Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1941-07-03
w. N. Release

Shone Wilce, one OF Roper's men, who
warned that her fathers life was in grave
danger
Roper shrugged again. walk
wants no fight with me-"
you're going to force the fight
yourself! That's what you've been
waiting here for, ever since you
came to Miles City. Any moment
Lasham may walk in that door"
Marquita sat staring at him hope
lessly, in her eyes a fxity of devo-
ton which his taciturnity seemed to
increase. Against his will he was
becoming something that was hap
pening to Marquita.
He remained silent; and, in lit
tie while, she went away.
An hour passed, while Roper,
drinking slowly, played his solitaire
and watched the door.
Then suddenly Marquita was
back. She came behind his chair to
speak close to his ear in panicky
whisper. "He's coming! He's COM
ing along the walk"
"A1 right"
"Walk has two of his men with
him. she said RAPIDLY. "You
haven't a chance, not a ghost of
chance. I can't bear to see you
killed. l know you don't care any
thing about me. If you did I'd 60
anywhere in the world with you.
But now you have to come out of
here-quick-by the back way. I'll
do anything"
Roper turned his head to look up
into her face, very close to his.
There was more to this girl than
there was to the rest of her kind.
Even now he was unable to recog-
nize that Marquita was capable of
sincerity of purpose, and a pas
sionate preoccupation in her pur-
pose, not to be expected here. 81
wouldn't step aside two feet" he
told her, "to pass Walk or any man.
tell you, Walk won't fight!"
Suddenly she whimpered. Bill
Roper saw that three men had come
into the front of the Palace Bar.
The first of the three, dark, lean
man with wide, bowed shoulders,
was Walk Lasham.
Marquita caught Bills head in her
arms, forced up his chin, and kissed
him. He was surprised at the unex-
pected softness of her lips, hot
against his mouth. Then abruptly
Marquita stopped, and as she sprang
away from him he felt the weight of
his gunbelt ease. She flung over
her shoulder, cts for your own
sake!" Her face was white, fright
ened.
He half started up, in instant
anger, but the girl was running
down the room. He saw her put
something under the bar, and he
knew it was his gun.
Roper rang his whiskey glass upon
the table, trying to catch a bar
tenders eye. If Lasham had not
SEN what the girl had done, one of
them could bring him his gun be-
fore it was too late. But the bar was
thronged; the bartenders were work.
ing fast, in the thick of the evening
rush.
The bar-fies had made room for
Walk LaSham at the end of the bar,
and Lasham and his two cowboys
had their heads together now, con-
sulting.
One of the cowboys, a man with a
scar across his face that distorted
his mouth in the manner of a hare
lip, went quickly behind the bar,
hunted beneath it, and returned to
Walk. Roper saw Lasham's long
face set. He said to himself, "Walk
knows :"
Walk Lasham was fiddling with
his empty glass on the bar, and the
scar-mouthed man was watching
Roper covertly with one eye from
under the brim of his hat. Lasham
reached for bottle, filled his glass,
tossed it off. Then he turned square
ly toward Roper, and came walking
back through the big room.
Roper played his cards, his hands
visible upon the table. 1t seemed to
take Lasham long time to walk
the length of the room. Roper
glanced at the lookout chair, where
a salaried gun-fghter usually sat-
1t was empty now.
Walk Lasham was standing in
front of him.
$50 you," he said, "are the tough
gunman that killed Cleve Tanner"
Bill Roper raised his eyes to Walk
Lasham's face. "And you" he said,
"are one of the dirty towards that
murdered Dusty King"
A hush had fallen upon the room,
unbroken by the clink of glass or
the rattle of chip. Lasham and
Roper looked at each other through
a moment of silence.
He dropped his eyes to Ropers
hands, and his own right hand start
ed a tentative movement toward the
butt of his gun. His spread fingers
shook little as his hand crept down.
But he was grinning now, sure of
his ground.
"Looks a little different to you
now, huh?"
"a coyote always looks like coy
ote to me-"