2 Gun Western, May 1957 — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

SATAN'S SEGUNDO her pleading eyes toward him no more. She would choose what she considered the lesser of the two evils —Nick Scarlett! But she didn’t, As Scarlett contin- ued to speak softly, the resentful flush left the boy’s face, and several. times he laughed loudly at something the dudish outlaw leader had said. But the girl’s natural intuition saw deeper than the boy’s eyes. The fear deepened to terror in her eyes, From time to time, as Nick Scarlett talked and ogled her boldly, she turned her dark eyes toward Flash Hayden. Flash Hayden ‘grinned raggedly. Satan’s Segundo, they’d called him, and with good reason. A man who had no friends, nor wanted any. A hard, mean gent who had killed more times than he remembered. And now he sat like a stubbron jackass, because a crooked deck had been slipped into the game against a Cleareyed girl! wave of self-derision swept through him. But he couldn’t still the warring emotions in his heart. Flash Hayden rose suddenly to his feet, seized the money bag from the table and stalked bitter-eyed to the bar. Seth Tarn, watching with his snake-dull eyes, reached eagerly for the whiskey jug. But Flash Hayden shook his tawny head, “Directly,” he said, and jerked his head toward a back door. Quick alarm in his round eyes, Seth Tarn followed the tall gunman into the shadowy back room. “Then two babes in the woods,” Flash clipped. “Who are they, and what’re they doin’ here?” Tarn shrugged thick shoulders, grinned. “Just a coupla drifters. Don’t you go jumpin’ at conclusions, Flash. Them two know all the The truth, you fat spider, or I’ll slit your throat!” Flash Hayden said flatly. WARN RECOILED from the stark savagery in Flash Hayden’s cold eyes. “The boy’s name’s Jim Barry. The girl’s his wife—they just been married a few days. They were driv- in’ through the country in a buck- board, on their way to Sangaroon where he’s got an uncle. They’re new wind through his nests, 89 to the West, so they got lost. Then they saw my place, and stopped and asked if they could stay all night. I couldn’t refuse a little thing like that, could I?” “Maybe you'll wish you had!” “Now wait a minute, Flash,” Tarn whined. “You better not horn into this play. If you do Nick Scarlett ‘ll kill yuh, cause he’s made up his mind to get the girl. It won’t be the first girl he’s stolen and carried into the hills, Besides, ain’t nothin’ I kin do. I don’t want no trouble here. You don’t aim to horn in, do you, Flash?” “No!”Flash Hayden said fiercely, with sudden decision. He whirled and went back into the barroom. Tarn followed him, a sly, satisfied grin curling his thick lips, “Take it easy, Flash,” he said. “I’ll take care of you.” “Y’ll take care of myself,” Flash rapped, “Whiskey!” Eagerly, Tarn seized the jug and sloshed more of the vile whiskey into the glass. Flash Hayden lifted the glass and gulped a deep swallow of the stuff. Then, savagely, he smashed the glass against the bar. Fierce, savage anger leaped into this yellow eyes, and lushed out at Seth Tarn like a thing alive. Tarn, quick terror sup- planting the evil triumph that had seeped into his dull eyes, cowered back againts the wall. “Blast you, Tarn,” Flash Hayden’s passions peared furiously out at him. “T’ll teach you to dope my whiskey!” “Wait, Flash!” Tarn gibbered. “Yuh got me wrong, I didn’t...” Like a leaping black spider, Seth Tarn slid to one side, grabbing des- perately for the gun on his hip. A red funnel of flame spewed across the bar, a gun-shot roared out, and Tarn wilted to the floor, the hate and vi- cious triumph draining from his snakish eyes as he died. Flash Hayden whirled, back to the bar, gun-muzzele sweeping the room. He was conscious of a slow mist clouding his brain, of a fiery twisting in his stomach, and he knew that even the small amount of doped whiskey | that he’d swallowed was having its effect. Fresh anger tore like a raging Omichbooksncom