Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

758 No, sir! He was ‘ running” his own game. He wouldn’t take any man’s word. He’d see for himself. He found some brush at the edge of the level near the bottom of the slope and hitched his horse to a branch of gnarled scrub oak. Then he made his way stealth- ily across the level, keeping his head as low as possible and taking advantage of various weeds and bushes to conceal his movements from any one in the cabin who might chance to be looking out. There was a juniper tree near the front of the cabin. The tree was near the porch, and there was a tangled growth of brush near it where a man might hide without fear of discovery, and from where he would be able to look into the windows of the cabin. However, an open space, barren except for clumps of weeds here and _ there, stretched between him and the clump of brush. If a man tried to reach the brush by walking he would most certainly be seen by any one who happened to be looking in that direction. Therefore, Bassett decided he wouldn’t walk... He sank to the barren, and flat on his stomach began to wriggle and squirm his way toward the brush. It was a tortuous journey, and he was fully a quarter of an hour reaching the concealment of the brush, and when he finally reached it and stood erect behind the concealing branches and leaves he was breathing heavily. There was no sound from the cabin, no movement. There was a light in the kitch- en. He could see it through a small win- dow. Also, he could discern a small rect- angular patch of the kitchen wall, bevond the light. But he could see no sign of Warren or Eve or Mrs. Bailey. Yet the light proved some one was in the cabin. He waited fully half an hour. Once in that time he saw a shadow moving on the kitchen wall—the shadow of a woman’s face. The shadow passed so quickly that he couldn’t tell whether it was Eve’s or Mrs. Bailey's. He waited a little while, although his curiosity tormented him. He finally de- cided he’d have to get closer to the cabin if b ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. he wanted to find out who had made the shadow. He was about to creep toward the nearest window when he heard a low voice near him. He turned, to see two figures moving slowly toward him along a fringe of brush at his leit. He crouched in his covert, gently parted the branches and peered through. The moon made a very slight impression on the darkness, merely shedding a faintly lumi- nous mist. Yet there was light enough for him to recognize the figures as Warren and Eve, and he grinned in huge derision. So that was what she was doing at War- ren’s shack, was it? Mooning around in the dark with him, eh? Making love to him, most likely. Coming over here and walking out alone with Warren, like the brazen thing she was! Sure! They were making love. low. Hugging. Kissing. He saw them. There was no doubting his own vision, his own senses! Thev were too far away for him to hear what they were saying, but they were close together—so close that he could see their two heads like one. He didn’t intend to interrupt them. Not him! Let them have their fun while the getting was good. He'd ride over to Red Mesa the first thing in the morning and tell Green and the deputy where they could find Eve. ‘They’d get her and take her awav, and he would be well rid of her! He had seen what he had come to see, and was satisfied. Not that he had been worried about Eve. It wasn’t that. He’d been curious, that was all. He had wondered if Channing had taken her out of the country. He knew Channing would do anything for Eve; he knew Channing loved her. Couldn’t he tell? A man’s eyes always betrayed him when he was in love with a woman-—-his eyes and his actions. Crouching in the brush, he laughed in- wardly. His mirth was so great that it threatened to stifle him because he could not let it escape, dared not let it be heard. Eve and Warren would hear him if he made a sound. He had to stuff his neckerchief in his mouth or he would have cackled aloud. Talking COMmiiclooe CO