Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-02-19
CHAPTER vi

Porfirio snatched up his glass.
1--WE drink together, you and me,
Senior Codito! To one great gentle
man! To one of the soldiers of the
good God Himself! To Don Senior
Early Bill Cole! To him, forever
and ever, 'Salud pesetas!' To Don
Senior Early Bill Cole!"
Then Cole Cody, forgetting other
things, gripped him by the thin
shoulders.
what are you talking about?" he
demanded sharply. early Bill
Cole? Of the King Cole Ranch? You
say he is dead?"
"Only two days ago, Don Codito."
"But I had a letter from him,
Porfirio, only a few days ago! And
dead now!"
Here was news! Cole Cody stood
frowning at nothing, telling himself
that all along this had been a funny
howdy-do: First the letter from old
Early Bill, which he had been ut
terly unable to explain; now the vio-
lent removal of the only man who
could tell him. Well, he'd go to the
hotel over night, then in the morn
ing turn tail and leave Bald Eagle
and lot of unanswered questions
behind him. Along with a girl he
never wanted to see again.
He lifted his glass.
1--WE drink together to Don Senior
Early Bill Cole!" cried little Por-
firio, and snatched off his hat. 1.-THE
two of us together"
1t was far too early for bed, so
Cody and Porfirio Lopez dawdled
over their supper in one of Bald
Eagles little restaurants for the bet
ter part of an hour, and thereafter
set out to see the town. Cody was
about to call it night and go off
to bed when he was accosted by a
lean and wiry old man with name
of snowy hair and mammoth, I'M
pruned white mustache, with a
broad and battered old black hat
and sleek high-heeled boots and a
long-tailed black coat. None other,
in fact, than Mr. Arthur Henry Pope
the Judge.
mr. William Cole Cody, be-
lieve?" he said generously.
THAT'S my name, sir" he said.
"And 1, sir, am Arthur Henry
Pope. l know something about you;
not much, but something. I'd like a
few words with you, Mr.. Cody"
said the Judge. SIN private"
"What is it?" asked Cody.
II have taken a room for you at
the hotel where you'll want to
stay overnight. Will you step over
with me?"
'I'm with friend"
''The matter is of Importance.
Also of an entirely private nature"
go long with him, Don Codito,"
said Porfirio, and began a discreet
withdrawal. "He is man they call
the Judge here. He is all right, you
will see, because they tell me he
was very good friend of Don Senior
Early Bill Cole" Then Porfirio bolt
ed, headed for the bar, again flour
ishing his colorful bandana
"Certainly," agreed Cody, his Gu
riosity now riding high. and the two
went out together.
A bit earlier in the evening, the
Judge and Doc Joe having a few
moments together on their porch
after Doc Joe had tinkered with his
new patients as best he could and
. got them off to their beds, the Judge
had been led to remark with a snort,
'Old Early Bill, confound his or
merry hide, having sworn by all that
was good and holy he'd get him his
fun after he was dead, ought to be
laughing his fool head off now!"
In his turn Doc Joe had snorted.
1.-THE fools we're you and me,
Judge" he growled. 1.-Two softies,
a couple of mush-hearted sissies. We
ought to have stood up on our hind
legs and told him to 60 to the devil"
All this was because before his
demise old Early Bill had instructed
this precious duo, laying down the
law to them and exacting their prom
ises to carry out his bidding. If he
died before his ''heirS" arrived, the
Judge and Doc Joe we're to look
out for the two, and were to tell
them just as much as Early Bill
wanted told. not a single syllable
more. Doc Joe was to explain mat
tiers to the girl, the Judge was to do
likewise for young Cody. And they
were not unduly to stick their noses
into subsequent happenings. Let
nature take its counsel" old King
Cole had chuckled.
And now the Judge and Doc Joe,
having in due course learned that
both Cole Cody and Ann Lee were
on the stage, were faithfully if IT.
reverently carrying out orders.
Thus, while Doc Joe was expound-
ing to a round-eyed, breathless girl
and her quietly attentive Aunt Jeni-
fer in one room of the Bald Eagle
Hotel, the Judge was letting head
and ears of the cat out of the bag