Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-08-01

D0N Ehs - Lsv osrAsa ~ sas -
. ~ s61ng - raasAasL KAG vas kil3sd
~ - psvsssa saa snserspslso esapsti-
~. - ras- IN nsp@. KiAGs sAspasd
- ~ 1sesrmAs1 - avenes HI dsatA -
U11s = - sVpssftssa b. ~ svossheart-
0APfE8 Hu-Csattnosd
Jim Leathefs, IN spite of his warn
Ag b Kane. made no effort 10 move
cut a TIE light. Standing square in
taas dsoe. be drew his gun A bull
II spaintered into the casing beside
him = he report Of . carbine sound
ed from somewhere beyond. Jim
Leathers 6red twice; then stepped
inside. closed and barred the heavy
door.
For . moment the eyes Of Kane
and Leathers questioned each other.
Dry Camp Pierce" Kane said.
Naturally"
If i don't beat hell that they
should land IN At just this minute"
feathers was very cool and quiet
now. Deliberately he pulled on his
sheepskin. Get out the back. un-
tie the ponies and get your man
aboard"
Jim. seems like we stand a bet
ter chance here. way we are, than
running N the open, what with"
They'll burn US out il we try to
hold. Get going. you'll"
Dragging Roper after him, Kane
plunged into the dark Of the back
room. He swore as he rummaged
for his rife. his sheepskin.
Leathers neither swore nor hur-
ried. Moving deliberately, he blew
out one lamp. hobbled across the
room to the other. Then all hell
broke loose at once.
The single frosted pane Of the ten
inch window at the end Of the room
smashed out with 4 brittle ring Of
falling glass. In the black aperture
appeared the face Of a boy, pale
and wild-eyed. 50 young-looking that
he might almost have been called a
child. The heavy "A with which he
had smashed the window thrust
through the broken pane; it blazed
out heavily, twice.
Jim Leathers, staggering back
wards as if he had been hit with a
log ram, fred once, from the level
of his belt. The face vanished, but
a moment after it was gone the
hand that held the gun dangled limp
within the room. Then the gun thud-
ded on the floor. and the Ifeless
hand disappeared.
As Leathers went down, a broken
roar Of guns broke out in the store
room. feathers CROPPED for his gun.
tried to rise, but could not.
Roper, who had been dragged into
the dark storeroom by Red Kane,
felt the swift sting Of the wind as the
back door was smashed open, and
was able to tear free as the guns
began. He stumbled over piled
sacks, and fattened himself against
the wall. The blind blasting in the
dark of the back room lasted long
enough for three guns to empty
themselves. Their smashing voices
fell silent with an odd suddenness,
as suddenly as they had opened.
In the dark voice said, "In Gods
name let's have a light"
After what seemed long time a
match 1ared uncertainty, and Rop-
er's quick glance estimated the
changed situation. In the back room
now two men were down-Red Kane
and another whom Roper immedi-
ately recognized as an old King
Gordon cowboy called Old Joe.
The dim flicker of the match was
augmented to steady glow as a
lantern was found and lighted. Rop-
er did not recognize the other man
In the room-the cowboy who had
lighted the lantern with one hand,
his smoking six-gun still ready in
the other.
The stranger stopped over Old
Joe. you hurt bad?"
ITS only my laig. my laig."
The other stepped over the inert
body of Kane to the door. and sur
veyed the silent kitchen.
"Jim Leathers! Somebody got Jim
feathers, and got him hardl"
He stepped back into the rear
room. You're Bill Roper, aren't
you? Where's the others?"
There aren't any others. They
al went out on Dry Camps trail,
after his raid day before yesterday"
mo others here? You sure?"
Kane and Leathers are the only
soes here"
Old Joe, both hands clasped on
his smashed leg, spoke between set
teeth. where's Jody? For Gods
sake find Jodyl"
The King Gordon cowboy whom
Roper did not know, went out, his
spurs ringing with his long strides.
'Jody isn't here" Roper told Old
Joe disgustedly. "She got loose two
days ago."
The hell she isn't here! She come
here with usl"
with you? But you're from Cor
aon's Red Butte camp, aren't you? I
thought Jody went to Miles City with
Shoshone Wilce."
''She never went to Miles. She
knew Lesthers was bringing you
koro froRn THAT ahe'd hoard him