[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
started for the Reef."
Booker sat very still, waiting for us, but we did not speak. He shifted
uneasily. Tharp would say nothing, and Booker knew that if he left here now he
would be taken by Fox and the Boxed M riders. After that there was only the
short ride to a tree.
"Tell us the truth," Chapin said finally. "If you get a trial you will have a
chance."
"If I confess?"His voice was bitter. "What chance would I have then?"
"You'll live a few weeks, anyway," I said brutally. "Whatchance have you
now?"
He sat back in his chair.Tve nothing to confess," he said. "It was Morgan
Park."
Will Tharpgot up from his chair. "You asked me here to conclude a peace
meeting. The Boxed M, Two-Bar, and CP agree on peace, is that right?"
We all assented, and he nodded with satisfaction. "Good ... now I've some
business in the northern part of the county. I'll be gone for three days."
It took a minute for Booker to grasp the idea that he was being abandoned. He
looked up, his eyes shifting quickly. The man behind him eased his weight and
a board creaked.
Key Chapin got up. He extended a hand toCanaval . "Be glad to help you across
the street,Canaval ." He turned his head to Moira. "Coming?"
She got up. Katie O'Hara had disappeared. Jim Finder, a wry grin on his face,
got up, too. They started for the door and Jake Booker looked wildly about.
Fox was across from him, smiling. Behind him was the other Boxed M hand.
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Outside the door with an extra horse was still another.
"Wait!"
Booker jumped to his feet. His face was yellow-white and he looked ghastly.
"Tharp! You can't do this! You can't leave me!"
"Why not?I've no business with you!"
"But ... but the trial? What about the trial?"
Tharp shrugged. "What trial? We haven't evidence enough to hold you. You said
that yourself." He turned away. "You're not my business now, Booker."
Fox had drawn his gun. The Boxed M hand behind Booker grabbed him suddenly. I
stepped back, my hands at my sides.
"Wait a minute! Tharp "
The sheriff was outside, but he was holding the door open. The others were on
the walk near him.
"Tharp! I did it. I'll talk."
There was a tablet on which Katie O'Hara wrote up her menus. I took it down,
and put the inkwell beside it, and a pen.
"Write it," I said.
He hesitated, looking down. His hands trembled and he looked sick.
"All right," he said.
He sat down when the Boxed M hand released him, and Tharp returned to the
room. He looked over at me and we waited, standing around, while the pen
scratched steadily.
JonathanBenaras appeared in the door. "BodieMiller's gone," he said."Left
town."
Moira was still standing on the walk outside. The others had gone. I opened
the door and stepped out.
"You're going back to the Two-Bar?" she asked.
"Even a killer has to have a home."
She looked up quickly. "Matt, don't hold that against me."
"You said what you thought, didn't you?"
I started to put my foot in the stirrup, but she looked too much like a
little girl who had been spanked. "Did you ever start that trousseau?" I asked
suddenly.
"Yes, but "
I dropped the reins of the horseBenaras had led up for me.
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"Then we'll be married without it."
Suddenly we were both laughing like fools and I was kissing her there on the
street where all ofHattan's Point could see us. People had come from saloons
and stores and they were standing there grinning at us, so I kissed her again.
Then I let go of her and stepped into the saddle. "Tomorrow noon," I said,
"I'll be back."
And so I rode again fromHattan's Point
Chapter Twenty-Four
DID YOU ever feel so good the world seemed like your big apple? That was how
I felt then. We had our showdown, and we had peace between the three ranches.
We could live together now, and we could make our acres fertile and make our
cattle fat.
There was grass on the range, water in the creeks, and the house I had built
would have the woman it needed to make it home. From the smoke of battle I had
built a home and won a wife. The world was mine.
Morgan Park was dead ... he had died in violence, as he had lived, died from
striking the wrong man, heedless of others, believing that his strength would
pull him through. Only an Apache had fired from the ground and the bullet had
torn through his skull.
I would go home now. I would make ready the house for the wife I was to have,
I would care for my horses in the corral, and I would change my clothes and
ride back to town to become a bridegroom.
The trail to the Two-Bar swung around a mesa and opened out on a wide desert
flat, and far beyond I could see the pinnacles of the badlands beyond Dry
Mesa.
A rabbit burst from the bush and sprinted off across the sage, and then the
trail dipped down into a hollow, with junipers growing in and around itAnd
there in the middle of the road wasBodie Miller.
He was standing with his hands on his hips laughing, and there was a devil in [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
started for the Reef."
