Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-04-07
w.N.u. RELEASE


had for moving now. Times like
this work was better than anything
else. He didn't want Joy, or the
men either, with an idleness to 60
back over what had happened. Now
the shock still held them in numb
way. Throwing themselves into the
job Of crossing would ease the bad
hours that were bound to come.
Joy stood at the end of her wag-
on, both arms rigidly down at her
sides. Clay had just stepped back
from her. He didn't locate Steve.
She drew her head up and raised
her eyes to Clay's. I'm all right"
He seemed to look far down in
them and see all of this girls quiet
courage and something else in their
steady gaze, unreadable to him.
Then Clay was at his side. His
hand took her arm. Honey, you'd
better rest" His blue eyes turned
with a hot stare. "That goes for
the whole camp, I figure. Any OBJ
jections, Lew"
He saw where Clay was leading.
The challenge was thinly yelled.
And that man even with Clay's
surly temper should force any is
sue now showed him how unex-
plainably bitter the reasons must
be.
well rest" he said, beyond
the river. We're going across as
soon as we eat"
''Not if I know i'll" Clay jerked
his glance to the girl. "Joy, this
is up to US. You don't have to 60
on"
"Clay!" She stared at him with a
suddenly lost look. "What are you
doing?"
"Joy," Lew said, "never mind.
We're all of us on edge. It'll be
all right" He moved to Clay's side
and put his hand on his arm, his
body covering the hard grip of his
! fingers. He turned Clay and walked
him, the grip digging in. They were
beyond her hearing when the arm
jerked free.
He halted. "Clay, damn your
SOUL" He could speak without an
ger now. His own life had been
bitter and twisted enough at times
so that he could know the bounding
torment of another's mind. He had
that understanding without know
ing what was behind it. "This is
plenty hard for her," he said. "You
haven't made it any easier. What
kind of DEVILS driving you, Clay?
I'll tell you one thing. You needn't
hide so much maybe. Splann's
quit"
."Quit?" Clay turned and was sud-
denly rigid and still. 'You mean
he pulled out HIMSELF"
"Well, no." he said. II fired him.
We had run-in." He waited,
watching that desperate, driven
look set across Clay's big face.
"Splann will 60 to the Open A. I
know that. What does it mean?"
There was no hot violence that
he had expected in the answer. ut
MEANS" Clay said, you've played
hell" He swung his broad Shout
ders and walked away.
Lying there with the midafter-
noon sun bright upon its surface
and the green grass stretching
away beyond the north shore, the
Red looked as inviting as a man
could want. But trail boss never
could be sure. He had learned that
himself in the way all men had
learned it, by grief. Yet he felt
that now was the one time to
cross. A man shouldn't wait for
the high water to drop to normal
level. Flood had secured the river
to its hardpan bottom. Later, when
the current slowed completely, the
silt would pile up. That made your
quicksand, the dreaded deathtrap
for cattle.
Wheeling from the bank, he saw
Clay in camp arguing with the men
around him. But Quarternight was
in there. Clay wouldn't get far
with old Rebel John. Off on the
fiat the pooled longhorns had lain
down, resting. Moonlight Bailey and
Jim Hope we're grazing the horses
apart from them along the creek.
He sailed a yell into camp and
saw the men start toward him,
all except Clay and Steve. And
then, waiting for the riders TO come
out, and with that sign of Clay's
growing rebellion so clear, his mind
went to a thing he had not thought
of before. Tom Arnold had said for
him to look in an old account book
that joys wagon carried if any,
thing happened. A moments spec
ulation held him, but afterward in
the rush of work he did not think of
it again.
Riding on toward the horse herd,
he could see the dead-tired heavi-
ness of his crew. Yet there was
no complaint and there would be
none. "We'n get across and camp
early" he promised.
The horses had no fear of the
river. Under pressure of the riders
strung out behind them they raced
to the water and plunged in, send
inc muddy pevSerS hjpher than