Argosy, Vol. 118, No. 4 — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

500 Lawler was watching him intently, and the expression in his eyes embarrassed Simmons. He flushed, cleared his throat again, and then shot a belligerent glance at Lawler. | “Tt aint my fault—not a bit of it, Lawler. I’ve been losin’ sleep over this thing—losin’ sleep, I tell you! I’ve tele- graphed every damned point on the line! This road is swept clean as a whistle. ‘ No cars,’ they wire back to»me—‘no cars!’ I’ve read that answer until there ain’t no room for anything else in my brain. “The worst of it is, I’m gettin’ blamed for it. You’d think I was runnin’ the damned railroad—that I was givin’ orders to the president. Lem Caldwell, of the Star, over to Keegles, was in here yesterday, threat- enin’ to herd-ride me if I didn’t have a hundred cars here this day week.’ He’d been to see Gary Warden—the same as you have—an’-he was figgerin’ on playin’ her independent. An’ some more owners have been in. I don’t know what in hell the company is thinkin’ of—no cars, an’ the round-up just oyer.”’ Simmons had worked himself into a near. frenzy. His face had become bloated with passion, he was breathing fast. ‘But his eyes were shifty, and he turned them every- where except upon Lawler. Simmons now paused, seemingly having exhausted his breath, “ve just left Gary Warden,” said Lawler, slowly. ‘‘ He offered his price for my ‘cattle. He told me if I accepted it meant there would be no delay, that they would be shipped immediately. Warden seems to know where he can get cars.” Simmons’s face reddened deeply, the flush suffusing his neck and ears. He.shot one swift glance at Lawler, and then dropped his eyes. In that swift glance, however, Lawler had seen a fleeting gleam of guilt, of insincerity. Lawler laughed shortly—a sound that made Simmons shoot another swift glance at him. ‘“ How is it that Gary Warden figures on getting cars, Simmons?” said Lawler. Simmons got up, his face flaming with rage. THE ARGOSY. ‘’'You’re accusin’ me of holdin’ somethin’ back, eh? You’re callin’ me a liar! You’re ‘ thinkin’ ’m—” -“ Easy, there, Simmons.”’ There was a chill in Lawler’s voice that brought Simmons rigid with a snap—as though he had suddenly been drenched with cold water. The flush left his face; he drew a deep, quick breath; then stood with open mouth, watching Lawler. ‘‘ Simmons,” said the latter; “‘ it has been my experience that whenever a man is touchy about his veracity, he will bear watching. You and Gary Warden have both flared up from the same spark. I don’t know whether this thing has been framed up or not. But it looks mighty sus- picious. It is the first time there has been a lack. of cars after a round-up. Curiously, the lack of cars is coincident with Gary Warden’s first season as a buyer of cattle. “I don’t say that you’ve got anything to do with it, but it’s mighty plain you know something about it. I’m not asking you to tell what you know, because if there is a frame-up, it’s a mighty big thing, and you are. about as important a figure in it as a yellow coyote in a desert. I reckon that’s all for you, Simmons. And you can tell your boss that Kane Lawler says he can go to hell.” He wheeled, crossed the floor, went out -of the room and left the door open behind him. Simmons could hear his step on the stairs. Then Simmons sat down again, drew a big red bandanna handkerchief from a hip pocket and wiped some big beads of perspiration from his forehead. He was breathing fast, and his face was mottled with purple spots. He got up, ran to a side window, and watched Lawler until the latter vanished behind a building on the street, opposite Gary Warden’s office. . Again Simmons mopped his brow. And now he drew a breath of relief. “Whew!” he said, aloud; ‘I’m glad that’s over. I’ve been dreadin’ it. He’s the only one in the whole bunch that I was afraid of. An’ he’s wise. There ’ll be hell in this section, now—pure, unadulterated hell, an’ no mistake!” (To be continued NEXT WEEK.) DOOLK