the Daybreakers (1960) by Louis - Sackett's 06 L'amour
Authors: Louis - Sackett's 06 L'amour
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be a mighty thick bottom on that wagon."
'Too thick," Sunday said, "I think there's a false bottom."
Using the shovel he pried a board until we could get enough grip to pull it loose. There was a compartment there, and in it a flat iron box, which we broke open.
Inside were several sacks of gold money and a little silver, coming to more than a thousand dollars. There were also a few letters in that box.
"This is better than hunting cows," Sunday said. "We've got us a nice piece of money here."
"Maybe somebody needs that money," Orrin suggested. "We'd better read those letters and see if we can find the owner."
Tom Sunday looked at him, smiling but something in his smile made a body think he didn't feel like smiling. "You aren't serious? The owner's dead."
"Ma would need that money mighty bad if it had been sent to her by Tyrel and me," Orrin said, "and it could be somebody needs this money right bad."
First off, I'd thought he was joking, but he was dead serious, and the way he looked at it made me back up and take another look myself. The thing to do was to find who the money rightfully belonged to and send it to them ... if we found nobody then it would be all right to keep it.
Cap Rountree just stood there stoking that old pipe and studying Orrin with care, like he seen something mighty interesting.
There wasn't five dollars amongst us now. We'd had to buy pack animals and our outfit, and we had broke ourselves, what with Orrin and me sending a little money to Ma from Abilene. Now we were about to start four or five months of hard work, and risk our hair into the bargain, for no more money than this.
"These people are dead, Orrin," Tom Sunday said irritably, "and if we hadn't found it years might pass before anybody else did, and by that time any letter would have fallen to pieces."
Standing there watching the two of them I'd no idea what was happening to us, and that the feelings from that dispute would affect all our lives, and for many years. At the time it seemed such a little thing.
"Not in this life will any of us ever find a thousand dollars in gold. Not again. And you suggest we try to find the owner."
"Whatever we do we'd better decide somewheres else," I commented. "There might be Indians around."
Come dusk we camped in some trees near the Arkansas, bringing all the stock in close and watering them well. Nobody did any talking. This was no place to have trouble but when it came to that, Orrin was my brother ... and he was in the right.
Now personally, I'm not sure I'd have thought of it. Mayhap I wouldn't have mentioned it if I did think of it ... a man never knows about things like that.
Rountree hadn't done anything but listen and smoke that old pipe of his.
It was when we were sitting over coffee that Tom brought it up again. "We'd be fools not to keep that money, Orrin. How do we know who we'd be sending it to?
Maybe some relative who hated him. Certainly, nobody needs it more than we do."
Orrin, he just sat there studying those letters. "Those folks had a daughter back home," Orrin said, finally, "an' she's barely sixteen. She's living with friends until they send for her, and when those friends find out she isn't going to be sent for, and they can expect no more money, then what happens to that girl?"
The question bothered Tom, and it made him mad. His face got red and set in stubborn lines, and he said, "You send your share. I'll take a quarter of it ... right now. If I hadn't noticed that wagon the money would never have been found."
"You're right about that, Tom," Orrin said reasonably, "but the money just ain't ours."
Slowly, Tom Sunday got to his feet. He was mad clear through and pushing for a fight. So I got up, too.
"Kid," he said angrily, "you stay out of this. This is between Orrin and me."
"We're all in this together, Cap an' me as much as Orrin and you. We started out to round up wild cattle, and if we start it with trouble there's no way we can win."
Orrin said, "Now if
'Too thick," Sunday said, "I think there's a false bottom."
Using the shovel he pried a board until we could get enough grip to pull it loose. There was a compartment there, and in it a flat iron box, which we broke open.
Inside were several sacks of gold money and a little silver, coming to more than a thousand dollars. There were also a few letters in that box.
"This is better than hunting cows," Sunday said. "We've got us a nice piece of money here."
"Maybe somebody needs that money," Orrin suggested. "We'd better read those letters and see if we can find the owner."
Tom Sunday looked at him, smiling but something in his smile made a body think he didn't feel like smiling. "You aren't serious? The owner's dead."
"Ma would need that money mighty bad if it had been sent to her by Tyrel and me," Orrin said, "and it could be somebody needs this money right bad."
First off, I'd thought he was joking, but he was dead serious, and the way he looked at it made me back up and take another look myself. The thing to do was to find who the money rightfully belonged to and send it to them ... if we found nobody then it would be all right to keep it.
Cap Rountree just stood there stoking that old pipe and studying Orrin with care, like he seen something mighty interesting.
There wasn't five dollars amongst us now. We'd had to buy pack animals and our outfit, and we had broke ourselves, what with Orrin and me sending a little money to Ma from Abilene. Now we were about to start four or five months of hard work, and risk our hair into the bargain, for no more money than this.
"These people are dead, Orrin," Tom Sunday said irritably, "and if we hadn't found it years might pass before anybody else did, and by that time any letter would have fallen to pieces."
Standing there watching the two of them I'd no idea what was happening to us, and that the feelings from that dispute would affect all our lives, and for many years. At the time it seemed such a little thing.
"Not in this life will any of us ever find a thousand dollars in gold. Not again. And you suggest we try to find the owner."
"Whatever we do we'd better decide somewheres else," I commented. "There might be Indians around."
Come dusk we camped in some trees near the Arkansas, bringing all the stock in close and watering them well. Nobody did any talking. This was no place to have trouble but when it came to that, Orrin was my brother ... and he was in the right.
Now personally, I'm not sure I'd have thought of it. Mayhap I wouldn't have mentioned it if I did think of it ... a man never knows about things like that.
Rountree hadn't done anything but listen and smoke that old pipe of his.
It was when we were sitting over coffee that Tom brought it up again. "We'd be fools not to keep that money, Orrin. How do we know who we'd be sending it to?
Maybe some relative who hated him. Certainly, nobody needs it more than we do."
Orrin, he just sat there studying those letters. "Those folks had a daughter back home," Orrin said, finally, "an' she's barely sixteen. She's living with friends until they send for her, and when those friends find out she isn't going to be sent for, and they can expect no more money, then what happens to that girl?"
The question bothered Tom, and it made him mad. His face got red and set in stubborn lines, and he said, "You send your share. I'll take a quarter of it ... right now. If I hadn't noticed that wagon the money would never have been found."
"You're right about that, Tom," Orrin said reasonably, "but the money just ain't ours."
Slowly, Tom Sunday got to his feet. He was mad clear through and pushing for a fight. So I got up, too.
"Kid," he said angrily, "you stay out of this. This is between Orrin and me."
"We're all in this together, Cap an' me as much as Orrin and you. We started out to round up wild cattle, and if we start it with trouble there's no way we can win."
Orrin said, "Now if
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