Nogales international., 1931-07-11
Twelfth Installment

$500
you know" ;, !,
"Shoah aim to, Miss Murray the
Kid grimly assured her, and loped OFT
down the canyon without once look
He looked back up the canyon and
rode into the willows. At the fence
the kid turned and rode toward the
dry creek bed where the ground was
rough and humpy, gouged with spring
freshets and undermined by burrow-
ing small animals. When he found a
spot where the fence went up over
a small ridge he dismounted and
kicked the wires loose from three
nosts. forced them to the ground and
anchored them there with couple
of rocks and led his horse across :.
He kept going straight ahead until
the willow growth ceased Oh higher
ground and he could see what sort OF
place it was that had need OF a tence
like that. :.
Some one was running cattle in
here. all right. The edge OF the thicket
was broken and trampled where stock
had pushed in for shelter, and there
was cattle sign everywhere.
The kids nerves began to tlngle a
little. Cattle bawling
Shoah would be funny if he was to
run right onto her bunch OF cattle.
Be better if he'd let her come along,
he reckoned. And somehow his spirits
rose a little at the perfectly logical
reason he had just discovered tor
wanting her with him.
The kid lifted his hat and swept
the reddish waves of hair back OFT
his forehead, settled his bullet-scarred
hat at a careless tilt, pulled his hol-
stored gun into position on his thigh
and rode forward with an eager gleanl
in his eyes.
From the pole corral set back in a
thin grove of cottonwood and box
alder, a gray dusty cloud rose into the
hot sunshine of noon. Within the
corral fence small herd of cattle
tramped uneasily round and round
swerving and ducking aside when a
cowboys loop swished out like the
vicious fiat head of striking rattler
A man on guard outside unlocked
the chain and swung open the gate to
let out a rider dragging a husky bull
calf over toward the branding FIRE
where two calf wrestlerS grabbed and
threw him on his side with thump
/! A man lifted branding iron deli
berate1y out of the blaze, looked at
it. waved it to and fro in the air
looked at it again and decided that II
was about the. right heat, and walked
over to the calf lying there, with two
sweating cowboys braced and holding
him motionless, one half sprawleo
across his head, the other hanging tor
dear life to leg.
rightly he signalled carelessly
after he had branded the calf and
turned to thrust the iron again into
the fire.
1t was at that moment that the three
ofsthem and the gate tender discovered
that they had a new arrival i'll theil
midst,
"Weil. I'm damned" Jared from
the slaclsened mouth Of the man witt
the branding iron, Joe Hale, range
foreman for the Poole.
+, "Howdy, Joe," said the kid, and fell
for match. He nodded TO the cali
wrestiers, who were on their feet and
mopping their perspiring faces with
soiied bandannas. AS the man at the
gate came toward him. the kids vel
low eye changed curiously to the
steady stare of a tiger.
Babe Garner Babe with followed
eyes and a sallow, indoor tinge to hit
swarthy face. Babe, with question
in his cold gray eyes and a smile or
his face.
"Hells brass buttons !" cried Babe
swearing his very choicest oath KEEP
for special occasions. "Where the hel
did you drop down from, Tiger Eye?
"Rain washed me down the canyon
Babe"
"Old Man send yuh over? ?" Zoe Hale
tried to make his voice sound casual
but there was an uildertorie OF con
straint which he failed to control.
"Nevah did see Waltah Bell since
that night I toted Babe into thu
ranch"
"Oh," Joe studied on that. Though
likely you come from the Poole"
"Awn my way to the Poole. but
done changed my mindI"
ooh. Kinda outa the way, this cal
! pasture, and l just kinda wondered
| Want to see me for anything? Want;
go to work again?'
Much obliged to yo'all. I taken
/ job of riding, joe
yeah? Sorry to see yuh quit tn
| Poole"
| Polite. Too dawgoned polite to b
natural. 'Peafed like Joe was getting
kinda suspicious. Babe too. Babe wa
edging around uneasy like, as if h
wanted to get in back of the buncl
of them. Had that cold look in hi
eyes. The kid knew that look now TO
the killer look. Get around behin'
and send a bullet into a mans back
that was Babes stripe. The kid shlfte'
his position a little and looked a
Babe. !, j..
"What outfit yuh ridin' for now
KIDD" Joe looked up from kicking
half.burnt sen1ber back into the fire.
"Ridin' foh Missus Murray, dow
| in the valley. Widow woman. Oh