Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-06-25


can he said to make a procession. then
! yancey and Sfbra Cravat formed
quite n parade as they walked down
pawhuska avenue In the blaze NJ the
| morning sun. Certainly they seemed
to he causing a stir Lean rangers In
buckhoards turned TO stare. Lounrers
In doorways nudged each other. yawp-
ing. Cowboys Gathering by whooned
greeting. IT was unreal, absurd,
grotesaue.
ali Vance. Hawdyr ma'am-"
Past the Red Dog saloon A group
In chairs tilted up against the wall or
standing about in highheeled boots
and somhrpros greeted Yancev now
with a familiarity that astonished
sabra. 'Howdy. cim Hello, Yam
cey"
lie called you Cim!'
He ignored her surprised remark.
Narrowly he was watching them ns
he passed "B0ys are up to something.
II they try TO get funny while you're
here with me-
Sabra, glancing at the group from
beneath her shielding hat brm. did
see that they were behaving much
like a lot Of snckering schoolhoys
who are preparing to let fly hom.
bardment of snowhalls, an air Of
secret mischief afooi.
"Why are they what do yon think
makes them" S:lhra began. trife
nervouslv.
pect they're the boys that did regler
dirt
.Pegler7 Who is--oh. isn't that the
mantle editnr-the one who was
found dead--shot dead on the banks
Of The yanceyi DO you mean they
did i'll
4 tlon't say they did it--exactle.
They know more than Is comfortable
even for these parts. | was inaulring
around last night. and everybody shut
up like clam I'm going to find out
who killed pegler and print It in the
first number OF the Oklahoma Wig
wam'
"Uh. yancey! Yancey. I'm fright
ened y She clung tighter to his arm.
The grinnng mirthless faces of the
men on the saloon porch seemed 10
her like the fanged and snarling muz.
zles of wolves In pack.
Nothing TO be frightened OF. honey.
They know me. I'm no Pegler they
can scare. They don't like my white
hat that's the truth OF it. Dared me
last night down at the Sunny South,
west saloon to wear 1t this morning
Just to try me out. They won't have
the CUTS TO come out In the open"
The sentence never was finished.
Sabra heard curious buzzing sound
past her ear. Something sang-zing
Yancey's white sombrero went spin
ming into the dust OF the road.
Sabra's mouth opened as though
she were screaming. but the sounds
she would have made emerged, feebly,
as a croak.
Stay where you are Yancey or
dered, his voice low and even. THE
dirty dogs" She stood transfIxed.
She could not have run IL she had
wanted to- Yancey strolled leisuraly
over TO where the white hat lay In
the dust. He stopped carelessly, his
back to the crowd on the saloon
porch, picked up the hat, surveyed
1t, and reached toward his pocket for
his handkerchief. At that movement
there was rush and scramble on
the porch. Tilted chairs leaped for
ward. heels clattered, door slammed.
or the group only three men remained.
One Of these leaned insolently against
a porch post a second stood warlly
behind him, and third was edging
prudently toward the closed door.
There was nothing to indicate who
had fired the shot that had sent Yam
cey's hat spinning.
Yancey, now half turned toward
them, had taken his fine white hand
kerchief from his pocket. had shaken
out its ample folds with gesture OF
elegant leisure and, hat In hand, was
clicking the dust from his headgeaT.
This done he surveyed the hat crit
ically, seemed to find 1t little the worse
for its experience unless, perhaps, one
excerpts the two neat round holes that
were drilled, back and front. through
the peak Of its crown. He now placed
1t on his head again with gesture nl-
most languid, tossed the fine handker-
chief into the road. and with almost
the same gesture, or with another so
lightning quicE that Sabra's eye never
followed 1t. his hand went to his hip.
There was The crack OF shot The
man who was edging toward the door
clapped his hand to his ear and
brought his hand away and looked
at 1t, and 1t was darkly smeared
Yancey still stood In the road. his
hand at his thigh. one slim foot, In its
fine high-heeled Texas star boot, ad
vanced carelessly. His great head
was lowered menacingly. His eyes
steel gray beneath the brim OF ths
white sombrero, looked as Sabra had
never seen them look. They were ter
rible eyes, mereiless, cold. hypnotic.