like a mighty tough man. At least, he always had. Somehow when they came up against Riley they didn't seem either so big or so tough.
"That means you ride out of here now, and you don't stop riding until you get to Pike Cooper. You tell Pike if he wants a job done he'd better come and do it himself."
Well, they didn't know which way was up. They wanted to be tough and they had tried it, but it didn't seem to faze Riley in the least. They had come expecting trouble and now neither one of them wanted to start it and take a chance on being wrong.
Or maybe it was the very fact that Riley was taking it so easy. Both of them figured he must have the difference.
"He'll do it!" Johnny replied angrily. "Cooper will want to do this himself. You'll see."
They rode out of there and when Riley had watched them down the slope without comment he said, "We'd best get back to the ranch, torn. It's early, but we'd better be in when Cooper comes."
"He won't come. Mr. Cooper never goes anywhere unless he feels like it himself."
"He'll come," Riley said, "although he may send Cad Miller first."
When he said that name I stared right at him. "That was the name of the man who killed my father."
"Riley, what I've seen today, I like. If this comes to a case in court I'd admire to be your lawyer."
"Thank you, but I doubt if it will come to that."
We had a quiet supper. We had come in early from the range, so Riley put in the last hour before sundown tightening a sagging gate. He was a man liked to keep busy.
At supper Riley said to ma, "Thank you, ma'am. I am proud to work for you."
Ma blushed.
Next morning ma came to breakfast all prettied up for town. Only thing she said was, "Your father taught you to stand up for what you believe to be right, and to stand by your own people."
There was quite a crowd in town. Word has a way of getting around and folks had a way of being on the street or in the stores when it looked like excitement, and nobody figured to finish their business until it was over.
We left our rig with Old Man Taylor and he leaned over to whisper, "You tell that friend of yours Cad Miller's in town."
Ma heard it and she turned sharp around. "What does he look like, Mr. Taylor?"
Taylor hesitated, shifting his feet nervouslike, not wanting to say, or figuring why ma wanted to know. But ma wasn't a woman you could shake off. "I asked a question, Mr. Taylor. I believe you were a friend of my husband's."
"Well, ma'am, I figured so. I figured to be a friend of yours, too."
"And so you are. Now tell me."
So he told her.
It was a warm, still morning. We went down to the hotel, where I waited, and ma went out to buy some women fibrin's like she won't buy with a man along.
All the chairs were taken in front of the hotel, so I leaned against the corner of the building next to the alley. Moment later I heard Riley speak from behind my right shoulder. He was right around the corner of the building in the alley.
"Don't turn around, boy. Is Cooper on the street?"
"Not yet, but Cad Miller is in town."
"torn," he said, "just so you'll know. I was in prison for killing a man who'd killed my brother. Before that, I was a deputy United States marshal." He hesitated. "I just wanted you to know."
Nobody on the street was talking much. A rig clattered along the street and disappeared.
The dust settled. A yellow hound ambled across the street headed toward shade. Ma went walking up the other side of the street and just when I was wondering what she was doing over there the Coopers turned into the upper end of the street. The boys were riding on his flanks and the old man was driving a shining new buckboard.
Cooper pulled up in front of the hotel and got down. His boys were swaggering it, like always, both of them grinning in appreciation of the fun.
Cooper stepped up on the walk and took a cigar from his vest pocket and bit off the end. His hard old eyes glinted at me. "Boy, where's that hired man of yours? I understand he was
"That means you ride out of here now, and you don't stop riding until you get to Pike Cooper. You tell Pike if he wants a job done he'd better come and do it himself."
Well, they didn't know which way was up. They wanted to be tough and they had tried it, but it didn't seem to faze Riley in the least. They had come expecting trouble and now neither one of them wanted to start it and take a chance on being wrong.
Or maybe it was the very fact that Riley was taking it so easy. Both of them figured he must have the difference.
"He'll do it!" Johnny replied angrily. "Cooper will want to do this himself. You'll see."
They rode out of there and when Riley had watched them down the slope without comment he said, "We'd best get back to the ranch, torn. It's early, but we'd better be in when Cooper comes."
"He won't come. Mr. Cooper never goes anywhere unless he feels like it himself."
"He'll come," Riley said, "although he may send Cad Miller first."
When he said that name I stared right at him. "That was the name of the man who killed my father."
"Riley, what I've seen today, I like. If this comes to a case in court I'd admire to be your lawyer."
"Thank you, but I doubt if it will come to that."
We had a quiet supper. We had come in early from the range, so Riley put in the last hour before sundown tightening a sagging gate. He was a man liked to keep busy.
At supper Riley said to ma, "Thank you, ma'am. I am proud to work for you."
Ma blushed.
Next morning ma came to breakfast all prettied up for town. Only thing she said was, "Your father taught you to stand up for what you believe to be right, and to stand by your own people."
There was quite a crowd in town. Word has a way of getting around and folks had a way of being on the street or in the stores when it looked like excitement, and nobody figured to finish their business until it was over.
We left our rig with Old Man Taylor and he leaned over to whisper, "You tell that friend of yours Cad Miller's in town."
Ma heard it and she turned sharp around. "What does he look like, Mr. Taylor?"
Taylor hesitated, shifting his feet nervouslike, not wanting to say, or figuring why ma wanted to know. But ma wasn't a woman you could shake off. "I asked a question, Mr. Taylor. I believe you were a friend of my husband's."
"Well, ma'am, I figured so. I figured to be a friend of yours, too."
"And so you are. Now tell me."
So he told her.
It was a warm, still morning. We went down to the hotel, where I waited, and ma went out to buy some women fibrin's like she won't buy with a man along.
All the chairs were taken in front of the hotel, so I leaned against the corner of the building next to the alley. Moment later I heard Riley speak from behind my right shoulder. He was right around the corner of the building in the alley.
"Don't turn around, boy. Is Cooper on the street?"
"Not yet, but Cad Miller is in town."
"torn," he said, "just so you'll know. I was in prison for killing a man who'd killed my brother. Before that, I was a deputy United States marshal." He hesitated. "I just wanted you to know."
Nobody on the street was talking much. A rig clattered along the street and disappeared.
The dust settled. A yellow hound ambled across the street headed toward shade. Ma went walking up the other side of the street and just when I was wondering what she was doing over there the Coopers turned into the upper end of the street. The boys were riding on his flanks and the old man was driving a shining new buckboard.
Cooper pulled up in front of the hotel and got down. His boys were swaggering it, like always, both of them grinning in appreciation of the fun.
Cooper stepped up on the walk and took a cigar from his vest pocket and bit off the end. His hard old eyes glinted at me. "Boy, where's that hired man of yours? I understand he was
Similar Books
