2 Gun Western, May 1957 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

8 ) 2-GUN WESTERN a long way into Indian country too. But he had two shotguns and a pis- tol and he could give a good account of himself to the Indians. Since the settlers had organized into a com- pany of Rangers, the Indians usually went in small parties of six to a doz- en. While the Ranger chased one or even two parties, others scalped and looted... : Jud shoved the bucket of coals into the hay and fanned them with his hat. Almost instantly, the dry leaves of the sorghum flared up and then it was licking upward, crawling in smoke-tipped tongues of flame. Jud wheeled away, and let down the rails of the calf pen and chased the calf out where it charged instantly to its mother and started sucking. Jud trot- _ted back to the house. Lettie was sitting up in bed, her eyes stricken. “Jud, your barn! After all that work building it and filling it with hay! Oh, Jud!” He ran his hand gently over her damp hair, and she grabbed the hand to press it to her face where he could feel the wetness of her tears upon it. “Don’t you worry, honey. There’s plenty more trees to make another one and rich land to grow more sorg- hum. There’s even plenty grass along the branch bottoms to get more winter hay. Not as juicy as sorghum maybe, but plenty good enough. Hol- der will see the fire, and maybe in town too, we'll have plenty help ina few hours. I expect the doc will even come with the men from town.” He grinned at her. “Heck, Lettie, all I'll have to do is just sit right here and and let folks come!” He hoped desperately that she would believe him. There was a chance that he was right of course, but there was the time between—and the Indians and Cugat. Jud spent his time trying to minis- ter to Lettie, make the terrific pains more bearable for Lettie with his fussing about the clearing. He watched the sun sink to the rim of timber in the west with misgivings, and the greasy column of smoke from the burned barn petered to a thin, scattered haze. | He was bathing Lettie’s face with a wet cloth when gobbling cries brought him to his feet, grabbing the shotgun and leaping for the door. “Stay in bed, Lettie,” he ordered. “Sounds like Indians after some- body !” -He could hear the mutter of a hard-running horse and behind that, the greater volume of more hooves. Then through the thin timber ezst- ward he saw the dark flash of black, then the stuck-out head of the Hol- der’s big animal, midnight mane and tail streaming, amid the flapping skirts of Liz Holder. She came thundering through the narrow ruts of the road cleared through the timber, and then, behind her, Jud saw the small, stretched-out ponies of the Indians. Five or six Comanches yelling like mad, banish- ing lance and rifle, hammering their horses after the big black. They’d just jumped her, Jud thought, coming to see about the smoke and. maybe join another party. They couldn’t stay in sight of that black for long... “It’s Liz Holder, Lettie!” he yelled. “Indians after her but they can’t touch that black.” HE HARD-RUNNING horse left the timber and Liz Holder didn’t turn him to follow the road but sent him straight through Jud’s pocket- high cotton, leaves and grown bolls flying from those driving legs. Jud propped the shotgun against the cabin wall and jumped out to meet the big horse as Liz Holder sawed at the reins. Jud leaped for the bits and was lifted bodily before the black came to a rearing halt, eyes rolling. Liz Holder tumbled down, grabbing a carpetbag from the saddlehorn. “Turn him loose, Jud!” she yelled. “Them blamed Indians’ll never catch him the way he’s scared of them!” She darted for the cabin door, grey hair stringing behind her. Jud ripped the bridle from the rearing black and hit him with the reins. He wheeled away and went thundering through another strip of cotton while a pair of the screeching Indians tried to cut him off. Jud leaped for his shotgun then, noting even as he did so that one Indian almost lost his seat as he turned for the black. MIGoIOOkKS - COI