Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

} “MINIONS OF. THE LAW. “Considering the fact that it was the first time I ever found myself in the kitchen with _ a woman, I got along fairly well, doing nothing impolite, but stirring cornmeal with my fingers when it was bubbling hot, the which made me use some of my corral Latin. After the Princess had put some soda on my burned fingers, she told me to clear out, and I removed myself to the other room. J wanted to talk to Sandy Tuey, but I didn’t want to disturb my boss and it looked as if we had complications enough in that mud house without my pre- cipitating any new unpleasantness, the which doesn’t mean-that it would have been unpleasant for me to talk to Tuey if I were where I could use my fists and my boots if necessary. I sat down beside Rip Jaimson’s cot and tried to make sense of the momma tion I didn’t have. The cards in sight were about after this fashion: Tuey blows into town. No one knows for sure whether he is coming or going. He sees this filly.in Warrenship’s | place and begins to think about getting his brand on her. Comes one Jim Barber with an ear for music and an eye for this sort of a woman. One woman and two men; mix them in the right proportions and, i reckon, quite some sizable spell of hot weather is on the calendar—maybe not as hot as if you had mixed two women and one man, but almost. Then comes two strange hombres looking for Tuey. They are carrying their visible means of support at their belts and, accord- ing to Rube, they are using the spurs on Tuey because he has wandered off his range. Mix in to that a reference to Barber, a word or two about the pay roll for the railroad construction gang, and a remark about driving a bunch over the rim and what could minions of the law make of it all when the boss minion, the which has the brains that go with the office, is flat on his back with: ‘a bullet hole through his neck. I had just about concluded: to: give Tuey: the benefit of the doubt, the which Squire Glynn says is according to the law, and throw him into jail, when the Princess ‘came in with a cup of broth for Rip. We propped the old boy up on the pil- low, me being helpful by holding the cup, 707 Tuey offered to help, but the Princess wouldn’t have it any other way than that she should raise Rip’s head and fix the pillow under it. When she had him tucked up just so, she took the cup of broth and began to feed him with a spoon. Whoever would have thought that Rip Jaimson would have come to that! When I saw how helpless he was I made up my, mind that Tuey wasn’t going to stand there and see my boss in his humiliation. I ‘walked over to the door and gave Tuey a nod, the which invited him outside, and when he had accepted the invitation I said; ‘ We’re certainly obliged to you for help: . ing us out, but it isn’t right to keep you from your business and we'll be able to manage now.” He looked at me and I looked at him and then his eyes sort of shifted and he said: “ Bueno, amigo. ll drag it. meantime, if you need any help just let me know.” “ Thanks,” I said. Til let you know.” Again Tuey looked at me and f looked at him and I still was looking at him’when he turned and started across the flat toward the business district, the which wasn’t much to boast of, maybe, and yet it was a pretty good business district for the size of it. Having some curiosity about Tuey’s real business even though he wore high heeled ‘When I want you er, I wanted to see which business would draw him. He went across the flat straight ‘to Barnitt’s corner and turned up.the side street. There was just one business in the side street—it was Warrenship’s Palace of Pleasure. “Come on, Mr. some breakfast. ” Those were kind words, but they rade me nervous. The idea of an old range lizard like me sitting down to a table with a woman like her! I was shaking so, when T went into the ’dobe, that my. knees were hitting together, and when a bow legged horse wrangler’s knees hit together it’s a sign that he is considerably nervous. [ didn’t have much appetite for anything but watching the Princess as she dished up Bronson, let us have In the ‘boots and talked the habla of a cow-punch- - COMmiclooe Cc S CO@