W. C. Tuttle

“ Marsh smiled grimly. “I’m not in the habit of using a neck-yoke, Butch. The boy is just a little wild, that’s all.”
“Yeah, and he drinks too much, talks too much, and he’s too previous with a gun. He thinks he’s a little tin god. Don’t take my word for it, Marsh; ask the rest of the gang. I’ve got as forked a bunch as ever bunked together, and they’ll tell you that yore kid is a bad man and a damned fool, all wrapped in one package.”
“He will outgrow it, Butch.”
“Jist like a cow outgrows her horns. ”

“ Suppose Blaze Nolan knew that somebody else was goin’ to rob the bank, tries to stop it, but gets knocked out, after he took the money away from him?”
Jim Kelton shook his head quickly.
“If Blaze Nolan wasn’t guilty, why did he shoot Buck Gillis?”
“Button, button, who’s got the button?” smiled Cultus. “Theories are of no value, Mr. Kelton. Friends will always find one to fit their particular views, while enemies will always find one to fit their views.” ”

“ Della thanked her brokenly, and Jane went back to join Cultus and Harry. Cultus put both hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.
“Jane,” he said seriously, “when you climbed that devil’s chimney in Padre Canyon, I said you was the gamest girl in the world—but what you’ve done to-night shows that along with yore nerve, you’ve got a heart of gold. You deserve all the happiness in the world, and I hope yuh get it.” ”

“ Marsh puffed slowly for several moments, his keen eyes scanning Nolan’s face.
“You know the Lost Trail out of Painted Valley,” he said.
Nolan’s face was as expressionless as a wooden Indian’s.
“You found it just before you—your trouble,” said Marsh.
“Well?”
“You’re going to Painted Valley, Nolan. You stay at the Triangle X, and the gang will be under your orders. The people there have a hunch what I’m going to do, and they’ll fight it tooth and nail. I’m going to break that bunch, Nolan. They’ve got nothing but cattle to fight with, and it’s your job to remove the cattle. ”

“ He stepped along the table as though to lead the way upstairs, but his right hand swept aside the crumpled serape and he whirled with a Colt six-shooter in his right hand, whirled and jerked back against the table from the shock of Cultus’s bullet, while the windows of the house jangled from the concussion of the big gun. ”

“ Kendall Marsh came to Medicine Tree that morning, boiling mad. He knew what it would mean to him, and he fairly stamped the bank floor while he argued with John Freeman over who had done this.
“Don’t try to tell me that the cattlemen didn’t do it,” he raved. “It wouldn’t benefit anybody else, would it? Steal the mortgages from the bank and then burn the records! I tell you, Freeman, the cattlemen of Painted Valley did it. The guilt lies between three men. Perhaps all three of them had a hand in it. One man helped Blaze Nolan rob this bank. Perhaps the same man set fire to the courthouse. ”

“ Alden had sagged back against the left rear wheel of the buckboard, but now he whipped away his coat and drew a six-shooter from inside the waistband of his trousers. With what seemed a single motion, Cultus drew and fired. Alden fired too, but his bullet sang over the top of the War Dance, when his arm crumpled at the elbow.
At the sound of the shot, Butch Van Deen sprang outside. He had already drawn his gun, but before he could understand just what had taken place out there, Cultus fired twice in rapid succession, and Butch fell backward through the open doorway. ”

“ Alden Marsh was mad. In fact, he was so mad that he stood in the middle of the saloon and told the wide world all about Tommy Simpson, not considering that Oscar, the barkeep, had thrown the egg. Possibly he blamed Tommy for not getting hit with the ancient bit of hen-fruit. While the cursing didn’t hurt Tommy, who had faded from the scene, it served as sort of a blow-off for Alden. He bought himself a drink and considered the future.
The pants didn’t belong to him; they belonged to Terry Ione, and Terry wasn’t there when Alden took them. ”

