Read Online Matagorda (1967) by Louis L'amour - Free Book Online
Authors: Louis L'amour
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... I don't. I want to be where there's life . . . excitement."
"You would find it just as dull there after a while," Tap commented. His eyes swept the street again. "Have you time to eat with me? I see there's a restaurant up the street, and I'd be pleased if you'd be my guest."
"I'd like that very much," she agreed, "after I get some things I need." While she went on down the street to do her shopping, Tap Duvarney walked back to the horses.
"We'll be in town for a bit," he said. "I'm going to have dinner with Miss Coppinger."
"You sure do pick 'em, Major," Walker said, grinning. "That's a mighty handsome figure of a woman."
"She's spoken for," Duvarney replied shortly. "That is the girl Tom Kittery is going to marry."
"You'd never know it, the way she was lookin' at you," Jud commented. "But that's none of my affair." He looked around uneasily. "You want us to stay close? I smell trouble."
"There's a grove of pecans on the edge of town. After you boys do whatever buying there's to do, meet me there ... in an hour."
Welt Spicer hesitated. "You sure you don't want us to stay by you? I've heard tell this here is a Munson town."
"No . . . just be there when I come. I'll be all right."
The restaurant was a small place, with white curtains at the windows and white tablecloths and napkins. Mady came in a moment after he arrived, moving gracefully. Her eyes lighted up when she saw him. "You may not believe this," she said, "but I've lived near Victoria all my life and this is only the second time I have eaten here."
He glanced at her thoughtfully. She was uncommonly pretty, and especially so today.
She was, he thought, one of those girls who love company, who like to be going and doing. There was little chance of that on a cattle range.
"But you're in town often," he protested. "Where do you eat?"
"We bring our lunch. But sometimes we eat at the home of friends." She looked up, her blue eyes resentful. "You haven't been here long enough to know, Major Duvarney, but cash money is hard to come by in Texas these days. My father has more cattle than most folks around Victoria, but he sees very little cash money. I had to skimp and save to make that trip to New Orleans. Not that pa isn't well off," she added.
"It's just the way things are in Texas."
She looked unhappy, and it caused him to wonder about her relationship to Tom Kittery.
Tom was the sort of man who would appeal to women. He was tall and well set-up, he carried himself with a manner, and had an easy, devil-may-care way about him. His family had standing in East Texas, and but for the feud might have been living in prosperity ... on a par with her own family.
Obviously, that was not enough for Mady Coppinger. She wanted the life of the city and its real or fancied excitements. Her one brief visit had only served to whet her appetite for more, and had been brief enough to bring no disillusionment. Such a girl was the last person in the world for Tom Kittery, a man committed by birth and inclination to the wilder West.
"Cities aren't the way you seem to think them," he said, "and most of the people living there have no part of what is supposed to be the glamour and the excitement.
You probably have a better life and a more interesting life right here."_
They talked on, and in spite of himself he was led to talk of New J York and Washington, of Bichmond and Charleston. The time went by too quickly, and more than an hour had passed before he broke away and joined his men, who were growing restive.
He had learned a little. Mady was in love with Tom, but was torn between her love for him and her desire to be rid of Texas and all it stood for. She loved him in her way, but she wanted him away from Texas, and she doubted his ability to win the feud. The fighting itself disturbed her less than he expected, yet somewhere, somehow, she had been offered some powerful and fairly consistent arguments to indicate that Tom had no chance of winning.
He had a feeling
"You would find it just as dull there after a while," Tap commented. His eyes swept the street again. "Have you time to eat with me? I see there's a restaurant up the street, and I'd be pleased if you'd be my guest."
"I'd like that very much," she agreed, "after I get some things I need." While she went on down the street to do her shopping, Tap Duvarney walked back to the horses.
"We'll be in town for a bit," he said. "I'm going to have dinner with Miss Coppinger."
"You sure do pick 'em, Major," Walker said, grinning. "That's a mighty handsome figure of a woman."
"She's spoken for," Duvarney replied shortly. "That is the girl Tom Kittery is going to marry."
"You'd never know it, the way she was lookin' at you," Jud commented. "But that's none of my affair." He looked around uneasily. "You want us to stay close? I smell trouble."
"There's a grove of pecans on the edge of town. After you boys do whatever buying there's to do, meet me there ... in an hour."
Welt Spicer hesitated. "You sure you don't want us to stay by you? I've heard tell this here is a Munson town."
"No . . . just be there when I come. I'll be all right."
The restaurant was a small place, with white curtains at the windows and white tablecloths and napkins. Mady came in a moment after he arrived, moving gracefully. Her eyes lighted up when she saw him. "You may not believe this," she said, "but I've lived near Victoria all my life and this is only the second time I have eaten here."
He glanced at her thoughtfully. She was uncommonly pretty, and especially so today.
She was, he thought, one of those girls who love company, who like to be going and doing. There was little chance of that on a cattle range.
"But you're in town often," he protested. "Where do you eat?"
"We bring our lunch. But sometimes we eat at the home of friends." She looked up, her blue eyes resentful. "You haven't been here long enough to know, Major Duvarney, but cash money is hard to come by in Texas these days. My father has more cattle than most folks around Victoria, but he sees very little cash money. I had to skimp and save to make that trip to New Orleans. Not that pa isn't well off," she added.
"It's just the way things are in Texas."
She looked unhappy, and it caused him to wonder about her relationship to Tom Kittery.
Tom was the sort of man who would appeal to women. He was tall and well set-up, he carried himself with a manner, and had an easy, devil-may-care way about him. His family had standing in East Texas, and but for the feud might have been living in prosperity ... on a par with her own family.
Obviously, that was not enough for Mady Coppinger. She wanted the life of the city and its real or fancied excitements. Her one brief visit had only served to whet her appetite for more, and had been brief enough to bring no disillusionment. Such a girl was the last person in the world for Tom Kittery, a man committed by birth and inclination to the wilder West.
"Cities aren't the way you seem to think them," he said, "and most of the people living there have no part of what is supposed to be the glamour and the excitement.
You probably have a better life and a more interesting life right here."_
They talked on, and in spite of himself he was led to talk of New J York and Washington, of Bichmond and Charleston. The time went by too quickly, and more than an hour had passed before he broke away and joined his men, who were growing restive.
He had learned a little. Mady was in love with Tom, but was torn between her love for him and her desire to be rid of Texas and all it stood for. She loved him in her way, but she wanted him away from Texas, and she doubted his ability to win the feud. The fighting itself disturbed her less than he expected, yet somewhere, somehow, she had been offered some powerful and fairly consistent arguments to indicate that Tom had no chance of winning.
He had a feeling
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