Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-01-10

to sting him from every side.
Don't let the first burn too high.
boys" said Kendall. Il want to toast
him for a lone time yetl' And to Jim he
cried out, That's right. kid, be camel
When you can't stand 1t any longer Just
sing out that you've had enough. Re-
member, I'll let YOU throw IN with the
gang and you can rank with Reno and
Pike"
AS the two lieutenants uttered some
sort Of a protest Kendall repeated.
You'll rank with Reno an Pike. and
what's more. I'll give you n thousand
dollars out of old Devine's loot"
The outlaw chief sat down in the shade
TO smoke n his two ~lieutenants joined
him. The other outlaws gathered eagerly
around the fire. with the MeXicans' keen
love of witnessing torture. Some of them
began betting on how long the victim
would hold out.
For a period that seemed hours Jim
suffered the binding smoke. the %strangu-
lation as whifs Of 1T went down his
lungs. II the heat. which kept growing
more intense as fuel was added. With
hendish cunning his torturers had built
the fire in a wide enough circle that his
clothes would not catch fire, but Jim
realized that sooner or later he would
perish miserably from this slow toasting.
His face was blackened by the smoke,
nst&A "sho oAA4AAA16 ~ lao I Gin i I'D
skin seemed to be blistered all over.
The value of the twenty thousand did
not seem so great. The trust that Joe
Devine had put in him could not be SO
binding. The obligation to save the
twenty thousand for Rose did not compel
him TO die like this. Besides. If he should
perish, Rose would never find the money
anyhow.
In a strangled voice he called out, i've
got enough I'll tell you where the
moneys hid"
Lee Kendall looked at his watch and
remarked with a grin to Reno and Pike,
He stood out seventeen minutes longer
than / reckoned he would. He's a game
kid, all right"
The fire was beaten out, and Jim, un-
tied from the sapling. was given a drink
of cold water from a canteen.
Now" said Kendall. tell us where
that twenty thousand dollars is hid"
While Jim was sullenly telling his cap
tors about how Joe Devine had halted In
the little clearing by the hollow juniper
and how Joe had taken out the wallet
to hide it, a horseman rode into the out
laws camp and dismounted.
Kendall called out to him as soon as
jim had finished his narrative. Come
here. you, Pablo! Was it you that fired
WIG lllitt SllOtS lOI u SlSlldl
Thu Mexican clapped one hand to his
head in a gesture Of dismay.
Three shots!" he exclaimed. Il forgot
that was the signal and l fired three
shots at a dirty bum in the canyon"
Kendall jumped up and gave the Mex
lean q hearty kick. you thick headed
burro!" he cried. why didn't you have
enough sense to fire a couple more shots
so we would know it wasn't the signal
T fhnl1Cht yO1l'J rim into q chari ff'c rDcca
Who was the man you shot at?"
Il don't know! Some tramp minerl'
you don't know who you shot at
You sap-head of a g~reaser! Did you xii
him?"
Sure, I kill him all right! But hi
rolled down the canyon n l couldn't
find the body"
Kendall administered another kick tc
the unlucky bandit.
Il bet you didn't plug him at ALL
bet you got scared of your own shadow
n began shooting wild. l never saw
q greaser that had sense enough to com
in out Of the rain"
He dismissed the aggrieved and sulky
Mexican with a parting kick. Their
turned to his lieutenants. well, it's al
set" he exclaimed. Nov that we know
Reno tapped his six-shooter and re
marked, Might as we'll plug hat COW
puncher, chief, now that he's spilled al
he knows" But Kendall replied with {
vicious oath, Sometimes l think 70,
got no more sense than a greaser! We're
not going to plug him-not just yet
Well tie him UP to hat sapling, JUS
the way he was before, until we ge'
back"
What's the idea, chief?"
Just this. If that coyote has lied tx
us we'll give him another taste Of The
fire, and this time We'll cook hin
through"
A couple of Mexicans ran up and tiec
Jim to the tree as before, with the knot
behind him, far out of reach of hi:
hands, and at the back of the sapling
When they had finished, Kendall said
You stay here and watch this man
Ramon. All the rest Of you fellows gel
on your ponies and come along"
What's the use of takin' the whole
gang?" asked Pike.
Kendall explained. IF that kid has
lied to us about the money we'll just g(
down and clean up the ranch house be.
fore we come back. There's a long chance
that Devine left it hid away some place
in the house, but these boys will get II
If they have to tear the building tx
pieces"
He turned for a farewell taunt to Jim
so long, you blasted squealerl II VIZ
find the money where you said we'll Just
plug you. But If it amt there were
going to roast you like a steer at a bar
becue."
AS his eyes swept the group of mer
preparing to follow him Lee Kendall no
ticed the sulky faced Pablo and shouted
You stay here with Ramon n keer
guard over the prisoner. I don't want 6
locoed greaser along hat shoots off his
gun at shadows"
But Senior Kendall" protested Pablo
sit was not a shadow l shot at. 1t was
q man. A big, dirty bum. 1 kill him
tool"
vi.
But Pablo was wrong. He had not
killed the man he shot at, though his
bullet had come uncomfortably close tx
Smiley Bum O'Grady, who had only es
capped by rolling over a bluff and hiding
himself in the brush.
The tramp had been sleeping off his
drunken stupor when the gang had made
it's first attack on Devine and Jim XII
neen. Hidden under a low growing mes
quite, O'Grady had witnessed the whole
affair. but not until the gang was on
Of sight in pursuit Of the two men diC
he fully recover his senses.