Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 9, 1924 — page 108: what you’re looking at

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

258 loosely into one of the coat pockets. His belt was already thickly stydded. He rolled the cylinders of his weapons, removed the cartridges, cleaned and oiled the mechanism, and restored the guns to their holsters. He examined the rawhide thongs which secured ‘the bottoms of the holsters to the worn leather chaps that adorned his legs, and, finding one of them rubbed to a precarious thinness, replaced it with a short length which he took from a peg on the wall which held many others. He removed a rifle from its pegs, cleaned and oiled it, and tested its working parts. He got a box of rifle cartridges from an- other shelf, loaded the weapon with some of them, and dropped the others into a pocket. Then he stood erect and gazed at various objects in the room. He would miss Vallon. For years Val- lon had been his only intimate. At this moment he could visualize Vallon at va- rious places in the room. He could see him sitting on the edge of his bunk, undressing, his long, humorous face twitching with each muscular effort. He could see Vallon’s eyes gleaming quizzically at him, the little laugh- ter wrinkles in their corners growing deeper daily. No need was there to doubt that Vallon had been his friend, for love, re- pressed by manly embarrassment, had twinkled at him every time Vallon had looked at him. Always anxious about him, Vallon had been. A mother could not have been more solicitous. Arranging for his comfort, guarding him, fighting for him, saving his life! And now, making enemies who had killed him. “ You couldn’t get Channing to slope an’ leave Vallon behind,” Vallon had said, while unconscious, repeating thoughts he had had previously. Not thinking of him- self, even when facing death. “ He knew I was foolin’ that night,” said Channing, his voice husky. ‘He knew I wasn’t intendin’ to go away without him. But now I’ve got to leave him.” His face grew gray and set as he stood there; then he turned and blew out the light. He stood motionless, for at the in- stant the light went out he heard a voice from the doorway. Eve’s voice. It was sharp, distinct, anxious. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Channing,” it said, “what are you going to do?” He stood for an instant, silent, uncertain. He had hoped to get away without Eve’s knowledge. “I figure on ridin’ south to the camp,” he lied. “Is that why you cleaned and oiled your guns and your rifle, and filled your pockets with cartridges?” she asked, still from the doorway. ‘“A man can’t tell when he’ll have to’ use his guns,” he said, carelessly. ““ Channing,” she said impatiently; “ why are you lying to me? You are not going to the south camp! I have been standing here for a long time, watching you. You are going to kill somebody! Why, it sticks out all over you! I never saw you look so —so—murderous! I want to know what you intend to do—where you are going!” “Well, if you must know, I’m figurin’ to have a look at the guys who shot Vallon,” he answered. ‘““T knew it!” she exclaimed, from the half gloom of the doorway. He could see the outlines of her figure now, against the background of moonlight. She was stand- ing directly in the open doorway; her arms were hanging rigidly at her sides; she was erect, tensed. He felt that if he could have seen her eyes he would have found them flashing with determination. “IT reckon you’d know it,” he said. “ Val- lon was my friend. He’d expect me to square things for him.” There was an instant of silence. she said, firmly: “T’ll ride over to Red Mesa with you. We'll have Sheriff Hale apprehend those men.” ‘Jim Hale would wonder when I'd turned yellow.” “Yet he would catch those men,” she said. “Likely he would. But afterward he’d turn his head when he saw me comin’. He’d be mighty ashamed that he ever knew me. No; I reckon there ain’t nobody can in- terfere.”’ “IT don’t want you to go, Larry. I—I am very tired of all this trouble. To-day, when you whipped Apache Slim, I thought Then GOMIIGIOO SS (C@) An