Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 7, 1928 — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

MURDER ON THE ‘“* Not the worst!” Jessup exclaimed. “No,” replied Style. He fiddled with his hat and looked away. “ The kid—young Danny—broke out of the room where he was locked up. He’s gone. And the old man had a forty- five bullet through his head.” II. Hap Sheriff Lewis been in town he would have insisted that Jingling Jes- sup go direct to the Circle J ranch and help him investigate the killing of the popular old rancher. For Jessup, though concealing much of his ability beneath a veneer of nonsensical rime and verbal patter, had often aided the sheriff in the solution of mysteries. What Jessup had been before he came to the Mesa Grande country many years before in search of health was unknown. They did know, how- ever, that he knew how to use a gun— and use two of them—well. Some said he must have been a de- tective. All agreed that he “ shore was smart at figgerin’ things out.” None knew Jingling Jessup’s pe- culiar ability along this line better than did Deputy Hank Style. Hank knew, too, that the tall editor never took any credit away from the sheriff or his deputies; that the stories he wrote up for the Tidings always gave the officers full glory, never: mentioned the part that Jingling had played. Hank himself had guessed mighty wrong in several cases. In all these, Jessup had been right. He knew that the sheriff knew this. Hence, wishing to solve the mystery unaided, Style merely promised Jessup all the news and went to the scene of the crime with Cass Hargrove. Jingling Jessup might have gone along if he had wished, but he saw that Hank Style didn’t want him. So he remained in Mesa Grande. But he did not remain idle. News that Dad Skinner had been killed—that Danny was under suspi- MESA, 135 cion—was more than mere news to Jessup. It was a personal tragedy. In the first place, old Dad Skinner had been his friend, as he was the friend of ’most every one thereabouts. He had helped Jingling Jessup finan- cially when the little weekly was threat- ened with a stampede of debts. And the boy—well, Jingling had known Danny before the lad had re- ceived his head injury; had known him to be a clean, likable youngster with no more streak of brutality or viciousness in him than was in his old father. Excitement, of course, ran high when the news got about. Many from the town rushed out to the ranch. Several were curious that Jessup didn’t start for the scene. “Seems tuh me that a scribe that’s been achin’ fer news would be Johnny on the spot,’ was the way one cow- puncher put it, as he invited Jessup to saddle up and go with him. “No,” Jessup answered easily. “ Pll get all the news just as soon as you jaspers get back. Especially Hank. And this paper’s a weekly, not a daily. I got work to do.” Jingling Jessup’s analytical mind, aided by an all-retaining memory, be- gan functioning toward a solution im- mediately, even before he knew the de- tails. The immediate and saddening con- clusion, of course, was that Dad Skin- ner’s insane son had slain his father in a fit of madness. Without dismiss- ing such a possibility, he tried to re- member whether the kindly old rancher had any enemies. Pursuing this mental inquiry, the editor gave a genuine start on meeting Tex Shepherd, discharged foreman of the Skinner ranch. Tex, a victim of booze, and even then obviously suffer- ing from the effects of an extended period of drunkenness, had been pretty violent in his threats against Dad Skin- ner during the terrific spree Tex had staged when the long-patient rancher had finally eee him, Gomichbooks (E@)