The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 99: what you’re looking at

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

MESQUITE RANCH, “Tf I wuz to tell ye whut I think ‘bout that deed, would ye let me off without this hyah deal, jes’ keep mum ‘bout it?” Gill asked. “Tt’s nothing to me,” Ted observed. “Ef ye’ve got that deed—” “ Well, I haven't.” “ Anyway, whoever has got it has got somethin’ Nick Bullen wants bad. An’ he ain’t a wantin’ whut ain’t wuth nothin’!’’ Gill observed, clearly not shaken in his belief that the myste- rious Nick Bullen was still alive and making trouble, even though he heard what sounded like proof to the con- trary. “ Great gophers!” The exclamation slipped from Rad- ford’s lips before he could stop it. He remembered the papers Marsh had turned over to him, remarking that they were of no value. 3 He had never even troubled to look them over. They lay in his trunk at the Mesquite ranch-house. What if one of them were the deed to the Coch- inino and that Cochinino had turned out good? The thought came like a great, blind- ing light to Ted. If it were true, he could have at least the sinews of war to use in the fight for freedom from his outgrown obligations and to win the girl he really loved. “Whut’s up?” Gill demanded curi- ously. “It’s this confounded leg of mine,” Ted lied quickly. Now he had but one thought. He wanted to get rid of Gill, get out of bed, get on his horse, get to the ranch- house, and—get that paper. “ Well, Gill, this is all very interest- ing, but it’s embarrassing for you. Three of us can prove that you’ve been trying to rob me. I guess the best you can do for yourself is to light out! And just keep it in mind that I haven’t got any kind of a paper that will make it advisable for you to bother me again!” Gill was too much interested in get- ting away to care particularly about the 6A 801 manner of accomplishing his desire. He started toward the door post-haste. He was disgusted with his job. He had heard Ted deny and deny again having the deed while a gun nuzzled in his ribs. He had come on a fool’s errand and proved its folly by getting caught on the job. Radford listened till the sound of his footsteps on the stones was quite lost. Then he turned toward Natalie with his blue eyes shining. “Natalie! I believe I have that paper!” She looked at him in a kind of daze of admiration. The courage with which he had said he had no deed to the Cochinino when Gill threatened him was quite overwhelming. But he had the grace to laugh and own up. “TI didn’t know I had it or I might not have been so brave. I thought I was telling the truth. But I have a paper which my lawyer turned over— [ imagine there are several papers in the envelope—but I never looked at them. It may be one of those! And if it is—” Radford’s voice and eyes said a hundred confusing things. Alice Thorpe started between him and Na- talie, as if she suspected that the little lady might heed one of their demands and go to the invalid. “By George! If I’ve got that I’m not a pauper, after all; and I’ll see if I can't change things around a little. Are those my clothes? ”’ He pointed toward the foot of the bed. Energy fairly radiated from him. His practical question touched off the fuse of Miss Thorpe’s anger. It looked to her as if he might profit even more than the nine thousand dol- lars through Nick Bullen. It seemed like an undue reward to the wicked. Her sense of justice was rampant. “You have on one of M. le Fevre’s shirts!’ Don’t go off with that!” she snapped, with an inflection which in- ferred that he had already too much for his scanty deserts. GOMmIG JOO Ss <O