United States or Cameroon ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
On the night he had been with Dave Hallowell, the marshal of Pardo, he had listened with steady interest to a story told him by the latter. It concerned the Lamo region and the great basin at which he and Barbara Morgan had been looking when the girl had accused him of a lack of poetic feeling. "I've heard reports about Sunset Valley," Hallowell had said, squinting his eyes at Harlan.
"He'll get his when he isn't expecting it." Deveny, however, had no faith in Haydon's ability to "handle" Harlan. He had seen in the man's eyes that day in Lamo something that had troubled him an indomitability that seemed to indicate that the man would do whatever he set out to do.
I ain't no angel, but when I down a man I do it fair an' square givin' him his chance. I sent that sneak Dolver out an' that coyote Laskar. It was a dirty, rotten deal, the way they framed up on Morgan. It's irritated me I reckon you can hear my rattles right now. I'm stayin' in Lamo, an' I'm stickin' by this Barbara girl until you guys learn to walk straight up, like men!"
She urged the horse into a lope; and when she had ridden perhaps a hundred yards, the conviction that she would escape grew strong in her. Once out of the valley she would ride straight to Lamo, to ask Sheriff Gage to protect her.
It had chanced that he had stopped at the present site of Lamo. Ladron saw a trail winding over the desert, vanishing into the eastern distance; and he knew that where trails led there were sure to be thirsty men who would be eager to look upon his wares. Ladron's history is not interesting.
"Day before yesterday Dolver an' me meets up in Lamo, an' Dolver asks me to help him give Morgan his pass-out checks on the ride over to Pardo which Morgan's intendin' to make. I ain't got any love for Morgan, an' so I took Dolver up." "You're a liar!" Harlan's fingers were sinking into Laskar's shoulder again, and once more the man screamed with pain and impotent fury. "I swear " began Laskar.
She had known, of course, that real danger from Deveny existed, for the incident in Lamo had convinced her of that, but she felt that Harlan's fears for her were rather extravagant it was rather improbable that Deveny would come boldly to the Rancho Seco and attempt to carry her away by force.
He looked at her, smiled, and said weakly: "You got away, eh? I reckon they met Harlan. I was hopin' they would. Did they?" "Yes," she answered quickly. She had seen that Linton was badly wounded, and she knew that she must give up hope of getting to Lamo in order to give him the care he needed.
Old Morgan rode a bay when he left Lamo Balleau says." "Did I say Morgan rode a black horse?" queried Laskar, knowledge in his eyes that he had a thing to tell that would blanch their faces. He grinned, still holding his chest, his glance malicious. "Did I say a black horse?" he repeated. "Did I say Morgan rode a black horse? Morgan didn't.
There was a taunt in his voice, and an irony that made Deveny squirm with fury. And yet Deveny fought hard for composure. He could see in Harlan's manner something akin to what he had seen that day, in Lamo, when Harlan had baited him. His manner was the same, yet somehow it was not the same. There was this difference: In Lamo, Harlan had betrayed the threat of violence that Deveny had felt.
Word Of The Day