Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1941-05-15
CHAPTER II


Thorpe. Thorpe rivaled King Gordon in pow
CHAPTER II
An hour spent in the Wells Fargo
Office with the deputy commission
er, filling out forms, signing papers,
ended as Dusty King and Bill Roper
stood with Lew Gordon on the board
walk. 1t was the first time the three
had had word alone since the Cry
ing Wolf had passed into the hands
of King-Gordon
"Well," said Dusty King, 1--WE got
her."
MAYBE" Gordon said, "this is
our chance. Maybe now we can get
the cow business on sound basis,
here in the north, and have some
order, and decent law"
you'll never get sound basis
until Ben Thorpe is bust" Dusty
said. "What law enforcement we
got in the West is rotten through and
through with Office holders that
Thorpe owns"
"Some day." Gordon said slowly,
"Ben Thorpe has got to CO."
"Some day? Lew, we've got him
beat!"
Kings exuberant mood of victory
was not to be dampened. "You want
law and order?" he chortled. well
show 'em law and order!"
"That puts me in mind" said Cor
don. "a teller passed me this here
to give to you" He handed Dusty
King a little twisted scrap of paper,
torn off the corner of something
else. Dusty untangled it, looked at
1t a moment, showed it to the others.
Five words were penciled on it in
sprawling black letters:
IN GODS NAME LOOK OUT
"Who's this from, Lew"
Gordon's lips moved almost
soundlessly. "Dry Camp Pierce"
Roper knew that name, without
knowing what lengths of outlawry
had brought Dry Camp Pierce to
where he was today. Rewards
backed by Ben Thorpe were on Dry
Camps scalp over half the West;
probably it was as much as his life
was worth to show himself in Og-
allala now.
"This note"
Dusty King tossed it off with
shrug COIL suppose Thorpe is
getting drunk some place and spout
ing off about what all he's going to
do to me when he catches up"
Dusty's teeth showed in his infec-
tious grin. 81 suppose Dry Camp
thought I ought to know about it."
"He's right Dusty" Lew Gordon
said. ''We do want to look out, all
of us, all the time"
eve always had to look OUT"
Dusty scoffed.
"It'n be the more so now. There
isn't anything in the world Ben
Thorpe's people will stop at, Dusty"
"Let 'em come on"
eve want to look OUT" Gordon
said again.
eff you feel that way about it"
said Dusty, what was the idea of
your working through that law we
can't wear guns in town."
Bill Roper said, eve could have
brought it to an open shoot-out, five
years ago-ten years ago. Better if
we had"
Gordon shook his head. "Noth-
ing ever gets fixed up with guns"
Dusty King pulled his hat little
more on one side so that he could
wink at Bill Roper mobserved. But
he said, "He's partly right, Bill. Ben
Thorpe isn't just one man any more.
Walk Lasham-Cleve Tanner-any
one of a dozen others could step into
his shoes. It's whole rotten or
ganization has to be busted up"
ben Thorpe downed, and they'll
quit" Bill Roper thought.
"Ben Thorpe down and it's only
begun" Dusty countered. "Get it
out of your head that you can fix
anything up by downing Ben Thorpe.
Not while this organization stands
in one piece. Might be good idea
for you to remember that, Bill, in
case anything happens"
Dusty" Bill said, eff ever they
get you, by God, I'll get Ben Thorpe
if it's the last"
mo-" said Dusty. "You hear me?
No. If they get me-you'n remem-
Der what l said. You remember
you're fighting thing, and big
one; not just one man." His face
crinkled in that familiar, contagious
grin. Forget it! Dry Camps
spooky, that's ALL"
He hooked an arm through his
partners, and went staggering off.
Ten PAGES down the walk he
stopped, turned, and came back.
He leaned close to Roper. eff any
thing should happen, kid-remem-
Der what I said"
CHAPTER iii