15 Western Short Stories — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

54 brothers decided to backshoot you lat- er on. You’re gonna dig that document up. It admits the whole deal. If you don't dig it up before we talk to the Rangers, then I’m gonna shoot your teeth right back through your ton- siis.’ He gestured with the gun. “Move on down the hill, the whole lot of you. We'll leave the dynamite where it is, in case the Rangers want to see for themselves.” He grinned wickedly at the surveyor. “I could hear right through my snores this mornin’,” They moved, bleeding all over the landscape even after Audrey applied crude bandages with their shirts. IT WAS A LASS-ROPE ALL RIGHT blood, the paint he’d daubed on bare skin showed plain. Jean Marie saw, and her tace went white. “But I—I don’t understand,” she whispered. “About his being a rene- gade, yes. But that they should kill him—” “That was a mistake,’ Boone ex- plained. “He evidently aimed to slip into camp and make sure there was plenty of confusion. And thought he could make himself look like one of us by wearing one of our shirts. He found mine—which was his bad luck.” Jean Marie frowned her puzzle-: ment. GOLD BULLETS Matt’s middle, hate and vengeance and desperation in his manner. “So you have gold, eh? Trying to hold out on me?” He moved toward the prospector, eyes staring and un- blinking. Watt TRIED putting the sack behind his back, out of reach. “Give me!” the man commanded through clenched teeth. He reached out and took the sack. He quickly thrust it into a jacket pocket. Durango grinned, “Know me, don't you? Well you ain’t going to talk!” Me pulled the trigger. It clicked. He worled the lever, then pulled the trigger the second time. It still re- fused to fire. He realized that it was empty. tle cursed. He was panicky. He turned around again. Matt Webb was ready for him with a stick he’d picked up. The wood cracked against WESTERN SHORT STORIES Underwood smiled faintly and stuck out his hand. “Come to think of it, you didn’t look quite like a horse thief.” “Come to think of it, I didn’t feel like one.’ Larribee smiled philoso- phically at Audrey. “How’d you like some strawberry shortcake, some evening. Can you imagine the fact of shortcake with ice cream?” “Yes. And I can imagine the ap- pearance of my face, too,” said Larri- bee. “The fact is it'd look mighty con- tented.” they herded the others down the hill ahead of them. @END (cont'd from pg. 43) “IT watched him take the wrong pail when you asked him to fetch that red one,’ Boone went on. “And he hadn’t noticed the stain on that arrow. So I reckon he was color-blind. But he'd heard everybody talk about my red shirt.” Horror came with understanding. “And he told the Indians to be sure and kill the man with the red shirt,” Jean Marie gasped. Feeling so wrought up, she came as close to swooning as a ploneer wom- an could let herself go. That brought _ her into Boone’s arms. His luck was running high. @END (cont'd from pg. 15) the man’s face, It was a stunning blow. Old Matt used his left hand to knock the rifle from the killer’s grip. He gave Durango a hard prod in the stomach. Durango doubled over in pain, then slowly sank to the floor. Matt Webb bent over the groaning killer and reached in the jacket pock- et. He took out the, sack and picked up the fallen rifle. Quickly he untied the leather pouch and took out a hand- ful of cartridges. “This what you were looking for?” he said. “It’s my gold, all right.” Jake Durango couldn’t say any- thing, just stared at him dazedly. “Haven't found a bit of color yet, like I told you,’ Matt said, leveling the now loaded gun at the killer. “But T’ll be two hundred and fifty dollars richer—when I collect the bounty on you!” @END comiicbooks CO