Show EL zis A JC y balan c 3 lemay SF THE STORY THUS FAR melody jones and george fury had ridden into payneville Pay neville melody was mistaken for or the outlaw monte jarrad montes girl cherry in trying to save monte and later melody got anui involved in the murder ot of luke packer the insurance cop fury had met up with montt monte who shot him monte returned to the tarm farm where melody had bad gone and was about to kill him when cherry ri returned turned with the dying fury melody told monte that cherry would have to choose between them monte threatened to kill them both alter after which cherry said she wished that monte was more like melody melody started to take care of fury cherry began to get montes horse ready CHAPTER XVI what t D hes the kindest man I 1 ever B knew and the hones test I 1 75 aven know there were that kind of men hes kind and hes square nd ind hes sweet this beats me amonte monte jarrad said the wind knocked out of him 1 I wish that all her voice was lifeless now 1 I wish there was one other living thing to be said in your favor when you stand in front of your god monte jarrad was white from ups lips to eyes so he done what he claimed he be done he said she shrugged the remark had no meaning for her she started to turn away from him then looked back suddenly and now her eyes raked him with surprise and a new comprehension monte youre wearing his stuff jarrad answered without compromise well hes wearing mine they stood silent and their eyes held monte you were going to kill him you were going to kill him and leave him to be buried as yourself he would have lied to her it if he had felt like it perhaps even if he had thought of it but he had fought his way up and down his section of the world so long that he had halt half forgot the use of lies iles cherry he said it if I 1 never meant to kill him before id sure lay in to kill him now to save yourself she said her throat constricted after all the chances I 1 made him take you were bald boing doing to gun him down and go v free only thing im sorry for monte said with his teeth in the way is I 1 get to it long ago far off in the direction of payne ville a long dust was rising the dust marked the masked line of the twisting road and when you knew where the road was you could glimpse part of it a mile off through the scrub oak the down country road was full of riders A faint quivery edge came into cherrys chernys Cher rys voice but it stayed flat and low its time for you to run ill ride when im ready monte jarrad said that dont mean im ready yet et 11 he turned toward the back of the house toward the barn P tan stan george fury lay on a couple ol of lile bales ales of hay which ranged along the barns front wall the first horizontal sunshine was leveling over holiday ridge it struck through the cracks in the bened wall and laid golden lines of light across george fury but his face was in shadow the early air was crystal clear dustless tor for once even where the light came through but those thin pane like slices of light confused the eye first sight did not tell melody much except that george lay inhumanly still george he said uncertainly he got no answer nothing but a ghastly quiet he hesitated through a moment of dread before he went forward lightly he lifted georges eyelid with his thumb git your damn thumb out of my eye george said 1 I was only 2 he let it trail off only what well I 1 was shudyin stud yin to see if you was daid well I 1 I 1 aint damn III it said george he sounded a little more like himself 1 I be damn it if I 1 aim to stand fer this there were black stains of dry blood on georges shirt melody dropped to his knees beside george and unbuttoned the shirt carefully george was cleanly bandaged about the body but fresh blood was still seeping through melody was stunned as he hard and dangerously george was hit it was inconceivable that the man had traveled here from the adobe hideout hide out no matter what help he might have had my hand come stiff george mumbled shamefacedly its them wet joints I 1 dup last winter in californi Cali Call forny rain rain soak drizzle brazzle dr azzle pour that states under a leak in the root roof it if only id of had time to soak my hooks in hot suds george said with difficulty and worked a little liniment in p never mind now george well I 1 blame the climate of call forny I 1 he discovered now georges burned hand that had laid in the coals of montes fire he caught up a halt half used can of axle grease treated the bum with it then looked around him vaguely for a moment in search of a bandage there anything any of course he jerked jered off his neck scarf the one he had got for coming in seventeenth at cheyenne and unhesitatingly tore it into strips george was trying to say something again every time he stopped talking he had a hard time getting started again as if his voice was rusty if if anything turns out funny here he hesitated melody knew what he meant dont try to make out he said crossly that youre worse off than you be if george repeated 1 I wish to hell do one thing shuts that give up the melody you cant stomp the average mustang starts to laugh when he sees you coming mighty soon get slung on your head again and come up even sillier than you be there aint room fer it melody I 1 want you should quit em howll I 1 git a job give up the whole cowhand business its tri trulin flin try to amount to something for a change be something new this last came so feebly that it frightened melody 1 I ill think about it george was it monte jarrad george grunted an affirmative 11 II if it fer the climate of call cali fo forny Y 2 hesh now expect me to harken barken to sech drivel the whole day monte jarrad moved with the stiff caution his wound imposed but his step was sure as he pointed himself toward the barn bam cherry came trotting out of the house after him and overtook him at the gallery step she caught montes arm and he half turned to look at her for a moment over his shoulder cherry tried to speak to him rapidly urgently but she stuttered and lost her words monte jarrad shook off her hands and came on toward the barn cherry stared after him from the edge of the gallery baffled uncertain and more frightened than melody had ever seen her she hesitated while monte walked seven strides then suddenly she called out across the fifty yards which separated barn and house and her tone was frantic Mel melody melody look out monte jarrad whirled upon her so savagely that for a split instant melody thought he was going to fire on her melody started to yell which after all was about an all he was equipped for just then but monte jarrad immediately swung back to face the barn again and b A 41 IL monte youre wearing his stuff his six gun had jumped into his hand han d he stood with heels planted apart and his face was frenzied come out of there he shouted come out and make a fight of