WAYS OF SERVING NOTICE
If Sandy Bend had been seized with a local spasm when the senior member
of the T & C had learned of the robbery of the Mesquite bank, it now
was having a very creditable fit. The little printing-shop was the
scene of bustling activities and soon a small bundle of handbills was
on its way to the office of the cattle king. McCullough, drive-boss
_par excellence_ and one of the surviving frontiersmen who not only had
made history in several localities, but had helped to wear the ruts in
the old Santa Fe Trail until the creeping roadbed of the railroad had
put the trail with other interesting relics of the past, was rudely
torn from his seven-up game with his cronies by one of the several
couriers who lathered horses at the snapping behest of the senior
partner. He hastened to the office, rumbled across the outer room and
pushed open the door of the holy of holies without even the semblance
of a knock. He was blunt, direct, and no respecter of persons.
"Hello, Charley!" he grunted. "What's loose now?"
"H--l's loose!" snapped Twitchell. "Ridley's been murdered by one of
Kane's gang. Shot in th' back--head near blowed off. There's only four
men up there now, an' they may be dead by this time. Take as many
men as you need an' go up there--we just bought a herd of SV cows, if
there's any left. But I want th' man that killed Ridley. That's first.
I want th' man who robbed th' bank--that's second. An' I want Pecos
Kane--that's first, second, an' third. D--n it! I growed up with Tom
Ridley!"
"I'll take twenty men an' bring you th' whole gang--but some of 'em
will shore spoil before we can get 'em here, this kind of weather. Do I
burn that end of th' town?"
"You'll burn nothin'," retorted Twitchell. "You'll not risk a man until
you have to. You'll stay on th' ranch an' watch th' cattle. I've lost
one good man now, an' I'm spendin' money before I risk losin' any more.
There's a bundle of handbills. When they've been digested by that bunch
of assassins you can sit in th' bunkhouse an' have yore game delivered
to you, all tied up, an' tagged."
"Orders is orders," growled McCullough; "but some are d--d fool orders.
If you want somebody to set on th' front porch an' whittle, why'n h--l
are you cuttin' _me_ out of th' herd for th' job?"
"I'm cuttin' you out because I want my best man out there!" retorted
the senior member heatedly. "You may find it lively settin', an' have
to do yore whittlin' with rifles an' six-guns. Look out that somebody
don't whittle you at eight hundred while yo're settin' on th' front
porch! You talk like you think yo're goin' to a prayer meetin'!"
"I'm hopin' they come that close," said McCullough, picking up the
package of bills. "So Tom's gone, huh? Charley, there ain't many of
us left no more. Remember how you an' Ridley an' me used to go off
trappin' them winters, hundreds of miles into th' mountains, with only
what we could easy carry on our backs? That was livin'."
"You get out of here, you old fraud!" roared Twitchell. "Ain't I got
enough to bother me now? Take care of yoreself, Mac; an' my way's worth
tryin', an' tryin' good. If it don't work, then we'll have to try yore
way."
"All right; I'll give it a fair ride, Charley; but it will be time
wasted," replied the trail-boss. "In that case I'm takin' a dozen men.
We relay at th' Squaw Creek corrals, an' again at Sweetwater Bottoms.
Send a wagon after us--you'll know what we'll need. You send a new boss
to th' Sweetwater, for I'm pickin' up Waffles. He's one of th' best men
you got, an' he's been picketed at that two-bits station long enough."
"Good luck, Mac. Take who you want. Yo're th' boss. Any play you make
will be backed to th' limit by th' T & C."
When McCullough got outside he found a crowd of men which the
hard-riding couriers had sent in from all parts of the town. They
shouted questions and got terse answers as he picked his dozen, the
twelve best out of a crowd of good men, all known to him in person
and by deeds. The lucky dozen smiled exultantly at the scowling
unfortunates and dashed up the street in a bunch after their grizzled
pacemaker. One of the last, glancing behind him, saw a stern-faced,
sorrowful man in a black store suit standing in the office door looking
wistfully after them; and the rider, gifted with understanding, raised
his hand to his hat brim and faced around.
"Th' old man's sorry he's boss," he confided to his nearest companion.
