Prev | Current Page 127 | Next

Brand, Max, 1892-1944

"The Seventh Man"


"Why, gents," he murmured, "they ain't any call for trouble. The posse?
What's that got to do with me? Our accounts are all squared up."
The two stared dumbly.
"They killed Grey Molly; I killed one of them."
"A horse--for a man?" repeated Lee Haines, breathing hard.
"A life for a life," said Dan simply. "They got no call for complainin'."
Glances of wonder, glances of meaning, flashed back and forth from Haines
to Buck.
"Well, then," said the latter, and he took in Kate with a caution from the
corner of his eye, "if that's the case, let's sit down and chin for a
minute."
Dan stood with his head bowed a little, frowning; two forces pulled him,
and Kate leaned against the wall off in the shadow with her eyes closed,
waiting, waiting, waiting through the crisis.
"I'd like to stay and chin with you, Buck--but, I got to be off. Out
there--in the night--something may happen before mornin'." Black Bart licked
the hand of the master and whined. "Easy, boy. We're startin'."
"But the night's just beginnin'," said Buck Daniels genially.


Pages:
115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139