Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 6, 1923 — page 158: what you’re looking at

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

~ advance. | - You can talk ‘til hell freezes over, but that’s == Flew P idlvas t goin’ to know ’at I couldnt trail the geezer?” he snarled. “¥ou said I wasn’t to let him know any- body was epee cases on him. fve tramped more ’n a hundred miles since he _ broke loose, tryin’ to find out where hed gone to!” — “Shut up!” snapped the big man in “You've balled it—that’s all. __ ‘what it comes to.” = = -“VYou may go,” _- you to go—and take this sack of stuff = Tun! _ Quite methodically Barrett drew his re- volver from its holster and aimed it at the Tt was only his ineptness — with the weapon that gave the bride of a et time to throw hese upon him be- _ fore he could pull the trigger; and by the time the silent little struggle was ended, _ the three men had disappeared in the tun- nel. Se aes w00d Heavens, Jimmie, dear!” she ~ panted, “have you lost your mind? Let’s We can reach our car before they ~ overtake us!- Come, quick, before they come back and find out what’s been done a them!” he gritted. eT want along with you. But when I go, these ban- dts go with me—dead or alive.” = Oh, you glorious fool!” she wept, Peowite her arms around his neck. “Are es going to make a widow of me before _we’ve been married a day? You can’t fight three of them. They'll kill you, and then mat will become of me?” A faint glow of the returning flashlight = was beginning to show in the depths of the — tunnel, and Barrett freed himself master- fully and thrust the sack of money upen ~ her. == ~ ==> “"Take it and fiy,”’ he a _ _ brusquely. FI be with you when the show is over. “Run on down to the car and Pm not going back to Copah empty-hand ed. Rum, ¥ tell you—while you ms a _ chance! » The bullets will be flying here in - @ second or two, and whatever happens, _ that money’s got to be saved!” — ‘“Oh, don’t send me away!” she begged. « Tf you’ve got to stay, let me ee aed 2 ‘fight with yeu!” = 2 in Zs world. “This is 2 man is ‘you right where you stand! ARGOSY-ALLSTORY. WEEKLY. job. If you love me, take that al and 2 run with it!” 7 : Thus adjured, she snatched up the ae = and ran—a little way. As she reached the corner of the leg eabin she saw the big touring car standing before the door. It had been turned around and was headed for the flight down the mountain. Her first impulse was to drop the sack of money and try to disable the car, thus making pur- __ suit with it impossible if Barrett should _ come to his senses and run while there was yet time for flight. But time was no more. Even as the thought flashed inte her mind, the three — men came stumbling out of the tunnel; two of them accusing the third and cursing him savagely. — “You damned — eovete ”__#t was the harsh voice of the touring car driver that was ripping sawlike imto the high mountain. silence—* d’you think f’r a hely minute you can double cross us like this and get away with it? Drop that gat I'll bore — Now ‘you've - got ‘til I can count fen to tell us what you've done with the swag! One—two— three—” The interruption was a sharp command of “ Hands up!” from the tree shadows, and the counting stopped abruptly. to the time honored custom firmly estab- lished by the scenario writers and armchair annalists of wild Western moments of stress, the three men should have reached for the stars in prompt capitulation. But they did nothing of the sort. In- stead, two of them opened fire instantly upon the tree shadows, while the third stooped to grope for the gun he had just — dropped at the Sais command of his accuser. It was all over in a minute. The bang- ing fusillade was answered by spiteful spurts of fire from the tree covert; one of — the three—the one who had stooped and = : was rising to get into action—staggered and _ sank back to his knees; and the next in- — stant the other two had darted back to — cover im the tunnel, dragging = wounded man with them. = 3 After that, silence. profamd and unbrok- en even = the wiisperine of the night wind LI According = — comicbooks.com—