Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-05-07
CHAPTER XVII

Doc Joe pulled up the chair close
to the bed and spoke softly, throt-
Ting his voice down to a near-whis-
per.
For one thing, amt dead now,
never was and don't intend to be for
a spell yet," he said. Get that in
your head, Cal. Don't go thinking
ghosts"
"You don't look anything like what
l might suppose a ghost would
look" Cal said CURLY. ''Now, let's
get after this: What in the name of
blazes you been playing dead for?"
"For a spell, had to-" said Doc
Joe. eff I hadn't, Rance Waldron
would have killed me sure, like he
did the Judge and Tom Cough. He
nicked me side of the head" He put
his finger gingerly to bit of tapped
gauze over his temple. 'It sort of
dazed me. I lay on my side and
saw him step over to the Judge.
He shot the Judge between the horns
before I could wiggle finger. Then
he looked at me. Maybe I sort of
tainted a minute; don't quite know
or rec'lect. 1 was scared enough to
faint anyhow. He came back drag
ging Tom Cough. He shot Cough
twice and rode away. I tried to get
up. I got dizzy and sure did faint
for good. When woke up and the
boys hauled us into town, was out
cold. They thought l was dead.
Me, l got to thinking. I let EN-
keep on thinking so. Nobody knows
but Doc Evans; you and him, now,
Cal. And you're both going to keep
your mouths shut until I give the
word"
Rance Waldron is downstairs
right now" said Cal, stubborn and
eager. HE killed the Judge, you
says. And you saw him? And it's
almost dead certainty that either
him or his hired hand, Tom Cough,
potted old Early Bill"
"Shut up and sit down and keep
your shirt tail tucked in! Now, lis
ten. The Judge and me, we had
those two wills that old jackass Bill
Cole drawed up. And Mr.. Rance
Waldron's got 'em now"
And now Cal Roundtree, telling
this to Cole Cody as the two logged
along, came to halt. Then he be-
gan to swear explosively. And in
the end, grown quiet after his strug-
gle with himself, he muttered dis
gustedly.
"Cody, l don't know which end
I'm standing on. There's something
! know that l got to keep under my
hat, like l been doing; almost blew
my top off and let the cat jump with
old Doc Joe; I'm near doing the
same thing with you."
"Why not, CALI" said Cody quiet
ly. You and I haven't known each
other all summer, but-whats on
your mind, old timer"
NO." Cal growled. LET me be.
Let me go on now and tell you the
rest that I can; what old Doc Joe
has got in his mind. He says Rance
Waldron is smart like whole
herd of foxes; he says, no, Wal
dron won't destroy those wills right
off; he says Waldron will play safe.
and hide 'em darn good, where the
devil himself can't find 'em. until
he sees for sure which way the wind
blows. What he says, is this: Wal
dron will try to gobble the King
Cole Ranch and anything else left
hanging. If he makes a go of it,
he'll burn the papers. If there's
any slip-up along the trail, we'll
then, with the two wills in his war
bag, he can dicker.
After a long while Cody asked,
"What does Doc Joe plan? How
long is he going to play dead?"
That started Cal Roundtree off
again. But he got himself in hand
ultimately and explained some part
of Doc Joe's plan.
Late tonight the other doc, Parke
Evans, will find paper in Docs
room, signed by Doc Joe himself,
dated a couple of years ago, saying
when he's dead he yearns to be
packed up and shipped back to his
boyhood's home which is in dear old
TENNESSEE" Cal spat far into space.
$50 Doc Evans will pack him in a
box, and haul him off with him
tomorrow, going back to Rim Rock,
and to the railroad at Christmas
Forks. They'll ship some sort of
bundle and Doc Joe will hide out
for spell with Doc Evans. Later
he'll get chance to creep back
this-away by the dark of the moon.
Meantime we're to watch and wait
for Rance Waldron to be making his
play"
Arrived at the ranch they unsad-
died, cared for their horses and said
goodnight, Cal to turn in at the
bunk house and no doubt tilt his
bottle to long gurgle, Cole Cody
Fastening up the slope to the ranch
house.
In the starlit patio he came upon
Porfirio lounging on a bench, wait
ing for him. Porfirio's glowing Gig