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Show mmm By Ernest Haycox SL -rOs THE storv so FAR: Cfay MorBan, soutary man who cannot forget the w, e who died hating him, refuses to Play ball" with Ben Herendeen, a rancher who wants to run the catUe country his own way. Morgan is a big rancher and knows he must protect him-self him-self aga.nst rustlers and "nesters," but he doesn't like Herendeen-s methods. Of h.s old friends, only Hack Breathitt has not gone over to Herendeen's side. The others-like Lige White, Charley Hill-house Hill-house and Gurd Grant-are supporting Herendeen more or less in self defense. Gurd Grant's sister, Catherine, is in love with Clay, she comes to see him and is forced to hide when riders are heard approaching. The first is Hack Breathitt, out of breath from hard riding. Now continue with the story. CHAPTER V Hack Breathitt stepped to the porch. He said: "I guess I need a little help on this." He was a thin, agitated shape in the shadows- he was swearing softly to himself, full of anger. He listened to the strengthening strength-ening rush of the yonder horses "That will be Herendeen and Lige White and Gurd Grant. It has come to a hell of a pass when a man can't ride these hills as he pleases." Clay Morgan said, rough and sudden: sud-den: "If they're stepping on your feet, take a shot at them." ' Hack let out a heavy, irritated sigh. "Not yet, Clay. I'm tryin' to be peaceable." They said no more, for the three ranchers had reached the yard. They were stopped, they were keeping keep-ing to their saddles, and letting the silence run; they could see Hack and Morgan on the porch, touched by the outshining lamp light from the living room of the house. The three left their saddles, slowly slow-ly coming into the light. Morgan had his quick sight of their faces, of Gurd's worried expression and of Lige White's embarrassed dislike at what he was now doing, and of Ben Herendeen's bony, flat triumph. "It's what I expected," Herendeen said. "You're lucky I didn't knock you out of that saddle," grumbled Hack Breathitt. "If you had nothin' to worry about, why run?" asked Herendeen. Hack Breathitt was a shrewd man and he had no trust in Ben Herendeen. Heren-deen. He said, halfway between outrage out-rage and amusement: "Wasn't run-nin', run-nin', Ben. I was just bein' careful. I just kept rememberin' Ollie Jacks." Gurd Grant said: "We were coming com-ing along the trail down by Dell Lake and saw you and Pete Borders Bor-ders riding together. Pete hit off one way and you went another. All we wanted to know was why you camped with him last night. But you made a run of it." "Clay," said Herendeen, "you propose pro-pose to shelter every brush-jumper that comes along?" . "Hack's a friend of mine," stated Morgan, "and he's on my land. I'll stand behind him." Herendeen said, to Breathitt, "If I ever see you around my country, Hack, I'll open up on you." He 'swung on his heels and left the porch. From his place by the doorway, Morgan noticed Gurd Grant swing from the porch end with a strange I jerk of his shoulders and cross at once to his horse. He mounted quickly, waiting for Lige White and Herendeen. Darkness covered this yard but Morgan saw Gurd's white and vague and staring face in the heavy shadows. A moment later all three of them trotted from the yard. As they left. Lige White said something to Grant. Gurd Grant never heard it. In stepping to the end of the porch he had noticed his sister's horse in the farther darkness dark-ness and at that moment all his long wonder at her relations with Morgan froze into solid certainty-and certainty-and left him, in that one passing interval, no longer Morgan's friend. Hack said: "Well, I'll drift along. "Put up for the night. Hack. No "said Hack. "But I'm obliged for the help." He looked down at the floor, involved in his own uncertain un-certain thoughts. "It is the last time I'll run from those fellows Clay. I wanted no shootin . Now, I don't give a damn." 