Send Angel! (A Frank Angel Western #2) by Frederick H. Christian Page B

know the hind end of a
steer from a Gila monster.’
    ‘ I
heard some about Birch and Reynolds at the Fort,’ Angel told them.
‘They have the contract to supply the Army with beef, I
hear.’
    ‘ That
they do,’ Perry nodded. ‘An’ the contract for the reservation
Injuns. An’ they got a monopoly on tradin’ with the Army through
that store o’ theirs up at the Fort. Top of that, they got
the dinero to hire a tough crew so we can’t make ‘em no
trouble.’
    ‘ Some
of our men have been threatened,’ Clare said. ‘Nothin’ heavy,
you sabe. Just a general kind of warnin’ - might be healthier if you
was to take a look at some other part o’ the country. You know what
I mean, Angel.’
    ‘ Any
of them leave?’
    ‘ A
few, dammit,’ Perry said. ‘Nothin’ spectac’lar. But we’re gettin’ a
mite shorthanded with roundup time comin’ along.’
    ‘ Where
do you sell your beef?’ Angel asked.
    ‘ Got
to drive it clear the hellangone across to Seven Rivers in New
Mexico,’ ground out Perry. ‘Sell to old Uncle John Chisum up there,
an’ he’s too mean to buy a pisspot. Allus claims times are hard,
prices down. A man’s lucky to break even after a year’s
work.’
    ‘ Supposin’ Reynolds and Birch are trying to sort of ease you
out,’ Angel asked. ‘Why would they? What’s in it for
them?’
    ‘ Dammit, boy, that’s what we can’t figger,’ Perry exploded.
‘Takes a man all his time to make a livin’ off this land. Ain’t no
use for farmin’. They got all the land they need to run cattle
-more’n enough, God knows, between ‘em. You got to figger it’s just
plain cussedness. They want it all just because it’s
there.’
    ‘ Still
doesn’t seem like a good reason to go in for extortion and murder,
cattle rustling, all that stuff,’ Angel offered.
    ‘ Hah!’
said the old man. ‘Then you explain it to me, boy, because shore as
God made little green apples, that’s what they’re
doin’.’
    Clare stood up,
stretching. ‘George, we’ve chawed this over a hundred times before,’ he
said. ‘Never gets us nowheres. We just got to dig in our heels an’
not be shifted. One o’ these days them two’ll give up on us and let
us be.’
    ‘ When
I grow horns,’ Perry told him sarcastically. ‘G’wan, go talk to
your gal an’ leave the real talkin’ to the grownups.’
    Clare made an impolite gesture
and went back into the house, and Angel turned to the old
man. ‘Seems
like a decent man,’ he said.
    ‘ Fine
boy,’ Perry agreed, ‘I’m tickled he hit it off with my Katy. Ain’t no life for a
pretty girl, takin’ care of an ol’ grouch like me.’
    ‘ I
didn’t hear her complainin’.’
    ‘ No,
nor you never would,’ Perry smiled. ‘But I’d like to see her
settled. I ain’t gonna last forever, son. One day this place an’
Walt’s will be one big ranch. He’ll have the muscle to give Jacey
Reynolds and his sidekick Birch a run for their money, God
willin’.’
    They fell into a companionable silence, the
cigars wreathing them in the good tobacco smell. After a while,
Walt Clare come out on to the porch with his arm around Kate Perry.
Angel stood up, and the old rancher peered at the two young people
with a mischievous grin.
    You two done with your
kissin ’?’ he
growled. ‘Took you long enough.’
    ‘ Oh,
Daddy,’ Kate smiled. ‘Walt is just leaving.’
    ‘ Shore
you won’t stay over, boy?’ Perry asked. ‘You’re more than
welcome.’
    ‘ I
know it, George,’ Clare said. ‘But I got some stuff to do early
tomorrow. I better get back. Mr. Angel, glad to meet you. If you
stay around these parts, come on over an’ visit my place. Be glad
to have you.’
    ‘ I
might just do that,’ Angel said. ‘Thanks.’
    Clare nodded, and went down the steps to the
corral, with Kate tagging along.
    ‘ He
likes you,’ Perry observed. ‘Don’t often take to strangers. Mebbe
thinks they’ll give him some competition for Katy.’ He chuckled to
himself