TEXAS GUNS
By L. P. Holmes
FIRST INSTALMENT
Silas Spelle gripped his blacl
stogie more firmly between his yel
low teeth and, leaning across E(
Starbuck’s desk, pounded a hug<
fist upon the oaken top to ad<
emphasis to his words.
"By God, yuh’ve got . to d<
something, Starbuck,” he snappei
harshly. "You know and I knov
and everybody else knows yor
damned bank is on the verge o:
going under. Yuh couldn’t pa]
off yore depositors now, not four
bits on the dollars. I’m offerin
yuh a fair proposition. As I toll
yuh before I’ll buy up the mortg
ages yuh hold and I’ll pay ever]
cent yuh loaned on them plus in
terest to date. That’s a damr
good offer—yuh know it is.”
"Perhaps,” replied Starbucl
quietly. “But it ain’t enough
Spelle. Those mortgages represem
more than just collateral to me
They represent faith—faith in mi
and my bank by the men who gavi
them. In time they’ll all be taker
up. Present conditions won’t Iasi
forever. The price of beef is be
ginning to climb. The draught i:
broken. No Spelle, yuh or no othei
man has got enough money t<
tempt me to double-cross m]
friends.”
"Faith—faith hell,” s nortec
Spelle. "Yuhil starve to deatl
while yuh’re rantin’ about faith
Yuh’re a hell of an excuse of ;
business man. Yuh better considei
my proposition, Starbuck. If ]
have a tip off the bank examinei
in Westhaven he’ll put the skids
under yuh pronto. But I don’t
want to do that. My offer stands.
I’ll give yuh until this time next
week to think it over. I’ll be back
for an answer then.”
Spelle stood up, a big, thick-set
man whose loose, thick lips and
close set eyes mirrored plain the
consuming passion of his life.
Greed! Greed and selfishness.
"Remember,” he bit out, step
ping to the door of Starbuck’s of
fice. "By this time next week I’ll
expect yuh to get back to common
sense. If yuh won’t talk turkey
then why—” He finished with a
significant gesture, which oonsistec
of holding out one grimy, hairy
hand then closing it slowly as
though to crush whatever lay
within it.
"Wait!”
Ed Starbuck was now on his
feet, a tall gaunt, leathery faced
man, whose drooping tawny must
ache bracketel a pair of grim, tight
lips. Beneath his faded, bushy eye
brows his eyes looked out clear and
blue and cold. His left sleeve
hung empty for the arm was off
at the shoulder, a reminder of an
old rustling war when he himself
lean right hand was sound and with
it he lifted a heavy, worn Colt re
volver from the drawer of his
desk and laid it on the scarred sur
face before him.
"Yuh’ve had yore say, Spelle,”
he drawled, his words dripping con
tempt and scorn. Now I’ll have
mine. What I just told yuh stands,
this week, next week or any other
week. Yore damned money ain’t
worth hell item in this bank. Faith
—no, yuh don’t know the meaning
of the word. Greed is yore war
cry.”
Thick blood congested Spelle’s
beefy features. His lips parted in
a snarl. He tried to match looks,
but failed. Those icy blue eyes of
the valiant old banker seered like
live flames and the implacable
courage behind them was unmis
takable. Spelle cursed venemously
and left.
Ed Starbuck stood for a long
time after Spelle had gone. The
fire in his eyes slowly faded and
hopelessness took its place. He
sank back into his chair like an old
man who was suddenly very weary.
Ed Starbuck had always been a
man who faced facts squarely, re
; gardless of what those facts might
. be. He faced them now. Spelle
l had told the truth. The Cattle
: man’s Bank of Carillion was on the
[! narrow edge. True, Starbusk held
mortgages that would more than
» put him on his feet should he sell
l them out. But this, according to
- Starbuck’s standards, would be
breaking faith with men he had
known all his life and who trusted
r him. Still he had to have money—
■ cash. There was only one thing to
’ do- He would ride around to the
i different cattle outfits and put his
■ problem squarely up to the owners.
■ They all stood to stand or fall to
• gether. If they could somehow
i help his bank to weather through
they would have Spelle whipped.
; If they didn’t—Starbuck sighed,
, reached for his hat and went out
: into the street.