'Watch your step. Don't let Ben push you into the wrong stall. Hack drew a long breath. So fa" ' he said, "I ain't done a thing o be ashamed of, Clay. I want you to know that. Well, so-long y He was soon gone, galloping souU -ward down the narrow valley. Morgan Mor-gan waited until the sound of a U,ese -travelers faded into the night Uiese living room, before going to the ' Catherine came from the hallwaj toward him. h,.,.. "Clav-did he see my horse. I took it back of the house Re' ef came to her. though there Ras a shading of worry that M,?t leive "Gurd's a little TuC ab ut me. I wouldn't want " She didn't finish that sentence. sulC''I-rda;e,?.Are comes to a showoown 111 go against h.m. and ,!-.e She murmured. I Kn . turned sof.er. s.u. ar.-r.nd of hi jaw and J w,,t bis lies and the f.no Mrs. Gale suddenly reached for the smallest child, wrapping her apron around him rising in his eyes. She said in a small, hurried voice, "Good night, Clay," and went by him. He walked to the porch and waited until she rode around the house. She paused a moment and held out her hand. The pressure of it was strong; and the shock was there again for him. She said, at once cool and near laughter: "Will I see you in town, Clay? There's a dance Friday. I think Ben will be taking me." "I'll be there," he said. On Thursday evening just beyond sunset, Ben Herendeen reached the ridge behind the Gale homestead and . came over it so suddenly that he caught the Gale family eating supper under a lone juniper tree in the yard. He might have taken the route straight across Fanolango Desert, Des-ert, but this would have given Gale notice from afar. Liard Connor and Bones McGeen, both being men who liked this kind of business, were with him. It amused Herendeen to see the complete shock his arrival produced. pro-duced. Gale rose, gaunt and gray-headed gray-headed and old-faced in the twilight. Mrs. Gale suddenly reached for the smallest child, wrapping her apron around him. There were three other children in the family, a girl near twenty and two younger boys. All of them remained still and for a moment he could see something pretty close to terror in the eyes of Gale's wife. In a way it pleased him to find them still on the ranch. He proposed to make an example of the family and this made it easy. "I gave you time," pointed out Herendeen. "Time for what?" asked Gale. "To kick a man around like a dog? I ain't hurting you. This ain't near your range. It should be Mr. White's say and he ain't complained." He didn't speak of his legal right to be here on free Government land, for he knew how hopeless it was in front of a cattleman in cattle country. "That's enough," said Herendeen. "All you nesters are alike. I give you twenty minutes to clear your junk out of the shack." Mrs. Gale at once turned and ran for the house, calling over her shoulders, shoul-ders, "Gale, help me. Daisy come help me." Gale didn't move. He had his head down and he stared at the ground, hard-caught by indecision and futility. futili-ty. The girl, Herendeen observed, was pretty. He stared at her out of interested eyes and was irritated by the judgment he discovered on her face. The women were carrying their possessions out of the house their kitchen implements, their clothes, their few sticks of furniture. Herendeen Her-endeen said, almost laughing. "Old man, if you expect to save your wagon you better get it out of the shed." Gale stirred himself. He walked across the yard with his knees never nev-er quite straightening. He called to the oldest boy. "Give me a hand, sonny." son-ny." and both of them seized the tongue of the wagon and backed it from the shed. Afterwards Gale went into the corral for his horses. Herendeen watched the family move around the yard. He looked at his watch, and was a little disappointed disappoint-ed that it was so easy. He said: That's twenty minutes. Set 'em afire." Bones McGeen rode to the shed. Liard Connor got down and wer.t into the house. Herendeen hca-d him tramrir-e around the rlacc: the stove crashed don and in a httic while smoke began to ruff thr.-tteh the door. Connor came baoK. Gccn had riled some face against the corner ct the f.rd r.i now this fire began to turn. Ge terred harr.cssxc the r.