Nogales international., 1936-07-18
well take the street" said Speed
to Maitland, cts more visible"


to Maitland, cts more visible"
The marbled thoroughfare, with
its cross stripes of light, opened
CLANCY course before them when
they turned the bend. These alter
mating patches of light and darkness
were an advantage as well as a
menace; they exposed the entrance
of each resort, while the. dark spaces
between shielded their approach.
When the sign of The Pack Train
saloon appeared ahead, Speeds step
became a little more measured. No
figures loitered around this entrance;
the noisy revel inside was apparent
ly too engrossing. Light, streaming
from chinks and seams in the can
vas, clearly illumined the roadway,
making it an unlikely spot for an
ambush.
They reached the outer radius of
the light, entered it, and passed the
low bright beam that issued from
under the swing doors. Through
shadows that f1ickered over the road
from the shuttle of dancing feet,
they moved safely toward the mar
gin of darkness.
(Which goes to show" Speed
began. But the sentence was never
completed.
He stopped and wheeled with a
audiences that brought the lead
bronco's chest against his leg. Matt
land heard a double crash; saw a
bright flame stab from Speeds gun
Something burned past his cheek
The saloon door behind them was
swinging to and fro, throwing blinks
of light into the road. In the lumin-
Gus pool just below it, man lay
crumpled with his face upturned
The features were clearly leglble. Ii
was the shell dealer they had seen at
Liarsville.
They were in shadow again and
had gained the darkness of the trail
before the street filled, for The Pack
Train was a ''last chance" saloon
They Joined scattered line of pros
pectors who had started on the night
trail into the canyon, and no one fol-
lowed them.
In wary silence the two partners
kept trailing till they made camp
far up the river canyon.
Over the fire, the outlaw sat in a
long study Il reckon that was a
case" he said at last, ''of what you
would call suggestion The man
wouldn't believe l didn't have a gun
notched for him.
what made him think you did? p
Maitland asked.
Il followed him one night in
Nevada. Got a slant of him ther
in the light of saloon door. 1t just
needed one look to see he was on'y
tramp tin-horn. Seems, though
like he had other things to be nerv.
Gus about; he had friends in the
camp and his imagination started
guns blazin'. When ne seen me
here he figured l was still after hin
-. Like the girl said, the worst risk
may be the one you amt lookin' for
'I've been fgurin' slower since
made that first mistake. . They's
heap of pretty burnette girls in the
Western camps. You can see how
easy it is to get nistracked from
how wide my guess was about this
one and the horses, thinkin' she
wanted pay"
"Do you think the gold secret she
spoke of was just something she'd
overheard while singing through the
camp? Like her tip about the shell
dealer?"
Speed looked at him curiously.
"Why would you guess she over
heard a gold secret?"
81 don't know" Maitland hesitat-
ed. Something she said the first
time I saw her. And then Owens
losing his outfit when he was on
his way to join a partner in the
Yukon Do I imagine, or does
that tie together?"
"It ties to her." Speed grunted.
MAYBE nowheres else Outfits are
gambled and lost right along the
trails without needin' a gold secret
back of it. What you heard Owens
say doesn't count for much. And if
this perspecter had a gold mine,
why wouldn't he record it, thus
endin' the secret1 Another thing
T'd hank she w011ldn't he fha+ much