Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 28, 1928 — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

468 ble,’ Iassured her. “ And as for never seeing her again—don’t fool yourself on that score. I’m taking a little pasear down into old Mexico until this ruckus blows over and Lafe gets calmed down, and then I’m coming back and marry that little dame and she and me will buy the biggest ranch in the State, stock it with imported English short- horns, and—”’ “ Rave on, rave on!” interrupted Ma derisively. “Where is the heiress, Rawhide?” “ Right outside,” I told her. “I just wanted to make sure that you would look after her until I got back.” “Well—as to that, I can’t promise you definite,” Ma told me solemnly. “The real cold facts is, Rawhide, the sheriff’s like to be out here and fore- close on this ranch any day. It’s got a thousand-dollar plaster on it and it’s overdue, and I don’t know where I’m going to raise a thousand bones, unless I take this gun and get out on the main highway and stick up a_bootlegger. Still, your gal friend can stay here as long as I do.” “That’s fair enough,” I told her, and went to the door and called Sadie. She came staggering in like a sage hen out of a cloudburst, all raggled out and limp and discouraged. Ma took one look at her and gasped. “Well, for Pete’s sake!” she ejacu- lated, grabbing the girl by the wrist and dragging her over to the light. Ma looked intently into her face for a long minute, and Sadie returned the stare bravely. The old lady’s mouth was working and her eyes snapping ex- citedly. * Your hat’s on crooked, deary,” she said suddenly, reaching up and straight- ening the headgear and patting the golden locks back into place. “Well, for Pete’s sake!’ she cried again, glancing at me curiously. She had laid the scattergun on the table while I was talking, and now she picked it up and dropped it in the crook of her arm. Ma seemed to be all in a flutter ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. over something that I couldn’t get. She dug the makings out of her pants pocket and built herself a smoke, keep- ing a wary eye on the girl all the while. lt was darn curious, I thought. And it was making Sadie uneasy, too. She sidled over beside me, watch- ing Ma closely. ‘‘ I’m going with you, Rawhide,” she whispered. “I don’t want to stay here.” “You ain’t going to do no such thing!” barked Ma, who had evidently overheard the remark. “ A nice, pretty young lady, like you, ain’t got no busi- ness traipsing round Mexico with an escaped outlaw, who’s like to be caught and hung any minute! Besides, it wouldn’t look right! You two ain’t married yet! No, ma’am, you're going to stay right here at home where mother can look after you!” The old lady strode to the middle of the room, stooped down, and yanked up the trapdoor to the root cellar. “You git down there!” she ordered, turning back to Sadie. “T won't!’ returned the girl, real ‘defiant. “Oh, yes you will!’ Ma came back, cocking both barrels of the scattergun and jabbing the muzzle into the girl’s ribs. “‘ Lafe Elwood and his posse are like to blow in here any minute, and I ain’t purposing that they find you here! Git along down there, now, and don’t start any argying! I mean business!” and she gave the girl another jab with the gun. “ Aw, now, Ma—” I began in ex- postulation, but the old lady cut me off short. “You shut up, Rawhide!” snapped, giving me a glare. ‘I know what I'm doing! You tell your gal friend to git down into that cellar be- fore I blow her in two!” Well, anybody that knows her will tell you that Ma ain’t to be trifled with when she’s got her dander up, and she sure had it up right then. That scat- tergun was all ready to explode on very slight provocation. | she Go 0)(0\) AMUG S (C@