THE WELCH WATCHMAN
RorlfcwsE
By EUGENE CUNNINGHAM
EUGENE CUNNINGHAM W. N-U. RELEASE
THE STORY SO FAR: la the railroad
town of Wild Horae after his first experi-
ence riding herd Con Cameron goes with
Caramba Vear another cowhand to the
Drovers Saloon. There the; see Asa
Broclt a buyer quarrel with a cattle
man named NevU Lone nho wont sell
to him. Brock is a sharp trader and a
crooked one but be has the law. In the
person of Dynamite Downes the mar-
shal on his side. In the midst of a faro
game Con misses Caramba and goes to
find him. On the way he sees Lowe kiss
pretty girl good-by and put her on a
train. He locates Caramba at the Widow
Klelss house and then goes back to the
Drovers. There be saves Lone from be-
ing shot by one of Brocks crowd a dep-
uty marshal called El Mucbacbo and
has to get out of town in a hurry. Later
on the trail he meets some cowboys
from other ranches and learns that the
story of his fight has already traveled
far and that the country around there
is no longer safe for him. He starts on
having been warned against the towa of
Fronteras and all the people in it.
Now continue with the story.
CHAPTER III
Cob checked him reprovingly.
Fronteras looked harmless from
the height where Con sat Pancho to
stare downward. The single street
was empty except for a horseman
and a file of wood-burdened burros
moving slowly.
He pushed the sorrel down the
winding trail looking with very real
interest to right and left. A shabby
young man with cheerful freckled
face said Hi! and waved toward a
large house out of which came an
unmusical deep-toned chanting.
Just Quirk Ellis the freckled
cowboy reassured Con. Him and
his one song.
Thanks! Con said smiling
faintly wondering if this friendly
cowboy would be one of those visi-
tors to Fronteras of whom Easy and
Two Eyes and Hogpen had warned
him.
He wondered w'hat he would actu-
ally find in the big cantina. He
twisted slightly to let his shell belt
move and holstered pistol sag more
comfortably. Then he walked into
the dusky dirt-floored room and
looked all around.
There was a bar made of rough
planking and tables of the same
rude carpentry around the walls.
Boxes and kegs and stools seemed to
serve the dozen customers or loafers
as seats. At the far end of the bar
a big man slouched with a tin cup
and a bottle before him. He stared
fixedly at Con and continued to sing
huskily:
And now my time is drawing nigh
When for my evil I must die.
So all young men be warned by me
And shun all evil companeee
As his eyes accustomed them-
selves to the gloom of the low room.
Con faced the drinkers blankly.
Quirk Ellis was a florid man with
long sandy hair by his rough cloth-
ing cowman or cowboy. A tall and
sbm man near Ellis was very neat
his blue shirt looking as if just
ironed his dark trousers drawn over
the legs of glistening kid boots. Buf
Con disliked the hatchet face with
great hooked nose and dark eyes
sunk in deep sockets and straight
almost lipless mouth. Three men
close together were nearer Con.
Two looked like brothers vaguely
alike in towy hair and square sul-
len beard-stubbled faces. The third
was a hulking red faced man heav-
ier even than Quirk Ellis as shabby
as his companions.
Howdy! Con greeted them all
generally. If theres no objection
Ill buy the drinks. For the house.
I got thirteen dollars in this pock-
et" Ellis announced at last sandy
head on one side as he looked at his
money. So Ill give you that for
the sorrel. But you ought to throw in
that carbeen account of the way
you're skinning me. Pack it in here
and stand it up in the corner yon-
der. Im awful tired somehow
today. Here!
He yawned and indicated the sil-
ver. Con looked at all the faces
within range without seeming to
study them.
Im sorry! he told Ellis sadly.
You never will know how sorry I
am. But I promised my aunt I
never would. She said to me that out
in the Wild West and certainly in
Fronteras there would be chances
to get rich taking advantage of kind-
ly people. But she said it wouldnt
be honest. So I promised her I
wouldnt. But
He looked thoughtfully down at
the silver while Ellis stared without
expression at him.
Tell you! Just to make some kind
of trade Ill buy that bunch of dol-
lars from you. Ill give you eighty
cents for every one of em and if
you want to bring in some more
Ill take any number you want to
get rid of.
