Read Online the Strong Shall Live (Ss) (1980) by Louis L'amour - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Louis L'amour
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our cattle are dyin'!"
Casady let his chair legs down hard. "You mean to say you'd have the gall to ask him for water after the way we've treated him?"
"Ask nothin'!" Stangle said. "Just tear down The Fence and let our cattle in. They'd find the water and grass soon enough."
"We couldn't do that," Drake protested, "it wouldn't be right."
"Right?" Stangle's voice was hoarse with bitterness. "Are you so anxious to go broke? You want to watch your cattle die?" -
"You'd do a thing like that?" Casady demanded, his eyes going from one to the other.
"I would," Rock Dulin said. "Are you too nice to save your cows?"
Candy stared at Dulin, appalled. "No, Rock," Casady said quietly, "I'm not too nice. I hope, however, that I know something of fair play. We've bucked that kid and made his lifepure hell. We tried to drive him out and he stuck. We fenced him out of our country and still he stayed. He tried to tell us, and we were too damned hardheaded to listen. Now, you would ruin what he has done. How long will that little grass last if we turn our herds in there? We've got seven or eight thousand head between us."
"I don't know, and I don't give a damn!" Stangle said. "He's got no place here in the first place. I've got my cattle to save, and I'll save them."
"He won't stand for it," Hill replied. "He'll fight."
"I hope he does!" Stangle said. "Him and his highfalutin ways! Handin' gold right over the counter! Throwin' it right in our faces!"
"What if he does fight?" Drake asked.
"You fought injuns to get there, didn't you?" Dulin said. "You killed some of Scovey's boys?"
Candy Drake stared in shocked disbelief. "You could do a thing like that? Joe Stangle, what kind of a man are you? To wreck all he's done! To destroy everything!"
"It would save our stock, Miss Candy," Benson protested. "We've families to think about. Your pa's in the same fix I am, and I'm head over heels in debt."
"What would you do if he wasn't there? What if I'd not been so foolish as to tell you?"
"But he is there," Dulin replied, "and thanks to you, we know what he's got. There may be water enough to keep our stock alive for a month, and by then the rains might come. I'm for it."
"So am I!" Stangle declared.
"It isn't right," Drake protested. "If he has water it's due to his own hard work, and the water's his."
"Well, Tom, if you want to go broke, the choice is yours," Stangle said. "I'll be damned if I let my cattle die. If you had a water hole you'd let me use it, wouldn't you? Why should he be the only one who's fenced in?"
Casady's dislike was obvious as he stared at Stangle. "And just who built The Fence? Seems to me you had a hand in it, Stangle."
"That cuts no ice." Stangle waved a hand. "We'll tear it down. We'll run our cattle in there, and then we'll see what happens. I'm not going to let my cattle die because he keeps his water fenced up."
"I reckon that speaks for me." Hardy Benson spoke reluctantly. "I'm in debt. I'll lose all I have."
"That says it for me," Vinnie Lake added.
Cab got to his feet. "How about you, Tom?"
Drake hesitated, before his eyes the vision of his dying cattle, the size of the bill he owed Mayer.
"I'll string with the boys," he said.
For a moment Casady looked around at their faces. "I'd rather my cattle died," he said. "Good night, gentlemen!"
Dulin started to his feet, his hand reaching for his gun. "I'll kill that--"
"Better not try," Hill said dryly. "You never saw the day you could match Cab with a gun."
He looked around at their faces. "I don't know that I like this, myself."
"It's settled," Stangle declared. "Dulin, Lake, Benson, Drake, and Hill. How about you, McKesson?"
"Sure, I'll ride along, trail my stock with yours. I never liked that Mex, no way."
Tom Drake glanced at him thoughtfully. Curt McKesson was a new man in the valley, a big, somber man with a brooding, sullen face. Drake had seen him angry but once, but that had revealed him to have a vicious, murderous temper. He had
Casady let his chair legs down hard. "You mean to say you'd have the gall to ask him for water after the way we've treated him?"
"Ask nothin'!" Stangle said. "Just tear down The Fence and let our cattle in. They'd find the water and grass soon enough."
"We couldn't do that," Drake protested, "it wouldn't be right."
"Right?" Stangle's voice was hoarse with bitterness. "Are you so anxious to go broke? You want to watch your cattle die?" -
"You'd do a thing like that?" Casady demanded, his eyes going from one to the other.
"I would," Rock Dulin said. "Are you too nice to save your cows?"
Candy stared at Dulin, appalled. "No, Rock," Casady said quietly, "I'm not too nice. I hope, however, that I know something of fair play. We've bucked that kid and made his lifepure hell. We tried to drive him out and he stuck. We fenced him out of our country and still he stayed. He tried to tell us, and we were too damned hardheaded to listen. Now, you would ruin what he has done. How long will that little grass last if we turn our herds in there? We've got seven or eight thousand head between us."
"I don't know, and I don't give a damn!" Stangle said. "He's got no place here in the first place. I've got my cattle to save, and I'll save them."
"He won't stand for it," Hill replied. "He'll fight."
"I hope he does!" Stangle said. "Him and his highfalutin ways! Handin' gold right over the counter! Throwin' it right in our faces!"
"What if he does fight?" Drake asked.
"You fought injuns to get there, didn't you?" Dulin said. "You killed some of Scovey's boys?"
Candy Drake stared in shocked disbelief. "You could do a thing like that? Joe Stangle, what kind of a man are you? To wreck all he's done! To destroy everything!"
"It would save our stock, Miss Candy," Benson protested. "We've families to think about. Your pa's in the same fix I am, and I'm head over heels in debt."
"What would you do if he wasn't there? What if I'd not been so foolish as to tell you?"
"But he is there," Dulin replied, "and thanks to you, we know what he's got. There may be water enough to keep our stock alive for a month, and by then the rains might come. I'm for it."
"So am I!" Stangle declared.
"It isn't right," Drake protested. "If he has water it's due to his own hard work, and the water's his."
"Well, Tom, if you want to go broke, the choice is yours," Stangle said. "I'll be damned if I let my cattle die. If you had a water hole you'd let me use it, wouldn't you? Why should he be the only one who's fenced in?"
Casady's dislike was obvious as he stared at Stangle. "And just who built The Fence? Seems to me you had a hand in it, Stangle."
"That cuts no ice." Stangle waved a hand. "We'll tear it down. We'll run our cattle in there, and then we'll see what happens. I'm not going to let my cattle die because he keeps his water fenced up."
"I reckon that speaks for me." Hardy Benson spoke reluctantly. "I'm in debt. I'll lose all I have."
"That says it for me," Vinnie Lake added.
Cab got to his feet. "How about you, Tom?"
Drake hesitated, before his eyes the vision of his dying cattle, the size of the bill he owed Mayer.
"I'll string with the boys," he said.
For a moment Casady looked around at their faces. "I'd rather my cattle died," he said. "Good night, gentlemen!"
Dulin started to his feet, his hand reaching for his gun. "I'll kill that--"
"Better not try," Hill said dryly. "You never saw the day you could match Cab with a gun."
He looked around at their faces. "I don't know that I like this, myself."
"It's settled," Stangle declared. "Dulin, Lake, Benson, Drake, and Hill. How about you, McKesson?"
"Sure, I'll ride along, trail my stock with yours. I never liked that Mex, no way."
Tom Drake glanced at him thoughtfully. Curt McKesson was a new man in the valley, a big, somber man with a brooding, sullen face. Drake had seen him angry but once, but that had revealed him to have a vicious, murderous temper. He had
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