Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 27, 1925 — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

380) the litth streamer of sparks rush up to be blotted out by the rain. “ There’s elk an’ deer enough to keep our stummicks filled; but I shore would like a smoke.” “] ain't worryin’ near as much about grub or tobacco as I am about this cursed rain blottin’ out every track,” replied Mes- quite, gently touching his wounded arm, gained in an argument with a cattle thief he had been forced to shoot. ‘‘ Here we've gone an’ got seven of them fellers, an’ now th’ others shore will get away. An’ Shang- hai fooled me every time, so far, an’ now he'll get away.” Lanky’s fingers were exploring pockets already well gone over, knowing them to be barren of tobacco, but persisting in the search as though some miracle might have slipped a sack in one of them. With a sigh he desisted and smiled understandingly at his companion. “ There shore won’t be a track left,” he admitted. ‘ But let me tell you, kid, if it’ll make you feel any better, that there ain’t been nobody for years that has made that old fox Shanghai hump himself over th’ landscape like you has. An’ after th’ bull- doggin’ he’s been through since you got on his trail, I’m willin’ to bet that he’s streakin’ it out of this part of th’ country as fast an’ hard as he can fan his cayuse. You got him just about scared to death, with yore blood- hound trailin’, an’ he’s shore headin’ for some place that he figgers is safe. When he gets there he'll hole up tight as a scared praine dog.” “That’s just what's makin’ me cuss,” growled the youth. “I’ve got him so scared he won't give me a chance to get close to him, now that this rain is lettin’ him get away. Why, I was nigh enough a couple of times to near put my sights on him; an’ once I had him tied up like a bundle of hides!” Lanky inched out of the edge of the nsing mow, and chuckled: “Huh! ’Tain’t yore fault that he got away that time,” be said. “ You couldn’t lick th’ bunch that jumped on yore back. Shucks; I’m figgerin’ you done right well to get as many of them thieves as you did. Me an’ Red didn’t get none, did we? Didn’t you get ’em all?” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Seven,” growled Mesquite; “ ‘but seven ain't twelve.” He reached toward his shirt pocket for the tobacco sack that was no longer there, and grunted. “ What’ll Hoppy say about me fallin’ down like this?” Lanky’s laughter filled the wickiup, and for an instant he let his hand rest lightly on his companion’s shoulder. “ He'll say yo're a shore enough wonder, kid, to do as well as you have. He never figgered you’d get ’em all.” “But I ain’t took no prisoners, yet,” muttered the youth, his hand straying to the deputy sheriff’s badge on the under side of his vest; the badge he had so cordially hated, and which he did not regard any too favorably, even now. Lanky hid his satisfaction at what that expressed regret told: him and he tried to maintain a poker face. Hopalong was right! The germ of a regard for law and order was beginning to grow in this young man’s consciousness. More than anything else that Lanky could report about this ex- pedition, this news would please Hopalong. His own liking for the youngster went up a few degrees. “ Well, I don’t hardly reckon you’ve had many chances to take any prisoners, kid,” he replied. ‘‘ They didn’t give you no chance. An’ if you had taken one, what would you ’a’ done with him? If you man- aged to get him back to Twin River, you'd have to leave th’ rest of th’ gang, an’ give ’em a chance to get clean away.” “Well; they’ve got away now,” retorted Mesquite. ‘I’m goin’ back to Broken Wheel to try to get trace of some of ’em; but if I don’t find any sign, I won’t know what to do next. That’s th’ worst of bein’ a stranger to all this north country.” “T ain’t no stranger to it,’’ replied Lanky erinning. ‘“ We'll go to Broken Wheel, scout around an’ lay in more supplies; a0’ then we'll head for th’ country up around Big Moose. That used to be one of th’ gang’s hangouts. They’ve got a lot of friends up that way, an’ sooner or later they’re bound to drift up there. Wouldn't surprise me a heap if Red was ridin’ thal way right now.” Red Connors, their missing friend, had been given a part to play that had taken COnniEaoo () SS Co