Under His Shirt by Max Brand

Author:Max Brand [Brand, Max]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Western
Publisher: The Reading Room
Published: 2014-09-22T22:00:00+00:00

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VII. — MIRIAM’S WONDER.

“MY idea,” said the big man, who by removing his hat had showed a great mop of red hair, “is to get some of the boys together and go hunting Daly and his crew. What d’you say to that, Doc Peters?”

“You won’t get a crew around here,” asserted Doc Peters. “The boys ain’t got any stomach for fighting or trailing Joe Daly. They say that bullets don’t even make no dent in him!”

Pete Burnside shuddered.

“Well,” declared Red Stanton, “I’m one, and my partner here, Pete, is another that’ll take the trail. Eh, Pete?”

Here he clapped Pete on the shoulder, and the latter winced. Pete fought with all his might to stand straight and nod a cheerful answer; he strove with all his force to appear at his best before this bright-eyed girl who was watching so intently. But he could only cringe. The very name of Joe Daly sent water instead of blood through his veins. Sickness took hold of the very heart of him. From the corner of his eye he saw scorn pass like a shadow over the face of the girl.

Suddenly she stepped to Red Stanton and shook his hand. “I have faith in you,” she said.

And, it sickened Pete Burnside to see her lift her head and smile up into his companion’s brutal face.

“I have faith,” she repeated. “I know that you can’t lose!”

“Lose?” roared Red Stanton. “I ain’t ever started a fight yet that I ain’t won. I dunno what it means to get licked. Ask Pete, here. He’ll tell you!”

Red winked with brutal meaning at the rancher and his daughter. He could not see the shadow of disgust which darkened their eyes for a moment. But here was an ally too powerful to be turned away simply because he seemed to be a bully and a braggart.

So they sat down with the two newcomers. They placed them at a table where there was more food than even the tremendous capacity of Red was equal to. And, while the two travelers ate, they were given in detail the history of the struggle against Daly, and in particular the feat of Dan Bunder in killing no less than two of the Daly gang, as was known, and three, as was conjectured. But since Dan had been killed in single combat with a man who must have been Joe Daly himself, no one in the mountains could be induced to take service on the Peters Ranch, with the exception of a few half-worthless hands who were shielded from the gunfighters by their great age. It would be a problem of the very first water to get even a handful of willing men together to attack such an enemy as Joe Daly had demonstrated himself to be.

Here Red smashed his great hand upon the table with such force that the dishes chimed.

“Leave that to me!” he said. “Lemme offer ‘em money. Lemme go to town to get ‘em, and I’ll come back with men enough!”

It seemed impossible that he could do as he promised.

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