15 Western Short Stories — page 65: what you’re looking at

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

RAW-RED LAW OF THE REBEL LEGION There was a good deal of loud talk and cursing. One of the men said, “Just a sneak thief prowling to see what he could find. That outside door is supposed to be kept locked.” “But he had a key for Rose’s door,” the girl said. —" WERE inside Rose's room, then. Casey palmed his gun, pulled the door open and pressed against the wall behind it. He heard the floorman come along the hall. and look at the outside door. Casey had a bad moment then, when the girl said, “Took into all these rooms, Pete, Me may be hiding up here.” “You yelled so loud you probably scared him so bad he jumped plumb across Cherry Creek.” The floorman stepped into the room, said, “Nobody here,’ and went back along the hall, opening doors and making a hasty search. Casey waited until their steps had died. Then he cautiously looked into the hall, and seeing no one, raced along the wall and ducked into Rose’s room. Casey spent a bad half hour until Rose came, impatience gnawing at him. Red Masters trusted her, or he wouldn't have planted her here as a spy. Casey told himself that maybe it wasn’t time for her shift to be fin- ished, that she couldn’t afford to make Captain Tilton suspicious, but each minute brought its doubts. How could he trust a woman who couldn’t be trusted with his love? Maybe she was double crossing Masters, setting up a gun trap now for Dan Casey. But she came finally, walking un- hurriedly along the hall, opening the door and stepping into the room. She closed the door and stood against it. For a time Casey heard no sound but her breathing. Then she called softly, “Dan.” “LLere.” She came to where he stood beside the window. She was close to him; he could smell the fragrance of her hair, feel an uneasy tension that her presence brought. “I’m glad that you took this job for Masters,” she said, “but I’m sur- prised. You never seem to think of anything but your own problems.” She might as well have slapped him. A lot of right she had to talk—a wom- 65 an who’d said she'd loved him, who had promised to marry him, walking out the way she had! But she’d done it. The fine dreams he'd dreamed would never be anything more than that, just dreams. Meanwhile, there was no knowing what Tilton and Zane Ricker were doing. “All right,” Casey said impatiently. “I’ve got a problem, now of getting out of here.” “But Dan....” ‘What am I supposed to tell Mas- _ters2” Her breath made a long sigh. “Tell him Captain Tilton has been buying up all the percussion caps that are in Denver. He has more than one hun- dred men he can trust. Masters will have to move quickly. The only thing Tilton fears is an order to disarm the civilian population. Unless he’s stopped now before it’s too late....” The door was slammed = open. “Stand where you are.” [t was Zane Ricker, voice trembling with rage. “There’s only one way to treat spies, Rose.” But in his fury the gambler had forgotten that he stood with the hall light to his back, that Casey was in- visible against the wall. “Maybe you'd like to know how we treat traitors,’ Casey grated. “Put up vour hands, Ricker.” The gun in the gambler’s hand thundered his answer, the slug slap- ping into the wall a foot from Casey’s head. Casey fired only once. Ricker gave with the impact of the bullet, grabbed at the door casing and held himself erect by the driving power of his will. The flame of life flickered once, giving him strength to drive an- other bullet. Then his grip loosened and Zane Ricker spilled to the floor. “Go on.” Rose pushed Casey to the door. “Find Masters. Tomorrow may be too late.” “You can't stay.... “ll be all right. Go on. You’ve got to get to Masters.” ASEY RAN out of the room and along the hall to the back door while steps thundered up the stairs. Casey unlocked the door, jerked it open, and plunged through it just as Tilton and half a dozen of his men reached the top of the stairs and 93 oO CoMmicboo S CO