“ Bad News’s story of the killing of Ben Kelton, the arrest and conviction of Blaze Nolan, his subsequent release on parole, and the fear of sheep invasion were interesting to Cultus, although he had no interest in the Valley.
For a number of years Cultus had been a freelance of the border, where his name was anathema to those who ran contraband from the land of mañana. Foe of smuggler and hi-jacker alike, his life was forfeit at any time; but still he kept going, a tall man on a gray horse, always unexpected and always unwelcome where men try to evade the law. ”

“ Cultus’s eyes had been exploring the fissure above them, and now he craned his neck for a better view. He squinted up that narrow fissure, looking up at the tiny streak of blue sky above them.
“Jane Kelton,” he said seriously, “there’s a way out of here, if you’ve got the nerve to tackle it. See them old niches in the wall? They’re on both sides. This fissure was the old cave dweller’s getaway. Are yuh game to go up the old timer’s stairway?” ”

“ A nail in the corral fence had ruined Alden’s overalls, and there wasn’t another pair around the ranch; so he took Terry’s new pants. Robin’s-egg blue didn’t look well with that glazing of egg-yolk; it looked like a weak sunset in a midday sky. Alden sighed and decided to kill Tommy Simpson.
He tried to borrow a gun from the bartender, who didn’t own one, and then decided to try and find Tommy and get his own gun back. He thought Tommy might be a trusting soul. And while Alden went in search of Tommy Simpson, Terry Ione rode in to Medicine Tree. ”

“ He could hear Marsh talking to Blaze about the Lost Trail, but he could only hear an occasional word. Cultus slid his gun loose slowly. He had an instinctive hatred for any man with a sawed-off shotgun. The man’s back was turned toward Cultus, and he seemed intent on what was going on in the house.
Then he heard Blaze’s drawling voice:
“Three to one, and not countin’ the lady. All right; you say the word. Yuh may get me, but some of yuh go along with Blaze Nolan!” ”

“ Does it mean that you’ve got to stick to folks, even after they’ve turned yuh down?”
“That would be the loyalty of a fool.”
“Is friendship one-sided, Marsh?”
“What do you mean?”
“Somethin’ about forgivin’ those who trespass against us.”
“All damned rot! Those people turned you down like a white chip in a no-limit game. They’d run you out of that valley, if you went back, and you know it. Don’t be a fool, Nolan. You acted like a human being, and they turned against you. Never in all my life did I see people so narrow. Suppose you and Ben Kelton did quarrel over Della, that dance-hall girl? ”

“ Cultus smiled grimly at her faith in his ability to save her in case of a slip. Those shallow niches in the walls of the fissure merely afforded a toe-hold and in case she fell, the odds were sadly against him being able to sustain her weight and his balance at the same time. ”

“ It was a feminine voice, and they turned to see Della. Harry had hold of one of her arms, and she braced the other hand against Oscar, the bartender, whose face was a sickly white.
“You liar,” she repeated, and Alden slumped in his chair.
“You killed Ben Kelton,” she said evenly. “You threw the blame on Blaze Nolan, and your father paid me to keep away from here. Blaze Nolan never knew me well enough to speak to me, and”—her lips curled sarcastically—“when a man in a place as small as this don’t know dance-hall girls well enough to speak to them, he sure keeps away from them. ”

“ Saturday was always the biggest day in Medicine Tree. It was the day when everybody came to town to do his shopping, to discuss the affairs of Painted Valley, until they had imbibed sufficient liquor, when they took in more territory. At times they went so far as to arrange the affairs of Europe.
There were quite a few people in evidence when the men came in from the Triangle X. Kendall Marsh and his son drove around to the rear of the War Dance to tie their team, while Hank North and Terry Ione rode their horses to the hitchrack on the main street. ”

“ Dangling the bag of money on one hand, Bad News led the way into the dark bank. Some one found a lamp and lighted it. The vault of the Medicine Tree Bank was merely a big safe, and now its formidable front door hung drunkenly open from a heavy charge of explosive.
“Don’t touch anythin’,” advised Cultus. “Send somebody for the bank officials.”
“That’s right,” agreed Bad News. “Somebody go after John Freeman.”
A man ran out through the rear. ”

