Show ac 0 Z Q r an CHAN N I 1 NG wa t LE LES SUBNET BURNET has returned from alvys to southern tenas in 1875 to take AS trail boss lor for TOM ARNOLD owner of the cross T tom tells lew that he Is moving his herd to wyoming and enat anat he wants to stock lews ranch there ile he offers lew a share in partnership with STEVE and JOY ARNOLD his son and daughter lew refuses because he be does not wish to be associated with CLAY MANNING joys fiance lew agrees to take toms herd to the indian agent at ogallala lew Is aware of some undercurrent of treachery possibly involving steve arnold clay manning a new hand ED and four men whom lew met earlier CHAPTER V clay manning and ed followed the galloping animal in to I 1 he nearest fire where ap ht his forelegs fore legs in a loop and ehrl him expertly this huge bead bearteet bear teed fellow was a cow hand all right lew admitted but there was something else watching while the hot cross T iron was run on the steers shoulder he felt again again I 1 the strain of clay mannings unnatural silence 6 sitting his horse there close saying nothing he turned his gaze up the valley and saw tom arnold coming from the creek bottom trees and paused then with his eyes fixed upon the pole fences of the dipping chute like two wide open arms reaching out for an eighth of a mile then clay manning said idly what took you to the rims this morning the view he said his eyes still speculating won on the dipping chutes always did like it from up there that all clays voice was roughly edged id like to know clay he said youve got nothing against me you dont like my coming back to be trail boss for tom sure but its only because trailing has been my business these years still be toms foreman and segundo on this trip if the cross T ever gets north clay well have to work together a fact he saw his plea have a strange effect in the blue eyes troubling them with a hounded look and it seemed toJ to bring rIng clay out into the open tor for an instant bitterly he said lew theres more happened here than you know I 1 cant make any promises he closed his mouth on that all right lew accepted theres something I 1 do know from the rims I 1 could see herds going north while were not even ready theres a faster way to do 0 this branding it you want to try trick I 1 saw worked last year hows that use the dipping chute copings Ro pings too slow we could run this whole b burl urh ur h through by dark tonight A i had flipped his loop fre el e efrom l om the branded steer and had turned toward them he brought his horse to a stop close beside clays in time to hear this last talk he leaned forward in his saddle what kind of schoolboy game is that the matter burnet cant you use a rope lew looked at him steadily saying nothing somehow in this man he saw a trouble center on the cross T there was a surly sureness about him more than the arrogance of brute strength he wondered again why clay would tolerate his sort in the crew then as if ff made more bold and sure by that silence goaded leave him try his schoolboy trick come on clay P q denly this early mornings A decision to keep things run without trouble was gone he understood that he was being ribbed into a fight it was what wanted a showdown it might as well come now as later he swung his horse to get clay from between them but in that same instant incredibly fast a guri gun was in the mans right fist alst there was no smokiness in his eyes now they were only a cold hard gray unblinking now you he began but C clays ay s quick warning cut him off careful ed coming it was tom arnold pounding toward them his horse flung forward in a rush that swept along a dust cloud when he stopped what the hells going on here he glared at Sp lanns drawn gun with a hot violence unlike him in a crisis he blazed clay is this all youve got to do he swung his angry stare lew wrong little argument tom nothing much well what about difference of opinion mostly had an idea we could hurry up this branding by using your dipping chute you build your fires alongside push the animals through and run the iron on them as they pass ive seen it work arnold considered it the anger going out of him well clay he asked the objection not my method all maybe not but if lews seen it work levs lets give it a try anything to make up time clay hesitated beside him moved his horse closer there was a little silence then clay shook his head tom ill tell you it if you want to switch foreman right now instead of on the trail that suits me tom arnold spoke quietly theres no call for cussedness clay that I 1 can see but its your choice low lew take the job he swung his back to them and rode 0 off ff clay manning turned in his saddle saddie something had happened to him in that moment of giving up his leadership of the cross T there was a grimness added to him that had not been there before without temper he said lew im going north with this herd for a reason that you understand but not as your segundo either you or ill end up in full charge beside him suddenly kicked their two horses forward come on clay come on like any captain leading an army troop a trail boss needed a lieutenant his segundo and since clay had refused lew hunted up one man in in the cross T that he could count on absolutely when rebel john Quarter nights white head appeared among those riders darting in and out of the dust cloud he rode over and waved him to a stop john he said ive taken over the herd were going to push this branding along he explained his way and added grinning with the strong affection that he had for this man no argument now ive heard it ill take no talk from a pullet like you it was john Quarter night who had taught him all he knew about cattle most of what he knew about men a straight backed sturdy old warrior close to seventy now with deceivingly mild blue eyes and a drooping mustache turned yellow by the sun his full life went into the past as far as the war for texas independence up through the rebellion and after that the apache days he chuckled no got no argument im beginning begin nin to think maybe wed see ogallala next christmas its plain disgraceful pekin irons at cows through a fence but well give her a try he swung his horse build your fires son ill tell the boys lews wave brought Quarter night around to him he yelled above the rattle of horns slashing at the fence logs and the bellowing din takes two hands for this john the old man stepped down beside him and grabbed a hot iron shaped like a cross with another bar on top to make the T they worked from opposite ends of the penned steers meeting in the middle it was a choking job cottonwood made clouds of smoke the rancid odor of singed hide filled the air over them a midday sun poured down a breathless heat but the longhorns were moving ten by ten in endless parade in half an hours