Adventure Magazine Cover — page 99: what you’re looking at

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

The Heart of the Range “This gent is the Wells Fargo detective,”’ replied Racey indicating the man who had helped him handcuff McFluke. ‘There ain’t any Pinkerton within five hundred miles so farasI know— Huh? Them? Oh, they was just drummers from Chicago I hap- pened to speak to ’cause I figured you’d be - expectin’ me to after I’d told yuh who they ~ he’d got his share. * were. The real Wells Fargo, Mr. Johnson here, was a-watchin’ yore corral alla time, so when you got a friend of-yores to pull them two;drummers into a poker-game an’ then saddled yore hoss an’ went bustin’ off in the direction of yore claim we got the marshal an’ trailed yuh.” “You can’t prove anything!” bluffed Mr. Pooley. “We were here beside the door listenin’ from the time McFluke said he was too com- fortable to move out of here.”’ Thus the marshal wearily. Mr. Pooley considered a moment. “Who snitched where Mac was?” he asked finally. “Nobody,” replied Racey promptly. “Somebody must have. Who was it?” “Nobody, I tell yuh. McFluke had to go somewhere, didn’t he? He couldn’t hang around Farewell. Too dangerous. But the chances was he wouldn’t leave the coun- try complete till he got his share. An’ as nothin’ had come off yet it wasn’t likely any So he’d wanna keep in touch with his friends till the deal was put through. It was only natural he’d drift to you. An’ when I come here to Piegan City an’ heard you had hired a man to live on yore claim an’ then got a look at him without him knowin’ it the rest was easy.”’ “But what,” inquired Mr. Pooley per- plexedly, “has Wells Fargo to do with this business?” “Anybody that knows -Bill Smith, alias Jack Harpe as well as you do,” spoke up Mr. Johnson grimly, “is bound to be of in- terest to Wells Fargo.” CHAPTER XXXI THE LAST TRICK ‘T? TAKE it kindly if you gents would stick yore guns on the mantelpiece,” said Judge Dolan. Jack Harpe and Luke Tweezy looked at each other. “T ain’t ‘wearin’ a gun,” said Luke. 89 Tweezy, crossing one skinny knee over the other. “But Mr. Harpe is,’ Dolan. Jack Harpe jack-knifed his long body out of his chair, which was placed directly in front of an open doorway giving into an inner room, crossed the floor and placed his six-shooter on the mantelpiece. + “What is this,” he demanded, returning to his place—‘“‘a trial?” “Not a-tall,” the judge made haste to as- sure him. | “Just a li’l friendly talk, thassall. I’m a-lookin’ for information an’ I’ve an idea you an’ Luke can give it to me.” “Td like a li’l information my own self,” grumbled Luke Tweezy. “When are you gonna make the Dales vacate?” “Allin good time,” the judge replied with a wintry smile. “I'll be gettin’ to that in short order. Here comes Kansas an’ Jake Rule now.” “What you’want with the sheriff?” Luke queried uneasily. “He’s gonna help us in our li’l talk,” plained the judge smoothly. “T think Pll get my gun,” observed Jack Harpe. He made as if to rise but sank back im- mediately for Racey Dawson had suddenly appeared in the open doorway behind him and run the chill muzzle of a six-shooter into the back of his neck. “Never set with yore back to a door- way,’ advised Racey Dawson. “If you'll clamp yore hands behind yore head, Jack, we'll all be happier. Luke, fish out the knife you wear under yore left armpit, day it on the floor an’ kick it into the corner.’ Luke Tweezy’s knife tinkled against the wall at the moment that the sheriff, his deputy and two other men entered from the street. . The third man was Mr. Johnson, the Wells Fargo detective. The fourth man wore his left arm in a sling and hobbled ’ pointed out Judge on a cane. The fourth man was Swing Tunstall. “What kind of ’s trick is this?”’ de- manded Jack Harpe, glaring at the Wells Fargo detective. “Tt’s the last trick, Bill,’”’ said Mr. John- son. At the mention of which name Jack Harpe appeared to shrink inwardly. suddenly very old. 3 “Take chairs, gents,” invited Judge Do- lan, looking about him in- the manner of a * 0)(0)(0) (E©) Ss He looked © com