-rs. he put 'his back ac.v,r.5 -". watching the r.re ca.t.. .. -1 0-e s-.de rf the she! sr.. v,--'ow sheet rf fl.:r.r: the c--tt of the shnr.tr sh,-. cd a s ". r- c! n,oke a:v: ore ie i t:--re no way row fr the G,v5 :, f,-.e -; . ; n-.or.: "I f" ; ' ' "" '. ' ' looked at the f rh. r,rc - - f" hcr. He 5, i "IT, r..-t .5 -voud tT.ro. Vou ,r.t .; j; orc ay rf k --;" t - a'.ive. r.yh."'" " Gale left the horses arid walked to I Herendeen. He said: "Mr. Herendeen, Heren-deen, my daughter would drop dead before she took anything from you. And if she did take anything I'd kill her. I guess you've done us all the hurt you can. Go on and leave us alone. Someday, maybe I can pay you back." "Hold on there," said Herendeen. He got off his horse and walked up to Gale, catching the front of Gale's shirt in his fingers. He shook Gale a little but there wasn't any resistance in the older man at all; his body swayed to the pressure of Herendeen's arm. Mrs. Gale's eyes showed a sudden terror. One of the boys reached down to seize a rock; he would have thrown it at Herendeen Heren-deen if the girl hadn't caught his arm. Herendeen said: "You had better keep your damned mouth shut. Hitch up that team and get out of the country. I don't want to see you on this range again." He released Gale and returned to his horse. Connor and McGeen joined him, the three of them circling cir-cling the snapping, twisted rush of fire; flames broke through the shanty's shan-ty's roof and the sky above this area began to glow. Looking back as a matter of caution, Herendeen saw the family still standing by the juniper tree. The girl had taken the youngest child in her arms. Gale had moved over to his wife. His arm was around her; she had thrown her apron across her face and was crying. Late Friday afternoon, just as Clay Morgan was ready to leave the ranch for War Pass, Vance Ket-chell Ket-chell came into the Long Seven yard and dropped off a tired horse. Vance was a steady-going young man who once had been a puncher for Herendeen's Heren-deen's Three Pines and now owned a few cows of his own up on the slope of the Cache Mountains. He didn't say anything for a moment but Morgan saw that he was under considerable strain and waited for Vance to make his talk. Vance fashioned a cigarette, lighted it and stood with his feet apart, staring across the narrow valley flats. He said, "Pretty country," but really didn't see it. When he pushed his hat back a mop of hair, black as crow, dropped down on his forehead. "Clay," he said at last, "you hear about the Gales?" "Yes." "I saw them over in Freeport yesterday. yes-terday. Pretty tough pretty tough." He smoked on and Morgan knew he had not yet come to his point. Something Some-thing on the summit of the Mogul Hills seemed to interest Vance Ket-chell Ket-chell as he added casually: "I like the family I like the girl." "Sure," said Morgan, and understood under-stood part of Vance's trouble then. "Clay, if that can happen to a nester, it can happen to me. I'm pretty small potatoes and it looks like something's afuut to push us out." He stared at Morgan, then Eaid i in an idle voice, "I heard the biej outfits held a meetm' the other day." "Wasn't present," said Cay. He knew what lay in Kctchc'd's mind. Kc'.chcll was a cow hand at heart but he had his own interests to worry about now. and the afTair at the Gale horr.c.'.'.rad hit pretty close. Ketcholl was IT ;rir.g out the politics of the country, wonrtrrint where his. Morgan's. e ght wouirj be. Kctchril was tr-o rid a hand U ask the direct q-jef.i-.n. tut never- thc'.rss he krrt circling srr.ur.d. ' hunt.ne an answer. Kc'.chcll said: "1 d n't f...-.k it was right of HrrrniTr.. Cr,n't blame a tig outf.t f r at.-h.r.' i; cjt. fences, tut I ain't - ;c- rsr.t an 1 i:ed to be. Sn-all '. ..-is hive f. r.t .'. . Cay Tr rre'i a h'i; rf a lot of th.rm m th.s wr'.i sr.ri t.-.-; , g t riih'J " If I ere G?.lr." f- '' I'd ct the jr.cf ' Vr h rr r S7?i ct r.f ii'rtr,-.":. t..-.- " s x rr '. - f r r ce K ' -.- .1 r fa;c r r,r-.. V;-, , i h" tr f i 1 r ' " : r ;i f - .-! .-! r. -i t ' ! ;i ' f i tv J : r "Yf.- - !- i ' c 6- -1 f n a t - -; t - - - . rp :r r .1 r - ' " ' ' :. r u-.it i. " - f-' " -' i : jo rr c 7! : i i" |