Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 4, 1922 — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

A444 same khaki shirt—torn almost to shreds and revealing the clean muscling of his shoulders and the big chest. The sleeves were completely gone, so that his huge, sinewy arms were bare. One wrist, which had been wrenched in his fight at the Dead Cow, was taped. The power that was ex- pressed in this figure—the height, the de- termined poise of the head, the magnificent, athletic slope of the shoulder, the narrow hips—elicited no response from the crowd. They stared with a certain admiration and a certain thrill, He could put up a terrible fight, perhaps, against ten ordinary men—but he was go- ing to fight Taurog. That was different. His litheness seemed to them merely a slender youthfulness that would count for nothing against the weight of their big, in- vincible ruler. And then the face was not a fighting face; the forehead seemed to them the forehead of anything but a fighter. It even seemed pale, as the sun beat down upon it. The crowd suddenly broke out into a cheer when they caught sight of some one coming down from the direction of Tau- rog’s house. This was Kirbie, whom every one. had been eagerly awaiting. Kirbie’s relation to the people of Tau- rog’s domain was something like that of a crown princess to her subjects. Her visit to Lava during the late hours of the pre- vious night had put the whole affair in a most sensational light. The fight between Taurog and Quade, some of the cow-men said, had a lot to do with this girl. Per- - haps Quade wanted to wipe out some an- cient score—some forgotten quarrel of ten years ago—but here was something very recent and very tangible. The girl had come to Lava the preceding night and rid- den away with Quade. What that meant only a few knew. At any rate, Kirbie’s popularity with her subjects was heightened by her visit to the Dead Cow Saloon. As she aproached they opened a lane for her, so that she could reach the corner of the ring where one of the servants had reserved a place. During the tumult Quade caught no sight of the girl, but she watched him eagerly. From the moment she came to, ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. the paling by the side of the corral she did not take her eyes off Quade’s huge muscles, his scarred arms, his fists. To her there was something miraculous in those arms. It would have been hard for Kirbie to explain why those naked arms had such a fascination. She had never before liked the big shapeless arms of men. They were generally ugly, heavily veined, hairy. When she had seen the vacqueros roll up their sleeves to wash their hands after their Jong days of cattle-lriving she had always hated their hairy arms: no soap and water could ever wash away their ugliness. But here were two great, heavily veined, hairy arms that seemed the supreme masterpiece of animal beauty. She was stirred with cu- rious thrills—as if she had a passion within to feel those arms about her—bare, wound- ed, crushing her. In almost shocking contrast to the pow- erful figure of Quade was the little stumpy man who next entered the ring. Little Jug Trilles was helped over the paling to the floor of the corral. He walked out to the center and removed his sombrero, reveal- ing a shiny bald head. While he made his speech he constantly slapped his head be- cause of the blow-flies with which the corral ‘was teeming. “Ladies and gents, bullwhackers, saloon men and all! And if they’s any sheepmen in the audience, I’m includin’ them too. I been axed to make a announcement. You- all have been invited to this here party for a very definite reason. They’s been a lot of argufyin’ up in the Mule City country, that a certain gentleman down thisaway ain’t been actin’ fair like to his associates. This gent is Mr. Smoo Taurog. Now, folks, cut out the cheerin’.and the howlin’ and let me finish. Mr. Taurog as you all know, ain’t overly perlite to his enemies. That’s why all you cow-gents and rustlers and renegades—if they’s any in the audience— admire him so, and honor his name, and all that stuff!” ‘“‘ Damned righto!” the audience shouted. “The -Mule City gang—reformers and sheepmen and other such: like—have been accusin’ Mr. Taurog of doin’ off with his enemies in ways that don’t stand the test. of a°Mule City jury. Well, gents, I’m COmiclbooks.Gonm