2-Gun Western, February 1954 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

10 gasping with pain and frustration. When Jed and the oldster freed her and lifted her to her feet she rubbed her ankles and then her slim, tanned arms, where welts had been raised by her struggles against the ropes. She was a small girl, with brown hair and freckles that were scattered across the bridge of her uptilted nose. Even in- shirt and levis she brought a tightness to Jed’s throat. Now she said, “Darn! After this Ill keep the shotgun handy—and loaded with rusty nails!” She blew a lock of hair from her forehead and looked anxiously toward her grandfather, then turned her soft brown eyes upon Jed. “You helped him,” she said. “I'd be dead this minute,” old Jump said, “if it hadn’t been for him, I'll go fetch that hide, Jed—they throwed it on the ground out there where they found it.” He hmped from the shack. Lucy Tatum slipped her arms about Jed’s neck and kissed him. “Isn’t it about time,” she inquired, “that you got around to asking me to marry you?” “Whoa, girl! All I done was what any neighbor would. I—” “Fiddlesticks. There’s not another man in the basin who'd lift a hand to help somebody else, these days, and you know it. But this isn’t just grat- itude, if that’s what you're think- ing. You haven’t had much time for courting, but you’ve been over here as often as you could, and I’ve no- ticed the way you keep looking at me.” She colored a little. “I—I’ve liked it, Jed. So why wait around?” “I’m broke!” he croaked hoarsely. “So am I. Makes us even, doesn’t it?” Jed still was bogged like a crit ter in quicksand when old Jump re- turned, lugging a hide that still had dirt clinging to it here and there. The brand was Quarter Circle S—Black Jack Sawdey’s burn. Tatum looked at it and scratched his balding head. “How in blazes,’ he said, “did it come to be buried on my place? Min- ute them hombres got Lucy tied and took me outside they went to lookin’ for a place where the ground had been dug, Claimed they’d had word I’d sold beef to some prospectors that’s workin’ the ol’ Twenty Dol- 2-GUN WESTERN lar mine up in Wolf Canyon. I ain’t been near there in years!” “You're going there now,” Jed told him. “We'll track this thing down, and when we find out what Jack’s up to we ll—” “No.” The oldster shook his head vigorously. “Buckin’ that "breed is too big an order. I’ll not have you runnin’ such a risk on my account.” “I’ve already jumped that fence he mentioned,’ Jed pointed out dryly. “And I ain’t of a mind to crawl back under. We’d best start out for that canyon right away.” “You'll have something to eat first,’ Lucy said. She frowned sud- denly at Jed and added, “Say, didn’t I see you gathering some of your cows this morning? You were gone all last week—have you found a buy- er somewhere?” Jed admitted that he had. “They’re building a narrow-gauge railroad over in Grindstone Pass. Seventy miles’: from here, but I made a dicker to supply what beef they’ll need for their crew.” - “Then you better get at it,” old Tatum put in. “I'll help you drive your critters—it’s the least I can do, to pay you back.” “Drive past Black Jack’s place?” Jed asked. “Wouldn’t be healthy for either of us, right now. No, that'll have to wait till we get Jack’s game dragged out in the open.” He looked thoughtfully at Lucy. “She better go with us. With that ’breed cuttin’ loose his meanness ft wouldn’t be safe for her here in the basin.” Old Jump rubbed a_ whiskered cheek. “A sight safer’n that trail we got to ride! When it hits the moun- t’ns it’s plumb scary. She'd best stay here— Jack’s a mean one, but he’s never been the kind to make war on a woman.” “Besides,” Lucy said, “I'll have the scattergun handy every minute.” E TOOK JED and the oldster two days to reach Wolf Canyon. The trail had been rough and dangerous, clinging to the slopes of mountains, following ledges high on the walls of canyons. But here and there along the way there had been horse sign, fairly fresh—and that had brought a cold glint to Jed’s eyes. He had EMOPMICLOOOKS » (E@)