Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

832 destiny was playing in bringing that train to a stop just before it came into the clutches of his gang. CHAPTER IV. TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS REWARD. ASQUAL rode his horse directly up to P the locomotive. He saw a group of dim forms in the early morning light on the side of the tracks behind the last coach. His advent in their midst did not seem to throw them into the consternation he had anticipated. ~The engineer and brakemen were swing- ing lanterns that had lost all brilliancy in the growing light. Some of them were scouting about in the mesquite brush a lit- tle distance from the track bed. Several passengers who had hastily drawn on trousers and boots were pelting excited ques- tions at each other. The conductor was arguing in a loud voice with a heavy set man whe was garbed in a tweed suit—the only passenger it appeared who had been dressed. The rider reined in his horse. all’s happened, gents?” One of the brakemen answered. ‘‘ No one knows except that coot over there—” he pointed to the man in the tweed suit. ‘“ He was goin’ to arrest some gunman who was ridin’ in the sleeper. Got his jaw broke, too.” Pasqual dismounted. A horseman com- ing out of the desert seemed to intrigue the passengers. They gathered about him. ‘“What-all stopped the train, gents?” Pasqual asked. “The gunman—he pulled the cord. That fat gent over there with the broken jaw—he thought he’d make an arrest quiet- like. Got a surprise!” Another passenger added with great en- thusiasm: ‘TI heard it all, too! I was in the sleeper! No one knew a bandit was travelin’ along with us. I seen him get on back at the spur—a big gent with a long face and gray eyes. Never forget them eyes! And I'll never forget the sound of that jaw crackin’—wow!” ‘““Who’s the gent that tried to arrest ‘* What- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY: him?” Pasqual asked, jumping immediately to the point that interested him most. “That fellow over there with the gray Suit,” a passenger said. The men all appeared to be in gray, but Pasqual followed the pointing figure. The man was still in heated argument with the conductor. ‘“He’s a deputy or a sheriff or some- thing,” one of the men said. “ Wants the man for murder he committed back ineNew York. He sure botched it up. Had a gun, too, when he was dropped by that blow on the jaw. I heard it—everything. Looked through the curtains. There was this deputy lyin’ cold, with his gun half fallen out of his hand. Didn’t come to until after the train stopped.” “What stopped the train?” Pasqual asked. ‘“ That’s what I’d like to know.” “Why, the murderer—he stopped it. Pulled the cord! We all thought they was to be a hold-up.” A brakeman who had joined the group spoke up: “ Train was goin’ forty miles an hour. The fellow was pretty wise not tryin’ to drop off while she was under way—like some of these desperate criminals do!” Leading his horse, Pasqual walked over to the conductor and the chunky man in the gray suit. “Think I’m goin’ to delay this train while you play hide-and-seek in that brush all day!” the conductor was saying irascibly. “You're crazy! If there was any sense to your orderin’ me to hold up the train I’d do it. But there ain’t. You can’t catch him without you have men and horses. J’ll telegraph to Mesquite and to Rawhide. They can start out with posses. As it is now your man’s gone!” ‘The man with the broken jaw looked up at Pasqual and his horse. Speaking through his teeth and holding his chin, like one with a bad toothache, he said: ‘ Who are you, sir?” ‘Who am I?” the other rejoined dryly. ““1’m Smoo Pasqual—on my way to Mes- quite to hunt for a job in the mines. You-all are in trouble?” “This man might help you,” the con- ductor said. ‘“ But I don’t figure one man can do much chasin’ down a murderer. Gomichbooks (S@)