Ellis shook his head gloomily.
And him so young! he drawled.
Too lazy to strip his hull off my
horse and pack my carbeen in here
and me asking him as pretty like
you all heard.
He slouched up the barroom and
when near the door turned to look
at Con and shake his head. Then
he went on outside. Con moved back-
ward two steps so that he could
look through the doorway. Ellis
stood before Pancho but with side
to the door. His right hand was
thumb-hooked in his shell belt tap-
ping the butt of his Colt. He
stepped across to the sorrel slapped
him so that Pancho moved and was
between Ellis and the door. Con
kept his face blank while Ellis
jerked loose the latigoes and
dropped the saddle into the dirt.
Then he shook his head and re-
turned to the bar.
He leaned quickly and from its
nails behind the bar jerked the
sawed-off shotgun he had seen while
having his first drink. The bartend-
er began a yell of protest but Con
was across the floor with the gun
hammers back under his thumbs be-
fore anyone could interfere. He slid
outside and put his back to the wall.
Ellis had seen him instantly and
with flashing jerk sirawn his pistol
and leveled it. But the grin froze
on his face as he saw the shotgun.
Con drew a long breath and made
himself relax against the wall.
At your age he said carefully
and I really dont know how you
ever got to be that age either your
hearings naturally poor. You evi-
dently thought I said Id sell Pan-
cho. But what I said was that I
dont want to sell him. So put the
little popper away and saddle him
again.
Better put that down sonny
Ellis told him harshly. It might
go off and hurt somebody. Put it
down or
You're right Con agreed. It
might go off and hurt somebody
right where youre standing. In fact
if youre thinking of doing anything
with that hogleg youd better do it.
Make up your mind. Im ramrod-
ding this hurrah and I say youve
got five seconds. One . . . Two . . .
Three . . . Four ...
He saw Ellis shoulder stiffen
slightly then relax. The Colt sagged
while he watched tensely. From the
corner of his eye he saw the packed
doorway. But he watched while El-
lis reholstered the pistol and took a
step toward him. Then he gestured
with the shotgun.
Your hearing! he said irritably.
1 said: Saddle him! And do it
right. Even if I let my tender heart
get the best of me and just shoot
you in the legs you wont like it!
For this cannon will probably carry
high ...
"Now listen sonny
You listen! Its your hearing
thats bad. Get that saddle back on
or
From the barroom the voice of
the bartender was suddenly lifted
'yelling indignantly about his shot-
gun. Con only gestured toward the
door with the muzzles and there
was the sound of sudden scram-
bling and oaths of those trampled.
Ellis furiously red leaned to the
fallen saddle. Con directed him crit-
ically as he put on the blanket and
settled the saddle upon it. When the
cinchas were tight and Ellis would
have stopped. Con checked him re-
provingly. Why its all dusty! Wipe it nice
and clean with your hat if you
cant find anything else. If you want
to argue just think how much use
youll have for that hat if you
dont!
Ellis glared but when Con moved
the shotgun in a small menacing
droop and stiffened he fished a
bandanna from his pocket and
cleaned the saddle after a fashion.
Fine! Con complimented him.
Now lets go back inside. I want a
drink. Looking at all the pain that
job was to you made me thirsty.
Ellis walked stiffly inside. The
drinkers gave back to let the two
enter. Con cheoked his prisoner at
the near end of the bar and him-
self stood so that his back had solid
mud bricks protecting it. He trained
the shotgun muzzles upon the floor
but did not uncock the hammers.
Somebody is going to buy a
drink he informed the scowling
bartender. Maybe the old gentle-
man cf the bad eyes and ears. No-o
I can see by the south side of him
that he wont. So I will for the
house. You take something special
Barkeep. I owe you for the loan of
this equalizer.
You wont buy this round! the
hulking red-faced man beyond Ellis
grunted. He looked at Ellis and
burst into a roar of amusement.
Young fellow! I like your style. I
go by Lee Welsh and Im strange
to Fronteras as you are. These
fine upstanding cowboys with me
theyre strangers too. They go by
Ranier Chick and Odd. Theyre
cousins and you can tell em apart
by Chick he shoots his pistol left-
handed and Odd he shoots his right-
handed. Theyre awful good shots
and so am I but not quite so good
as Chick and Odd. Set em up. Bar-
keep! Riding are you? Welsh asked
Con. You can side us if you are so
minded. Were cutting stick too.
