Cole of Spyglass Mountain

by Arthur Preston Hankins

“Slim, did you shoot Tony to—to kill him, so that we could go East?” asked Winnie the Weeper in a low, strained voice.

“Well, youse’re claimin’ I don’t love youse, ain’t youse? Youse wanted to go East, an’ dere wasn’t any udder way dat I could beat it wid youse, was dere? Dat’s love, ain’t it, kid? I don’t wanta croak a guy any more dan youse do. But I wasn’t gonta lose dat big money if I could help it. Anyway, de dam’ fool didn’t croak, so I hadta talk youse into stickin’ again by promisin’ youse half o’ dis big money w’en I got it. An’ youse fell for it—an’ now youse’ve got all de dope. But Tony’s goin’ East, he says, an’ in two mont’s de time’ll be up an’ he’ll lose de money. Lord, I was scared w’en he begun to have t’ings printed in dese here nut magazines. I t’ought sure ole Peter Henry’s lawyers would see his name an’ fin’ out w’ere he was. But dey didn’t—I guess nobody but nuts reads dem magazines. But if Tony’s name ever gets in de newspoipers—good night!”

“And how’re you gonta keep him here till the fifteenth of June?” asked Winnie. “What’s to keep ’im from beatin’ it the last o’ this month, like he said he was gonta do?”

“I got a frien’ dat’s gonta do dat little t’ing for me,” Slim assured her. “Go make goo-goo eyes at Lee Sweet an’ steer um in here, Win. He’s de boid dat’ll do our woik for us. I been pretty good to um ever since I knew he was sore at Tony on account o’ dat big homestead racket. I been tellin’ um all about Tony’s bein’ in de House of Refuge, an’ a bad acter an’ all—but a coward—see? An’ he gets to t’inkin’, every time he gets drunk, dat it’s his dooty to de community to run Tony out. I’ll tell um dat if he puts de skids under Tony, de rest o’ de homesteaders will get scared an’ beat it. Lee’s got a bunch o’ cowpunchers dat’ll get a big kick outa tryin’ to t’row a scare into Tony—dey’re a wil’ bunch. Tony won’t scare, but dey don’t know dat. Get me? Let de udder fella woik f’r youse, kid, ever’ time youse get a chance.”

“But we don’t want Tony run out,” protested the girl. “Then he’d sure go East, wouldn’t he?”

“Say, youse don’t get de big idea at all, kid. Youse don’t know Tony Cole like I do. Jes’ start to run dat boid anywhere an’ watch um stick! De harder youse fight dat boid, de harder he fights back. An’ he’s stuck on dat homestead an’ his ole fool mountain, ain’t he? If he lets Sweet run um out, he loses de land, don’t he? Let Sweet get after um once an’ try to give um de run, an’ watch dat Tony stick an’ fight um! Somebody may get croaked, but it won’t be me! Now get me right, kid—I ain’t got no use for dis here Tony Cole. But dere’s jes’ one t’ing I’ll say for um—he’s a fightin’ fool.”

“Slim,” said the girl, “I got an idea that’ll let us go East right now, and make more money besides. Double-cross Cole’s father and tell Tony all about it—but first make Tony promise to give you fifty thousand, and—”

“An’ youse’ve got anudder guess comin’, Win. De Whimperer woulda done jes’ dat, if I’d tol’ um all I knew. D’youse see, now, w’y I keep me mout’ shut?”

“But you—”

“Listen, kid,” the gambler interrupted, “I wouldn’t let Fifty-six thoity-five get dat jack for half. I hate um like a terrier hates a rat—an’ now’s me chance to get um! Get me, kid?”