The Sacketts - Lonely On The Mountain Part 21

I returned the gun to its holster. There was a tap on the door. She glanced at me, and I said, "Answer it."

She went to the door. "Yes?" she said.

"Open the door, Laurie. You've a man in there we want."

She opened it, and Cougar and another, larger, more powerful man with a shock of blond hair stepped in.

"I am Tell Sackett," I said. "Are you looking for me?"

Cougar stepped aside. "Be careful, Shanty. This one's tough."

"Knowing that," I said, "might save us all some trouble."

Shanty had a nice smile. "But we've got you," he said. "There's no way you can get away."

I smiled back at him. "Then take me," I said. "I'm here."

Shanty hesitated. It worried him that I was not afraid, and he was a cautious man. I did not doubt his courage, but there is a time to be brave and a time not to be a d.a.m.ned fool.

"We've got your brother," he said. "We can kill him whenever we wish."

"Logan? He's not my brother, just a sort of distant cousin, but there are a lot of Sacketts, Shanty. If you step on the toes of one, they all come running."

"Yon came," he admitted. "I never thought you'd make it"

"There are two more up on the mountain, and by now they're beginning to miss me. They're getting lonely on the mountain, Shanty, and they'll come down."

"We will handle them."

"And there are more of us where we came from. Be smart, Shanty. Cash in your chips while you still can. Walk away from here now. Just lay down your hand."

He laughed, and there was real humor in it. "You know, Sackett, I like you. I'm going to hate to kill you."

"We've brought the cattle through, Shanty. In spite of all your boys could do, they are here. There's beef enough to last the winter through, and we might get in some other supplies before the cold sets in."

"As far as that goes, we can let them have what's left of our supplies. You played a strong hand, but when the showdown came, you just didn't have it"

Out on the mountain, I head a wild, clear yell in the night and I knew what it was. The boys were bringing the cattle down. They'd be here soon; no doubt some of them already were.

"He's right" It was a voice behind me, a voice I knew. It was Logan. He appeared from behind the curtain covering the door to Laurie's bedroom.

"Sorry, Laurie, but I had to use your window. It isn't quite shut."

Shanty looked from one to the other. "He's yours, Cougar. You always thought you could take him."

Logan was leaning on a cratch, but suddenly he dropped it and stood on his two feet. "That bar of yours," he said, "I just poked a stick through a crack and worked it loose. I tried it a week ago and found it would work." He smiled. "I was waitin' for the Sacketts. I knew they'd come. They always come."

Laurie stepped back.

Shanty's expression had changed. The humor was gone now. His eyes were large. I knew he was ready. I knew he was a dangerous man. Cougar had eyes only for Logan, who was smiling widely.

Outside in the town, I could hear the stir of cattle, a rattle of spurs on the porch of the store.

Then I heard Orrin speak. "Up to you, George. You and Perry can take a canoe and go down river. There's lots of new country waiting." He paused. "All your boys can just ride out, walk out, or paddle out, but all of you are leaving."

It was quiet in the room where we stood. We were listening.

"Not Doug!" That was Nettie. "He's my brother! He wouldn't a" "

"He did," somebody else said. "He was one of the worst of them. Some men will do anything for gold."

"Not Doug!" she protested.

"I was in it, Sis. I was in it all the way! It was a chance to get rich! To get rich all at once! To get rich without all that slavin', standing in icy water, panning out gold! I could sell the claim! I could a"!"

"And now you can't," Tyrel said.

"It was worth a try," Shanty said, and went for his gun.

Only the red glow of the fire, then a moment of cras.h.i.+ng thunder, the brief stabs of gun lightning in the half light.

Outside in the street, the sound was echoed. There was a sound of running, a scream, a pound of racing hoofs.

Tell and Logan Sackett stood alone in the red glow from the fire. Behind them, on the edge of a bench, Laurie sat, horror stricken, gripped fast in shock.

Shanty Gavin stared up at them. "d.a.m.n it! d.a.m.n it to h.e.l.l! It looked so good! We had it all! They'd starve out and pull out, and we'd work and then sell! It was a cinch! We had a pat hand!"

Me, I was reloading my gun, and Logan looked down at him. "You had a pat hand, all right, Shanty. You've still got it. Five of a kind, right in the belly!"

Laurie stood up. "Tell a" please! Take me out of here."

"We can go out the easier way," Logan said, "down to the Stikine River and out to Wrangell and the sea. Then a s.h.i.+p to Frisco."

Cap looked over at Mary McCann. "If this was where you was comin', you got here too late. You want to go out with me?"

Nettie was standing there alone, and Orrin went to her.

"He ran," she said. "Doug ran away."

"The Stampers didn't," Tyrel said, "and look where they are."

"It's getting light," Orrin said. "What's the matter with this country?"

"That's because it's morning," Tyrel said. "The sun's comin' up."

"Mr. Sackett?" It was John Fentrell. "This may seem a bad time and all, but with you and your boys talking of leaving, I think you should come into the store and we'll settle up."

Laurie was walking down toward the gravel point where the old landing had been. '"I'll be along," I said, and went inside.

Fentrell looked old and tired. He removed a loose board and lifted out some sacks of gold. "If they knew where it was," he said. "They'd have taken it all."

The gold was there on the counter. It was not enough, but it was all they had. We would have debts to pay and hard work to do to make up for the time.

So I taken the gold and walked outside into the morning sun and looked toward the sh.o.r.e where the rest of them had gathered by the boats.

"Mr. Fentrell," I said, "we left one man up yonder." I gestured toward the trail down which we had come. "Walk up there and see him sometime."

Shorty was a good man, and he'd come a far piece, and I hoped he wouldn't be lonely on the mountain.