Kid Wolf of Texas

  CHAPTER XIV

  AT DON FLORISTO'S

  In the moonlight, behind the El Chihuahense Saloon, Kid Wolf and thegambler met. The latter found The Kid leaning silently against aruined adobe wall in the deserted alleyway. The sound of the musicfrom within the gambling hall could be heard faintly. There was asilence after the two men faced each other. Harry Thomas finally brokeit:

  "How did yuh know me? I go by the name of Phil Hall here. And who areyuh?"

  "Just call me The Kid," was the soft answer. "I knew yo' by yo' onebrown and one black eye."

  "What did yore note mean?"

  "Harry, the S Bar is in great danger. Yo' father is dead, and yo'mothah----" And then Kid Wolf told the story in full.

  Harry Thomas listened in agitation. He was overcome with grief andremorse. His voice trembled when he spoke:

  "I've been a fool," he blurted, "worse than a fool. Poor mother! Whatcan I do now?"

  "It isn't too late to help her," The Kid told him kindly. "Yo' mothahneeds yo' badly. Findin' those stolen cattle wasn't so hahd, aftahall. Theah on Don Floristo's ranch just below heah. I've talked tothe don, and let the remahk drop that I'm interested in cattle. So Iam, but the don doesn't know in what way. He thinks I'm a rich gringowantin' to buy some."

  "Kid, I've learned my lesson. I'll never gamble again," said Harryearnestly.

  Kid Wolf took his hand warmly.

  "Don Floristo has already given orders that the six hundred head of SBar steers are to be driven to Mariposa to-night. I am to ride southto his ranch and close the deal. Early manana the three loyal S Barmen will seize the cattle and drive them home. Yo' and I must help."

  "Yo're riskin' yore life for strangers, Kid. Floristo is adyed-in-the-wool villain. If he suspects anything, he'll cut yorethroat. But I'm with yuh! Yuh've brought me to myself. I didn'tsuppose they made hombres like you!"

  "Thanks, Harry. Now listen carefully and I'll tell yo' exactly what todo."

  For a few minutes The Kid talked earnestly to young Thomas, outliningtheir night's work. Then Kid Wolf took leave of the youngman--slipping back through the shadows to the street again.

  Harry Thomas walked quickly to the Establo--Mariposa's biggest liverystable. Kid Wolf mounted his horse Blizzard. He struck off throughthe town at an easy trot and headed southward through the darkness.

  Don Manuel Floristo's rancho was the largest in that part of Mexico.Several thousand steers roamed his range--steers that for the most partbore doubtful brands. Don Floristo's reputation was not of the best.His rancho was suspected of being a mere trading ground for stolenherds. Rustlers from both sides of the line made his land theirobjective.

  Kid Wolf had found the S Bar cattle easily enough. The brands had beengone over, being burned to an 8 Bar J. The work had been done sorecently, however, that he was not deceived. He had called on the donand told him that he was "interested in cattle," which was true. Thedon's lust for gold had done the rest. He supposed that Kid Wolf wasan American who desired to go into the ranching business near theboundary. A good chance to get rid of the "hot" herd of six hundred!

  "Just the size of herd the senor needs to start," Floristo had said."Six hundred head at ten pesos--six thousand pesos. Ees it not cheap,amigo?"

  "Very cheap," The Kid had told him. "Now if these cattle weredelivered at Mariposa----"

  "Easy to say, but no harder to do, senor," was the don's eager reply."I will give orders now to have them driven there. Do you wish to buya ranch, senor? Or have you bought? Perhaps I could help."

  "Perhaps. But I want cattle right now. I have friends just no'th ofthe bordah."

  The don had smiled cunningly. This fool gringo would have trouble withthose stolen cattle if he drove them back into the States. That,however, was no concern of Floristo's.

  "Come back to-night, senor," he had begged. And now The Kid was on hisway to the don's hacienda. He had purposely timed his visit so that hewould reach Floristo's rancho at a late hour. Already it was aftermidnight.

