The Man From Bar-20 by Clarence E. Mulford (best books to read for young adults .txt) đ
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Ackerman shook his head savagely. âWith them six cows, anâ Logan missinâ hundreds?â he sarcastically demanded.
Quigley smiled patronizingly. âFindinâ only a few wonât mean nothinâ, except that heâs driven off thâ rest every time he has got a few together, anâ sold âem. Now if you was to take that notebook thatâs sticktoâ out of yore pocket, anâ write in it some words anâ figgers showinâ that heâs sold so many cows, anâ what he got for âem each time, it might help. Weâll know when Loganâs due, anâ we can drop that book where heâll find it. You never want to kill anythinâ till yoâre shore it ainât goinâ to be useful. Thereâs one thing Iâm set on: there ainât going to be no unnecessary killinâ.â
Ackerman laughed grimly. âWell, anyhow; Iâve started things. I left a note on his door tellinâ him what to do.â
âWhat did you write?â demanded Quigley.
Ackerman told him defiantly. âAnâ whatâs more,â he added, âIâm goinâ to do some pot-shootinâ before long.â
âWell,â replied Quigley, âIâd rather drive him out, anâ then watch him for a while. I ainât shore he canât be scared. Do you think he suspects heâs beinâ watched?â
âI donât think so,â answered Fleming.
âI know he does!â snapped Ackerman. âWhy does he paw around that gravel bed anâ pertend that heâs found gold in it? There ainât no gold there!â
Quigley laughed. âHe found gold, all right. Charley James saw it: anâ he got it right there. He wanted Charley to take it in pay. I donât doubt that you know somethinâ about prospectinâ but âgold is where itâs found.ââ
Ackerman thrust his head forward. âGold in that gravel! Hâl!â
âCharley saw it,â grunted Quigley.
âCharley be d dlâ snorted Ackerman. He looked closely at Quigley and suddenly demanded: âWhat makes you so set agâin us shootinâ him?â
Quigley regarded him evenly. âThere was a lot of talk, when Porter was found dead. I told you all at thâ time. Four men have got curious, come up in these hills anâ never went out again. Twin Buttes has a bad name; anâ thâ next dead man thatâs blamed on us is goinâ to make a lot more talk anâ may stir up trouble.
âNow then: Pop knows that Nelsonâs up here, anâ that means that everybody knows it. He saw me reach for my gun, anâ heard me tell him to keep out of here. Anâ let me tell you Pop knows more about us than he lets on; anâ heâs as venomous as a snake when he gets riled. Anâ he ainât thâ only one that knows things.
âNow weâll add it up: If we can scare Nelson away, or discourage him, heâll quit of his own accord; anâ he wonât talk because he knows that somebody knows heâs been rustlinâ.â He turned on his heel. âAm I plain enough?â
âWait a minute,â called Ackerman. âThat feller has got me worried. Mebby it would be reckless to let him disappear up here; but suppose I go on a spree in town when heâs there? Itâs easy to start a fight with a gun-man, because heâs got to toe thâ mark. I can do thâ job open anâ above board, anâ make it natural; anâ that will keep us clear.â
âJim,â smiled Quigley, âI donât want to lose you; anâ if you pick a square fight with that man, thâ eve? break that you demand in yore personal quarrels, wfc will lose you. I looked down his gun, anâ I tell you that I didnât âee him move. Heâs a gun man! â
Ackerman laughed. âWe wonât say anythinâ about that. But if he did get thâ worst of it in an even break anâ a personal quarrel, would it hurt us up here? Thatâs all I want to know.â
Quigley thought deeply and made a slow and careful reply. âIf it wasnât bungled I donât see how it could. Youâd have to rile him subtle, make him declare war anâ be thâ injured party yoreself; anâ youâd want witnesses. But donât you do it, Jim; not nohow. I got a feelinâ that heâs thâ best man with a Colt in this section. Yoâre a wizard with a six-gun; but you ainât good enough for him. When heâs around yoâre in thâ little boyâs class; anâ I ainât meaninâ no offense to you, neither.â
Ackerman, hands on hips, stared at Quigleyâs back as he walked away. âThâ hâl you say!â he snorted wrathfully. ââ Little boyâs class,â huh?â He wheeled and turned a scowling face to his friend Fleming. âDid you hear that? I calls that rubbinâ it in! I got a notion to take that fellerâs two guns away fronf him anâ make Tom eat âem! D d if I donât, too; You ride to town with me anâ Iâll show you somethirf you wonât never forget!â
It may not be out of place here to say that the time soon came when he did show Fleming something; and that Fleming never did forget it.
