me, and I married him. All he ever wanted were the deeds, the permits, the property I had, the options I had. He got those and he ran away."
"He tried to, you mean."
"He did ... but I had a friend who saw him, who knew what he was taking, and who stopped him. He was an old man, and my husband drew a derringer on him and tried to kill him, but he was a very tough old man, and he killed my husband and brought the valise back to me."
"The Negro?"
She looked at him, hesitated, then said, "Yes. I said nothing because there are people who might have hung him for it, right or wrong. He protected me; I protected him."
"Some folks think you killed your husband."
"That's their problem."
"And yours?"
"Getting to Carson City and filing some of these papers. I have a lawyer there, a good one."
He studied her for a moment. "How old are you, Madge?"
"Nineteen ... going on forty. Nobody looks out for a girl alone. Matt. She looks out for herself, and you know what kind of a world it is."
He finished his coffee. "You'll be all right to Carson, Madge. We'll see you through." He paused a moment "Is Pike Sides working for you?"
"He was one of the guards at the mine. After my husband was killed and I found out who he was and what they were trying to do, I had Pike come to meet me here. I thought I needed a bodyguard."
"You were right"
He got up. "It's time to go, Madge. We're moving out."
The body was gone, the team was hitched up, Kearns and Dunning were seated in the stage. Dandy Burke was standing by it, and Pike Sides was loafing under the awning's shade.
Matt helped Madge Healy into the stage. Sides followed but Matt hesitated, letting his eyes go up the mountain slope. Earlier there had been a gleam from up there, as if sunlight had reflected off field glasses.
There was nothing now. Of course, it might have been a bit of mica, or even quartz.
Matt swung to the seat and Burke turned the team, pulling into the trail.
Matt looked back For the first time he thought about Bob Longer. He had not wanted to kill him, and he need not have accepted that challenge ... so why did he do it?
Tucker Dolan was right He could have kept the shotgun and there would have been no shooting.
Chapter 10
The story of the shooting reached Confusion before the stage got to Carson City. Matt Coburn had killed Bob Longer an attempted kidnapping , some said; others said it was a try at robbing a passenger. The fact loomed large that Coburn had killed another man.
Laurie Shannon had the story from Joss Ringgold over coffee in the ranch kitchen.
"Joss, is Harry Meadows still hiding out over in the mountains?"
"No, ma'am. He pulled his stakes. About the time the stage left."
"Will he try to stop the stager Joss hesitated. "No. I don't believe so. He will give it some thought, then he'll pull back and tell himself no it's too dangerous."
"Because of Matt?'
"Matt Coburn's quick on the shoot, ma'am. Maybe too quick"
She sat silent, staring at her coffee cup. "What's he coming to, joss? You know about men like that."
He shrugged. "Each one's special in himself, but once a man starts to use a gun he has to watch himself. He gets jumpy. He has enemies, he has reputation-huntin' kids to think of, and he knows he's fair game for any man with a gun.
"Matt's a good man, but he's a hard man in a hard country. There's many a time when if you wait for the other man to draw you can get killed. When things are like that, sometimes a man figures to get them before they get him.
"Jim Gillette, Jeff Milton, Bill Tilghman ... men like that never drew a gun unless they had to. Hickok ... I knew him well. If you came to town huntin' him or huntin' trouble, you'd better not make any wrong moves or he'd shoot. Dave Mathers didn't wait for you. If you came to town talkin' loud about what you intended to do, Dave would find you and shoot you before you even got started.
"Confusion, now Matt don't want the job, and he shouldn't have it. To run Confusion you'd have
"He tried to, you mean."
"He did ... but I had a friend who saw him, who knew what he was taking, and who stopped him. He was an old man, and my husband drew a derringer on him and tried to kill him, but he was a very tough old man, and he killed my husband and brought the valise back to me."
"The Negro?"
She looked at him, hesitated, then said, "Yes. I said nothing because there are people who might have hung him for it, right or wrong. He protected me; I protected him."
"Some folks think you killed your husband."
"That's their problem."
"And yours?"
"Getting to Carson City and filing some of these papers. I have a lawyer there, a good one."
He studied her for a moment. "How old are you, Madge?"
"Nineteen ... going on forty. Nobody looks out for a girl alone. Matt. She looks out for herself, and you know what kind of a world it is."
He finished his coffee. "You'll be all right to Carson, Madge. We'll see you through." He paused a moment "Is Pike Sides working for you?"
"He was one of the guards at the mine. After my husband was killed and I found out who he was and what they were trying to do, I had Pike come to meet me here. I thought I needed a bodyguard."
"You were right"
He got up. "It's time to go, Madge. We're moving out."
The body was gone, the team was hitched up, Kearns and Dunning were seated in the stage. Dandy Burke was standing by it, and Pike Sides was loafing under the awning's shade.
Matt helped Madge Healy into the stage. Sides followed but Matt hesitated, letting his eyes go up the mountain slope. Earlier there had been a gleam from up there, as if sunlight had reflected off field glasses.
There was nothing now. Of course, it might have been a bit of mica, or even quartz.
Matt swung to the seat and Burke turned the team, pulling into the trail.
Matt looked back For the first time he thought about Bob Longer. He had not wanted to kill him, and he need not have accepted that challenge ... so why did he do it?
Tucker Dolan was right He could have kept the shotgun and there would have been no shooting.
Chapter 10
The story of the shooting reached Confusion before the stage got to Carson City. Matt Coburn had killed Bob Longer an attempted kidnapping , some said; others said it was a try at robbing a passenger. The fact loomed large that Coburn had killed another man.
Laurie Shannon had the story from Joss Ringgold over coffee in the ranch kitchen.
"Joss, is Harry Meadows still hiding out over in the mountains?"
"No, ma'am. He pulled his stakes. About the time the stage left."
"Will he try to stop the stager Joss hesitated. "No. I don't believe so. He will give it some thought, then he'll pull back and tell himself no it's too dangerous."
"Because of Matt?'
"Matt Coburn's quick on the shoot, ma'am. Maybe too quick"
She sat silent, staring at her coffee cup. "What's he coming to, joss? You know about men like that."
He shrugged. "Each one's special in himself, but once a man starts to use a gun he has to watch himself. He gets jumpy. He has enemies, he has reputation-huntin' kids to think of, and he knows he's fair game for any man with a gun.
"Matt's a good man, but he's a hard man in a hard country. There's many a time when if you wait for the other man to draw you can get killed. When things are like that, sometimes a man figures to get them before they get him.
"Jim Gillette, Jeff Milton, Bill Tilghman ... men like that never drew a gun unless they had to. Hickok ... I knew him well. If you came to town huntin' him or huntin' trouble, you'd better not make any wrong moves or he'd shoot. Dave Mathers didn't wait for you. If you came to town talkin' loud about what you intended to do, Dave would find you and shoot you before you even got started.
"Confusion, now Matt don't want the job, and he shouldn't have it. To run Confusion you'd have
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