The little cowtown of Carillion
‘ was drowsing in the heat of mid
; afternoon. The single, dusty street
lay white and glaring in the sun,
and was deserted save for a bare
foot Mexican or two and a pair of
1 cow-ponies slouching at the hitch
ing rail before Jake Butterfield’s
1 Emporium. Starbuck angled across
the street towards the livery stable
and corral at the northern end of
■ town.
1 A few moments later he emerged
jfrom the livery stable, leading a
saddle horse. He swung into the
'saddle and heated south along the
street. Ae he did so two punchers
clanked out of Butterfield’s and
forked the two cow-poines. They
also headed south. The horses of
the two strangers looked somewhat
jaded and Starbuck soon overtobk
them. The elder of the riders
looked up. He was a wiry, leathery
faced man, past middle age; clean
shaven and with innumerable
wrinkles about the corners of his
miouth and eyes. The mouth seem
ed harsh yet a humorous quirk
lingered about it somehow. The
eyes were clear, fleckles gray, cap
able of either warmth or abysmal
chill. The wide, weather beaten
sombrero rested on a mane of silv
ery hair. One of the real old tim
ers, decided Starbuck.
The Other rider was young, some
where in his early twenties. Well
set up, with flat muscled, power
iul shoulders, JHis iace was smooth
and tanned, his eyes blue, his hair
curly and brown. Gay, sparkling
youth lay over him like a mantle.
A clean lusty, carefree kid, in love
with life and hungering for all its
wonders. Their clothes were thtose
of the range, worn but substantial.
Both carried a heavy gun, slung at!
the right hip.
The elder of the two nodded to
Starbuck.
"Howdy,” he drawled. "Wonder
could yuh show us the trail to the
Box D outfit? Gent back in the
store told us mebbe they could use a
couple of hands out there.”
"Sure,” replied Starbuck. "Glad
to. Fact is I’m riding out there
myself. Glad to have company.”
"You ain’t San Juan Delevan by
any dunce?”
"No. I’m Ed Starbuck. I own
the Cattleman’s Bank, back in
town.”
Shore I’m glad to know yuh.
I m Tex Whipple. This chuckle
haided cub is Johnny Clehoe. Kid,
shake hands with Mister Starbuck.”1
Introductions over, the three'
jogged steadily south. Te<x and
Starbuck rode side by side while
Johnny brought up the rear, gaz
ing with lazy eyes over the heat
shimmered sage.
"That big plateau straight ahead
is the Box D range,” said Starbuck
presently. "One of the finest hold
ings in the country. Lots of water,
fine pasture and a stand of pine
trees what gives the lie to this
damned desert. I shore envy ole
ban Juan, livin’ up among those
cool trees.”
"Runs a pretty good spread, does
he?” asked Tex.
"Yeah. Ordinarly, it’s A-l. He's
had some hard luck lately though.
Two months ago he was drivin’ a
thousand head of prime Herefords
across the upper end of the Kanab
Desert to the shippin’ pens at Saw
telle an’ they sprung a stampede.
’Tween the desert an’ some rustlers
he lost better’n eight hundred head.
It was a damn heavy jolt. They
was prime stock, the pick of his
herd. Then he got his spine hurt
in the stampede besides. Hoss
tripped an’ threw him. Doc says
he’s due to sit in a wheel chair for
the rest of his days.”
"Shore that’s tough,” nodded
Tex. "Mebbe the kid an’ me’ll have
i our ride for nothin’.”
“Can’t say as to that. Punchers
do a lot of driftin’ this time o’
year. Delevan may be able to use
yuh.”
It was a deep game Spelle was
playing. His determination to smash
Ed Starbuck was only a step to
wards the fulfillment of a long
thwarted hate. Spelle’s real objec
tive was that immense expanse of
valuable plateau range controlled
by San Juan Delevan. There lay the
water and grazing which Spelle
could find good use for during the
dry, torrid summer months. As for
the Other smaller ranchers, they
also would sink if Starbuck’s bank
went under. But Spelle gave them
little thought. Small fry, he told
himself contemptuously.
There was another motive to
Silas Spelle’s hatred of San Juan
Delevan. It dated back many,
many years. It began the day
Martha Wingate had married Dele
van after scorning Spelle’s advances.
