Adventure Magazine Cover — page 166: what you’re looking at

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

156 make yuh foreman of my outfit, if yuh need a job.” “He won’t.” Lafe Freeman spoke with conviction. “If Brick needs a job, his old place on the Nine Bar Nine is still waitin’ for him.” “But I ain’t needin’ a job,” grinned Brick. “I’m goin’ to keep right on bein’ sheriff.” “BILL VOORHIES is chairman of the board of county commissioners, , and he’s goin’ to take up the mat- ter,” said Lafe. ‘Bill kinda runs that bunch of horse-thieves, and Bill’s down on you, Brick. Jl do all I can, but 4 “Bill wasn’t in favor of me when Bunty resigned,” remarked Brick. “Sure, sure,’ nodded Thornton, “and Bill’s the worst maverick in the whole county, Brick. He can’t afford to have yuh spoilin’ his game, can he?” “When all is said and done, why should I resign? I haven’t done a danged thing that was wrong.” | “Old Seldon said yuh came out to his place and herded him around with a gun and turned his stock into the hills and smashed his rifle. Said yuh run off them two mavericked yearlin’s, likely to square yourself with Martin in case he gets well. Voorhies was there and heard it all. He said there’s due to be a change in your office real soon.”’ “Heard anything from Martin?” asked Brick. “Paralyzed, so Doc Myers says,” re- plied Lafe. “Can’t talk nor hear nor move. Bullet kinda crimped his spine, I reckon.” “Say, who owns the Weepin’ ranch?” asked Brick suddenly. “Seldon,” replied Thornton. ‘‘He’s got a deed from Zell Mohr. He was talkin’ about it today. It joins the Star Dot and there’s a couple of good springs, which flows well all Summer. Kinda funny that none of us picked up that ranch on account of them springs. Betcha Seldon never paid Zell nowhere near what the place was worth.” “Tt was worth nothin’ to Zell,” grinned Lafe. ‘So Mohr sold the Weepin’ Tree to Seldon before he went to the pen, eh?’ queried Brick. ‘Where does Martin come in on this deal? He’s got a paper that Zell gave Tree Adventure him, which shows that Martin can live as long as he wants to on that ranch.” “T dunno.” Thornton shook his head. “Seldon’s got the deed to it, that’s all I know.” Brick smiled and turned to Lafe. ‘“T’m goin’ to keep on bein’ sheriff, Lafe. Ne’mind them commissioners.” 3 Brick went back to his office and sat down. From a locked drawer he took a legal-looking document and perused it thor- oughly. Suddenly he stopped and stared at the wall. Before him came the face of the man he had knocked down in the saloon—the full lips, hooked nose, waxed mustache. Where had he seen that face before? He had not given the man’s face a close study as he sat on the saloon floor, but something seemed to tell him that he had seen this face before. “Jack Smith,’”? wondered Brick aloud. “That’s a of a name for a face like that. Spaniard, with an American name, buying horses for England.” Brick wondered why Seldon had said “‘quitter,’? when Smith had left the saloon. Was there a frame-up to start trouble with him? Silent came excitedly. ‘Whatcha think, Brick? Barney O’Mera just came in from out on Piney crick, and he says that somebody has brought in a herd of sheep.” “Sheep?” Brick stared at Silent, who nodded emphatically. Sheep were the bug- bear that haunted the dreams of cattle- men. sheep, but they knew that their coming was inevitable, knew it was only a question of time until the advance guards of that great, gray army would swoop down upon them and drive the cattlemen off the ranges. The cattle interests could not afford : to buy up the great amount of range needed for their herds. The coming of sheep meant war. Legally the sheep had the same rights as the cattle, but the cattlemen figured that possession was nine points in the law and that a six-shooter was the best argu- ment. A sheep war would mean a lot of work for the sheriff; that is, if the sheriff upheld the rights of the sheepmen. “Did Barney say how many sheep?” asked Brick. “Not a big bunch. Few hundred, I reckon; but it ain’t numbers—it’s sheep!”’ Sun-Dog had always been free of ' COMicaoo® S C@ in