Fifteen Western Tales, March 1954 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

Ca ee DF ae Se 35 ae a ee Bi a a oi Rage ag a - DEATH IS MY BROTHER - PN “2 4 ‘. ee ee Oe Sle dle + ~~ ao, | om oe | OD a Re lg Se ~— vd any ef ee Pee OT ON Te CL RS One BE a OS PT ee og aot 7 ape ee aN<, at ~ing?s 3 ie < > > > « ‘me as the two of them left, Ram drew his gun and held everybody off.” “That’s right, Sheriff.” “I can’t figger it, then. If Ram_ shot Struther with his gun, how come he put it away to holster when he knew he'd have to maybe shoot his way out ?”’ Malloy blinked. ‘‘What have you got in mind, Lionel ?”’ “That maybe Ram borrowed Thacher’s gun to do the killing. Thacher was dead drunk. He was next to his brother. They’s a shot under the table and...’ . ‘“Wait!’’ Malloy shouted. “I think may- be you got somethin’! Right after the shot, Ramsey sort of leaned toward Thacher. He could have been handing him something. It might have ‘been the gun. ‘Cause Thacher had it in his hand when he stood up. He just looked down at it like he didn't know how it got there. Then Ram called him a crazy fool and started to push him to the _batwings.”’ | : McCloud snorted his disbelief. “Ain't you overlookin’ something, you two? How can you be sure Thacher didn’t do the shooting ?”’ “T know that boy,” the sheriff replied angrily. “I don’t care what it looked like —I just know in my bones he’s no killer.” ‘And I’m the witness to back you up, sheriff,’’ Malloy grinned. ‘Because at the sound of the shot, Thacher was squeezin’ his cards three inches away from his chest. He was so drunk, he couldn't see them any farther away than that.”’ ‘Ram killed Struthers,” the sheriff nod- ded. “‘There was never any doubt in my mind of that. And I think the reason Tha- cher went with him was because he thought Ram was helpin’ him to escape. That he. > done the shooting instead of Ram.’ “That makes good sense,” Malloy nod- ded. | “Veah,’”” McCloud admitted slowly. “I guess that poor kid got fooled again by Ram.” “T wonder if Thacher will be fooled long,” the sheriff muttered. “‘He’s no fool. Maybe this will open his eyes.” “I. know something that would,”’ Malloy said. “I wonder if Thacher knows Ram grabbed hold of that two thousand dollar pot as he was backin’ out? Three hundred © of it was mine, too. Just leaned over the table and scooped it up like he’d won it.”’ Sheriff Randle wiped his steaming brow with a flicking motion of his’ fingers. He spoke so quietly the others didn’t hear the - words. ‘“T hope, for Thacher’s sake he don’t find» out about the money—not till we catch up | with them. Ram will kill him if he has to.”’ T WAS almost sundown when the posse came upon the dead horse. Malloy spotted it, off to the left about a mile, and . they rode hard for it, thinking the broth- ers would make their stand there. But there was only the dead animal, already swelling in the slamming sun. They dismounted and stood around it silently. | “IT don’t believe one horse could carry both men—not after three days of no wa- ter,’’ Sheriff Randle said finally. “You think one is walkin’?’’ McCloud said softly. “Hell, maybe we got a chance then, after all. The hills are easy twelve miles away... .” ' “Mount up,” the sheriff ordered crisply? “T was about to think the brothers made it after all. This kind of changes it.” They galloped now, their eyes squinted and searching. “Hurry,” Sheriff Randle yelled. “Un- less you want to chase them through an- other state.” He loosened the guns on his thigh and sighed. /f Ram ts on that last horse, he reflected sourly, we'll only catch up with the wrong brother. Because Ram 1s a coward first and a brother last... . He had long reached the point where he could not go any further. But still, his legs moved and when he fell, his arms pushed his body up again. Time didn’t exist; he measured the life left in kim only by the COMME OXOO| KSC) .