Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 7, 1928 — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

THE WHISTLING WADDY WARBLES ON, More than once Jimmy’s heart gave a nervous leap as one of the horsemen ahead turned in his saddle to say some- thing to his companions behind htm. The boy was quite sure that the man would observe that they were being trailed and that would mean trouble. Deep within Jimmy there dwelt a great fear of the Ace and his pack, a fear instigated by Craven and Jenkins. The two men, knowing that the boy was the nephew of Jim Harper, whom they hated bitterly, had managed to make things very uncomfortable for Jimmy whenever he had been in their vicinity. Craven had even gone so far as to strike him once, and the boy had never forgotten the blow. Yet now he was once again risking their anger by trailing the pack in the hope that by so doing he might be able to aid his partner and hero, Solitaire Stevens. Jimmy breathed a faint sigh of re- lief as the four men rode through the narrow entrance of the cafion and dis- appeared. The boy knew the country well, and he realized that there was no route by which the members of the pack could get to where he now waited without returning the same -way in which they had gone. An idea suddenly struck him, and a erin spread over his freckled face. He rode his little gray cow pony into the shadowy shelter of some trees and tied the animal. Then he swiftly made his way on foot to the rocky entrance of the canon. Once there and safely hidden in the crack between two large bowlders, Jimmy began to whistle loudly and shrilly. He realized that the Ace and his men were searching for the Whis- tling Waddy, and-that if they heard the whistling they would think it was Soli- taire. The -boy hoped that if Stevens him- self heard it he would realize that it was a warning from his partner. spemny continued to whistle. ‘At A : 81 any rate, it was a good idea, he thought —and he would carry it through. VII. THE Ace abruptly reined in his horse and raised his hand to those behind him as the animal came to a full stop. “Listen,” he said quietly. All four men listened intently, and from somewhere near the mouth of the ravine through which they had just passed they heard the sound of some one whistling shrilly. “That’s him!” said one of the men. “He’s just damn fool enough tuh whistle when he knows there’s sure tuh be somebody on his trail!” “Don’t yuh get any funny ideas about that jasper,’ spoke up a member of the quartet who had remained si- ‘lent till now. “‘ He ain’t as dumb as yuh think he is! He’s right quiet and calm like, but he ain’t wearin’ them two guns tied low ’cause he thinks they’re pretty ornaments—he sure can use ~’em.” The man laughed. “ Reckon yuh iy a know that after last night, af? - “Harry's right,” stated the Ace. “Stevens is right dangerous—and we gotta get rid of him pronto! I ain’t so sure he’s workin’ alone anyway— one man couldn’t whistle from both sides of the street like he did last night. We better spread out, boys, an’ see if we can’t ambush that buzzard.” The leader slid off his horse. ‘‘ Leave your horses here and we'll go back after him.” Without a word the three men did as. they were told, Quietly, making every effort to move without noise, they all moved back toward the en- trance. As they did so the whistler ceased his tune abruptly and a grim silence hung over the place as it basked in the heat of the summer day. Solitaire frowned as he heard some one whistling shrilly but ‘a short dis- CEOPMIC OOO KS (EO) é