Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 13, 1925 — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

doU put in, ‘‘ to swear in the posse for the man- hunt.” Marshal Sniffin nodded. ‘ Attention, every one!” he cried. ‘I hereby swear in each and every one of you as a deputy United States marshal until such time as this emergency is decisively terminated by the capture or the extinction of one Law- rence Wilpin, one Friday Pepper, and one Margery Corbin, the aforementioned Law- rence Wilpin, Friday Pepper and Margery Corbin having deliberately and wantonly defied and broken the laws of these sov- ereign United States, and by so doing be- coming outlaws and renegades punishable bv death.” ‘Are we t’ shoot any one of ’em on sight, marshal?” Spavin Yampdon put in meekly. “Precisely! They are outlaws and they must be dealt with as such.” ‘“ But how about th’ leetle gal?” “We can draw no distinctions,” the mar- shal said firmly. ‘“ She becomes, by neglect- ing to return to us, a material witness. As such she must be classed as an outlaw. Judge, is my interpretation of the law ap- plying to such conduct correct?” “Tt would be upheld by any court in the land,” Judge Oglethorpe said decisively. “ Very well,” the marshal said. “‘ Do each and every one of you solemnly swear to give your allegiance to this posse until such time as these three outlaws are exterminated or brought before the bar of justice? Raise your right hands. Now repeat after me: ‘We so solemnly swear.’ ” When the posse had been sworn in Karl the Killer raised his hairy hand again. “Took yere, whut ’re we a goin’ t’ do with the old gal?” Mrs. Yost drew herself up haughtily. “ I beg your pardon!” she said freezingly. “ Wall,” he said indignantly, ‘ what are we a goin’ t’ do with ya? We cain’t leave ya yere t’ be torn limb from limb by th’ mountains cats and th’ wolves, can we?” -“ Are there mountain lions and wolves here?”’ she bleated. ‘““ Ma’am, where at did. ya think ya were, if I may politely ask? This ain’t th’ corner of Forty-Second Street and Broadway, ma’am. This is Carcass County, prob’bly ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. th’ most untamed section of th’ hull South- west. I’ve saw wolves and mountain cats so thick on this yere road at night that it looked like a circus parade.” “Don’t ya reckon,” Spavin Yampdon put in, “that ef we shut her up good and tight in th’ coach, she’d be all right? We c’n leave a gun with her, cain’t we?” ‘I won’t be left here alone!” Mrs. Yost wailed. “Wall, ma’am,” said Karl the Killer, “we've got t’ think of th’ greatest good fer th’ greatest number, and we cain’t be bothered with an old lady in no man-hunt.” “Tm not an old lady!” Mrs. Yost snapped. “ And I’m in perfect physical condition.” “ But, Mrs. Yost,” Judge Oglethorpe said gently, ‘‘ you were saying only a little while ago that you should be in a sanitarium.”’ ‘“T said nothing of the kind!” Mrs. Yost cried. ‘‘ You must have misunderstood me. Y am going to accompany you. I will not stay here to be eaten alive by mountain lions and wolves.” Karl the Killer shook his head. ‘Ya don’t seem t’ realize, ma’am, that this is war. We ain’t goin’ off into them hills on no picnic. It’s rough goin’ and we’re goin’ t’ travel fast. Whut if ya are et alive by mountain Hons and wolves? I sh’d think ya’d be glad, ma’am, t’ sacri- fice yoreself fer sech a worthy cause.” ‘Few women are given the chance to die so nobly,” Judge Oglethorpe added per- suasively. ‘“ Think, mother,” Julius put in. “ You’d be a heroine—a real heroine—just like those Christian martyrs they dipped in oil and set on fire! Mother, are you going to fail in this test?” “Yes, Mrs. Yost,” Marshal Sniffin pleaded, ‘‘ think what this decision of yours may mean to children yet unborn! Think what that trio of desperadoes may accom- plish if we do not strike surely and swiftly!” ‘“‘ Mother—say you'll stay!” ‘JT will not stay,” Mrs. Yost angrily re- plied. ‘‘ Because—you are going to need me!” she added triumphantly. “I value the lives of all of you too highly to permit you to go off on this dangerous mission without a woman to comfort you and nurse CO© DOOKS Cc (0) mm