The Killer

iles farther that way; but one can see for miles in every direction. I did not one

his pointed shoes and his elbows stuck out at all angles. He had thrust his derby hat far down over his ears, and buttoned his inadequate coat tightly. In addition, he was nourishing a very considerable grouch, attributable, I suppose, to the fact that his customary dose w

to think of us. The matter had been fairly well carried off up to that moment, but I could not hope for a successful repetition. No man could continue to lug around with him so delicious a vaudeville sketch without

and yucca, and mescal and soapweed, and sage, and sacatone and niggerheads and all the other known vegetables of the region. Also I'd indicated prairie dogs and squinch owls and Gambel's quail and road runners and a couple of coyotes and lizards and other miscellaneous fauna. Not to speak of naming painstakingly the ranches indicated by the clumps of trees that you could just make out

he didn't care who knew it. It was an uncomfortable horse to ride on, it required exertion to keep in motion, and it hurt his feelings. Especially the last. He was a horseman, a jockey, he'd ridden the best blood in t

through bucking for th

Tiger never pitc

o feel a real horse to get the tast

jumpy, so I thoug

l right," I advised him. "Tiger don

ted sco

than the ones you've been u

e manner that proved he was indeed a horseman, and a

h his heels. I kicked my animal with my stock spurs

after a few moments. "I

d urging on my animal, there was no use tiring us both; evidently the jockey was enjoying to the full the exhilaration of a

g on toward dusk and pools of twilight were in the bottomlands. For the moment the world had grown smaller, more intimate, as the

he right-hand fork leading to the ranch house, the left on up the valley. Aft

" and then after a moment, with dismay:

xpected to last about two days unless I did something mighty sudden. Brower I expected might last approximately half that time, depending on how soon Ramon et al got busy. The girl I didn't know anything abo

speculate on the reactions of Old Man Hooper, Ramon, Brower and no dope, but it was too much for me. My head was getting tired thinking about all these complicated things, anyhow. I was accustomed to nice, simple jobs with my head, like figuring on the shrinkage of beef cattle, or the inner running of a two-card draw. All this annoyed me. I began to get mad. When I got mad enough I cussed and came to a decision: which was to go after Old Man Hooper and all his works that very night. Next day wouldn't

seemed to me no adequate reason, with a fine, long night before me, why I shouldn't use a little of the shank

spring twilight, and got a good fair look at the ensemble, they dropped everything and came over to see about it, headed naturally by those mournful blights, Wi

think, Sam?

ooden, who was a Texican. "But my first examinat

judgment is confused by the fact that the critte

should agree with you. Look carefully, Windy. Examine the

a camel, a hippypottamus, and

"On second examination I probably am wrong. But i

Bill, positively. "I seen one once. It has one pecu

t's

vels around with a

speaking, I could be classified as a congenital idiot. Windy pointed out that evidently I had traded Tige

ymptom of mirth. I was unsaddling methodically, paying no attention to anybody, and apparently deaf to all that was being said. If th

t to lead the old skate to water when we all h

mebody after a moment, meani

o water was nothing strange or unusual. But an instant later, s