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' " - CHAPTER CIIAFTER XIV17 X1V17 XIV X1V -17- 17 - 17The 17The 17 - The early sun was upon the broad broadmain broadmain broadmain main street of Inspiration as a * Billy BillyWheeler BillyWheeler BillyWheeler Wheeler drove Horse Dunn s tour touring tourIng tourIng ing car Into the little cow town Old OldMan OldMan OldMan Man Coffee was In the back seat seat seatthis , , this time without any of his dogs dogsMarian dogsMarlan dogsMarian Marian Marlan who had been dozing dozingagaInst dozingagainst dozingagainst agaInst Billy s shoulder sat up and andlooked andlooked andlooked looked at the vacant street with a adetached adetached adetached detached curiosity It seemed seemedstrange seemedstrange seemedstrange strange to see the street so empty emptyand emptyand emptyand and silent silent , , where last they had seen seenit seenit seenIt it fullof full of knotted groups of men . . No Nostealthy Nostealthy Nostealthy stealthy movement in doorways this thistime thistime thistime time no eyes covertly watching watchingthem watchingthem watchingthem them from under ten gallon ha15- ha15 hats- hats ha15nothing hatsnothing hats hatsnothing - nothing but clean horizontal sunlight sunlighton on quiet qulet dust dust , , as if It nothing Lived in inthis Inthis Inthis this place at allMarian allMarian all allMarian Marian said You still don t twant twant twant want to tell me what you re going goingto goingto goingto to do ? It Isn t that I don t want to tell tellYOtL tellyou tellyou YOtL you . . It s just that it S-It S It s - it a II s got to tocome tocome tocome come to you In another way ' , "This This " This Is a dramatic thing-rather thing rather thingrathera thing - rather a . terrible thing thmg Marian said this thiscoming thiscoming coming to the end ot of a killer s strail strail strailDont traIl traIlDon Don Dont t look at It that way I Iwant Iwant Iwant want you to think of this thing with withall withall withall all the Impartiality you can . . You Youknow Youknow Youknow know now that our western code Is Isa isa isa a different coda code Not the six gun guncode guncode guncode code of the old days nor the w wild wildkind wildkind d dkind kind of thing some people have tried triedto triedto triedto to make out it 1t Is such as never e2f- e2f e2fisted e ea-Isted ea Isted - & - isted fisted here or any place else . . . But Butjust Butjust Butjust just a kind kmd of a way of going about aboutth aboutth aboutth th ngs that is bred Into dry country countrymenthe countrymenthe countrymen men-the men the - the way of each man making makinghIS makinghis makinghis hIS own right nght and wrong each man manlooking manlooking manlooking looking only to himself for approval approvalIn in the end Maybe Maybe-you Maybe you - - you re only go go- going going goIng - ing to leam learn the story of a kind of- of ofa ofa of ofa - - a kind of private pnvate execution maybe maybeby maybeby maybeby by a man who believed bebeved with all his hisheart hisheart hisheart heart that he was in the right . . She looked at him hun wonderlngly wonderingly for fora fora fora a minute mmute she had never heard him himtalk himtalk himtalk talk m that way before Billy BillyBilly BillyBilly BillyBilly Billy don t you trust me to face out outanthmg outany outanything any anthmg ) thmg even yet ? Don t you think thinkI I have any courage at all ? ' ' I trust your courage more than thanI I ve ye ever trusted anyth ng in my mybfe mylife mylife bfe life Or you wouldn t be here nowWheeler nowWheeler now nowWheeler Wheeler drove through the town townand townand townand and turned up a side street to the thehouse thehouse thehouse house where Sheriff Shenf ! Walt Amos AmoslIved Amoslived Amoslived lIved Leaving Leavlilg Marian Manan and Old Man ManCoffee ManCoffee ManCoffee Coffee in the car he walked around aroundthe aroundthe aroundthe the little httle house to the back doorthere door , there was a smell of breakfast cook cooking cooking cookIng ing here and Walt Amos hImself hImselfwas himselfwas himselfwas was souzlmg water over his lus face faceand faceand faceand and hair at a wash bench beside a apump apump apump pump The young sheriff sheriff herlff straight straightened straightened straightened ened up and stared at Wheeler for fora fora tora a long moment through dr ppmg wa water water water ter Hardly expected to see you youhere youhere youhere youhereI here hereI I ve ye come to make a deal With Withyou withyou withyou you Wheeler saidDon saidDon said saidDon Don t hardly seem there s any anydeal anydeal anydeal deal to be made between you and andme andme andme me Horse Dunn isn isa t going gomg out on onbaiL onbail onball baiL . Get it out of your head headAmos headAmos headAmos Amos began to dry his face and andhair andhair andhair andhairThis hair hairThIs This Is something else Wheel Wheeler Wheeler er said You ve ye wanted me out of ofthiS ofthis ofthis thiS picture You ve ye wanted me out outof outof outof of it from the start . . You know why whyand whyand whyand and there s no need tor for us to go Into Intowhy intowhy intowhy intowhyI why whyI I got enough troubles on thIs thIsrange thisrange thisrange range Amos said without outside outsidecapital outsidecapital outsidecapital capital pitching pltchmg In to make thIngs thIngsworse thingsworse thingsworse worse for the conrmon corrmon run of cow cowmen cowmen cowmen cowmenIn men menIn In short short , , you and your gang has hasbeen hasbeen hasbeen been afraid I d help Dunn save the the94 94 You tried to railroad roe me here hereIn herein herein In Judge Shafer s II court-but court but court - but you youdldn youdidn youdidn dldn didn t get away with ! it t Maybe Maybeyou Maybeyou Maybeyou you ve ye got other things thmgs In mind mmd to totry totry totry try to get me out of the way of ofyour ofyour ofyour your plans I don t know anythIng anythIngabout anythingabout anythingabout about thatPeople thatPeople that thatPeople People from outside that figure figureto figureto figureto to throw in against the best interests mter inter mteresb interests esb ests of this range- range rangeAmos range - - Amos beganAll beganAU began beganAll All AU r ght Now you ve ye got a achance achance achance chance to get rid of me You give giveme giveme giveme me what I want and 111 III Ill promise promiseyou promiseyou promiseyou you I 111 I11 11 be out of this killing case casewIthm casewithin casewithin wIthm within 24 hoursYou hoursYou hours hoursYou You haven t got any officIal officIalslandIng officialstanding officialstandmg slandIng standing in this case to begin with withAmos withAmos withAmos Amos pointed outYou outYou out outYou You d like Wte to see me drag my myfre myfro mytre fre fro ght just Oust the same ' And here s show show show how you can get it doneWell doneWell done doneWell7 Well7 Well ' Well7Old Old Man Coffee and Horse HorseDunn HorseDunn HorseDunn Dunn s niece mece are here with me GIVe GIVeus Giveus Giveus us an hour to talk to Horse Dunn Dunnalone Dunnalone Dunnalone alone That s the proposition and andall andall andall all of tre Lte tle proposItionAnd propositionAnd proposition propositionAnd And it If I do that you U II ll pull out outof outof outof of here ? Within 24 hours Ill I U 11 ! stay Kay May out outuntil outuntil outuntil until the k killing llng case against Horse HorseDunn HorseDunn HorseDunn Dunn Is cleared up one way or oranother oranother oranother another After Alter that maj may bI be b\ b \ " I Illcome Illcomeback 111 11 come comeback comeback back to the 94 and maybe I 111 11 help helpIt helpit helpit It with Its finance I 1 don t say one oneway oneway oneway way or the other But If It you want wantme wantme wantme me beinghere out ot of It for the time bme being here s your chanceThere chanceThere chance chanceThere There s a hook in this some someplace someplace someplace place