The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 130: what you’re looking at

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

832 ; of the aims of two altogether well- managed guns sizzled and hissed and bellowed from his lips. ~ ‘ Shut up!” the man beside him or- dered and shouted in vain. “Shut up? I won't! I’ve bin a pran- sin’ long hyah till I feel like I’m goin’ to split ef I don’t git some relief! Got? What ye think ye got, ye coyote?” The exuberant person who had rushed along the trail with the glad news passed from animation to amazed silence. He emerged into indignation, and by the time Gill had worked off his first instalment of language he was ready with an answer that righteous indignation made him yell in a voice that capped the high climax Gill had reached. “We've got Radford, ye slobbering skunk!” Gill’s anger took another shoot up- ward. The thermometer of his rage boiled over again. “ T knowed ye'd say that. Of all the thunderin’ fools that’s knocked the pegs out uv boot-soles, ye’re the cham- -peen!”’ ‘““Whut’s the matter with you?” ’ the man who had met them asked. ‘Nuthin’ the matter with me. It’s you. You've got ’em. An’ Radford’s got us!” The informant stared his wonder. The silent man studied his face. His neck jerked as if he found it almost beyond his power of will to keep from looking back along the trail where the two men and the girl were awaiting developments. “ Radford’s behind us with another man and a woman.' We have come along the trail all day without daring to look back. I guess you’re wrong about catching Radford.” “T guess I ain't,” the other replied. ‘T’m Munn’s depity—the sheriff.” “You've got.a man you think is Radford?” the stranger asked. Thai's it,” : “How do you know? Has he got the deed?” the man asked eagerly. The deputy looked blank, THE ARGOSY. ‘“T don’t know about no deed. We ain't searched him. But he’s the spit- tin’ image uv the description that wuz wired to the sheriff when his arrest was ordered fur the killin’ uv Nick Bullen,” the man replied. ‘“ ’Nuther thing that makes us sure is ‘c’us’ he turned an’ answered *fore he thought “when the sheriff called his name. He’s the man, all right.” The man Natalie had not known mumbled something as he spun around on his heels and stared up the trail to where Natalie and her two companions leaned against the rock. He did the thing he had longed to do, but dared not for the guns in the hands of two expert shots. He looked keenly at the two men. But both of them were close against the cliff and, even in the golden illumination of the setting sun, which frilled the clouds with edges of fire and turned the peaks of the mountains into crests of living gold, he could not tell the height nor the figure of the two. With the woman they were massed like statues in bronze grouped close. ‘“ Give me your gun,” he said to Gill. He put out his right hand. It was covered with blood, coagulated now where the red streams had run down his fingers. “Ye cain’t shoot!” staring at the hand. “It’s only a flesh wound,” was the quick reply. The hand was still extended. But Gill did not give his gun to the man who had accompanied him along their peculiar journey... He glanced care- fully over his shoulder at the group higher up the trail. The durance under which they had moved all day had fitted itself like a habit on them both. The deputy no- ticed how carefully they refrained from facing the three up the trail until the shorter man had whirled about so suddenly and then demanded a gun. Gill exclaimed, “Say, ye kin take mine ef it’s any *commodation,” he offered. Eomichbooks (E(@)