Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 6, 1923 — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

CHEDDAR in the pines, descended like a thick cloud upon the scene of the late crackling of fire- arms. OD CHAPTER XIII. GREASE PAINT. OR the young woman crouching at the corner of the log cabin the blank si- lence was horrifying. Quite naturally, her first thought was that Barrett had been killed, and for an instant the cabin and its surroundings swam in dizzy circles for her. But the lapse of self-control was only mo- mentary. Dropping the sack of bank notes she flew across the little clearing to the shelter of the trees, calling softly: ‘ Jimmie! Oh, Jimmie, dear, where are you?” Barrett was not dead. When she found him he was sitting on the ground behind one of the larger trees, trying to bandage a flesh wound in his left arm with strips torn from a shirt sleeve. “Oh, my dear!” she gasped, kneeling be- side him. ‘ Have they killed you?” “Not yet,” he returned grimly. “It’s only a scratch, but I thought I’d better tie it up. The blood makes everything so messy and sticky.” It was she who did the bandaging, deft fingers flying swiftly. “Tt was so perfectly reckless!’’ she mur- mured. “ Didn’t you know they’d begin to shoot as soon as you called to them?”’ “T supposed they would—yes. But I had cover of a sort and they were in the open. And because they hadn’t sense enough to duck I got one of them. Did you see him drop? I’ll get the others before Vm through with them. What have you done with the money? And why didn’t you go on down to the car as I asked you to?” “And leave you here to be killed? I couldn’t go. You knew I wouldn’t go with- out you.” “But the money,” Barrett insisted. “Oh, it’s over there by the cabin. It won't run away until we run with it. And that is what we are going to do, as soon as I get this arm tied up.” “ Not me,” Barrett denied, resolutely dis- CHEESE. 941 regardful of his English in his new charac- ter. ‘‘‘ Dead or alive,’ I said, I’m going to get all three of these sham bad men before I quit. If they get out of that tun- nel alive they'll come with their hands up. Is that their car out in front of the cabin?” ‘“Itis. I was just wondering if I couldn’t disable it some way when the shooting be- gan.” ‘We mustn’t cripple that car. By the time I’m through with these buccaneers we're going to need it—either for an am- bulance or a hearse.” ‘* For mercy’s sake!” ‘And daddy said—” ‘“‘ T know what your father has said,” Bar- rett broke in. ‘I suppose I might have gone along indefinitely, giving all the scraps and street rows a wide berth and cosseting myself like a sick lamb. But that’s a back number now. I’m getting my teeth into the real thing, and by George, it tastes good to me!” “But, Jimmie, dear!” she pleaded. ‘You can’t get them out of that tunnel un- less they come of their own accord! And when they find out there is only one of you—”’ ‘“* They are going to find out at that same moment that the one is a whaling pienty,” he boasted belligerently. ‘‘ Hand me that coat and let me get some more cartridges out of the pocket.” “Jimmie! Do you want to break my heart? You're not going into that black hole to get killed!” “Sure I’m not. It’s the other fellows who are going to get killed if they won’t listen to reason. I’ve told you what’s due to happen. They’re going to Copah with us—dead or alive. It’s up to them to de- cide which way they prefer to go, I’m not particular.” *“* Oh, you glorious, glorious fool!” she ex- claimed rapturously. ‘‘ I—I’d give worlds if daddy could see you now!” ‘* I’m not exactly on exhibition,” he snort- ed; ‘“ but neither am J any longer a monkey on a stick. Hold my coat for me and stay right here behind this tree. I’m going in after those make believe brigands.’’ It was all to no purpose that she begged and pleaded again, trying to show him that She breathed. COMmiclooe S (©