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Show for Manuuiu ^uuutijr-, wcu, iiuvy «.. *he desert take them, the desert and the buzzards. Over an hour later, riding across the upper end of a meadow, he pulled his watch from his pocket, checked it against the sun and knew he was going to be late for dinner. His wife would complain, but hell, he'd had a full morning's work, all that riding and counting the cattle. Or had he counted them ? He would have to remember to write things down; he'd forgotten the figure and it would be dumb luck if he remembered it again. But this bay horse he was leading, fancy saddle and bridle, good-looking horse but not worth a damn for cows, where had he picked him up? Then he remembered. Since his own horses were in the meadow, he dismounted, unsaddled the bay and tossed saddle and blanket and then the bridle into the lee of a rock; he would come back for them some other day. The bay, ears forward, trotted down toward Cardon's other horses; the old man remounted and rode toward home. He would not tell his wife about that incident at Billy Springs. No doubt they would be along after him soon enough, lock him up and then hang him, and he saw no sense in getting her all worked up about it until they did come. But then he forgot it all-and no one ever came for him. Apparently, no one ever missed a single one of that crew at all. |