Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

»~F “Serves you right!” snapped Carlton. “T ought to have finished you, you dirty swayed between humanity and inhumanity, but generosity won. “Let me see that leg. Humph. Flesh-wound. Too bad it didn’t drill your head! Cut away those dirty clothes and give it a wash. Lick it if you have to. Now take my bandanna and bind it. I ought to ram the thing down your sneaking throat! Confound you, why didn’t you fight like a man? Are you just _plain dog? What’s the idea in trying to kill me, anyhow? Or are you just trying to scare me out of the valley. Speak!” Finch quit binding the red wound for a second and looked up with the old expres- sion of vague reproach and wonderment. “You pizened them hosses!” came his mournful, regretful answer. “You lie!” “°Tain’t fair,’’ whined Finch, ignoring the outburst. “The first time, I let it pass. ‘Youth will have its fling,’ sez I; so I let it go. Next time, eight yearlin’s was found daid; so I calc’lated .I’d speak to you friendly. You only told me to git off’n your ranch.” This was with reproach un- utterable. “’Twarn’t neighborly. I let that go at last, because I sez, ‘Time heals all wounds,’ sez I. Then six four-year-olds died las’ week, an’ las’ night ten mewls went.” And he nodded his head sadly at thought of his wrongs. “You lie!’ blurted Carlton, I’m not poisoning horses!” “You sez one day as haow you’d git water ef you hed to clean out me an’ that stock,” accused Finch most regretfully. “I was right sorry. ’Peared that neighbors ought to git along. I was right hurt about it. hina The last was addressed to the eg: a The monotonous insistence of that querul- ous voice was beginning to get in its work. Carlton somehow felt himself on the de- fensive, and it maddened him. ‘You sniveling old crook!” he growled. ee what’s the trouble as well as Finch shrugged a tired shoulder. ‘ “Ym right sorry abaout that water,” he sighed. ‘Seems jest like it’s only come to make trouble between good neighbors, Ef I could send that stock back, I’d do it, - * “Vou lie! but I hain’t got the money right naow. Eos eke a — , a .. de “* . bi : ‘e “4 { —_ * « —_ ie u = o 16 Boss ib 7 * & of Mirage head, but his calculating little eyes rolled up suddenly. ‘Mebbe you'd like to sell your ranch back. Heh?” Do that foxy face, Carlton reversed Wa} the pistol and weighed the butt in his hand as if wondering how deeply it could crash into that mournful, drooling, | crooked head. But he took it out in won- A dering. Finch seemed to keep the engi- © neer’s temper just at the border-line of murder, but Carlton couldn’t cross the line. He was angered, perplexed and_ baffled. At length, to save his own sanity, he gave it up. “Can you walk?” he snarled. “J—I might make it,” said Finch, screw- ing up his face dubiously. ‘My hoss is right yonder on tother side of that brown rock.” “Your getaway was well arranged,” ob- served Carlton dryly. “Do you murder many people in this way?” - “You pizened them hosses,” reiterated Finch in the same regretful voice.” “Iwas right sorry abaout it, bu ~ ms “Shut up!” screamed Carlton. "i aa one more word, and I'll blow off!”’ Hypnotized though he was by that soft, sighing voice, an overdose of it broke the spell, and, now that he had cast off the numbing influence, he resolved to keep the upper hand. He knew he was just im- pulsive enough to make good his threat,and hesoughtanexcuse. Helongedforanexcuse. But it never came. And then Carlton wondered what to do with the man. He couldn’t shoot him in cold blood. He couldn’t kick a wounded man down the hill. He couldn’t keep him on the hilltop all night, and he couldn*t take him home. — In a more civilized land he might have Finch arrested, but that seemed out of the question. ‘‘Confound it!” puzzled the engineer. Finch seemed about to speak. Carlton’s’ face showed a queer smile. Finch sensed — he was very near to eternity. He clamped — his jaw and looked away. Carlton teetered _ on his toes and then made his decision. ae “Stand up and hop!” ordered the engi- bh. NOTING ‘the look of cupidity in = % ae “You — your head * ox r— ad i — & neer. : _ Finch uncoiled his lanky frame and ‘ _ hopped. Carlton helped Sani wa Paes ; horse that whir ceva eis au ie 2 oe eS. ~ 11¢books.com