Fight for Powder Valley! (20 page)

By this time it was late in the afternoon. Pat had the ranchers come in one by one, hand over the money they had been paid by Biloff, and receive the deeds to the bottom land in return. And when they had gone, Culver and his men were sent for and paid off. Before leaving, Culver came over to Pat and extended his hand.

“I want to thank you for saving all our lives last night, Stevens. And I'm sorry we had to meet on such disagreeable terms. Perhaps we'll meet again some day—but not if I'm asked to build a dam in Powder Valley. Biloff's actions have convinced me you were right about its not being farm land,” he said.

“Forget it,” Pat replied, shaking the proffered hand. “I was saving all our lives, really, including my own. And you're not to blame—you were only doing your job. Good-by, and come around to see us some time.”

To clinch matters, Biloff—though under pressure—signed a statement affirming that the settlement had been made of his own free will and not by coercion. It wasn't exactly a legal way of doing things, Pat realized, but it was just, and would prevent Biloff from ever making trouble in Powder Valley again. When it was all over, he said to Biloff, “You can stay here tonight—but clear out early in the morning. You already made too much of a bad smell around here.”

“Stay here tonight? In this horrible place?” Biloff babbled. “Never! I want to leave
now
. And I hope nobody ever mentions Powder Valley to me again!” And escorted by the sheriff, he and Schultz left for the station to board the last train out for the day.

Wearily, Pat walked out of the hotel, to be faced by a sheepish mob of ranchers, headed by John Boyd. Boyd stepped forward and said, “We all want to thank you, Pat, for all you done. If you hadn't stopped us, we'd of had the troopers in here sure. And it would of meant the end of the valley besides.”

Pat held up his hand. “Don't thank me,” he replied. “I was to blame as much as any of you. But let this be a lesson to all of us—not to sell our bottom land no more to anybody, even if he says he wants it to raise giraffes. And now I want to go home. I'm mighty tired, and I'd like to see my wife—if she'll have anything more to do with a jailbird and hobo like me,” he ended with a grin.

“Oh, Pat! You idiot!” came a voice at his elbow. “I've been waiting out here on the porch for you all afternoon. You're coming home with me right now!”

“Sally!” he said, and grinned again, happily.

“No more talk now. Into the buckboard with you—and not another word till we get home.”

Meekly and silently, Pat climbed into the buckboard after helping Sally up, and submitted quietly when she took the reins out of his hands. As they drove out of town, with the sun's last rays stretching the shadows of the buckboard's wheels weirdly out of shape along the ground, his hand stole out and covered hers. She looked at him and smiled, and he took his hand away and put his arm around her.

About the Author

Brett Halliday (1904–1977) was the primary pseudonym of American author Davis Dresser. Halliday is best known for creating the Mike Shayne Mysteries. The novels, which follow the exploits of fictional PI Mike Shayne, have inspired several feature films, a radio series, and a television series.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 1942 by William Morrow and Company, Inc.

Cover design by Andy Ross

ISBN: 978-1-4976-4379-6

This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

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New York, NY 10014

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