Adventure, December 3, 1920 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

The Law Comes to Singing River 7 taken, willingly agreed and went into the rear room with the man. Grimes put a bottle and glasses on the table between them, and when he had withdrawn and closed the door the man leaned across the table and touched Lang on the arm. “Suppose you was surprized I knew you? I knew yore father, too, my boy; knew him well. Hemp’s my name—maybe you’ve heered of me.” Lang was startled. Hemp’s reputation was none too savory, even back in the days when reputations were net things to be inquired into too closely. Hemp back in the Teton country? “You've had a lot of tough luck,” Hemp was saying; “and it ain’t been yore fault. ‘These homesteaders who want to gobble up this country are jest sp’ilin’ it fer legitimate cattle and sheep business. An’ you caught the fever and staked your pile an’ lost. I know. An’ it ain’t right. “Yore daddy lost a lot of good money in here when they cut his range down so he couldn’t make good after that last bad Winter. Ain’t it so?” - Lang nodded. It was true that the limiting of the range had resulted in disaster for his father. “Wal now, you’ve got something comin’ to you, Rush. It ain’t right you should be broke and stand to lose everything when a few thou- sand would set you right an’ help you to put in a little stock later on.” ““A few thousand?” repeated Lang in a thick voice. “Sure—five or maybe ten, maybe more,” was the mysterious rejoinder. ‘“That’d help some, wouldn’t it?” Lang’s eyes glowed brightly in the dusk. “There’s a way of getting it,” said Hemp, pouring out two generous drinks. Lang downed his liquor in a gulp. “What’re you gettin’ at, Hemp? Put your cards down on the table sol can get a slant at the game.” “Wal now, look here. Yo’re a good rider fer I’ve seen you stick on a horse like you was glued there; yo’re a dead shot from any angle, an’ you shore know the country; an’ that counts. Suppose you put in with me an’ my gang on a little deal.” ‘What sort of a deal, Hemp?” “We was figuring on # Hemp paused abruptly as some one rapped on the door. ° He leaped from his chair with his right hand under his coat as he gave the word to enter. It was Grimes with a lamp. “I’m gettin’ a bunch together I kin depend on,’ said Hemp when Grimes had placed the lamp on the table and left. “I’ve got three now that seem jake; two others I’m goin’ to shake because I ain’t sure of ’em; but I’d be willin’ to take a chance on you any day.” “Must be peculiar sort of business you’ve got in mind if a man has to be able to ride an’ shoot an’ know the country,” said Lang with a half-drawl. 3 “Peculiar and profitable,”’ said Hemp as he poured out another drink; ‘‘and—and maybe dangerous. Just how dangerous depends on the men; that’s why I aim to be careful.” While the two men looked into each other’s eyes a face appeared for a moment at the single window. It was a freckled face, marked by dissipation, with shifty eyes, gray-blue and piercing, but somewhat blurred by drink. The mouth seemed curled in a half-sneer, and over the left eyebrow was a jagged scar. The shifty eyes regarded the two men curiously for a‘long moment and then the face disappeared. ‘An’ what sort of trick did you say it was?” asked Lang. “Banks!’’ whispered Hemp hoarsely. ‘“They’ve sprung up all over the prairie country; there’s one in every new little town; an’ every one of *em has got some money if it ain’t much. i here ain’t so much wire fence strung yet that ‘a live bunch can’t make a getaway after pullin’ a job; an’ I know the Missouri bad lands— they could hunt us fer years there an’ never get close to us. In three months we can clean up enough so we don’t need to care if it ever rains, snows, or blows a gale ag’in.”’ IIT LANG RUSH poured himself a drink Be when the man Hemp A ceased speak- == ing but he did not votichsafe any com- ment on the proposition which had been made to him. Hemp evidently regarded this silence as favorable. ‘Take a dittle while to think it over,” he said to- Rush. “You _ain’t takin’ much chance; they’d never suspect you, an’ you can get back what you’ve lost an’ more. Yo’re entitled to it. Let’s go out an’ join the boys and you give me yore answer, say, in a hour.” Y Rush followed him out and the two joined” the others at the bar. Lang noticed that Hemp had five men with him; but he could not rec- ollect ever having seen any of them before. After another round at the bar he went into the restaurant in an adjoining room and ate a hurried supper. He was feeling the effects of the liquor and he wanted to steady himself. While he was eating Grimes came in ae paused at Lang’s table. “Know that bunch in there?” he asked ina low voice, indicating the bar with a thumb. “Can’t say as I do,’’ answered Lang. ! “Look like tough customers,” said Grimes. “V’ve seen that feller what was talkin’ to you in the back room somewheres, but can’t place him.’ Go 0)(0)(0) (C@