Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 13, 1925 — page 62: what you’re looking at

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

534 little glad. As if by a Divine act, their enemies had been obliterated. “It’s a mighty strange thing, Friday,” Red Wilpin commented some minutes later, as they emerged from the gorge into a flat wooded valley, “but this is the second time to-day Margie has saved our fool lives for us.” His ancient retainer snorted. ‘“ How in Sam Hill do ya figger that out, Red? She didn’t start that landslide, did she?”’ “Nope, but do you recollect when we both wanted to stop and have lunch about a quarter mile back she insisted we was to go on just a little farther? And finally we let her have her way? Well, what would have happened if we hadn’t gone on a quarter mile farther? We’d have been trapped in that slide. We sure would. Margie, you saved our lives.” The girl said nothing. She was too happy for speech. By a strange twist of fate—by the release of some thousands of tons of age-old rock—her problems had been wiped away. The threat of an Im- pending prison sentence for attempted mur- der was removed. “We're free!” she cried again. “ We’re free, Larry!” Friday Pepper nodded sagely. ‘“‘ The leetle gal’s right,” he agreed. ‘ We ain't outlaws. We ain’t bandits. We ain’t high- waymen. We’re jest three travelers. ‘Cause why? ’Cause nobody knows. And they ain’t any of us a goin’ t’ tell. Aside from us, they ain’t a soul livin’ now who knows th’ stage has been held up. Everyone of ’em’s accounted fer. Even that old lady. I seen her jest afore the rocks started a fallin’, And I seen Gory Oliver and Karl the Killer, and that fresh smart aleck, Julius.” “TLet’s not speak harshly of the dead,” the girl said gently. “Ma’am, I ain’t a-speakin’ harshly; I’m only a-tellin’ th’ truth.” “ That’s right,” Red Wilpin agreed. “ To me, Friday and Margie, what happened back there in the gorge was not only an act of Providence for us, but an act of pun- ishment for them. There’s not a one of them didn’t deserved being wiped out by that avalanche. Look at the lives Karl ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. the Killer and Gory Oliver have led— spreadin’ terror for years and years all through the Southwest. “And what better fate did that judge and that marshai deserve, for letting that old woman blacken your character the way She did! And I reckon that young dude got just what was coming to him, too, for persecuting you the way he did. And did Spavin Yampdon stand by you, Margie, when the pack turned on you and said you were a wicked woman?” “ He certainly did not! the pack!” “And there you are. Call it what you will, but I call it somethin’ a whole lot grander than just accident. Each and every one of them got just what they deserved. As for us—well, what have we ever done? Why should we be punished? The only wrong thing we ever did was to hold up that stage coach.” “* And jest think,” Friday chuckled, “ all this money and all these diamonds are ours by right of inheritance. Ain’t we the near- est heirs? Wasn’t we the nearest when that rock slid down on ’em? Boy, we ain’t outlaws. We ain’t outcasts. We c’n go anywheres we please---onless this gal blabs.” Margery Corbin tossed back her curly bobbed hair and laughed. ‘** You suspicious old man! trust me, will you?”’ “No, ma’am, not after them biscuits.” “ Well, I don’t care,” she caroled. “I’m free. I can say with the Count of Monte Cristo, ‘ The world is mine!’ ” Her companions regarded Margery cu- riously. She laughed happily, flung out her arms and inhaled deeply of the sweet, cool moun- tain air. “ Just to think! Less than three or four hours ago I was virtually a prisoner in the clutches of that suspicious, selfisn old woman and forced to listen to the insulting remarks of her son! an animal in a cage. ant, soft, innocent girl. hours have changed me! now, Larry.”’ * Yeah?” He was one of Youw’ll never I was just an ignor- How the past few I’m a woman I was as helpless as. comilcloookks C@