Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

i, 114 Adventure Howling Jim Baskin. The newcomer car- ried a revolver in a holster, and he wore a deputy’s shield on his coat. It was Gideon Ashford, Lonesome drew back a little as the Big Brother Creek camp’s erstwhile bully turned a drawn and ashen face upward. “You was shore in a devil of a hurry to get here, Gid!’ he exclaimed mockingly, ‘Why couldn’t ye jest ha’ walked in like a decent white man?” Baskin forgot himself and raised his fog- horn voice: “Drapped right down out o’ the blue sky, by grab! Do ye bring us any glad message from the moon, Gid?” Ashford struggled there on the ground between them, trying in vain to rise. “My laig—’ he mumbled. “Oh—my laig #: “By grab!” suddenly cried Howling Jim. “Ef his laig ain’t broke plumb in two, might’ nigh! Look there, Lonesome—it’s all doubled up, and a bone is‘a-stickin’ through below his knee!” Bentley stooped over and saw, and he shuddered in spite of himself. “It’s a-bleedin’,” Ashford said nerve- lessly ; ‘‘it’s a~-bleedin’-—Lonesome. You and Howlin’ git me to a doctor ef ye can.” “We can, all right,’ Bentley replied narrowly. “We could simply take ye to the camp, and Super Brad’d shoot ye down to Jonesville on a loggin’-ingine: But you know what's a-waitin’ for us at the camp!” “What—Garrett Henry?” “Yeuh, Garrett Henry,’ Baskin nodded. “And maybe a jail sentence or two. Ye cain’t ax us to face it, Gid, a-hatin’ jail like we does. But we’re sorry for ye, ’count o’ seein’ ye so bad hurt. Though it might ha’ sarved ye jest about right for a-snoopin’ up there on the clift, a-listenin’ to us open our hearts to the bottom. Stull, we're sorry for ye, Gid.” “Ym much obliged, shore,” tremulously growled Ashford. “But you a-bein’ sorry for me don’t do me a dang bit 0° good!” “Ef I might ax,’ drawled Lonesome, pointing to the deputy’s shield that Ashford wore, “how comes it that ye’re a sportin’ that little bright thing on ye coat? ‘Cause it’s purty?” At this thrust Gideon Ashford stared silently. His broken limb was beginning to give him excrutiating pain now. Baskin winked slyly at his sober-faced pal. conn tee Lonesome, to anybody from a-takin’ the badge offen him! , Gid, that shore looks to me like Sheriff ’sgun. How - much did he offer ye to bring us in? Tell the truth, or I wisht I may drap dead in my tracks ef I turn a hand to he’p ye. And goodness knows ye’re in a bad fx. out here miles from nowhere and not able to walk ~~ a step and ready to bleed to death.’ Ashford didn't answer. He glanced to- ward the widening red circle in the snow under his leg, and fear gripped his heart- strings. Lonesome Bentley looked mean- ingly at Howling Jim. “We'd better light a rag away from here, Howlin’,” said he. “The sheriff might come enny minute. Come on; le’s go. Good night to ye, Gid!”’ The two turned from the fire, leaving Ashford staring after them with eyes that were afraid and full of pain, and started up the cove in the silent darkness. When they had gone well out of the circle of firelight, Baskin nudged his companion and whis- pered: “Do ye really mean to leave him that- away, Lonesome? . Wasn’t we a little rough to him?” ‘““‘We won't go far,” Bentley whispered back. “Maybe we was a little rough to him, but it was in self-defense. Don’t y’see, Howlin’? Ef Gid knows anything about the rob’ry, mébbe he'll tell it as the price of us a-carryin’ him to the camp. He knows he'll die here, and jail is allus better’n death to a skunk. I got a notion . Gid’ is the robber hisself, Howlin’, ‘cause he’s the only man in the outfit what's low-down enough to pull off a job like that.” “I’ve wondered ef it could possibly ha’ been Billy Allison, He’s sort o’ light- headed, Lonesome, a-bein* not much more’n a boy. How could Gid ha’ got the safe open?” “Ax somebody else. I don’t know. But-——” A jerking, agonized yell from Gideon Ashford cut Bentley’s speech short: “Lonesome, come back! I'll make it safe for ye at the camp!” The two pals turned and walked slowly to the now low-burned fire. Ashford stopped his groaning long enough to suggest that they “carry iia ge Pheer teat he camp clearing and leave him there. They comickooks.com — Oe ee ee