Adventure, January 20, 1922 — page 175: what you’re looking at

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

Powder Law and Frenchy were passing the front of the deserted Square Deal Saloon, when Frenchy jerked to a stop and almost fell. “You hear dat, Blaze? You hear de woman scream?” “Keep goin’, Frenchy,” urged Blaze. “There wasn’t no woman screamin’, old pardner.”’ “T hear,’ declared Frenchy stubbornly, stumbling toward the door of the deserted saloon. ‘‘She’s sound lak’ somebody choke hoff de scream.” Blaze stepped to the smashed window, across which had been nailed strips of boards, and tried to peer into the blackness. There was moonlight enough to show that the back door was open, and against the moonlit strip of the rear door moved the figures of men. Blaze turned to Frenchy, who was trying to see inside, and gripped him tight. “Stand here, Frenchy!” he whispered fiercely. ‘“‘Black Mora was sure we’d go to his ranch to find him and he’s holed up in here, where nobody’d think to look for him. Maybe he was afraid we’d catch him in the hills, do you understand, Frenchy?’’ Blaze shook him by the arm. “They’ve got them women in there! If Wolf Butte went hunt- in’ Black Mora, he’d be right here to raise with the town while we was gone. Do you know what I mean?” “You tink I’m fool en-tire, Blaze?” Frenchy’s voice was cold as steel. Dizzy and sick from loss of blood, yet his will was stronger than his flesh. “You get Sales,” ordered Frenchy. ‘“‘We smash dis Black Mora, ba gosh!” | Blaze trotted up the street, where men were mounting horses at the hitch-rack. “Sales!” cried Blaze. “Chuck Sales! This is Carlin.” “Here’s a horse for you, Carlin,” an- swered Sales. ‘Wait!’ panted Blaze. He stepped in beside Sales and told him what they had discovered. ‘“‘Tie your horses!’’ ordered Sales sharply, calling to his men who had already-mounted. “Turn ’em loose—do anything, but hurry!” None of them took time to tie their horses and in a few moments crowded around their leader and Blaze: Sales gave them the information in a few words. “Be careful,” he added. ‘“There’s two women and a little girl in there and we don’t want them hurt.” 173 “One is Jack Wheeler’s wife,” said one of the men. ‘She’s fed me three times.” “T knowed Jack,” said another. “They hung a grindstone around his neck and throwed him in the creek.”’ “Black Mora swore he’d steal her,” de- clared Blaze. “We'll split into two bunches,” said Sales. Slim, you and Flack go with Carlin to the front where the sheriff is. The rest of us will go to the back. Give us time to get there, will yuh, Carlin? [ll let out a war-whoop when we arrive. They'll think I’m just drunk.” Blaze and his two men went down the street, walking slowly so as not to arrive much ahead of Sales and his men. They found Frenchy braced against a corner of the building. Blaze put his hand on Frenchy’s shoulder and shook him. “You t’ink I’m ’sleep?”’ growled Frenchy. “I’m tak’ off de boot and pour out de squash, squash, and I’m can’t get de boot on no more, ba gosh!” “Stay with her, pardner,’’ encouraged Blaze. ‘We'll go to bed when this here thing is over.’’ “De bed,’ muttered Frenchy. ‘“Dat’s de good word, Blaze, I’m tire like ——, but de work mus’ be do.” From the rear of the building floated the eerie war-whoop, which Sales had promised as a signal. Blaze peered into the building just in time to see the door close, cutting off the moonlight from the rear. From inside came the dull thump of a six-shooter. Footsteps rattled across the floor and a man darted to the front window and then dropped to the floor. “Get down!” he yelled, followed by un- printable oaths. ‘“‘They’re at the front, too!” Another voice cursed feelingly and a bul- let whizzed out through the half-boarded window. ““We’ve got yuh trapped,” stated Blaze. “Yuh can’t get away. Throw your guns out of the window and come out with your hands up.” But there was no response. The men knew only too well what it meant. There would be scant mercy for any of them and Mora’s men would rather die fighting than on the gallows. Mora laughed mockingly. He was at the end of his rope, but would not admit it as long as he lived. Blaze grasped one of the boards and tore it off the window. Bullets splintered through the board, but COMMICLOOOkKSs (C@)