Show E F i A ALAN LE LEMAY MAY WH U 5 v adm grafas Ir AfAs CHAPTER vill VIII continued 11 kentucky jones could see now why lie be had been so aate A ate in hearing st Ilar maries IcIs approach st marle mahe was riding not in the center of the trail but in the rougher going at the side av avoiding oldin the lee ice formed by the hoof crushed crushed snow lit la the trail itself st marie was now cow nathin twenty five yards he was leaning a little sideways in the saddle saddies addle addies peering into the junipers juni pers so directly that kentucky thought the bronc rider was looking him straight in the face yet st marle marie came on kentucky drew his gun and waited until st marle marie was almost below him nis its voice was low as he spoke but coming coining unexpectedly out of 0 the quiet from within ten yards it lifted st marle marie like a fired gun just a minute joe the result was as it if kentucky had bad snapped a strip of hide from st 31 maries arles horse with a bull whip the animal snorted and went forward in a groat great bound as st marles spurs struck joe st marle marie himself in the same instant flung himself halt half out of uie the saddle and behind his horse Kentuck ys horse startled by the others stampede halt freed itself with a great stamping of feet throwing kentucky off balance as he fired but the shot caught st mirles horse in its third jump As the gun spoke the horse went down on its knees nose into the he snow as it if he had hit bit the end of a rope kentucky gun in hand sprang across st SL maries downed horse to where the rider lay st marle marie lay on his back his hands above his head one ot of them still holding his gun cocked but unfired kentucky took the gun with his left hand ne he would have eased the hammer down but st maries horse shot through the shoulders was to get up straining its neck toward toward its withers usla using st maries auarles gun kentucky put a bullet through its head bead the brone bronc rider was breathing heavily but except that he had bad been knocked out by the throw K kentucky en could not find anything wrong with him when he had satisfied himself that st marle had no other weapon of any account he unfastened st maries bedroll bed roll from the fallen horse kicked it out flat and dragged st marle onto it then he sat down on the horse to awalt await results CHAPTER IX IT T WAS a quarter of an hour before st SL marle marie propped himself up on an elbow and looked at kentucky with comprehension kentucky saw the bronc rider stealthily ascertain that he was no longer armed go ahead kentucky said reading his mind pick up a rock but when you do im going to blow your arm right oil oft at the wrist st marle marie sat up and rubbed his bead with both hands bands once more ile be r stared at kentucky jones kentucky smoked and idly twirled his pin gua by the trigger guard but he be did not open the conversation ile he wanted st marle marie to begin that 1 I suppose said st SL marlo marie at last youre waiting for the others t to come up im waiting for you to talk 1 I got nothing to say it if you dont want to talk said kentucky en tucky im not a d n bit interested te in trying to make you just keep your mouth shut tight enough and long iong enough and youre through and that units suits me st marle marie studied him again listen he said eald at last listen you guys got no call to rub me out only make it worse for you yon in the end campo ought to know that just as likely as not gunning me will be the one thin thing that turns around and hangs all the rest reat ot of it on him before hes bes through youre mixed up kentucky grunted granted ie got no doubt youl be rubbed out all right but it 1 wont be here or now and it won wont be by me youre going up op the chimney by due process of law joe st marle seemed mystified you think youre having a lot ot of fun with me dont you be said at last but dont you think f tor or a minute that I 1 dont know what pa youre oure here for and why you were sent just as well as you yon do st marle leaned forward hitching nearer kentucky listen stay where you are kentucky warned him all right im not trying an any Y thin thing funny fenny hilten whoa wl with th oal tow how many ot of nie me do you think it ft takes to take you where youre joing the quarter blood seemed to take a flying grip on hope look here lie he said look here beret I 1 campo rag lands got me wrongs wrong I 1 know you dont know me very good but norn bre de dios kentucky I 1 swear before god im iio telling you the truth listen kentucky if I 1 meant to shoot square with campo ragland do you think id have stayed at the ear dar hook as long as I 1 did and id have stuck with him right on through 14 it too id have backed his play any way he be wanted yes by G d I 1 will yet I 1 campo ragland had no call on earth to be afraid of 0 me afraid of you KeTi tucky repeated gone haywire with the godforsaken outfits outfit st marie said there was a frantic intensity in the stare which he held upon Kentuck ys fam face that man has gone to pieces he insisted that man right any more I 1 have left the bar hook at all only pretty soon