Silvertip (1942) by Max Brand Read Free Book Online Page A

surrounded the patio. One fold of her linen skirt thrust forward, and flashed like snow in the sunshine that touched it. She looked like the dead youth; she must be his sister, in fact. But what manner of people were these, when a father and sister could take the news of a death in such a way?
    "May I speak to you alone?" said Silver.
    Arturo Monterey drew himself up a little.
    "In twenty years," he said, "no American has entered this house. May it be another hundred years before one of your race passes through my door. You stand in my patio; and even that is very much, indeed! But come closer to me, if you will. My sons, fall back."
    The vaqueros moved off a little distance, their spurs rattling. Silver moved forward until he was close to the older Monterey. And just at that moment the opening of a door, as it seemed, allowed a wild cry of lament to break out from the house, a single dreadful note of grief, shut away to dimness again, as though the door had been suddenly closed once more.
    Silver saw the chin of the old man jerk up, as he endured the thrust of that keening. But nothing seemed able really to shock Arturo Monterey.
    "It was in Cruces," said Silver. "Do you know the place?"
    Arturo Monterey made a slowly sweeping gesture.
    "The mountains of the Haverhill," he said, "are the boundaries of my life."
    "It's a small town," said Silver, "fifty miles from here, beyond the mountains. I was there, and I met an enemy of mine, who was with your son."
    "What was his name?" asked Monterey.
    "Bandini."
    "Bandini is an enemy of yours?"
    "So much so, that we agreed to meet at a certain hour, and fight out our arguments together. At that time, I went into the street to find him. I saw a man wearing Bandini's cloak. I followed him, and stopped him. Senor, a man does not pause to ask many questions, at such a time. I was sure that it was Bandini. I challenged him with enough words to give him a chance to draw a gun. It seemed to me that he drew. Then I pulled my gun and fired. And the fire that spurted out of the gun showed me not the face of Bandini, but that of a stranger. He fell dead! I took his horse and his possessions, and traced him through the horse to this house. And what I wish to say is-" "Perez! Juan!" gasped Monterey. He gripped his walking stick with both hands, and leaned a little on it.
    "Take him!" groaned Monterey through his teeth, as the men came running to him. "Take the cursed gringo! God told me, twenty-five years ago, that nothing but evil could come to me from them, and here is another proof! Take him-away from my eyes-out of my sight-where I shall not hear the death cry! Make of him what my son is-a dead thing!"
    They closed on Silver from either side, suddenly. Many pairs of hands gripped him with a force that ground the muscles against the bones, and paralyzed the nerves. In an instant he was as helpless as though he had lain for a month in benumbing fetters.
    What a savage joy there was in their eyes, in the twisting of their mouths as they grasped and shook him! The grip of their fingers on his body seemed to feed them, like so many dogs tearing at living flesh.
    And then he heard the girl calling out, not loudly: "Uncle Arturo, what are you doing?"
    "I am finding justice, justice, justice on the gringo!" cried Arturo Monterey. "Quickly, my sons-quickly! Juan Perez, you will take charge, for you have seen this man before, and know a little about him. No torments-let death kill with a sharp edge, suddenly!"
    There was bunding joy in the eyes of Perez, as thoug h he looked upon a bright treasure, in beholding Silver.
    They swung their prisoner about. They began to sweep him down the roadway that led up to the house.
    Behind them, Silver heard the girl saying: "A man who trusted you, brought you the news of the death, and the horse of Pedro for the proof! Uncle Arturo, what has come of the honor of the Montereys?"
    "Where is there honor among the gringos?" thundered Monterey in answer. His voice