The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-05

fellow In the garb of cowboy;
| high heeIed boots. flannel shirt,
| open waistcoat, wide gray hat. and
two six-shooters. His eyes were
a very light cold blue. his chin re-
ceded, two prominent buck teeth
showed. He seemed friendly and
amiable, and on the whole was not
bad looking. O'Hara remembered
him as one of the young fellows in
Ingram's store.
He stopped to grin at Worrall.
"How's the temperature up where
you live. Shortly"
The freighter smiled down at him
from his six feet plus. Meet Mr..
O'Hara. Bob Mr.. O'Hara, shake
hands with Bob Quantrell."
This ceremony concluded Guam
trell remarked that II was right hot
for so early in the summer and
continued. spurs trailing. on his cas-
ual way.
Worrall lowered his voice. You
may like to know that you've just
shaken hands with a real killer. Bob
Quantrell has bumped off heap
of men in his time"
O'Hara was amazed. THAT boy?
Why. he couldn't be more than nine
teen or twenty"
Eighteen last month. He told
me so himself. can name seven
or eight he's killed. an the story is
that's not more'n half of those he
has got"
"He doesn't look like desperate
character"
Il didn't say he was" WorraIl
demurred. But he sure would
make your friend Shep Sanderson
look like a nickel Mex. if they go:
in a rumpus. Say, got news for
you. There's another stranger in
town, an the boys are expectin'
some fun. He's a belted earl"
"a what?"
That's what we call these rich
Englishmen that maverick around
"Whats he doing here?"
81 dunno. He'll 90 into cattle an
drop a fortune They all do. Con-
ditions here amt what they been
used to. He parts his name in the
middle. Smith Beresford is what he
calls himself"
At dinner, which of course was
in the middle of the day, O'Hara
had his first opportunity to see the
Englishman. Smith-Beresford was
round, ruddy man, in riding boots
and breeches. He had the clean
scrubbed look characteristic of his
race.
Bob Quantrell came into the hotel
to get dinner and sat down in the
only vacant chair at the long table.
1t happened TO be next to Smith
Beresford. and the Englishman at
once engaged him in talk.
O'Hara noticed that QuantrelI's
voice was low and soft. AT first
he was inclined to be reserved, but
evidently the overseas man took
his fancy, for he warmed up and
ceased to answer in mOnOsyllableS.
Before dinner was over he and the
EngliShman had their heads to.
gether and were planning a bear
hunt. Afterward the two disap-
peared. th-Beresford had taken
the young fellow to his room TO
show him the collection of hunting
guns he had brought. Later they
came back to the lobby. the British
er accompanying his guest to the
front door.
"We'll have a jolly good hunt, old
chap" he said. 'I'll depend on you
to look after the horses and that
sort of thing. | suppose you know
a good horse when you see one"
81 think So"
"Then, by Jove, We'll have a rip
pin time"
O'Hara departed. On the street
he met Steve Worrall. The owner
of the Longhorn corral wasted no
words in greeting.
Judge Warner come through as
expected an appointed Yves Steel
man administrator of the estate of
Jess Hughes. Most every man in
the room was wearin an arsenal,
,, Yves had half dozen gunner with
him an so did Dave. Wouldn't have
surprised me if war had started
right there an then, but | reckon
the orders were for none of the
boys to make a play. Well, soon
now. That's my guess"
Worrall spoke in a low voice, for
walls sometimes have ears. COncho
was a town divided against itself.
Spies and partisans were every
where.
"Isn't there any way of stopping
it? Couldn't they compromise"
"They could, but they won't"
Worrall answered. Miss Barbara,
she's worked on Yves considerable,
but he's stubborn as a government
mule. An talkin' about angels, if
we can't hear the rustic of their
wings. Look who's saShayin' down
the road"
(TO pE CONTTNTTED