The Coolidge examiner., 1932-10-28
l thought some of his

do you think that stlllE
She looked straight at him, but
her lips trembled. II don't know.
/ don't want to know"
He knew what she meant, thar
she was afraid to learn the truth.
Matt had other enemies besides
u.s." he told her gently. 1--WE hadn't
a thing to do with it-not thing.
But l blame myself, just the same.
He an / used to be pardners. We
played together when we were
young colts, Matt an l did. Always
had to hook up with the same out
| fit. They called US David and Jon
athan. Then trouble came between
US. Both of us were hot-tempered
an bull-headed. We quarreled. Our
! business interests conflicted. This
d-n desert wouldn't hardly feed all
our cattle before we began to irri-
gate. Bad years we both lost lot
/ of stock from drought. SO we drift
ed from bad to worse. But I'm
clear on this-none of us McCanns
had anything to do with the death
of yore father. thank God for
that, because 1t might have been
different the way things were shap-
ing"
She believed him, with a heavy
heart. For if this was true, 1t drove
| her back to a horrible dread that
| for a week had lain like lead.
He looked into her stricken face
and pitied her. 1t came to him
that he might clear himself with her
at too great a cost. If Gitner had
killed Matthew Stark there could
be only one reason, TO prevent him
from making a will disinheriting
Jasper. She did not yet believe It
of her brother. She fought against
! the growing doubt that kept return
ing. For the certainty of his guilt
would poison her life. But she
could not trample down the fear
that flooded her.
McCann spoke more cheerfully.
''Ive lived long enough TO know
that the things we're most afraid
of never come to pass. They just
amt true. Anyone might of shot
yore father-some vaquero he
kicked off the place or COW thief
he had sent to the pen. Matt was
like me one way. He made enemies
by pushing right through TO what
he wanted, regardless. / reckon he
was kinda intolerant sometimes"
"Yes, he was high-handed," she
admitted. I'm that way, too"
Likely enough he'd trompled on
some ours feelings an the fellow
laid for him in the bushes. If l was
| you, Miss Julia, | wouldn't worry
about who did 1t. This border
country is full of bad hombres
driftin' about"
! Eyes"
he turned to another subject, one
that had been on his mind a good
| deal Of late. "It wouldn't be hardly
reasonable to expect you to be
friendly with us McCanns. Now
that Matt has gone, It's too late for
me to fix things up. But want to
tell you how feel. When heard
OF what had happened TO him II
gave me a jolt. At first was wor-
ried about wills. But while | was
sittin' there at the Circle Cross by
his bedside, after he began TO mend
some, l couldn't get Matt outa my
head. We were mighty close, like |
told you, In those early days.
| KEEP seem him as he was when we
frolicked around together. An there
was you, lookin' the splittin' imege
| of yore mother. first savin' my boys
life an then lettin' me come TO yore
house an stay with him. I'll say
you made me feel like a plugged
nickel, you an yore young brother
Phil. How could go on hatin' you
Starks after that? | reckon I'm
tough an stubborn proposition, but
| had to give in. No other way
to it."
In her eyes swan little wells of
tears. II wish you had come to
Dad while he was alive and asked
| him to make up. Why didn't you?"
Because I'm a hardened old sin
ner h-l-bent on gettin' my own
way. couldn't any more have come
to Matt than he could come to me.
But with you it's different. First
off, can't pay what owe you, not
If / live to be a hundred an lie
awake nights figurin' out ways.
Then, too. whenever l look at you,
| see yore mother shinin' outa yore
eyes"
"You-loved herY she asked. very
softly.
Again he looked across the arid
desert at the papiermache noun
tains. In the peculiar afternoon
sunlight they looked like artificial
stage settings.
Yes" He spoke, it seemed.
rather to himself than TO her.
WAS 1t about her you and Dad
quarreled?"