Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

7 716 ‘ Did you see anything of our two friends here?” I asked, being careful to do my pointing with my fork because Rip Jaimson once told me it wasn’t stylish to use your knife too much at the’table. - ‘“¢ Can’t prove it by me,” Jim admitted. “ Believe I passed three fellows as I was making it across the flat toward town and Garcia’s corral where I had my horse.” “Well, did you hear anything—a shot, maybe?” ~ “ Come to think of it, I did hear.a couple of shots just as I was picking up the trail: _ beyond:the sand fence.” “ Reckon you'll, be interested in know- ing,” I said slow like, with my face pointed © at my plate and my eyes watching our two guests, “some one drilled Rip -Jaimson through the neck? I reckon those were the shots you heard.” : Barber looked at me to maize sure that I was talking sense, and when he saw that I meant it he said: ‘‘ Suppose it was a wild night in the old town after that. Where did they string up the fellows?” “They didn’t—not yet.” The sawed-off guest, with the voice like “a blacksmith’s bellows, the which he wasn’t using much, squirmed a bit and jabbed his mouth with a knife that didn’t have any egg on it. “Vou don’t mean to say that some one took a shot at Rip Jaimson and got away - with it?” Jim Barber asked. “ That’s about the how come of it. Seems like a couple of fellows lowed as how they wanted to see you make your get-away. Rip got wind of it, and he meandered over toward Garcia’s corral just to be sure no one “took advantage of you. -Blooey! Fifteen minutes later we find Rip with a bullet through his neck.” — Jim looked at me as if he was trying to get, the answer to some question without asking it. Rip and Jim always were sort of fond of each other, and I had a notion I could answer that question for him; but for personal reasons, or impersonal ones, maybe, I wanted him to ask it. “ And Rip—what—how—Rip ist —BOW is Rip making it?” *dobe ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, It was a hard question to ask, but an easy one to answer, “Tf you had milled. this range with Rip as long as I have, you’d know that it will take more than being drilled through the neck to kill that old centipede. ting-on fine. Doc Sandow says he’ll have him out again in a week.” Well, whoever susrnedl that ‘trick wants to get ail there is in life during he next week,” says Jim. - The long guest with the eagle. beak nose. dropped one of his working tools, and I had to recover it for him. . * “Who do they suspect?” Jim asked as he went into the lean-to for the old coffee pot.. “ Well, being nothing but a deputy min- He’s get- : ion -of the law, as you might say, I reckon: it isn’t up.to me to say who they suspect. All I know is that Rip Jaimson, the who isn’t allowed to talk, wrote out on a paper.. for me to go find Jim Barber and. bring him in even if I had to arrest him.” Jim looked at me, sort of hard like, for a minute. “ Does Rip want me?” he steed. “ That’s what I’m here for. He wants you, and wants you quick.” “What do you think is on his mind?” Jim asked. -“ Well, Jim, tm not too good at this mind reading stuff, but I wouldn’t be a bit _ surprised if, when we get back, we find he’s got a woman on his mind.” That made the short guest look at the © Jong oné, when both of them thought I was ‘looking at the bottom of the cabbage pan. “It’s either that, Jim, or he suspects. that you have been guilty of contribution negligee. e “ Of what?” Jim asked. | “ That’s a legal term,” I. explained to -him, not surprised that a fellow like him think it wouldn’t get it right off. “1 means that a fellow-‘helps somebody to commit a crime by not doing anything.” “Yes, yes,” says Jim, “I understand. I’ve been guilty of contributory negligence, and: Rip wants to see me.” | | ‘“ Right away,” I added; “ so we'll have to be dragging it as soon as you can get ready.” : ~ Connicloool. CO