groundhog.”
Howdy saw her shaking shoulders as he
The sheriff laughed with the shrill of
passed the window.
age as that court-room scene presented itself
“Fine huddem mess I done up,” he
to his memory. “Hell, they’d had to give swore at himself. “I reckon I got to figger out Howdy a little something after that!”
a way to play this here, now, feller Cupid. One
“I don’t give a damn!” Crake snarled.
with no chaps on, an’ with bow an’ arrer in his
“Sam, what is this? A hangout for Logan
paw.
spies? You, you old bag of stinkweed—get!”
“But dammit, I’ll grow horns afore I
Crake laid a heavy hand on Howdy’s arm.
do wings. An’ I’m too damn ol’ an’ knock-
Howdy’s right foot came down, heel
kneed to traipse around without no clothes!”
on Crake’s instep. Crake howled and lunged,
grabbing Howdy. Howdy was light against
VII
Crake’s bulk. The wind was driven out of him
when they hit the floor, Crake on top.
ASIA LOGAN filled the tin cups. He studied
Crake got up, drew back a foot, aiming
Howdy above the cup rim as he hoisted the
to put it to Howdy’s ribs.
drink.
“The hell you do!”
“So you’re a peaceable cuss, huh?”
Bill Dineen had plunged past the Logan jeered. “Aim to be a pioneer—a model sheriff, winding up a right fist as he came. The for the up and coming youngsters.”
blow drove Crake backward, bleeding at the
Howdy nodded emphatically.
mouth. He held to the counter, gobbling at
“You had a ruckus with Tern, and
Norvell.
Crake, and tossed Loffe on his ear,” Logan
“You see? You going to stand for the
pointed out.
Logan outfit coming in here and making
Again Howdy nodded. “Asia, they’s
trouble?”
somethin’ all-fired funny a-goin’ on. Look—I
Sam Norvell drew himself up as only a
betcha Loffe was causin’ breakdowns to a lot
strict, law-abiding man could.
of your equipment. He gets drunk an’ loses
“You may call for your mail,” he out there. Then he gets him a hellish beatin’
pronounced. “You, Bill Dineen, are not from that Scad Waters. I got ’er in the saloon welcome any more. I have been fair. You are
that Waters ain’t hooked up with Crake-
not welcome any more.”
Norvell. Yet he hangs out around there a lot.
A stricken look drew Bill’s face, then
“Wonder if Crake-Norvell got Waters
anger flared in him. “Try stoppin’ me from
to beat up Loffe because he lost his stable job doin’ anything I want!” he barked.
with you? Then, I’m wonderin’ about Dude
“Don’t you threaten him,” Crake Tern. How was it he played Mister Big an’
raged.
stopped that fight? For the looks of ’er, I
Perhaps Norvell believed he had been
betcha.
threatened.
“Then, take Crake, tonight. He made
“Don’t call here, on anyone again.” he
’er seem that Bill Dineen was threatenin’
intoned.
Norvell. Somethin’s bein’ built up, Asia. You
“There’s more ways than one of mark my words!”
skinnin’ a cat!” Bill ranted back. “You’ll see.”
“You’re just aching for trouble, is the
He motioned to Howdy, and they reason you think such things,” Asia said. “It’s stalked out. Back of her postoffice partition,
my freight shipments being busted up that’s
The Gun-boss of Whispering Valley 11
worrying me. I had a offer from Crake this
us up.”
evening,” he added pointedly. “To buy me
Bill Dineen looked a lot sick. Tern got
out. Norvell come along and said he wanted
down and strutted to the back of the buck-
no such deal; said they had enough on their
board. Old Sheriff Wayne came up, and Asia
hands as it was. Crake had to give in—not that
Logan crutched out to the porch.
I’d sold, anyhow.” They had another drink and
“That’s what holdups get from me!”
Howdy rambled back to the stable. He slept
Tern yapped.
with one eye open and his old pistol beside his He reached for the piece of canvas that
cot.
covered the still form stretched in the bottom
of the buckboard, pulled it back, and disclosed IT was mid-morning of the next day. Howdy
Scad Waters’ death-distorted face!
sat on a bale of hay by the door. A flicker of
Howdy held his tongue. He couldn’t
interrupted sunlight as somebody passed the
figure what good it would do to yowl around
back doors drew his attention.
that Tern and the dead Scad Waters had a
Casually, he picked up a fork and pow-wow that morning. Folks wouldn’t have worked his way—pausing at this stall and
listened, anyhow. They were too damn busy
that—to the rear door. He took a quick squint
making a fair-haired boy out of Tern.
out.
