Read Online Dutchmans Flat (Ss) (1986) by Louis L'amour - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Louis L'amour
Ads: Link
what's the matter? Don't you like me anymore?"
"Don't I like yuh?" His lips twisted with bitterness. "Lady, yuh've got a nerve to ask that! I come back and find my girl about to go dancin' in a cheap saloon dance hall, and-"
"I needed money, Tack," Betty said quietly. "Dad needed care. We didn't have any money. Everything we had was lost when we lost the ranch. Hardin offered me the job.
He said he wouldn't let anybody molest me."
"What about him?"
"I could take care of him." She looked at him, puzzled. "Tack, what's the matter?
Why are you sitting down? Are you hurt?"
"My leg." He shook his head as she started forward. "Don't bother about it. There's no time. What are they saying down there? What's all the crowd in town? Give it to me, quick!"
"Some of them think you were drowned in escaping from jail. I don't think Van Hardin thinks that, nor Olney. They seem very disturbed. The crowd is in town for Childe's funeral and because some of them think you were murdered once Olney got you in jail.
Some of our old friends."
"Betty!" The call came from the street below. It was Van Hardin's voice.
"Don't answer!" Tack Gentry got up. His dark green eyes were hard. "I want him to come up."
Betty waited, her eyes wide, listening. Footsteps sounded on the stairway, and then the door shoved open. "Bet-" Van Hardin's voice died out and he stood there, one hand on the doorknob, staring at Tack.
"Howdy, Hardin," Tack said, "I was hopin' yuh'd come." Van Hardin said nothing. His powerful shoulders filled the open door, his eyes were set, and the shock was fading from them now.
"Got a few things to tell yuh, Hardin," Tack continued gently. "Before yuh go out of this feet first I want yuh to know what a sucker yuh've been."
"A sucker I've been?" Hardin laughed. "What chance have TRAVELIN', R yuh got? The street down there is full of my men. Yuh've friends there, too, but they lack leadership. They don't know what to do. My men have their orders. And then I won't have any trouble with yuh, Gentry. Yore old friends around here told me all about yuh. Soft, like that uncle of yores."
"Ever hear of Black Jack Paris, Hardin?"
"The gunman? Of course, but what's he got to do with yuh?" "Nothin', now. He did once, up in Ellsworth, Kansas. They dug a bed for him next mornin', Hardin. He was too slow. Yuh said I was soft? Well, maybe I was once. Maybe in spots I still am, but yuh see, since the folks around here have seen me I've been over the cattle trails, been doin' some Injun fightin' and rustler killin'. It makes a sight of change in a man, Hardin.
"That ain't what I wanted yuh to know. I wanted yuh to know what a fool yuh were, tryin' to steal this ranch. Yuh see, the land in our home ranch wasn't like the rest of this land, Hardin."
"What do yuh mean?" Hardin demanded suspiciously. "Why, yuh're the smart boy," Tack drawled easily. "Yuh should have checked before takin' so much for granted. Yuh see, the Gentry ranch was a land grant. My grandmother, she was a Basque, see? The land came to us through her family, and the will she left was that it would belong to us as long as any of us lived, that it couldn't be sold or traded, and in case we all died, it was to go to the state of Texas!"
Van Hardin stared. "What?" he gasped. "What kind of fool deal is this yuh're givin' me?"
"Fool deal is right," Tack said quietly. "Yuh see, the state of Texas knows no Gentry would sell or trade, knowin' we couldn't, so if somebody else showed up with the land, they were bound to ask a sight of questions. Sooner or later they'd have got around to askin' yuh how come."
Hardin seemed stunned. From the street below, there was a sound of horses' hooves.
Then a voice said from Tack's left, "Yuh better get out, Van. There's talkin' to be done in the street. I want Tack Gentry!"
Tack's head jerked around. It was Soderman. The short, squinty-eyed man was staring at him, gun in hand. He heard Hardin turn and bolt out of the room, saw resolution in
"Don't I like yuh?" His lips twisted with bitterness. "Lady, yuh've got a nerve to ask that! I come back and find my girl about to go dancin' in a cheap saloon dance hall, and-"
"I needed money, Tack," Betty said quietly. "Dad needed care. We didn't have any money. Everything we had was lost when we lost the ranch. Hardin offered me the job.
He said he wouldn't let anybody molest me."
"What about him?"
"I could take care of him." She looked at him, puzzled. "Tack, what's the matter?
Why are you sitting down? Are you hurt?"
"My leg." He shook his head as she started forward. "Don't bother about it. There's no time. What are they saying down there? What's all the crowd in town? Give it to me, quick!"
"Some of them think you were drowned in escaping from jail. I don't think Van Hardin thinks that, nor Olney. They seem very disturbed. The crowd is in town for Childe's funeral and because some of them think you were murdered once Olney got you in jail.
Some of our old friends."
"Betty!" The call came from the street below. It was Van Hardin's voice.
"Don't answer!" Tack Gentry got up. His dark green eyes were hard. "I want him to come up."
Betty waited, her eyes wide, listening. Footsteps sounded on the stairway, and then the door shoved open. "Bet-" Van Hardin's voice died out and he stood there, one hand on the doorknob, staring at Tack.
"Howdy, Hardin," Tack said, "I was hopin' yuh'd come." Van Hardin said nothing. His powerful shoulders filled the open door, his eyes were set, and the shock was fading from them now.
"Got a few things to tell yuh, Hardin," Tack continued gently. "Before yuh go out of this feet first I want yuh to know what a sucker yuh've been."
"A sucker I've been?" Hardin laughed. "What chance have TRAVELIN', R yuh got? The street down there is full of my men. Yuh've friends there, too, but they lack leadership. They don't know what to do. My men have their orders. And then I won't have any trouble with yuh, Gentry. Yore old friends around here told me all about yuh. Soft, like that uncle of yores."
"Ever hear of Black Jack Paris, Hardin?"
"The gunman? Of course, but what's he got to do with yuh?" "Nothin', now. He did once, up in Ellsworth, Kansas. They dug a bed for him next mornin', Hardin. He was too slow. Yuh said I was soft? Well, maybe I was once. Maybe in spots I still am, but yuh see, since the folks around here have seen me I've been over the cattle trails, been doin' some Injun fightin' and rustler killin'. It makes a sight of change in a man, Hardin.
"That ain't what I wanted yuh to know. I wanted yuh to know what a fool yuh were, tryin' to steal this ranch. Yuh see, the land in our home ranch wasn't like the rest of this land, Hardin."
"What do yuh mean?" Hardin demanded suspiciously. "Why, yuh're the smart boy," Tack drawled easily. "Yuh should have checked before takin' so much for granted. Yuh see, the Gentry ranch was a land grant. My grandmother, she was a Basque, see? The land came to us through her family, and the will she left was that it would belong to us as long as any of us lived, that it couldn't be sold or traded, and in case we all died, it was to go to the state of Texas!"
Van Hardin stared. "What?" he gasped. "What kind of fool deal is this yuh're givin' me?"
"Fool deal is right," Tack said quietly. "Yuh see, the state of Texas knows no Gentry would sell or trade, knowin' we couldn't, so if somebody else showed up with the land, they were bound to ask a sight of questions. Sooner or later they'd have got around to askin' yuh how come."
Hardin seemed stunned. From the street below, there was a sound of horses' hooves.
Then a voice said from Tack's left, "Yuh better get out, Van. There's talkin' to be done in the street. I want Tack Gentry!"
Tack's head jerked around. It was Soderman. The short, squinty-eyed man was staring at him, gun in hand. He heard Hardin turn and bolt out of the room, saw resolution in
Similar Books
