Cowboy Short Stories, November 1939 — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

92 COWBOY SHORT STORIES who would not have hesitated to leave ‘most anywhere about, simply “Aw, just keep an eye on the stuff,” he said. ‘““That’s all. Oh, a-course, if anybody would show up—well, you know.” “I know, suh,” said the Jinx. “A man of my reco’d.” As they went into the saddles Ed Jessen whispered in Lew’s ear: ‘Sure there ain’t a loaded firearm about? He might do sumpthin’ at that.” Lew shook his head, chuckling all over. ‘Nothin’ but the camp shotgun, Ed. I drew the shot from its shells ten minutes ago. Now for the performance.” The riders rode across the close rim of hills, circled and moved back. Mounts were left in a gulch behind, so that no whinny would betray them. Only Mark Larkin re- mained mounted. He had bortowed an extra six-gun, stuck in his belt. He had traded hats with one of the boys and chaps with another. He rode a fresh horse from the cavvy. And after half an hour the hard-visaged Larkin, with a bandana drawn uP to the bridge of his nose, rode back alone across the rim of hills. The boys had grandstand seats behind stunted sage, hillocks and boulders. Larkin chased the skinny Jinx, apron mepping, twice around the cook wagon. He fired the round of one of his guns into the air, with staccato detonation. He had the Jinx on his knees for a while. Then Larkin commanded Lew Springer’s saddlebags, took wheeled the fast horse he tode and in a swirl of dust crossed the mesa and dropped into the next gulch beyond. The A-Bar-1 finally scattered back to their horses, met in the gulch behind the hills and talked it over. Was it two times or three that Larkin had chased the Jinx around the wagon? And prayin’ on his bended knees—the forgotten sheriff of Pecos County, in its wildest days! It was a never- to-be-forgotten show, a sporting event. Then everybody mounted, the happy-go-lucky Lew Springer in the lead, and rode back to camp. Somewhat to everyone’s surprise the Jinx bent over his fire, stirring pots as usual. Before anybody said anything, he called: “Grub pile!’ The boys fell into line. The grub was as good as usual. They ate, squatted about on the ground, looking at each other. They had expected the Jinx to be frothing at the mouth, with the excitement. But he wasn't. So everybody held their choicest comments, them, waiting for Lew to bring up mention of the money the Jinx was keeping for him. They finished eating. When Lew Springer stood up, however, he didn’t say anything to the Jinx, but he said rather crisply to the cavvy tender: “Bring in them hosses again!” "What — what's up?” asked Ed Jessen after a minute. “Larkin was going to head up with us overt there in the gulch,’”’ said Lew. “He didn’t. Neither have I seen him anywhere about on the mesa. It’s been close to an hour. Yeah, I reckon you boys better sad- dle, too.” They found that Larkin’s trail made no attempt to circle back, but hit straight south as fast as one of the best A-Bar-1 horses would carry him. This was the first beef- ride the Old Man had ever trusted Lew to manage, and Lew could see how he was going to hate facing the Old Man now. The riders split. T WAS late when they began to straggle back into "Dobe Flat by twos and threes. The skinny form of the Jinx, hunched over his fire of embers, waited for them. He had coffee ready and big warmed-over bis- cuits. Riders helped themselves and stood about in the shadows. They were silent. Midnight passed before Lew and Ed Jes- sen, the last, rode in. But behind them these two brought a led horse and rider. The rider was Larkin. “We found him down at ’Sote Well,’ explained Lew. - “But the saddlebags were empty.” Men, standing about in the shadows, be- gan to mutter softly. “On my word!” the hard-eyed Larkin pleaded. “There was nothin’ in them bags. I turned ’em inside out. I tell you there was nothin’, Y’see, I’d sort of figured to play a joke on all you boys, ride off down there and give you all a scare.” “No,” said Lew. ‘“You rode too far. Some miles too far, Larkin.” . ? “There couldn’t a-been nothin’ in them bags when I took ’em,” Larkin protested dully. “I’m tellin’ you straight. Yeah, if you want the rest of it, I didn’t have no intention of stoppin’ at ’Sote Wells. I rode that far before I discovered ‘em empty. Now, you got the truth. There was nothin’ in them bags! You won't believe me, but I'm tellin’ you the Jinx took that money before I got the bags. That’s the only thing GOMIGIOO S (C@