  Blizzard was unusually full of spirit. The slow pace to which The Kidheld him was hardly an outlet for his restless energy.

  "Steady, boy," The Kid whispered. "We're savin' our strength--they'llbe plenty of fast ridin' to do latah."

  The Kid could not resist the temptation to break into song. His softchant rose above the faint whisper of the desert wind:

  "Oh, theah's jumpin' beans and six-guns south o' Rio, And _muy malo_ hombres by the dozen, We're a-watchin' out fo' trouble south o' Rio, And when it comes, some lead will be a-buzzin'."

  He smiled up at the stars, and turned Blizzard's head to the eastward.Before them loomed the low, white adobe walls of Don Floristo'shacienda.

  A dark-faced peon on guard outside, armed with a carbine, opened thedoor for him. Late as the hour was, lights were shining inside and heheard the welcoming sound of Don Floristo's voice as he passed throughthe entrance.

  "Ah, come in, come in, amigo. I was afraid the senor was not coming._Como esta usted?_"

  "_Buenas noches_," returned The Kid, with easy politeness. "I trustyo' are in good health?"

  The conversation after that was entirely in Spanish, as Kid Wolf spokethe language like a native. His Southern accent made the Mexicantongue all the more musical. He followed his host into a rather large,square room with a beautifully tiled floor. The don motioned The Kidto a chair.

  "The cattle of which we--ah--spoke, senor," said the don, as he lighteda long brown cigarette. "They are on the way to Mariposa. Areprobably there even now, amigo."

  "Yes?" drawled Kid Wolf.

  "You will have men there to receive them?"

  "Without fail," replied the Texan, a strange inflection in his tones.

  "It is well, my friend. With the cattle are four of my men. They willnot turn over the herd, of course, until"--he pausedsignificantly--"the money is paid."

  Kid Wolf smiled. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.

  "One does not pay for stolen cattle, Don Floristo," he drawled.

  The muscles of the don's body stiffened. Kid Wolf's face was a smilingmask. The show-down had come. There was a long pause. The Kid's armswere folded easily on his breast.

  "Who are you?" the don snarled suddenly.

  "Kid Wolf of Texas, sah," was the quiet reply.

  A cold smile was on the sallow face of the don. He made no move todraw the jeweled revolver that hung at his hip. He sneered as he spoke:

  "You will never escape from here alive, my friend," he leered. "Whatyou have told me is not exactly news. At this moment you are covered."

  "Yes?" mocked The Kid.

  "Come in, major!" cried Don Floristo.

  A door at one end of the room, which had been standing half ajar, nowopened. Framed in the doorway was the bloated, fat figure of MajorStover. In his hand was a derringer. Its twin black muzzles wereleveled at Kiel Wolf's heart.

  The major's face twisted into an exulting grin as his piglike eyes fellon Kid Wolf.

  "We meet again," he grated.

  "You see, Senor Keed Wolf," said Don Floristo, "that we have you. Byaccident, Senor Wolf, your plans miscarried. Thinking I could sell youa ranch, as you were buying cattle, I sent a rider _al instante_ for myfriend, the Major Stover. He came at once, and when I describedyou----" He laughed harshly.

  The Don removed The Kid's revolvers and threw them on the table. Themajor's derringer did not waver.

  "I see that yo' have prepared quite a surprise pahty fo' me," said TheKid calmly. "Remember that theah are all sorts of surprises. I didn'thave to come back heah, yo' know. The cattle I want are at Mariposa."

  "Then why are you here, fool?" the don sneered.

  "To find out who is at the bottom of the cattle stealin'--thispersecution against Mrs. Thomas' ranch!" Kid Wolf snapped.

  "What good is it to know?" asked Stover, laughing. "Yo're goin' todie!"

  "Shoot him, major," said the
don, baring his white teeth.

  "There's no hurry," replied the major. "I want to see him pray formercy first. I've got a score to settle with him."

  The Kid remained unmoved in the presence of this peril. He was stillsmiling.

