Grub Line Rider by Louis L'Amour

Author:Louis L'Amour [L'Amour, Louis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Usenet, C429, Kat, Exratorrents
ISBN: 9780843960655
Publisher: Leisure Books
Published: 1990-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Lying on his back in bed, Matt Sabre stared up into the darkness and listened to the rain on the window and on the roof. It rattled hard, skeleton fingers against the glass, and he turned restlessly in his bed, frowning as he recalled that quick, guarded expression in the eyes of Prince McCarran.

Who was McCarran, and what did he know?

Had Curtin’s request that he help his wife been merely the natural request of a dying man, or had he felt that there was a definite need of help? Was something wrong here?

He went to sleep vowing to deliver the money and ride away. Yet even as his eyes closed the last time, he knew he would not do it if there was trouble.

It was still raining, but no longer pouring, when he awakened. He dressed swiftly and checked his guns, his mind taking up his problems where they had been left the previous night.

Camp Gordon, his face puffy from too much drinking and too sound a sleep, staggered down the stairs after him. He grinned woefully at Sabre. “I guess I really hung one on last night,” he said. “What I need is to get out of town.”

They ate breakfast together, and Gordon’s eyes sharpened suddenly at Matt’s query of directions to the Pivotrock. “You’ll not want to go there, man. Since Curtin ran out, they’ve got their backs to the wall. They are through! Leave it to Galusha Reed for that.”

“What’s the trouble?”

“Reed claims title to the Pivotrock. Bill Curtin’s old man bought it from a Mex who had it from a land grant. Then he made a deal with the Apaches, which seemed to cinch his title. Trouble was, Galusha Reed shows up with a prior claim. He says Fernandez had no grant. That his man Sonoma had a prior one. Old Man Curtin was killed when he fell from his buckboard, and young Billy couldn’t stand the gaff. He blew town after Tony Sikes buffaloed him.”

“What about his wife?”

Gordon shook his head, then shrugged. Doubt and worry struggled on his face. “She’s a fine girl, Jenny Curtin is. The salt of the earth. It’s too bad Curtin hadn’t a tenth of her nerve. She’ll stick, and she swears she’ll fight.”

“Has she any men?”

“Two. An old man who was with her father-in-law and a half-breed Apache they call Rado. It used to be Silverado.”

Thinking it over, Sabre decided there was much left to be explained. Where had the $5,000 come from? Had Billy really run out, or had he gone away to get money to put up a battle? And how did he get it?

“I’m going out.” Sabre got to his feet. “I’ll have a talk with her.”

“Don’t take a job there. She hasn’t a chance,” Gordon said grimly. “You’d do well to stay away.”

“I like fights when one side doesn’t have a chance,” Matt replied lightly. “Maybe I will ask for a job. A man’s got to die sometime, and what better time than fighting when the odds are against him?”

“I like to win,” Gordon said flatly.

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