I 1 seen that campo was getting seared scared and scared of me that man has gone to pieces st marle marie reiterated kentucky perceived that the nan man believed himself to be talking for hla his life nobody that knows anything thin about this Is safe in the same country with him any more maybe youre not safe yourself for all you know cut but look kentucky I 1 swear to G d ragland england had no call to worry about me even if I 1 stayed in the rl and he has a thousand times less reason to put me out of business and head me ott off from nhat ft hat im trying to do now or was trying to do when you shot my horse out from under me and just what Is this youre trying to do all I 1 want Is to get out of this country where I 1 made my mistake I 1 was saving the d n horse I 1 should have pushed through this here gap two hours ago all I 1 want of this business Is out 1 I expect you do said kentucky cut youre deep in this business joe what difference does it make how deep im in so BO long iong as I 1 car can keep my iny mouth shut and disappear out of here I 1 A lot of difference kentucky told him 1 I d n well mean to take you back kentucky rolled a cigarette and considered we dont seem to see eye to eye in this st marle marie he said in the first place I 1 sent after you by campo ragland campo even know youve left the bar alook so far as I 1 know ive come out here to take you back on an my own hook I 1 guess ill ask you a couple of questions tor for a change Stil arle shivered but appeared to take heart and what it if I 1 glie ghe you the wrong answers he said his tone altering subtly then said kentucky 1 I suppose go right ahead and hang dont let me stop you ilan nang for what for the killing of zack sanders for an instant st bearle did not move then he drew a deep breath and let it go again 1 I sure as h I 1 dont know what youre talking about he said give me a cigarette kentucky tossed him the makings im going to describe a gun to you he sald said the gun im thinking of Is a blue 45 theres a little fitce split olt off the wooden part of the grip the serial number looks like it be begins ins with a 3 but its really an S kentucky told told him the rest of the number my gun said st marie or anyway it was my gun once 1 I know that said kentucky 1 I found that out from the gunsmith in waterman now kow I 1 want to know exactly when and why you shoved that gun into the hand of zack sanders 1 I never did give it to zack sanders said st marie kentucky jones lost patience get yourself re ready ady to walk he be said 1 I got no time to listen to Y you ou 1101 lie I 1 tell me just this one tiling st marle pleaded where did you get track of this gun the gun were talking nebout kentucky said was in zack sanders hand as lie lay dead near the bar nook hook pump house the brone bronc rider sore softly if youre trying to hook me into some thin by way of that he said youre up the wrong coulee couke I 1 lost that gun in a crap game in waterman four months back I 1 can name you every man that was waa in that crap game and swear to what I 1 say and ted daylor will tell you that gun la Is the one he won from me that night tod ted daylor caylor in a crap game with a bunch of saddle bums a hot one lie ile was drunk and he be just stopped for one pass as lie he went through joe st marle marie insisted the lucky stiff got my gun on that one pass it so BO kentucky said that can be checked up tip later for the time being im taking you back it if you alm aim to take me back I 1 can just as well kiss myself goodby right now I 1 aint got a china mans chance of living to see trial and well you know III I 1 thought you swung with campo ragland I 1 even thought you were thick with Ra glanda glands girl you sure had me fooled what makes you yon think I 1 dont swing with england Rag landl if you swung with the bar nook hook the last thing want to do would be to drag roe me back into this case the bronc rider was beginning to crack under the strain 01 1 I dont know what your side Is he be said hoarsely nor who you think youre working for or why but if youre fool enough to think youre helping out campo ragland youre making one h 1 of a blunder answer me this said kentucky and it I 1 figure youve answered me with a lie ile were going to start back right now without any more talk what do you know about the killing of sanders 1 I swear I 1 never knew zack sanders was dead until lee found him st marle marie said passionately then tell me this said kentucky again you saw the killing of mason alison no ko said st marle violently not no I 1 anywhere near it it its pretty well known said kentucky that you where you were supposed to be that day where were you when you saw the shooting of mason 1 I never seen it I 1 tell you yon I 1 I 1 was riding in but I 1 was anyway half a mile off and beyond the ridge when I 1 heard the shots I 1 even suspicion anything then I 1 wont went up to the house for grub all I 1 ever seen when I 1 went by the kitchen window was campo ragland cleaning his gun his deer rifle I 1 never even knew mason was dead until lee bishop found him that night and I 1 never knew that deer rifle