Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 27, 1925 — page 139: what you’re looking at

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

HOPALONG CASSIDY’S PAL. his head would have Pushed into Mesquite’s vision. and he could have been killed in turn. In silence the Meat was cooked and eaten, and then, feeling better, but still a little tender, Lanky grinned experimentally and looked at Red. “ We got seven, all told; how many did you get, up there at th’ pass?” “ Just as Many as you figgered I’d get!” snapped Red. “ How could I get any of em when you an’ th’ Kid was close herdin’ ’em away from me all th’ time?” He looked from one to the other. “ What you been doin’ since I saw you last?” They told him in detail while the fire steamed the water out of their clothes, and in his interest in their words his belligerency slowly faded. By the time he had heard their stories he was somewhat restored to good humor; so much so that he sympa- thized with Mesquite for Shanghai’s escape. “Don’t you chafe none, Kid,” he said. “T got a purty good idea where we can pick up /4s trail. When a fox has a hole that ain't been found or hunted for, an’ where he’s allus been able to find safety, he ain’t forgettin’ it, or leavin’ it, no matter how much he’s been chased when he was away from it. An’ he’s been chased so hard an’ far an’ close that once he gets back to his hang-out he'll stick close to it till things quiet down. I wish I could have seen him when he was ridin’ between you an’ Lanky, like a blame fool; an’ when he smelled out that somethin’ was terrible wrong.” Red leaned back and laughed as he pic- tured the old fox’s indignation. “We got to go to Broken Wheel to get supplies, an’ clean up this end of th’ coun- try,” said Mesquite. ‘As long as. we’re here there ain’t no use lettin’ things slide, an’ mebby overlookin’ a couple of them fellers. Then,’’ he leaned forward eagerly, “ we'll hunt th’ old fox on his home ridges!” “ Let’s see: there’s Foxy Joe, Hub Hen- dricks, Buck an Ve an’ Tom Short left out of that gang,” sdid Lanky. “ Five out of twelve. Hum-m! Buck an’ Hub allus was purty thick, an’ they'll likely team up; like- wise Foxy Joe an’ Tom Short will likely team up. Th’ last two are Big Moose bums, an’ we'll mebby get sight of them up that way. Yes, Kid; we'll shore assay Broken Wheel, after dark, quietlike. That bein’ so we've got plenty of time to get there. ’Tain’t more’n four hours away, right now.” He glanced at the fire and swore. “ Cussed near out, with us settin’ night ag’in’ it! We'll build it up, dry out, an’ take things easy till time to start. Wish to Heaven I hada smoke!” Mesquite having scraped off the more superabundant mud from his clothes, dropped the stick and gazed reflectively at the carcass of the deer. “I was thinkin’ we might better jerk what’s left of that meat,” he said thought- fully, his mind running into the future. “We shore got plenty of smoke for it.” Red and Lanky exchanged sly grins, and the former spoke. “ But what’s th’ use, Kid?” he asked. We'll be in town to-night, an’ we can get all th’ grub we want.” “T ain’t shore we better show ourselves so soon,” replied Mesquite. “ If any of them coyotes have headed for Broken: Wheel, they'll be watchin’ th’ hills clase an’ ready to streak out at th’ first sign of us.” “But we'll ride in after dark,” said Lanky. a little worried by this threatened postponement of a smoke. “ We'll scout up to al) th’ winders an’ see who's in town before we show ourselves.” “ An’ if them fellers have got any sense they'll be layin’ low where we can't see ’em, mebby outside th’ town in some shack; an’ they'll have friends on th’ lookout to pass ‘em th’ word. Everybody in town knows us by sight.” Lanky groaned. “There’s somethin’ in that,” remarked Red, “as th’ feller said when he found bugs in th’ bed. They shore know-us, an’ we don’t know who their‘ friends are. Just what’s in yore mind, Kid?” Lanky cut in impolitely: . “T don’t know what's in Ais mind, or yourn, neither,” he said, glaring from one to the other; “but I shore know what’s in my voind, an’ it’s done took root deaper’n - ANY mesquite tree you ever saw, /'m goin’ to get me th’ makin's of some cigarettes, an’ I’m goin’ to get ‘em before sunup to- morrow, Jhked’s what's in asy mind!” GOMIGDOOo C SS Co