The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-07
FIVE

stead Cf that searching look, ne was Dilnk' ing down at his host. Lawlor rose and ex- tended a broad hand and an even broader smile.
 "HHare ,ye, stranger! Sure glad to see
 The other accepted the proffered hand automatically, like one moving in a dream.
 Are you .Drew?"
 "Sure am."
 He still held the hand as if he were fear full of the vision escaping without that sen- sible bondage.
 William Drew is right. Sit down. Make yourself at home."
 "Thanksw breathed the other and as if that breath expelled with it all his strength he slumped into a chair and sat with fas- cinated eye glued to his host.
 "I'm forgetting myself" went on the ten- derfoot' with .ah ghost p.ad Of smlle' My name
 His glance narrowed again, and this time Lawlor, remembering his part, pretended to start b,s,i with surprise
 "Yes. Anthony Bard"
 "Glad to know you. You amt by any
 "Why?"
 Had partner once by that name. Good old John Bard" He shook his head as though overcome by recollections. "PH tell the world, there was man."
 "He must have been," answered Anthony, "from all that I've heard of him. I'm in- terested in what l scrape together about him. You see he carries the same name."
 That's nacheral"
 T've heard something about fight which you and John Bard had against the Piotto gang. Care to tell me anything of it."
 Lawlor lolled easily back in his chair.
 "There ain't no harm in talk, son; sure I'll tell you about it. What d'you want to know?"
 "The way Bard fought-the way you both fought"
 "Lemme see."
 He closed his eyes like one who strives to recollect; he was, in fact, carefully re- calling the skeleton of facts which Drew had told him earlier in the day.
 "Six months me and Bard had been trail- in Piotto, damn his old soul! We was ridin' day and night and wearin' out hoss about every week of that time. Then we got jest a hint from a bartender that maybe the Piottos was nearby in, that section.
 It didn't need no more than hint for us to get busy on the trail. And along about evenin' of the second day we come to the house of Tom Shaw, squatter.
 "Well, we rode up on the blind side of the house-from the north, see, got off, and sneaked around to the east end of the shack The windows was covered with cloths on the inside, which didn't make me none too sure about Shaw havin' no dealin's with crooks. It ain't ordinary for a feller to be so savin' on light. Pretty soon we found a tear in one of the cloths, and lookin' through that we seen old Piotto sittin' beside Tom Shaw with his daughter on the other side.
 "We went back to the north side of the house and\ figured out different ways of tacklin the job. There was only two of us see, and the fellers inside that house was all cut out for man-killers. We went back and had look at the door.
 "It wasn't none too husky. John Bard, he tried the latch, soft, but the thing was locked, and when he pulled there was 8 snap.
 "'Now,' says Bard, and we put our shoul- ders to the door, and takes our guns in our hands-we each had two.
 "The door went down like nothin, be- cause we was both husky fellers in them days, and as she smashed in the fall upset two of the boys sittin' closest and gave 'em no chance on quick draw. The rest of 'em was too paralyzed at first, except old Piotto. He pulled his gun, but what he shot was Tom Shaw, who jest leaned forward in his chair and crumpled up dead.
 "We went at 'em, pumpin' lead. It wasn't no fight at first and half of 'em was down before they had their guns workin'. We had the jump on 'en1, but they meant business. I dropped to the floor and lay on my side shootin'; Bard, he followed suit. They went down like tenpins till our guns were empty. Then we up and rushed what was left of