Oliver Strange - Sudden Westerns 07 - Sudden Rides Again(1938) by Oliver Strange Read Free Book Online Page B

negro said.
                 Frosty
chuckled. “I’ll take to totin’ a couple, Jim; that’ll even up.”
                 They
devoured a meal, praised the cook until her grin of gratification threatened to
engulf her ears, and headed once more for the Double K. By the time they
reached it, riders were coming in from the range.
                 “Yu’ll
bring the strength up to fifteen, includin’ the foreman,” Frosty informed. “ They’s a middlin’ good crew, though—well, mebbe it’s my
fault.”
                 “That they’s a good crew?” came the artless question.
                 “No,
yu flathead, an’ don’t yu go to copyin’ the 01’ Man—one like him is all this
ranch’ll stand,” Frosty said. “My fault if I can’t like one or two as well as
the rest. I expect I don’t make friends easy.”
                 “I’ve
noticed it,” Sudden remarked gravely. “Yu need to know a fella a long, long
whiles before he captures yore youthful affection.”
                 “Oh,
go to—chapel,” the young man told him, and gave his mount a swipe on the rump
which sent it careering into the corral.
                 As
they moved towards the bunkhouse a chubby, round-face cowboy approached, and
was promptly hailed:
                 “Hi,
Lazy, say `Howdy’ to Jim Green, who’s come to help the rest of us do yore job
for yu.”
                 The
maligned one grinned and shoved out a paw. “Pleased to meetcha,” he said, “My
name’s `Lacey’; these ignorant cow-wrestlers mis-pronounce it ‘ cause I do more work than any three of ‘ern.” He looked at
Frosty. “ Steve’s wantin’ to know where yu bin loafin’
all the day?”
                 “Tell
him to ask the Colonel.”
                 The
Double K bunkhouse was a large one and the built-in bunks arranged along each
side left ample room for the long table which served for meals. At the far end
a door led to the kitchen. Most of the riders had already taken their seats and
were exchanging good-humoured banter when Frosty and his companions entered.
Frosty conducted the newcomer to the head of the table, where Lagley was
standing in conversation with a small, middle-aged man with ferrety eyes and a
sour expression. This was Turvey, supposed to be more or less in the foreman’s
confidence.
                 “Oh,
Steve, this is Jim Green,” Frosty announced. “I reckon the 01’ Man will have
told yu about him.”
                 The
foreman spun round and glared when he saw the stranger who had humiliated him.
Stark hostility shone in his eyes for an instant and as quickly died away. But
Sudden noted it.
                 “I
ain’t seen Keith,” Lagley said gruffly. “What was it he should ‘a’ told me?”
                 “Why, to put Jim on the pay-roll, o’ course.”
                 “No
`of course’ about it till I’ve spoke with the owner,” the foreman snapped.
“What yu bin doin’ to-day?”
                 “Better
ask him ‘bout that, too,” Frosty advised. “C’mon, Jim, let’s git started afore
these fellas wolf the lot.” And, as they found seats, “Me, I’m a small eater.”
                 “My
Gawd!” the tall, thin man on his left breathed fervently.
                 “He’s
sayin’ grace,” Frosty explained aloud. “Well brought up, Lanky was. Fact is , they brought him up so far he never had a chance to fill
out.”
                 “An’
he still ain’t, sittin’ next yu at meals,” the long one complained. “See here,
stranger, lemme tell yu a true tale. Frosty here once went to a barbecue an’
the rancher who was givin’ the party took him to where they was roasting the ox—whole. `There,’ he sez proudly, `how’ll that do yu?’ `It’ll
dome fine,’ Frosty replies. `But what are