The Coolidge examiner., 1935-05-24
CHAPTER u

CHAPTER %
=
TUE inquest vas over as Ken.
Il tecky Jones returned o. Kerry's
store. lie joIned ole - the big
groups uhlch talked O; over on the
sidewalk
Verdict come out same as e1.
pcrfcdt-
-oh. sure: Accidental discharge
~ bis ogu WEAPON The Jury didn't
bold uT more than q minute and a
halt Sayi The sGer!g wants 70
see you
An right
Kentucky Jones moved ~ down
the street in. uuhurried Ious strides
As De reached the sherlTs little
frame Office Floyd Hopper vas in
the aet ~ leaving. having Jest eject.
-. With diplomacy. more worried
cattlemen than the U,ile structure
could comfortably hold For Ken
tucky Jones. however. be reopened
his door
Come IN here. Jones' Hopper
jeFked a ragged Hind downward
over the DOORS glass pane and dung
himself into q chair.
see YOU got your inques, over e.
The sheriff puffed out his cheeks
and blew an exhausted blast.
"Damna!ioni Can you beat ihlsf
In the whole Wolf Bench country.
here vas Just one man that as good
as held the rimrock cattle In the
hollow of his hand-and = rabbit
iamps and hlooey Hes gone.
Great guns. Kentucky Any other
man ans other time"
Kentucky Jones waited. studying
him. There Is a certain type OF
man who seems fhted 10 pursue pub
lle otlce. somehow perversely IN.
niied Tor anything else Hopper
was such a man His straight.
clipped gray musiache. hls Dat
loose skinned jowls and full.neshed
eyes somehow unmisiakhbly adver
tised the public Office holder-noi
incompetent. but definitely limited
ANY other man could have been
spared better" be raved. Even
John could have been spared any
other time. But with Wolf Bench
cattle on the ragged edge OF bank.
ruptcy. and the lowest beef prices
since"
Does Give Plerson-he steps
into Masou's shoes. doesn't heF-
does be know anything about
caftleT'
"A little. and maybe a little about
banking. Bot with Mason dead all
confidence has collapsed Give
Pieraon Is scared stiff-ready 20
stampede. Some think already that
he'll break half the outfits on Wolf
Bench. and the hank. too. II be can
save the outfits he's got his money
In. No man knows where his
brand gets or Nobody trusts his
neighbor"
Maybe ltn adjust" Kentucky OF.
fered
The sheriff burst out az him with
something very like fury. Adjust ?
1tn adjust Ike a dogie calf to a
wolff This throws the whole d-n
range out OF BALANCED And you
stand there and tell ne" He
paused hopelessly. out OF words
There you have H." He lifted his
hands and let them fan with a ges-
ture OF morose futility. This is a
good sample OF the raw edge OF
temper the whole rlmrock is on. /
call you up here TO ask you a IA
vor. and In two minutes we're jump
Ing down each others throats."
That's all right" said Kentucky.
IF dlsorderiy conduct was my
field. / expect ! might be feeling
somewhat ants-in-theundershlrr my
self
~Disorderly conduct is right" the
sheriff said. "Man. you'll see plen-
" nowi Half the range is sore at
the other half already. Take the
Circle Five and the Lazy Deuce.
Or the Three Bar and the Running
NJ: today them two owners met
face to face and never spoke. Or
take"
Take Bob EllIot's SS and Campo
Ragtand's Bar Hook" Kentucky
prompted.
There you are-maybe the worst
case OF all Those outfits have al
ways tangled. And now look at
III Elliot don't own a fifth OF his
range. The rest Is leased Indian
land. Now Elllot's lease Is out.
Them leases have TO be bid for
ard everybody knows that there's
more than one big outfit win never
st that lease 60 cheap. Elliot de-