The Sky Sheriff
[Transcriber’s Note: This story appeared in the April 1923 issue ofBlue Book Magazine.]
Sure enough, there was a mounted man crossing a tiny clearing, two or three miles to the westward
The blazing sun of a Texas afternoon turned air and drab brown earthto gold. Not a breath stirred the huge white stocking that served asa wind-indicator on the airdrome of the McMullen Flight of the AirService border patrol.
Seven men were standing in a line south of the airdrome. Six of themwere tanned young chaps with the look of the open in their steadyeyes with tiny sun-crinkles at the corners. The other man wore aflowing gray mustache, a sombrero that dwarfed the others’ Stetsons,and ornately embossed cowboy boots. He was known from one end of theRio Grande to the other as Sheriff Bill Trowbridge.
A low drone came to the ears of the group, and far in the distancethey glimpsed the tiny form of a ship, diving with motor on for theairdrome. Hickman looked up at the plane.
“Probably Tex MacDowell and Sleepy Spears.”
“Who’s Spears?” asked Trowbridge.
“New man from the Air Service Mechanics’ School at Donovan Field,”explained Perkins. “He’s the sleepiest-looking guy in the world.Yesterday Tex and Sleepy announced they were going to fly to Laredo,if I’d let ’em, and go over to the ‘Bee’ hangout in Nuevo Laredo,and either win a fortune or else get entirely broke.”
Captain Perkins’s face was serious.
Sheriff Trowbridge glanced at him sharply. Apparently there wassomewhat of puzzlement, disapproval, in the new commanding officer’swords.
Trowbridge was grinning widely. “Did yuh ever have any previousexperience handlin’ wildcats?”
Captain Perkins shook his head. “Live and learn, I guess,” said he.
The ship circled northward, banked around toward the field, and theroaring motor ceased. Then the De Haviland dropped over the lowfence that formed the northern boundary of the field. Waitingmechanics in front of a hangar seized the wings and helped bring theship into the line.
The two flyers climbed out of the cock-pits.
“See that short fellow walking as if every step would be his last?”said Jennings. “That’s Sleepy.”
Trowbridge smote his thigh.
“I get yuh now,” he stated. “Isn’t Sleepy the hombre that had arun-in with some would-be bad men up in Barnes City a few monthsago?”
“He’s the one,” said Pop Cravath, wiping the sweat from his baldspot with a voluminous khaki handkerchief.
Spears’ drooping eyelids were raised to look at the little group. Aslow smile stretched the already wide mouth.
“Meet Sheriff Trowbridge, Sleepy,” said Perkins.
“Delighted. I’ve heard several mouthfuls about you, Sheriff,” saidSleepy.
“Did you break the ‘Bee’?” inquired Trowbridge solemnly.
“They took advantage of us,” sighed Sleepy. “They fed us Benedictineand Mescal. The last I remember was shooting two hundred at thecrap-table and then bursting into ribald grief when two sixes turnedup. We woke up in the alley alongside the Laredo House thismorning.”
Captain Perkins’s lean, square-jawed face was crossed with varyingexpressions of merriment, wonder, and disapproval. Apparently theCaptain was completely