The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1920-11-25

at the hack of his victim. Twice the
lash .>tmng. not hard. hut with pepper
enough to hurt Each time the young
man asked him to stop.
Blackwell snapped the. quirt once
too often. When he picked himself
out .s0f the dust five seconds later, he I
was the inatitlest man In Arizona. Like !
a bull he lowered his head and rushed.
Curly sitle-stepped and dashed out hard |
with his left
It was II sledge- hammer hOut. with |
NO rules except to hit the other man |
often and hard. Curly watched his
chance, tlOtlged q wild swing and |
threw himself forward hard with his
shoulder against the chest of the CON
vict. The man staggered hack, tripped
on the lowest step of the porch and
went down hard. The fall knocked
the breath out of him.
"Had enough?" demanded Curly.
For answer Blackwell bit Flandrau's
thumb savagely.
''Since. you like it so well. have an
other taste" Curly, now thoroughly
angry, sent short-arm jolt to the
mouth.
The man underneath tried to throw
him off, hut Flandrau's fingers found
hiB hairy throat and frightened.
You're killing met" the convict
gaspedg
"Eneugh?"
yves"
Curly stepped back quickly. ready
either for Il knife or gunplay. sack
we'll got to his feet and went into the
house, swearing to get even. His face
was livid with fury.
"Yeu wouldn't think little thing
like whaling given fair and square
would make !, man hold a grudge. My
system has absorbed se-ye-real without
doing it any HARM" Sam stopped to
inspect rapidly discoloring eye.
"Say, Curly. he hung peach of
lamp on you"
Soapy made no comment In words,
but he looked ut Flandrau with a new
respect For the first time doubt as
| to the wisdom Of letting him stay ut
the ranch crossed his mind.
His suspicion was justified. Curly
| had been living on the edge of secret
for weeks. Mystery was in the air.
Mere than once he had turned cor
| ner to find the other four whispering
| over something. Occasionally man
| had ridden into the yard late at night
for a private talk with Stone. and
| Curly was morally certain that the
man was the little cowpuncher Dutch
Of the Circle c.
/ Through 1t all Curly wore manner
of open confidence But all the time
i his brain was busy with questions.
What were they up to? What WAS It
thet had planned?
Stone and Blackwell rode away one
morning. To Curly the word was
given that they were going to Mesa,
Four days later SOapy returned alone.
Lutte had found a job. he said.
''That a paper sticking out of your
pocketT Flandrau asked
i Soapy. still astride his horse. tossed
4 the Sagumche Sentinel - him as he
i turned toward the stable.
Caught between the folds Of the pa
per was railroad time table. 1t was
8 q schedule of the trains Of the Texas
i Arizona & Pacific for July. Curl,
), turned the pages idly till pencilef
marking caught his eye. Under Mum
Der As time was scrnwled. just below
Saguache, the words Tin Cup. ant
opposite them the figures 1O:19. tn.
express was due to leave Saguache a
9:57 In the evening. From there i
pushed up to the divide and slid dswl
with air brakes set to Tin Cup three
thousand feet lower. Soapy could no
want to catch the train fifteen mile
the other side Of Saguache. But thi
note on the margin showed that h
was interested In the time 1t reaches
the water tank. There must be rea
son for 1t.
Flandrau's doubt had been convert
!. ed into lively suspicion. Present.
he took gun and strOlled OF to shoe
birds. What he really wanted was t
- alone that he could think the matte
over. Coming home in the dusk, h
saw Stone and young .CullisOn wit
J their heads together down by the col
9 raj Curly, sat down on a rock an
watched them. himself unobservet
n They appeared to be rehearsing som
g hind of a scene, Of which Soapy wa
stage director.
/ The man on the rock smiled griml,
ssThey're having quarrel. looks lik
| r.. Nav the kids telling Sonpy
i 70 to Guinea. and Soapy's pawin
1 around mad us bull moose It's a
4 play. They don't mean II. B,
/ whyr
/ Cu,ly's :nind was SO full Of guesst
Y that his poker was not up to par til;
n might. About daylight he began to $.
j his way into the maze. His FIRST slea
4 Of light was when a row started b
4 tween Sonpy and Cullison. Befo
4 anyone could say a word to stop the
they were going through with th
j Identical corral quarrel.
I Flan,lr,u knew now that they HI
4 been preparing It for his henef
n Cranstnn clipped in against Sam M
n % keep up appearances. Curly back
" | Ahn f,n.. pho uua rreI vrpws fririOt