Carbon County news., 1937-11-19
CHAPTER VH-COntinued

sun-blasted street. That street wal
| cIriously empty - unwholesomely
4 empty, so that nobody who had seen
the crowd there could look at that
street now without knowing that
something was irregular, something
wrong.
I ''Move out, then," the sheriff said.
"Drag your freight and drag II
quick. Keep going. Five minutes
from now I don't want you in this
town." ~
Horse Dunn chuckled in his short
beard and hitched his belt UP. Slow
ly he sauntered- past the deputies,
staring at each Of them with an
open insolent amusement as he
passed; then ne shouldered out, a
huge hulk that filed the whole
frame Of the door.
Unhurrying, the 94 men made
their way along the main street Of
Inspiration, around the corner to
their car.
But as the dust Of Inspiration
kicked out from under their tires
they knew that they had put behind
them violence that was not avoid"
ed, but only delayed.
By the time they reached the
ranch it was already late afternoon,
and the tall Tuscaroras were send
ing vast, vague fingers Of shadow
about the layout Of the 81, while the
high eastern horizon was still bright
ly brassy In the sun. Marian did not
come out to meet them. Hunting
around, Horse Dunn presently sight
ed her sitting on the fence OF a
little empty corral, hidden from the
house by the barns. He walked out
to climb the fence beside her; and
Billy Wheeler, tired Of people
around him, went to his room, and
got his razors out. Il
Here Horse presently came look
ing for him. The old COW boss
walked in slowly, and closed the
door after him. He sat down on
the edge Of the bunk with the move
ments Of q man hundred years
old; and he covered his face with
his hands.
"You know what she said to me?"
he demanded.
''Nope."
II went out to where she's sitting
on that corral. I just wanted to tell
her about Rufe Deane throwing
down his deputy badge, and the way
they cleared the street. / thought
maybe If she'd seen it all she'd
know what we're up against. So I
went out there and said, Marian
That was all said. She never even
looked at me. And pretty soont she
says-'You're making this country
run red.
Suddenly Billy Wheeler felt a de-
tached pity for this old man and this
girl. He was able to see what Horse
Dunn could not: that the girl was
curiously dependent upon this old
man, who looked like her father;
was dependent upon him in more
ways than she was aware. And
both were G.saFly hurt, at loss, be-
cause thes s9uld not understand
each otheS:
He cosAd not see much chance
that Nae girl would learn to under
staNa either Horse Dunn or the dry
c0sntry men whom he faced. Horse
Damn was what the dry country had
made him; and there was no longer
anything in the old mans life ex-
cept the cow kingdom he had
dreamed, and tried to build, for her.
A slight noise was heard and Old
Man Coffee came in gloomily and
threw his coiled dog whip on the
floor.
'T haven't actually hit a dog with
that thing for over nine days." he
offered. But ! swear I come close
to hitting one tonight. That old fool
makes me so cussed-"
Coffee" Dunn interrupted, 'you
haven't been here long; but you've
trailed ard back-trailed, and pro-
NOTED all over this place with those
long-eared hounds. Now tell me one
thing: do you see any show Of find
ing out who killed Lon Magoon?"
Old Man Coffee dropped into a
chair and considered for several
long moments. mo" he said at
last.
"Why?" Dunn demanded.
Somebody, some place, may
have killed Lon Magoon, for all I
know. But he sure wasn't killed at
Short Crick."
For once in his life old Horse
Dunn's jaw dropped. Look here!
You wouldn't 60 to fooling with
me?"
II don't always know what I'm
talking about. This time I know"
''But the saddle"
Il don't question it was Magoon's
saddle: only say it was different
man was killed in it.
Again Horse stared at Coffee;
then he relaxed a little, and sat
down on the bunk. Coffee" he
Taid, ''if you're so dead sure, in
Gods name tell us what you knowI"
Coffee squinted his deep-set eyes
"a Fo,...,. GGT aoro f00%aS3 = rSard Her