Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 82: what you’re looking at

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

- send me out in the desert, right here until you are able to take care of yourself. Jim Barber is free born and twenty-one and tolerably quick on the draw, and I reckon he don’t need me half as badly as you do. You may be the boss, but all you can do is fire me. I’m not exactly stuck on the pruspect of dying of old age, the which being a deputy marshal is a sure preventive for, but I’m going to stick around these diggings until you are on you feet even if sticking spoils my chances of a short life and a merry one.’ | ‘ Again Rip devoted himself to creating literature on a piece of wrapping paper. ‘Tl take care of myself. You get Barber -~ -quick.” . “Rip, if you think I’m going to pull out of here until you are able to get off of that bed ‘and get your boots on, you’re plumb locoed.” - “You are an officer of the law, and duty comes first. You must go.” > When I read that and looked -at Rip’s face I could see that he had his heart set ‘on me getting in touch with Jim Barber. When he sets his heart on anything, there’s “no arguing with him. ‘“ All right, Rip Jaimson!” I exclaimed, giving him the Mexican salute with my shoulders. “Tf you're afraid to take your chances with the Princess when I’m in the field, I reckon you’ve got the authority to You'll break her heart, that’s what. She'll come over hére in the morning and find this old red- head gone in pursuit of his duty, and you can’t tell what the shock ‘ll do to her; for if I do say it myself, I’m the high card with her right now.” A faint smile came over Rip’s face and he wrote on the paper: “PIL boost your game while you’re gone.’ “But why .encourage competition by bringing Barber back here? Give that hombre half a chance and he'll cop the . bankroll.” — “ We will have to run that chance be- cause we must have Barber here.” I went to the kitchen and got a low box and put it behind Rip’s cot in easy reach ~of-his right hand. Then I took one of his smoke poles and laid it out on the box. He watched me with an amused twinkle in his -that hour. MINIONS OF THE LAW. TAL eye which told me that he thought I was crazy; the which I was, maybe, like a fox. “ Keep your eyes on Tuey,” I warned Rip. “ He has a stake in this game. First, he’s playing for the woman, and after that he’s the capper for some sort of a come-on game, the nature of which I haven’t figured out. He’s very much interested in you, Rip, so watch him like you would a rattle- snake.’”” q ( With ‘that I beat it across the flat for a Criswall’s corral, right across the street from the Palace of Pleasure. Seems like my horse, Napoleon, was just, about -to re- tire for the night, and he didn’t take kind- ly to having company drop in on him at We played tag until I got out of wind and then I took my rope and dropped a noose over his head and. took a hitch on the snubbing post, intending to choke him down. . But the game was over. The minute that rope went over his head | he crossed his fingers on me and stood still. I got the saddle and bridle on him, led him _ over in front of the Palace of Pleasure, dropped the reins on the ground and went inside to see if I could get a word with a friend of mine. She and Warrenship, the latter with his arm ina sling, were having some sort of an argument, the which wasn’t none of my business. When the Princess saw me she Jeft Warrenship and hastened to me. — “ How is he?” she asked. | Better, I reckon. Leastwise he’s get- ‘ting to where you can’t argue with him. He’s sending me over Sunset way, and. J thought you might want to know.” “Is he alone?” she asked rather ex- citedly. “ Right now, yes; but Pn soon have some one go over and stay with him during the night. I’m going out after Barber, and I may be gone several days.” “ After Barber!” she exclaimed. “ Yes; Rip wants him brought in.” She was silent for-a minute, and then she laid a hand-on my arm and said: “ Please, Red, don’t bring Barber in— at least, not until—until Tuey’s gone.” I saw Tuey moving toward us from the crowd of loafers, and without another word . I turned and walked out of the place. cComicoool<