Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-05-19
w.N.u. RELEASE

high, square lobby and found she
could get ground-foor room.
But he took her arm as a Negro
porter picked up her bag and start
ed off. what are you going to do?"
She turned to face him. Her lips
were pale. Nothing. Find Clay.
Tell him I'm here"
He looked at her, filed with
wretched pity for that belief, that all
he had to do was tell Clay she was
here. "All right" he said. "I'l let
him know"
Outside and mounted, there was
one other thing he wanted to do first.
He turned into a cross street and
rode two blocks to Railroad Ave-
nue., turned down that toward the
river and reached section of ware
houses, the depot, huge barn with
corrals sprawled behind it-Rachal
Brothers livery.
He said once more, "Wait here"
and entered the livery office.
Pete Racial was inside, sunk deep
in brindle coWhide chair, a man
grown fat and wealthy now, and
yet an outlaw once whose rustled
herds had pioneered the trail to
Dodge. He was Texan who could
never 60 back. But any Texas
cowboy, cleaned of his money,
needn't 60 hungry here nor sell his
horse and saddle. Pete RACIAL was
their hook shop and bank.
He lifted stubby hand with its
thumb missing and let it fall. Bur
net, how are you? Heard your Cross
1 was getting in
How'd you hear that?"
Horseback information. Someone
dropped it off,
Anything else?"
Some trouble heard with the In
dian Supply Company's Open A.
Bad?"
bad enough" he said. "That's
why I've come to you. How many
OF the boys have you got in soak
here?"
"Say!" RACIAL put out his hand
and moved an oil lamp on a table
until it lighted storeroom behind
it. Take look"
Lew crossed to the doorway. Forty
or fifty saddles we're hung in there
on pegs along the wall. He turned
back, grinning little. They'll nev-
er learn, I guess. Well, you know
the men. You round up ten of the
best and have them back here inside
of an hour. I'll pay their bills and
give them jobs"
Pete Rachal's blue eyes studied
him over their heavy pouches. "Cow
work."
1--WE got enough men," he said,
ito handle the cows. We're headed
through to Ogallala. l don't figure
to be stopped"
THAT bad, is it?"
"That bad"
You come back" RACIAL said.
Il know the right ones for that"
In an hour" he promised and
went out in time to hear Charley
Storms rising complaint, Whats
he holding us back for?" And then,
Hey, Lew, how about some fun?"
Charley" he said, "too bad, but
you'll have to watt Only Joe
Wheat knew fully what they had
come in for. He got into his saddle.
Were looking for Clay. Joe, where
was it you saw him last?"
They'd worked the Lady Gay and
Mrs. Cores" Wheat said, land
were drinking at Dutch Jake's when
l left"
Likely moved on from there by
this time. Well comb the plaza
first"
He led out between the livery and
the depot. entering at once into the
open plaza two blocks wide and four
long
Here in this dusty compound all
the visible life of Dodge was CEN
tered, hcmmcd in by the high-front-
ed buildings with their plank walks
and wooden awnings running from
end to end.
He knew the horse Clay had rid
den and watched for it among the
three hundred or more saddle ami
mails lined solidly along the gnawed
illlClllllS IdllS. LII llle brighter ldllS
of light from the windows of Del
monico's Restaurant, a dozen bar
bershops, The Alamo and The AL
hambra saloons he watched the
brown faces of men. They jammed
the plank walk shoulder to shoulder
in their moving stream.
Clay's big shape was not in this
crowd, and past the Long Branch
Corner, Boosting the longest bar in
the world and fifty gambling ia
bles, he said, eve might as well
go across"
But the hitching rails were mostly
vacant, and Joe Wheat said, Il
guess he's gone, Lew. This is where
l saw his horse"
He nodded "I'll take a look"
Men drifted through these places,
tried others and came back again.
He got down from his saddle and
walked along, peering over the bat
wing doors. Dutch Jakes place
was empty now. In those farther
on only a few DRINKS were propped
against the bars. He had almost