Adventure Magazine Cover — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

32 “Huhi- That man’s aie: with Buskirk must be mighty important to make him flirt wi eath thataway,” Rawlins said. “T re he figgers it’s important, any- way,” answered Peters. “He told me an’ Tom he’d wait here till —— freezes over four mile but he’d see Buskirk, didn’t he, Tom?” said Parker. “What’s he want with Buskirk, nohow?”’ asked Dugan. ‘Tom, did this Yuma party tell you-all what he wants with Buskirk?” “Shore he tell us; didn’t he, Sam? Ij’s somethin’ about Buskirk stealin’ cows. Seems like one night nigh a month ago this Buskirk an’ a*passel of his friends amused theirselves cuttin’ out a bunch of Old Man Fletcher’s steers down round Tacna. A posse lit out after ’em an’ one of ’em was . ketched.” “Fletcher’s boys would of strung him up right there if that fool Tacna marshal hadn’t hustled him off to the Yuma jail to save his neck,” interposed Parker. “The judge down at Yuma tells this ketched party he leave him off light if he’ll tell ever’thing he knows about that rustlin’,” went on Peters. “So he ups an’ tells as how this Buskirk’s mogul ‘of a gang of cattle-rustlers that’s been runnin’ off with cows down thataway, an’ when they ain’t workin’ at their trade they’re hidin’ out in the hills up here. The judge figgers Bus- kirk needs takin’, so he sends this deputy sheriff along to fetch Buskirk back to Yuma.” ‘‘Ain’t no kinda doubt Buskirk ought of been took in a long time ago,” said Rawlins. “But this here dude sheriff ain’t the proper party to send after him. Takin’ Buskirk to Yuma’s a man’s job, an’ I’m tellin’ you nobody but a man can do it.” “Anybody what’d wear clothes like them ain’t no part of a man,” said Hawkins. “I bet that’s the first straw hat ever in Sutton.” ‘Missus Parker’s got a straw hat, ain’t she, Sam?” said Peters with not a little pride. “‘Wimmin don’t know no better,” said Hawkins scornfully. “I was referrin’ to men’s hats, Mister Peters.”’ “Anyhow, who’s goin’ to lay this sheriff party out when Buskirk gits through with - him?” Dugan wanted to know. “Pll bet anything from a drink up to that pinto pony of mine when Buskirk gits through with this here deputy there ain’t Adventure goin’ to be enough of him left to lay out,” predicted Rawlins. WORD of the advent of the deputy of Yuma County and the purpose of his visit to Sutton must somehow have been conveyed to Buskirk at his camp in the hills, for he showed up in town the ~ second -afternoon of the deputy’s stay. Sutton ‘was immediately agog with excite- ment. Women with men-folks begged them to stay away from the Gray Wolf, where it was surmised the pending passage at arms between Buskirk and the Yuma deputy would take place. Those male citizens of Sutton who were already at the Gray Wolf were the recipients of earnest entreaties summoning them home, or at least to shun the Gray Wolf as they would a plague. But the men of Sutton were not so easily to be led away from their mutton. Might as well have expected the ancient Remans to eschew the gladiatorial combats in the Colosseum. The Gray Wolf was therefore crowded with expectant men, eager to see the renegade Buskirk exterminate the deputy sheriff of Yuma County. Buskirk, truly a formidable-looking man, rode up to the door of the Gray Welf and dismounted. His black eyes were keenly alert, for while all men were awed to. meet him in open battle, there were any number of men who would have liked, had they dared risk vengeance at the hands of Buskirk’s friends, to bring him down from ambush. For a few moments after dismounting Buskirk stood frowning up and down the road that served Sutton for a main street, as if seeking the man who had come all the way from Yuma to arrest him and take him back a prisoner. He saw nobody; the road was deserted. But for all that he saw | ' nobody dozens of people were watching him from behind drawn blinds and more than one trigger-finger itched. With a disdainful shrug of his broad shoulders Buskirk hitched his guns well to the front, then stalked into the saloon. The line of men at the bar fell back or edged toward the end and gave him plenty of room. He glared at them, as if daring any of them to make a threatening move. Such has been the way of bad men since the first day of the first bad man. They go their Gomicboo KS (E(0)