killed him until the sheriff come out to see about zack sanders killing and told us mason was killed by a small caliber I 1 swear y you recognized the caliber of the gun he was cleaning as you walked past the window 1 I went on in the kitchen hed put it away from him by then it was clear over on the other side of the room but it was the only rifle in the room and 1 I 1 anew new th that a t that was the one hed bad in his hands bands I 1 how come you to take such close notice of what was the caliber of the gun how can a feller help knowing the different guns around a place by sight ive used that gun myself kentucky jones said slowly was there anybody an body else at the ranch house then campos girl was there she was in the kitchen talking to her father been having a fight about something but they cut it off quick when I 1 come in the girl looked like she feeling so good kentucky leaned forward and his voice sounded as if it could saw chunks out of the frozen rock st marie la IS that all you know all ali I 1 know ills his voice rose in insolent revolt what the h 1 do you think lie ile checked kentucky jones had bad cocked his gun and the small metallic click tamed the bronc rider more effectively than as it if kentucky had downed him with a rock III n 1 Ken kentuck tuckI he cried 1 I cant tell you anything more morel I 1 its enough to get my head bead shot off as it Is P youre giving me this as the whole 1 reason for stealing a horse and going over the hill bonig tonight lit in G ds name why I 1 go over the hill neres heres campo with a killing on his hands stirred up the rimrock like no killing ever stirred it up before heres here me e maybe the only man that knows as a tiling thing that would hung bang campo high er than a buzzard Is that reason for going coins over the hill or not but I 1 tell you ra id have stayed throng throngs thron gl 1 it if I 1 seen him going to pieces right in front of my eyes when fear comes into a man nob odys safe id give a thousand dollars said kentucky to know if youre telling the truth for a moment joe st marle marie dropped his gesticulating hands and said nothing then suddenly give me my saddle saddle he babbled and let me go I 1 I 1 can keep my mouth shut I 1 tell you I 1 I 1 can forget I 1 ever worked for the pat bar hook I 1 can forget I 1 ever set eyes on the rim I 1 let roe me get out ot of this God godforsaken forsa ken country and for G ds sake shut up cupl said kentucky lie he was feeling no not t less than two thousand years old and very weary of 0 the world but he did not hesitate over his decision nave have you got any money 1 he said in a dead voice rolce no take your saddle on your back he told st marle olarle now how far Is it to the nearest place where a man can borrow a horse 1 nine eleven miles take your saddle on your back and walk and your bedroll bed roll too borrow you a horse see that that horse dies running and never let me set eyes on you again for a moment st marle sagged the steam taken out of 0 him by the sudden realization that he ha had got out ot of hla his box but true to that dark strain in his blood he had no io N it stay where you are word ot of thanks no word for his luck his next remark was in the form of 0 EL a complaint 1 I cant walk all that he said a long ion days walk and carrying a saddie leand and a bedroll bed roll youve got better than two hours before mo morning rnIno said kentucky borrow that horse as the ine sun comes up have they got a phone there no s good cut but look if they ever catch up with me have me back here for horse stealing ng 1 yes said kentucky 1 I trust you loose it if I 1 know be h 1 on your heels as you go kentucky pulled off his gloves and looked through his pockets he found six dollars in silver cart wheels and tossed them onto st Il marlea clarles blanket ive got just one more thing to say to you he be said it if ever I 1 see you in this country again go go for your iron because im golea going jt to gun you down and it if ever campo ragland Is tried for murder no matter on whose say so even it youve kept your mouth shut ill hunt you down it if it takes a lifetime you hear bear mel me have to come deep into sonora said st SL marle marie if you want W ant to see me again 1 I dont give me my gun s said st marle ill have to tell them I 1 broke my horses leg and had bad to shoot him and what will they think it if I 1 had no gunlov gun tell them you yon had to take your rope and hang mail kentucky wheeled his horse to the trail and began the long return plod to the bar hook and the first taint faint greyness grayn essof of another day was showing at the earths edge ede as he came out of night Hight mans 9 gap it was noon when he got back to the bar hook when he had unsaddled and feld fed his eldden out pony he lost no time in heading beading for the kitchen here he was wolfing cold meat and equally cold potatoes when jean found him the pallor of fatigue increased the look of frailty that had altered her since the death of mason but her self sufficiency clency seemed to have returned overnight she said in a flat incurious voice nave have a good ride TO BE CONTINUED |