town was rich and suspicious and frightened. I t was afraid of losing its riches, it was afraid o f being exposed, and yet every one of them probabl y knew the lid was about to blow off.
Somebody had killed Eli Patterson an d Jack Moorman, then had moved in and take n control. Undoubtedly all reports leaving tow n went from Ben Stowe's office. The shift bosse s would be carefully selected henchmen of his.
Everyone in town, in one way or another, had a stake in keeping things as they were.
There was, of course, Wilson Hoyt.
If there was one man Shevlin hoped to have on hi s side it was Hoyt, and so far as he knew , Hoyt was incorruptible. He was a man o f simple purpose. His job was to insure peace i n the town, and that he intended to do. Hoyt, Shevli n was sure, had no hand in what was going on, althoug h he might be aware of it. He would make no stan d unless somehow it affected his work.
While Mike's mind was busy with these thoughts , he kept working with his shovel. Now he wheeled hi s loaded wheelbarrow to the end of the plank runway an d dumped it. As he turned around to go back, h e saw Eve Bancroft ride her horse up o n the dump.
"You're wasting your time," she said. "There's n o high-grade there."
"I was beginning to guess as much." He sense d her dislike, and wondered why she had come.
Her eyes seemed to tighten a little. "Mike , we want you on our side."
He put the wheelbarrow down and straightene d up. "You're choosing up sides? What for?"
He pushed his hat back and wiped away the swea t with the back of his hand. "You don't think shooting a few miners will stop them, do you?"
She repressed her animosity wit h difficulty. "When this fight is over this will b e cattle country again, and nothing but cattle."
"You can't drive pigs from a trough with a switch."
"Ray thinks different."
"Hollister always tried taking in too muc h territory, but he's not that much of a fool."
Her fury flared. "Ray Hollister was a big man here before, and he will be again! Now that he' s back, things will change!"
"Eve," Shevlin said patiently , "Hollister will get you hurt. He was never a big man anywhere, and never will be. He just can' t cut the mustard. Years ago, when you were just a child , Ray Hollister had a good ranch that could have kep t him comfortable for the rest of his days, but it wasn't enoug h for him.
"He wanted to be top dog. He hung aroun d Jack Moorman, and when Jack spat, Ra y spat twice as hard; when Moorman grumbled , Ray swore. Well, he tried to be bigge r than he was cut out to be, and they ran him out of th e country. This time they'll bury him."
"You're jealous! You were always afraid of him!"
"Ask him about the whipping I gave him out a t Rock Springs. The truth is, Eve, tha t nobody was ever afraid of Ray."
She wheeled her horse, her features rigi d with anger. "I've tried for the last time! You leav e the country, Mike Shevlin, and leave it fast!
You've had your chance."
Regretfully, he watched her rac e her horse down the canyon. She was a prett y young woman, but Ray Hollister had convinced her , and she was one of those who could never see the othe r side of any question. ... Ray was not so old, whe n you came to think of it. He would be abou t thirty-eight now, and Eve Bancroft was twent y or so. And that much of a spread in ages was no t uncommon in the West. ... or in othe r places, for that matter.
The trouble was that Ray Hollister, driven by a blind fury to realize his ambition, would ge t somebody killed. All the way along the lin e Ray had missed the boat, and to a man of his eg o that was intolerable. He was striking out franticall y now in desperation and bitterness. If he had eve r thought of anyone but himself, except those successfu l people he had formerly idolized, he certainly wa s thinking of no one else now. Not even of Eve.
As Shevlin worked at the muck pile in the ho t end of the drift, sweat pouring from him, it cam e to him suddenly that there was a way to
Somebody had killed Eli Patterson an d Jack Moorman, then had moved in and take n control. Undoubtedly all reports leaving tow n went from Ben Stowe's office. The shift bosse s would be carefully selected henchmen of his.
Everyone in town, in one way or another, had a stake in keeping things as they were.
There was, of course, Wilson Hoyt.
If there was one man Shevlin hoped to have on hi s side it was Hoyt, and so far as he knew , Hoyt was incorruptible. He was a man o f simple purpose. His job was to insure peace i n the town, and that he intended to do. Hoyt, Shevli n was sure, had no hand in what was going on, althoug h he might be aware of it. He would make no stan d unless somehow it affected his work.
While Mike's mind was busy with these thoughts , he kept working with his shovel. Now he wheeled hi s loaded wheelbarrow to the end of the plank runway an d dumped it. As he turned around to go back, h e saw Eve Bancroft ride her horse up o n the dump.
"You're wasting your time," she said. "There's n o high-grade there."
"I was beginning to guess as much." He sense d her dislike, and wondered why she had come.
Her eyes seemed to tighten a little. "Mike , we want you on our side."
He put the wheelbarrow down and straightene d up. "You're choosing up sides? What for?"
He pushed his hat back and wiped away the swea t with the back of his hand. "You don't think shooting a few miners will stop them, do you?"
She repressed her animosity wit h difficulty. "When this fight is over this will b e cattle country again, and nothing but cattle."
"You can't drive pigs from a trough with a switch."
"Ray thinks different."
"Hollister always tried taking in too muc h territory, but he's not that much of a fool."
Her fury flared. "Ray Hollister was a big man here before, and he will be again! Now that he' s back, things will change!"
"Eve," Shevlin said patiently , "Hollister will get you hurt. He was never a big man anywhere, and never will be. He just can' t cut the mustard. Years ago, when you were just a child , Ray Hollister had a good ranch that could have kep t him comfortable for the rest of his days, but it wasn't enoug h for him.
"He wanted to be top dog. He hung aroun d Jack Moorman, and when Jack spat, Ra y spat twice as hard; when Moorman grumbled , Ray swore. Well, he tried to be bigge r than he was cut out to be, and they ran him out of th e country. This time they'll bury him."
"You're jealous! You were always afraid of him!"
"Ask him about the whipping I gave him out a t Rock Springs. The truth is, Eve, tha t nobody was ever afraid of Ray."
She wheeled her horse, her features rigi d with anger. "I've tried for the last time! You leav e the country, Mike Shevlin, and leave it fast!
You've had your chance."
Regretfully, he watched her rac e her horse down the canyon. She was a prett y young woman, but Ray Hollister had convinced her , and she was one of those who could never see the othe r side of any question. ... Ray was not so old, whe n you came to think of it. He would be abou t thirty-eight now, and Eve Bancroft was twent y or so. And that much of a spread in ages was no t uncommon in the West. ... or in othe r places, for that matter.
The trouble was that Ray Hollister, driven by a blind fury to realize his ambition, would ge t somebody killed. All the way along the lin e Ray had missed the boat, and to a man of his eg o that was intolerable. He was striking out franticall y now in desperation and bitterness. If he had eve r thought of anyone but himself, except those successfu l people he had formerly idolized, he certainly wa s thinking of no one else now. Not even of Eve.
As Shevlin worked at the muck pile in the ho t end of the drift, sweat pouring from him, it cam e to him suddenly that there was a way to
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