Her death, three years after the mar
riage, when she gave her life to
bring a baby daughter into the
wtorld, caused Spelle to loat. What
he could not have himself, he
wanted no other man to hold. And
he had never forgiven Delevan for
winning the woman he himself had
set his heart on.
The lamp in Spelle’s office glow
ed yellow. In its light Spelle was
like a bloated poisonous thing, in
tent upon his ploting. The night
wind mourned about the silent
ranchhouse. Once or twice the
windows rattled. A d[iin form
stole from the darkness outside and
crossed the patio. The side door to
Spelle’s office swung slowly back.
The flame of the lamp wavered and
flickered. Spelle turned. His face
blanched and his jaw dropped
slightly. Fear lay stark in his eyes.
He was like a man gazing upon a
ghost. He ran a thick tongue over
his lips.
"You!” he croaked harshly. “The
papers said yuh were dead. They
found yore body ground to pieces
along the track of the S. W. & P.”
"Yeah,” snarled the newcomer.
"They think they did. I out-foxed
them that’s all. What they found
was a damned hobo with my prison
clothes on hin . Well—don’t sit
starin’ at me like I was a ghost.
I’m real—damned real. Why don’t
yuh greet yore long lost son like a
father should?”
"Yuh’re no son of mine,” rasped
Spelle hoarsely. "I—”
"Oh yes I am,” cut in the other.
"Not accordin’ tio law mebbe—but
like the highbrows say—I’m a na
tural son. Not that I’m proud of
my parents. My mother a Ute
squaw—my father a damned,
crooked skunk what would betray
his own flesh an’ blood. I came
back—I told yuh I would,, yuh
snivelin’ hyprocrite. I didn’t ask
to come into the world, God knows.
Yuh’re responsible for me an’ by
God yuh’re gonna take care of me.
I want food and I want whiskey
an’ a bunk to sleep in. I crossed the
Kanab Desert on foot to get here—
an’ here I stay. If yuh try to set the
flatties on me I go out shobtin’—
ap,’ yuh get the first bullet. Think
it over.”
Silas Spelle paled at the words
and manner of his illegtimate, half
breed son. When he had read of
that son’s escape from the State
Penitentary road-gang stark terror
had struck him. Then when aniother
dispatch came through that his
son’s mangled body had been found
by a track walker on the railroad
he had sighed with relief. It meant
the last tie to an embarrasing past
had been severed. But the dis
patches were wrong, and here was
the son in flesh to mock him.
Unconsciously Silas Spelle stood
up. "There’s whiskey on the shelf
over there. I’ll go to the kitchen a.i’
rustle yuh some grub.”
CONTINUED NEXT WEEK
Nervous, Weak Woman
Soon All Right
"I had regular shaking spells from
nervousness,” writes Mrs. Cora San
ders, of Paragould, Ark. “I was all
run-down and cramped at my time
until I would have to go to bed. After
my first bottle of Cardul, I was bet
ter. I kept taking Cardul and eoon
I was all right. The shaking quit
and 1 did not cramp. I felt worlds
better. I gave Cardul to my daugh
ter who was in about the same con
dition and she was soon all right."
Thousands of women testify Cardul bene
fited then If it doea not bensflt TOO,
oonsult a ahyslclan.
STAR
their keenness
never varies
i
w MAUJKi SUNUii 1SBU Dy me
inventors of the original safety razoi;
Star Single-edge B^des have 56 years
W of precision experience stropped^
HA, into their keen, long-lasting^B
H^edges. If your dealer can-^«R,.-i
iiWalgk not supply you, mail
WsS 10c for 4 blades to Dept.jH
FS-l, Star Blade Divi
sion, 88 Johnson Street, BIIhI
Brooklyn, N. Y, |gB ‘'
__ _I
E. Carr Choate
DENTIST
Office Over Purcell Drug
Store No. 2
Phone_141
Office in Mocksville is Closed
STAR LAUNDRY
" The Good On?*
Laundcrers and Dry Cleaners
Phone 24 114 West Bank St.
ONE DAY SERVICE
OUR OWN
SNAPSHOTS
GOLFERS, ATTEN
TION! This youngster
is wasting his time,
for he is trying to cut
tile new vulcanized
golf ball that leading
golf manufacturers
have perfected to vir
tually eliminate de
fa cement by any
means!
Wssw ar-- ■■ **
»■ tW—;«
SENSATIONAL
CARDINAL— “Stu”
Martin, slugging St.
