ah fancy hoss ticklers theah." Kirby moved
his hand toward the spurs he had taken off and tucked into his shirt for
safekeeping to muffle the jingle while they were on scout. "Took 'em
away from a Mex officer, personal. Me, I was too young to draw fightin'
wages in that theah dust-up."

"My father wasn't too young, and he drew his wages permanent. My
grandfather went down to Texas and brought my mother back to Kentucky
just in time for me to appear. My grandfather didn't like Texans."

"An' maybe not your father, special?"

Drew smiled, this time mirthlessly. "Just so. You see, m' father came up
from Texas to get his schoolin' in Kentucky. He was studyin' to be a
doctor at Lexington. And he was pretty young and kind of wild. He had
one meetin'--"

"You mean one of them pistol duels?"

"Yes. So my grandfather warned him off seein' his daughter. I never
heard the rights of it, but it seems m' father didn't take kindly to
bein' ordered around."

Kirby chuckled. "That theah feelin' is borned right into a Texas boy. He
probably took the gal an' ran off with her--"

"You're guessing right. At least that's the story as I've put it
together. Mostly nobody would tell me anything. I was the blacksheep
from the day I was born--"

"But your ma, she'd give you the right of it."

"She died when I was born. That's another thing my grandfather had
against me. I was Hunt Rennie's son, and I killed my mother; that's the
way he saw it."

Kirby rolled his head on his arm so that his hazel eyes were on Drew's
thin, too controlled features.

"Sounds like your grandpappy had a burr under his tail an' bucked it out
on you."

"You might see it that way. You know, Anse, I'd like to see Texas--"

"After we finish up this heah war, compadre, we can jus' mosey down
theah an' look it over good. Happen you don't take to Texas, why,
theah's New Mexico, the Arizona territory ... clean out to California,
wheah they dip up that theah gold dust so free. Ain't nothin' sayin' a
man has to stay on one range all his born days--"

"Looks like the war ain't doin' too well." Drew was watching the
activity in the stockade.

"Well, we lost us Atlanta, sure enough. An' every time we close up
ranks, theah's empty saddles showin'. But General Forrest, he's still
toughenin' it out. Me, I'll trail along with him any day in the week."

"Hey!" Kirby was drawing a bead on a shaking bush. But the man edging
through was Hew Wilkins, General Buford's Ser