping its edge. ‘““ Warden,” said Lawler—and Shorty marveled at the cold steadiness of his voice— I -have just killed Antrim. An- trim’s men ran off three thousand head of my cattle and killed about twentv of my men—five at the Circle L, and the rest in (Li