Santa Fe Woman by Gilbert Morris Page B

out for this fella, Miss Kate.”
    Kate turned quickly to see one of the mule skinners that she had already met standing there. His name was Stuffy McGinnis. He was a short, spare, young man, wiry and tough, with the biggest mustache she had ever seen. She had already discovered he was a happy-go-lucky fellow and loved to play practical jokes. He was grinning at her now with fun dancing in his eyes. “I guess it’s my Christian duty to warn you about Good News here.”
    “Is that right, Stuffy? What’s he done?”
    “Oh, he’s the downfall of women, Miss Kate, I’m sorry to announce to you. It’s just terrible the way he leads young women into the ways of unrighteousness.”
    “Stuffy, you couldn’t tell the truth if your life depended on it.”
    “Oh, he’ll deny it,” Stuffy said, nodding wisely and winking at Kate. “But everybody knows that he’s a terrible fellow where women are concerned.”
    Kate suddenly faced McGinnis squarely. “Are you born again yourself, Stuffy?”
    McGinnis opened his mouth, started to speak, then suddenly found it necessary to clear his throat. “Well, not exactly.”
    Good News was delighted. He laughed and clapped Stuffy on the shoulder. “No, he ain’t born again, but he’s gonna be before this here trip is over.” He winked and said, “You and me’ll gang up on him, Miss Kate. We’ll get him saved, baptized, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost before we get to Santa Fe.”
    “I’ll be glad to cooperate with you on that, Good News.”
    Stuffy was suddenly nervous, a most unusual thing for him. “I don’t reckon as how I need any help,” he said stiffly. He turned and walked away.
    “You’re forgetting your eggs, Stuffy,” Good News called out. But then he turned and shook his head, his eyes warm. “Never knew Stuffy to turn down seconds, but good to have a fellow believer on the trail, Miss Kate.”
    “I’ll look forward to having some meetings and talking about the Lord,” Kate smiled. She watched as Good News turned away and noticed that he walked over to where Stuffy was, sat down and began talking earnestly with him. That’s a good man, she thought. We’ll probably need more like him on this journey.
    * * *
    BRODIE DONAHUE FINISHED HIS plate and drained the last of his coffee. He was a tall man with wide shoulders, a solid neck, and black hair and eyes. He was fine looking, clean shaven, and better dressed than most of the mule skinners. He turned to Charlie Reuschel and said, “Look at that filly, ain’t she a pippin?”
    Charlie turned to look at the young woman who was standing alone at the table staring off into space. “A fine-lookin’ gal.”
    “She’s a daisy, ain’t she? Better go make myself available.”
    “You heard what Rocklin said about the women,” Charlie Reuschel said. He was no more than average height but very strongly built. He wore a hat always, for he was bald. He had light blue eyes and was the best shot of any of the men in the train. It seemed he could not miss with a rifle or a pistol.
    “Ah, that’s just talk.”
    “I don’t reckon Rocklin’s one for just talk. You better behave yourself.”
    Indeed, Rocklin had given a talk to all of the men on the train. It had been a short talk in which he had informed them that they were to keep themselves on their best manners where the women on the train were concerned. He had ended by saying, “I’m not much of a one for rules, but anybody that breaks this one I’ll come down on him pretty hard.”
    Donahue had paid little attention to the speech. He was a rough fellow and could handle himself in most any kind of fight. He knew that Chad Rocklin was a pretty tough man, or he would not have been chosen to lead this train. Donahue, however, was not one to worry about things like that.
    He got to his feet, brushed his black hair back, and shoved his hat back on his head. “A man that won’t take a chance of a whippin’to get next to a good-lookin’ one like