Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 4, 1922 — page 132: what you’re looking at

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

442 Nell Gamble. When you fight Taurog you are fighting for me.” Jim stared at her more intently and saw that one of her eyes was swollen and paint- ed. ‘All right, Miss Nell,” he said. “ Tl listen to you cheering when the fight’s on.” “Tt is a just fight—it is my fight and the fight of all women Taurog has wronged. And I am glad you were brought here. You will win.” “Then you know all about how I was brought here?”’ “That foolish snip of a girl, Kirbie, was sent for you.” “ T know that.” ‘But she would have failed. She would have freed you at the mouth of the gorge. »£ am glad now that Taurog and his men were there to catch you.” Jim stood up and walked over to the woman. She had said something which struck in sharp upon his understanding. The whole scheme of ‘things at the crater as he had pictured them was suddenly upset. ‘“‘ You say Kirbie really wanted to-free me?” he asked. In his brooding over the events of the preceding night he had stumbled on one little hope: there was a chance that Kirbie didn’t know she was delivering him into Taurog’s hands when she left him at the gorge. “ Kirbie is a silly child—her head has been turned because all the men flatter her, telling her she is beautiful. Lies! She is not to be trusted. I knew she could not be trusted to bring you here. I told Taurog this after he had sent her away.” “ After he had sent her away?” Jim re- peated eagerly. “And Taurog came to his senses and knew that the girl could not be trusted. She is young and vain and frivolous. He took his men and laid in wait for.you. And now I am glad he brought you here to fight him. You will win—he will be punished—for he beat me!” “ Cheer up now, Miss Nell,” Quade said cheerfully. ‘‘ Every blow he struck will be returned to him to-day—and it ‘Il hurt!” “Thank you for that! You seem like a great man and a great fighter!” Pedro opened the door and looked in sus- piciously. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, “Tm going now, Pedrro,”’ the woman Quade went to the door and watched the woman walking up toward the house. Pedro looked at him and saw a curiously grim set to his mouth. And he was afraid. He did not see the light in the eyes. From then until the time he was called out to go down - to the ring, Quade kept doubling his fist and looking down at it. Pedro saw the fist—the size of it, the tight brown skin across the knuckles, the huge, hairy fore- arm. “It ‘ll be a great fight,” the Mexican said to himself. At three two men came into the hut. They announced that Quade was to follow them. The crowd was waiting. Taurog was ready, and the time for the fight had come. When Quade was escorted down the little winding path he had a view of the huge, bowl-shaped crater. It seemed as he looked down upon it as if it were a giant ant-hill teeming with ants. Around a small corral which had been barricaded with a paling of logs was a large motley crowd of cow- punchers, herders, and squaws They were perched in rows about the fence. Some sat on the roof of the long shake-barn near by, others stood up on the buckboards. Those on the outskirts even retained their sad- dies in order to get a better view of the ring. It was a curious crowd that Quade saw as he approached. Every man for miles around had come to see the fist duel. And every color of skin and costume seemed to be represented. There were negroes from the dance-halls of Lava decked out in their check suits, red ties, and sombreros. Chi- nese cooks came from the outlying ranches. There was the civilized element from the region of Mule City—those who had been near enough to Lava to hear of the fight and who had summoned enough nerve to come into the crater of Taurog which had been declared an outlaw’s nest by the bet- ter element of Mule City. There was even a sprinkling of sheepmen—but these few kept very much under cover, and were care- ful with their elbows. If asked their busi- ness they professed they were prospectors; COmiCbooks.Gom