The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

MESQUITE RANCH. “So, that’s why ye give up yer bath- tub an’ yer vallay an’ come out here!” was his reply. “No, it isn’t,” Ted corrected. “I came out here because I wanted to look around and see if I hadn’t sense enough to earn my own living.” ‘“T reckon ye won't ever have to go hongry!’’ Red muttered in a way that made the words sound like praise. “But I’ve got to have more than a living. Dve got to have money. If this Cochinino Mine’s worth anything, and I’ve got the deed [ think I have, I ought to be able to get enough out of it to—to—” Radford paused. It was not easy to acknowledge himself suspected of murder. “To whut?” Red asked, curious be- cause of the solemnity of Radford’s manner. “To fight the suspicion of having murdered a man.” Red whistled. Silsby shifted his legs and straight- ened his back. “ Whut’s that?” he asked sharply. “T just found out to-night that I’m supposed to have killed Nick Bullen,” Ted replied. To his amazement, Silsby leaped to his feet and came toward him with extended hand. “Put her there!” he cried in such an extraordinary burst of feeling that Big Red sat up and stared. He gripped Ted’s hand and wrung it till the bones cracked. Ted could only grunt and wonder. ““Tt’s the best job ye ever did! He was the scum uv the earth; an’ he done me dirt! Ye jes’ ask Ward Silsby fur anything ye want! I can’t never pay ye fur givin’ him whut wuz comin’ to him. Wisht I could ’a’ done it; but —well, I’m glad it’s done!” Silsby was pumping Radford’s hand up and down in an excitement that seemed not to exhaust itself with the effort. Radford listened to his unwonted flow of speech with rising indignation. 809 He realized that Silsby had reason to hate Bullen; but he was not pleased to have the credit he was getting for having rid the earth of a rascal. “ Hold on there!” he shouted final- ly, dragging his hand from the iron clutch of the ranchman. “I didn’t kill him. I didn’t even know he was dead till [ heard that I was blamed with putting him out of the way. What I want is to find out about that Cochi- nino Mine and get hold of some money to clear myself of this suspicion.” Radford was shouting. He seemed to need force to wake Silsby out of the obsession that he was congratulating Bullen’s murderer. The ranchman looked dazed for a second, disappointed for a minute more, then gave his attention to Radford as he explained his sudden flight from New York on the night of the murder. Silsby listened. Then he burst out with the information that lifted Ted’s hope to a pinnacle. Bullen had sold his share in the Cochinino to some Eastern chap. It was probably Rad- ford’s father. “There’s sttre some value to the Cochinino now, or Bullen wouldn’t ’a’ tried to git it. Ef he’s dead and Al Watson ain’t above ground, the whole blamed thing’ll belong to you!” Radford’s exultation caught a sud- den jolt. Bullen might not be dead. But he thought of Natalie’s positive assertions of Stratton’s information. It seemed to prove that the Westerner was dead. He told Silsby of the complication, that Bullen seemed to be corresponding and telegraphing to Gill when Dr. Stratton, Natalie le Fevre, and Alice Thorpe asserted that he was murdered on the morning of the day he left New York. “Great gophers! that’s some mys- tery!” Red exclaimed. Suddenly Radford leaped to his feet. “T’ve got it!” he exclaimed. “It’s Al Watson doing it in Bullen’s name. I don’t know why; but he does, proba- bly. I’ve got to find him.” Gomichoo S (E©)