  "Yuh'll never live to get those cattle across the line, blast yuh!"snarled Stover, trembling with rage. "It was a pretty little scheme,but it failed to work. And we've got the S Bar where we want it, too.No, yuh don't! Just keep yore hands over yore head."

  "_El Lobo Muchacho_," the don sneered. "_El Lobo Muchacho_--Keed Wolf.I think we have your fangs drawn now, Senor Wolf! The Wolf is in a badway. Alas, he cannot bite." He finished with a cruel laugh.

  But The Kid could bite--and did! One of the fangs of the wolf, and adeadly one, remained to him. He used it now!

  Major Stover did not know how it happened. Kid Wolf's arms werelifted. Apparently he was helpless. But suddenly there was a swish--alightning-like gleam of light. Something hit Stover's gun arm like athunder smash.

  Kid Wolf has used his "ace in the hole"--had hurled the bowie knifehidden in a sheath sewn inside the back of his shirt collar.

  The major's hand went suddenly numb. He dropped the derringer. Theblade had thudded into his forearm and sliced deeply upward. Dazed, heemitted a wild cry.

  The don was not slow to act. He did not know exactly what hadhappened, but he saw the major's gun fall and heard his frightenedyell. Floristo reached hastily for his jewel-studded revolver.

  But the Texan had closed in on him. Kid Wolf hit him full in the faceand Floristo went sprawling down. He was still jerking at his gun buttas he hit the floor.

  The major had recovered somewhat. With his left hand he scooped up thederringer and swung it up desperately to line the barrel on Kid Wolf'sheart.

  "All right, Harry!" sang out The Kid.

  Glass flew out of the window at the south wall and clattered to thetiled floor as an arm, holding a leveled .45, broke through. It wasyoung Thomas.

  "Put 'em up!" he cried.

  Don Floristo, however, had also raised his gun. A report shook theadobe walls and sent a puff of blue fumes ceilingward. But HarryThomas had fired first. Floristo collapsed with a moan, rolled overand stiffened.

  Kid Wolf sent Major Stover's derringer flying with a contemptuous kick,just as the fear-crazed fat man pulled the trigger.

  "Good work, Harry," The Kid approved.

  He stepped to the table, returned his own six-guns to their holstersand then reached out and seized Major Stover by the collar. He shookhim like a rat as he jerked him to his feet.

  "Well, majah, as yo' calls yo'self," he drawled, "looks like thesurprise worked the othah way round!"

  Stover's flabby face was blue-gray. His knees gave way under him andhis coarse lips were twitching. His eyes rolled wildly.

  "Don't kill me," he wheezed in an agony of fright. "It wasn't myfault. I--I--Goliday made me do it. He's the man behind me. D-don'tkill--me."

  Suddenly his head rolled to one side and his bulky body wilted. Hesagged to the floor with a hiccupping sound.

  "Get up!" snapped the Texan.

  There was no response. The Kid felt of Stover's heart and straightenedup with a low whistle.

  "Dead," he muttered. "Scared to death. Weak heart--just as I thought."

  "Did yuh shoot the big brute?" asked Harry, who had pushed his bodythrough the window and slipped into the room.

  "His guilty conscience killed him," explained the Texan. "Yo' saved mylife, son, by throwin' down on Don Floristo. Yo' got him between theshirt buttons."

  "I wanted to shoot long before," said Harry, "but I remembered--andwaited until yuh said the word. Yuh shore stopped that derringer o'Stover's."

  "Wheah's the guard?"

  "Tied up outside."

  "_Bueno_. I rode down heah slow, so yo'd have plenty o' time to getposted. I suspected treachery of some kind to-night. But it was asurprise to see the majah heah. What time is it?"

  "After two. The moon's gone down. Where to, now?"

  "To Mariposa. We can get theah by dawn, and if the boys are ready wecan turn the trick."

  "Then let's go, Kid!"

  Five minutes later the two were pounding the trail northward toward theRio Grande!