Argosy, Vol. 120, No. 1 — page 102: what you’re looking at

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

92 THE ARGOSY, tin’ to us, an’.it wasn’t no go. Sigmund’s men, though, an’ Lester’s an’ the rest of ’em, had took a gorge trail that cuts into the big basin from the south, away the other side of Kinney’s Canton; an’ they run plumb into the rustlers over at the edge of. the basin on Sigmund’s side. ‘An’ they brought back your cattle; though Slade an’ twenty or thirty of his men got away, clean. I reckon you’ve heard about that, though, an’—well, Law- ler, that’s about all—exceptin’ to tell you haw the boys—an’ I don’t seem to want to go over that when I’m awake; I keep see- in’ it enough of nights.” But something of the deep emotion Blackburn felt was reflected in Lawler’s eyes from the time he heard the story. During the many days he had spent in the little hotel room recovering from his wound, and in the long interval of conva- lescence that followed, a small army of workmen had been engaged in rebuilding the Circle L ranchhouse, the bunkhouses, and the other structures. On the second day following his return to consciousness, Lawler had called in a contractor and had made arrangements for reconstruction. A temporary cabin, to be used afterward by Blackburn, had been erected near the site of the bunkhouses, and into this Law- ler and his mother moved while the ranch- houge and the other buildings were being reMuilt. Blackburn was slawly engaging men to fill the depleted complement, and the work went on some way, though in it. was none of that spirit which had marked the activities of the Circle L men in the old days. In fact, the atmosphere that surrounded the Circle L seemed to be filled with a strange *depression. There had come a cold grimness into Blackburn’s face, a sul- lenness had appeared in the eyes of the three men who had survived the fight on the plains; they were moody, irritable, im- patient. One of them, a slender, lithe man named Sloan, voiced to Blackburn one day a prediction. “Antrim’s dead, all O. K.,” he said. “But Slade—who was always a damned sight worse than Antrim—is still a kickin’. An’ Slade ain’t the man to let things fo half-way. Them boys from the other out- fits bested him, all right. But Slade will be back—you’ll see. An’ when he comes we'll be squarin’ things with him — an’ don’t you forget it!” It was after Lawler had been occupying the cabin for a month that Metcalf made his second visit. He rode down the slope of the valley on a horse he had hired at Willets, and came upon Lawler, who was standing at the corral gates, looking across the enclosure at the workmen who were bustling about the ranchhouse. Metcalf regarded Lawler criticaHy be- fore he dismounted; and then he came for-. ward, -shook Lawler’s hand, and again looked him over. “A little thin and peaked; but other- wise all right, eh?” he smiled. “It’s hard to kill you denizens of the sagebrush.” He followed. Lawler into the shade of the cabin, remarked to Mrs. Lawler that her son would need some one to guard him if he persisted in meeting outlaws of the Antrim type single-handed,and then turned to Lawler, after Mrs. Lawler had gone in- side, and said lowly: “Lord, man, you’ve got this State rav- ing over you! Your fight against the ring is talked about in every corner of the coun- try. And that scrap with Antrim, Selden, and Krell in the old Dickman cabin will go down in history—it will be a classic! What made you rush in on Antrim that way—giving him the first shot?” Lawler smiled famtly. ‘“‘ Shucks, Met- calf, there was nothing to that. Shorty told me what had happened, and as I recol- lect, now, I was pretty much excited.” “Excited, eh?” said Metcalf incredu-- lously; “I don’t believe it. What abaut you going in to Warden’s office, offering to give him the first shot? Were you excited then?” — Lawler reddened, and Metcalf laughed triumphantly. “Lawler,” he said, ‘ you’re too damned modest—but modesty becomes you. I be- lieve you know it. Anyway, this State is raving over you. You're going to be the next Governor. You’ve got to run! This State needs a man like you—it needs you! AN — 7 = > - -comichoolkeres