Read Online Goodnight's Dream (A Floating Outfit Western Book 4) by J.T. Edson - Free Book Online

the height of his
fortunes in much the same manner as he did while waiting for
Goodnight—like a saddle-bum. A cheap old Woolsey hat was thrust
back on his hairless dome, while his cotton bandana, hickory shirt,
patched levis pants and scuff-heeled boots were the cheapest money
could buy. If he was noticeable for anything, it was the fact that
he did not wear a gun, an unarmed man being something of a novelty
in Texas at that time. Most of the time his face held an expression
of disarming joviality calculated to make a person feel well
disposed to him. Apart from his cold, shrewd eyes, he looked
amiable and completely trustworthy. Most folk failed to notice the
eyes until too late.
    ‘ Got her off all right, Charlie?’
Chisum said.
    ‘ Yes,’ Goodnight answered
shortly.
    ‘ Ain’t nobody can say you didn’t do
right by her,’ Chisum commented. ‘Say, thanks for sending those
four boys out to hold the herd while my crew come to town for a
spell.’
    Although Goodnight had not sent his men to
meet Chisum with that purpose in mind, he did not debate the point.
Wanting to see Mrs. Loving started on her journey to Austin, he had
given the arrival of the other rancher and cattle scant attention.
With his late partner’s widow on her way, he had time to spare for
the work in hand.
    ‘ Let’s go out and look at the cattle,
shall we?’ Goodnight suggested.
    ‘ Well,’ Chisum answered
in a hesitant manner, throwing a look to the saloon. ‘I was
figuring on going in. The boys like to have ole Uncle John
buy ’em a drink when they’re in town.’
    ‘ There’ll be time for it,’ Goodnight
stated.
    ‘ Shucks, the herd’s held not half a
mile out,’ Chisum said. ‘’Less you want to cut it right now, you
can see it easy enough from the edge of town.’
    ‘ I just want to make sure where it’s
held,’ Goodnight replied. ‘Let’s go.’
    Neither of the ranchers noticed
a rider coming along the street from the east, nor a man pointing
them out to the newcomer. Walking in the opposite direction, they
passed the building that housed the sheriff’s office and jail.
While making
for the edge of town, Goodnight raised a point which puzzled him
about the other’s arrival.
    ‘ Pitzer moved fast to pick up eleven
hundred head and bring them here already, John.’
    ‘ He’s a good boy and a fast worker,’
Chisum replied cheerfully; which was not how he had thought of his
younger brother a couple of weeks earlier. ‘Cattle’re easy enough
to come by.’
    ‘ Yeah,’ Goodnight agreed in a
noncommittal tone.
    ‘ If your boys can handle them, they
might’s well take them out to your herd right off,’ Chisum
suggested. ‘That’ll give ’em all time to get settled together afore
we start the drive.’
    Halting by the last building of the town,
Goodnight looked across the open range to where a large bunch of
cattle was grazing under the care of his four men. He considered
Chisum’s words, knowing them to have wisdom. The more time the
steers had to become acquainted with his own stock, the less
trouble there would be when the drive to Fort Sumner started. From
the noise inside the Demon Rum saloon, few of Chisum’s hands would
be ready to resume work that day. So his own men could either hold
the herd where it was until morning, or ease it over to where the
Swinging G’s bunch were waiting to start the journey.
    Although the men heard the sound of the
approaching horse, neither gave it any attention. As Goodnight
opened his mouth to say that he would have Chisum’s stock taken and
added to his own herd, something happened to prevent the words
being spoken.
    ‘ You’ve got some of my cattle in that
herd!’
    Anger crackled in the voice that sounded from
behind the two men, sufficient to cause them to turn even without
the implication of what had been said. Facing them was a girl,
stabbing an accusing finger in the direction of the grazing cattle
and glaring in a hostile manner at Chisum.
    Tall, slender, with