2-Gun Western, February 1954 — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

BADMAN ON marks to make to this august com- pany,’ he stated in stentorian tones. Windy dared sneak back of a wag- on to listen. The Judge was a mighty presence. The flowers that grew on his tongue had a loud perfume. His voice carried like a trumpet. His ges- tures were magnificent. Every now and then he threw back his long hair, which was streaked with gray in dis- tinguished mixture. In magnetic rhetoric he stated all the reasons why he should be elected captain of the wagon train, and the catalog was con- vincing. “For freedom, for fortune, for fame!” the Judge shouted, his hand on his heart and his eyes upward at heaven. The men looked at his dimpling daughter, and with a howl of accla- mation elected him headman. “Judas!” Windy Spouses desolate- ly. “He’s the law again!” T WOULD be all his life was worth now to hang around. But he could not quit the outfit without at least one talk with the girl. Maybe he could stay in the background. The judge might be so engrossed in legis- lating for the welfare of the train that he wouldn’t see Windy. Windy Was just another horse thief to him. But there was the horse. Men didn’t forget horses. The outfit started moving again about two of the afternoon. Evident- ly it had been waiting for the Judge to join up. Windy stayed in the rear, minding the cattle. If it looked like he were in danger, he let a few stray into the sand hills and took off in pursuit of them. Toward night the emigra.ts stopped and made camp. There was still no order for parking the wagons, as Indian country was yet a long way off. In his investiga- tions Windy discovered Fritz Kra- mer’s wagon. What was even more ominous, Kramer discovered Windy’s horse. “Fine brute. How’d you like to swap?” “No swapping.’ Around the campfires Judge Brad- shaw orated, admonishing the travel- ers to organize. “We shall face the common dangers of the great exodus THE BENCH as one brave man!” The people clapped. Somebody started sawing a fiddle while the Judge was still talking. He thundered, “Leave off that infernal thing !” Windy had spotted the Judge’s wagon park, and he sneaked in while the fiddle and vocal cords contended. There was the girl sitting on the wagon tongue, dejectedly, Windy thought. She must have been drawn by the intensity of his gaze, even in the gloom, for she turned and looked squarely into his eyes. For one long moment they exchanged these un- pleasantries. She recognized him. “You! What are you doing here? Go—get out. Don’t you know my fa- ther now would hang you with his own hands? Where’s your horse?” “So it was you.” “Me what?” “Who put the key in the basket, left the horse—” “What key?” She was haughty. “Certainly not. I don’t know what you're talking about.” “Then I can tell you,” and he told her. “All right, now you've told me, get out.” “I still have to thank you.” “No—no thanks, All I want you to do is go.” : But he loitered anyway. He didn’t want to leave her with the idea he Was just a horse thief who was too young to die. Likely she was the soft- hearted kind that would open a steel trap to let a polecat escape. “I’m not a river rat. Just the or- dinary kind. My old man was captain of the river steamboat Fairie Queen—” “I don’t care anything about that.” “It blew up and I decided I’d try my fortunes in Oregon. I bought that horse off a man who said he was a drover—” The Judge was coming, and Windy wound up the conversation.... 7" CARAVAN moved.along day after day. The days were hot and the nights were chill. Windy haunt- ed the outfit discreetly. He knew the girl was watching him; he sus- EOPMICLOOOKS 35 (E@)