time lew waved joe wheat and ash brownstone down to relieve himself and Quarter night arnold jerked a nod at the work he looked as if a heavy weight had been lifted from him there was humor in him again mans never A lilt id A quietness came over him and there was nothing that lew wanted to say too old he said to learn a new wrinkle have this job done by dark tom arnold was in the ranch office sorting out a pile of worn account books from the drawers of his desk one was in his hands held close to the window light he brought his gray head around smiling faintly and tar far off takes a man back these things do he ran a finger down the page heres the first entry I 1 ever made for stella ten yards poplin two sets whalebone one copper kettle eighteen dollars he looked outside over the deserted corrals and buildings any of this here then only a one room house and a pile of ambition A quietness came over him and there was nothing that lew wanted to say then arnold said strongly Y well no complaint A man lo 10 loves ves a woman raises a family and builds a ranch that about completes the account I 1 guess he turned back and laid the book on top of others in a wooden box only one more thing id like to see theres a paper in this sigried signed and legal im storing the box in joys wagon not crowding fate any but things happen if that comes to me before we reach ogallala you look in this book time had come to set the guard night shadows had slid like a blanket off the high rimrock out be yond the firelight four thousand longhorns made a black pool watered and contented now ready to bed down lew dropped his tin plate and cup into owl heads wreck pan he understood der stood well enough that trail custom allowed a crew to draw for their turns at night riding first watch from eight until eleven was always the best choice no man wanted to break his sleep in the middle and so hated the second guard from eleven until two from two until dawn was only a little better the whole day being ahead then with these early morning hours tacked on but tor for his own reason this trip he had decided to set the watch deliberately libera tely he wanted clay and and steve in separate guards he made a cigarette in brown corn shuck paper and stooped tor for a burning stick end with the light up close he looked across at lank joe wheat joe he said im picking you to lead the first watch all of the faces ringed around the fire lifted toward him there was a tight silence then ed his huge shape sprawled off half hidden growled out how about lettin us cut cards for turns mister boss aint that the usual caper cut for choice and choose our own watch mates what then lew said well clay we might as well understand something at the start youve been a foreman long enough to know what the job means plenty of times come along when you dont stop to explain your orders I 1 dont intend to like the way im setting this guard he brought his eyes around the ring of faces and stopped on Sp lanns surly stare if anyone here cant take my say so hed better quit right now he held that stare for a moment saw its cold hard steeliness and understood der stood what he saw all right t he said and turned again to wheat joe take first guard with clay and neal good ill take second steve I 1 want you to ride with me you and john that leaves the tag end for you ash with charley storms and ed ash brownstone Quarter night and joe wheat were werd the old men of this crew all of them dependable thus he had one trusted hand in each of the three guards some of the men unrolled their blankets beneath gray canvas tarpaulins standing near the fire lew watched steve make a cigarette with unsteady hands spill part of the tobacco and irritably start another but then he threw the paper away im going in to the house lew he said and looked off somewhere before he asked you riding in lew shook his head idly no guess not yet he watched the quick turn of steves shoulders with F a frowning interest and afterward when he heard his horse race off toward the creek woods he said quietly to john Quarte might hurt to stand double guard for a little while levs lets ride mounted he held to the darkness keeping clear of the longhorns and then drew to a halt off on the barren empty plain he saw old rebel J ohn john sitting up high in his saddle smelling the wind tor for trouble and said wait it long moving slowly a horse circled out from the creek growth shielded by the dark later its hoof beats struck up a taster faster pace aiming for the short row of lights that was ox bow town five miles away angry and bitter with this knowledge that steve was making a sneak lew sat rigid listening until Quarte Quarter might night said that boy never could cover co ier his tracks hes got no good business in town john not now off in the east the first lonely gray of dawn was spreading upward from the plains the black pool of four thousand longhorns had bad risen held by the last guard of the night As casually as that as if 11 this might be only a halt half days drive to the railroad the cross T moved into its march of twelve hundred miles it was the usual start no better nor worse than he had expected he watched backward over the repeated melees yet took no hand both men and beasts needed to get the fight out of their systems at noon owl head swung his four mule commissary out of line and pulled up a mile to the front by the time the herd reached him he had his two gallon pot of coffee boiled singly or in pairs the men paused drank from their saddles and rode on to catch the drifting longhorns there was no stop taking his cup lew said keep on due north and find a tank for your night camp raise a smoke to lead us in he rode over to joys wagon seat she had on a white muslin dress and one of steves broad brimmed hats but the sun had burned a red triangle at her throat and she looked tired and hot she smiled up at him and yet she hide what he knew the wagon had no springs jolting along this rough ground she was taking even more punishment than a man in his saddle all right he asked ill get used to it she said try walking sometime and if you get too tired you can hitch your mules to owl heads coupling pole and lie down he rode back and unfastened the end flaps of canvas and secured them against the bows that made a tunnel beneath the top the wagons motion would stir a little wind to keep her cool relieve himself and Quarte Quarter might night at the irons he walked back out of the dust and smoke to where tom arnold sat his horse watching hour by hour through a breathless afternoon the blunt arrowhead grazed forward leaving a mile wide swath of barren dusty earth where it had passed with the disputes tor for places settled the animals moved quietly now and on either side the swing men closed up in little groups to ride and talk TO BE CONTINUED |