Everybody in the wedding party started ducking out of line, and Blink said hurriedly: 'It's this way, Breck. When I made my pile so onexpectedly quick, I sent for Dolly to come and marry me like she'd promised the day after you left for the Yavapai. I was aimin' to take my gold out today, like I told you, so me and Dolly could go to San Francisco on our honeymoon, but I learnt Harrison's gang was watchin' me, just like I told you. I wanted to git my gold out, and I wanted to git you out of the way before Dolly and her uncle got here on the War Paint stage, so I told you that lie about Brother Rembrandt bein' on the Wahpeton stage. It was the only lie.'
'You said you was marryin' a gal in Teton,' I accused fiercely.
'Well,' says he, 'I did marry her in Teton. You know, Breck, all's fair in love and war.'
'Now, now, boys,' said Brother Rembrandt--the real one, I mean. 'The gal's married, yore rivalry is over, and they's no use holdin' grudges. Shake hands and be friends.'
'All right,' I said heavily. No man cain't say I ain't a good loser. I was cut deep but I concealed my busted heart.
Leastways I concealed it all I was able to. Them folks which says I crippled Blink Wiltshaw with malice aforethought is liars which I'll sweep the road with when I catches 'em. When my emotions is wrought up I unconsciously uses more of my strength than I realizes. I didn't aim to break Blink's arm when I shook hands with him; it was just the stress of my emotions. Likewise it was Dolly's fault that her Uncle Rembrandt got throwed out a winder and some others got their heads banged. When she busted me with that cuspidor I knew that our love was dead forever. Tears come into my eyes as I waded through the crowd, and I had to move fast to keep from making a fool of myself. Them that was flang out of my way ought to have knowed it was done more in sorrer than in anger.
THE END
CONTENTS
EVIL DEEDS AT RED COUGAR
By Robert E. Howard
I BEEN ACCUSED OF prejudice agen the town of Red Cougar, on account of my habit of avoiding it if I have to ride fifty miles outen my way to keep from going through there. I denies the slander. It ain't no more prejudiced for me to ride around Red Cougar than it is for a lobo to keep his paw out of a jump-trap. My experiences in that there lair of iniquity is painful to recall. I was a stranger and took in. I was a sheep for the fleecing, and if some of the fleecers got their fingers catched in the shears, it was their own fault. If I shuns Red Cougar like a plague, that makes it mutual, because the inhabitants of Red Cougar shuns me with equal enthusiasm, even to the p'int of deserting their wagons and taking to the bresh if they happen to meet me on the road.
I warn't intending to go there in the first place. I been punching cows over in Utah and was heading for Bear Creek, with the fifty bucks a draw poker game had left me outa my wages. When I seen a trail branching offa the main road I knowed it turnt off to Red Cougar, but it didn't make no impression on me.
But I hadn't gone far past it when I heard a hoss running, and the next thing it busted around a bend in the road with foam flying from the bit rings. They was a gal on it, looking back over her shoulder down the road. Jest as she rounded the turn her hoss stumbled and went to its knees, throwing her over its head.
I was offa Cap'n Kidd in a instant and catched her hoss before it could run off. I helped her up, and she grabbed holt of me and hollered: 'Don't let 'em get me!'
'Who?' I said, taking off my hat with one hand and drawing a .45 with the other'n.
'A gang of desperadoes!' she panted. 'They've chased me for five miles! Oh, please don't let 'em get me!'
'They'll tech you only over my dead carcass,' I assured her.
She gimme a look which made my heart turn somersets. She had black curly hair and big innercent gray eyes, and she was the purtiest gal I'd saw in a coon's age.
'Oh, thank you!' she panted. 'I knowed you was a gent the minute I seen you. Will you help me up onto my hoss?'
'You shore you ain't hurt none?' I ast, and she said she warn't, so I helped her up, and she gathered up her reins and looked back down the road very nervous. 'Don't let 'em foller me!' she begged. 'I'm goin' on.'
'You don't need to do that,' I says. 'Wait till I exterminate them scoundrels, and I'll escort you home.'
But she started convulsively as the distant pound of hoofs reched us, and said: 'Oh, I dast not! They mustn't even see me again!'
'But I want to,' I said. 'Where you live?'
'Red Cougar,' says she. 'My name's Sue Pritchard. If you happen up that way, drop in.'
'I'll be there!' I promised, and she flashed me a dazzling smile and loped on down the road and outa sight up the Red Cougar trail.
SO I SET TO WORK. I USES a rope wove outa buffalo hide, a right smart longer and thicker and stronger'n the average riata because a man my size has got to have a rope to match. I tied said lariat acrost the road about three foot off the ground.
Then I backed Cap'n Kidd into the bushes, and purty soon six men swept around the bend. The first hoss fell over my rope and the others fell over him, and the way they piled up in the road was beautiful to behold. Before you could bat yore eye they was a most amazing tangle of kicking hosses and cussing men. I chose that instant to ride out of the bresh and throw my pistols down on 'em.
'Cease that scandalous langwidge and rise with yore hands up!' I requested, and they done so, but not cheerfully. Some had been kicked right severe by the hosses, and one had pitched over his cayuse's neck and lit on his head, and his conversation warn't noways sensible.
'What's the meanin' of this here hold-up?' demanded a tall maverick with long yaller whiskers.
'Shet up!' I told him sternly. 'Men which chases a he'pless gal like a pack of Injuns ain't fittin' for to talk to a white man.'
'Oh, so that's it!' says he. 'Well, lemme tell yuh--'
'I said shet up!' I roared, emphasizing my request by shooting the left tip offa his mustash. 'I don't aim to powwow with no dern women-chasin' coyotes! In my country we'd decorate a live oak with yore carcasses!'
'But you don't--' began one of the others, but Yaller Whiskers profanely told him to shet up.
'Don't yuh see he's one of Ridgeway's men?' snarled he. 'He's got the drop on us, but our turn'll come. Till it does, save yore breath!'
'That's good advice,' I says. 'Onbuckle yore gun-belts and hang 'em on yore saddle-horns, and keep yore hands away from them guns whilst you does it. I'd plumb welcome a excuse to salivate the whole mob of you.'
So they done it, and then I fired a few shots under the hosses' feet and stampeded 'em, and they run off down the road the direction they'd come from. Yaller Whiskers and his pals cussed something terrible.
'Better save yore wind,' I advised 'em. 'You likely got a good long walk ahead of you, before you catches yore cayuses.'
'I'll have yore heart's blood for this,' raved Yaller Whiskers. 'I'll have yore sculp if I have to trail yuh from here to Jedgment Day! Yuh don't know who yo're monkeyin' with.'
'And I don't care!' I snorted. 'Vamoose!'
They taken out down the road after their hosses, and I shot around their feet a few times to kinda speed 'em on their way. They disappeared down the road in a faint blue haze of profanity, and I turnt around and headed for Red Cougar.
I hoped to catch up with Miss Pritchard before she got to Red Cougar, but she had too good a start and was going at too fast a gait. My heart pounded at the thought of her and my corns begun to ache. It shore was love at first sight.
Well, I'd follered the trail for maybe three miles when I heard guns banging ahead of me. A little bit later I came to where the trail forked and I didn't know which'n led to Red Cougar. Whilst I was setting there wondering which branch to take, I heard hosses running again, and purty soon a couple of men hove in sight, spurring hard and bending low like they was expecting to be shot from behind. When they approached me I seen they had badges onto their vests, and bullet holes in their hats.
'Which is the road to Red Cougar?' I ast perlitely.
