Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

40 hides. Let’s do it like Smoo Taurog would do it—not givin’ the hell-bender a chanst.”’ Having been broken by Quade at the Tumbling L, Trilles was put to the humil- lating necessity of borrowing a revolver from the proprietor. Then the latter, accord-. ing to little Trilles’s directions, posted a gunman at every exit of the place, includ- ing the saloon exit and all the windows. “Tf that gent tries to get out you're at liberty to plug him!” Trilles explained. “ Taurog and me will fix it up with the sheriff.” The negroes were ordered to bang away with their mandolins and cornets. And as soon as a normal atmosphere could be re- stored Trilles suggested that the proprietor accost ‘the stranger with words of greeting. But the atmosphere remained tense and ominous. The music was lame because the musicians wanted to see what was going to happen. They preferred to be the first to reach the exits in case of gun-shooting. And of course there was no dancing nor even pretense at dancing. The girls, with their partners, who were mostly brand-blot- ters and half-breeds, were eager to see how Jug Trilles and Juan Scaly would handle the stranger. Dancing, gambling, drinking, and squabbling stopped dead, as the pro- prietor, whose name was Jude Silent, ap- proached the table where Jim Quade sat. Jude was a huge, beefy man with silver hair, double chin and wagging cigar. “ Evenin’, stranger,” he said, sliding his hands comfortably between his belt and his fat stomach. “ I’d admire for to know you. I’m the owner of this here joint—the ‘ Dead Cow,’ they call it.” Quade leaned forward, placing his arms on the wet, suddy table, looked at the new- comer with a smile, and remarked: ‘‘ May- be you’d like to know my name?”’ “No, no, not by no means,” the big man objected. ‘“ We never ax names in these parts. It’s considered all-powerful imper- lite. Why, damme, pard, if I should so much as ax you who you was, you know what I’d expect?” ‘No; what?” , “Why, I’d expect you to draw on me and pot me! Like as if your business was hair-brandin’.”’ affirmed solemnly. -ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Tm not a cattle-rustler,” the visitor re- joined calmly. “And my name is Jim Quade. I used to live on this range ten years ago with my brother and my grand- mother. My brother got killed by a bunch of the very sort of men you mention—the sort who cannot tell their names or their brands.”’ ‘Dam’ if I don’t remember something of that sort,” the saloon-owner remarked, proffering a cigar. ‘‘ Quade was the name of a young cattleman—a good gunman, too, as I remember—and a bird what everybody was afraid of good and plenty.” He looked at Jim. “ So you’re his brother—eh?”’ “‘Sterry Quade’s brother,” Jim said. “And I’ve since found out the man who killed him was Smoo Taurog, who seems to run this county.” “Yes, he runs this county—thar ain’t no one who'll pick a quarrel with you for ‘making that thar statement,” Jude Silent ‘“ Runs it with his fist, not his gat. Thar ain’t a man ever showed up yet what ‘Il buck Smoo Taurog’s rule except, as I understand, a rancher up to- ward Mule City—the Tumbling L. He bucked him— and a two-gun gentleman helped him out!” “‘T was the man that helped him out,” Quade said. | “ Hell’s: fire! ‘You don’t mean to tell me—it was you that did the trick! Well, your fame’s come before you, pard, so to speak, and I’m axing you to have a drink on the house.” “One other thing you may want to know,” Jim said. ‘I was told that Smoo Taurog hangs out here whenever he comes to Lava. I’ve come to meet him to-night. I want to tell him he’s the man that killed Sterry Quade.” - Jude Silent had no direct repartee for this declaration. The words were too seri- ous in their import to be turned off with banter. He thought for a moment; even furrowing his fat, red brow. “Yes, you’re right,” he “nally said. ‘*Smoo does hang out here. If you want to meet him—that’s none of my business. You can meet him here if you have a mind to. He’s liable to show up in a little while. What do you say to waiting—having a few comiclboooks C©