Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-03-12
CHAPTER TX

YOU'RE not very good shot, are
your" said Cole Cody, lazy and SLOW
spoken and impudent. Even his eye.
brows Knocked Ann.
II could shoot your toenails off
and never blister your feet" she
told him.
Then why only mess me up like
this, making it hurt like seven kinds
of hell and at the same time do me
no more harm than hot stove lid
dropped on your toe?"
otis that darned gun of Cal
houn's! 1t does its own shooting
when it feels like it. You try it
sometime, smarty!"
Trying to apologize? Meaning
you didn't go to do it," He was
still jeering at her. Maybe it was
just as well then that Cal had re-
trieved his gun and taken it off with
him.
"Mr. Cody" said Ann, very prim
and very polite, Il am sorry, in a
way, that I shot you. You see"
"In way? That's nice! What
way?" snapped young Cody.
There is such a thing as being
humane, or anyhow human" said
Ann. 'You know very well that
you are not welcome here. What's
the use pretending? You and I don't
like each other-for my part" she
exploded, Il hate the sight of you!
Got yx,an oon-nr1
so somewhere else. So, what mean
by being sorry l shot you, it's just
that if you weren't all shot up you
could be on your way right now"
He slid out of his chair, the tight
bandage about his midriff irking
him, and stood up.
"I'm here to stay" he told her
fatty. II didn't come here follow
ing you, either. If I'd known you
were here, maybe I couldn't have
come at all. And, not meaning to
be tough with you, just the same l
can ask you what the devil you are
doing here anyhow? At my place."
"Your place! Why, you
1--WE sort of find it natural to call
each other YOU and then gulp and
stop, don't WEI" he said.
your place! What on earth are
you talking about? Have you gone
crazy? Oh, maybe you always were
crazy! Of course, that's it! That ex-
plains everything!"
Listen, and don't be so smart.
You're kind of pretty, and maybe
it's gone to your, head. Men, I
guess, seeing you at a dance, all
dolled up, have told you lot of
lies, and you think you're Cleopatra,
maybe, or the Queen of Sheba.
Whoa! Didn't l say wait a minute?
I'm answering questions right now;
you say what do I mean by saying
this is my place. Well, that's what
it is, or anyhow going to be. Me,
I'm old Early Bill Coles heir. This
is the King Cole Ranch, and it's
mine.'
why, you-you-"
i've told you I'm getting tired of
our calling each other 'You-you's.'
Where's your originality"
"You-liar! You're worse than
that man Rance Waldron. He says
it's his place too-and it's mine!
Now, Mr.. Cody, will you-Will you
tuck your shirt tail in, and go climb
a tree?'
What Mr.. Cody did was scratch
his head, thick-thatched with abun-
dant dark red hair, and hold his
peace a moment and do bit of
thinking, staring at her all the while.
He told himself that this was sort
of funny layout, his running into
this obnoxious girl so consistently
for one thing, her making claim
like that for another, the letter from
old Early Bill Cole for the first of
all in a chain of events that-No
chain at all, just crazy quilt of
thing!
Pondering, he did tuck his shirt
tail in. Also he produced the max
ings of cigarette and very slowly,
his mind on other matters, he build
ed his cigarette. And in due course,
lighted it. He inhaled deeply; he
sent stream of blush smoke cell
ingward.
Its still reasonably early in the
morning." he said after he had driv-
en- her frantic with his leisureliness.
you've got lots of time to comb
your hair and wash your face-Go
look in looking glass, and you'll
do both!-and get into Bald Eagle
before noon. If the stage doesn't 60
where you want it to 60 today, it'll
be pretty sure to 60 tomorrow. So
you've got time to listen while l
tell you something. Mr.. Early Bill
Cole, rest his wild soul, Early Bill
being dead now, made up his mind
he wanted the right sort of man to
take care of the things he had to
leave behind him on taking the long,
one-way trip. He nominated me for
the job. He even took time to write
out a will. He left every damn
thing he had to William Cole Cody.
And that's me. Do you begin to get
the general idea?"