LUK

Morgan, rolling a cigarette as he and Racey Dawson j

asked

e Tweezy is the agent and he

t tried to b

should he? He knows he

been afte

Dale's lays right across the valley between them two ridges like a cork in a bottle. A mile wide here, twenty mile away between Funeral Slue and Cabin Hill she's a good th

," conced

to start a brand betwee

Free range or not, it a

r

a bunch round Cabin Hill and

Oh, these fellers ain't foolish enough to crowd Old S

to the other. "How come they allowed Da

claims, his'n, Jane's, Molly's, an' Mis' Dale's. But they're pr

claim some'ers over yonder on Dale's land?" inq

ippery Wilson and his wife traded in their claims on the other side of th

ever drink much?" wa

come here. But he to

st-up he's had since

redeye so's he'd be easy meat for th

ays-liquor, cards, the whole layout o' hellraising. But his habits rode him to a frazzle final and he knuckled un

s Nebraska-Peaches Austin, I mean, can g

ckaded corral roosting on the high ground beyond the belt of cottonwoods and willows marking the course of the Lazy. "Them's

ee us count of th

e's at th

I can find out something, see. Bimeby you come along-half-hour, maybe. You don't know me, either. I'll get into conversatio

and turned his horse

the legs and belly of Racey Dawson's horse. Racey spurred up the bank a

in front of the place. For this Racey was devoutly

e-coupled. The reptilian forehead did not signify a superior mentality, even as the slack, retreating chin denoted a minimum of courage. It was a most contradictory face. The featu

se. The room he entered was a large one. In front of a side wall tiered to the low ceiling with shelves bearing a sorry assortment of ranch supplies was the store cou

f it, and he was staring fixedly and fishily at Racey Dawson. There was no welcome in

lf against the bar

poured himself a second. "Have o

as expressionless as his face. "

ked about

an Dale?" he a

the man. "He-Say!"-with sud

Fluke?" sho

spicion continuing to bri

y. "Luke Tweezy said he left him here, and he said he'

gan the suspi

estimate of McFluke. "I'm somebody who knows more about this deal than yo

. "I was in the kitchen gettin' me some coff

ickled to death with y

se he went to all

was gonna slide off? When I left him he was all so happy with his bottle you'd 'a' thought he'd took root for life. Anyway, Peaches Austin oug

. And Peaches ain

wish to Gawd he

earnest that Racey l

" he aske

nna get my head blo

come to that. Mayb

. And they's an 'if' the size of Pike's Peak between us and win

glass between his thumb and fingers, and wondering how far h

doin' it," snarled McFluke, swabbin

hat rode so briskly on the Marysville trail. "Peaches

r. Racey risked al

when him and Lanpher

he asked,

old Dale hates Lanpher like poison. Well, I told Jack, like I tell you, th

stood in the doorway. Racey lowered a cautious hand and loosened his sixshooter in its holster. He wished that he had taken the precaution to ti

tied his horse. He greeted cheerily the glower

r you to get here," he

hes in a low voice. "Ain't you got

McFluke. "The old man has done flitted. An

anded Peaches, evidently

ied McFluke. "One o' Ja

fish's belly. He stared non-committally at Racey Dawson. It was evident that Peaches Austin was tak

ewell, stranger?" Peache

ned Racey. "I'm mighty

aches was becoming no

ugh," smi

ere, who

Racey, wishing that he could see just wha

e dangerous than the fetching of a bottle from som

tin. "Don't be so damn suspiciony, Peaches. He's a frie

riend of Jack's," declare

d by the sudden entrance of Chuck Morgan. Chuck, after a s

yard from the bar, "did you sell

ou?" demanded McF

to me," he resumed, harshly. "It don't matter whether you sold it to him or not. He got it here,

t or a promise?"

y can't hear us. Lookit, they ain't any call for a gunplay, none whatever. This gent is only laying down the law to Mac. And here you have to get serious right away. See how easy Mac takes it. He ain't doi

es, his pale eyes, shifty as a cat's, dartin

to this, will you? I'll get him away quiet and peac

. "I never did like Chuck Morgan,"

yoreself lynched. Sh

in, stranger. Jack never said anythi

le we're talking about Jack, I'll tell you something. An

y f

off. He's hotter than a wet wolf 'ca

afraid

of you quitting the outfit. Every man is needed. You be sensible and stick here with McFluke three-four days like I say, and after that c'

ked this way and t

leaned down to pick her up, my hoss started, my hand slipped, and I went off on my head kerblam. And do you know, I'll bet I was three hours a-runni

cey lied with a wonderfully st

eaches denied, irrita

I tell

than McFluke and treated him accordingly. "Shore, I know you ain't. But alla same you need con

se. He saw that Chuck Morgan had come outside, that he had brought McF

whiskey," McFluke was whining. "It ain't m

c means all right. He didn't know there was an

omach. "They is a law. I made it. And it goes. Peaches," he added, raising his voice, "don't you slide ro

o that," said

d Chuck. "What I said to Peaches go

u to do is go some'ers else peaceful. You

. Peaches Austin was behind him, thirty feet away. Racey's left ey

g now," s

to see you on yore wa

so far's I can see, and I ain't taking any chances on you, not a chance. Yo're going do

rushed forward, and possessed himself of R

saddle without losing the magic of the drop and without

Chuck Morgan, and backed hi

m down into a draw grown up in spruce Chuck's gun remained very much in evidence. Any unbiased spectat

Fluke, Chuck sheathed his sixshooter

d his weapon. "But what did you jump McFluke for thataway at first

at and sassy, it come over me all of a sudden what he'd done to the Dale family by letting old Dale have whiskey, that I couldn't help myself. Gawd, I wanted to knock him down and tromp

're after. There's more to it than that, a whole lot more. We've got to be a li'l careful, Chuck, and go a li'l sl

n something's up soon as Peache

er I've changed my shirt, dirtied my hat, and got me a clean shave twice over? He ain't got no idea what I look like under the whiskers. He wasn't living in Farewell before I went north, so all he knows ab

and struck a derisive tongue in his cheek. "

me a match and