United States or Bouvet Island ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
The man had attempted, in Lamo, a thing that Harlan had always abhorred, and the memory of that time was still vivid in Harlan's brain.
Harlan's grin was bitterly contemptuous. He placed the other hand on Laskar's shoulder and forced the man to look into his eyes. "You're a liar, but I'm lettin' you off. You're a sneak with Greaser blood in you. I don't ever want to see you again. I'm goin' to Lamo soon as this man Morgan cashes in. I'll be there some time tomorrow.
He had almost betrayed his resentment to Deveny when in Lamo, on the day of the coming of Harlan, Deveny had boldly announced his intentions toward the girl; and it had been a dread of clashing with Deveny that had kept him from interfering. The will to protect the girl had been in Rogers' mind, but he lacked the physical courage to risk his life for her.
And he don't mean any good to the camp. He's out for himself." Deveny did not intimate that his dislike of Harlan had been caused by the latter's interference with his plans the day he had held Barbara Morgan a prisoner in the room above the Eating-House in Lamo; but Haydon, who had heard the details of the affair from one of his men, smiled knowingly.
But Harlan followed him, grasping him by a shoulder and gripping it with iron fingers, so that Laskar screamed with pain. "Who is that man?" Harlan motioned toward the rock. "Lane Morgan. He owns the Rancho Seco about forty miles south of Lamo," returned Laskar after a long look into Harlan's eyes. "Who set you guys onto him what you wantin' him for?" "I don't know," whined Laskar.
"I wouldn't lie to you now Morgan," he said; "I'm goin' to the Lamo country to bust up Deveny's gang."
She wished now that she had not yielded to the impulse which had brought her to Lamo; but her lips grew firm and her eyes defiant as she at last got up and walked to one of the front windows. Now, more vividly than ever, could she understand the significance of Deveny's glances at her in the past; the light in his eyes had been an expression of premeditated evil, awaiting an opportunity.
"They've scared one man out a Pole named Launski from the far end. He pulled stakes an' hit the breeze runnin' sellin' out for a song to a guy named Haydon. I seen Launski when he clumb on the Lamo stage, headin' this way, an' he sure was a heap relieved to get out with a whole skin." Hallowell talked long, and the mystery that seemed to surround Sunset Valley appealed to Harlan's imagination.
That was what had made Morgan's face light up as his life had ebbed away. And Harlan's eyes glowed now with the recollection. "The damned cuss how he did brighten up!" he mused. "He sure was a heap tickled to know that the deck wasn't all filled with dirty deuces." And then Harlan's thoughts went again to Lamo, and to the picture Barbara had made running toward him.
Linton was silent for an instant, during which he stood on one foot, looking westward where the sun was swimming low above the big valley. "Ma'am," he said lowly, breaking the silence: "I'm damned if I ain't beginnin' to believe it, myself. There's some things that seem to prove it. "First, there's him takin' your part over in Lamo.
Word Of The Day