Read Online [Texas Rangers 05] - Texas Vendetta by Elmer Kelton - Free Book Online Page B

cousin. When his kinfolks come callin’ they won’t have to tell him twice to raise his hands.”
    Andy’s jaw dropped. “They’re goin’ to take Jayce out and hang him?”
    “No, they’ll shoot him right there in his cell and scatter before the sheriff or the Landons have time to do anything about it.”
    Farley frowned. “Are you sure about this?”
    “I got it from one of the Hopper boys. He was already tanked up on Kentucky courage.”
    Andy told Farley, “We’ve got to do somethin’.”
    Farley shook his head. “What’s the use? They’ll just keep tryin’ till they get him. Feuds are nasty business.”
    He forked dry hay onto the ground and spread it evenly, then unrolled his blankets on it. “Best thing is to let the damn fools fight it out. Then we can hang the winners or send them to the penitentiary.”
    “I’ll bet that’s not in the captain’s rule book.”
    “The book has got blank pages in it so we can write our own rules when we have to.”
    Andy did not consider long. “I didn’t make this ride just to stand back and watch them lynch our prisoner.” He drew his rifle from its scabbard on his saddle and dug into his saddlebag for extra cartridges.
    Farley arose from his blankets. He gripped Andy’s shoulder tightly enough to hurt. “They’ll cut you to ribbons, and for what? Jayce is goin’ to die anyway. If he doesn’t do it tonight, he’ll do it when the trial is over. Leave it alone.”
    “I can’t.”
    “Listen to me, Badger Boy. Even if you are half Indian, you’re worth more than Jayce Landon.”
    Andy thought that was an amazing admission for Farley. He could not think of an adequate response. “Like the man said, we’re supposed to keep the peace.”
    “Ain’t goin’ to be peace in this town till they’ve killed enough of one another that they gag on the blood. You’d best look out for your own skin.”
    “What’ll the captain say if we tell him we delivered Jayce and then stood by while a mob shot him to pieces?” Andy cradled the rifle across his left arm and walked out of the stable into the darkness.
    The jail was a little more than a block away. He had a strong feeling of being watched, but he could see no one. He heard a horse somewhere behind the buildings, moving into a slow lope.
    He pondered whether he should go inside the jail or wait for the Hoppers in front of it. He had heard of mobs burning a jail to get a prisoner. In such an event he could do little from inside. Besides, the jailer was in on the deal. He would probably do whatever he could to put Andy out of the way. He decided to take a stand outside, blocking the door.
    The street remained quiet for a while. Andy began to wonder if the hostler’s information was overblown. People sometimes made bold talk but did not have the stomach to follow through. Then he saw several men moving up the street toward him. He tightened his grip on the rifle. Though he could not distinguish the faces, he sensed that these were of the Hopper clan.
    Sternly he said, “That’s close enough.”
    A gruff voice shouted, “Step out of the way, Ranger.”
    Andy thought the voice sounded like Big’un’s. He said, “I’m tellin’ you to disperse.”
    The men moved closer but stopped when Andy leveled his rifle on them. Big’un declared, “You’ve got no jurisdiction here. You finished your job when you brought Jayce in.”
    Andy’s throat was too tight for a reply. He hoped silence was more threatening than anything he might say. The men huddled, murmuring among themselves. Several more came up the street, joining them. By Andy’s rough count there were fifteen, perhaps more.
    One man edged beyond Big’un and the others. He said, “You’re just a shirttail kid. You won’t really shoot us.” He paused a moment, gauging Andy’s reaction, then moved forward again with confidence in his step.
    Andy aimed the rifle, but he could not bring himself to squeeze the trigger. The blood rose warm in his