"An' there's plenty up in Mesquite that will be th' same," came the
reply.
Despite his years McCullough held his lead without crowding from
the rear, for he was of the hard-riding breed and toughened to the
work. When the first relay was obtained at Squaw Creek that evening
there were several who felt the strain more than the leader. A hasty
supper and they were gone again, pounding into the gathering dusk of
the northwest. All night they rode along a fair trail, strung out
behind a man who kept to it with uncanny certainty. Dawn found them
changing mounts in Sweetwater Bottoms, but without the snap displayed
at the Squaw. Waffles, one-time foreman of the O-Bar-O, needed all his
habitual repression to keep from favoring them with a war dance when he
heard his luck. Impatiently waiting for the surprised but enthusiastic
cook to prepare their breakfasts, they made short work of the meal
when it appeared and rolled on again, silent, grim, heavy-lidded,
but cheerful. They gladly would do more than that for McCullough,
Twitchell--and Tom Ridley. The second evening found them riding up to
the buildings of the Question-Mark, guns across their pommels, and they
were thankfully received.
Mesquite awakened the next morning to a surprise, for handbills were
scattered on its few streets and had been pushed under doors, one of
them under the front door of Kane's gambling-hall. When Johnny came
down to breakfast the proprietor handed him the sheet, pointing to its
flaming headline.
"Read that, me bye!" cried Quayle.
Johnny obeyed:
=$2,500.00 REWARD!=
For Information Leading to the Capture and
Conviction of the Murderer of Tom Ridley
=STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL=
TWITCHELL & CARPENTER, Sandy Bend
JOHN McCULLOUGH, Gen'l. Supt., Mesquite
He thoughtlessly shoved it into his pocket and shrugged his shoulders.
"That man Twitchell thinks a lot of his money," he said. "But, if it's
his way, it's his way. I'm glad to say it ain't mine."
Quayle looked at him from under heavy brows and smiled faintly. "Mac's
here, hisself," he said. "They've raised th' ante, an' if I was as
young as you I'd have a try at th' game. An', me bye, it isn't only th'
money; 'tis a duty, an' a pleasure. Go in an' eat, now, before that
wild Mick av a cook scalps ye."
Hoofbeats pounded up the street from the south and a Mexican galloped
past towards Kane's, followed on foot by several idlers.
"There ye go!" savagely growled the proprietor; "an' I hope ye saw
a-plenty, ye Greaser dog!"
After a hurried breakfast Johnny went up to Kane's and found an air of
tension and suspicion. Men were going in and out of the door through
the partition and the half-friendly smiles which he had received
the night before were everywhere missing. Feeling the chill of his
reception did not blunt his powers of observation, for he saw that
both Red Thompson and Bill Long, being unaccredited strangers, drew
an occasional suspicious glance. The former was seated in a chair at
the lower end of the bar, his back to the wall and only a step from the
dining-room door. Bill Long was leaning against the upper end of the
counter, where it turned at right angles to meet the wall behind it.
At Bill's back and only two steps away was the front door. His chin
was in his hand and his elbow rested on the bar, where he appeared
to be moodily studying the floor behind the counter, but in reality
his keen, narrowed eyes were watching Thorpe and the loopholes in the
checkerboard. From his position he caught the light on them at just
the right angle to see the backing plates. He let Johnny go past him
without more than a casual glance and nod.
Thorpe moved forward, cleaving a straight path through the restless
crowd and stopped in front of the newcomer. "Nelson," he said, tartly;
"th' boss wants to see you, _pronto_!" As he spoke he let his swinging
hand rest against the butt of his gun.
Johnny took plenty of time for his answer, his mind working at top
speed. If Kane had caused inquiries to be made around Gunsight
concerning him he knew that the report hardly would please any man who
was against law and order; and he knew that Kane had had plenty of time
to make the inquiries. The thinly veiled hostility and suspicions on
the faces around him settled that question in his mind. He slouched
sidewise until he had Thorpe in a better position between him and the
partition.
"You shore made a mistake," he drawled. "Th' boss never even heard of
me."
"I said _pronto_!" snapped Thorpe.