Amos said But I 1 U 11 ll take a achance achance achance chance Horse Dunn s in the jail jailwhere , , where he belongs I 111 11 take you there thereand thereand thereand and I 111 11 U give you an hourThe hourThe hour hourThe The Inspiration jail was tiny but butit butit butit it was perhaps the most modern modernthing modernthing modernthing thing In the town It sat by itself itselfon itselfon Itselfon on . rise of ground 200 yards be . - . hind Walt Amos house which was wasthe wasthe wasthe the nearest dwelling dwellingIn In structure it was a 20 foot footsquare footsquare footsquare square cube of concrete with tiny tinyair tinyair tinyair air holes near the roof and an iron irondoor irondoor Irondoor door Within Withm was an inner caga cage of ofsteel ofsteel ofsteel steel bars separated from the theouter theouter theouter outer shell shell , , , all the way around by a acorridor acorridor acorridor corridor four feet wide The place placehad placehad placehad had no great capacity but It would wouldhave wouldhave wouldhave have been a double job for a good goodcracksman goodcracksman goodcracksman cracksman to make his way out . . . Old Man Coffee was reluctant to tovisit tovisit tovisit visit Horse Dunn here Don t hard hardIy hardly hardly Iy ly seem fittingThere fittingThere fitting fittingThere There s a a special reason I want wantyou wantyou wantyou you to come for a minute or two ' 'Have Have ' Have it your own way " Sheriff Shenff Walt Amos swung wide theouter the theouter theouter outer door I m putting you on onyour onyour onyour your honor not to try any funny funnybusmess funnybusiness funnybusiness busmess business he said But In case of ofdoubtjust ofdoubtjust ofdoubt doubt-just doubt just - just remember how easy it itwould itwould Itwould would be to cut loose on you from fromthe fromthe fromthe the house ' ' , You talk like a child said Cof Coffee CofLee Cotfee CotfeeIt fee Lee feeIt LeeIt It seemed strange Billy Wheeler Wheelerthought Wheelerthought Wheelerthought thought , , that the old king kmg of cattle cattlethe cattlethe cattlethe the man who could not only dream a acow acow acow cow kingdom but make It live was wasto wasto wasto to be found standing here in a two twoby twoby twoby by four jaiL Yet Yet , , , within the blacke.aw black e.aw eaw . . w 1rfi < 2 - 4 4 a a ) 3 3y y . 1 1t t t # 1 1Then Then Speak Out Man I1Ian ' ' He Saidshadows Said Saidshadows shadows of concrete and steel Horse HorseDunn HorseDunn HorseDunn Dunn towered bigger than ever everstraighter everstraighter straighter than ever he seemed seemed'not seemednot seemednot 'not not ' not an old man at the end of his hisrope hisrope hisrope rope but a young giant easy in lus his lusstrength hisstrength bisstrength strength The great sense of latent latentpower latentpower latentpower power that rad ated from Horse HorseDunn HorseDunn HorseDunn Dunn made it seem that he only onlywaited onlywaited onlywaited waited here within these cramped crampedwalls crampedwalls crampedwalls walls because he wilfully willuIly used hIS hISown hisown bisown own great body as a pawn laid in inhazard inhazard inhazard hazard . while v.hlle vhlle he awaited his lus ad advantage advantage advantage advantageBut vantage vantageBut But there were tears m in Marian s seyes seyes seyes seyesHorse eyes eyesHorse Horse Dunn grinned grmned upward and andabout andabout andabout about him at the steel and concreteThe concrete concreteThe concreteThe The walls could not shame h m-It m It mItwas mitwas m - itwas was he who shamed the walls A Athousand Athousand Athousand thousand miles of ot range have to be beheld beheld beheld held by money and cows and men- men mennot mennot men - not by a little tin contrIvance contrIvancepalmed contrivancepalmed contrivancepalmed palmed off on the county by some somehardware somehardware somehardware hardware salesman You think they theycan theycan theycan can hold me here an hour once I Idecide