Free The End of the Trail by Brett Halliday Page A

He was having the time of his life, and he’d never even seen a town like Fairplay. His eyes grew big and round with excitement when he heard the older men discussing Fairplay and other booming mining towns they had known in the past, and he reminded his father that he was twelve years old now, and knew all about saloons and gambling houses for gosh sake.
    Lights glowed in the town itself and dotted the mountain sides above it as night came on and they were a quarter of a mile away. The three men pushed along in front at a trot while Dock brought up the rear with his small remuda of pack and extra saddle horses.
    â€œThere she lays,” said Ezra gleefully, swinging a big arm out in an arc toward the lights. “Wonder if Happy Jack’s still runnin’ his joint ’side of the Elite Hotel.”
    â€œIf it’s not Happy Jack it’ll be somebody else,” Pat said grimly. “All I ask is that you both leave yore guns in the hotel before you sashay out to sample Fairplay’s night life.”
    Sam looked at him with disgust plainly written on his ugly dark face. “Go out plumb undressed?” he protested. “A man’d think we was a couple of kids the way yo’re tryin’ tuh ride herd on us, Pat.”
    â€œI know what’s bound to happen after you’ve sampled the likker in half a dozen saloons,” Pat groaned. “I’ve got to think of Dock. What’ll Sally say when she finds out I brought him into Fairplay on a drinkin’ spree?”
    â€œDon’t you worry none about Dock,” Ezra spat out disgustedly. “He’s bigger’n you was when you run away from home. He kin watch out for hisself.”
    Pat Stevens sighed heavily. That was an argument no father was ever able to answer. Sure, he hadn’t been any older than Dock when he struck out for himself, but it seemed to him there was a lot of difference. Near as he could remember, he had been plumb grown up at that age. And Dock was still just a boy . Almost a baby. He found himself wondering guiltily if his father had felt that same way about him . It was the first time he’d ever thought about it just that way.
    He said gruffly, “You-all ride on ahead. I’ll drop back an’ have a little talk with Dock ’fore we get to town.”
    â€œShore,” said Sam Sloan jovially. “It’s time you tole him thuh fac’s of life, Pat. Tell him from me when he picks him out a dance gal at Happy Jack’s tuh lay off thuh blondes. They’re plumb dynamite. Tell him tuh pick a red-head every time.”
    Pat snorted his disgust at this advice to a twelve-year-old boy, and reined his horse down to wait for Dock to overtake him. He pulled off to the side of the trail to let the seven-horse herd trot past him, and then dropped into pace beside his son bringing up the rear.
    â€œGee Dad! is that you?” Dock greeted him gleefully. “We’re ’most there, ain’t we?”
    â€œYep. That’s Fairplay right ahead, Dock. It’ll be the first time you’ve ever been around a town like Fairplay.”
    â€œI reckon so.” Dock’s voice was eager. “Will there be a shootin’ tonight, do you reckon?”
    â€œMost likely,” Pat grumbled. “Don’t many nights pass in Fairplay that there ain’t some kind of excitement.”
    â€œThis’ll sure be somethin’ to tell the kids back at school. Gosh, I bet you’re the only Dad I know that’d let me go right along with you. I bet all the rest of ’em would expect me to sit up in the hotel while they went out an’ had a big time.”
    Pat’s heart sank inside of him. That was precisely why he had dropped back to talk to Dock. He had intended to order him to stay inside a locked room tonight. He couldn’t do that now. Not after the admiring tone of Dock’s voice. He said lamely, “I want you to be careful, son. If any