it iti take my gun george fury said his voice amazingly strong and loud take my gun from abelt and drill him down even with monte jarrad standing out in front of him it seemed strange to melody that george should ever ask another jiin man to take his gun george had no gun his gun was where it had fallen from his hand as he went down up there in the hills monte jarrad stood weaving his head this way and that trying to see through the cracks in the barn wall a hundred feet away from him then he started toward the barn again moving warily and uncertainly not sure of what he was up against now without hurry almost with resignation melody moved close to the door and pressed against the wall he do anything but try to jump monte if monte showed in the door there was a hay hook book stuck into a timber but melody passed it up A hay hook cant grab a gun barrel even as well as a mans hand then monte jarrad stopped again and pivoted on one heel in a swift jerk to face a different way he seemed satisfied now that no gun was in the barn for he was willing to turn away from it the distant muffle of hoofs was closer au all of it but it had split up and now came from two ways some of the approaching pro aching horses it t sounded like three or more were coming in full stretch very near much nearer than should have been expected yet almost immediately after that monte had hardly reached the gallery four riders broke over the crest of the drop where the excuse tor for a road plunged downward into the brush they were strung out a little but obviously hanging together fever crick de longpre was in front on one of his runt mustangs he was whipping up side and side with his rope end like an indian and the blown cayuse was running uphill like a scrambling na cat avery de longpre was close on his flank his bigger horse kept trying to pass but the swinging rope made him flinch back after these two lee gledhill came pounding up over the hump standing in his stirrups to sweep the layout with ten times keener a scouting eye than the two ahead of him had used and last came a rider melody had never seen before monte jarrad was waiting tor for them on the edge of the gallery lee gledhill grinned and waved to monte as he pulled up and jarrad responded without the grin everybody piled out of the saddle now the stranger last and most reluctantly fever crick and lee gledhill began talking urgently to monte both at once their very intensity seemed to press their voices low and breathy melody get anything they said he got it though when monte jarrad snapped it at fe ver crick to shut up and fever crick did so flinching back as if he had been clipped with a quirt shortly after that there was a general half movement toward the horses and the man melody did not know promptly mounted again but monte jarrad stood where he was speaking slowly and bitterly in a low voice and when he stopped to spit contemptuously the mounted man reluctantly got down from the gray horse he was a stocky man very broad in the shoulders and chunky in the face as plain as anything in the world he felt helpless and unsafe afoot like a horse in dian lee gledhill was trying to argue with monte hard and quick melody knew lees face was going sniff sneer avery kept swinging this way and that unhappily trying to watch in all directions and all this time that unbroken gabble of hoofs kept coming from the down mountain road stronger and closer as each minute dragged out it grew in strength endlessly long after it seemingly could come no nearer without the riders appearing its soft thrum could be felt in the ground sensed in the tremble of the wind as much as it could be heard harry henshaw let go a ion long pealing whinny and still the five men stood and deadlocked over a decision which any moment could blow itself up like a powder keg it took care of itself now the short metallic whang of a bullet exactly like the breaking of a guitar string ended in the rattling echo of a rifles voice the head of the gray horse jerked up and it screamed then it sagged to its knees slowly and rolled onto its side with a thump only its head did not go down it lay there looking bewildered as it if resting avery de longpre and lee gledhill tied their horses then they did it in close to nothing and a fifth and took cover inthe in the house joining monte jarrad who had moved inside without hurry in the same moment the bullet struck fever crick first dropped his reins entirely and bolted for the kitchen then he was shamed by sight of the others securing their horses and made a wild legged dash at his cayuse stampeding it past hope it went crashing down the mountain its head held high to one side to keep from tripping on the trailing reins fever crick scrambled for cover tripped on the edge of the gallery and sprawled headlong through the kitchen door no other long range shot followed the first one immediately now cherry de longpre came out ont of the house walking steadily and wearily as if nothing were happening in g monte jarrad called after her a sharp command that she stay in she gave some short answer that melody could not hear but as he commanded her again furiously she spoke over her shoulder to him and this time everyone heard what she said her tone was soft and nearly lifeless except that it shook a little but the words were clear damn you she said damn you and damn you ill go where I 1 please and bum in hell before you stop me melody said im sorry cherry for what she whimpered crossly she had him there well jest in a general way I 1 guess 11 nearly forty riders are on the road she told him crisply now lester cottons pulled them together some of these are good men close in to finish this business once and for all and this time do it get on this horse and bust him out of here melody jones rolled his eyes at george embarrassed and did nothing cherry thrust the reins into his hands will you come to life iffe she begged him it if you can show enough sense just this once in your life to cut out the back way and not trip up or ride in the wrong direction or some other silly fool mistake theres still a little chance melody looked at the reins in his hands curiously as if he know what they were tor for then laid them on the edge of a two by tour four like something meant to keep on a shelf heck he said this heres monotonous no ashes right george fury said from where he lay you cant do no more damage here harry henshaw aint hardly equal to damn harry Hen henshaw shawl git sweat was standing out on george burys forehead while at the same time his teeth showed signs of chattering physical weakness was only part of that the rest of it was the nervous sense of being trapped helpless here by his wound while hill hell to pay broke all around him but as melody still stood wordless george closed his eyes and subsided washing his hands of further obligation to the impossible TO BE CONTINUED |