"Well, as long as yo're so pressin'," came the slow, acquiescent reply,
"you can _go to h--l_!"
Thorpe's gun got halfway out, and stopped as a heavy Colt jabbed into
his stomach with a force which knocked the breath out of him and
doubled him up. Johnny's other gun, deftly balanced between his palm
and the thumb on its hammer, freezing the expressions as it had found
them on the faces of the crowd. "Stick up yore han's! All of you! You,
in the chair!" he roared. "Stick 'em up!" and Red lost no time in
making up for his delinquency. Bill Long, being out of the angry man's
sight, raised his only halfway.
"I was welcome enough last night," snapped Johnny; "but somethin's
wrong today. If Kane wants to see me, he can send somebody that can
talk without insultin' me. An' as for this sick cow, I'm warnin' him
fair that I shoot at th' first move, _his_ move or anybody _else's_.
Stand up, _you_!" he shouted; "an' foller me outside. Keep close, an'
plumb in front of me. I'll turn you loose when I get to cover. _Come
on!_"
As he backed toward the door, Thorpe following, Bill Long, seeing that
Johnny was master of the situation, got his hands all the way up, but
the motion was observed and Johnny's gun left Thorpe long enough to
swing aside and cover the tardy one. "You keep 'em there!" he gritted.
"You can rest 'em later!" and he cautiously backed against the door,
moved along it the few inches necessary to gain the opening, and felt
his way to the street. "Don't you gamble, Thorpe!" he warned. "Stick
closer!"
Being furthest from the front door and soonest out of Johnny's sight,
Red Thompson let his hands fall to his hips and cautiously peered over
the top of the bar, ready to cover the crowd until Bill Long could drop
his upraised hands.
Bill was unfortunate, since he would have to be the last man to assume
a more natural position; but he was growing tired and suddenly flung
himself sidewise beyond the door opening. As he left the bar there came
a heavy report from the street and the bullet, striking the edge of the
counter where he had stood, glanced upward and entered the ceiling, a
generous cloud of dust moving slowly downward.
"He's a mad dog," muttered Bill, shrinking against the wall. "An' he
can shoot like h--l! I reckon he's itchin' to get me on sight, _now_.
Somebody look out an' see where he is. But what'n blazes is it all
about, anyhow?"
The chief bartender's head reappeared further down, the counter. "You
fool!" he yelled. "Why didn't you let me know what you was goin' to do?
Don't you never think of nobody but yourself? That parted my hair!"
Fisher swore disgustedly. "Look out, yourself, Long, if yo're curious!
But why didn't you get him?" he demanded. "You was behind him!"
"I wasn't neither behind him; I was on th' side!" retorted Bill. "He
was watchin' me out of th' corner of his eye, like th' d--d rattler he
is! I could see it plain, I tell you!"
"You can see lots of things when yo're scared stiff, can't you?"
sneered a voice in the crowd.
"I wasn't scared," defended Bill. "But I wasn't takin' no chances for
th' glory of it. He never done nothin' to me, an' I ain't on Kane's
payroll--yet."
"An' you ain't goin' to be, I reckon," laughed another.
Fisher's face proclaimed that he had solved whatever problem there
might be in Bill's lack of action. "Ain't had a chance to get it from
him yet, huh?" he asked. Sneering, he gave a warning as he turned away.
"An' don't you try for it, neither. If he won't come back here no more,
I can get him playin' somewhere else."
Red arose fully and stretched, hearing a slight grating noise at a
loophole in the partition behind him, where the slide dropped into
place. "I'm dry; bone dry," he announced. "I never was so dry before.
All in favor of a drink, step up. I'm payin' for _this_ round."
All were in favor of it, and the bartender moved slowly behind the
counter toward the front door, his head bent over far to the right.
"Don't see him; but we better wait till Thorpe comes back. Great guns!
Did you _see_ it!" he marveled.
"I can see it better now than I could then," said Red, leaning against
the bar. "Come on, boys; he's done gone. This means you, too, Long;
'though I ain't sayin' you hardly earned it. If he saw you before he
backed up, I says he's got eyes in his ears. Why, cuss it, he was
lookin' plumb at _me_ all th' time. You got too hefty an imagination,
Long."
