Nogales international., 1931-06-17
Fifth Installnlent

tbs avs VII, which he sighted down gun
L,rrai His father was killer Reeves, but
the boy did not want to KILL Ii ne stayeo
horn. he would have to carry on his tather
feuds. So he headed his horse, Pecos, Eorth-
ward and encountered Nate Wheeler, Mno
drew his As aud fired just as Tiger Eye
did. The Kid didnt want to kill Nate. only
tn cripple him, but his aim must have been
wild. for Wheeler dropped from his morse.
Babe GARNER came riding up. wheeler was
''nester," he said, and had it coming to
him. Tiger Eye rode to Wheelers CABIN 70
notify the dead mans widow.
The Kid breaks the news OF Mates death
to his widow and then goes out and brings
in his body, discovering he had not missed
h;s shot TO disable Wheeler bat had broken his
arm. while another shot had killed the man.
A gang of strangers rides up. One OF them
insults Mrs Wheeler by coupling her name
with the stranger, The Kid shoots a hoie IN !
Zach of the ears of Pete. Gorham who hurled
the insult, making his escape IN the con-
Learning that the "nesters" plan to draw
the Poole riders into trap, the Kid IN
forms Garner, telling him at the same time
he had learned it was the latter's shot tna'
killed Wheeler and not his own. Garner Is
for the POOLE outfit. The Kid sees lone
rider attack man and girl driving IN
wagon and wounds the assailant, and then
finds ont he is Wheeler. 49,.
After resctling the girls dad, the. Kid is
thinks he is ore of the Texas killers. to. gel
or1t of the valley before the nesters shoot
him. The boy is touched by Nellie's concern
and let's his mind dwell on her, realizing
he rlust have liked him personally to warn
him when he was supposed to he one OF the
imported gunr1en. Later he tells Garner ht
wounded a hester who tried to ambush him
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY.
"You son-of-a-gun" Babe stepped
forward ard clapped hand admir-
inely down on the kids shoulder. Il
knowed there was some reason why
you let that damn fake funeral get
"Yoall says it was fake fune1
Babe?"
"Shore, it was fake. One of the
bows got wise t they was goin' tc
pull off something. You was sent over
here to keep cases, but one OF the boys
over at the Poole happened to see EN-
when they come up on the Bench. Ole
man, he suspicioned something wa;
wrong about that percession, so ht
sends us all over to the buryin' groune
over on Cotton Creek. That's where
they was headin' for. Shore had more
mourners than what they figured on J!
"Yo'all didn't fight EN-. BabeE
"No-shore, we didn't. But we shcr
beat 'em to that buryin' ground Thirty
five punchers was settin on their horse
back On the ridge about a hundre
yards away, when that funeral perces
| sion come along. There wasn't II
grave dug, SO we set there and watche
'em dig it,
"Yo'a1l shoah they buried Nat
! Wheelah ovah theah ?"
Mate Wheeler? Nav, they neye
buried Nate Wheeler there. Jn
Poole's nobody's fool. He saw throug
their little scheme right off. It's lik
this. Right UP the creek, about tw
miles from that burying ground, is tn
Poole ranch, and it's good seve
miles across to Cotton Creek froi
! here. If they got over on Cotton Cree
with funeral percession, they coul
sneak on up the creek to the Pool
Seven miles of bald prairie, and tot
miles under cover. Savvy now ??
j "Shoah do, Babe" said the kid. h
thoughts flashing to the girl and VIII;
little she had dared to say
"Shoah hope yo'alI didn't have r
trouble, Babe" the kid said
"Never had word Of trotble, II rgf
Eve" Babes eyes vef1ed themSelvt
suddenly from the kids qrestlonlr7
stare. "Krow what they done, Tig'
Eye? They knowed they had to
through with that burYin' or we
smell a rat. So they did. They turte
a coffin full Of rifles they aimed to u:
on us. When they was gone, the o.
man had us dig up the box ard ops
it,"
Babe folded a paper into a troug
5 sifted in a little tobacco. evened
with a careful finger tip, rolled 1T ctett
and drew the edge Of the paper light
along the tip of his tongue before
pressed it down and folded UP OF
end. He Gshett match from a pocke
Aicked his tnu1lbrlaiE across the he;
and got a fame, and lighted t
i cigarette, then snapped the match ST.
= in two and droppe1 the pieces at h
! feet. The kid watched him, his rnii
piecing together certain details OF 4
story which Babe did not know.
$. II shore was worried about. yo
v Kid" Babe said finally, drawing.
n,outhfut of smoke |'Where'd that ft
Ter jump yuh. Tiger Eye-if it's
!, fair question" "
i Back down the rim about mile
"Unh-hurh Musta took yuh qu
a while" Babe famed the smoke aw
from his face while he looked hard
the l0d.
i "Takes a right smatt while. Bal
# to trap a wolf" A strange, impla
able look came into the kids boyl
face. Babe looked at him and look
rV away again.
t. "Shore. Welt. let's 60" he S;
-. after a silence, AID there was a III
:. note of respect in his voice. III.
- the Oh Man how it was. You dc
z. the right thing. Tiger Eye.
a. In the cabin at Cold Spring L
80 camp that evening, the kid was playi
A0 the mouth organ, his slim brown
rs. fingers cupped and touching the me