Argosy All-Story Weekly, 4 February 1922 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

eS See ce Fa ike *0 ES hotel in the town a few miles away, which you sugested, while excellent of its __ type would not be—er—pleasing to Mrs. en and our daughter, and the nearest one of the sort to which they are accustomed is in a place called Mammon City. Will isos be 80 good os tell me how far that ~ is, and if the roads are quite safe at night? _. Mrs. Acheson, as you know, is nervous and highly strung, and in spite of her appear- ance, far from well—” em, -. “Mr. Acheson,” Susanna interrupted with a calmness bordering on exasperation, ee “such hospitality as the Circle Six can boast we offer you gladly until Mrs. Ache- son feels able to continue your journey, - Please make yourselves as much at home as you find possible in these unaccustomed = endings Cook will serve dinner in a little while, and in the mean time I feel that my brother needs my undivided attention. eae hope that under the circumstances you - will forgive my unceremonious appropria- Ze ~~ tion of your car this afternoon, and if you - require anything my sister will be only too ers to play hostess in my stead.” ‘Stammering his thanks the elderly little ~ man accepted the hint and withdrew, and a moment later Lee Poindexter opened his eS. “Sue, it was Jake Brower! = He got me!” CHAPTER IV, " THE LAST STAND. OW’S he comin’, Miss Sue?” Wes Hayward lowered his voice sepul- = chrally, although the two were over near the corral separated by several rods _ from the rear veranda of the ranch-house. —< Did Doc Rankin make a decent job of jt last night?” ; “e “Splendid! I don’t think that even a — doctor from Mammon City could have per- _ formed a better operation, and Lee is resting - easily,” Susanna replied happily. Then her brow clouded. “ You haven’t heard -any- thing from Big Matt Cooley or his deputies about their search for the men who clipped = _ the wire over beyond the creek yesterday, you? I’ve been talking with Clint and ee ee — = ——) — _ ~~ + - oe. re = os = = _—. - ARGOSY -ALLSTORY. WEEKLY. . ——S- - . > —— > eR i v x ne a ~ some of his gang of rustlers, but Lee was away over at the other end of the ranch on the east section, you know, and yet his first conscious words to me last night were that Jake himself got him.” Wes chewed reflectively on the quid he had not been able to dispose of at Susanna’s sudden appearance and then remarked: “Wal, Miss Sue, I think it’s like you said when we met up with you on the road in that car last night. Them wires acrost the crick was nipped by Mesega or some of the gang under Brower’s orders just as a blind to draw as many of us in that di- rection as possible while Jake hisself went to settle up accounts with Lee. Thing is, how’d Jake know Lee was ridin’ line on the east section yesterday, and alone, at that? Big Matt nor none of his dep’ties except Sim Moser was in Dexter last night © when Link and Bill rode in for the doc.” “Bill?” repeated Susanna with a ghost of a smile. Wes’s weather-beaten face reddened, and then he chuckled. . “The feller who drives for them three swells you’ve got up to the house,” he ex- plained. “They call him Briggs, like he didn’t ‘have any first name to him, but he ‘pears to be a regular hombre, and he says he’d quit ’em right now only he promised to get ’em home to New York. When he does, he wants to hike back here pronto, and if you say so, Miss Sue, I can give him a job. He don’t know a shorthorn from a white-face hardly, but he’ll learn quick, and - if you’re goin’ to get one of them gas en- gines you was talkin’ about— Susanna’s own face sobered. “I—I don’t know, Wes. You are the only one except Lee who knows how matters really stand about the Circle Six and the fight I’ve been making to keep it. It may pass out of our hands before the gas engine be- comes a possibility.” | “Oh, shucks, Miss Sue!” Wes spoke with awkward sympathy. “ We’re doin’ fine this year, and that lawyer hombre in Mammon City can shore stretch things a little further!” “T’m afraid not. would do anything he could for us, but he has at areictad tains as you call = ee 3 ° | ~ a ~ ( al (6) <2 ~e } ee an ae aa ~ = com = ae ; a = ) 0 5(0 Uncle Dave Hartwell . = poh ' fT} » .17t% . ' Fy 4 ' fh wiity tat ; ri } al TAR feel ee o Padei ra¥ey . / aoe s yy ae > 4 . 4 ee ity A) f NE AN, al 2) Obat tS, VL ed fe by’ f~ ‘ wy) vs “" 4m . ret pt CO be te Ws ak Ao : i ay A, att 4 na whe an a aaa