2 Gun Western, May 1957 — page 44: what you’re looking at

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

4 44 first thing how he was still planning to get even with Simpson.” A faint hope came back to us. “Does Simpson know?” I asked. - “He knows,—and is scared,” Tow answered, and a slight upward wrin- kle appeared at the corners of his mouth. “So what do we do?” Mr. Avery asked impatiently. “Wait,” Tow answered evenly. “Wait and watch Simpson suffer.” We were eating lunch when Simp- s0n made a surprise visit. “Sheriff, there must be something you can do, ” he started out haughtily and stood over us, “I can eat and that’s what I’m doing,” Tow answered not looking up from his plate. “If that’s all you can do I can call in the marshal and then see if some- body with more gumption can’t be found to take your place,’ Simpson threatened. The sheriff merely kept nodding his head, then finally he looked up. “What reason you got sending for a marshal? ’Cause somebody threat- ened somebody’s life?” Tow waved his hand about the room. “There isn’t @ man here that hasn’t made the same threat. The marshal wouldn’t like to ride eighty miles over here just to find out someone made a threat.” “Dante’s a killer!’ Simpson pound- ed his fist on the table for emphasis. “A killer!” “The only thing he’s killed so far, is animals,” Tow put in quietly. Simpson almost turned a deep pur- ple. He slowly let out his breath and bent a finger at Tow. “T’ll tear you down, Tow. You have a badge on your vest and you'd better use it. You forget,—I know the law,—I know what your job includes. If anything happens to me, I'll have your skin.” “That goes for each of you. Look at you! Barbarians, come to see the killing! You’d all let Dante kill me, turn your backs.” His eyes grew larger and he waved his arms about. “I’ve seen your types, —I’m not afraid of you or this town. You live on your little plots of earth content to munch on your vegetables _ 2-GUN WESTERN and watch civilization march past you. ee VE TRIED my best to make this town big—big as you've never dreamed it possible. You don’t have the imagination to plan for the future. You don’t know what’s good for you. You don’t want progress, enlightment. You only want to see me murdered! “But you won't. No siree, you won't. Dante’s a foolish boy. He had a chance to learn a lesson but he’s come back, encouraged by all of you, —a hero. You think he’s going to kill me. Well! You can tell your friend that I’ll be ready for him —in fact I'll be ready for any of you,” and he glared around the group, his anger settling on Sheriff Tow. Turning his back on us he marched pompously through the doors and back to his office. “Why that—” one of the men said, rising from his chair, “Sit down,’ Tow ordered sharply, picking up his knife to slice his steak. “Simpson has delivered his oration, Give him an hour, then we’ll see how he speaks.” He put the cube of meat in his mouth and chewed. After a while I got rid of the stunned feeling and be- gan aiso to finish my lunch. After hearing so much about Dante I was anxious to see what he looked like. Everybody agreed on things he did, his characteristics and such things, but when it came to describ- ing him, each one had his own idea. Slight, the way a mountain lion is in the spring, Sheriff Tow told me. Wears his hat always pushed way back,—shows his curly hair. Has a reckless way about him that goes with his smile, real quick like. “Tall, nice build,” Mr. Avery said when I asked him, “The type you’d see in those catalogues fashioning the new clothes. Loud at times but always smiling, Proud face, never a whisker on his chin. Handsome devil was Dante.” “Wouldn’t have given him a second look,” McRoberts added, “except for the way he carried himself. Not the handsomest cowpoke around, but the most sought after. Only natural Julie and he would marry,” micboolksaco