Argosy, Vol. 118, No. 4 — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

BROTHERS 0’ “ See here!” Darrance’s face had grown horrible with rage. His great back curved over the smaller man like the tensely drawn arc of an archer’s bow. The listeners on the fence stopped chuckling and swapping comments. It fell suddenly quiet but for the blubbering of the half-witted mute dancing excitedly behind Eastrup. “ Sée here!”? The big man’s fingers, like eagle’s talons, shot out and clutched the other’s shoulder. ‘‘ Listen! You’re the only man that’s ketchin” fish here at West Cove. The rest of us needs livin’ as much as you. Ef you git ’em from the devil, like some of the boys back there was guessin’, say 60, and we'll tie ye heels to nose and drop. ye off o’ Sprinkle’s Chimney. Ef ye’ve got some trick that the rest of us can use, that words will tell about, let’s have it, here and now. Ef ye say no, God damn ye, yell never get home past this fence, that’s all.” “The law’ll have you if you take a life,” warned Eastrup evenly. ‘‘ There’s witnesses back there—” ‘“ Witnesses! Witnesses with empty fish nets! Fifty of ’em to swear that I never put a finger to ye! Damn ye, they told me to do it! Answer up! ”~ The break’ came with amazing sudden-_ ness. It was the dumb boy, Fred McGann. From the beginning of the affair, he had, without attracting the attention of anyone, been shuffling and chattering excited circles about the men. As Darrance shot out his last words, he happened to be directly be- hind him. Suddenly. he stopped, whirled, and saw ing like a cat, sprang on to his back. His bony, sinewy. arms locked round the big man’s neck. His legs twined about his knees. For a moment of blank surprise the crowd was silent, then roared with laughter. Darrance, belching an oath, flung his hands behind him. It was a matter of seconds to wrench the boy off. Then he gripped him about the middle with all ten fingers, swung him like a log as high as his head, and flung him to the ground. His boot, swinging like a college punter’s, crashed into his side. Larry Eastrup, who looked like a pigmy SPINKLE’S CHIMNEY, ‘and a foul fighter. 095 beside Darrance, was yet six feet tall, weighed two hundred pounds, and could move quickly. His straight left, the next second, was like an adder’s spring, and a3 accurate. The audience on the door-step and the fences heard that red-blooded sound, the thud and snap of an iron fist making crushed tomato of a human nose, then the scraping crash of Darrance’s fail. Eastrup pulled the boy to his feet and turned toward the crowd. ‘“There’s your man. He was a brute That kind always go down easy. Now some of you that are friends of his, tell him when he can listen that I say: let him lay so much as his finger on this boy again and I'll send him to hell ahead of schedule!” When FEastrup, carrying his foster- brother in His: arms, came to the house, a little farther on, where the boy lived, old woman McGann was weeding cabbages in the front yard. She straightened her bent shoulders and peered at him curiously. ‘Eh, now, what devilment—” she piped. “There was a fight. Jake Darrance knocked Fred down and kicked him. Iam afraid—” ““ May the eyes of the devil singe his hair! And you, sweet grandson, you, you—”’ Grimacing, her long white hair blowing awry, she shuffled up and glared into the big man’s face. Scarcely came she to his shoulder, so wizened and crooked was she, yet her eyes burned like ever-so-cold Blue caverns in a white iceberg’s bosom. ‘“T knocked him senseless. I broke his nose. I mashed it like a slebhBrAB E grand- mother.” Neysa McGann broke into harsh, quaver- ing laughter. “Ah! Then good for him! Good for him! Good,I say! It shall be thee, sweet grandson, instead of him, whom the devils of merwomen shall pull from your boat with songs, down to their halls. The curse of Wangha on thee for an ungrateful— Bring him in! Why stand ye there, gap- ing like a love-sick cow?” In five minutes Eastrup, having left his foster brother on the bed, escaped from the cottage and started plodding up the long hill ( G QO) 6) Oy QO) SJ (C(O)