2-Gun Western, November 1955 — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

90 was palming a gun, leveling it at the sprawling lawman! = The gun spoke but Webb had saved his old friend’s life. His ear-splitting shout had disconcerted Jervis just as the man’s finger squeezed the trigger and Shane had lifted his head to listen. The bullet that would have buried itself in the lawman’s brain grazed his head and Shane sank for- ward unconscious. Then Tate Jervis raised panic- stricken eyes, glimpsed the two on the crest of the canyon. With a hoarse bellow of rage and fear, Jervis fired at them even as he hurled words at the driver and the shot-gun guard. “Gun them two!” he beilowed. “They saw me shoot Shane!” Webb was charging downward, Bert-beside him. There was a lot the oldster couldn’t understand about the thing he had. witnessed but certain facts. were obvious enough. One was that Tate Jervis had tried to kill An- vil Shane. And the guard and driver were involved too. All three were plainly bent on killing the witnesses for bullets buzzed about the Freemans as they dodged and twisted. Webb wasted no time wondering about the deal. His gun was answer- ing the challenge of those below and then he rememebered Bert was un- armed. Snatching the extra weapon from his belt, he passed it over word- lessly and both went into action. The guard with his scattergun was the deadliest menace as they came into close range and Webb broke the man in the middle with a snap shot. But Jervis had truly hand-picked his driver and Jervis himself was no slouch with a six. Both were spray- ing lead that was finding marks and Webb cursed as his thigh flamed with agony. But Bert was shooting now and Webb’s eyes snapped wide as he saw the deadly efficiency of his foster son, Bert’s gun bucked once, a care- less shot apparently, and the driver reared upward, sprawled head fore- most to the road. It was miraculous shooting and suddenly Webb under- stood its meaning. This was Bert’s heritage! Whatever else the boy had or hadn’t gotten from Wild Bill Leatherby, his was the same deadly hand as his owlhoot sire’s. 2-GUN WESTERN ES BERT crumpled. Whiie he had been gunning the driver Tate Jervis had utilized the moment to aim at the boy. The bullet had struck Bert in the leg. With a fierce yell of rage, Webb brought up his own gun, eared back the hammer and Tate Jervis was slammed against the stage to slip lifeless to the ground. Bloody and disheveled, Webb Free- man stood panting. His oldest friend still lay silently beside the spring bu% though his heart went out to Anvil Shane, it was Bert that he turned to. Wincing with pain, Webb kneeled, gathered the boy in his arms and something clogged the _ oldster’s throat when he spoke. “J don’t savvy this set-up a-tall,” Webb said. “But I do savvy yore gun saved my bacon today, son...” A bullet had furrowed Bert’s scalp and the boy grinned through a bloody mask. “There’s things I was gonna say before the fireworks started, Dad,” he said. “Maybe they’ll help you Savvy. You see, I’ve been trailin’ the Jumpin’ Jack for weeks. I fig- gered that five thousand reward would come in mighty handy out our way. When you told me about the gun-trap set for today, I figgered it was my last chance. Either I got the. bandit before he stepped into the. trap—or not at all. So I rode out ‘here to lay for him...” “But Jervis tried tuh shoot Anvil,” Webb muttered in bewilderment and then the light of truth dawned upon him. “I savvy,” he ejaculated. “Jervis was the Jumping Jack! Shore enough! When Anvil figgered on checkin’ on the gents workin’ for Western Overland, Tate got wortied seein’ as Anvil was gettin’ close to the truth. So Tate talked Anvil intuh takin’ this ride along with him and -these other two jaspers who must ‘a’ been helpin’ Tate all along. Tate probably figgered on gettin’ rid of Anvil and grabbing this gold ship- ment at the same time. Afterwards they'd ’a’ reported that the Jumpin’ Jack had did the job!” “It all fits,” Bert ruminated slowly. “T found a black mask near the West- ern Overland office but I didn’t savvy at the time.” His grin broadened. “And you found the mask out in the barn. Reckon I can savvy how things (cont'd on last page) Ehoo S (CO) A Gomi