2-Gun Western, February 1954 — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

THE SHERIFF TRIES TWIN SIXES “Queer little cuss,’ commented Stowe, puffing. “Friendly, though.” Burlap was silent the rest of the way to the saloon. There he and Stowe were joined by the Crescent Bar boys, Shorty, Curly and Cactus. Ted Trowbridge caught up with them as they were mounting the steps. “Figured all of us ought to hear th’ readin’,” Burlap explained to the sheriff. “Seein’ as how we want to help yuh as much as we can.” They all filed quietly into the Princess’ place. The young woman herself came from the inner room a moment later, adjusting her veiled head-dress. HE BLUE eyes lit up through the tin gauze. “Ah! The ‘and- some punchers. And the brave sher- iff! You wish some more truths from the crystal, my friends?” Burlap was staring at her intently. “Princess,” he said softly, “we want the lowdown on them holdups. Stowe here’s up a tree, the whole town’s sore. Can’t yuh kinda look inta that little ball and tell us who’s behind things?” The Princess gave a tinkling laugh. “But of course. The crystal knows all. Come in, come in. I will do my best to help you.” They drew up chairs in the cur- tained room, about the Princess and her crystal ball. Curly Blair and the rest handed over their five dollar bills eagerly. Outwardly, they showed that it was getting the bandit that enthused them so. Inwardly, their hearts jigged at proximity to this gorgeous creature, Sheriff Bill Stowe was rearranging his sparse crop of red hair. Burlap Bates leaned forward anx- iously in his chair. “Suppose you have the ball show us first,” he said slowly, “the man Raine. Have it show how Aces, the grinning skunk, got information from the gents in Piute, so he could tell a certain ball-gazer and she could make it look like the real McCoy. Show us how this Aces Raine, if that’s his real handle, wasn’t satisfied with gyppin’ the town, and took to hijackin’. Yuh might show too, how this certain for- _ tune-teller took a lawman for a ride, 75 fooled him up complete.” Princess Zaza’s slim hand was shaking on the glass ball. “I—I don’t understand. What you mean when you say—” : “Bates!” jawed Sheriff Bill Stowe, scowling. “You out your head?” , Burlap kept his gaze on the Prin- cess. His usually pleasant face had a peculiar stony set. “Reckon not, Bill,” he said easily. “Princess, I hate like hell tuh do this to a lady, but I guess I just gotta.” With an abrupt, deft flick of his right hand, the puncher snatched at the fortune teller’s headpiece, gave it a yank that would have uprooted a mesquite stump. The headdress ripped off, and with the blonde hair, every strand of it. Where the hair had been, glistened the smooth sphere of a definitely bald head. Princess Zaza was a man! “Aces Raine!” yelled Shorty Dix- on, staring. Burlap Bates grunted. “Reckoned as much, but wasn’t shore. Y’see gents, I figured somethin’ was fishy, them holdups, the Princess and Aces all comin’ to town about the same time. I thought Aces was too damn chummy, so I felt him out. Give him doped up information about myself, then heard Princess read it back to me later through the crystal. That proved Raine and the Princess was in cahoots. : “But I got a funny idea that may- be they was one and the same gent. Yuh mind the first time we come here, how the Princess closed her lap when the money dropped? Well, a real gal wouldn’t of did that. She’d of spread her legs, tightened her skirt to catch it, That really got me to thinkin’.” Princess Zaza, alias Aces Raine, crouched frozenly by the crystal ball. The little fellow’s smooth face was creased in an ugly grimace, tapered fingers clawing nervously. Suddenly, from beneath his oriental costume, he drew a .38 revolver. Leveled it on the punchers and Jawman before him. “Okay, suckers!” he snarled. “You know everything. But don’t get the idea it’s gonna do you any good. You (please turn to page 94) EOPMICLOOOKS (E@