Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 5, 1921 — page 126: what you’re looking at

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

= sys a an Gre) damage to the same. Oh, damitall! ~There gocs a butter-dish!” | “You can scrape the butter off the floor after we get through,” said Coryell. “I wish I-had my rifle. Lookit, Buffy, will you watch he don’t run away while I get my rifle off the saddle? My hoss is tied over at the back o’ the Mint corral. Will yuh?” ‘No, IT won't!” Bulf squawked, while Tom Jones and Bud Thompson whooped with merriment. “G’ on = outside, for Gawd’s sake, Bill! He'll ruin my kitch- en! Y’ oughta setilecl this at the Mint, I tell yuh!” * Couldn't be did.” deniect Coryell. “I never wanted to down him--just muss him up, thassall.”’ A bullet from Rebel Stanley’s — rifle chipped a top panel of the dining-reom door. The door opened, and the sheriff entered with caution. ‘Ts sanybody’ shootin’ out here?” he asked, staring in amazement at the three gentlemen crouching under the window- sill. An empty colfee-pot on a shelf leaped and jiggled. The trio became a quartet. ‘Move over, can’tcha. Buff? Wanna hog all the recom?” Thus the sheriff, el- bowing. : ‘Yes, [ do,” replied Butt. elbowing back. *‘ 1 can’t have too much rcom, an’ she’s my kitchen, anyway.” Wat Pickett mvade himself small as pos- sible, anct demande explanations. He got them. “TIT don't mind a ordinary egun-play,” said the sheriff, when Buli, the most vo- ciferous .of tne explainers, paused for breath, ‘“ but this here promiscuous shoot- in’ has gotta stop. lirst thing you know, Bill, some innocent bystander will get beefed.” “Toknow four inncecent bystanders that won't if they can help it,’ chuckled Cor- yell. “ Tha’s all right,” said tae sheriil, red- dening. “ It’s gutta stop.” “S’pose you go an tell Stanley that, an’ see what he says. Maybe we can get together. So far 1 ain’t been able to do a thing with him.” ™~ N AKGUSY-ALLSTOR’ VWikEALy, “He shore is takin’ root behind that stove,” said Tom Jones. * Guess he knows what a valuable man _he is to Swing Kyler,” suggested Corvell. ‘You got no business stirrin’ up more trouble thisaway with the Slash K,” said the sheriff. ‘“‘ Now—’” He hesitated. ‘“ Now the town’s liable to be dragged in; huh?” Coryell completed the sentence for, him. ‘ That ’ll shore be tough, Wat, most damnly tough. But if the Slash K gets to rough-housin’ you an’ yore deputies too much, call on me, Wat, call on me. -Al- ways glad to oblige, always.” | ‘You know what I mean, Bill!” snort- ed the sheriff. ‘‘I—” He floundered. ‘‘ Shore, I know what you mean. The Slash K is liable to do a lil promiscuous shootin’ themselves, huh?”’ ‘ T mean—”’ ‘* You mean Swing will think vou’d somehow ought ’a’ kept Slow Baker an’ his other pet out of harm’s way. Shore, | knowed you meant that all along.” “What the Slash K thinks don’t bother me none,” lied the sheriff, vexed that Cor- yell had divined the truth so easily. “I guess 1 know my business an’ can handle anvthin’ that comes ie'/rem it comes.” ‘ Correct, an’ speakin’ of business, Wat, was it business took yuh out to the Slash kK two-three hours after I dropped in to see you couple o’ weeks ago?”’ ‘‘ What are you talkin’ about?” ‘ Nothin’,* only [ happened, just hap- pened, to be eatin’ my breakfast down in them cottonwoods along the river when you come lopin’ down the Hatchet trail an’ swung into the trail to the Slash K. I was wonderin’ whether you told Swing or any of ’em TI was aimin’ to scout round the Slash K, Rising Creek, an’ the Kettle.” The sheriff blinked at Coryell. ‘Tt would certainly be a shame,” went on the latter, ‘if you've done made Swing waste any of his valuable time a lookin’ for me in the wrong places.” ‘You think yo’re pretty smart,’ the sheriff sneered feebly. ‘“Common-sensica], thassall,” corrected Coryell. ‘‘Nemmind, Wat, you'll know more a year from now than you do to-day. Say, Buff, s’pose you go outside an’ un- COMICELOO S CO