Phil Rushington's Search, or, The Unknown Rider of the Ring — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

be * ae eae: es, sir, and then led the horse to the rom . Was : = e--PL ~ a’ dre ressing-room, I don’t Head who took the . td had > an ethat .o + ? a . * ~~ ie . * . PELLET OMI ON : v ; yp ’ « © » Pas rTts PB IP_P ¢ Reddy. a om 7 ; 4 C2 % wv _ nt - ’ . s ‘ ' al p> ‘ : =. from him. there.” "You may not know. it, Curly,” said Rush, “but this is a critical condition of things for ~ you. Unless it can be proved that you acted -in good faith, the period of pou engagement with this show is about up.” “Mr. Rushington,” declared Curly, shaking like a leaf in his excitement, “if you discharge —m me you will be discharging an innocent + man. ae “T would like some proof of that, aside from your simple assurance.” ; “I will try and prove it, sir, if you will only give me a little time.” . “You may have this afternoon, Curly, on the condition that you do not go near Reddy, or speak a word to him.” = “Very good, sir.” — Curly passed out and Rush and Walt fol- lowed him. Near the stable tent, sitting on a bag of oats and puffing at a cob pipe, was He cast an inquiring look at the = ___ groom as the latter brushed past and then = : = . ned his eyes on Rush and Walt. ‘Tt was evident that Reddy had a premoni- } ___ tion of trouble, for he knocked the ashes out : ae of his pipe, slipped the cob affair into his 5 ae 3 “ _ pocket and got up scowling. ‘ , . 1 ‘? ‘a at," ' “fe ae - « Reddy had been so nicknamed from the | A shock of fiery hair that crept low down on his retreating forehead, from a bristling beard of ‘the same color that covered his cheeks and aaa chin, and from the purplish carmine hue of = “his complexion. Report had it that he was a - ___ prize-fighter, a hard citizen generally, and a oor man to be feared. | Walt had always entertained the idea that — fe “they would, some time or other, have a good deal of trouble with Reddy, but so far the fel- low had broken none of the rules of conduct arate Rush had laid down for the eae pe mae are eae va ie i a : us a Rn oe wie A ties with a tough swagger, head bent. and murls y eyes leering out from under their bushy red brows. ae “He’s a pehtiees Rush, zs “Handle him easily and don’t give him an opportunity to stir up any trouble.” “T’ll handle him as he deserves to be han- “muttered Walt. dled,” returned Rush, a resolute gleam in his eyes, “and if he stirs up trouble, he’ll have to take the consequences of it.”’ Thereupon, Rush approached Reddy and they both stopped, the latter looking the young Springvale athlete over with an up and down movement of his shifty eyes. “Reddy,” “T want to know why you tried to run down that boy with the mule team ?” said Rush, with quiet firmness, “Didn't try to run him down. Them mules had the bits between their teeth an’ I couldn do a thing with ’em.” “You can’t talk that to me! way that boy ran, you headed the mules to follow him. What was your object?” “If you’ve been able to guess that much,” sneered Reddy, “‘you can guess the rest.”’ “Why did you tell Curly that Mr. Ark- wright had ordered you to help him ?” “ "Cause Mr. Arkwright did.” “That’s a lie!” cried Walt. Muttering an oath the driver leaped to- ward Walt, but Phil stepped in his way, lay- ing one hand on the breast of his red shirt. “Out o’ my way till I brain that dub!” growled Reddy, huskily. “Stand where you are!”’ commanded Rush. Reddy tried to shake off Phil’s restraining grasp, but the white fingers twined them- selves into the red flannel like so many prongs of steel, and a not a little surprised de either ‘shake, of the “ ba to. find that he. coul ie Whichever - +