The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-06-11

dW1Ol OcOs 41ASJ ooJ NASSAAAy - P4SA@@
ised to wipe out your mark. But
from what Monk Irby spewed out,
he amt going to wait for Gloomy"
Con asked the bartender where
Gloomy and Monk were.
There's a i'l'- bitsy plazita, just
two-three Mex houses, on the road
to Helligo Canyon. The bunch stops
there lots of times. I think that's
! where they went, yesterday. Watch
your step, young fellow!"
He went up the bar to serve Gus
toners and Con lifted his glass and
set it down empty. Then rasping
voice sounded, almost in his ear.
"Ain't you workin for that damn
Busted Wheel?"
Con turned very carefully. When
he saw the face thrust out toward
his, he made disguised grimace
and drew back. 1t was big man,
Indian dark, with shiny stubble OF
beard from eyes to collarbone. One
inky eye was permanently slitted by
an old veal that slanted across eye
| brow and cheekbone and notched
the high nose bridge. Thick, loose
mouth shone bluish-red against the
black of his struggling mustache.
He wore no shell belt, but high on
his hip, under an old coat, was a
stubby Colt. His hand was on it..
| Cons gun was in his waistband, I'M
der his shirt.
He flashed his hand up and inside
his shirt and out again. The big
man was jerking out his pistol, but
Con thought triumphantly that he
had beaten him. Then from behind
him hand knocked down his Colt,
struck his arm again and the gun
roared as it fell. He took heavy
blow in the back that drove him for
ward. Instinctly, he clawed at the
tall mans thick wrist, caught il
and twisted savagely with all the
strength of powerful shoulders and
wiry arms.
Con fell into him and chung, lifting
his feet off the floor and kicking
viciously backward. He felt hee
strike something soft and heard g
groan. Then his toes touched the
floor again and he kicked the big
man on his shin. The grip on his
arm relaxed slightly and he
snatched free, to rise on tiptoe anc
swing a long right to the cheek
| Blackboard staggered and Coz
rushed in. He slid back as the big
figure crumpled, began to turn t.
get at the second man, and felt the
impact of an almost knockout blow
on his jaw.
"He sure does set up nights t.
hate a Busted Wheeler, LatimeI
does" one of the voices said mar
velingly. "But if it hadn't been TO,
that nephew of his helping him
there's one Wheeler would hav,
killed him first crack out of the box
He beat Latimer to it, only tina
boy knocked his arm down. Lat
mer had his hand on the cutter
tool"
Con sat up so abruptly that mel
bent over him jerked back out @
the way. Automatically, he put hi
hand inside his shirt and grope'
for his Colt.
Hands helped him. He peere,
around and the bartender pushe,
over his pistol. He spun the cylir
: der to see that the loads were in
tact, let down the hammer upon a
empty chamber, and showed the gu
, into his waistband. He stood sulkil
for a moment, but the doctor too
him by the arm and moved hir
toward the door.
Riding beside the Doctors buggy
! going out of Onopa, Con asked abou
{ the Latimers and was told that the
had been in the country less than
: year. Latimer had a small outf
/ between the Broken Wheel and He
igo Canyon.
: "Ah!" Con said softly. "Betwee
: the Wheel and the Canyon"
"That's what Topeka thought! TIL
t first time he found Latimer wander
/ ing around the Wheel side of tn
E line, he called it a natural acc
!. dent. But the second time it hal
! pened, he and the boys with hiI
! escorted Latimer across the lin
r and invited him to stay there. Lat
!. mer has hammered every Broke
r Wheel cowboy he could find, sine
/ then. You're the seventh or eighth.
. "Why, maybe I'll be the last ont
y then. If that nephew of his hadn
S hit me from behind, today, the La
: liners would have been holding Ii
t les, not guns"