Arizona Pay-Off by Duke Patterson

Author:Duke Patterson [Duke Patterson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780709094265
Publisher: Robert Hale
Published: 2011-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

Tex retrieved his pony, still where he had left it, undiscovered, and moved furtively back across the waste land west of the township. The fire was less bright now, for the building wasn’t large enough to withstand the flames long.

That so far at all events the Parson had no suspicion that Tex had been responsible seemed certain. Fires in such settlements as Grant’s River were common enough in summer. Tex hoped that he wouldn’t come under suspicion, for if not there was a chance that the bluff he had pulled on the spur of the moment might pay dividends.

It might come off – only time would tell. In the meantime there had been achieved concrete results which must be considered – and used when this had been done. As he joined the minor trail which eventually led to the Bar X, Tex was thinking about these results.

The moon was well up by now. Tex rode along the trail towards the Bar X thinking hard. Part of his mind was wondering where Linda Forbes had been making when he had glimpsed her earlier. He was on the alert, but just the same Pop Dwight surprised him. The first he knew that Pop was around was when the latter spoke.

‘OK, Tex … how’d you make out?’

Tex didn’t answer until they were both under cover off the trail; and then he didn’t go into details of his moves at the settlement.

‘All right, I reckon … what you doin’ here, Pop? I thought you were goin’ up to the ranch?’

‘Sure, but I didn’t get there. Seems like I wasn’t the only guy around these parts. I got a glimpse o’ Doc Black. That was after I left you. I trailed him.’

Doc Black, up here near the Bar X. That might be something, though on the other hand it might mean nothing.

‘Where’d he go?’ asked Tex.

‘I don’t rightly know … he’s pretty slick. I don’t reckon he knew I was after him, but he could have done. Any road, he slipped me. I looked around but I didn’t get a smell of him again. Then I saw Poston, he’s the sheriff, remember? He came ridin’ down the trail away from the Bar X. Maybe he paid a visit up there. He made towards the River. I let him go and scouted round for Black, but he ain’t shown up again.’

Tex grunted, not knowing what to make of this. The trail was mostly used by Bar X guys and others needing to visit the ranch, but it led also to the foothills and other grazing grounds farther west. Tex didn’t need to be reminded that Poston was the sheriff. Maybe he had been to the ranch. If so Sam and Dave would have looked after him – but given nothing away. As for Black he might have visited the Bar X, too. And there was Linda Forbes, who apparently Pop hadn’t seen.

Before Tex could talk both he and Pop heard the noise of hoofs coming down the trail from the direction of the ranch.

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