Argosy All-Story Weekly, 4 February 1922 — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

406 It- was only natural that the name of Belle Shannon should not appear. CHAPTER X. THE HEIR—HIS HERITAGE, ELLE SHANNON’S talk with Hope- B well Davies was not her last voyage on the troubled waters of diplomacy for that day. Indeed, no sooner had Davies departed from the Horseshoe Club than she dispatched a message to Kowalski. It was Sent via a bartender in an adjoining saloon, relayed then through several smeltermen, and finally came to Kowalski as he lay only more or less in hiding in the cabin of an- other smelterman. '“ Belle Shannon,” ran the word, “ says she’d like to see you right away.” : It was the first message of this nature that Kowalski had ever received from Belle. Therefore he hastened to reply in person. Discretion led him to approach the Horse- shoe Club by devious ways. He entered at the rear of the premises, where he found Belle awaiting his arrival. Then he sat in the chair so recently vacated by Hopewell Davies. Belle gave him no great while to add fuel to the flame of his curiosity. “T wonder if you’ve heard from Davies vet?” © ““No,” answered Kowalski, who in truth had not, since Limpy had not as yet been able to locate him. “ Well,” returned Belle with some show of indifference, “ that big jack has a bug in his head. He was in here a while ago looking for trouble, and hoping he was go- ing to find it, too. I thought I’d let you know. He thinks you two ought to scrap it out among yourselves and not get a lot of_men shot up that haven’t anything to do with your private rows. I’m with him on that; thought I’d let you know that, too. Them fools have a way of getting careless when they get heated up. And I, for one, don’t want any of my property - destroyed. So, if you start anything, Ko- walski, why, you want to keep your men away from here.” “ Sure,” agreed Kowalski readily, sur- prised and pleased that Belle should ac- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. knowledge his authority. “ You know w’at else Davies t’ink he want to do?” “Oh, he’s sore,” said Belle. “I don’t blame him none. Same as I’d be if some one tried to stick me with a knife. But that’s no row of mine—go ahead and kill each other off. Then we might get a little peace in this town.” Belle’s declaration of indifference toward himself was more than offset in Kowalski’s mind by her assumed indifference toward Davies. But, at mention of Davies, his deep-set eyes sparkled combatively. “He wants fight, eh? Wall, good fight, da’s me.” Ele leaned pugnaciously across the table. “You don’t get me yet,” said Belle. “* And you needn’t look so rough at me—it’s not me you'll be fighting, anyway. Nor anybody else—not right away. That’s what I called you down to say.” “T fix that feller* Davies, all same,’’ grunted Kowalski. Suddenly Belle lost all appearancetof in- difference, leaning across the table, every muscle tense—she was a most capable ac- tress. Kowalski started before the blaze of temper in her eyes. , “You will not—get that out of your head -now, right away.” Belle’s attitude was in itself a command. “I know that crazy cousin-jack is brainless, but I kind of thought you had some sense. That’s the reason I sent for you.” Her voice softened almost insensibly. “‘ Suppose he does want to fight it out with you—him with his arm in a sling and all. Well, what happens? You'll lick him, sure —then, because he’s hurt, the miners will be out to get your skin. The smeltermen, they'll stick with you, of course. There’ll be fightin’ all over the place. That’s what I’m trying to prevent. want this place blown up around my ears?” “Then w’at you like for me to do?” asked Kowalski, dismayed at Belle’s display of temper; encouraged at the same time by her show of confidence in him. “That’s easy,” said Belle. ‘“ You’re not -to fight. Not now, anyway—patch it up— clear out—anything you like. But when Davies shoots off his mouth, you keep yours closed. As long as-you do, you’re welcome Do you suppose I Gomichoo cS (S (E(0)