Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1920-04-15
make itself heard Above

""Take care" another voice replied,
and FlanGrau would have sworn that
this belonged to Blackwell.
Stone, who had been sitting on the
other side of the table, moved close
to the parpIcd convict. Between him
and Curly there was only the thick
ness of a plank.
g.. don't like it," Blackwell
vas ~objccting sullenly.
'NIakcs it safe for us. Besides
Stones voice grated like steel
rasping steel, every word distinct
though very low--"l sworc to pay off
Luck Cuilison, and by Ct I'm going
to do it,"
Again they fell to whispers, The
next word that came to Curly clearly
Was his own same.
Luck CulIison went his bail. !
learned it this mo'ning."
1.-THE son-of-a-gm. It's a cinch he's
q spy. Reckon he knows anything?'
NO. Can't"
eff | thought he did"
keep your shirt on, Lutte. He don't
know a thing. And you get revenge
on him all right. Sam will run with
him and his friends while he's here.
Consequence is, when they find the
kid where we leave him they'll sure
guess Curly for n of his pardners.
Tell you his ticket is good as bought
to Yuma. He's a horse thief. Why
shouldn't he be a train robber, too?
That's how a jury will argue"
Once more the voices ran together
indistinctly. 1t was not till Blackwell
suggested that they go and get a drink
that Curly understood anything more
of what was being said.
The outlaws passed out of the little
room and StrOlled forward to the bar.
Curly had heard more than he had
expected to. Moreover, as he congrat-
ulated himself, his luck had stood up
fine. Nobody in the sunburnt territory
felt happier than he did that minute
when he struck the good fresh air Of
the alley and knew that he had won
through his hazardous adventure
alive.
The first thing that Flandrau did
was to walk toward the outskirts of
the town, where he could think it
out by himself. Before he reached
Arroyo street Curly came plump
against his old range-mate, Stats
Davis. Flandrau caught him by the
arm. Hello, Stats. You're the man
1 want"
I'm pretty busy today" Davis an
swered stifly.
Forget it. This is more impor-
tant.'
"Well?"
Come along and take a walk.
got something to tell you"
Reluctantly Davis fell in beside him,
"AH right. Cut it short. I've got to
see a man."
Hell have to wait" Curly could
not help chuckling to himself at the
evident embarrassment of the other
The impish impulse to "devil' him had
it's way. YOU'RE a man of experience
Stats. Ever hold up a train? Some OF
my friends are aiming to hold up one
shortly. If you'd like to get in I'll
say a good word for YOU"
Davis threw him a look that
drenched like ice water. 81 expect
you and me are travelling different
trails these days, Curly. You dom
mean it, Of course, but the point is
I'm not going to joke with you along
that line. Understands"
"Wrong guess, old boss. l do NEAR
it,"
Davis stopped in his tracks. ether
you've said too much to me. Wei
part right here. When you choose
Soapy Stones crowd to run with thai
cuts out me and other decent folks
If they have sent you here to get me
mixed up in their deviltry you go back
and tell them there's nothing doing"
Wont have a thing to do witt
them. Is that it,"
Not till the call comes for citizen:
to get together and u them out o:
the country. Or to put them behint
bars. Or to string them to a cotton
wood. Then I'll be on the job"
He stood there quiet and easy, thu
look in his steady eyes piercing Curly'
ironic smile as a summer sun doe:
mackerel clouds in q clear sky. No
many men would have had the courage
to send that message to Soapy and hi:
outfit. For Stone was not only a man
killer, but a mean one, at that.
Curly %sloughed his foolishness an
came to the point. you're on, Stats
I'm making that call to you now
Surprise, doubt, wonder, relief fillet
in turn the face of the other man.
"I'm listening, Curly"
His friend told him the whole stOr.
from the beginning, just as he hat
peen used to do in the old days. An
Davis heard it without a word, takin
the tale in quietly with a grim loo
settling on his face.
$50 he aims to play traitor t
young C%ullison.'
HE lea to shut Sans mouth fo