5
FIGHTING
By WILLIAM
MACLEOD
RAINE
COPYRIGHT 8b WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE
CHAPTER XIII—Continued
sore] rn
Grogan flushed but made no com-
ment. Quantrell was far more nimble-
witted than he, and had completely
turned the tables on him. It was the
prisoner now who jeered at him, an-
gered him, and led him into verbal
traps that made him furious. Yet he
lid not want to be relieved, exasperat-
ing though the situation was. He
found in it the same savage pleasure
that one with a toothache has when
he is Impell to grind upon the throb-
bing molar in resentment,
Nor did Quantreil want him relieved.
He knew there was very little chance
of escape during the shifts of Worrall
or Owen, loth of these were olg-
timers who had a healthy respect for
his prowess. Neither of them ever
gave him any opportunity for a snatch
at freedom. They watched him like
hawks. Quantrell felt that if he was
to make a getaway it would have to
be while Grogan was in charge of him.
In the darkness of the night shift
the outlaw had made a discovery. He
was small boned, and he could slip
his long narrow hands out of the cuffs
at considerable pain to himself. When
the right moment came he intended to
do so. But he had to be sure of his
moment. If there was any slip-up, if
he did not succeed, O'Hara would see
that he never had another chance.
Every moment that he was awake, no
matter whether he was eating, read-
ing, or deviling Grogan, his mind wag
busy with the problem, planning the
best way to divert the guard's mind
and make him for one Instant careless,
Quantrell played the long shot he
had planned one morning soon after
Worrall went off duty, He had been
playing solitaire at a little table.
handling the cards awkwardly with
his manacled hands. Now he was ap-
parently tired of the game. He
instead the more attractive cne of
rowelling Grogan's temper.
The guard was sitting opposite him
at the table less than three feet away.
Quantrell dropped his arms his
lap and leaned forward to jeer at
Grogan. He showed his buck teeth
in a grin and murmured Insults at
him. Meanwhile his wrists had slipped
down and he was using his knees for
a vise to hold the iron while he worked
his right hand out of the cuff.
_ You an’ yore whole family,
Pore white trash, I been told.
Every last one of ‘em.
yore own state for stealin’
sheep, the I heard it.”
Grogan, flushed to furious anger,
lost control of his temper entirely.
With an his right hand reached
across the table and caught the lapel
of Quantreil’s coat,
Instantly the lads left hand made
a backward circle through the air,
the handcuff still attached to the wrist.
Jefore Grogan knew what was hap-
pening the swinging iron struck the
side of his head. Almost at the same
moment Quantrell rose, leaned for-
ward, and v.1'h his right hand snatched
the revolver from its holster beside
the guard's hip,
Eyes staring incredulously, dazed
from the blow, still uncertain of what
had occurred, Grogan staggered back
a step or two. He stared vacantly at
the smiling, derisive face of his ene-
my. Then he understood-—and woke
too late to violent action. Like a wild
bull he charged the menacing gun.
Two shots rang out, so close to.
gether that they sounded like one.
The guard's body plunged down on the
table, upset it, and slid to the floor.
Quantrell stood there, feet apart,
wolfishly wary, the hand with the
smeking .44 resting on his hip. His
shallow cold blue eyes held to the
body of the man he had just shot
down. He wanted to be sure that his
work was thorough. There was no
doubt about that. After the first
spasmodic twitching of the muscles
the huddied figure lay still,
Slowly a grin creased the face of
the outlaw. “O'Hara will send a boy
to mill, eh?" he murmured,
The killer wasted no time, Some
would hear those shots and the
a... rm would be spread. He put his
hat on, tilted jauntily a little to one
side, and walked out of the room Into
the lobby of the hotel,
As usual Brad Helm was sitting
there with a couple of cronies,
“He was a wiry hook-nosed guy
with eyes set too close together,”
wheezed the hotel keeper, “an’ I no-
ticed his claybank had sack hobbles
tied around its neck. Says I to him,
kinda careless— G--ddeimighty!”
The last startled exclamation, not
at all careless in its Inflection, was
wrung out of the fat man by the sight
of Quantrell emerging from the hall,
“Mornin’, Brad, an’ gents all,” the
outlaw said lightly, his glance stab
bing at first one and then another,
The fat man's heart died under his
ribs. “W-where's Grogan?’ he qua-
vered.
“Grogan!” Quantrell's smile was
thin and cruel. “Oh, he's back there
began
into
luck.
An' yellow
Kicked outa
way
oath
He entay
Yuoes ny
© |
Did you
WNL SERVICE
in the room. want to see
Grogan?"
