The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1937-09-16
CHAPTER VIII

AoA1SC VI Cl1S OF ny the Time the cow
boys cleared their supper plates
They had eaten in silence. But
somehow in the interval since the
conference in Billy Wheeler's room,
everybody there had learned that a
quarrel seemed about to smoke up
between Old Man Coffee and Horse
Dunn. So now they still loafed in
the mess shack, and nobody spoke
of seven-up. They rolled cigarettes
and lighted pipes, and a couple of
lamps were lit, throwing tall, huge
shadows of the men on the walls
behind. They all knew that the "a
was up against thrash-out, with
in itself.
Horse Dunn broke the silence i'm
patiently. There sure ought to be
enough scrapping on this range
without hunting up trouble among
ourselves. In ordinary times this
whole killing case wouldn't amount
to a tinker's damn to begin with"
"I'm not so sure" said Old Man
Coffee.
what kind of a case have they
got?" Horse demanded. "They can't
even find their everlasting stiff"
They're pretty liable to find it,
Old Man Coffee thought. ''When
they find it, it'll be about all they
need. If it's Magoon, like you claim,
they can show motive-you said
openly that you'd kill Magoon if you
caught him on "a range. They've
got opportunity-bE your own
statement you were riding along on
Red Sleep Ridge that day, and the
Red Sleep is within striking dis
lance TO Short Crick. They can
prove you hid the dead mans sad
dle-which they can stretch to
make look like concealment of the
crime And all this says nothing
about the killing of Cayuse Cage
tano."
whats known about the killing
of Cayuse?"
''How do I know? We're so pop
u1ar around here we can't even go
look over Ace Springs without get
ting into a scrap with officers of
the peace-same as Billy got into
at Short Crick."
Dunn slumped down in his chair
and went to growing into his war;
like beard. 'I don't believe you
know anv more about if than the
rest of us do"
"I'll put it stronger than that
MaSbe-' Old Man Coffee made
each word separately heard some
one in this room knows whole
lot more than I know!"
Horse Dunn sat perfectly still, ex-
cept for his eyes; his head did not
raise and no muscle of his face
changed, but his eyes whipped to
the old lion hunters face. After a
moment he said, Coffee, that's one
remark you're sure going to have
to back up"
"rll say just one thing more.
There's scarcely a man in this room
that hasn't lied to me at least once,
Horse Dunn sat up slowly, hitch
ing himself square in his chair.
Maybe some of my boys have been
little hazy and loose-spoken about
where they've been, and when. No
man knows what he's up against
here. Take Gil, here-the sheriff
mixed him up. And why? Because
Gil would try to stand by his side
riders even if he knew every last
one of 'em was guilty. If you hold
that against him, they maybe you
know dogs-but you're nuts!"
Old Man Coffee spoke past the
pipe stem in his teeth II suppose
that lets you out, too?" He sat look
ing at Dunn steadily, a little smile
on his face.
Horse spread his hands in front
of him on the table as if he would
jump across it, and his voice rose
like the voice of a bull. eff you
say I lied, then by God name what
you meant"
''To hell with you," Coffee said,
without lifting his voice.
you'll either back what you
said," the outraged Horse Dunn
stormed, cor you'll swaller it
whole!"
''That I yon't do either" Coffee
said.
For moment Horse Dunn, stared
at him blankly; then he sat down
and the flame went out of his eyes,
giving place to something ugly. 81
can't stand for that, Coffee" he
said. "You know I can't stand for
that"
81 can't help that"
s'You don't give me any choice, u
said Horse Dunn thickly. "You sure
you want to stick to what you said?''