Louis second base
man has played a
prominent part In
his club’s climb to
first place In the Na- 4
tional League. 1
SOCIETY
SHOOTS AIK RI
FLES — An inno
vation in society
sports was intro
duced re c e n 11 y
when Miss Lu
cille Thierlot en- ,
tertalned a group \
of New York deb- \
I utantes at an air jj
| rifle party on her j
| Long Island es- ]
I tate. L to R: Miss !
I Thierlot, Martha ■
' Hall, Mary Foh- |
' dick, Doris Ter
hune, and Mrs.
] Arthur Byle. ^
' itammmismmmmmim
M. E. Coyle, president of Chevrolet Motor Co. becomes
the S^OO,000th member of the Silvertown Safety
League for saner operation of automobiles while J. D.
Tew, B. F. Goodrich Co. president looks on. This
league was organized in 1831 and Is based on a com
mon sense code of driving rules.
imrnmmssmmmms i
BEADY FOB A DIF
—Frances Farmer1
takes an hour off be
tween shots.
LAMBING TIME IS I
HEBE AGAIN. |
Billion Lire
For Africa
Rome.—One billion, three hund
red million lire (about $102,310,
000) will be spent in 1936 on ex
ploitation of Ethiopia, it was an
nounced.
The appropriation was made for .
the Ministries of War, Air, Marine,
Colonies and Internal Affairs. Fifty
million lire of the appropriation
will go to needy families of men
conscripted for service in East
Africa.
—Buy In Salisbury—
Say It With Flowers
MRS. W. V. ELLER
FLORIST
THE GENIEVRA SHOP
Phones 9180 and 1252-J
126 S. Main St. Salisbury, N. C.
DR. N. C. LITTLE
Optometrist
Eyes examined and glasses fitted
Telephone 1571-W.
107 Yi S. Main Street
Next to Ketchie Barber Shop
Clean-up This Month
Start "our Mattress
Complete Renovation—
Call and Deliver
Every Job Guaranteed
Reblown Refelt Refelt Inner Coil
Sateen
$5.00 $7.50 $10.00 $12.50
Taylor Mattress Co.
PHONE 6
—■■■—mmm
Or Do
Gas on Stomach
and
Sour Stomach
make you
Miserable?
Too much food, or the
wrong kind of food, too
much smoking, too much
Burc*, luoAo jruux uouy over-acia. men yOU
have distress after eating, gas on stomach,
heartburn, sour stomach.
ALKA - SELTZER relieves these troubles
promptly, effectively, harmlessly.
-Use Alka-Seltzer for Headache, Colds, Fatigue,
ror "Morning After Feeling," Muscular, Sciatic and
colds Rheumatic Pains.
{{ffiffi!?.* Alka-Seltzer makes a sparkling alkaline drink. As
rATioui it contains an analgesic (Acetyl-Salicylate) it first
relieves the pain of everyday ailments and then by
restoring the alkaline balance corrects the cause
l _ when due to excess add.
mums Alka-Seltzer tastes like carbonated mineral spring
water—works like magic. Contains no dangerous
drugs....does not depress the heart....is not laxative.
Gd a drink at vour Drug Store Sods Fountain. Keep a package In
your home medicine cabinet
✓ ^ ____________
»
Model illustrated is ^
the famous BC-150.
Capacity 150 6-oz.
bottles. Roll Top
eliminating hinges
thd insuring fast
*lvlce. Coin vend
ing type if desired.
Peak load Cooling at
HIGH fWfP . . . mat’s KELVINATOR
Hot, thirst-producing days hold no worries for the mer
chant with one of these new Kelvinator Beverage Cool
er*. Its high-speed cooling keeps pace with any peak
load and customers are always sure of perfectly cooled
drinks.
But that’s only one point in Hs favor. It is remarkably
economical to operate and its sturdy, high quality con
struction insures extremely low maintenance cost.
It has bigr capacity, too, for its size and it will be just
r>ut the most beautiful piece of equipment in your place
business.
1ft* Ibis new KeWnator today. Yqu’11 be amazed at its
price and the easy terms which can be arranged
for buying it.
DUKE POWER CO.
See this cooler in
service at Ket
ner’s new store.
^S!^V' jfir No appliance Is better than
__1110 service behind It.