Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-01-17

| DdAll anu tilt iOSS VI biNNNsf
Jim wasted no time in tying up tn
flow of blood. tightening II with a tourni
quet. Then he brought 4 canteen o
water and a pocket flask from one o
the dead bandits and revived the old MAJ
by bathing his head and pouring whisk.
down his throat.
When O'Grady had recovered his senses
his first words were. Don't waste time
on me. jim. Get on your horse and clea,
out before that gang comes back"
mo chance Before l leave you alone
here I'll g%un-fight EN- TO a standstill."
Don't talk crazy, Jim. I'm just {
worn out old hobo. You're just a colt
Your time amt come yet
Don't you worry about that. dad. J
thought my time had sure come wher
those coyotes was toasting mel And
thought my time had come when you
shot away the knot. l thought at first
that you'd put a bullet into me, but
now that l know that my time amt
come until I'm sure enough dead, sc
we're going TO stick 1t out, you and me
and live or die together"
All right, Jim. l reckon I'm good foI
q few more shots. What makes you sc
sure that them varnlints want to burn
YOU alive?"
That's what they promised when they
left"
But why do they want to scorch you,
Jim9"
They're after twenty thousand dollars
that belongs TO Joe Devine, my boss. At
least it did belong to him, but now 1t
belongs to his daughter. Rose. They
built a fire around me TO make me tell
where Devine had hid it back yonder.
stood the gaff as long as l could. but
when I couldn't stand it no more I yelled
enough and old EN- where to look for
it,"
You odd 'em where to look for It,
echoed O'Grady reproachfully. Jim, III
admit that I'd have done the same. but
1 never thought as how you would
squeal."
Jim gave vent to a harsh laugh. You
think not? Well, dad. you think right.
told 'em to look in the hollow juniper,
and that's where it amt"
O'Grady let out a crow of delight.
Alta boy!" he exclaimed. you'd have
made a wonderful Indian fighter. Jim
Had to be tricky as the dickens to out
smar them varmints."
But it's too soon to get a laugh out
of it, dad. We're 10Th in a tight fix.
They don't know anything about the
place where the money is hid, but If
they take me alive they'll sure roast me
to a finish this time"
jim" said the old man. earnestly, TRY
W l-Ik lllS Oil ~ u llOlSt illQ CIC IL VIZ
can't get away from here. / don't think
we can gun fight that whole gang"
"Nothin' doin!' retorted Jim. I'VE
could never get away. Kendall would
catch up with us and we would have to
fight it Out on his ground. No, sir, were
going to stay right here and wait fol-
that outfit to conn back. Then Well fight
1T out on our ground, savvy?"
Yeah, u what you goin to do, JimY'
Watch and see"
The cowpuncher's first move was to
collect all the guns n ammunition
about the camp. On the bodies of the
two Mexicans were two guns apiece, with
cartridge belts. Among the blankets and
other camp equipment left by Lee Ken
dali were three more guns one taken
from Devine and two from Jim.
The puncher was happy to feel his
own a once more in his holsters
and by the light of the fire he made
sure that all the revolvers were loaded
Then he hurried up the hillside where
O'Grady had propped himself against a
rock, and said, Here you are, oldtimer
With your own gun and all I'm giving
YOU, there's six man size gats, all ready
for business. And here's some cartridge
belts. besides"
While O'Grady "hefted" them, Jim
continued: Now I'm going t build q
fort all around you out of big stones
All you've got to do is to sit tight and
keep poppin' when the battle begins"
Hastily he piled up a rough barricade
OF loose rocks until O'Grady sat in a
bullet proof Enclosure. 1t was getting
late by now, and Jim had to work fast
His next move was to assemble the
ponies; his own Devine's and the mounts
of the two Mexicans. He merely tight
ened the cinch on his own horse, but tc
the others he tied all the canteens. cof-
fee pots, and fry BANS he could lay his
hands on.
Hardly had he finished when the clat-
ter of hoofs down the trail told him that
the outlaw band was on its way back
and they were tearing along at a gallop
Jim spoke to O'Grady. Here they
come, dad. Soon you'll hear hell poppin'.
When they show up around the bend OF
the trail blaze away with two guns at
time, and keep 1T up as long as YOU
cartridges hold out. If you spot a guy
on a white horse try to get him. That's
Lee Kendall, the brains of the outfit"
Lee Kendall? BY what you told me
Of his trying to SINCE you, I'll say that
Lee Kendall is 'Scorcher' Dick Billings
He's got q record in Oklahoma. Why
that outlaws got a reward Of five or sil
thousand dollars on his head. That's 6
mark to shoot att"
Its all yours If you plug him." sale
Jim. Then he ran back to the ponies
mounted his own, and drove the rest {
little ahead Of him toward the way the
outlaws would come.
Louder and louder grew the noise o.
Kendall's gang, and just as the frs
shadowy figure rounded the corner Of The
trail O'Grady's guns opened fire with
speed and fury.
AT the same instant Jim blazed away
letting out yells at the top of his voice
and calling to imaginary followers: "Ge
EN- Bill! Plug EN-, Sheriff! Whoopee
Shoot EN- wide open, fellows!'
Turning loose the three extra horses
he slashed them with his quirt and sen
them galloping straight at h gang, tina
was now punched in confusion at thu
bend of the trail, firing at an enem.
that was invisible.
The maddened horses were alarmed b,
the jangle Of coffee pots n frying pan
that dragged at their heels and plunged
ahead, squealing nj bucking. Behint
them o jim, sending his pony at
zigzag course In the dark and firing fas
and furious.
And above the din in the canyol
sounded the crackle of O'Grady'S revol
vers, which he emptied INC threw asid'
without reloading, at the same tim add
ing his believing to the uproar.
kendalls Mexican followers wer,
thrown into a panic. They fired a few
rounds, then fled, every man for him
sell. The outlaw chief was not so easil.
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