Tucker (1971) by L'amour| Louis

Author:L'amour| Louis
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-02-09T23:07:15.796000+00:00

Chapter 11

He turned to face me as I neared the bar. He was unshaven and haggard-looking. "Is it me you're lookin' for?" he asked.

"No, Pit. I want your friends."

"They're no friends of mine. It was a sorry day that I met with them. I've left them, and good riddance."

"I'm sorry about King. It was the breaks of the game."

Burnett shrugged. "It could have been me. Or you.

When a man takes gun in hand there is only one end to it, come soon or late." He glanced at me. "Is it after them you are?"

"Yes."

"I broke from them at Horse Spring." He jerked his head toward the west. "I doubt if they came to Socorro."

"Where's Ruby?"

"I'd not be knowing that, but Heseltine gave her money, quite a wad of it, and she left them and took the stage for Santa Fe."

"Did I get much lead into Reese?"

"A dozen or so buckshot into his hide, but no damage done except that he's scared. You've got him scared from his wits."

"What about Heseltine?"

"Nothing scares him. Nothing at all. But you've made it impossible for him to pull a job. You're always too close, and you give him no time."

He looked hard at me. "How long are you going to keep it up?"

"Until I have my money, or he's dead. Until both of them are dead."

Pit finished his drink, and I bought him another.

"Thanks," he said. "You might say you owe me this much. I haven't made a dollar since you took after us."

"Broke?"

He grinned at me. "You betcha. This here drink was my last. I hoped to find a friend who would stake me."

"You have," I said. "I'll grubstake you." I put a twenty-dollar gold piece on the bar. "Take that, and do one thing for me."

He fixed his eyes on me. "And what would that ber "Stay away from them. I think you're a good man, Pit, and when I tangle with them I wouldn't like to find you in the way."

"You won't." He picked up the money. "I'm taking this as a loan." He turned toward the door, but stopped and came back. "Why should I cover for them? They brought me nothing but bad luck. So I'll tell you this.

"Ruby Shaw went to Los Angeles. She'll be registered at the Bella Union Hotel, and she'll wait for them there."

If Pit Burnett had left them at Horse Springs and they were now en route to Los Angeles, they had a good lead on me, and my horse was about used up. So I made a swap at the livery stable, giving a little to boot, and owned a strawberry roan mustang that took me down the trail toward Prescott.

It was a far piece, and a man had to ride with eyes for Apaches. They haunted the canyons of the Mogollons, alert for lone travelers or isolated cabins.

Angling north, I came on a company of freighters twenty huge wagons, drawn by bull teams, and twenty-five men, including the cook, two wranglers, and the boss.

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