"THE TRAIL TO SEVEN PINES" - читать интересную книгу автора (L'Amour Louis)

16
LOUIS L'AMOUR
Hopalong said dryly. "That outfit seems to have an urge to leave no witnesses behind.
They must figure folks might get to know them."
Nobody said anything for a while. Dr. Marsh examined Thacker, then got to his feet.
"There's nothing more here for me," he said. "How about you, Harrington?"
The mine super shook his head. "Let's load them up and start back."
Hadley turned to Hopalong. "Stayin" around? Better be in Seven Pines for the inquest.
It will be tomorrow."
"I'll be there. I'm ridin' in."
There was little talk as they headed toward Seven Pines, but what there was concerned
the holdup gang and their previous work. The series of stage holdups had netted the
gang just over a hundred thousand in gold, all of it in heavy bars. There was some
talk of how it could be disposed of, for all possible places of sale had been alerted.
Harrington had been studying Cassidy. 'You wear those guns like you understood 'em.
I'll need a man to take Jesse's place as shotgun."
Hopalong chuckled. "From what I hear, that is not goin' to be a popular job. I hear
your messengers die off mighty fast."
Harrington nodded soberly. "They do. I'll not deny that. I'd want a man who didn't
scare easily. Jesse was gun-handy, all right. And too sure of himself. I always figured
he had some ideas of his own about who the thieves were, but he wasn't talkative.
Now he isn't able to do any talking to anybody."
"He said he had a brother in the Roberts range. Wanted him notified."
'Yeah. Ben Lock." Harrington shook his head. "He'll take it hard, and unless I miss
my guess, the killers had better start
14
17
THE TRAIL TO SEVEN PINES
worryin'. Ben's not the sort to take the death of his brother lyin' down."
The valley fell behind them and the buckboard led the way into a narrow canyon. Scattered
mine dumps and shacks began to appear, and then the trail ended in a narrow street
flanked by false-fronted buildings. Behind these buildings, which stretched for a
quarter of a mile along the sides of the canyon, the mountains sloped steeply back,
both sides covered with houses, claim shacks, and ramshackle huts of one kind or
another.
The express office faced the livery stable across the street, and beside the express
office a saloon stared bright-eyed at a general store. Up the street Hopalong noticed
a saddle shop, bootmaker, blacksmith, barber and dentist, a lawyer's office, the
jail, a hotel, a boardinghouse, and an assortment of other stores and gambling joints.
He counted the signs of nine saloons. At the far end of the street was the assayer's
office.
Hopalong turned his horse toward the livery stable, and Harrington looked after him.
"Don't forget! That job's open!"
Pony Harper and Rawhide had also turned off. Harper glanced at Hopalong curiously
but said nothing. Rawhide swung from his saddle, and when Harper went into the livery
stable office he said quietly, "I'd figure a long time before I took that messenger
job. They seem to die awful easy."
"Maybe," Hopalong agreed, "somebody wants 'em to die."
"A feller could get into trouble stickin' around this town," Rawhide continued. "Montana's
a good state. Ever been there?"