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you.
I ve survived, that s what it is. I think periods of change are rather
drastic out here, as compared with what happens in the East.
WhenEarnshaw had retired to the sleeping compartmentsDoris came closer. Tom,
you mentioned a woman. What is she like?
He shrugged. I don t know, he said honestly. I actually met her only once,
and we weren t exactly introduced. I don t even know her last name; her first
name is Sarah. She is here in town, I hear, and she seems to believe that my
death would be advantageous. My advice to you is to keep your door locked at
all times. Don t let anyone in unless you know them well.
He paused a moment. Doris, your father mentioned a quick sale. Whom did he
have in mind?
ColonelEnright . His car is right behind ours. He is here to buy beef, and
he will pay cash ... in gold.
Chantry sat on the edge of the plush sofa, his hat in his hand. He was
restless and uneasy. Was it the sudden change of surroundings? Was it only
that he needed a bath, a change of clothes? Or was it the knowledge that out
there in the dark trouble awaited him, trouble he could not avoid.
Slowly, almost thinking out loud, he reviewed forDoris all that had happened.
When he had finished, she said, What will she do now? You have the cattle
here. You are alive, and possibly Mr. Williams is alive too. So what can she
do?
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If you were she, what would you do?
She answered quickly. I d go for the money.
When you sell the cattle, I d steal the money.
He considered that. Until now Sarah had been working to inherit the cattle
and sell the herd herself, and she had balked at nothing ... nothing at all.
Yes, he agreed reluctantly, she would steal the money. She would do just
whatDoris had suggested.
He knew what the trouble was, for he had a touch of it himself. There was a
feeling here that this was somehow out of the world, that what one did in the
West belonged only to the West, and when one left, it could be left behind. Of
course, that was not true. But ... hadn t it been true for some people?
So many of them had that idea.They came to get rich and get out.
Chapter Twenty
WHEN HE left the private car, Tom
Chantry moved quickly to the shadow of a pile of lumber. There, crouching in
the darkness, he waited and watched.
He had been in the West only a short time, but it was true that circumstances
had changed him. He had grown more watchful, less trusting of people or
appearances. He had enemies of whom he knew little except that they seemed
prepared to stop at nothing. He had some friends, but he could not feel
entirely sure who were friends and who were enemies. He would do well to play
out his hand as if he were alone, and without help.
UndoubtedlyEarnshaw wanted to make a quick deal, a quick profit that would
put him on his feet once more. Then there could be the purchase and shipment
of a second herd that would launch him into business again. That made sense,
and this was the place to do it.
But Sarah was in town, and she had with her theTalrims , who killed without
qualm or hesitation. Apparently she had also established a working arrangement
with the killers of his father. These were his enemies, persons to whom his
death seemed a necessity.
The area covered by the town, even with the scattered piles of building
materials, corrals, and freight cars, was small, and his enemies would be
moving in and around that area; there was small chance of avoiding them. He
must locate their headquarters, for there had to be a focal point.
He thought of Mobile Callahan, who had helped him, paid to do so by Sparrow
... why? For the time being he would dismiss that, while keeping it in the
back of his mind. No matter what the motive, this did not present any
immediate danger.
Bone McCarthy was, he believed, still working for him. Of Sun Chief there had
been no sign, and it seemed likely that he had been killed in the stampede.
And where was French Williams? Knowing the man, Chantry was sure he would not
give up without a fight.
Crouching and waiting to see if he had been followed, or if anyone was
watching the car, he considered his situation.
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