The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-06-18

JUN tHe diteiope anu the pdluteu III
dian"
The fellow leaned forward, ~sneerin.
so that his ugly mouth looked like {
crooked cash. How about the one
gun man, Mr.. Sheriff."
He doesn't last long now"
Doesn't he?"
The mans rage boiled over. But
Luck was far and away the quicker
Of the two. His left hand shot for.
ward and gripped the rising wrist, his
frightened on 1t. He shook the con,
Wet as If he had been a child, and
flung him, black in the face, against
the wall, where he hung, %strangling
and suffering.
I'LL get you yet" the rufiian
painted. But he did not again attempt
to reach for the weapon in his hip
pocket.
"You talk too much with your
mouth"
With superb contempt Luck slapped
him, turned on his heel, and moved
away, regardless of the raw, stark
lust TO kill that was soaring this mans
elemental brain.
The paroled convict recovered his
breath and skunk out OF the hotel.
Billie Mackenzie, owner of the Fid-
dleback ranch, laughed even while
he disapproved. Some day, Luck.
you'll get yours when you are throw
ing chances at a coyote like this.
You'll guess your man wrong, or he'll
be one glass drunken than you figure
on, and then he'll plug you through
and through"
1.-THE man that takes chances lives
longest, Mac" his friend replied, dis
missing the subject carelessly. "Tm
going to tuck away about three hours
of sleep. SO long" And with a nod
he was gone to his room.
"All the same Luck's too derned
RASH" Flandrau commented. "And he
hadn't ought to be sitting in these big
games. He's hard up. Owes a good
bit here and there. Always was a
spender. First thing he'll have to sell
the Circle G to square things. He'll
pay us this week like he said he would.
That's dead sure. But l swear | don't
know where he'll raise the price.
Money Is so tight right now"
That afternoon Luck called at every
bank In ~Saguache. All Of the bankers
knew him and were friendly TO him.
but in spite Of their personal regard
they could do nothing for him.
Its this stringency, Luck" Jordan
of the Cattlemen's National explained
to him I'D let you have il II ] dared.
Why, we're running close to the wind.
Public confidence is a mighty ticklish
thing. If / didn't have twenty thou
sand coming from FL Paso on the Flyer
tonight I'd be uneasy for the bank"
Twenty thousand on the Flyer. l
reckon you ship by express, don't
youT"
yes. Don't mention II to anyone.
That twenty thousand would come
handy TO a good many people In this
country these times"
1T would come right handy to me-"
Luck laughed %ruefully. 81 need every
cent of 1t. After the beef roundup I'll
be on Easy street, but it's going to be
hard shedding to keep going till then"
you'll make a turn somehow. 1t
will work out. Maybe when money
isn't so tight I'll be able to do ONE
thing for YOU"
Luck returned to the hotel morOsely
and tried to figure a way out Of his
difficulties. He was not going to be
beaten. He never had accepted defeat.
He would not lose out after all these
years of fighting. 1t had been his des-
perate need Of money that had made
him sit In last nights poker game But
he had succeeded only In making q
bad situation worse. He knew his
debts by heart, but he jotted them
down on the back Of an envelope and
added them again.
Mortgage on ranch (due Oct. D......Sl3.00
Note to First National. 3,5N
Note to Reynolds. ................... l.16
| . u TO Mackenzie.................... l,D
Same to Flandrau .................. +
Same to Yesler 30
Total
Twenty thousand was the sum hi
needed, and mighty badly, too. Absent
mindedly he turned the envelope owe
and jotted down one or two othel
things. Twenty thousand dollars JUS
the sum Jordan had coming to TIT
bank on the Flyer. Subconsciously
Luck's fingers rave expression to hi
thoughts. Twenty thousand dollars
Half a dozen times they penciled II
and just below the figures. "W. & S
Elk. Co." Finally they wrote auto
matically the one word. Tonight"