Fifteen Western Tales, March 1954 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

—_- = a Lt at ae & Y ae ee ee et oe eh Se =i © te re rs Sfp SRR ae Pe Ea ee TE ee SS dtr Lee teens a: : Ks = ~*~ . GUNMAN’S WAY z | 23 was the first to learn what Pardee was do- ing in Singletree. At the same time, Ed began to suspect what had brought the man to the quiet little Panhandle cowtown. The dance at Stacy’s barn seldom got started until Ed Gilcher arrived, and this wasn’t altogether out of respect to Ed, even though he was Singletree’s most influen- tial citizen. But the rancher usually escort- ed his daughter to the dance, and nobody risked selecting a partner until he’d ex- hausted his chances with Marie Gilcher. While the fidiles were warming up in- side and the women were fussing around a table piled high with sandwiches, most of the cowhands and town loafers were loung- ing around outside the doorway smoking and passing an occasional bottle of whis- key. Dale Pardee stood among them, yet apart {rom them, talking little while he ran his sky-blue eyes frequently down the dusty street toward the open range. Soon somebody said, “Here comes Gil- ‘cher’s rig now.” Pardee threw down his cigarette and ran his thumbs along his sag-. ging gunbelt as though he were trying to steady a quivering stomach. Talk died among the cowhands as Gil- cher halted his prancing blacks in front of the barn, handed the reins to a waiting hos- tler, and then reached up a thick hand for the slende blonde girl with him. There was a rustle of crinoline and white silk as Marie Gilcher swung lightly to the ground. Her golden hair gleamed like a star which had suddenly fallen among them. The rancher waved the men aside, tucked Marie’s arm beneath his own and prepared to make his grand entrance. And then Marie Gilcher saw Dale Par- dee. He had not moved out with the oth- ers: He had merely taken one step to the right so that the light from the lanterns in- side could strike his face. A deep-throated gasp of wonder and surprise came from Marie, and suddenly she had pulled away from her father’s arm, leaving him stand- ing open-mouthed. After reaching him, she seemed at a loss for words and somewhat embarrassed by her impulsiveness. She grasped Pardee’s hand silently and smiled into his face. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, ma’am. I took your advice and I—”’ Pardee’s words broke off as Ed Gilcher loomed before him, Gilcher eased -Marie toward him and waited for an explanation. For a moment Marie’s wide gray. eyes expressed her doubts. Then she said, “‘Fa- ther, this is Dale Pardee. I met him last summer while I was visiting Aunt Martha in FE] Paso.” . Gilcher’s face turned the color of scorched leather, as he moved in front of his daugh- ter. “You're not Pardee the gunny, are you mister ?’’ His usual booming voice was a threatening whisper. Pardee’s black brush jacket swelled with his sharp intake of breath and he tugged irritably at the wide brim of his black hat. “Not a gunny, Gilcher. A _— trouble-— shooter for the Southern Pacific and a guard on some gold shipments where I had to shoot fast to keep the vultures from picking the bones of HOE, hard-working folks I respect.” “eae pa brand you want on it,” Gilcher sapped, “and you still ain’t the kind of man I want my daughter sashaying around with.” “After I met Make I didn’t want to be that kind any more either,’’ Pardee added mildly. “I hired out my gun because it got me a hundred a. month. Punching cows used to get me forty. I never could have saved enough money to buy my own place that way.” . . A scornful grin broke through Ed Gil- cher’s tight mouth. “So now you're a cow- man ?”’ . Pardee nodded. “I bought the old Double O place on Kildeer Creek.” Telling Ed Gilcher this was like belting him in the belly when he wasn’t looking. — _ He raised a knotted fist toward Dale Par- - COpMiclrool KS)