The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-08-06
CHAPTER VIII.
A Touch of the third Deoree.

sOEtA, was slipping down toward
gteoe's horse ranch when they came
saee TO face. Before the bad man had
ais revolver out, he found himself
eo&fng down the barrel of the rang.
Ms leTeled rifle.
Y wouldn't" Bucky murmured gen.
Any.
what you want me for?" Blackwell
&ealauded sulkily.
"FOr the w. & s. robbery"
TN not the mar you want. My
same's Johnson"
-rn put UP with you till | find the
naA l do want, Mr.. Johnson" Bucky
0oad him %cheerfully. "Cllmb down
Rrem that horse. No, | wouldn't try
that. Keep your hands up"
Buck took his prisoner straight to
ne rangers Office and t~elephoned to
C0alison.
The lieutenant did not know sav-
shing about book psychology, bur he
Aaa observed that hunger and weari-
aess try ont the stuff that Is in a man.
gnaar the sag of them many a will
snaps that would have held fast If sus-
eAiRed by . good dinner and a sound
night's sleep. This Is why SO many
bad mem" gun fighters with a reputa-
ten for gameness. wilt on occasion
kke whipped ours. In the old days this
came to nearly every terror of the
BORDER. Some day when he had q
fanaping tcothache, or when his nerves
were 9rayed from q debauch, a silent
stranger walked into his presence,
sos6ed long and steadily into his eyes
ana ended forever his reign of lawless-
81 Sometimes the two-gun man
was planted" sometimes he subsidized
into fnnocuOus peace henceforth.
The ranger had a shrewd instinct
that the hour had come to batter down
this fellows logged resistance. There
fore he sent for Cullison, the man
whom the convict most feared.
The very FAX of the cattleman, with
mat grim aard. capable aspect, shook
Elackwcss nerve.
"Ss you've got him, Bucky?"
LssR looked the man y as he sat
A~sNicutfed beside The table and read
m his face both terror and a sly,
2ogged cunning. Once before the fell
low had been put through the third de-
gree. Something Of the sort he fear
euily expected now. Villainy is usually
not consistent. This hulking bully
should have been a hardy rufian. In
stead. he shrank like a schoolgirl from
ehe thought of physical pain.
Stand up" ordered Cullison, quiet
~.
BLACKWELL got 60 his feet at once.
Don't hit me-" be whined.
Luck knew the man sweated under
a. punishment hTs imagination called
mo- and he understood human nature
eco well to end the suspense by max
kg real the vision. For then the
worst would be paG9, since the actual
10 nessr equal to what is expected.
~wslY' Luck watched him with the
bok OF tempered steel in his hard
sya>
~A-I~-Mr. Cullison, / want to ex-
Iinin. Every man Is liable to make a
nistake-go off half cooked. I didn't |
no right. That's a fac. l can explain
OIL that. but I'm sick pow-awful |
eek"
! Cullis0n laughed harshly. you'll be
flicker SOON
"You promised you wouldn't do any
xaing IL we turned you loose" the man
slucked mp courage to remind him.
81 promised tts law wouldn't do any
ching. You'll understand the distinc-
don presently"
: aMr. C,fiison. please admit I
Zone wr1Hg. / hadn't ought to have
gone Ia with Cass Fendrick. He
sante< me TO kill you, but l wouldn't"
Bucey had let Cullison take the cen
her OF the stage. He had observed a
growing distress mount and ride the
Sictirr Now he stepped in to save
she Ran with an alternative at which
Blackwell might be expected not to
snatch eagerly perhaps, but at least
10 be driven toEagd.
Mo My piiSOhSl, MI. Oul-
fsoa. From what l can make out you
ought to strip his hide of and hang 1t
suG - dry. But I've got first call on
him. II he COMES through with the
truth about the w. & s.. robbery I've
sDt TO protect him."
Lnck understood the ranger. They
e both working toward the same
and The immediate punishment of
sAis criminal was not the important IS
~ IT was merely a club with which
- beat him into submission, and al
<hAt q moral rather than a physical
snN. But the owner Of the Circle G
KNEW better than TO yield to Bucky too
AsI1y. He fought the point out with
Nm n length. and finally yielded re-
uctantly, in such a way as to agra
ate rather than relieve the anxiety of
~ convict.
IAN right. You take him irst," he
rally conceded harshly.
Bucky kept up the comedy. .'Tll
nke him, Mr.. Cullison. But If he tells
- the truth-and IL / find out it's lie
xhole truth--thereIl be nothing doing
= your part. Hes my prisoner. Ia
prstnnd that"
Metaphorically Blackwell licked he
NI|W.- 49, .t.|MW. $500 ar a - -