Out in the street Johnny, backing swiftly from the building, saw Bill
Long's sudden leap and fired, for moral effect, at the place vacated.
Yanking his captive's gun from its holster, he was about to toss it
aside when his fingers gripped the telltale butt and a colder look
gleamed in his eyes. Slipping his right-hand gun into its holster he
gripped the captured weapon affectionately, and then hazarded a quick
glance around him. Someone was riding rapidly down the trail from the
north, and a second sidewise glance told him that it was Idaho.
"Faster, you!" he growled to the doorkeeper. "Keep a-comin'--keep
a-comin'. One false move an' Kane'll need another sentry. You may be
able to make Bill Long climb up a wall, but I ain't in his class."
Idaho, who was riding in to appease his burning curiosity, felt its
flames lick instantly higher as he saw his friend back swiftly from
Kane's front door, with Thorpe apparently hooked on the sight of
the six-gun. Drawing rein instantly in his astonishment, he at once
loosened them and whirled into the scanty and scrawny vegetation on the
far side of the trail. Going at a dead run he sent the wiry little pony
over piles of cans, around cacti and other larger obstructions until
he reached the rear of Red Frank's, facing on the next street. Here
he pulled up and drew the Winchester from its scabbard, feeling that
Johnny was capable of taking care of Kane's if not interfered with from
behind.
Johnny, reaching the rear of the building which he had sought the night
before, leaped back and to one side as he came to the end of the wall,
glanced along the rear end and then curtly ordered Thorpe back to his
friends.
"There'll be more to this," snarled Thorpe, white from anger, his face
working. His courage was not of the fineness necessary to let him
yield to the mad impulse which surged over him and urged him to throw
himself, hands, feet and teeth, in a blind and hopeless attack upon the
certain death which balanced itself in the gun in Johnny's hand. His
blazing eyes fixed full on his enemy's, he let discretion be his tutor
and slowly, grudgingly stepped back, his dragging feet moving only
inches at each shuffle, while their owner, poised and tense and ready
to take advantage of any slip on Johnny's part, backed toward the sandy
street and the scene of his discomfiture. At last reaching the front of
the building he paused, stood slowly erect and then wheeled about and
strode toward Kane's. At the door he glanced once more at his waiting
adversary and then plunged into the room, striding straight for the
partition door without a single sidewise glance.
Idaho's voice broke the spell. "I thought he was goin' to risk it," he
muttered, a deep sigh of relief following the words. "He was near loco,
but he just about had enough sense left to save his worthless life. You
would 'a' blowed him apart at that distance."
"I'd 'a' smashed his pointed jaw!" growled Johnny. "I ain't shootin'
nobody that don't reach for a gun. An' if I'd had any sense I'd 'a'
chucked th' guns to you an' let him have his beatin'. Next time, I
will. Fine sort of a dog he is, tellin' me what I'm goin' to do, an'
when I'm goin' to do it!"
"Wait till pay day, when I'll have more money," chuckled Idaho. "I can
easy get three to two around here. He's th' champeen rough-an'-tumble
fighter for near a hundred miles, but I'm sayin' any man with th'
everlastin' nerve to pull Kit Thorpe out from his own kennel an' pack
ain't got sense enough to know when he's licked. An' that bein' so,
I'm bettin' on yore condition to win. He's gettin' fat an' shortwinded
from doin' nothin'. Besides, I'm one of them fools that allus bets on
a friend." He laughed as certain memories passed before him. "I've done
had a treat--come on, an' let me treat you. How many was in there when
you pulled him out? An' why didn't th' partition work like it allus did
before?"
"Because th' man that worked it was out in front," answered Johnny.
"Things went too fast for anybody else to get behind it." A sudden
grin slipped to his face. "Hey, I got one of my pet guns back! He was
wearin' it. I knowed it as soon as my fingers closed around th' butt,
for I shaped it to fit my hand several years ago. Did you see th'
handbills? Twitchell's put up another reward, this one for Ridley; an'
McCullough is down on th' Question-Mark. Things ought to step fast,
now."