2 Gun Western, May 1957 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

THANKS TO THE PARTY LINE by STEPHEN PAYNE ANCE CONDON, all five-feet- eleven of his lithe, whipstock body, was feeling great this summer evening. Two rainbow trout were crisping in his skillet atop his stove, his coffee pot steamed optimis- tically, and a batch of biscuits had begun browning in the oven—Supper She planned to raise cattle and learn to ride like a cowgirl. What’s more, she was buying the place ¢' Lance wanted. And expect- ing him to help her get it going. But by far the worse part was, all of this woman- dodging cowboy’s neigh- bors abready knew about it. Mla ‘for'-a lone but exuberant cowboy who'd just made final proof on his homestead and had pending two deals which might easily promote him to the enviable status of small cowman. His wall telephone broke into his pleasant reflections. He stepped briskly to it, “Hello,” jovially. “Lance Sad 1] speaking... Who is this? Who?... Blanche Newton!” He had expected the familiar voice of one of his neighbors on the ten- party line, but this voice was strang@ Condon was a jack-of-all- trades and she needed a man around the ranch. —and sweetly feminine enough to ~ pause to a woman-dodging cow- y- “What are you saying, Miss New- ton?... You have come here with your Aunt Kate and have bought the old D K Ranch? Now wait a minute. You can’t... No, no, I didn’t mean to be unfriendly! You just—well, sort of surprised me, that’s all.” But it wasn’t all. In another couple of days Lance had counted on that D K Ranch being his. He had thought the deal with Ed Smithers, CoOmicaoo nn <SEIGO inn