Brad Helm knew now the meaning
of the shots he had heard. Until now
they had not even disturbed him. He
had thought his boy was practicing at
a target back of the hotel.
Swiftly Quantrell stepped back of
the home-made office counter and
lifted from a nail a belt containing
cartridges and a revolver. He broke
the Coit’'s and saw that it was loaded,
“Much obliged, Brad,” he
“Since you're so pressin’ I'll
the loan of this for a while.”
“Help yoreself, Bob. You're sure
welcome. If there's anything else—"
“Where's O'Hara right now?” broke
in the young desperado.
“At the courthouse. Judge Warner's
holdin"
“An' Steve Worrall?
“Why, Steve's asleep down at the
Longhorn corral, I reckon.”
“Amen?”
“I dunno where Amen's at, Bob."
Again Quantreil’'s shallow eyes, na
deadly threat in them, passed from one
man to another. “Stay In yore chairs
for fifteen minutes. Don't rise. Don't
call anyone. If you don’t stay put
you'll have to settle with me. Under-
stand?
He passed into
sald,
borrow
the hall, down fit,
and out the back door. His glance
slid to right and left to make survey
of the prospect. Nobody was in sight
except Brad Heim, Junior, and he
wag too busy roping a post even to
notice him. The boy had that moment
arrived from the Longhorn corral,
where a vaquero had been taming a
wild horse,
Quantrell moved swiftly In the dl.
rection of the Gold Nugget. There
would be horses, he knew, at the hitch
rack in front of the gambling house.
How soon the news of his escape
would be flung broadcast he did not
know, It could not be long. He had
to get out of town before O'Hara
closed the roads and tralls, bat he had
no intention of leaving without first
demonstrating his coolness. That the
manner of his achievement, as well as
the fact itself, Be talked about was
demanded by his vanity,
Into the back door of the Gold Nug
At once his haste ap-
He sauntered for
past the gaming
ft young
Quan-
moved
They
get he slipped.
peared to vanish,
ward to the bar
tables and the roulet
man very much at his ease.
trell’s busy as he
toward the front of the building.
picked up Hank, the town drunkard,
dirty and unshaven as usual, two cow-
boys whom he did not know, a man
sleeping on a bench with his hat over
his eyes, and two cow men discussing
business over a mug of beer. No
body else was In the Gold Nugget ex.
cept the bartender, for this was the
hour of the day when the place came
nearest to being empty.
The bartender had his back toward
the newcomer. He was dusting the
bottles on the shelves. A sound of
clanking steel made him turn abrupt-
ly. Quantreil had dropped on the bar
the loose cuff still attached by its
neighbor to his left hand.
“Service, Mike,” the escaped pris-
oner sald quietly.
Mike stared at him, astonished. The
town was full of rumors about Quan.
trell, but he had not seen him for
more than a year.
“You durned old alkall, wake up an’
gimme a whisky straight,” Quantrell
ordered.
The outlaw's senses, despite his
casual mapner, were highly keyed.
His ears were alert for any unusual
sound there might be on the street
Already his eyes had registered the
fact that Hank and the two cattle men
had now recognized him. Hank had
risen and in another moment would
be making for the back door. This
did not suit Quantrell,
“Drinks on me. Every one this way.
You, too, Hank,” he called.
All but the sleeping man came for.
ward, the cowboys with no urging, the
others reluctantly, For those who
knew Quantrell were aware that some
drama was working Itself out, prob.
ably a highly dangerous one. He had
escaped. The Jingling handcuff told
them that. Why had he come here?
What did he mean to do?
One of the cowboys caught sight of
the handcuffs. “Holy smoke, pard!
What kind of jewelry Is that you're
wearin?" he asked,
“Compliments of Sherif O'Hara.
Name yore own polson, gents, an’ drink
to the long life of yore host, Bob
Quantrell, To h—1 with the law."
The jocose cowboy took one quick
look at him and became serious,
They drank, nervously.
Back of the bar four or five re
volvers hung suspended from nails
driven into the wall. They had been
left there by cowboys visiting town,
In accordance with the new custom
instituted by O'Hara, and they were to
be returned to their owners when the
Intter were ready to go back to the
range,
te wheel,
EYP] Were
“I'l take a look at those,” Quan-
trell sald, and he stepped back of the
bar, After swift examination he
pelected a 44 and tossed aside the
one he had taken from Helm. He
helped himself to a belt filled with
cartridges, and to a pint bottle of
whisky,
“The
sald to
county.
know an' I'll
him.”
“That's all
tender sald
want.”
