Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1941-09-04

shrugged, and walked into the Red
Dog Bar.
Lew Gordon stood at the bar of
the Red Dog Saloon. The hard line
of his jaw was blurred by a silver
shag of whisker now, and his mus
tache was silver, and his hair; but
the clear blue eyes were unbelieva-
bly, young, younger than Bill Roper
had ever seen them before. His
hands were folded quietly, one ell
bow on the bar; and so greatly did
this silver-haired man dominate the
space in which he stood that it was
minutes before Roper realized that
there was bartender there at all.
$50 you came" Lew Gordon said.
"Of course, Lew. Didn't you know
I would Gomez"
Gin one way" Lew Gordon said,
'I'm glad you came. I want to say
couple Of things to you, Billy, my
boy. done something wrong,
Billy" "You was right and was
wrong. You fought him; I tried to
smooth things out. I'm glad I've
lived to tell you this: you was right
and I was wrong!"
"Lew-" Bill began.
81 should have killed him, Billy"
Lew Gordon said.
"Lew! What are you telling me?"
81 know was wrong" Lew Cor
don said. Yet, somehow he did not
seem unhappy. always I stood for
law, for order-the decent thing, the
thing that would build this country
into something my kid could live in.
Butt guess it wasn't meant to be.
should have swung with you when
you tied into him in Texas, and
again when you tied into him in the
north! But I aim to square it all up
today!"
"You mean-?" said Bill Roper.
"He's coming to meet me here"
''With how many menu" Roper
asked again.
what does it matter?" Lew
poured himself a drink.
Outside, on the board walk of Sun
dance, were sounding the heels of
approaching men
II can kill him." Bill Roper said,
81 can kill him even if / die"
Lew Gordon's face changed swift
ly. Suddenly he was the indomita-
BILE old man whom Bill Roper had
always known.
"Ben Thorpe is for me-" Lew Cor
don said, "to make up for the quiet
years :"
And Bill Roper, looking deep into
the young eyes of that ageing man,
finally said, "Okay."
And then the door darkened, and
the approaching heels on the board
walk we're silent because they had
arrived. The man Lew Gordon had
sent for had come
1t was Ben Thorpe who stepped
quickly through the door, and one
pace to the left, so that his gun, al
ready drawn, swept the bar. 1t was
Walk Lasham who followed him
through the door, stepping one pace
to the right, so that the door was
clear for the three unknown gun
fighters who tried to enter all at
| once.
DRAW, Ben," Lew Gordon said;
and then all guns spoke at once.
In the blast of gunfire that fol-
lowed, no man could tell what hap
pened-but Roper knew that all guns
seemed to converge upon Lew Cor
don, and frantically he threw the
lash of his fire at Thorpe, at Lash
am, at the unknown men at the door.
For moment the guns spoke in a
smashing roar, and the powder
smoke stung Bill Roper's nostrils;
and then suddenly there was silence
again.
Thorpe and Lasham both were
down as that gunsmoke cleared, and
those other strangers in the doorway
had disappeared, except for boot
heel that dragged almost out of
sight, and then was still.
Beside the bar of the Red Dog
Saloon Lew Gordon still stood. Per-
haps it was his bullet in the heart
| of Ben Thorpe-no man would ever
know.
He turned now, slowly, elbow upon
the bar, and looked at Bill Roper.
Thanks, son." he said. The hand
that held the heavy forty-fve sagged
deliberately, then dropped the gun;
it made strange clatter upon the
unswept boards of the floor. Then
Lew Gordon's knees broke and he
went down, and Bill Roper caught
him as he fell.
Thin and tinny across the squalid
town, across the thawing prairie, the
church bell was ringing-a make
shift church bell ringing, on Sunday
morning, as Lew Gordon died.
ITO BE CONTINUED)