The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-09-16
CHAPTER Nv

Val Douglas, wagon boss for the
"a, leaned against the red rock fire.
place of the main room of the ranch
house, and looked at Billy Wheeler
without admiration. ''Now you've
done it," he said; sob, you've done
it now, all right"
81 won't ask you what you'd have
done in my place." Wheeler said,
because I don't give a boot. But
I'll say this-if you had done much
differently it would be because
you're worse fool than thought"
1t was many hours now since Billy
Wheeler had upset Kid Bender's
horse, pinning that newly-made
deputy sheriff under the saddle; the
long peculiarly lucid twilight of the
Red Hills country now lay cool and
lingering upon the range. But re-
port of the clash with Kid Bender
had been delayed by Horse Dunn's
absence.
Horse Dunn and his wagon boss
had now heard the story of the or
der Kid Bender had given Wheeler,
and Wheeler'S refusal; and of how
the Kid had tried to trick Wheeler
into glancing away while he drew.
There had been bad moment for
Wheeler after he had overthrown
the Kids horse, for at first Kid
Bender had looked as if he might
be dead, saddle crushed by his
fallen mount.
Kid Bender, though, had come to
with only broken leg and dirty
crack on the head to show. And
Pinto Halliday, shifty-eyed, lanky,
had appeared from the Short Creek
cuts to take Kid Bender off of
Wheeler's embarrassed hands. Hal
liday, it appeared, was another
newly-made deputy. Evidently he
had been the other half of the Short
Creek patrol.
''No show-off play like that ever
does any good" Douglas said. "It
only stacks trouble onto plenty we
already got"
At the window Horse Dunn stirred
impatiently. Understand h is,
VAL" he said. BILLY done just
what l would have done in a like
case. I'll back Billy's play to the
limit, and that goes for any other
play he wants to makel"
Sure" said Douglas. what else
can we do?"
Wheeler sat up, angering again.
snow just minute"
Horse Dunn whirled. "Cut it out"
he snapped. oval, that was Old
Man Coffee just come in; go take
care of his horse, and see that
there's grub laid out at the cook
shack"
When Val Douglas had gone out
Billy Wheeler's anger left him.
''He's mostly right, Horse" he said
Horse Dunn bristled and his voice
rose to its familiar roar. "All I'm
sorry for is you didn't kill the little
sneak! If I had a couple more rid
ers with enough CUTS in their bellies
to" His thunder subsidized; Wheel
er noticed how all the hard fire
went out of this old man in the
presence of his niece. Marian Dunn
sat relaxed at the other window,
her eyes in the far hills, and her
profile was as motionless as if she
were carved of cream-colored mar
BILE. Billy Wheeler had that day
seen horror and antipathy in her
eyes after he had downed Kid Bend
er; and he no longer wondered why
Horse Dunn lost spirit sometimes
when she was there.
Horse Dunn mumbled in obscure
apology. "We're right sorry Things
sometimes go like this. But some
times we can't help it if they do. If
only Bob Flagg would get here"
Marian Dunn gave no sign of hav-
ing heard, and there was an awk-
ward silence. Then Old Man Coffee
came stalking across from the cor
rails, dropped saddle from his hip