Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 16, 1921 — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

86 mebbe you’d take the velocipede and go back to Ellsworth—” “Not for a motor-car!” Ed interrupted, instanter. “I’m goin’ west, foot or wheel.” ‘“‘So’re we. But I—” “Say, Dll shovel snow!” Wharton an- nounced. “ Don’t know a damn thing about managin’ that cayuse of yourn. You better git on; an’ let me stay off an’ shovel. That critter ’d git her head an’ run off with me, sure, pop!” The foreman recognized the probability of the cow-man’s knowing nothing of the track-velocipede, so he. accepted the sug- gestion. An hour later, Wharton was shoy- eling snow while the foreman leaned on the table beside the telegrapher at Ellsworth. Ed had seen him set off. He debated the advisability of sending a message by him to be wired to Cogswell & Sterritt. He wanted to get hold of some of his Aunt Margaret’s money. He had budded and grown hopes ,that needed the fructifying richness of cash to bring them to flower. But he decided against the message. Of course, that individual who was on his trail had wired back to Ellsworth pending his own return. It would simply be putting his head into the lion’s mouth to give infor- mation as to his whereabouts. And the realization came crashing down upon him that he gave every evidence of running away. The natural assumption is that only the guilty flee. He flung down his shovel. Since he had started fleeing, it"was up to him to keep going. “ Goin’ to feed?” a comrade of the gang asked. “ Guess I will. me hungry.” Wharton accepted the suggestion. He filled up well. He had a plan that needed efficient stoking. When the other men came from the cook- car, he lingered. A few minutes later, he slid around behind the car and made off westward. He had his shovel over his shoulder so that he seemed merely to be moving off with ‘the intention of returning. ‘ He went past the point where the sid- ing and the main road met. Then on Shoveling snow makes through the big cut. And as he emerged ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. from between the white walls he. felt the _ Spatter of water on his face. It was the beginning of a down-pour. Mistress Weather, having painted a marvel- ous picture on the face of the earth, pro- ceeded to smear and blot it out, getting ready for the masterpiece of spring that she had in mind. The foreman at Ellsworth station got off his report. Then the instrument began to click a message in. “Gosh ding! Can you beat it!” the agent exclaimed. The foreman leaned over as the other wrote out the despatch. ‘“Wouldn’t you think we wuz the Wild West fur sure? Here’s a pair of crooks that tries to croak you; and now Morg Martin’s got one of hisn!”’ : Tor Martin was wiring the agent_to have his lawyer get the telegram at Hank Mosher’s for his authority and then com- municate with the firm that sent it inform- ing them that an impostor would try to claim the fortune. ‘Great snakes! He’s a first-class, A-1 wild man!” the agent added as more infor- mation came over the wire. Morg said that he was going to get in touch with Sheriff McCue‘at Poindexter and have him get over to Ellsworth and begin a hunt for ‘a chap who appeared to be guilty of anything from horse-stealing to murder. The agent rushed from the station. The foreman followed. The grocery was the first place where Lawyer .Moseby might be found. Hank was measuring out beans for a cus- tomer when the two entered. He listened to the word from Morg Martin. Moseby had stopped in on his way to his office, but had gone on about ten minutes before. “Say, I ain’t got that there telegram here,” he observed in his deliberate fashion. ‘It’s at the house. You ast Mis’ Mosher fur it. If that there chap’s a vilyun, he’s sure some cool!” The agent left the store to seek the law- yer. Hank put the beans in a sack and rang up the forty-three cents they brought on his cash-register. Then he turned to the foreman. “Say, wuz it a big chap that put ye wise Go DOOK C© 5}