Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

704 Rip had been drilled through the neck and the kid had disappeared—” “ Why, he showed up with the gang and wanted to join them when they pulled out of here on the man hunt, but the boys -wouldn’t let him go along.” “Well, this is once that the newspaper fellow gets interviewed, because I want to ‘talk with that lad, and not for publication, either.” With that I meandered. over to the cigar box that served as an office for the Weekly Squeal, Rube was decorating the peak of a high stool, and was picking those types out of their pens as if his life depended on -it. When he saw that a minion of the law had called on him, he climbed down from his perch, got a big sheet of paper and a stubby pencil, eased up to.a soap box that served as his desk, and said: “Mr. Bronson, as the deputy marshal, what have you to say about this unfortunate incident?” I took a second look at him to be sure that he wasn’t trying to make a fool of me, which couldn’t be done since nature can’t be improved upon, and seeing -that he was reasonably sober and in earnest, I replied: | — “ Nothing, and a lot of it. In the first place there’s no occasion for you being sar- castic that way, and calling me mister. My name’s Red Bronson and that’s perfect~ ly good enough for yours truly. In the next place, as the deputy marshal, I .want. to- know what happened when-you called Rip. Jaimson out of Squire Glynn’s office last night.” ‘The kid got red in the face and seemed “as uncertain what to do as a-cheap gambler with one chip when there’s. thirty-six num- bers and the’single and double O to cover. ‘ Vou understand I might get into serious trouble if I talked,” he finally managed to say. ““T understand that you can get into seri- ous trouble if: you don’t talk, » T said. ‘“ Tooks to me as if you have your rope on some information which I need, and I want you to put the cards on the table where I can look them over.’ “ Here,” said the kid as he picked up a long tray, on which was a string of those “gust. could see that. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. types, “Ill give you a proof of the story . I’ve set up for the paper.” He smeared some ink on the -types and put a sheet of paper over them and then using a wooden block and a mallet, he got the reading matter onto the paper and handed it to me. I took the paper and sought a place to sit down, the which I have to do when I. read. Seems like I picked a bad place, although I didn’t see anything on the low bench where I de- posited myself, Just as I sat, the kid let out a yell: “Look out for those valleys!” - T felt something sort of give way where I was sitting, so I jumped up and discovered that I had plunked myself down on three of those long trays and those types had all fallen. over. The kid’s face looked as if he had received bad news from home. ‘* Now what?” I asked. “‘'You’ve pied the whole works!” he ex-- - claimed. “The paper won’t get out this week.” 3 “ Komo!” I says. “ Me no Say that pied. a} “You've mixed up all the type I had set for this week’s issue. It will take: me an- other day to reset that matter and I wanted to get out with the paper this afternoon with the big story.” “ Don’t cry about it, Rube,” I urged him, “Tl help you set ’em on their -feet again and maybe you'll get—” ‘You'll help me!” he exclaimed in dis- “What do you know about setting type?” Well, Rube was mighty discouraved. I The future looked pretty cloudy for him and he asked me sort of peevish like if I would mind going outside. and using the edge of the water trough when I sat down again. It took some time for me to read that story while I was stand- ing up, but finally I got.to the end of it. _ “ That’s a perfectly good story about our popular United States marshal being crim- inally and viciously insulted by unknown assailments, and being shot in ’dobe town, but it don’t tell anything new. want to know, Rube, is just this: What did you tell Rip Jaimson when you called him out of Squire Glynn’s place?” AA é What I. EO OO AMUC