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Updated: June 27, 2025
"He ain't a-puttin' Bolt down to his best," she told herself tensely, "I know what he can do." And she remembered that ride from the mouth of Black Coulee to the pine-guarded glade and Kenset. At that thought she pressed her lips tighter. No thought of Kenset must come to her now to weaken her with memory of those pressing, vital hands of his above his pounding heart.
Young Paula, José and Anita set up a steaming meal, and they ate like famished men, by relays at the big table in the dining room. Tharon Last sat quietly at the board's head throughout the meal, pensive, thinking of Ellen, but grimly planning for the future. And Billy and Kenset watched her, each with a secret pain at his heart.
Over her head Conford's anxious eyes met Kenset's. "Hold her," they begged plainly, "we can't." And Kenset held her, by physical strength. The grey eyes of Billy were on him coldly. The boy was hot with anger at the man. He put a hand on Kenset's arm. "Let go," he said, but Kenset shook him off. "Come out on the plain a little way with me, all of you," he said, "this is no place to talk."
He could have said nothing that would have cleared the situation, would have told himself or her what was in that pounding heart of his for to save his life he did not know. And Tharon frowned in the darkness and drew her hands from under those pressing ones. "Mr. Kenset," she said steadily, "you're always tryin' to make me weak, to break me down with words an' looks an' touches.
Presently out upon the distant black curtain of the night there flared that other fire, signal of life to Kenset somewhere in the Cañon Country and then her lips drew into a thin hard line and she straightened her young form stiffly up, put a hand hard upon her breast.
Then Kenset gave it to the coroner. "There's your clew, Mr. Banner," he said. "Now we can begin. Let us be going back to Corvan." And so it was that Old Pete, the snow-packer, went back in state to the Golden Cloud, by relays on men's shoulders down the sounding passes, through the dead cut, by pack-horse across the levels, lashed stiffly to the saddle, a pitiful burden.
"I beg your pardon, Mister," she said quaintly, "fer that day at the Holdin' an' th' meal I offered an' took, an' fer my words. I know now that you are that you were straight. I don't yet know what you may mean in Lost Valley with your talk of Government, but I do know you ain't a Courtrey man." Kenset took the hand. It was firm and shapely and vibrant with the young life there was in her.
Bullard of the Golden Cloud had the grace to come out and look at the little old man who had worked for him so long and faithfully. But that was all. They carried him home to Last's and buried him decently at dawn. Then the Vigilantes again rode out. At their head was Tharon; though both Kenset and Billy tried to dissuade her.
Few men in the world could have made it, and gotten away with it. None in a different setting. Courtrey heard it, but he paid little heed to it at the moment. His eyes went to the face of Tharon Last and drank in its beauty hungrily. Presently he shifted his gaze and regarded Kenset with a cold light that was evil. "Who wants 'em?" he asked drawlingly. "We do." "Hell! Want Courtrey's guns!
There was another one, fine as this, perhaps a better one, up on th' Cup Rim Range, but Courtrey blew her up, damn him! She was called th' Crystal." Kenset caught his breath, mentally, all but physically, and put up a hand to cover his lips. This was another type of woman from any he had ever met, in truth.
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