Maybe for Faith. No never mind
whichaway. Just saddle lobos!
Glad to side you said Con.
Barkeep I am buying this one.
Quirk Ellis seemed to have de-
cided to bide his time. He said
nothing w'hen Con asked with exag-
gerated politeness for the pleas-
ure of his company outside. He
came to stand before the hitch rack
florid face blank. Con broke the
shotgun in shelter of Pancho ex-
tracted the shells and put them in
his pocket. With the carbine across
his arm he set the shotgun at the
hitch-rack end and tossed a dollar
to the bartender who stood sourly
behind Ellis.
The four swung into their saddles.
For several days they rode slowly
westward missing the towns get-
ting tobacco and meals at little pla-
zitas or stopping overnight at some
small ranch. They were in no hur-
ry Con least of all.
At the little ranch they talked
with a blue-eyed red-haired Mexi-
can deputy sheriff. He was a friend-
ly and talkative soul this Martino
Palafox. A shrewd and efficient
man too Con decided; his quick
glances missed very little. He
was riding from Anthony to Faith on
an errand for his superior the sher-
iff. In the slow talk he spoke of Ti-
van farther west; a good little town
he called it; a salty little town. Mi-
lam Fant marshal of a half-dozen
hell-roaring cowtowns up and down
had come home to be sheriff. Mar-
tino spoke admiringly of Fants gun-
play. Hes what my people call un bru-
jo a wizard. About as slick as
they come. I heard that he had a
deputy in Wild Horse named Dyna-
mite Downes about as fast. Thats
hard to believe.
How about Nevil Lowe? Con
asked carefully. Is he fast?
Well hes always been fast
enough. But I wouldnt put him
anywheres near a Milam Fant. Uh-
uh. But Nevils one of them fellows
as calm as a cat in the sun. Awful
hard to figure and hes figuring all
the time. Hes stood and just looked
himself out of lots of scrapes a
shaky man wouldve killed some-
body m or got killed himself. If
youre figuring on hitting him up for
jobs hes one of the best to ride
for. Him and his sister both theyre
fine people.
Con called to mind the pretty face
of that dark-haired dark-eyed girl
small and graceful admired in Wild
Horse. A sister not a wife .
And Nevil Lowe was a good man to
work for . . .
The Raniers Lee Welsh and Ccn
slept on a narrow porch at the back
of the house. Con heard them talk-
ing after all had rolled in their
blankets but they kept their voices
down so that he caught only mutter-
mgs. He forgot them presently. Ti-
van sounded interesting.
He tried to recall what Hugh Nor-
ris had said at one time or another
over a period of years about Tivan.
But he could remember nothing def-
inite. At some time his uncle had
been in Tivan and exciting interest-
ing things had happened. But Con
could not piece together the bits of
stories to make them explain Hugh
Norris. All he could recall was his
boyish conviction that Tivan must
be a wonderful place to see and his
determination to go there some day.
Now he was going. Nevil Lowe
had a ranch in the neighborhood
. . . And certainly he had saved
Nevil Lowes life in Wild Horse  . .
It was pleasant to look forward to
meeting Lowe. He had no intention
of introducing himself as Lowes res-
cuer. But he could inquire about the
herd and Lowe's trouble with Asa
Brock then remark casually that he
had thought a bowling ball or two
might help. And what was the pret-
ty sisters name? Janet!
Through the quick breakfast. Con
found Martino watching him. But
he said nothing more. All of them
saddled Andy the rancher to ridf
northward with Martino. The res
of them went west.
(TO BE COST1SIED)
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The Questions
1. What color is the bottom
stripe of the American flag? And
the top?
2. According to the 1940 census
what percentage of the U. S. popu-
lation lives in urban centers?
3. A frugivorous man subsists
on what?
4. While France spent $250000
on the construction of the Statue
of Liberty how much did the
United States spend on its erec-
tion? 5. A man who works per dem
does so by what?
6. What is the singular of
dice?
7. What is meant by the astro-
nomical term Penumbra?
8. In what year was the Domin-
ion of Canada established?
The Answers
1. Red on top and bottom.
2. A total of 56.5 per cent.
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