Quantrell yawned and stretched
himself. “Well, I got to say ‘Adios!
boys. Yqu know how the old sayin’
goes, that the best of friends must
part.”
He turned his back on them auda-
clously and swaggered to the door.
Back to them came the sound of a
high unmusicai volce raised In song.
It was Bob Quantrell's favorite ditty.
Hush-a-by, baby,
Punch a buckaroo,
Daddy'll be home
When the round-up is through.
The drumming of a horse's
reached them. Mike looked
the window. The outlaw had
himself astride a saddled cow
and was galloping out of town.
"T'lIl be doggoned!” one of the cow-
boys sald. “An' that was Bob Quan-
trell.,” He spoke as one awed by the
nearness of one greatly famous,
“Himself,” Mike corroborated. “He's
broke loose, 1 told 'em he would, |
heard shots. You don't reckon
killed O'Hara, do you?"
“Not O'Hara,” one of the cow men
sald. “We saw him at the courthouse
not five minutes ago. We better get
the news to him right away.”
Already there was the hum of ex.
citement in the alr. Men could be
bill goes to the sheriff,” he
Mike, “I'm the guest of the
If he doesn’t pay It let me
have a Ii'l' talk with
the bar-
you
right, Bob,"
hastily. “Anything
hoofs
out of
flung
pony
he's
“Jumpeg a Horse in Front of the
Gold Nugget An’ Lit Out”
heard running along the street shout
ing to each other that Bob Quantrell
had got away.
It was news as exciting as that of
his capture had been three days
earlier. Food had been furnished for
a hundred that would be
waged furiously by the partisans of
the young desperado and of the sheriff
For a time O'Hara's stock had been
above par Now it had been driven
down again. His friends still had
faith in him, but the general opinion
wae that, good sheriff though he might
be, he had met more than his match
in Bob Quantrell,
The sheer melodrama of Quantrell’s
getaway stirred the imigination and
sent a thrill of horror through the
community. His capture by O'Hara
had been done inconspicuously, though
the sheriffs posse had one dead and
one wounded bandit to its credit
Their leader had played down the
achlevement, as an affair all In the
day's work. But Quantrell, with his
sure Instinct for the limelight, had
magnified his. Handcuffed and close-
ly watched, he had managed to kill
the guard and walk out of prison, to
saunter carelessly about town, to ride
away when he was ready, all with the
spectacular gesture that differentiated
him from ordinary bandits and killers,
Bob Quantrell at least had personality,
To Garrett O'Hara at the court
house came Brad Helm puffing from
rapid travel. He waddied up to the
sheriff's dosk and wheezed out his
startling tidings,
“Bob Quantrell has done killed Buck
an’ made his getaway.”
The heart of O'Hara went down like
a plummet In fce-chilled water. But
even at this shocking news he wasted
no words In lament or incredulity.
“Has he left town?’ he asked.
“Don’t know. He held me up an’
took my gun. We found Buck dead
in the room.”
“Get Owen and Worrall and bring
them here. If I'm not in, tell them to
wait till I come.” O'Hara turned to
Judge Warner, who was seated in the
office. “Judge, I'll have to use you
as a messenger. Go to the Fair Play
saloon and ask for Buckskin Joe.
Find him, please, and ask “im to out-
fit a pack horse with grub for a week
in the hills, I'll want him to go along.
We'll start inside of an hour.”
Already the sheriff was buckling on
the belt that held his guns. He
passed out of the courthouse and down
the hill to the main street of the
town. He could see men gathered In
knots. They were discussing the
news excitedly,
O'Hara reached a group and asked
a question, “Is Quantrell still in
town?"
“No, sir, Jumped a horse In front
of the Gold Nugget an’ lit out. Helped
debates
himself to all
first.”
“Which way did he go?”
“Took the east road. Looks like he
might be—"
The Cheriff had turned on his heel
and was on his way, He had all the
information they could give him and
he was too busy to listen to surmise,
Within the hour he and his posse
were following the escaped bandit, He
had wiih him Worrall, Owen, a cow-
boy known as K. C. and Buckskin
Joe. The latter was an old scout who
had trailed after the Apaches with Al
Sieber,
The man’s sobriquet eame from the
fringed leggings and the hunting shirt
he wore. loth of these were made
from the hide of a buck, He was by
way of being a character. His lan-
guage fell easily into the pungent
speech of the frontier,
“He's p'intin® for the hills, that lad
looks like. Betcha he meets up with
Deever an® whatever other pardners
he's got. Likely they've got a
out somewheres to hole up in.
be travelin' light, with no ext:
nies, 80 we got no show to cateh him
right off. Being as you've
into this, take yore time,
See them tracks. He's going 1} 3
split. ‘Make haste slowly," Al Sieber
usta tell us, an’ it was sure
medicine.”