“ Can yuh imagine the nerve of the man who cut them niches? Climb two and cut two, all the way to the top.”
They started toward the entrance to the canyon, limping along, avoiding the heavier brush. Suddenly Cultus halted and grasped Jane by the arm. Just in front of them, not fifty feet away, a man was mounting a horse; a tall, gray, ghost-like animal in the moonlight. ”

“ The Circle M raised more horses than cattle, although there was little market for horses. Many Circle M horses ranged far back in the hills, half-wild things, some entirely wild. In fact, Mendoza had no idea how many horses he owned, as there was never any round-up of horses for him to make a count of his herd. But he was satisfied.
Cultus found Blaze Nolan and Jules at the ranch. Jules eyed him with a certain suspicion, until he realised that this was the strange cowboy who had pitched Alden Marsh out of the saloon. ”

“ Her eyes flashed. “Oh, yes, he will; and be getting off pretty damn cheap at that. Oh, you can tell him. And you might tell him that I want the money right away. The ante jumps a thousand every day from now on. I’m no cheap sport, no matter what kind of a piker he is. Tell him what I said, and see where it hits him.”
Della got up from the table and walked away, leaving Cultus to look after her, a grin on his thin lips. She thought he was one of Marsh’s men, and he chuckled to himself. ”

“ He walked past Cultus and went outside, where he found Alden Marsh sitting on the edge of the sidewalk, crying bitterly. Whisky and humiliation had him down.
“C’mon, you damned baby!” snorted Van Deen. “We’re goin’ home.”
“I’m goin’ back and kill that homely—uh⸺” Alden searched his vocabulary for the proper words.
“Yeah, you are, like hell! C’mon, before he spanks yuh. Next time you want to make fun of anythin’, pick somethin’ easy. C’mon, before I spank yuh myself.”
“Yo’re afraid of him,” accused Alden hotly. ”

“ Blaze rode to Medicine Tree that night after supper. Jules had aroused his curiosity in speaking about a meeting, and Blaze wanted to see what he could find out about it. He dismounted at a hitchrack across the street from the livery stable, and was about to walk away from his horse when he heard some one ride from the stable. He stopped short, as the horse and rider came out in the street, and as they passed the lighted window across from him, he saw that the rider was a woman. ”

“ He had hitched the horse to the buggy, when he looked toward the house. A man was mounting his horse at the front porch. For a moment he thought it must be Cultus, but as the man climbed drunkenly into the saddle, the sheriff realised that it was Mac Rawls, who to all intents and purposes should be a case for the coroner.
Rawls caught his right stirrup, swaying low over the saddle-horn, and spurred away toward the road to Medicine Tree. For several moments Bad News stood there gaping at Rawls, expecting at any moment to see the wounded cowboy fall off the horse. But Mac Rawls didn’t fall. ”

“ Marsh is a big man in that country.”
“Yeah, I reckon he is. They call him Take-a-Chance Marsh. Well, he’s takin’ a chance every time he comes over here. He’s had his eye on this valley for a long time. The Marshville range is about sheeped out, and they’ll have to move pretty soon. The law says that the sheep have an equal right with the cattle. At least, that’s how she reads; but if he tries to pour his damned woollies over into Painted Valley, he’s goin’ to find at least one officer who can’t read a danged word. I’ll buy yuh a drink.”
“I’ll take a little water,” said Cultus. ”

“ The girl was Jane Kelton of Painted Valley, the girl who was to have married Blaze Nolan, and for whose brother’s death he had been sentenced to hard labour for ten years.
“I reckon I better start walkin’,” he told himself. “They’ll watch every exit out of this town, that’s a cinch. I’ll head for San Berdoo, and if nothin’ goes wrong, I can grab a boxcar down to Yuma. I’m in a sweet position for a parolled convict. If I don’t report, they’ll send me back, and if I do report, I’ll get arrested for shootin’ Marsh. But I’ll take a chance and go back to Painted Valley, if they don’t stop me.” ”