Mason Crate and Sam Norvell come
Back in the wagon-yard, Dude Tern
across the street and went up to Asia Logan. It and Scad Waters stood beside a big freighter.
was Crake who boomed for all to hear:
They seemed to be arguing, Waters nodded
“Logan, even if Tern is your man, he’s the
agreement to something and they broke apart.
kind we need, I say. I’m proposin’ we make
Howdy hurried back to the front of the stable.
him a Chief Deputy under Wayne. Of course,
Scad Waters came out to the street, got his
he’d have to quit you. But with him on the
horse from a tie rail, hit leather and cantered job, your stuff would be safe with even a man
off in the direction of Grand Center.
like—like—”
Half an hour later, Howdy watched
He looked around for an example, and
Bill Dineen roll the buckboard out, pick up
his eyes found Howdy.
Dude Tern and a bar of gold at the store, and
“Like that old goat over there.”
wheel toward Grand Center in a hot cloud of
Howdy reddened and his stringy old
dust.
muscles bunched. He toothed down his ire,
It wasn’t in the cards, Howdy thought,
banking his inward fire with ashes of shrewd
that a holdup was in the deck. Whatever restraint.
Tern’s game, he’d not chance losing prestige
“How about it?” Crake asked.
at this stage of it.
“It would seem a man such as Tern is
Howdy went to the Trompoose and
needed,” Norvell said, as though reluctant to
had a couple of doubles. He must have admit he’d back a man who’d kill.
mooned there better than an hour, when a
That seemed to decide Logan.
commotion on the outside drew him.
“If it’s agreeable to Tern and the
The buckboard bearing Bill Dineen sheriff, I won’t stand in the way,” he sa
id.
and Dude Tern had come racing back into
Somebody unchinned a cheer and the
town and pulled up before Logan’s store. crowd echoed it half-heartedly.
Howdy joined the rapidly gathering crowd.
A little later, Howdy helped Bill put up
“Where that little crick crosses the the team.
road,” Dude Tern was yelling. “Tried to hold
“Won’t make the trip until tomorrow,”
Action Stories
12
Bill explained. The sick note was still in his
“I warn you—” Norvell began.
voice.
“I’ll see you in hell before I’ll let you
“Bill, did you notice anything funny
bust us up!” Bill cut in. He nodded to Nan,
about that holdup?” Howdy demanded.
turned on his heel and left.
Bill Dineen frowned. “I never noticed
Full darkness covered Whispering
much of nothin’, at first,” he replied. “Never
Valley, then. Howdy was in a biscuit barn,
saw that Waters until Tern started shootin’. He emptying the last drops of coffee from his
must have eyes like a treeful of eagles. What
saucer. Above the rising din of night life in the got me, Howdy, was the way Tern done it.
town, came the sound of a shot, a yell, another
“Waters yelled, like he was damn shot.
surprised. An’ Tern just kept pumpin’ lead
He put his saucer down and wiped his
into him, even after he was down an’ dead.”
mustache. It would be good, he reckoned, to
“Yeah,” Howdy grunted. “Tern wanted
be a free, wild one, who could shoot at the
to be sure! ”
stars and yell to the skies. Sedate pioneers,
Bill Dineen didn’t get what he meant.
however....
Somebody ran by, and shouted,
VIII
“Crake-Norvell’s store. Somebody done
murdered Sam Norvell!”
ASIA LOGAN seemed in pretty fair spirits
Dust hung thick in the yellow light
that afternoon. “Maybe, with Tern to ride herd
splashing out of windows and open doors.
on the road, things will ease up, Howdy,” he
Men pushed and crowded. Dude Tern and
opined. “Come to think of it, maybe it ain’t
Wayne came from the store, snarling and
Crake-Norvell causing all our trouble. Crake
commanding a way through for the four men
was fair in offering to buy me out, and Norvell following them; four men carrying the limp
...”
tall form of Sam Norvell.
“Wouldn’t have none of ’er,” Howdy
“Who done it?” somebody yelled. “Is
grouched. “Mebbe he figgers to get the he dead?”
business without spendin’ nothin’. You’re
“Dying,” Tern said. “We’ll have the
whistlin’ in a holler log, Asia.”
devil that done it in the jug inside the hour.
“You’re just honin’ for trouble,” Bigod, this’s the worst yet—the skunk Logan laughed.
sneaked up an’ shot through the window. Got
“An’ sharpened up for ’er, bigod!”
Norvell twice.”