Booker sat very still, waiting for us, but we did not speak. He shifted
uneasily. Tharp would say nothing, and Booker knew that if he left here now he
would be taken by Fox and the Boxed M riders. After that there was only the
short ride to a tree.
"Tell us the truth," Chapin said finally. "If you get a trial you will have a
chance."
"If I confess?"His voice was bitter. "What chance would I have then?"
"You'll live a few weeks, anyway," I said brutally. "Whatchance have you
now?"
He sat back in his chair.Tve nothing to confess," he said. "It was Morgan
Park."
Will Tharpgot up from his chair. "You asked me here to conclude a peace
meeting. The Boxed M, Two-Bar, and CP agree on peace, is that right?"
We all assented, and he nodded with satisfaction. "Good ... now I've some
business in the northern part of the county. I'll be gone for three days."
It took a minute for Booker to grasp the idea that he was being abandoned. He
looked up, his eyes shifting quickly. The man behind him eased his weight and
a board creaked.
Key Chapin got up. He extended a hand toCanaval . "Be glad to help you across
the street,Canaval ." He turned his head to Moira. "Coming?"
She got up. Katie O'Hara had disappeared. Jim Finder, a wry grin on his face,
got up, too. They started for the door and Jake Booker looked wildly about.
Fox was across from him, smiling. Behind him was the other Boxed M hand.
Page 105
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Outside the door with an extra horse was still another.
"Wait!"
Booker jumped to his feet. His face was yellow-white and he looked ghastly.
"Tharp! You can't do this! You can't leave me!"
"Why not?I've no business with you!"
"But ... but the trial? What about the trial?"
Tharp shrugged. "What trial? We haven't evidence enough to hold you. You said
that yourself." He turned away. "You're not my business now, Booker."
Fox had drawn his gun. The Boxed M hand behind Booker grabbed him suddenly. I
stepped back, my hands at my sides.
"Wait a minute! Tharp "
The sheriff was outside, but he was holding the door open. The others were on
the walk near him.
"Tharp! I did it. I'll talk."
There was a tablet on which Katie O'Hara wrote up her menus. I took it down,
and put the inkwell beside it, and a pen.
"Write it," I said.
He hesitated, looking down. His hands trembled and he looked sick.
"All right," he said.
He sat down when the Boxed M hand released him, and Tharp returned to the
room. He looked over at me and we waited, standing around, while the pen
scratched steadily.
JonathanBenaras appeared in the door. "BodieMiller's gone," he said."Left
town."
Moira was still standing on the walk outside. The others had gone. I opened
the door and stepped out.
"You're going back to the Two-Bar?" she asked.
"Even a killer has to have a home."
She looked up quickly. "Matt, don't hold that against me."
"You said what you thought, didn't you?"
I started to put my foot in the stirrup, but she looked too much like a
little girl who had been spanked. "Did you ever start that trousseau?" I asked
suddenly.
"Yes, but "
I dropped the reins of the horseBenaras had led up for me.
Page 106
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Then we'll be married without it."
Suddenly we were both laughing like fools and I was kissing her there on the
street where all ofHattan's Point could see us. People had come from saloons
and stores and they were standing there grinning at us, so I kissed her again.
Then I let go of her and stepped into the saddle. "Tomorrow noon," I said,
"I'll be back."
And so I rode again fromHattan's Point
Chapter Twenty-Four
DID YOU ever feel so good the world seemed like your big apple? That was how
I felt then. We had our showdown, and we had peace between the three ranches.
We could live together now, and we could make our acres fertile and make our
cattle fat.
There was grass on the range, water in the creeks, and the house I had built
would have the woman it needed to make it home. From the smoke of battle I had
built a home and won a wife. The world was mine.
Morgan Park was dead ... he had died in violence, as he had lived, died from
striking the wrong man, heedless of others, believing that his strength would
pull him through. Only an Apache had fired from the ground and the bullet had
torn through his skull.
I would go home now. I would make ready the house for the wife I was to have,
I would care for my horses in the corral, and I would change my clothes and
ride back to town to become a bridegroom.
The trail to the Two-Bar swung around a mesa and opened out on a wide desert
flat, and far beyond I could see the pinnacles of the badlands beyond Dry
Mesa.
A rabbit burst from the bush and sprinted off across the sage, and then the
trail dipped down into a hollow, with junipers growing in and around itAnd
there in the middle of the road wasBodie Miller.
He was standing with his hands on his hips laughing, and there was a devil in [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]