Calamity Jane 9 by J.T. Edson

Author:J.T. Edson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: calamity jane, colt 45, piccadilly publishing, bullwhip, the wild west, ysabel kid, western fiction ebook, martha jane canary, western action hero
Publisher: Piccadilly

Ten – I’d Say They Was Expecting Trouble

Leaving the two bodies so that any interested peace officer could come out and check their story of the incident, Calamity and the Kid continued along the trail to Hollick City. They had spent the night in the clearing, moving on soon after dawn. Calling in at the South Loup River way station, they had attracted no interest from having the sabino and bay along. So they had pushed on, holding to the same pace that had covered at least sixty miles a day since leaving Mulrooney. In the middle of the afternoon, they saw the sun glinting on the roofs of their destination. Built on the banks of the Middle Loup River, under the slopes of a wood-covered hill range, the town looked small and unimpressive in comparison with Mulrooney. It was still a good three miles away and, not far ahead of them, Calamity and the Kid saw a narrow track branching from the trail. Hardly more than the marks caused by a solitary wagon and a few horses going back and forward, the track turned off beyond a big old cottonwood tree and continued across the range in the direction of the hills.

Going by the tree, Calamity and the Kid saw a piece of wood nailed to it. Halting their horses, they looked at the letters burned into the wooden indicator that pointed along the track.

“ ONE MILE”

“That’s the Rafter C brand, gal,” the Kid announced. “I’d say your ranch house’s a mile along that track.”

They looked in the required direction. The land rolled away in undulating green folds until it joined the hills perhaps five miles from the stage-trail. There was no sign of the house or other ranch buildings. However, smoke rose from behind a ridge about a mile away. Not the black cloud of an unchecked fire, but a single plume such as might rise from a chimney.

“There’s somebody at home,” Calamity declared. “Maybe it’s pappy—”

“And maybe it’s not,” warned the Kid. “If your pappy was still there, likely the lawyer in Hollick City wouldn’t’ve needed to start hunting for you to make his offer.”

“Then whoever’s there shouldn’t be!” Calamity snorted and made as if to set her horses moving.

“Hold hard there, you damned hothead!” barked the Kid, reaching out a hand to catch hold of her arm. “We don’t know who’s there, what they’re doing there, or how many of them’s doing it. Could be whoever it is’s got what they reckon’s a real good reason for being there.”

“And could be they ain’t!”

“I’m not gainsaying it, gal. So we’ll just drift over there casual-like and see what’s doing. They don’t know who-all we are. So leave us not go in there with heads down and horns a-hooking when riding up peaceable’ll let us learn more.”

Accepting the wisdom of the Kid’s suggestion, Calamity accompanied him along the track. They saw only a few bunches of cattle, but several fair-sized bands of horses were grazing on what would probably be the ranch’s territory.

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