Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 4, 1925 — page 65: what you’re looking at

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

IN THE “You must have been drinking, Cliff!” she cried. ‘‘ To come here with the sug- gestion that I join you to cheat and: swin- dle the man you've joined with to cheat and swindle me is as funny as your claims to decent manhood. I suppose I ought not to be surprised by anything you do or say, because, as you said, we’ve known each other since childhood. But I'll tell you what I’ve learned to know about you. I’ve learned that you’re as treacherous and low as your own words have proven! I’ve learned that as far as the difficulty of find- ing a better man than you is concerned, I could go to the gutter and pick up a hun- dred of them. ‘“ No—don’t lose your temper. Remem- ber that at least one man has put you out of commission in fairer fight than you’re accustomed to. TZ ere’s a man who can deal with you! There’s a man who makes you pitiful by contrast. . ““T don’t suppose I ought to blame you for the weakness and the lowness that you can’t help, Cliff, but as for joining with you in these rotten plans of yours, I'd rather share my fortunes with a rattlesnake.” She appeared wondrously beautiful as she stood there, her small hands clenched, and spoke her mind in the voice of right- eous anger. But he lost the sense of beauty in the fury of rage which her taunts aroused. She knew as she defied him that had it not been for that wounded arm he would have answered her with more force than his words contained. He cursed violently, tearing the veil from his ugly spirit. “Damn him!” he cried; and he stood away from her, seeming to huddle into himself as he pressed the bound arm to his breast. ‘‘ You'll see what we'll do to him! You—fool! You played with him like any girl of the streets, because he wears better clothes than us. You think that be- cause he showed orf his gun play an’ put Klien out of the way he’s the hero you been lookin’ for! ‘An’ because you make yourself cheap for him, runnin’ from sheriff to judge an’ judge to sheriff, that it’s yore doin’ he’s free to-day. No, I won’t stop. I won’t shut EVENT OF DEATH. 855 up for any damned woman on earth. I’m tellin’ you now, an’ what I’m tellin’ you is the truth. ““We got him free—me an’ Farley. An’ we didn’t get him free for no homecomin’ celebration. It’s a song an’ dance we got him free for. We do the singin’, an’ he dances on air. You talk as big as you like about yore little tin pilgrim, but before a hell of a long time’s over he’s goin’ to be taken out of town an’ hung like a dawg!” ‘“ What do you mean?” she cried. ‘“ I mean that he’s free as a locoed mule. Now he’s out of jail, anybody can have him to hang that wants to.” He laughed aloud, keenly enjoying the terror which marked her face. ‘‘ Now what you got to say?” he mocked. ‘! Who’s the better man now? You got to learn, kid, that a rattlesnake does a hell of a Jot more than rattle!” He laughed again, and, turning, strode from the house. She stood alone, transfixed with the knowledge he had left her. She had no delusion. The plan was all too characteristic of Cliff Lederer and his kind. They had freed Cosgrove to hang him. When and where the hanging was to take place she did not know, but that Lederer in his rage had spilled out the truth she did not doubt. ‘And the knowledge of Cosgrove’s peril pressed upon her, held her motionless, en- tranced with fear. She who in a hundred tense situations had kept her head, acting coolly and quickly, in the face of this hor- ror was stunned. And then came reason—or, rather, came that instinctive power given to woman to rise above fear and horror. As though on Strong wings she ascended above the panic which never left her mind, and saw her way clearly, hopefully. She must not go to Cos- grove. He would fight. If there were a thousand enemies, he would fight: and Lederer had all Manford on his side. She was conscious of that; she knew the heat with which the Argus had inflamed the mob. NO, she must not go to Cosgrove—she must plan first for his escape. But how? With what means? She thought of Gaines. That would be the man. lDOOlK