“He's more
and he'll or
to come
the guns he wanted
hang-
He'll
ra dufun
doi me
gays old Joe
good
slippery than an eel
HEUess us
him as soon as
like up with
possible.”
“Don't
fellow. You'll
o' these days, maybe sooner'n you're
lookin’ for IL" the scout sald drily.
They were following a diagonal trail
up the side of a rough,
sheriff fell behind the
Owen “Well,
fellow who had been re
sald to the
ride,
than na
gives you
wear out vy yore
up with hi
BPUrs, young
come nH One
back guide,
spoke, here we are
again, as the
prieved
Out for a
around
He certainly
of va
twice
nice
wWorsy
hangman
Bob hops
Mexican flea,
a reasonable
lomg
amount
“He » from be.
ing decorously and d--nably dull,” ad
mitted O'His “My fault this time
I had a feeling T ought to take Gros
off as a guard. but 1 hadn't
to put on in his
They
other side of Pe
up in the snow,
dead
riety.”
keeps n officia
anybody
place.”
camped the first night on the
wder Horn pass,
For their camp fire
weil
they used a
and some young pines Thougt
crackling wood roar
froze while
broiled They did not
around the fire after they had
but rolled up in thelr blankets and
fell During the night
another of them rose to
loge. It was so cold that they
glad to be up early and stirring about.
Buckskin Joe's hands
when he fastened the suppl
ecross-buck pack saddle An
later, while climbing =a
grade, the pack
Frightened, the horse
furiously, Before
flour, salt, bacon
tered all over the
They gathered
and Buckskin
others offered
The scout
worked
“This fry-pan won't ever be what it
was before old Chipmunk
fit,” he admitted, looking regretfully
at their chief cooking utensil. *“An'
I bought It yesterday, pretty
as a painted wagon, by gum. Go
ahead, boys, an’ josh me all you got
a mind to. I'll bet I've threw the dia-
mond hitch before some of you lads
were born, an’ this is the fastest time
it ever went back on me.”
There had been fresh snow In the
late afternoon of ‘the day before and
Quantrell's trail had vanished, but
the last they had seen of it he had
been heading down into the foothills
again,
“Come this way so he wouldn't
meet anyone, looks like,” Owen sug
gested. “Betcha their shebang is on
Horse creek somewheres. Bob always
did kinda favor that country when he
was on the dodge.”
“Deever has been seen there since
their bodies
eénten,
asleep, one or
fling on more
were
ies on the
hour
very Eteep
and turned
began to kick
it could be st
and beans were scat
mountain side,
the scattered goods
Joe repacked while the
him
grinned
slipped
ped,
facetious advice.
sheepishly as he
threw his
an’ shiny
he escaped from town,” Worrall added,
“Whatever we do will probably be
wrong,” O'Hara sald. “Might as well
try Horse creek as anywhere.”
The sky was clear and the sun shin.
Ing. As they dropped down from the
rugged peak country the temperature
became perceptibly warmer.
O'Hara came to a decision, “Think
I'll ride over to the Diamond Tall and
find out If anything has been seen of
our birds. You fellows meet me at
the Circle 8 O before supper. We'll
stay there tonight. You might work
the creek on the way down.”
Steve Worrall looked at him and
grinned. A little later, when the two
were out of hearing of the others, the
deputy made an Innocent proffer.
“Kinda hard ride to the Diamond
Tall an’ back to the Circle 8 0. If
you'd like me to scout that territory
for you why of course I'd reluctantly
consent, old-timer.”
O'Hara flushed. “No, I'm younger
and ought to do the hardest work,” he
sald, tongue in cheek,
“It wouldn't be hard work
Worrall sald, “an’ I'll bet you
find it so doggoned hard yore
self.”
“Anyhow
dryly,
“Hmp! Duty—that's a
word, Wonder what Ba
when I tell her you feel
It ever been a duty for most
lows to ride clear acrost the
‘Howdy !" to her. They
claimed It was a pleasure.”
“Did I say it wasn't?”
“No, sir, just hinted it. You
her I'll be along one o these days,
after I get through dragged
around by the guy who thinks she's
a duty, an' it'll be strictly a pleasure
for me”
won't
own
;, it's my duty,” O'Hara sald
right mean
rbara will say
she's a duty.
