Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 3 — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

by Charles Alden Seltzer. Author of “ Riddle Gawne,” “ Square Deal Sanderson,” “The Trail Horde,” elec. PRECEDING CHAPTERS BRIEFLY RETOLD AYLOR NELSON, known everywhere on the range as Shorty, although he 3s a giant on stature, cannot forget that in battle with outlaws some months back, his pal, Larry D was slain treacherously from the rear by Brail Kelton, of Blondy Antrim’s band. ving bided his time for vengeance he finally decided this had arrived, and on Governor Kane Lawler’s horse, Red King, presented to him by the Governor whose service on the ranch he was leaving, he set out to find Kelton and exact it. himself gazing into the eyes of a girl. Coming to a water-hole he looked up from drinking to She had been thrown from her horse, who had ped, and was resting beside the water-hole, helpless. Deciding Shorty was a man she could trust, she had accepted his offer to let him carry her, with Red King, to her father’s ranch, some twenty miles distant, when they both caught the sound of creaking eaumedinenainr and could see dimly outlined in the dusk the figure of a man on a horse. CHAPTER V. A MAN CHANGES HIS MIND. HORTY was aware of the girl’s eager- S ness. One of her hands was on his left arm, the fingers gripping the sleeve of his shirt. She was trembling—he could feel it. The emotion that had seized her was expectancy, of course, for there was no doubt that she thought the new- comer her father, come in search of her. Had the girl been able to see Shorty’s . face she would have seen disappointment depicted there, for Shorty likewise believed’ ithe man to be her father. And Shorty had looked forward with much pleasure to the twenty-mile ride with the girl as his com- -panion. However, Shorty was taking no chances. He had lived long in the country, and he had yet to be caught unprepared. So he gently slipped out of the girl’s grasp and stepped a little to one side, thus providing space for a quick movement in either di- rection, should the rider prove hostile. This story began in the Argosy-Allstory Weekly for August 14. 414 / Silently they waited—Shorty, the girl, and Red King. Red King, trained ta range work, and intelligent beyond the average, merely flecked his ears erect as the rider continued to come forward. Some embers of the fire still glowed dul- ly. The horseman rode directly toward them, and when he reached a point within twenty or thirty yards of the dying fire, he raised both hands above his head. His horse had come to.a halt. “Howdy,” he said, his voice low and steady. ‘I hope I ain’t buttin’ in on any- body’s private business. But I seen your fire back on the desert a piece; an’ I rode over, thinkin’ mebbe you’d seen a girl I’ve been lookin’ for. I figured—since she’d lost her hoss—that she’d likely strike for the Kelso water-hole—that bein’ the neéar- est water.”’ The darkness was dense; Shorty was convinced that the man could not see the girl and himself; though the man, on the sky line, was dimly outlined to their view. Shorty did not answer. He was waiting we fl EO OOOlKS ead (CO