Showdown at Dead End Canyon Read Online Free Page B

twenty thousand head of cattle had made him rich beyond his wildest dreams.
    “Good morning, Father.”
    Looking up from his paper, Dorchester smiled at his daughter. Pamela was twenty-one, tall and willowy, with blue eyes and dark hair. She moved with the easy grace of someone unaware of her own beauty.
    “Good morning, my dear.”
    “Did you sleep on it?” she asked as she took her seat. “Just toast and tea,” she said to Wilson, who stepped up to the table.
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Did I sleep on what?”
    “Come on, Father, you mustn’t tease,” Pamela said. “We talked about it last night, and you said would sleep on it.”
    “Oh. You must be talking about your trip to Chicago.”
    “Yes. May I go? It’s only three days by train. I’ll stay no more than a week, then I’ll come right back home, Ipromise. I’ll be gone for two weeks at the most. Please, Father, may I go?”
    “I’ve thought about it,” Dorchester said with a stern expression on his face.
    “And?” The expression on Pamela’s face was one of concern that he was about to say no.
    Suddenly, a big smile spread across her father’s face. “You may go,” he said.
    “Oh, Father! Thank you, thank you!” Pamela said. She jumped up from her chair and hurried around the long table to kiss him in appreciation.
     
    Poke Wheeler and Gilley Morris stood in the parlor. Neither had ever been in a house this elegant before now. In fact, it had been some time since either of them had been in a house of any kind.
    “Lookie here,” Poke said, running his hand over the back of one of the chairs. “You ever seen leather this soft? What kind of cow you reckon this here leather comes from?”
    “I don’t know,” Gilley said. “Maybe they’s special cows that’s got skin like that.”
    “Ain’t none that I ever seen,” Poke said. “And I’ve saw lots of cows.”
    “Maybe it’s from the kind of cows they got in India or China or somethin’.”
    Poke looked at Gilley. “That don’t make no sense. Cows is cows.”
    “Not if they are over in China or India, or some such place,” Gilley replied. “The people is different over there. I mean, look at the Chinamen with their eyes and all. Why, I reckon the cows could be different too, and maybe one of the things is, they got real soft skin.”
    “I’m goin’ to sit down and see jus’ how soft this is,” Poke said.
    Poke had just settled in the chair when the owner of the house came into the room.
    “Don’t sit anywhere, don’t touch anything.”
    Poke jumped up quickly.
    “Do you know what to do? Do you know where to go and what time to be there?”
    Poke nodded. “Yeah, we know. Why are you helpin’ us?”
    “I have my reasons.”
    “And you don’t want none of the money?”
    “No. I don’t want any of your money.”
    “Listen,” Poke said. “Seein’ as you don’t want none of the money or nothin’, then you must have another reason for helpin’ us. That bein’ the case, you reckon you could see your way clear to lend us just a little money till the job is done? I mean, maybe just enough for us to get us a good supper, and a couple of drinks before we go.”
    “I’ll give you five dollars apiece now. But if you get drunk and fail to do your job…well, let’s just say that I will be very disappointed.”
    “You don’t be worryin’ none about us. We’ll do our job, all right.”
    “I’ll be counting on that. Now, please leave my house. You are smelling up the place.”
    “Come on, Gilley,” Poke said. “Let’s go get us some supper.”

Chapter 3
    AFTER LEAVING COLORADO, HAWKE RODE UP INTO the Wyoming Territory. He was following the Green River north, not sure where it would take him and not particularly caring. The river snaked out across the gently undulating sagebrush-covered prairie before him, shining gold in the setting sun, sometimes white where it broke over rocks, other times shimmering a deep blue-green in the swirling eddies and trapped