Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 6, 1923 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

--town. In a ‘manner of. speaking = of A 3 Hees turned to the aedden Noah Doxey, who had been watching with obvious suspicion this peculiar exhibition of city life. Fred looked up at the glum, sour face; a bent man with thin, colorless hair and venomous little eyes. “*T regret to see, Mr. Doxey,” the sales- ‘man said pompously, “that the town has passed into a new life. Who is to blame?” “FT am!” Noah Doxey snapped out. “And you aren’t ashamed?” __ “Ashamed, hell!” Doxey put. his thumbs ine his vest. Although not past fifty. the backs of his hands shone with that scaly, dry sheen on the skin of very old men. “Ym proud. I’m prouder ef what I’ve been able to do in keeping peace in this country than of anything else in my life. As you. know, I own practically this whole I was its keeper.” So “You own the town, Mr. Soe but do you own the minds of its citizens? Can you own the thoughts of these stock men here who used to be renegades, gunmen, gamblers? I might suggest, ‘resp es of course, that you can’t own = think.” Mr. Doxey, biting off the ‘aid Fi his toothpick and spitting thoughtfully, re- marked: “ I ain’t so sure.” = _ Hayden fell to carving his broiled chick- en, a duty which he Soeeee with much - ceremony. _ Look here,” Noah es went on. “You remember Sun-up five years ago. I take it that was the first time you was here — —selling freckle lotions to the dance gals at the Golden Cloud Saloon? ” “JY remember it well,” Hayden said. “Arizona could boast of something then. Can I forget Six-Gun Patterson? Can I for- get the kick of jackass brandy? - Can I for- get Frisco Lou? Those were blossoms i in the desert! | a Fire and brimstone - you cai * Doxey shot back. for corralling all them thieves, hussies and gunmen and Shippin’ ’em out of the coun- ry Blossoms, aye! Fire and brimstone!” __“ Fire and brimstone have their merits. = Volcanoes are responsible for a good deal z0: ona’s see Seenery: What. you have Se = "DESERT it's Hite Doxey, whet oer | fee is in @ aa Her Ze = “ And you can thank me got the law—the marshal and the sheriff on = done, Mr. Tinaey. in suppressing this t town SS is Tike putting a cement dam—like the one == VOICES. up at Salt River—on a volcano! 7? = Fred Hayden was evidently pleased = his elaborate but somewhat inaccurate fige == ure of speech. He raised his voice: “ But — you can’t keep it corked up: Nor man can = put a lid on a crater! ” : “They can’t, eh?” little Roch: Doxey laughed, rubbing his chin with his thick A it Ni) hay A Aye iP Wey CAF | -turtle-shell thumbnail. “ Well that’s what = done!” “Well - and good,” Haydes sere. “Now get my point: I’ve read that— = a volcano is pent up, it’s worse ia oe 3 that smokes. All the heat and fire ak energy gather fury and suddenly, bingo! — the place blows up; a town’s wiped out, hu- —- = man beings are scattered to bits, the earth = Shakes for tiles oe You've aoe DS = = in me old: barroom 4 = SS “Do you think the oe = They’re gathering. In the old days the hates — didn’t last. There was a little love affair, a 7 Use Jealousy, a game of cards, a i knife, a = lasts—in a desire to kill that’s suppressed, or for that matter—in a passionate level” — = Ae s law and order anya Mr. Dee ——— ze Ee grant you sitet: “As the most “active — == political figure in this county, Mr. Doxey, you are to ) be ponerse. But when this ——= Phoenix and Tucson. “What the aoe will — = be I. don’t know. = “Maybe the town will wake up to- its. SS rights and 0 on a spree. Wow! That w ould chanal! With old. Sam Daigle ey shootink = = again—and Doe Winkler drunk —and—* — See Ss (Ss = never, be so lone as I’m —— There'll be no drinkin’ in this county! P’ve— my side now. This town stays passe” = es ““ Maybe it won’t be drink.” = — = Se ~ What ae can it aan << = Ss