FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124  
125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   >>   >|  
knowledge of the shooting. Starr was away when Waring arrived. Mrs. Starr made Waring welcome, and told him that her husband would be in that evening. He was out with one of his men running a line for a new fence. The old days of open range were past. And had Mr. Waring heard that Pat had been killed? Buck Hardy was out searching for the murderer. Did Mr. Waring know of a likely foreman? Bob Brewster had left suddenly. Jasper--her husband--was not well: had the rheumatics again. He could hardly walk--and his foreman had left. "Things always happened that way." Mrs. Starr paused for lack of breath. "When did Brewster leave, Mrs. Starr?" "Why, the last Jasper seen of him was Wednesday morning. Jasper is worried. I'm right glad you rode over. He'll be glad to see you." "Do you mind if I look over the horses in your corral?" "Goodness, no! I'll have Sammy go with you--" "Thanks; but I'd rather you said nothing to the boys." "You don't think that Bob--" "Mrs. Starr, I wouldn't say so if I knew it. Bob Brewster has friends up here. I'm looking for one of them." "Goodness, Mr. Waring, I hope you don't think any of our boys was mixed up in that." "I hope not. Have you seen Tony or Andy Brewster lately?" "Why, no. I--why, yes! Tony and Andy rode over last Sunday. I remember it was Sunday because Bob was out to the line shack. Tony and Andy hung around for a while, and then rode out to look for Bob." "Well, I'll step over and look at the horses. You say Jasper will be in this evening?" "If he ain't too stiff with rheumatics to ride back." Waring walked round the corrals, looking for a pony lame forward and with half a front shoe gone. Finally he noticed a short-coupled bay that had not moved when he had waved his arm. Waring climbed through the bars and cornered the horse. One front shoe was entirely gone, and the pony limped as Waring turned him loose. Mrs. Starr was getting supper when Waring returned to the house. "Any of the boys coming in with Jasper?" he queried. "Why, nobody except Pete. Pete's been layin' off. He claims his horse stepped in a gopher hole and threw him. Jasper took him along, feelin' like he wanted some one on account of his rheumatics. Jasper gets so stiff ridin' that sometimes he can hardly get on his horse. Mebby you noticed Pete's pony, that chunky bay in the corral--lame forward." "Yes, I noticed that. But that pony didn't step in a gopher hole. He was ridden
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124  
125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Waring

 
Jasper
 

Brewster

 

noticed

 

rheumatics

 

Goodness

 

corral

 

horses

 
forward
 

evening


Sunday

 

husband

 

foreman

 

gopher

 

corrals

 
Finally
 

walked

 

feelin

 
wanted
 

claims


stepped

 

account

 

ridden

 

chunky

 
cornered
 

limped

 

climbed

 

turned

 

coming

 

queried


returned

 

supper

 
coupled
 
searching
 

murderer

 

killed

 

suddenly

 

happened

 

Things

 

arrived


knowledge

 
shooting
 

running

 

paused

 

friends

 

wouldn

 

remember

 

morning

 
worried
 
Wednesday