Idecide Idecide decide to move out out7 out7No ' No one answered him hum There Therewhere Therewhere Therewhere where the daylight could hardly en enter enter enter ter the silence had a way of de descendmg descendmg descending scendmg sharply like the closing closmg of ofiron ofiron ofIron iron doors Alter After a 1 I ttle of that thatqUiet thatquiet thatquiet qUiet no one could forget that a man manhad manhad manhad had been found dead in the Red RedSleep RedSleep RedSleep Sleep and another at Ace Springs Springsand Springsand Springsand and still stlll another at the head of a agorge agorge agorge gorge without a nameWheeler nameWheeler name nameWheeler Wheeler knew that Old Man Cof Coftee Coffee Coffee tee fee s eyes v/ere v ere were / watching watchmg him hun wait waitIng waitmg waiting Ing mg lor for him to speak He drew a adeep adeep adeep deep breath and broke the slenceHorse slence slenceHorse s lence lenceHorse Horse he said the whole wholeworks wholeworks wholeworks works has been-kInd been kInd been - kind of ot stood on Its Itshead itshead itshead head since I saw you lastHorse lastHorse last lastHorse Horse Dunn s voice rumbledWell rumbledWell rumbled rumbledWell Well that s goodWheeler goodWheeler good goodWheeler Wheeler s voice was very low he hefound hefound hefound found that he could hardly speakNo speakNo speak speakNo No Horse it isn t good This is ismaybe ismaybe ismaybe maybe the worst thing thmg that any of ofus ofus ofus us have come to ever m ill in all our ourlong ourlong ourlong long trailsHeld trailsHeld trails trailsHeld Held in that sharp hard s silence silencethat silencethat ence encethat that could clamp down so suddenly suddenlyhere suddenlyhero suddenlyhere here hero . they could feel the chill chlll of the thewalls thewalls thewalls walls Wheeler was seeking feekmg a way wayto wayto wayto to go on onMarian onManan onMarian Marian Manan was holding her uncle s shand shand shand hand against her cheek and no noff noffHorse nowHorse N NHorse Horse drew his hand away Billy Bully Billyhe Bullyhe Billyhe he said and hesitated ThenSpeak ThenSpeak Then ThenSpeak Speak out man ' he said at lastTwo lastTwo last lastTwo Two three different things have havehappened havehappened havehappened happened Wheeler said MarIan MarIanand Marianand Marianand and I found Lon Magoon dead a lit little littie littie tle tie way back In the hills Coffee Coffeehere Coffeehere Coffeehere here he went to Pahranagat Pahranagat- PahranagatHow PahranagatHowd - How Howd d Magoon die die7 ' H Horse HorseDunn HoneDunn 0 r s e eDunn Dunn asked IIsked IIskedWhe askedWheeler askedWheeler Whe Wheeler eler would not be turned turnedaSide turnedaside turnedaside aSide I guess that don t so much muchmattel muchmatter muchmattel mattel matter Horse in view of a couple coupleof coupleof of other things thmgs For one thing Mar Marian Marian Marlan ian had her horse shot out from fromunder fromunder fromunder under her in plain plam plats light back in the thehills thehills thehills hills I ve ye been thinking thlnkmg a whole lot lot , , . Horse , ' ; , ' he went on about how howanybody howanybody howanybody anybody would ever come to take a ashot ashot ashot shot at her Now-I Now I Now - I think I 1 know ' . What are you coming to boy boyHorse ? Horse Duna Dunn said . . , ' Horse " said Billy Wheeler- Wheeler Wheeler"HorseI Wheeler"HorseI Wheeler Wheeler"Horse - "Horse-I "Horse Horse I "Horse Horse " - - I know who killed Marian s e spony epony 8pony pony last night , and know whyHe whyHe why whyHe He saw Horse Dunn s big shaggy shaggyhead shaggybead shaggybead head bead way sway ( and tip a little mUe to oneside oneside one onelda side lda as i the old nan fought sought to peer peermore peermore peermore more closely into Wheeler s eyes eyes"If eyesIf ' " , It If you know that- that thathe that - ' he began . . Wheeler I s voico voIce was wa * flat l1at fiat and re- re relaxed relazed re relaxed - laxed |