Running Irons by J. T. Edson

Author:J. T. Edson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: Cattle Stealing, Westerns, Fiction, C429, Extratorrents, Kat, General
ISBN: 9780060784195
Publisher: HarperTorch
Published: 1968-01-02T06:00:00+00:00

132

J. T. Edson

All the Rafter O men looked at Danny as he

spoke up. Trying to appear as if they had not

meant their words to carry to the Bench J’s ears,

the Rafter O’s exchanged glances.

“Did he mean us?” Lanky asked.

“I sure hope he didn’t,” a red-headed youngster

called, with a surprising lack of originality, Red,

replied.

“Figure he asked us something,” Chuck

drawled. “Only does he mean it?”

Coming to his feet and ignoring Tommy’s warn-

ing glances, Danny dipped a hand into his pocket.

“Do you Rafter O’s talk with your money or

only your mouths. I said how much do you bet and

what odds do you give that I ride the bay?”

“He wants to bet, Chuck,” Lanky stated soberly.

“Nope,” Danny corrected. “I want to bet

money. He’d be no use to me when I won him.”

Grins came to the Rafter O faces and cowhands

took a liking to Danny. The attempt at getting him

to ride the bay was in the nature of a try-out, to see

if the newcomer had what it took to make a hand.

Whenever Rafter O came into town, their boss

specializing in horses more than cattle, they

brought along a good bucker in the hope of find-

ing somebody game enough—or fool enough—to

ride it.

Everybody’s attention came to the table, even

the gamblers holding up their games, for the Rafter

Running Irons

133

O’s reputation in such matters was common

knowledge and the crowd eagerly awaited devel-

opments. If the blond stranger accepted the chal-

lenge, and he appeared to have done so, they ought

to see some sport.

“Come on, Rafter O,” Danny continued after a

few seconds. “Make your bet, or set up the

drinks.”

“We’ll give you two to one and take up to sixty

dollars,” Chuck answered after a brief consulta-

tion with his friends. “If you want to go that

high.”

“Bet!” Danny said loudly and started walking

toward the door. “I’ll get my saddle. Where’d you

want me to ride him, in here?”

“Oh, no you don’t!” Ella Watson interrupted,

coming forward. “I’ve an empty corral outside, use

that.”

Without giving anybody the chance to request

that he showed his money, Danny headed for the

door and Tommy followed on his heels with

Mousey at his side. They went by the front door,

but the rest of the crowd headed out at the rear to

form up around the big pole corral.

Danny collected his saddle, stripping off the

rope, rifle boot and all other extras ready for what

he knew would be a hard, gruelling ride. With that

done, he took off his gunbelt and handed it to

Tommy.

134

J. T. Edson

“You watch that hoss, Danny,” Tommy warned.

“If Rafter O’s betting cash money on him, they

sure don’t aim to lose.”

“Nor me,” grinned Danny. “Boy, you, me’n’ lil

Mousey here’ll sure have us a time on what we’ve

won.”

Together they walked around the side of the

building and toward the corral at the rear. Danny

watched Chuck lead up the bay, noting that it ap-

peared to be quiet enough and followed without

trouble. Not that he felt surprised for a blindfold

covered the horse’s eyes, and he knew that even a

bad outlaw learned the futility of fighting a rope.

The bay did not fight having a saddle put on it, but

Danny noted the way its ears flattened down and

its muscles quivered.

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