Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 111: what you’re looking at

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

THE LAUGHING RIDER. hearer that the aforementioned professional was bent upon giving his money’s worth, and that after this onslaught the pearly gates would in all probability stay open for good. “Oh, mu-oo-o00-o0l, army mu-oo-oo-ool, Yore years are so graceful and lah-ah-ah- ahng! Yoo were tru-o0-00-00 to the flaih—” At which point St. Peter might be said to have appeared in the person of Samuel K. Menzies, and proffered Billy the golden key in the substance of a gleaming blue steel forty-five. Mr. Menzies made his appear- ance waist deep in a willow bush, which combined with a worried expression upon his face to suggest that he was being burned alive in green fire. “Hope I didn’t scare you,” said Billy commiseratingly. He drew Concho to a walk and continued forward with a smile. “You did,” said Menzies, not lowering the gun. “I thought they’d brought the artillery out ag’in’ us.” “J can sing louder than that,” Billy as- sured him, and he brought Concho to a halt with Mr. Menzies at the bridle rein. “Don’t,” pleaded Menzies, keeping his visitor covered. “ Prob’ly you’d like something different. I know a lot of songs.” “Then sing out why you’re snoopin’ round where you ain’t wanted.” “J don’t know the tune.” “Tt goes with a sort of whinin’ noise.” Mr. Menzies tapped his gun. Billy smiled down upon Mr. Menzies and spoke in a honeyed tone, which the glint in his eye belied. “Play it for me,” he coaxed. It was a daring thing to challenge the rustler’s wil- jingness to kill, but Billy suspected that he had read the man’s character correctly, and when he saw the wavering light in Menzies’s eyes he knew it. But he didn’t force the issue. He knew that two others were in all probability watching every move he made. “Sam,” he said, ‘‘ you shorely ain’t been in Canada so long that you: don’t know manners? You and me, we got to ride together, Sam, because these vivid major 901 generals have herded us into the same country. : ‘They take contracts to hang men up here for little disagreements with guns, and I’m long enough without being stretched any further. So I’m comin’ to you to be all gregarious an’ sociable, and you go talk- in’ of shootin’ orf yore irons thataway. It’s a 1eal cautious play for you to make, Sam, but it ain’t manners.” “You mean MacQuillan wants you for murder?” Menzies had not lowered the oun, 3 ‘How you talk. MacQuillan wants me for a necktie party.” ‘““An’ you want to ride with me?” “Shucks! I got to ride with you. There ain’t no other country hereabouts for me to ride in.” “Why don’t you cross the border?” Billy’s grin widened without his gaze per- ceptibly softening. “There ain’t enough red wool in Canada to dress up the number of men it would take to drive me over the border.” The perturbation of Menzies’s counte- nance thereupon twisted wryly. ‘Last time we rode together, you went orf with our horses.” “Last time we rode together,” corrected Billy, “ I had to catch up with you. We'll just have to control our animal spirits after this,” “ Seems to me we'd get along together a heap better if we stayed apart,’ suggested Menzies. But Billy did not agree with this, ‘““"Then we’d be passin’ lead every time we cut trails. That would be a lot tire- some.” With inward pleasure he saw Menzies quail at this suggestion. The situation he had forced upon Menzies was peculiar. Menzies had him covered, but Billy had never hinted by so much as the twist of an eyelid that he felt required to throw up his hands. Therefore, his right . hand was perilously near his revolver butt. Menzies no doubt knew. that he could slay Billy in this wild place with impunity, but he knew also that to try it he must slay with the first shot; otherwise he him- self would die with the sound of his gun. COMME NOOKS. CO