Free Oliver Strange - Sudden Westerns 05 - Law O' The Lariat(1935) by Oliver Strange Page A

telling two of his men to make the visitors
welcome.
                 The
foreman had a last word. “When yu boys have fed yore faces yu can start for
home,” he said. “I’ll be follerin’ later.” And to Larry, “Come to the house an’
tell me when yo’re ready to go.”
                 The
meal over, the two men adjourned to the “parlour” to settle their business.
                 Severn
was expressing his thanks when Larry came to say the men were about to start.
He drew his foreman aside.
                 “I’m
agoin’ to stay an’ ride back with yu,” he said. “It ain’t safe for yu to be
projectin’ about here on yore own.”
                 “Yu’ll
do as yo’re dam well told an’ go with the others,” the foreman replied. “When I
want dry-nursin’, I’ll let yu know. What time did Geevor go?”
                 “Who
told yu? Well, it’s a good guess, anyways,” said Larry. “‘Bout half an hour
back he slid out, an’ we ain’t seen him since.”
                 “Take
care o’ this—it’s the money for the herd,” Severn went on, handing him a roll
of bills.
                 The
boy bestowed the cash in a pocket. “Jim, it’s a risk,” said soberly.
                 “Life’s
full of ‘em,” Severn said lightly. “Now run along, little man, an’ keep yore
mouth as near shut as yu can get it.” Larry’s retort, heard only by his
foreman, was neither respectful nor complimentary.
                 Less
than an hour later, Severn also set out for the Lazy M. His chat with Ridge had
cheered him, for it showed that Bartholomew’s hold was not so complete as he had feared. Though he felt that the XT owner could be trusted,
he did not tell him of the slaying of Ignacio, and the finding of Masters’
rifle; he was playing in a risky game, and wanted to be sure of every step
before he took it. Later on he had reason to wish he had been more confiding.
                 He
took the trail by which they had brought the cattle, but this time he did not
worry about detours, riding straight for Skull Canyon. He did not hurry, and it
was dark when he reached the dismal defile. Suddenly two shadows slid from
behind a great boulder on the edge of the trail, and he heard a hoarse command :
                 “Stick
‘em up, pronto, an’ climb off’n that bronc!”
                 Peering
through the gloom Severn could make out that two men, wearing white masks, had
their pistols trained on him. With a grin they could not see, he raised his hands, and kicking his feet free of the stirrups, flung one
leg over the horse’s head and slid to the ground. Instantly one of the hold-ups
advanced a step and said :
                 “Cough
it up.”
                 “Meanin’?”
Severn asked.
                 “The
mazuma Ridge paid yu for the steers, o’ course,” was the reply.
                 The
Lazy M man laughed aloud. “I ain’t got it, friend,” he said quietly. “One o’ my
men carried that; yu mighta seen ‘em pass .”
                 “Bah! he’s lyin’; go through him, Slick.”
                 “Ain’t
yu got no sense at all?” snarled the man addressed, adding a savage curse.
                 “I
said go through him slick—meanin’ don’t waste time,” said the other quickly,
and the prisoner laughed again.
                 “Clever
fella,” he jeered. “Who told yu I’d have the money Geevor?”
                 “No,”
was the unthinking reply, and then, “Never heard of him.”
                 “Another
afterthought— yo’re pretty good at ‘em, ain’t yu?”
Severn bantered.
                 The
man gritted out an oath, and sheathing his gun, made a rapid but thorough
search of the prisoner, while the other man stood by with levelled