There's Always a Trail (1984) Read Online Free

clothes were folded neatly on th e chair, and there was another chair, a rocking chair with a book lying face down on the seat.
    The door opened and Ann Bailey came in. She wa s wearing an apron, and when her eyes met his, she smiled.
    'You're actually awake!, You're not delirious!"
    "What do you mean... delirious? Where am IP What' s happened?"
    "You're at home, on our ranch, and you were delirious.
    You talked," she blushed faintly, "an awful lot. You kille d all those men."
    "Not Rodd nor Hazel. Mathy killed Rodd by mistake.
    Hazel got away."
    "He didn't get far. He fell ok his horse about a mil e down the road, and died before anyone found him."
    "You got your money'?"
    "Of course." She looked down at him. "Half of thi s ranch is yours now."
    "I won't take it. That isn't right."
    "It is right. That was the deal, and we intend to stan d by it. Anyway, Dad needs help. He's needed somebod y who can handle cattle. He can't do it all himself. You ge t some rest now, and we can talk of that later."
    "What's that I smell?"
    "I'm making some doughnuts. ''
    "All right. I'll stay. I always did like doughnuts!"

There's Always A Trail (1984)

HISTORICAL NOTE
    ' T HE CARLISLE-KING FIGHT
    When the wild towns of the Old West are listed it i s always Abilene, Dodge City, Deadwood and Tombston e that are mentioned, and rarely Los Angeles.
    Yet California in its early years was second only to Texa s in the number of cattle roaming its thousands of hills, an d the vaqueros who handled those cattle numbered amon g them some of the finest riders and ropers the country wa s to see.
    The most noted gun battle of Los Angeles's early year s took place on July 6, 1865, when Bob Carlisle shot it ou t with the King brothers at the old Bella Union Hotel.
    On the afternoon of the previous day Carlisle had word s with Under-Sheriff A. J. King over the investigation of th e murder of John Rains, Carlisle's brother-in-law. The dis c ussion ended with Carlisle using a Bowie knife on King , and during the argument he was supposed to have sai d that he could kill all the Kings.
    Carlisle was a big, strikingly handsome man who ha d proved both his nerve and his skill with weapons on mor e than one occasion. As the son-in-law of Col. Isaac William s and owner of the Chino Ranch of some 46,000 acres, h e was a prominent citizen.
    On the day following the di ff iculty between Carlisle an d A. J. King, and just as the stage pulled up before the Bell a Union, Frank and Houston King, brothers of A. J., wer e passing by and glimpsed Bob Carlisle through the ope n B00K.
    Carlisle apparently saw them at the same time, and on e of the Kings said, "There's Carlisle now. Let's go see if h e means it."
    As the King brothers approached the door, firing began.
    Carlisle's first bullet killed Frank King, but Houston Kin g emptied his gun into Carlisle, putting four bullets withi n four inches of Carlisle's navel. Carlisle went down, the n started to get up, and Houston rushed him, breaking hi s now empty pistol over Carlisle's head.
    Pushing himself up against the wall, Carlisle gripped hi s six-shooter with both hands and shot Houston King throug h the body. Carried to a billiard table, Bob Carlisle died a short time later. Houston King survived the shooting an d was tried for killing Carlisle, but acquitted.
    Harris Newmark, a prominent citizen, came on th e scene as the shooting ended, and has told the story in hi s memoirs, as has Frank King, former cowley and write r who was the son of Houston King. There are several othe r accounts.