Mr. Quigley smiled grimly as he entered the house, for it was his opinion that Mr. Ackerman had no peer in his use and abuse of Mr. Coltâs most famous invention. He hardly could ask Mr. Ackerman to sally forth and engage in a personal duel with a common enemy, for it would smack too much of asking a friend to do his fighting for him. He believed that leadership is best based when it rests upon the respect of those led. He had no doubt about the outcome of such a duel, for he implicitly believed that the stranger, despite his vaunting two guns, had as much chance against Mr. Ackermanâs sleight-of-hand as an enraged rattler had against a cool and businesslike king snake. The appropriateness of the simile made him smile, because the rattler is heavily armed and calls attention to the fact, while the king snake is modest, unassuming, and sounds no war-cry. Two guns meant nothing to Mr. Quigley, because he knew that one was entirely sufficient in the hand of the right man.
He had carefully pointed out the way for Mr. Ackerman to proceed in such a situation, and then warned him in an irritating way not to go ahead. So now he sighed with relief at a problem solved, for his knowledge of Mr. Ackermanâs character was based upon accurate observations extending over a long period of time.
JOHNNY got up at noon, and when he saw the sign on his door its single word âVamose âtold him that the valley and the cabin were of no further use to him; that the time for subterfuge and acting a part was past. That the rustlers were not certain of his intentions was plain, for otherwise there would have been a bullet instead of a warning; and he was mildly surprised that they had not ambushed him to be on the safe side.
It now remained for him to open the war, and warn them further; or to pretend to obey the mandate and seek new fields of observation. Pride and anger urged the former; common sense and craftiness, the latter; and since he had not accomplished his task he decided to swallow his anger and move. Had he been only what he pretended to be, Nelsonâs creek would have seen some stirring times. As a sop to his pride he printed a notice on a piece of Charleyâs wrapping paper and fastened it on the door. Its three, short words made a concise, blunt direction as to a certain journey, popularly supposed to be the more heavily traveled trail through the spirit world. Packing part of his belongings on Pepper, he found room to sit in the saddle, and started off for an afternoon in Hastings, after which he would return to the cabin to spend the night and to get the rest of his effects.
When he rode into town he laughed outright at the sign on Popâs door, and he laughed harder when he saw another on Charleyâs door; and leaving his things behind Popâs saloon, he pushed on to Devilâs Gap. At the ford he met the two happy anglers returning and they paused in mid-stream to hold up their catch.
âYou come back with us,â grinned Pop. âWeâll pool thâ fish anâ have a three-corner meal. Where was you goinâ?â
âTo find you,â chuckled Johnny. âIâm surprised at thâ way you both neglects business.â
âCominâ from you that makes me laugh,â snorted Pop.
Charley grinned. âDid you see that whoppinâ big feller I got? Bet itâll go three pounds.â
âLucky if itâs half that,â grunted Pop. âIf Iâd âaâ got that one I had hold of, weâdâve had a threepounder, or mebby a fourpounder.â
Charley snorted. âWho ever heard of a fourpound brook trout? Been a brown, now, it might âaâ been that big.â
âWhy, I caught âem up to eight pounds, back East, when I was a kid!â retorted Pop.
âYoâre a squawâs dog liar!â snapped Charley. âEight-pound brook trout! You must âaâ snagged a turtle, or an old boot full of mud!â
âBet you five dollars!â retorted Pop, bristling.
âHow you goinâ to prove it?â jeered Charley. âCall thâ dead back to life to lie for you?â
âReckon I canât prove it,â regretted Pop. âBut when a man hangs around with a liar he shore gets thâ name, too.â
âNobody never called me a liar anâ got off without a hidinâ!â snapped Charley. âI may be sixty years old, but I can lick you anâ yore whole fambly if you gets too smart!â
Pop drew rein, his chin whiskers bobbing up and down. âIâm olderân that myself; but I donât need no relations to help me lick you! Get off that hoss, if you dares!â
âHere! Here!â interposed Johnny. âWhatâs thâ use of you two old friends mussinâ each other up? Come on! Iâm in a hurry! Iâm hungry!â
âI wonât go a step till he says I ainât no liar!â snapped Charley.
âI wonât go till he says I caught a eight-pound brook trout!â
âMebby he did how do I know what he did when he was a boy?â growled Charley, full of fight. âBut I ainât no liar, anâ thatâs that!â
âWho said you was, you old fool?â asked Pop heatedly.
âYou did!â
âI didnât!â
âYou did!â
âYoâre a liar!â
âYoâre another!â
âGet off that hoss!â
âYou ainât off yore own yet!â
Johnny was holding his sides and Pop wheeled on him savagely. âWhat thâ hâl you laughinâ at?â
âThatâs what I want to know!â blazed Charley.
âCome on, Charley!â shouted Pop. âWeâll eat them fish ourselves. Itâs a fine how-dy-do when age ainât respected no more. Anâ thâ next time you goes around callinâ folks liars,â he said, shaking a trembling fist under Johnnyâs nose, âyou neednât foller us to do it on!â
Down the trail they rode, angrily discussing Johnny, the times, and the manners of the younger generation.
When Johnny arrived at the saloon and tried the door he found it locked. He could hear footsteps inside and he stepped back, chuckling, to wait until Pop had forgiven him; but after a few minutes he gave it up and went around to try the window of a side room.
âWhat
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