2 Gun Western, May 1957 — page 70: what you’re looking at

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

70 . 2-GUN WESTERN full in the face with a heavy fist. “Damn you!” Brannon yelled, as the boy dropped. He brought up his gun and slapped a bullet past Du- pree’s ear. At that, nerves cracked. Either Yance and Keno let loose with a slug at Del. Immediately, Lee Kirk was away from his window and sprinting the rest of the distance toward the open door. When he got to it. Brannon was down on one knee, triggering at Du- pree; left arm hanging limp with blood soaking red into the shoulder of his shirt. The outlaw chief, over against the desk, was firing back. Keno was down, but Yance was add- ing his own lead to his boss’s. “Del!” shouted Kirk, from the door. “Give me my gun!” RANNON glanced over, saw him 7 there. Stared in astonishment. But then he was throwing the weapon he had been firing, flipping it end over end. The deputy caught it. And Del was dragging out the other gun. Together, they took up the fight. The gun Del had given him was hot in Kirk's hand, and half empty al- ready. Even as he began to go easy with his bullets. Lead from Brannon’s gun put Yance on the floor, screaming. Next moment Del was slammed backward with the gun dropping from his hand. Mouth a grim line, then, Kirk brought his sixshooter around at Dupree, saw the savage look on the outlaw’s face. He emptied his gun at the cruel vis- age. | Then there was silence. Silence, ex- cept for yells outside in the night; It had all happened so quickly that by the time Cowley could get to the door of the office, wrench it open, and come tumbling in with the bank guards at his heels, the battle was over. In the confusion that followed, Kirk got to Del; saw that the blow that had knocked him out wasn’t a bad one. But then he looked up and ‘saw Jimmy standing near him, obliv- ious of a bloody nose, Just standing there looking miserably at his brother. something in his look gave Kirk an impulse. He heard himself saying, “Aren’t you proud of Del, Jimmy? He and I cooked up this plan to cap- ture Dupree and his gang, by making "em think he’d joined up....” Now, why had he said that? It was such a feeble lie, and Jimmy was bound to learn the truth. Right now, though, the kid’s face had lost its solemn look and was beaming. “Gee!” he murmured. “Larry and me, we had us a plan, too. We got his dad’s revol- ver and the key to the office door, and we was waitin’ in here all even- ing for them guys to show up. We figured on gettin’ the money so Del could buy our spread back from Larry’s pa!” Kirk tried to think then of words that could tell Jimmy what he thought of a pair of kids who would do a brave, foolish thing like that. But he didn’t get them out for the voice of Ward Shipton interrupted. He turned, looked up from where he kneeled at Brannon’s side, to find the banker with the unconscious form of Larry in his arms. “How’s your boy?” asked. , The old man nodded, “He'll be all right. I guess I made a mistake, Kirk. Just now I found my key and my old six-shooter missing, and knew these boys were up to something; so I hur- ried over—and got here in time to see you and Brannon clean up Dupree’s gang. I’ll never forget the sight of Dupree clubbing my son, and I’ll al- ways be grateful to the men who evened the score with him, That— that means even more to me than keeping the bank from being robbed!” the deputy fi was a softness in Shipton’s eyes, now, that no one had ever seen there before. And the bewilded look of a man whose values have shifted with a starting suddenness. “I’m willing to make amends to Del Brannon,” he went on. “I’m with- drawing the charges. against him; and if he wants to get back his ranch by paying the mortgage with the reward money, I’m agreeable.” | He looked around, saw the stares the men in that little office were giv- ing him. Saw the puzzled face of Sheriff Cowley. Grinned wryly. “O.K.,” he said. “Rub it in! While (2 -Comichooks.eom \ od