The Coming of Cassidy—And the OthersMulford, Clarence Edward
General
The Coming of Cassidy—And the Others
Mulford, Clarence Edward
Cassidy, Hopalong (Fictitious character) -- Fiction; Western stories
There was a sudden report to the westward and Jimmy staggered and dived
behind a bowlder. The other four, having discovered the trick that had
been played upon them on the other side of the mesa, were anxious to pay
for it. Bill hurriedly crawled to Jimmy’s side as the youth brushed the
blood out of his eyes and picked up his rifle. "It’s th’ others, Kid,"
said Bill. "An’ they ’re gettin’ close. Don’t move an inch, for this
is their game." A roar above him made him glance upward and swear
angrily. "Now they ’ve gone an’ done it! After all we ’ve done to hide
’em!" Another shot from the ledge and a hot, answering fire broke out
from below. "My G—d!" said a voice, weakly. Bill shook his head.
"That was Tom," he muttered. "Come on, Kid," he growled. "We got to
drive ’em out, d—n it!" They were too interested in picking their way
in the direction of the Apaches to glance at Mr. Purdy’s elevated perch
or they would have seen him on his knees at the very edge making frantic
motions with his one good arm. He was facing the east and the plain.
Beaming with joy, he waved his arm toward Bill and Jimmy, shouted
instructions in a weak voice, that barely carried to the canyon floor,
and collapsed, his duty done.
Bill was surprised fifteen minutes later to hear strange voices calling
to him from the rear and he turned like a flash, his Colt swinging
first. "Well, I ’m d—d!" he ejaculated. Four punchers were crawling
toward him. "Glad to see you," he said, foolishly.
"I reckon so," came the smiling reply. "That lookin’ glass of yourn
shore bothered us. We could n’t read it, but we did n’t have to. Where
are they?"
"Plumb ahead, som’ers. Four of ’em," Bill replied. "There ’s two
tender feet up on that ledge, with their sister. We was gettin’ plumb
worried for ’em."
"Not them as hired Whiskey Jeff for to guide ’em?" asked Dickinson, the
leader.
"Th’ same. But how ’n h—l did Logan ever come to let ’em start?"
demanded Bill, angrily.
"We did n’t pay no attention to th’ rumors that has been flyin’ around
for th’ last two months. Nobody had seen no signs of ’em," answered the
Logan man. "We did n’t reckon there was no danger till last night, when
we learned they had n’t showed up in Sharpsville, nor been seen
anywheres near th’ trail. Then we remembers Jeff’s habits, an’, while
we debates it, we gets word that th’ Injuns was seen north of Cook’s
ranch yesterday. We moves sudden. Here comes th’ boys back—I reckon
th’ job ’s done. They ’re a fine crowd, a’right. You should ’a’ seen
’em cut loose an’ raise th’ dust when we saw that lookin’ glass
a-winkin’. We could n’t read it none, but we didn’t have to. We just
cut loose."
"Lookin’ glass!" exclaimed Bill, staring. "That’s twice you ’ve
mentioned it. What glass? We didn’t have no lookin’ glass, nohow."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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