Free Slaughter's way by John Thomas Edson

Coon-skin's faces as they watched the dog.
    'That's John coming now," Bess said, although she still could not hear the sound which attracted the hound's attention.
    *'Yes'm," agreed Coonskin vidth a grin. "That fool ole Blue dawg there ain't hkely to get hisself all excited for anything 'cepting a cougar, b'ar, or 'cause Mr. John's coming."
    Hearing its name, the big blue-tick dropped onto all fours and padded past the cook to Bess's side. She dropped a hand to die dog's head and patted it gently, then went to the window and looked out. The dog followed on her heels, a hundred pounds of sleek-muscled fighting fury, yet gentle enough with its master, mistress and the Negro cook, although it merely tolerated the rest of the ranch hands and ignored strangers who, if they showed good sense, left Blue strictly alone.
    "I can t see anything yet," Bess said, raising the window sash. "But I can hear horses."
    'Two of 'em, Miz Bess," Coonskin confirmed and eyed the dog as his voice took on a mock fierce tone. "Dang fool critter. You-all come roimd my kitchen bothering Mr. Earp agaiu and danged if I don't take ole Betsy Two-Eyes to your hide and fill you full of rock salt."

    "I don't think Blue would be fool enough to tangle with Mr. Earp," Bess remarked, smiling at the cook and knowing that Betsy Two-Eyes was the name he gave to his andent, percussion-fired, muzzle-loading eight-gauge shotgim.
    'These here blue-ticks don't have no sense at all, Miz Bess. Now eflFen he was a black and tan— '*
    Bess laughed and headed for the sitting-room door. One thing she had learned real early in her marriage was never to become involved in a discussion on the relative merits of various breeds of hound dogs with the cook. She knew there was no danger of Blue tangling with Ck)onskin's pet, even though the blue-tick outweighed Mr. Earp by maybe eighty pounds and had tangled with both bear and cougar in his day.
    'Will you be taking Mr. Earp along on the drive?'' she asked as Coonskin opened the front door for her.
    '"Ye'm. Shuckens, I know you-all'd take good care of him, but he's Idnda delicate and needs my especial care."
    The subject of Mr. Earp was dropped as Bess and Coonskin stood on the porch of the ranch house and looked across the range. By that time the two riders were in sight and Bess felt rehef drifting over her as she saw her husband did not appear to be hurt in any way, nor did Washita Trace.
    Even as Bess ran toward her husband, the ranch crew, led by Tex Biuton, came swarming out of the bunkhouse and converged on their boss and foreman.
    "Did you-all see the Taggerts, John?" Burton asked.
    'We saw them."
    Slaughter left it at that and nobody thought of asking him any more questions on the subject, even though the rancher's reply left a whole lot unexplained. Maybe Washita Trace would go further into the matter when he joined the other hands in the bunkhouse. Or maybe he would not. Most likely he would add nothing to what his boss had already told the others about the visit to the Taggerts' place, for John Slaughter's foreman had never been noted for long-distance chatter.
    In view of Slaughter's reply, one thing was for cer-56

    tain sure; the Taggerts were unlikely to be around to steal any more catde. One way or another, the Taggert brothers' stay in Blantyre County had come to an end with Slaughter and Trace's visit. That much the J.S. hands fcaew without needing the aid of any fancy speechifying to explain it to them. The only thing remaining xmexplained was the manner in which the brothers left the area, and that was likely to remain a mystery for quite a spell.
    Seeing the manner in which his wife eyed him up and down, Slaughter thought and acted with his usual speed. Ignoring the circle of cowhands who stood watching, he scooped Bess into his arms and planted a kiss fuU on her Hps.
    "Could we run to having Wash and Tex over to the house for supper, honey?*' he asked, releasing her and speaking before she could get