“ There’s enough real things in the world to be sorry for without being sorry for me and my sins.”
“Mebbe yo’re sorry for her.”
“Sorry for her?” Della looked curiously at Cultus. “That’s a new idea. I never thought of that.”
Jane came in with the hot water, and Cultus walked out in the kitchen, while Della removed her stocking. She didn’t want to look at Jane.
“Just put the pan where I can reach it,” she said. “I can do the rest.”
“I’ll do it,” softly. “You look all worn out, and I know it must hurt badly. I sprained my wrist one day, and I know how that hurt.” ”

“ They looked blankly at each other and down at the unconscious man on the floor.
“I’m going,” said Kendall Marsh huskily. “Something has gone wrong.”
They all realised that something had gone decidedly wrong. Mac Rawls would know, but Mac Rawls was unconscious.
There was another dust cloud coming down the road. Mendoza and Tony Gibbs saw it coming; a tall sorrel horse, running heavily from a double burden. At two hundred feet from the hitchrack, the sorrel jerked to a stop, and Cultus Collins dropped to the street. ”

“ Harry laughed shortly. “Yeah, I’ll bet yuh any odds yuh want.”
“All right. I’ll bet yuh my dead horse in Padre Canyon against any live one in yore remuda.”
“That’s a bet, Collins. Let’s go and have a drink on it. This will be the first dead horse I ever won.”
“And the first live one I ever won,” laughed Cultus. “Most any one yuh select will be better than the one I’ve had to rent from the livery stable.
“Oh, I’ll lend yuh a good bronc. I’ve got a dozen out at the ranch, if yuh don’t mind forkin’ one that might do a little buckin’.” ”

“ He seemed to have aged greatly in a few months, and the blue-veined hands, which toyed with a pencil, were not steady.
“You know what I want, John?” queried Kelton.
“Yes, I know; you want to renew your mortgage.”
“Well?”
Freeman shook his head sadly, his fine old eyes turned away from his friend’s face.
“I can’t do it, Jim. I’ve had my orders. The bank has decided that Painted Valley ranch property is too big a risk; so we are not to renew any mortgages. I’m sorry. It isn’t like the old Medicine Bank to do a thing like that. We’ve always carried the folks along, taking the lean with the fat. ”

“ She thought he was the homeliest man she had ever seen, but his smile changed her opinion at once.
“Chongo acts as though he had known you before,” she said.
“Dogs,” said Cultus with a smile, “take folks at their face value. Luckily for me they don’t look for beauty standards.”
His smile was so infectious that Jane smiled with him.
“Beauty is only skin deep, you know,” she said.
“I must ’a’ got skinned early in life, ma’am,” he laughed. “Anyway, I’m pleased to have met all of you folks, and I thank yuh for a mighty good meal. Mebby I’ll see yuh again before I leave the valley.” ”

“ Blaze trusted the little half-breed Mexican and Apache more than he trusted any other man. Jules had a queer sense of right and wrong, but it worked about the same as any other. They were seated in the shade of Mendoza’s adobe ranch-house when Blaze told him how he got out of the penitentiary and the reasons for Kendall Marsh securing his release. ”

“ And Cultus was barely out of sight when Harry Kelton handed his father the note which Cultus had lost. It was the note from Blaze Nolan. Jane didn’t see the note, but she heard her father read it aloud.
“Well, what’s to be done?” asked Harry. “It looks like a chance to catch Blaze Nolan, dad.”
“But you can’t do it alone. Collins is evidently a trusted friend of Nolan. You better ride to town as quick as yuh can, show this to the sheriff and let him take a posse. If Blaze is in Padre Canyon, they’ll need several men to get him.” ”

“ The sorrel I got from Harry is a wonderful animal, but I’ll turn him back to yuh, as soon as I go out to the Triangle X and catch my own horse grazing around there somewhere.”
“You mean you won’t keep the sorrel?” asked Harry.
“No-o-o,” drawled Cultus. “One horse is enough for me; and Amigo is kinda jealous.”
“But can’t we do anythin’ for yuh, Collins?” asked Jim Kelton.
Cultus thought it over for several moments, and then looked at Jane, his eyes twinkling.
“Yes, there’s somethin’ yuh can do, Mr. Kelton. Make it the biggest weddin’ they ever had in Painted Valley, and send me an invite. ”