Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-01
ROBBERS ROOST Ns
- BY ZANE GREY unT|mSzsSJ
BY ZANE GREY

I'd have been left ,ord of Robbers
"You shore would. jim Lousy with
MONEY, an CURL to look after. BIT
/ it Jest didn't happen thet way"
/ No it didn't. But it will"
Tat cool statement pierced the rob-
| bers l2tha1g4c mind Up went his
shaggy head and the pale eyes, opaque,
! like Durncd-out furnaces, TOOK on a
tiny, curious g,eam. When his hand
came slowly Gown from inside his shirt,
the fingers were stained rcd.
what kind of a crack was thet?" he
demanded. puzz!ed.
/ Hays, you forget"
"Oh, no! Reckon I did. Never
thought Id fergit Smokys blastin'
tongue. But Jim, this wasn't no mix
Il e made it mine"
You an Smoky come to be pards?"
Yes. But more than that"
You're sore tibet 1 didn't dtvvy
square?"
Hays. I take it you double-crossed
me same as you did tnsm."'
"Uh-huh. Wal. you get me in cor
left. I'd be crazy to quarrel 49,. Would
third Of my money square me-"
No"
1T wouldn't Wal, you air amin at
bargain. Say half them"
No"
A tremor ran over the robbers
frame. That was a release Of swift
wassion-hot blood that leaped again.
But he controlled himself.
Jim, I don't savvy. What's eatin'
you? Half of the money hyer is a for
tune fer one man. I did play the hawg.
But thet's past"
Il won't make any deals with you"
"Ahuh. Then we've split?"
y Long ago. Hays"
Air you tryin to pick fight with
At this jim laughed.
Cause if you ar, I lest won't fight
I'd. be scnSe.eSs You an me can git
along. 1 like you. Wen throw together.
hide somewhere a while, then build Up
another outfit"
HAYS. you're thick-siul!ed:" retorted
Jim, sarcasticaily. Must I tell you that
you can't bamboozle me?"
who's tryin' TOP" demanded the
robber, holly. "All I'm tryin is to
patch it up
1T can't be done"
I'll give you two-thirds Of tbs
money"
Hays, I wouldn't take another dollar
from yCu-that you gave willingly"
Jim had turned his loft side slightly
7 -
which had slipped u his gun butt. with
his thumb on the hammer! For Jim
then, HAYS was as good Pc dead
It'll all be mine, presently" he re-
piled
"Holdin me- up. huh?" rasped Hays.
Learned to be Z shore enough robber,
trailin me-, huh"
"Havs, I promised Smoky Id Kill you
which he nrant to 60 if he had lived
to come back"
The robbers face grow a dirty white
under his thin beard. At last he under
stood 50 r-uah. 2 la9st. What volumes
his stupidity sro..e for his absorption!
It changed. Jin's posture. his unseen
hand, suddenly doomed with tremen-
deus meaning
Shore. Thet doesn't surprise me"
admitted the rohbar. When mans
fee'in's ere raw, IS in time like this.
they clash But : tid nv share 10 clear
the air. An if SNOW had come back,
he'd haze seen it different. I could
have talked him CUt Of it. Jim.
you're shore cr-Gr. enough n see ti1et.
an Won cugt'cr be honest enough to
ADMIT it"
Il d2rr say YOU could h"ve won Smoky
back He lai ? foo! Worship fer
YOU . . 81. you can't talk me cut
Of anvthiro.''
why. re- Cawd's sata-when I'm
giviQ' yCu ell the best of t,la 6cal'"
Because I want the girl" thundered
jim.
A greet astonf -hracrt held Hays
stricken. Through il really ton filtered.
"Thet! Thet was it-al the time!"
All tho time. Hank Hsvs." replied
Jim steadily. ana it vas the robbers
eyes. pale fires no longer. that he
watched for thought and vii.
Still he SOW the vio'cnt muscular
quiveying, which slowly diminished to
freeze into rigidity He had struck the
right chord. In whatever way possible.
Hank Hays loved this woman However
il had berlI1. the sordid. brutal thing
had ended IN HAYS worship of the
go,den-haired sister OF Herrick. Jim
read this in the extraordinary, betTay.
ing eyes. and read more-,hat il had
been Helen the robbar had fought for,
not his lost caste win tn men, not
the homer Of thieves. Ii was this that
\ accounted for the internal b.aZe Of I'M
quen h2b'e hate, OF courage that death
ite7lf could s1aTcc'v hc.e stiiled
All this iclueGicto'y Goa ccc5d into
the conscious resolve to act and kill!
TO be Continued