The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-04-09
CHAPTER vi

Flat upon their bellies in the ditch
the two waited. jeff whispered tt
Con that his horse was in the cora
behind the Jail. He had heard Nevi
Lowe order it brought there.
'So's mine. Corral gates locked
Sos the saddle-shed door. Our hard
wares in a locked case in loves
Office"
Clouds blanketed the sky, but oc
casionally the moon showed for {
minute or two. In such an interva
of pale light, they saw a dark group
halfway between courthouse and cot
tonwoods, coming their way. Ac.
companied by furious snarling, the
group moved nearer ditch and cot.
tonwoods.
On the edge of the ditch above
jeff and Con some of the men halt
| ed.
Moonlight showed the grim bust.
ness thirty yards from Con and jeff
the dim shapes of horses under the
giant trees; movement of the men
beside them. Two men came at the
trot from somewhere behind the
building. Con stiffened automatical-
ly.
"Over?" one of the men painted.
"We couldn't find them fellows
downtown"
"Haf-over," jeff grunted. "We
seen enough"
The pair broke into a run and
jeff indicated door standing open,
giving upon dark room. He led
the way inside and Con heard him
fumbling, then the click that was
beginning to be familiar, of lock
yielding.
"Come on!" jeff commanded.
"Pick your hardware!"
They moved fast and surely to
loop their horses, and saddle.
Very quietly, they walked the
horses away and past the farthest
house of Tivan. Then at the mile
covering hard trot, jeff led the way
into the rough north.
At dawn, jeff looked Familiarity
around and called it more than
twenty miles to Tivan-about twen-
ty-five.
House ahead li'P ways. Across
that hogback. The mans all right.
Friend of bud Paramore's. We can
eat there. Rest, too, if you're CALLED. :"
An hour later, they came to a
squat adobe house on a hillside.
Chickens, pigs, couple of gaunt
and savage hounds, moved about
the yard. Under ramada-an OPEN
sided, brush-roofed shelter-a good
horse dozed. In the doorway two
fat and solemn youngsters stood
with thumbs in mouths, black eyes
wide. A big Mexican appeared be-
hind them. His right hand, Con OBJ
served, was not in view. But when
jeff gave bud Paramore's name, he
grinned.
"Come in!" he said. ''The house
is your house."
While they ate beef and beans
served by his smiling wife, he talked
to jeff. Con understood most of the
words, but the pace was too fast for
him. jeff translated swiftly.
"Dud and his bunch had a fight
three days ago at the Heart Ranch.
Posse from Tonadura holed 'em up,
there. Perez, here, he was with
bud. bud killed one of 'em-peeler
named Cree from the Slash o. He
always passed for a friend of Dud's
and Quill Hogan that rides with
Dud."
They sprawled and drowsed while
Perez rode off to see if anyone was
in sight on their trail. Con heard
the rest of the story of Paramore's
fight at the Heart. Cree's killing
had apparently shaken the posse
men and the Paramores had got
away.
Perez came back before noon,
grinning. He had seen dozen men
riding across the flats below the foot
hills, evidently looking for a trail.
But they had gone past the little trail
that led here.
Con listened to Perez giving de-
tailed directions to jeff. So when
they rode away from the house,
leaving some of Cons silver with the
woman and the children, he had as
good idea as jeff of their trail.
Memory came of the grave, con-
cerned face of Janet Lowe, as she
tried to look at him without being
observed. And he had ridden into
Tivan so gaily sure that he would
be a friend of the Loves as soon as
he met them! Several times he had
noticed her study of him-as if won
dering how so much viciousness as
he, in the role of Comanche, was
charged with, could be masked by
the face he wore.
They rode deeper into the Lobos
along narrow valley and made
camp at spring of which Perez
had told JEFF. AS they smoked after
eating the food Perez had given
them, JEFF talked ramblingly, al
ways cheerfully, of past and present
and possible future. Listening, Con
added touches to the picture already
formed, of his odd, lawless cowboy
and wondered.
They rode out of the valley next