1't
fel
county to say
tell
being
vieit
“T'il tell her, That will
cheered up till
her
his friend
keep
you come,”
retorted,
O'Hara rode across rough country
and dropped down along the creek to
the Mamond Tall He came up to
from the rear and
front.
was holding a low.-voleed
Phillips, her
ght of O'Hara
quick with life
MOY him he {eit that
flash In them that
the house
are d it to the
Barbara
rode
with
forer 1. She
ation
and her eves be
As she
strange
blood tingling
ww the danger is
He shook his
he heid
aven't heard
He
head,
her
ould see the 11 shock of his
ink in
led his gnard-—not Stev
“No Puck
®
f
it }
her,
Grogan. We don't know
Ie
just how wmppened. He must have
grown careless”
“Do you know where he headed
for?" asked Phill
‘Across Powder Horm. We
tracks this side of the pass”
“Are after him?
Ore DORE i”
“I'm to meet the bo
before supper. Thought I'd
ride over and warn you" He f
heat into his face ol
lost his
you out Where's
ys at my
Ee 1
annoyed him,
pricking
he was blushing. This
Couldn't he ever get over that fool
{ a flag of em
frick of flying
rassment?
girl
nodded. “I'll the
boys right away and have what horses
are around the ranch herded.”
He turned and strode away.
Left alone. both the man the
woman found themselves empty of
words for a moment. This meeting had
stirred in each of them an emotional
disturbance.
“Mayn't 1 see his royal highness?”
he asked lamely.
“If you don't wake him."
They tiptoed to the buggy an
looked down at the sleeping babe.
His eyes iifted—and his blood leaped.
In her starry eyes he found the gift
his heart desired.
{TO BE CONTINUED.)
The foreman geo
close
ar nd
HERE)
HEHE EH +
Cooper's “Lions 'N Tigers 'N Every-
thing,” mentions that “the speed of
an elephant is a deceptive thing, and
it is a good horse that can keep
abreast of him, once he unlimbers into
full steam ahead.” Jennison's “Nat-
ural History of Animals” states that
“the usual gait Is a walk, but when
frightened they break Into an amble
by which they can cover 10 miles an
kour for a long period” An article
by F. C. Selous in “The Living Ani-
mals of the World,” says as follows:
“That great authority, Mr. Sanderson,
says that the only pace of the Indian
elephant is the walk, capable of be-
ing Increased to a fast shuffle of
about 15 miles an hour for very short
distances, This description exactly
Origin of "0. K."
The expression “OK.” was men
tioned in the presence of the late
President Wilson, who at once gave
the explanation that “Okeh” is Choe.
taw Indian for “it is #0.” This is re
garded as disposing of the oft-repeated
story that certain illiterate American
gold miners were in the habit of cer
tifylng payments to them In connec
tion with the sale of “dust” by ap-
pending to receipts the letters "OK."
which letters they Imagined repre.
sented the Initials of the two words
“all correct.” Others state that the
term Is the contraction of an illite
erate senator's “orl korrect”
coincides with my own experience of
the African elephant, except that 1
think that animals of the latter spe-
cies, especially cows and young bulls,
are capable of getting up a pace of at
least 20 miles an hour and keeping It
up for from 100 to 200 yards when
charging.” These statements would
indicate that a charging elephant can
outrun all but the fastest of human
runners,
Riviera of the Baltic
In the proximity of the city of Riga
is the lovely strand which has come to
be called the Baltic Riviera, where the
busy Latvians abandon their offices for
the sports or the sunny beach. Here,
fringed by dunes and woods, ldyilie
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las are growing up on every side. The
vast stretch of sand makes it a para.
dise for the children, and It Is aston
ishing how soon after Russia lost the
coastline the Germans, the English and
the Scandinavian peoples found on it
a home for their summer play. It is
the strand of a shore whore Inland
miles stretch to Asia and China and
the mystery of its hidden background
shadows all its romance,
-
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Mrs. Fred Westin, of 887 E. 57th
St. North, Portland, Ore., sayz: “Tan-
lae cured my stomach trouble com-
pletely after three years suffering. It
built me up to perfect heaith, with a
gain of 27 Ibs.”
Tanlac is wonderful for indigestion
~ gas’ pains, nausea, dizziness and
headaches. It brings back lost appe-
tite, helps you digest food, and gain
strength and weight. No mineral
drugs; only roots, barks and herbs,
nature's own medicines. Less than 2
cents a dose. Get a bottle from your
druggist. Your money back if it
doesn’ t help.
nigan is
WITH
COLDS
Sluggish intestinal systems lower re.
sistance to colds. Cleanse them with
Feen-a-mint, the modern chewing gum
laxative. Gentle, safe, non-habit.
effective because