The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1924-12-18

Jour gun, udVc yOui
Lee shook his head and stepped Int
the room. At the long bar were tire
or four men drinking. Quinnion wa
not among them. There were othe
men at the round tables, playing draw
solo, stud horse. One glance shove,
that Quinnion was not in the room
But there were other rooms at the rea
for those desiring privacy. Lee, nod
ding this way and that to friends VIII
accosted him, made his way straigh
to the bar.
Hello, Sandy" he said quietly.
/ Sandy Weaver, the bartender, looked
at him curiously. A short, heavy
blond man was Sandy Weaver, who
ran a fair house and gave his atteD
ton strictly to his own business. Saw.
when asked by a friend to do him &
favor, such a favor as to keep an eys
on another man.
Hello. Bud" returned Sandy, put
ting out a red hand. All expression
of interest had fled from his placid
face. "Come in right away, eh? Hello
Carson. Have somethin'; on me, yop
know"
Lee shook his head.
Not tonight, Sandy" he said.
Thanks just the same"
Me" grinned Carson. "IlI go you.
Sandy. Same thing-you know"
Sandy showed out whisky-bottle and
n1ocC Than l,n ,,rnol r,ua o-nc RI
Lee.
zone of these fellers can tend bar
while we talk If you want, Bud" he
offered.
"You say Quinnion has peen talk
ing?' asked Lee.
yes. Considerable. All afternoon
an evening, l guess. l didn't hear
him until | called you up
"Then," continued the man from
Blue Lake ranch, 81 don't see any call
for you and me to whisper, Sandy.
What did he say?'
said you was a liar, Bud. An q
skeerd-of-your-life d-n bluff"
A faint, shadowy smile touched
Lees eyes.
Just joshing, Sandy. But tina.
wasn't all, was it,"
NO" said Sandy, wiping his bar
carefully. 'There was the other word.
Bud. An'-say, Billy, tell him what
Quinnion had to say down to the Jail
bird"
Lee turned his eyes to Billy Young.
Young, a cattleman from the Up and
Down range, shifted his belt and
looked uncomfortable.
On if | do I" he blurted out. ut
amt none of my funeral. An if you
ask me, | don't like the sound of that
kind of talk in my mouth. Maybe /
can find my way to church of a Sun
day for staggerin' with red-eye, but
amt eve drug a nice girls name into
a barroom."
$50" said Lee very quietly, that's
it, is it,"
yes" said Sandy Weaver slowly,
that's it, Bud. Us boys knowed oil
Luke Sanford an liked him. Some
of us even knowed his girl. All Of
us know the sort she is. When Quir-
MON started his talk-oh, it's a n
dance about you an her all alone
in some d-n cabin, trying TO crawl
the looks Of things by accusjn
Quinnion of tryin' to shoot you up -
we'll, folks JUS laughed at him. More
recent, somebody must have took him
an smashed him in the mouth.
He looks like it. But" and Sandy
shrugged his thick shoulders elabor-
ltely, "if it's up to anybody it's up to
you"
For a moment Bud Lee, standing
7ery straight, his hat far back, his
yes hard and cold, looked from one
O another of the men about him. In
very face he saw the same thing;
heir contempt for a man like Quin-
lion, their wordless agreement with
Sandy that it "was up to Bud Lee"
.ee's face told them nothing.
''Where is he?" he asked presently.
"AI0s' likely down to the Jailbird,"
aid Billy Young. THAT'S where he
angs out lately"
Lee turned and went out, Carson
t his heels, all eyes following him.
his heart was a blazing, soaring
And that rage was not for Quin-
alone. He thought of Judith as
e had seer her that very night, a
r~aceful, gray-eyed slip Of a girl, the
little maid in all of the world
to him-and of how he, brutal
the surge of love for her, had swept !
ar into his arms, crushed her TO him, l
,rced upon her laughing lips the kiss !
? his own. |
"Ny Cd" he said within himself,
was mad. 1t would be a good thing
| got Qulnnion tonight-and he got /
e. Two of a kind" he told himself J
Ieeringly. :
AS he made his way down the i'll
yhted street, his hat drawn over his
les now. Bud Lee for a moment lost
yht of the lows of rude shanties, the
owsing, saddle-ponies, the street !
mps, and saw only the vision of a
RI. A girl clean and pure, a girl
no, as he had seen her last, was a
iryIike creature born Of music and
# laughter and starlight, a maid In
scribabIy sweet. In the h~arshness