Sackett (1961) by Louis - Sackett's 09 L'amour Read Free Book Online

Bigelow in a showdown I couldn't get out of any other way--unless I wanted to die. That was likely to give me all the difficulty I'd want.
    Newton was looking at Cap. He grinned, and I heard Hobes say again, "Forget it."
    "Aw, what's the matter?" I heard the Kid say, "I'm just gonna have some fun." Ben whispered to him, but the Kid paid him no mind.
    "Hey, old man! Ain't you kind of old to be traipsin' over the country?"
    Cap didn't even look up, although the lines in his face deepened a little. I reached down real slow and taken my pistol out and laid it on the table. I mean I taken one pistol out. I was wearing another in my waist-band.
    When I put that pistol on the table beside my plate, the Kid looked over at me, and so did Ben Hobes. He threw me a sharp look, and kind of half squared around toward us. Me, I didn't say anything or look around. I just kept eating.
    The Kid looked at the gun and he looked at me. "What's that for?"
    Surprised-like, I looked up. "What's what for?"
    "The gun."
    "Oh? That? That's for killing varmints, snakes, coyotes, and such-like. Sometimes frogs:"
    "You aimin' that at me?" He was really asking for it
    "Why, now. Why would I do a thing like that? A nice boy like you." He was young enough to get mad at being called a boy, but he couldn't make up his mind whether I was makin' fun, or what.
    "Ill bet you got a home somewheres, and a mother." I looked at him thoughtfully. "Why, sure! I see no reason . . . exactly, why you shouldn't have a mother like anybody else."
    Taking a big bite of bread, I chewed it for a minute while he was thinking of something to say. I waited until he was ready to say it and then said, "You had your supper, son? Why don't you set down here with us and have a bite? And when you go out of a night you should bundle up more. A body could catch his death of cold."
    He was mad now, but ashamed, too. Everybody was starting to smile a little. He dearly wanted a fight, but it's pretty hard to draw a gun on a man who's worried about your welfare.
    "Here ..." I pushed back a chair. "Come and set down. No doubt you've been long from home, and your mama is worried about you. Maybe you feel troubled in your mind, so you just set up and tell us about it. After you've had something to eat, you'll feel better."
    Whatever he had fixed to say didn't fit any more, and he groped for words and finally said, I'm not hungry."
    "Don't be bashful, son. We've got a-plenty. Cap here ... he has youngsters like you ... he must have, he's been gallopin' around over the country so much. He must have left some like you somewhere."
    Somebody laughed out loud, and the Kid stiffened up. "What do you mean by that?" His voice shrilled a little, and that made him still madder. "Damn you--"
    "Bartender," I said, "why don't you fix this boy a little warm broth? Something that will rest easy on his stomach?"
    Pushing back my chair, I got up and holstered my gun. Cap got up, too, and I handed the bartender the money, then added an extra quarter. "This is for the broth. Make it hot, now."
    Turning around, I looked at the Kid mildly and held out my hand. "Good-bye, son. Walk in the ways of righteousness, and don't forget your mother's teaching."
    Almost automatically he took my hand, then jerked his back like it was bee-stung.
    Cap had started toward the door, and I followed him. At the door I turned and looked back at the Kid again. I've got big eyes and they are serious most times. This time I tried to make them especially serious. "But really, son, you should bundle up more."
    Then I stepped outside and we walked back to our outfit. I said to Cap. "You tired?"
    "No," he said, "and a few miles will do us no harm."
    We rode out. Couple of times I caught Cap sizing me up, like, but he said nothing at all. Not for several miles, anyway, then he asked, "You realize you called that boy a bastard?"
    "Well, now. That's strong language, Cap, and I never use strong language."
    "You talked him out of it. You made him look