2-Gun Western, February 1954 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

fe BUT ONE MAN ALONE MIGHT... by RALEY BRIEN IS LIPS were tight against H his teeth, his chest heaved with deep breathing. He was afraid he would sob, or that tears would stream down his cheeks. Jim Lanwell was young enough to believe that a show of emo- tion was a sign of weakness in a man. He knelt on one side of the figure stretched on the walk, the doctor on the other. Some si- lent townsfolk looked on. Between gasps for breath, Sheriff Tom _ Bor- son whispered, “Get him for me, Jim... for me and the oth- ers...do it Jim...” As the old law- man spoke, his face was twisted with final agony. His thin gray hair stirred on his fore- head as the night breeze swept along the street. A trickle of blood came from the cor- ner of his mouth. “Get—” The final word was expelled on a gust of breath. The sher- iff's head rolled to one side. The doctor looked across the body at Jim Lanwell, around at the others, nodded signifi- cantly, sighed, and got slowly to his feet. One of the bystanders picked up Tom Borson’s hat and placed it with gentle roughness over his face. Jim Lanwell got up slowly also. He looked down at the body, remember- ing how this man, while alive, had spoken and laughed, ae haat is how less than two hours before he had heard him tell an an- ecdote, how he had a trick of scratching his head behind his left ear—things like that. Now he was dead, be- cause two bullets went crashing into his breast. As a sheriff's dep- uty, Jim Lanwell sud- denly, found a_ great official responsibility thrust upon him. In Ce to the official 4 burden, he had a per- sonal duty, for Tom Borson’s daughter, El- la, was Lanwell’s wife. He tried to keep emotion out of his voice as he spoke to a bystander: “Martin, please do me a favor. Have your wife get Mrs. Banley to go He'd begin his harsh tirade, end with the wild screech and sud- den gunfire—and another of the kill- er's promised victims would topple lifeless ... up and out. COMMICLOOOKS (C@