Adventure Magazine Cover — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

The Spark of Skeeter Bull “There are many, many places Suppose the judge. where we could go, Skeeter Bill. we pack up our belongings and “Hol’ on!” Skeeter shook his head. “What about the old minister and the girl? : I reckon I’ve got to see that they gets a square deal. I tol’ the old sky-pilot that I was with him from the dally to the hondo, and I can’t renege, judge.” “But what can you do?” argued the judge. “One man against a dozen or more. No, I think we had better go.” Skeeter Bill shook his head. ‘“‘Nope.”’ Judge Tareyton studied Skeeter for a while, a half-smile on his face. “Has this—uh—young lady anything todo with your stubbornness, Skeeter Bill?”’ Skeeter looked up quickly. _“T don’t reckon so, judge. wasn’t thinkin’ about her.”’ “Nice looking girl,” observed the judge wisely. “Very fine face. Well worth know- ing, I might say. Her father did wrong in bringing her here.”’ “He didn’t.”” Skeeter shook his head. “Not the way you mean, judge. She came lookin’ for him.” ‘Looking for him? What do you mean?” Skeeter smiled. “That preacher ain’t her father. I just fixed it up thataway so she’d have protec- tion. She comes here kinda huntin’ her father, like I said before, but I—her father is—Tug Leeds.” “Tug Leeds?” The judge’s voice was scarcely above a whisper. ‘Her name is Mary Leeds,’’ explained Skeeter. ‘‘She’s likely forgot what he looks like, bein’ as she ain’t seen him for fourteen years. She heard somebody say that a man named Leeds lived in Sunbeam. I dunno how to tell her, ’cause te ain’t fit to be her dad.”’ Judge Tareyton’s moun twitched and his hand trembled as he wiped it across his dry hips. For a few moments he seemed incapa- ble of speech. “IT dunno how we can keep her from findin’ it out,” said Skeeter helplessly. ‘‘She don’t know how low her dad is, judge.” “No,” said the judge hoarsely. ‘‘No, she don’t, Skeeter Bill, and we’ve got to keep her from ever findin’ it out, if we can.” “Which don’t stop him from bein’ her dad,” said Skeeter. ‘“She’s got to find it out pretty soon. Tug Leeds is too prominent, No-o-o, I 21 and somebody is bound to mention him where she can hear it. Nobody outside of me and you and his gang knows what he really is, but everybody knows he kinda bosses the town, and they all knows the kind of—shucks!”’ “You had a fair start, Skeeter Bill, but you got all tangled up with words. I know what you mean anyway. Just what is to be done? We must try and keep the girl from meeting him, because she is too fine, I think, to have her future marred by know- ing that she is the daughter of Tug Leeds.”’ Skeeter stared at the judge for a moment and got to his feet. He was very deliberate as he dug under the pillow on the bunk and took out one of the heavy pistols, which he shoved inside the waist-band of his overalls. ‘“What is the idea, Skeeter Bill?’ asked the judge. Skeeter half-smiled. “I’m goin’ to kill Tug Leeds, judge. Mebbe we can get somebody to tell her that Bill Jones got in the road of my bullet. Anyway, we can get him buried before she has a chance to find out who he was, and, anyway, she ain’t seen him for years.” The judge nodded slowly, as if in agree- ment with Skeeter’s scheme, but when Skeeter finished the judge said: “Rough in construction, Skeeter Bill. The intent is very good, I might say, but your scheme reminds me of the Frenchman’s flea-powder directions, ‘First you must catch de leetle flea.’ When you open that door again, you are an animated target for Leeds’ men. Does 4 N at each other. Some one was knock- 3 ing softly on the outside. Skeeter in backed against the wall, loosened both guns and nodded to the judge, who had walked close to the door. He opened the door, shielding himself with it as he swung it open. Three men, one of them the miner who had inquired for Skeeter that morning, were standing at the door. He nodded to the judge and said— “Sarg in yet?” “Sure is,” said Skeeter Bill, moving to- ward the door. He had a smile on his face, a careless swing to his slow movements, but both hands were kept near his guns, as he came up beside the judge. poe men glanced at the door and GOMIIGooOo <S) ©