The Coolidge examiner., 1931-01-16
CHAPTER VII
Quantrell's Posse Rides

DOB QUANIREl.L rOped and
ID saddled at the corral in a cloud
of dust raised by milling horses.
Others were roping at the same
time. The young man swung astride
his horse and looked around.
"All caught?" he asked. and
counted heads.
Five men were mounted in addi-
tiOn to himself.
"All caught" Texas Jim an-
swered.
The riders cut across the upper
rim of the park and headed into the
rough country teyOnd.
where al will Jake meet us?"
asked Texas Jim.
"At Salt Springs. He camped
there last night Leastways that
was the arrangement"
Another man spoke up, a squat
cowboy. His name was Owen. and
he went by the sohriQuet of Amen
for some long forgotten reason.
'The old Man won't get sore. do
you reckOn?"
Quantrell looked at him. "Why
should hef Didn't Judge Warner
make him administrator? An hasn't
Ingram kept a bunch of gunner
on the place ever since? Wes has
been leanin' backward so as not TO
get in bad with the territory au.
thorities. seein' as he has them on
his side now. Bet you my new sad
die against dollar Mex he'll be
plumb tickled to have us jump the
ranch without his knOwin thing
about Ii. Jake is a deputy sheriff.
amt he? Well all be sworn in as
special deputies. Everything is le-
gal an abOveboard. The Old Man
won't have a thing to kick about.
With no trouble a-tall to him the
sheriff executes the order of the
court. He'll come back from the
lower ranch to find himself sittin'
in the saddle high. wide an pretty"
They were crossing difficult coun-
try, filled with ravines. gulches. and
steep ascents.
"SaIt Springs, )" Texas Jim called
back from he forefront of the
line. "An' some lone bird is sure
enough roostin' down there before
fire of niggerheads."
The lone bird turned out to be
Jake SommerS. His horse picked
and slid its way down the face of
a bluff.
81 been waitin' here quite some
time" he complained "YOu told
me you'd be along either last night
or before daybreak."
SOmmers was a hard-eyed frozen
faced specimen. He had been a
professional gambler until recently.
81 said barrin accidents" Guam
trell corrected. I'VE were held up
at the ranch. The belted earl and
his friend O'Hara were over there
TO stick around till the Old Man
had got off for the lower ranch.
We didn't get started till ten o'clock.
AS they drew closer to the tim
ber above the Hughes place the men
rode warily. They might by chance
come at any moment on some of the
enemy.
In the timber. near the upper
edge of it. the men dismounted. Boy
though he was, Quantrell by com.
mon consent took command.
They stole forward through the
grove. Quantrell and the deputy in
the lead. From a bluff we'll shell
tered by brush they could look
down on the Hughes ranch house.
not more than two hundred yards
away.
A couple of men were at the
stable, sitting in the shade cast by
the building. One of them was whit
tling, the other Oiling a revolver. A
third man was at the brook which
ran back of the house. He was
washing some socks and hanging
them on the branches of some will
lows that fringed the stream.
Looks like we'll have to disturb
right happy hOme," Quantrell
murmured ironically to the deputy.
Get yore artillery ready, boys, an
We'll send some lead plums down
there. I'll take the fellow by the
creek. The two sociable guys will
be yore meat" The young killer
glanced around at his men. "Are
you all ready?"