The Adair County news., 1922-02-14


and get 'em interested. I'll even
throw fifty dollars into the jack pot
to give the happy couple start.
There's nothin' that will put more pep
into a prospective bridegroom than a
bunch o. money In sight. You two
fellows figure it out an I'll go over
to the saloon and, sorter quite-like,
feel the boys out bit. Wherein you
be in an hour?" =
"In my office. Who was you aiming
to talk with?"
"Oh, Cady, Jim Mack, Rowdy' Egan
an that bunch. They are the boys
yer amin to interest, reckon. How
much of a jack pot do you aim to
raise?"
Mccarthy pondered a moment, his
chin cupped in his hand.
"Well, I'll blow In two-ffty an 1
raise it to a right smart figure. You
kin talk a couple O. thousand, Tom.
As yer say, thatl be quite feature,
an there amt no reason why we
shouldn't pull the affair of ternight."
The delicious and delicate humOr Of
the situation was what particularly ap-
pealed to Shelby-the affair promised
excitement and good laugh. he was
even convinced that the scheme might
work and thus really prove a benefit
to the girl, if she only chose wisely
but at present his main interest CEN
tered on the fun he expected to ex-
tract from the preliminaries.
He had already decided on gen.
eral course of action; he would ap-
proach those whom he considered
worthy, in a strictly diplomatic way,
judiciously limiting at the possibility
of Old Dad Calkins' girl being an heir
ess and suggesting the advantage Of
her being sought in early marriage. It
was merely an idea he proposed to
advance, to be implanted in their minds,
that she should not be allowed to es-
cape from the community with all that
money, nor snapped up by some mer-
cenary stranger.
During the next half hour Shelby
managed TO interview at least a half
dozen whom he considered eligible
| bachelors or lonely widOwcrS. artfully
| selecting those known to be Of some
what sportive disposition. to whom
such proposition as he had to offer
might naturally appeal. A few Of
| these treated the suggestion prOfaneiy;
others were rather evasive, but the
majority thus automatically approach
ed evinced sufficient interest to yield
much encoura cement. His wares had
been brought TO good market and Old
Dads girl, rendered particularly at
tractive by a dot" running up into
the thousands, would find plenty of
eager suitOrs. Now that the rumOr
of her eligibility was being privately
circulated from mouth to mouth, any
unnecessary delay would only render
the affair more complicated.
He would report at once the sue
| cess of his mission and urge his CO
cOnspiratOrS to immediate action. II
would sure be a fine sight to see these
fellows lined up while that girl looked
them over, deliberately making a
choice. Suddenly his gaze rested on
young man, dejectedly hanging over
the end of the bar, arguing with a
bartender, who only shook his head
impassively. Shelby moved along un-
til he ranged up beside the fellow.
"What's your name?"
"JOe Macklin."
"They call you Kid don't they,
round here?"
"Sure; mostly. What are yer drivin
at, anyhow"
"Why, this. 1 got ranch over on
the Cottonwood, an come in here to
pick up a cow-hand. 1 got a half
breed, but 1 need another. That's
where 1 stand"
"What'll it pay?"
"FOrty dollars. You got horse%
"Well, the critter looks like one; /;
| turned out in PowelTs corral, but
amt got no money to pay fer his
feed. Yer'll have ter blow me some
coin."
"All right; here's ten and I'll pay
Powell for the horse keep. You show
up here sober at ten tomorrow, or else
I'll leave you here; that's straight"
He strode away across the big
crowded room and opened a door at
the further end. Stepping across the
threshold he closed the door behind
him and faced Mccarthy and the ex-
preacher from Buffalo Gap, both of
whom glanced up expectantly. Shelby
leaned back against the wall and con-
templated the two, chewing on the
butt Of cigar.
"Well," he said bluntIy, ''the cards
are stacked, gents; now, all you got
to do is to play your hands,"
"What do you mean? The boys are
for it?"
Hungry and swapping. l talked to
quite a bunch. The one thing I'm
afraid of is that some galoot may take
a notion to hunt the girl-np before
we can get things into shape. That's
why I hurried in here. We got to
] pull the affair tonight"