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Authors: John Thomas Edson
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property. Slaughter had no desire to buy their land and had not imposed such restrictions on their freedom that they were compelled to turn to a life of crime to stay alive. AU he had ever asked was that they lived as good neighbors. He would have helped tiiem get the spread on its feet again if they had asked him, or left them in peace if they wanted it that way.
Only the Taggerts had not wanted it that way. They chose to steal from him and Slaughter hated thieves. A man who had given his sweat and blood to build up a ranch and gather a herd did not take kindly to having his property stolen by a bimch who were too idle to work. However, having recovered his cattle without any bloodshed. Slaughter would have been willing to warn the brothers off and given them a reasonable time to clear out of Blantyre County. Nor would he have been tearing them from their family's old home. If it came to a point, the bank was due to foreclose on its note in the next few days.
When the brothers elected to make a fight of it. Slaughter and his foreman reacted with deadly speed. They believed that a man had a right to protect his own life even to the extent of killing an aggressor, and under
the circumstances they had been given little or no chance but to do so.
Loading the three bodies face down across the horses' backs. Slaughter and Trace climbed into their saddles and headed for Blantyre City with their loads. Slaughter had warned the Taggerts to mend their ways. When they failed to do so, he attended to the mending himself. For that was Slaughter s way.
CHAPTER SIX
He^s Cominif Witk Twenty Men
Bess Slaughter looked at the clock on the srmNG-room wall. Its fingers showed the time to be nine o'clock and her husband had not yet returned from riding out that morning.
For a few minutes she sat trying to concentrate on the darning of a sock, but somehow the needle did not seem to be going in the right place and she found she had botched it up. With an angry sniflF, she lowered the sock and needle. It was no use; she felt worried and promised to give her husband hell when he came home for not warning her how long he would be gone. Bess tried not to think that Texas John might be hurt, or even dead, and she wished that he had taken more men with him when he went to visit the Taggerts.
A knock sounded at the front door and the hinges creaked as the door opened. The big blue-tick hound lying by her chair did not move or raise its head, but its tail beat on the floor a couple of times, showing it knew whoever came in to be a friend.
"Fellers asked me to come across, Miz Bess," Coon-sldn said, entering the sitting room with his hat iq his hand. "They wants to know eflPen you-all reckons they should take out and look for Mr. John."
For a moment Bess did not reply and she gave thou^t to tlie suggestion. She had been raised on a ranch and knew enough about the cattle business to be aware of how tired the crew must be after a day's hard work cutting cattle from the petalta. Yet the hands, hke Bess, were worried about the nonarrival of Texas John and Washita Trace. It said much for the respect the cowhands felt for Bess that they thought of sending to
her for advice and orders on such an important matter as their boss's welfare.
While she felt concerned about her husband's absence, Bess did not want to do the wrong thing. She knew how important the Army contract was to Texas John and how he wanted to make sure of delivering his herd inside the allotted time. If he was all right, he would not want the crew sending out riding the range all night and having them so tired they would be unfit for work the following day.
Even as Bess thought of the matter, and before she reached any decision, the blue-tick lurched to its feet and walked across the room. Halting by the part-opened window, it reared up to rest its forepaws on the ledge and looked out into the night, its tail wagging from side to side.
An expression of relief came to both Bess and
Only the Taggerts had not wanted it that way. They chose to steal from him and Slaughter hated thieves. A man who had given his sweat and blood to build up a ranch and gather a herd did not take kindly to having his property stolen by a bimch who were too idle to work. However, having recovered his cattle without any bloodshed. Slaughter would have been willing to warn the brothers off and given them a reasonable time to clear out of Blantyre County. Nor would he have been tearing them from their family's old home. If it came to a point, the bank was due to foreclose on its note in the next few days.
When the brothers elected to make a fight of it. Slaughter and his foreman reacted with deadly speed. They believed that a man had a right to protect his own life even to the extent of killing an aggressor, and under
the circumstances they had been given little or no chance but to do so.
Loading the three bodies face down across the horses' backs. Slaughter and Trace climbed into their saddles and headed for Blantyre City with their loads. Slaughter had warned the Taggerts to mend their ways. When they failed to do so, he attended to the mending himself. For that was Slaughter s way.
CHAPTER SIX
He^s Cominif Witk Twenty Men
Bess Slaughter looked at the clock on the srmNG-room wall. Its fingers showed the time to be nine o'clock and her husband had not yet returned from riding out that morning.
For a few minutes she sat trying to concentrate on the darning of a sock, but somehow the needle did not seem to be going in the right place and she found she had botched it up. With an angry sniflF, she lowered the sock and needle. It was no use; she felt worried and promised to give her husband hell when he came home for not warning her how long he would be gone. Bess tried not to think that Texas John might be hurt, or even dead, and she wished that he had taken more men with him when he went to visit the Taggerts.
A knock sounded at the front door and the hinges creaked as the door opened. The big blue-tick hound lying by her chair did not move or raise its head, but its tail beat on the floor a couple of times, showing it knew whoever came in to be a friend.
"Fellers asked me to come across, Miz Bess," Coon-sldn said, entering the sitting room with his hat iq his hand. "They wants to know eflPen you-all reckons they should take out and look for Mr. John."
For a moment Bess did not reply and she gave thou^t to tlie suggestion. She had been raised on a ranch and knew enough about the cattle business to be aware of how tired the crew must be after a day's hard work cutting cattle from the petalta. Yet the hands, hke Bess, were worried about the nonarrival of Texas John and Washita Trace. It said much for the respect the cowhands felt for Bess that they thought of sending to
her for advice and orders on such an important matter as their boss's welfare.
While she felt concerned about her husband's absence, Bess did not want to do the wrong thing. She knew how important the Army contract was to Texas John and how he wanted to make sure of delivering his herd inside the allotted time. If he was all right, he would not want the crew sending out riding the range all night and having them so tired they would be unfit for work the following day.
Even as Bess thought of the matter, and before she reached any decision, the blue-tick lurched to its feet and walked across the room. Halting by the part-opened window, it reared up to rest its forepaws on the ledge and looked out into the night, its tail wagging from side to side.
An expression of relief came to both Bess and
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