Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 7, 1925 — page 117: what you’re looking at

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

THE. VALLEY - Edna. felt her. composure going. She no Jonger_ saw Travis as a- judge; the deity she had detected in his” appearance had — vanished. She was seeing him now as Fa-— gin’s chief; a sinister, wanton figure of evil. The smile on his ERS aroused { in her a turgid fury. = If she had not seen “din last nae she -might have been deceived by the smile, for she - perceived that he was attempting to- make it tolerant and kindly. - To her. the smile revealed him as he was—a mocker, a sleek, suave criminal masquerading as an honest man. — : ‘Her rage ocd her. She felt she must drive the mocking smile from his lips. _ And so with her voice cold from the scorn — and contempt that filled her, she told him what she had seen the night before while looking into the cabin window. When, breathless, she finished, she real- ized that she had made a mistake. The only apparent effect her words had upon him was to change the character of his smile. It was now twisting, speculative. “S50 you heard that, eh?” he said. “ You didn’t miss a word of it?” “And that is why you appointed Fagin and Adams!” she declared. “Yes,” he admitted. He was watching her intently. | “And now that you know these things what do you intend domg?” he added slowly, quietly. — “J intend to ride straight to Deming and tell Sheriff Callahan what I have dis- covered!” : He laughed. “You recognized me when 1 opened the door,” he said. “ You pretended you hadn’t.. Why?” eft thought perhaps IT had made a mistake.” = “No, ‘that isn’t the explanation, = he said, “You were startled, afraid. You talked to gain time to get your thoughts together. You intended to go to Callahan just as soon as you could get out ‘of here without arousing my suspicions. Why didn’t. you keep quiet? You might have got away” with it.” He grinned when SBE reddened. = ‘Tem- = es eh?” he mocked. She 1 was s silent, watching him. OF THE STARS. = Too much temper’ is a bad thing. 2 hee went on. “ Yours has got you into trouble. S A great deal of trouble, I think. You see, you know too much about me, and if you went to Callahan with your story there would be an investigation in which the sol- diers from Fort. Bayard would take a hand. That would make things very uncomfort- able for me. I shall have to take measures . -to keep you from talking.” — Edna’s face had whitened: ‘Yet she fared _ him. courageously, defiantly. — “JT shall talk just as soon as = can get to Sheriff Callahan!” she declared. “Ah!” he said softly, “that’s just it. Therefore, you will never reach Callahan.” She moved toward the door, and to her vast amazement, considering the threat of his “words and manner, he made no move to stop her. He stood, watching her, his eves narrowed and gleaming. And when she opened the door and stood for an in- stant in the opening looking back at him, still amazed, he shook his head wenn coke 2 No,” he said, “there won’t be any struggle in the doorway. Did you expect it? My dear girl, I couldn’t keep you here. You ride right along to Deming. It’s quite — a distance. About a hundred miles. But don’t waste any time telling your story to anybody in Willets. -my friends.” These people here are He stood in the doorway watching her as she mounted, and when she had ridden a little distance from the house she turned in the saddle and Jooked back at him. He was still standing in the open door- way, watching her. He was smiling. _ The smile appalled her. She rode through the little town, apprehensively glancing at the closed doors and windows of the build- ings. - There + was no sign of life or move- ment. Thoroughly frightened by the Siac by — contemplation of the distance she must ride _to reach the Circle Dot or. Deming, and by the enigma of Travis’ S$ manner, she rode a few miles at breakneck speed. The trail led downward in a long, gradual slope and — when she reached the edge of a broad level at the bottom of the slope she looked back. — And when, -at the edge of town she saw a horse and rider coming, tow ard her, she LI €omichooks.co