Pulp Fiction, 1934 · page 116 of 148
Western Story Magazine, May 12, 1934 — page 116: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page 114 of Street & Smith's Western Story Magazine This page contains story prose from a Western pulp fiction narrative. The text depicts a tense scene where Tyson and Jerry search a woman's house for someone named Virlee, who has apparently left town. A tall, thin man appears at a locked bedroom door and allows them to search, explaining that his sister (the agitated woman) is disturbed by Virlee's sudden departure. Jerry observes the man is capable of fawning and learns he is a "trailer" (tracker). The chapter concludes with Mrs. Virlee running through the hall while the trailer pursues her to calm her down. The scene emphasizes conflict, suspicion, and emotional distress among the characters.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
114 - Street & Smith’s the open door, Jerry saw several others start for the corner of the house. ._He knew they were going to the rear of the house, to make sure that Virlee did not slide through the rear door. The dark woman let Tyson and the others take three steps toward her. Then she stepped back and slammed the door. They could hear her running away from it. Jerry and Tyson ran and threw open the door. Down a hall another door was slammed. When they reached it, it was locked. ‘“Ma’am,” said Tyson in a wrung voice, “please open the door. I wouldn’t hurt you for anything. I gotta see if Virlee is in there. Ma’am, I just gotta get Virlee to- night. I’m goin’ to kill him, ma’am. I gotta do it.” “Get away from that door!” the woman cried. “This is my room. You can’t come in here.” “I gotta, ma’am. I gotta see if Virlee is there.” “You can’t come in! I got a gun. Tl shoot you. I got a right to shoot you.” - Tyson stepped back to the far wall. As he was about to throw himself against the door, the key clicked. Tyson held himself, crouch- ing against the wall. The door was opened, and a man stood in the doorway. “Why don’t you do somethin’?” the woman, in the room, demanded. “TI can’t fight a dozen men,” this man said. “Whatcha want, boys?” “Stand aside an’ lemmer go in,” Tyson said. The man stood aside. His gun in his hand, Tyson advanced into the room. He searched it but failed to find Virlee. Jerry thought that dark woman must have attacks of hysteria. As Tyson searched, she eontinued to assert that he could Western Story Magazine not prow! through her house, that he could not: search her room. “My sister is kinda disturbed be- cause Virlee has left town,” the man explained. Jerry, leaning back against the wall, had been studying him. He was very tall, very thin. In his darkness he somewhat resembled the woman. And he was capable of fawning. He looked at Jerry and smiled, showing those white teeth which very dark persons usually have. “It’s a fac’ that Virlee is outta town,” he said. “He come home in a hurry before daylight an’ said he hadda go away. He didn’t explain. He—— “No, he didn’t explain,” the woman broke in. “He never ex- plains nothin’ to me no more. Time was when he tol’ me everything. He's left me. That’s what he’s done, an’ now you fellas come bustin’ inta my house.” Jerry saw that her excitement, her opposition, had been caused by anger and grief. A _ hot-headed woman, she had to vent her anger on some one. “You a puncher?” Jerry asked the man. “No, I’m a trailer.” “You can trail along with us,” Jerry said coldly. CHAPTER XI. PERSUASION. RS. VIRLEE darted sak the men into the hall. Screaming, she ran down it. Jerry did not know what to do. The trailer did. He had seemed little worried by Jerry’s statement. “Lemme get her,” he said. “Tl quiet her.” He pursued the woman and caught her in the front.reom.. He...