The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-04-09

place for you-all: with the only
bunch that Johnny Laws amt going
to bother" bud Paramore went on.
He had a high, almost singsong,
drawl, and his mechanical grin
matched jeff Allmon's. $50 you
come hunting me, huh?"
"You certainly got 'em eating out
of your paw, Dud," jeff told him
admiringly. 81 been telling Con,
here, about your outfit, and how it
was the only one to ride the Terri
tory with. So I pulled out of From
teras. All right for us to come
here?"
what you mean is-an right for
you-al to stay" bud corrected him.
Hadn't been all right to come,
you-all would be biting daisies down
the line right now" bud gestured
toward the other men:
Most of the main bunch. Big
wager, that helped me rub out the
sheriff and clerk at Tonadura.'
The huge, stolid cowboy indicated
grinned and jerked thumb toward
a slender Mexican whose short
chinned, fat-nosed face and beady
eyes gave him reptilian look.
81 reckon it was me and you
poured the buckshot to 'em, Dud,"
he said in slow, husky voice. "But
twas Snaky Gonzales that run out
from behind the wall after we
dropped 'em, to see what kind of
fees they'd been collecting. I still
think he held out on us. Hey,
Snaky?"
Gonzales snarled. Then something
about Cons expression seemed to
infuriate him. He came to his feet
with wriggle, hand dropping to the
pearl hilt of dagger on his belt.
''Mabbe you don't like hah?" he
cried. "You look by me and make
face nose turn-up, hah? Me, don't
like your look. Mabbe I give you
something nice-knife by your neck,
hah?"
"Ah, Cons all right" jeff said
hastily, with a quick side-glance at
the grinning bud, who was looking
from man to man. cts just way
he's got of looking at everybody.
He amt turning up his nose at no
body"
''Keep out, jeff" bud drawled.
every man kills his own snakes
in the Paramore Bunch. If Con
amt man enough to hold his own,
hell with him!"
'Kill him, Conf" jeff snapped.
''No fooling with fists"
Gonzales darted in, cat-quick,
shifted feet fashingly so that he
swerved right, then left, stopped
with the dagger held against his
shirt, point out.
Con had only lifted on his toes.
He twisted, even faster than the
knifeman had done, to hook terrific
right to Gonzales unprotected jaw
just below the ear.
Gonzales feet snapped from the
ground. He seemed to hang bodily
from Cons fist for the fraction of a
second, then dropped sideways to
the pine needles and sprawled mo-
tionless. Con took one step forward
and stamped upon the thin blade of
the dagger. Dud Paramore contin-
ued to grin mechanically. Then Big
Wager slapped his leg resoundingly
and whooped.
''Snaky forgot to ask Con could
he please cut his heart out!" he
cried, and buds grin widened
slightly.
Gonzales moved jerkily, grooming.
Con slid a hand to his Colt and
watched coldly. The Mexican pushed
himself up to sitting position and
blinked stupidity around. Suddenly,
he scrambled up with loud slap of
hand on empty scabbard.
"Gonzales!" Con called sharply.
mira! Look! 1t would have been
more easy to kill you than to knock
you down. But I let you ive-that
time. If you look at me again and
touch knife or gun
He half-drew the pistol from his
holster and bud Paramore's sing
song drawl cut in:
''Snaky! No mas! No more!"
Paramore announced, "We'n hit
San Marcos tonight. Big bale there.
Lots of liquor. Lots of pretty gals
to dance around. Paramore bunch
owns Marcos"
''He's what said," JEFF muttered.
"Plain hell on wheelsi"
ITO BE CONTINUED)