Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 4, 1922 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

TWO-GUN SUE. He had jumped to his feet, and now the foreman wheeled and followed the direction of his gaze. “Tt’s Clint!” the latter exclaimed. ‘Clint, and he’s a-comin’ hell-for-Sunday! Somethin’ broke loose!”’ The puff of white dust upon the road had spread into a swirling cloud and from it materialized the form of a rider bent low over the neck of his running horse, whose sudden, wild spurts indicated the dig of spurs. Tad made one leap in the direc- tion of the corral and then paused, and all three men waited until the horse swerved in at the gate and drew up on sliding haunches before them. ‘Wires down over beyond the crick!”’ the rider announced breathlessly. ‘‘ They was O. K. at sundown—” ‘Ground ain’t trompled none?” Wes in- terrupted tersely. “ Only on t’other side, and the trail leads north.” Clint Beckett’s good-looking, boy- ish face was set in grim lines. ‘‘ Moreover, them wires ain’t tore loose; they been nipped clean!”’ ‘Clint, you didn’t see nothin’ of Lee—” Tad began anxiously, but again the foreman interrupted. ‘“He’s ridin’ line on the east section. Link, you shoot in to Dexter for Matt Cooley and a couple of his dep’ties! Get a fresh bronc, Clint, and you and Tad come with me! We’ll show them rustlers!” The men raced with one accord for the corral and presently the dust rose again thicker than before upon the road, to settle slowly while quiet brooded once more over the Circle Six. Meanwhile, on the highway which skirted the little cattle town of Dexter—local usage had years since abbreviated its name from that of its founder, the late owner of the Circle Six—out beyond the Eating House and the railroad, a girl had halted her broncho in the shade of a clump of mes- quite bushes. She was winsomely pretty, with a mutinous, provocative curve of her red lips and an imperious tilt of the small, pointed chin which argued an already awak- ened knowledge of her power, despite the boyishly immature figure that betrayed her extreme youth. you see. 323 The road in each direction stretched de- serted and still under the glare of the sun, and Sylvia’s blue eyes snapped with vexa- tion as she pulled off her broad-brimmed hat and pushed back the damp golden curls that clustered about her forehead with an impatient hand. Then all at once her eyes softened, and with a little smile she slipped lightly from her saddle and engaged herself busily in an elaborate pretense of cinching her girth. A lone figure on horseback had rounded the bend ahead at an easy lope, whistling a catchy melody that more properly be- longed to the environment of Broadway than the plains. At sight of her the whistling stopped and he urged his broncho forward, flinging him- self carelessly from the saddle before he had fairly reined in beside her. The newcomer was a clean-cut, athletic-looking young man attired in the faultlessly tailored riding clothes which had aroused Link Dole’s con- tempt, but although his glossy brown hair had been sleekly brushed until it shone there was nothing weak or foppish in the expression of his steady gray eyes and firm though humorously mobile mouth. ‘“In trouble, Miss Poindexter? Will you allow me—” His voice was pleasantly modulated and the crisp enunciation was in marked contrast to the nasal masculine drawl to which the girl was accustomed. She blushed and drew in a little quick breath. ‘““Tf—if you don’t mind, Mr. Chanler. I think the girth has got loosened some way.” He adjusted it gravely and, although there was a gleam of amusement in his eyes at her transparency no hint of it betrayed itself in his tone as he remarked: “There! It only needed taking up a bit, You don’t often come by this road, do you?” Sylvia shook her head. ‘You don’t either! I—I mean, I’ve never seen you out this way before,” she amended hurriedly. ‘I thought I’d ride out and see old Mrs. Bently this afternoon, but it got so hot, and my saddle kept slip- ping—” ‘“ Tt was fortunate for me that I happened along. May I ride back a little way with COmiclbooks.com