It was toward dark when Bill Dineen
Men continued to mill and gabble, and
went over to get his mail. He lingered to talk
out of that gabble came the rising point: “Bill to Nan Norvell. It was Crake who got Norvell
Dineen told Norvell tonight he’d see him in
out of his quarters in the back of the store.
hell! Remember? ...”
Norvell came forward. He didn’t seem
Bill Dineen had a little cabin on a
to mind Bill talking to Nan so much; it was
hillside about a half mile out of town. Dude
that he’d given his strict and narrow word that Tern and Wayne found him there.
Bill was not to come to see her any more, and
A man whose job demands he pack
that word must be obeyed.
guns usually sees to it those guns are always
“I won’t have words with you, because
kept in readiness. It was Bill’s hellish luck he you’re Nan’s father,” Bill told Norvell. “But it was performing this task when they walked in
ain’t no use. Time’s comin’ when you will
on him.
find that out!”
He’d cleaned and oiled his pistol and it
The Gun-boss of Whispering Valley 13
lay on the little table at his elbow.
crutches under me, bigod!”
“We’re too late to get him with the
“Yeah. Well, ain’t nothin’ can be done
dirty gun, Sheriff,” Tern barked. “But I reckon
’til mornin’. I’ll pasear around a li’l, then go it won’t be needed. Bill, you’re under arrest
to bed.”
for murdering Sam Norvell!”
There arose, an hour later, one hell of
Crowds ganged around the jail. Howdy
an argument in the Trompoose Bar. Old
helped Asia Logan get through and into the
Howdy Harris, appearing to be damn well
sheriff’s office in the old courthouse.
snooted, was holding forth in a loud voice to
They had Bill in there, heavily effect Mason Crake was a huddem liar, and manacled and under Dude Tern’s gun.
his word not to be believed.
“I never had nothin’ to do with it!” Bill
“We’ll prove ’er at the hearin’, too.
protested fiercely.
Prove he’s a liar!” Howdy bawled. “An’ if
“It won’t work,” Tern snapped. Crake was here, I’ll tell him so.”
“Mason Crake saw you come around the store
“That’s
enough!”
and get into the crowd on the street, after the Word, as Howdy had intended, had
shots was fired. A dozen people heard you
reached Crake’s ears. It was Dude Tern who
threaten to see Sam Norvell in hell. It’s came in and told Howdy it was enough.
murder ...”
Mason Crake came in after Tern.
“It ain’t murder yet!” Asia Logan
“I said I’ll prove him a liar, one way or
snapped. “Norvell ain’t dead yet.”
another,” Howdy yodeled. “You know, they’ll
“But he’s dying,” Dude Tern stated
ask him questions when he testifies. Mebbe
positively.
the jedge’ll ask him if he’s ever been in the
“I’ll fight it for you, Bill. You sit tight
pen. If he says he ain’t, he lies. If he admits he and take it easy,” Asia Logan said, trying to
has, mebbe he can explain some things about
force a cheerful confidence he did not feel.
that Scad Waters. I betcha Waters had him by
“We’ll beat this if it it takes every damn dime the short hair, because Waters was in prison
we can beg, borrow or steal.”
once, an’ he likely knew Crake there!”
“There’ll be a sort of preliminary in
Dude Tern paled. Mason Crake’s
the morning,” Wayne told them, sighing. The
collar seemed to choke him. A weighty silence
old man hated this. Only Dude Tern and mantled the saloon.
Mason Crake seemed triumphant here.
Howdy Harris had thrown his words
blindly, basing them on t
he fact he knew Scad
HOWDY helped Asia Logan back to the store.
Waters had served time. And on the
Logan shook as he lifted a drink.
foundation that Mason Crake had habits
“Howdy, you know Bill wouldn’t do
prison leaves with a man.
that. He didn’t! Who would want to kill
“You’re drunk, and I’m jugging you!”
Norvell? Why’d Crake claim he saw Bill?”
Tern snarled.
“I don’t know,” Howdy lied. He forced
“No,” Crake croaked. “Let him alone,
his voice to a certain calmness. “I do know,
because nobody’d believe the old fool,
though, that in the ol’ days, when we was
anyhow.”
younkers an’ not pioneers, we’d grabbed a
“I told folks you was a liar,” Howdy
six-gun an’ fought ’er out with whosomever
jeered, and turned to the bar. “Gimme a
our notion struck.”
bottle,” he ordered. “I’m goin’ to the stable
“And if I could see through this, I’d do
an’ get tight where the smell is lots better than it now!” Logan rasped. “Crutches or no around Mason Crake.”
Action Stories
14
Howdy lurched and swayed, bumped
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