Adventure Magazine Cover — page 180: what you’re looking at

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

170 over him. The two men between Silent and Smith obligingly got up and moved into the aisle. Somebody laughed aloud. “Sh-h-h!”’ cautioned a voice. Smith got up slowly and came out past Silent. Brick pointed to a space in front, two men removed from Lafe Freeman, and Smith sat down. Immediately the men behind him either left their seats or moved aside. The men of Sun-Dog could read signs. Pete Kane sat leaning forward, with his elbows on his knees, never taking his eyes off Brick. He might be able to catch Brick off his guard, but he knew that he would have to contend with Harp, Silent and Lafe. “Feel better now?” queried Smith un- easily. _ Brick nodded and turned more toward the jury. “I’m talkin’ straight to you jurymen, but my conversation affects every man in the room. Seldon, I asks yuh to keep your hands in sight and try to be calm. In regards to your hands—I only asks this once.”’ Seldon’s jaw tightened, but he obeyed. “You all know that sheep ain’t wanted in Sun-Dog,” continued Brick. ‘Legally they’ve got as much right as cows, but morally they ain’t—not accordin’ to our mor2i3, i the sheep got protection from the sneriff, with the assistance of a few cattlemen, they might get a start. If they once got started they’d sheep out Sun-Dog inside of a year. To get a start, they’ve got to have a friendly sheriff.” “Ts this a inquest or a speech?” de- manded Voorhies. “I moves that we——” “Overruled,” interrupted the judge. “‘Let Brick talk.” ee) “STHERE’S a man on this range,” Mets continued Brick, “who hates the cattle association. He’s plumb stingy, but he’d give his right eye to see the cattlemen put out of business; and there ain’t nothin’ as sudden as sheep. Am I right?” The crowd murmured a ready assent. ‘“‘There’s another man on this range, who has sold most all of his stock in the last six months, and I’m bettin’ that at least twenty per cent of that stock wasn’t never bought nor raised by him.” Voorhies sprang to his feet and took a step toward Brick. “The boot fits him!” yelped Lafe Free- Adventure man, and the crowd laughed. Voorhies flushed angrily and stumbled backward into his seat, knowing he kad blundered badly. “That man,” smiled Brick, “wants to own the county. He never could be a big cattleman; so he decided to be a sheep king. He bought two hundred head——”’ “Prove it!’ roared Voorhies, struggling to his feet. ‘Prove it!” ‘Set down,” advised Brick. ‘“‘You’ve proved it yourself. I wasn’t sure until now, but I know that you and Seldon owns ’em together. The Sharpshooter and his pardner were hired to bring in them sheep. You kinda figured that I’d be in jail for the killing of Scott Martin, and you'd have your own sheriff, but you made a mistake when. you let Sharpshooter know that you were willin’ to pay for my scalp. Bein’ a case of two-to-one, they could prove self defense, and my recent reputation would make it easy for them.” Brick smiled at .the expression on the faces of the jury. “Keep talkin’, Brick,” urged a cowboy joyously. “What’s this got to do with the killin’ of Scott Martin?” asked Seldon hoarsely. “Scott Martin was killed for two reasons; to get me and him both out of the road, and to get somethin’ that Scott ‘Martin owned.” The audience watched Britk closely, silently. 3 “The man who killed him—or thought he had killed him—rode a horse that wore them shoes. Likely there was more than one man. Maybe there was three or four. One of ’em rode a horse, which wore them shoes. “Do yuh know where that old tumble- down cabin is along the Weepin’ Tree road? They bushwhacked him from there. He fell just at the edge of the road. I seen where his hand made a track in the dust. There was blood on the dusty grass at the edge of the road. “They thought he was dead, I reckon; so- they carried him down the cafion to where they had the calf all roped and the fire all set. Then they robbed Scott Martin, and left him there to prove that I killed him for maverickin’ a calf. Other calves have been mavericked with the Weepin’ Tree to cinch things.” “What about this robbery?” asked Cale Wesson. | : xe . GOMIIGoOO S ©