Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 18, 1928 — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

882 other prisoner, the shorter one, had man- aged to slip out of the handcuffs somehow and jumped out of the window, almost five miles back—I naturally refused. We were almost into Highridge by this time and I'd likely lose my job if I delayed my schedule to return and pick up a dead crook. For the way the train was tearing along, you'll surely find him dead somewheres by the tracks. “ That detective didn’t—” The conduc- tor stopped short. ‘‘ Here he comes now!” Thinking it was just about as well to land the other fellow dead as alive, I glanced toward where the conductor was pointing. A heavy-set, middle-aged man with sharp gray eyes and a full red face, dressed in a double-breasted blue suit and a gray slouch hat, was dragging a tall, red-haired, flannel- shirted fellow with a big, bushy mustache down the steps. He had Red Garlow all right—I’d car- ried Red’s description in my mind for years. Rushing down the tracks, I grabs Red’s guard by his free right hand, his other was handcuffed to his prisoner. “1m Sheriff Gruber, Mr. Keeler!” I opens up, anxious to get acquainted quick. “You sure had hard luck with that other devil—the conductor was just telling me about it. I was kind of figuring on a double trial that would knock the spots off of anything we’ve had around these parts in years. But now, it looks as if we got one of them funerals on hand long before we reckoned, The conductor’s sure he’s lying back along the tracks, smashed to death. The train was wheeling mighty fast, wasn’t itz.” “Tt sure was! I’m not worrying so much about his not being dead as I am about my rep. You see, sheriff, theyll hold it against me, back at headquarters, no matter if Robbins has cashed in. There’s no get- ting around the fact that I let a dangerous prisoner escape, and there’s only dumb luck to thank that he isn’t running around the country alive. And just about the time I was due for a nice boost—it sure is tough! I feel all broken up.” “ Never mind, Mr. Keeler!” I salves, kind of pitying the fellow. ‘‘ When you think of all the expense it ‘ll save the ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. county, it’s the best thing that could have happened after all. Anyhow, the chief’s more to blame than you are—sending two such devils clean across the State with only one man—don’t you think so, Mr. Keeler?” ‘Perhaps! But please cut out that ‘ Mr. Keeler,’ sheriff! Call me Sam, then T’ll feel more at home. If I ever needed any back-patting in my life, I need it now! And like as not, you’re the only one I'l come to know while in this burg.” I laughed. “ All right, Sam—just as you say! We'll lock this blood-thirsty butcher in the hoosegow, then we’ll start down the tracks for the corpse.” At that, Red Garlow scowled hard and muttered something under his breath. I didn’t like the look on his face a-tall and kept my hand near the butt of my gun. But when he didn’t make a move, I spoke to him quietlike: ‘This way, Red, and unless you’re like your partner and don’t want to live for a trial, don’t try any tricks.” With Sam’s pull on the handcuffs, Red started up the road, sullen and slow, while I fell in behind. About twenty minutes later, after, we had Red Garlow locked in the strongest cell in our little stone jail, me and Sam started out to bring in Robbins’s corpse. It didn’t take me long to borrow a handtruck from the railroad, and Sam and me was soon pumping down the tracks as fast as we could. On the way down, Sam told me how it all happened. It seemed Sam wasn’t figuring to take any chances with them fellows and kept them handcuffed to him all the time. Red Garlow was handcuffed to both his own left wrist and Robbins’s right. This left Sam’s right hand free to draw his gun while Rob- bins’s both hands were held close together by a third pair of nippers. And in case any of their pals should board the train along the line, to help them escape, Sam locked the stateroom door from the inside. . He was all at sea just how Robbins had slipped out of them handcuffs, but slip out of them Robbins did, all unknown to Sam. Then Red hurled himself from the seat, to- (E(6) .DOOKS MiG (E(0)