Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 1, 1922 — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

THE GUN-FANNER. had been listening to Hazen’s orations with a peculiar bewilderment. It was a dried- up runt of a man with a low forehead, a big jaw, and one red eye. ‘This visitor, the barkeep of the Jackdog back in Red Town, had heard the appalling news that his friend, Cal Triggers, had been caught, and that his punishment for horse stealing was left entirely in the hands of a woman! Jo, the barkeep, whose knowledge of women was confined to a very limited sort, Was aghast at this news. He had taken the mail coach for Mesquite without fur- ther ado, and, ascertaining that his unfor- tunate friend had been deposited, helpless, in the Gold Dust rooming house, he had entered the saloon below to ascertain just how the land lay. A few minutes later he sneaked upstairs and knocked at the door of Cal’s room. While he waited for a response his mind worked rapidly, studying the exits — the windows, staircase, and doors—of the hall in which he found himself. If Cal were alone, his escape might be effected. If he were under guard, little Jo had recourse to a six-gun. -Perhaps the guard could be taken unawares and held up. But it was Jo himself who was taken un- awares. To his dismay the person who opened the door was no other than Nan Harvess herself. Nan was at first startled at the appear- ance of this ugly little man, and then amused. ‘“ You can’s come into see him now,” she said in answer to Jo’s question. “The doctor’s in there.” Jo ran his one eye across the girl’s face, a flushed piquant face—at the brown eyes, the red hair, and at the apron she had donned. Then he glanced sharply at the little scene behind her shoulder. If there was only the old white-haired doctor to deal with, Jo felt the situation was simple enough. ‘“ Please, ma’am,” he stammered. “ I’d like for to speak to you a minute. It’s about me friend in there. They tell me as how you got him prisoner, and I want for to say, ma’am, that he don’t deserve too big a punishment. You don’t know him, ma’am, like I do. He ain’t a real gunman —that is, he’s a gunman all right—but not 941 a road agent. By that I mean he never held up nobody and he never committed no murders. The fights he got in was all fights for to help some one who was in trouble— and when I say trouble, I mean mostly womenfolk—”’ “T believe all that,” the girl interrupted. “‘ Cal Triggers doesn’t need any one to ex- cuse him.” “Yes, but afore you go condemning him, ma’am, I want for you to have the facts. Sure, I know he’s done a little ungentle- manly killin’, but no jury ever blamed him: one fight was in protectin’ his horse from a Mex. Surely you can’t blame a man for shootin’ a Mex. Just bein’ a Mex is enough of a crime—let alone killing’ a horse!” “No, I can’t.blame him. But I must go, now.” ‘“‘ Just a minute, ma’am. Let me finish. Another fight was for to protect a woman from a ornery husband. And the other was to save a lady that was bein’ attackted, and when I say a lady—” “And those are the crimes that have given him the name of gunfighter?” the girl asked spiritedly. “‘ Exactly, ma’am, and therefore—”’ _“ Whoever you are,” the girl interrupted, “IT am glad you’ve told me this, and I be- lieve it. And if you want to see Cal Trig- gers, I’ll try to help you. But remember this. I knew all these things you are telling me—these ‘facts’ as you call them. I knew them without their being told as facts, because—well, because I’ve seen Cal Trig- gers ride a horse, I’ve seen him fight, I’ve seen him break a stampede.” She went into the room, and while she was gone the little barkeep stood baffled, perplexed, and twirling his dusty derby at the end of a crooked forefinger. ‘‘‘ She knew it by seein’ him fight!’ ” he said to himself, stupefied. ‘‘ Can you beat that! Seein’ him break a stampede! Now how the hell could a woman know anything about a man’s past just watchin’ him break a stampede. Damned if I wouldn’t give a million dollars to find some woman that ain’t downright crazy!” Nan’s return interrupted his soliloquy. “The doctor is going,” she said. ‘ You can come in—but just for a few minutes.” comicloool C©