Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 28, 1928 — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

FIRED AND HIRED. wobbly and sick and looked into the muzzle of the gun | presented to him, ‘ Now, you listen, son,” [ told him. “| don’t know whether I ought to be grateful to you for what you did or not. Anyhow, I was figuring on pull- ing the same stunt myself and about all you did was to make it easier. “Just the same, to be on the safe side, I’ll say much obliged to you, and incidentally advise you that I have re- possessed myself of a few of my be- longings vou collected off me yester- day with a deck of marked cards and the- kind assistance of a few more coyotes that I'll interview later, when I have more time. Now, you fork that cayuse and breeze out of here, pronto, and don’t talk back, either!’ “You win, Rawhide,” answered the other, trying to grin and making a bum job of it. “I’m drifting per orders. Mebbe we'll meet up again some day, frfend. I’m hoping.” “And now, young lady,” says I, after he’d rode away, “ we'll just va- mose out of here before that posse catches up with us and starts more trouble. I ain’t holding up anything against you, seeing 1 stepped into this ruckus with my eyes open, but if you were to marry me to-morrow and hand over the whole of those twenty million bucks with full authority to spend, lend, and otherwise mishandle them, [ don't know as it would be just compensation for the misery I’ve been going through for the past few hours.” “And I’m going to do just that, honey!” she cried, smiling up at me with sparkling eyes. “I think you're just the most handsome and wonder- ful and brave man I ever met! You can have my bank roll and me to do as you please with just as quick as any preacher you get makes us one!’ Ok, sugar! What do you know about a girl like her talking to a wad- die like me thataway? It got me all fussed up and blushing and flying wild generally. | 467 >? “Let’s get going,” was all I could answer. VII. Day was just breaking and every- thing was quiet when we arrived at Ma Beam’s ranch house. I eased Sadie off her hawse and she crumpled down like a wet blanket. That ride had sure took the tuck out of her. “Now, you set right there while I talk to Ma,” I instructed her. “ The old lady’s a little jumpy on occasions, and I want her to know the how of this affair before springing you on her.” ““Who’s that?” yelled Ma, when I slammed the-front door. “It’s me—Rawhide Billings,” I an- swered. “Just wait till I get my pants on,” she hollers back. A light flickers through the window, the door swings open and there stands Ma, in her old patched overhauls and shirt, barefoot, her white hair loose and straggling over her eyes. She’s holding a ten-gauge scattergun. - “Well, well! . So it is!” she ex- claimed. ‘‘ Come in, Rawhide. What you done now ?” I shut the door and told her all the circumstances as fast as T could. “ Now what Sadie wants is for you to hide her until her guardian and his son quit hunting her,” I concluded. Ma listened, open-mouthed, until I had finished, and then busts out laugh- ing. “Well, for Pete’s sake, Rawhide!” she chortled. “‘ You sure have had one hell of a time now, ain’t you? And all over a gal you never saw before and probably never will again! What with rustling them hawses and the buck- board, defying the law, shooting up sheriff’s posses, braining a tinhorn and robbing him, and a few other atrocities, it would seem to me that any judge, willing to do the right thing, would give you a life sentence and ten days extra for good behavior!” “That little girl’s worth the trou- Go VOOKS AMG (E@)