Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 5, 1928 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

588 Her lips quirked. And then her ex- pression sobered. ‘* Still, I don’t see why Bear Paw had to try and ride him the minute he saw him,” she said as one who thinks aloud. Her father gave her a glance. ‘Bear Paw’s been drinkin’ a leetle too much of late, I reckon,” he re- marked. “Drinking?” his daughter repeated sharply. “So Emmy says.” Beryl Brewster frowned. Emmy was Bear Paw’s wife. She and Sing, the Chinese cook, and Beryl, ran the house. ‘ Why, she hasn’t said any- thing about that to me,” she declared. ‘Nope,’ her father assented. “Maybe not. But, seems like this here rustlin’ business is gettin’ on Bear Paw’s narves.” “Oh!” Beryl’s red lips circled the word. “Are we losing much stock?” ‘A leetle—a leetle,” said old Jed. “Trouble is it don’t stop. It’s jus’ a continual leak. Two, three, four, five, six. Hides show up. Allers beefers. No dogies. We've traced them hides from ‘[rinidad ter Gran’ Junction an’ Moab, as I’ve tol’ you. Maybe we'd find some in China ef we'd go look. Tain’t much, but it shore is annoyin’. Natural Bear Paw bein’ foreman feels a certain re-sponsibility, I guess. Good man, but sort of jealous of authority maybe. Reckon this here Nutting didn’t rub his fur jus’ right.” “ But—Bear Paw meant to ill him, dad,” Beryl protested. ~ “ He meant to kill him. The thing was—in his face. If we hadn’t got there when we did—”’ “ Paragonah an’ Swede would ‘a’ pulled him off,” said Brewster. “We didn’ exactly save his life. But—lTI reckon yore right. ’Pears like Bear Paw’s intentions was serious. [ll have a talk with him about it. Mos’ likely he’s regrettin’ it right now hisse’f. I’ve an’ idee this boy’s provin’ so handy with his fists sort of got Bear Paw all het up, an’ he sort of lost his head.” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, Beryl grinned. ‘ The Nut was sure doing his best to knock it off.” “The Nut, eh?” Old Jed’s lips twitched. ‘‘ They put a name on him already ?” “Oh, yes.” Beryl nodded. She rose and walked to the window giving a view of the bunk house porch. ‘Tiny points of fire, like red fallen stars, showed in its shadow, the tips of the riders’ cigarettes. The tinkle of the mandolin, the sound of blended voices reached her. “‘ Sweet Adeline.” They were singing it again. She stood and listened. She could pick out Joe Mad- delena’s voice and a clear, sweet tenor. She waited until both had died. “ Night, dad,” she said then, and left the room. ‘* And—that’s all for this evening,” Mr. Nutting said as the last note of the chorus quivered into silence. He re- placed his mandolin in its case and rose, “T shorely enjied it.. I’m right fond of music,” Mustang said. “Glad you liked it,” the Nut accept- ed. He and Paragonah made their way to their room, and he laid the cased instrument aside, produced a key and unlocked: his trunk. “TI fancy I’d better get out some other clothing. My present regalia doesn’t appear to be quite true to local color,” he remarked. “Well not— just,” Paragonah grinned. “ An’ say—Nut—you wanta be careful of Maddelena. He’s—sort of hard boiled, though I will say he’s danged competent.” “Why, I’m not—as yet, eh?” Mr. Nutting straightened and looked the younger man in the face. It was that of a clean-minded boy. “ Thanks, Charley,” he said. “No doubt I can learn. Perhaps you'd be willing to give me a bit of—coaching ?”’ ‘Why, shore!” Paragonah assented quickly. ‘“I’d be right glad to take over yore education in this here cow college, Nut.” “ And I’d be right smart pleased to. COMIC OOOKS (F@