The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

768 Radford read the situation with the quick eyes of an intuitive man and the angry ones of a lover. He guessed why Sykes was so belligerent. He cuessed it by the leap of primitive in- stinct in himself. Sykes loved the girl and wanted to beat and batter any other male being who made a bid for the favor he desired. Ted felt with him, though not for him. Indeed, his own nature clam- ored for the removal of the tall, good- looking young Southerner. The mere thought that Sykes might be a success- ful lover inspired him with such a de- sire to choke him that Ted leaped at him forthwith. “TL settle you!” he announced jubilantly. “Oh! please — please!” Natalie cried. The plea worked oppositely from the way she wished. It made each of them think that it might really be a petition for mercy to the other. They went on toward the encounter. But Natalie was quick in action as in thought. She stepped between them. Radford felt the warmth of her hand through the flannel of his shirt. He paused, wanting at that mo- ment to use his strong right to catch and hold the small left. He antici- pated how it would flutter first and then, if he were lucky and tactful, lie quiet in his clasp. Sykes, too, stopped. ‘“ He’s got to apologize to you, Mlle. le Fevre!” Ted heard him growl. It was another chance. Radford saw it instantly—a fine, big: chance to ingratiate himself with the little lady. That his rival made it for him gave it zest. He promptly took the little hand and bent over it with unmis- takable courtesy. “Tf I seemed, even a little, to pre- sume—”’ he began, while an emotional scales somewhere in him industriously weighed the chances of his being able to kiss the hand and continue to live in the same territory with the watch- ing and fun-loving cow-punchers. é THE ARGOSY. “On our old acquaintance in New York,” Miss Bitter-Sweet prompted as if she wanted him to carry the situa- tion according to his own desire. He followed her lead,. amused and excited by her playing in with him against the gloomy Sykes. “I fancied I might dare to say some- thing pleasant without being punched by one of your Western friends,” he observed, inwardly pleased as. Sykes became embarrassed. But romance and carpet-knighting appealed little to Big Red. His ac- cumulating anger had been focusing on Sykes for some time. It was forced to find an outlet. “Ain't ye one uv Gill’s punchers? ” he demanded. ‘“ Whut business is that uv youahs?” Sykes instantly retorted, glad to get a fight with some one to relieve his pent- up feelings. ‘“T reckon you put this hyah lady up to spoilin’ the spring soze our critters cain't water hyah! It’s one uv the dirty tricks ye seem to like, ye Double X-ers!” Big Red said, getting louder and louder as he continued. Before Sykes could reply — and he was not slow at retort either—Mlle. le Fevre swept down on Red. “T need no one to do what you say ‘put me up’! Thees ees not a dirty treeck! The quassia bark is clean and not harmful — only bittaire. Neither you nor the cattle can drink eet with pleasure.” One who has lived among men on ranches knows that lightning and a cowboy’s sense of humor act with equal unexpectedness. These boys burst into a roar. All but Big Red. “Ts this hyah spring a goin’ to be open to the critters that belongs to Gill? ” he shouted, with the idea that noise would overcome the little lady and his own terrific embarrassment at dealing with a woman. “The spring ees mine. Nobody has eets wataire unless I say so!” Miss Bitter-Sweet responded quietly: “Reckon you’ve bin hangin’ ’round COMICLIOOKS (C@)