The Lone Ranger Rides by Fran Striker

  Chapter XXIII

  YUMA RIDES BEHIND A MASKED MAN

  The Lone Ranger almost fired instinctively at Yuma. His finger tightenedon the trigger, but he caught himself in time. Yuma's last, quick shotwent wide. The cowboy stood entirely clear of the rocks that hadprotected him, holding his gun point-blank on the masked man. For amoment the two stood there tense, each one covering the other, neithermoving, neither firing.

  Then Yuma let out a wild cry as he threw his six-gun on the ground. "Youwin, hang it all, I can't shoot yuh. Come on an' take me prisoner."

  The Lone Ranger closed the space. He holstered his own gun, then bentand picked up Yuma's weapon.

  "Put this where it belongs," he said, extending the weapon butt-endfirst, "in your holster. You'll probably be needing it again."

  There were tears of futility in Yuma's eyes. "I dunno," he said,accepting the gun, "what in hell's the matter with me. Why didn't Ishoot yuh? Why'd I let yuh take me?"

  "Because you're not a killer," replied the masked man simply.

  "The hell I ain't. I'm the man that's--"

  "Just a minute, Yuma. You tried to tell me that you were the leader ofthe Basin gang. In spite of that, I went in to Red Oak last night. Ifound Bryant Cavendish there. I showed him a document that his friendswere trying to make Penelope sign and he admitted that it was just theway he had dictated it. I want you to look it over."

  He took the paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to Yuma.Then he stood patiently silent to give the big blond man a chance toread it. Yuma seemed to find some difficulty in wading through the legalterms and phrases. He guided his eyes from one word to the next with hisfinger, and when he finished he said, "Does this mean that Penny ain'ttuh have no part o' Bryant's property when he kicks in?"

  The Lone Ranger said, "Some of the relatives of the old man have alreadysigned it. Penny among them."

  Yuma looked at the signatures. "Then she's done outen her share?"

  "According to that, Penelope will have no claim on the land unlessBryant wills it to her. When she signed that, she lost all her faith inBryant Cavendish. Furthermore, I doubt if Bryant will be able to giveher much protection now."

  "Why not?"

  "He was shot last night."

  "Shot?"

  The Lone Ranger nodded, then went on to tell Yuma the events in Red Oak,relating what he had heard of Mort's imprisonment and ultimate escape,the shot that was fired at Bryant, and the knifing of the man who firedthat shot. "I was not seen," he said, "but they must have had a look atmy horse and they certainly heard me call the horse Silver. I've nodoubt that I'll be accused of both the shooting of Bryant Cavendish andthe knifing of the man who really shot him."

  Yuma nodded comprehension and agreement. "The same sort o' killin' thatold Gimlet got," he said thoughtfully. "I reckon the same skunk doneboth knifin's."

  "Quite likely."

  "Now Bryant won't be able tuh guard Miss Penny no more, bein' that he'sdead."

  "I didn't say that he was dead."

  "Then he ain't dead?"

  "No."

  "How close to it is he?"

  "There's a good chance for him to recover. I have him hidden in a cavein the Gap."

  Yuma reflected on the things that he'd been told. He muttered half aloudand then quite suddenly went berserk. He snatched off his hat, whirledit about his head several times, then threw it on the ground. He jumpedon it with both feet while he shouted at the top of his voice. His facewas livid with blind rage and fury. He swore with the sincerity of a henwith fresh-hatched chicks and the vocabulary of a mule skinner. Hecalled himself an addleheaded jackass and a crackbrained fool in Mexicanas well as English. He berated his bungling, fumbling, thoughtlessnotions and cursed himself for trying to help Penny by the "loco" meanshe'd used. He ranted, raved, and raged because he'd taken blame thatproperly belonged to a double-dyed, limp-brained, stone-faced, soullessold son of a three-tongued rattler, meaning Bryant Cavendish. Hedeclared with rare vehemence that Bryant deserved boiling in hot coaloil, then skinning alive.

  Before he ran out of things to say, his breath gave out and he wasforced to stop and gasp. His face was red, his eyes were bloodshot fromemotion. He grabbed the front of the Lone Ranger's shirt in one hugehand.

  "Listen," he said breathlessly, "listen tuh me. I lied when I said I wasthe leader o' them murderin' skunks an' cattle rustlers. It's Bryantthat's the leader. I only thought tuh--"

  "I know, Yuma," the Lone Ranger interrupted. "You didn't want Bryant tobe taken away from Penelope because he alone could safeguard her."

  Yuma still clutched the masked man's shirt. It happened that his handhad closed over the breast pocket, and in that pocket rested the TexasRanger badge. "I came for you," the Lone Ranger went on, "because it isyou that Penelope needs."

  "She needs me?" repeated Yuma eagerly. And then in a voice filled withwoe, "Aw-w, that ain't so. I know the way she acted tuh me. If I goaround where she is, she'll box my ears down."

  "I think she's changed her mind about a lot of things since she saw thedocument her uncle wanted signed. You come along with me, Yuma--you'reneeded badly."

  "Wish't they was somethin' I could do tuh put them crooks all where theybelong," said Yuma wistfully. "Of course I c'n jest shoot Bryant when Igit tuh him, an' finish what's already started."

  "No, you're not going to shoot Bryant Cavendish; you're a witnessagainst him."

  "Huh?"

  "He tried to kill you. You'll go to law and charge him with attemptedmurder."

  "Me? Go tuh law?" asked Yuma with an amazed look.

  The masked man nodded.

  "Yuh--yuh mean," said the cowboy, still unable to fully comprehend, "I'mtuh go an' report that he shot at me, an' ask that he be judged fer it?"

  "Right."

  "But damn it all, I can't do _that_. Who ever heard o' bein' shot at an'then reportin' it tuh law instead o' shootin' back an' settlin' thematter on the spot?"

  The Lone Ranger explained that there had to be some charge filed againstBryant Cavendish to put him in jail. Once there, he could be questionedendlessly until his part in the cattle stealing and the murders wasbrought out. Merely killing the man would do nothing to solve thekilling of the Texas Rangers, of Gimlet, or the man who fired at him thenight before. Yuma finally agreed to follow the Lone Ranger's advice, todo whatever he was told; but went on record that he was sure "goin' tuhfeel like a damn fool sissy" when he went "tuh the law tuh beef aboutbein' shot at."

  The two boarded the masked man's powerful horse. Before they left therocks Yuma said, "One thing more, stranger. Jest who the devil are you?"

  "If I wanted that known, Yuma, I wouldn't be masked."

  Yuma spoke slowly. "When I took ahold of yer shirt, I felt somethin' inyer pocket. It was shaped mighty like a Ranger's badge. I been wonderin'if maybe you ain't a Texas Ranger, an' if so, why the mask?"

  "Perhaps I used to belong to the Texas Rangers, Yuma."

  "Well--" Yuma paused. "Look here, I can't go on callin' yuh 'stranger';jest what should I call yuh?"

  "My closest friend," the masked man said, "calls me 'The Lone Ranger.'"He heeled Silver, and the stallion lunged forward. Yuma had to cling tokeep from spilling. "Hi-Yo Silver, Away-y-y-y," the Lone Ranger shouted.

  Such speed in a horse was new to Yuma. He gasped at the power in thelong, driving legs of white.

  "G-g-gosh," he said against the wind, "this is shore 'nuff a ridin'hoss! I sort o' like that name 'Lone Ranger,' too!"