The Long Dim TrailHooker, Forrestine C. (Forrestine Cooper)
General
The Long Dim Trail
Hooker, Forrestine C. (Forrestine Cooper)
Arizona -- Fiction; Cowboys -- Fiction; Ranch life -- Fiction; Western stories
Limber snorted. "Sounds that way all right. But, if you jest look at
these mountains and canyons, you'll pretty soon see that the soldiers has
jest as much chanct against them Apaches as an elephant would have if
you set him in a hayfield to kill a flea by trompin' on it. When they're
tired of killin' people and want a vacation and no hard work, they come
in and give themselves up and go home to the Reservation."
"There's nothing to be done here now, except to notify the proper
authorities at Willcox, I suppose," Powell resumed. "We found him--but
it's a different ending from the way we thought."
Limber unstrapped a Navajo blanket from the back of his saddle, and
together they wrapped the stiffened form of the old doctor.
"Thar's heaps of people goin' to miss him," the cowpuncher said slowly,
as they stood looking down. "Nobody ever called him that he didn't go,
rain or shine. He never took one cent for what he done. Jest tol' 'em to
feed him an' his ol' grey horse and that was all the pay he wanted. He
was sure a good man;" both heads were uncovered in silent homage.
"I'll stay here," continued Limber, "if you'll ride back to Glendon's
and get his spring wagon, so we kin take the body to Willcox. It'll be
hard gettin' the wagon in the canyon, but I guess we kin make it. We'll
lead our ponies behind the wagon."
Powell was already mounting his horse, as Limber added, "'Twon't take a
Coroner's jury long to bring in a verdict. I'm doggone glad, though, we
ain't a packin' Mrs. Glendon and Donnie along with Doctor King. They
sure had a close call this mornin'. If Geronimo hadn't been in a hurry
to get across to that other bunch, they'd sure trailed Mrs. Glendon to
that cave."
"It is no place for any woman to live," Powell's voice vibrated with
indignation. "I can't understand how any man could bring a woman like
her to such surroundings. I'm glad he intends to move his family away.
Any place would be better than this, for her."
Limber watched his companion ride off, then busied himself with a second
examination of the ground in the vicinity of the dead man and horse.
Satisfied at last that he had overlooked no trace, he dropped on a
boulder and rolled a cigarette, but as he shook the tobacco from the
sack into the brown paper, a portion of it fell to the ground unnoticed.
Limber was staring into space, an expression of doubt lurking in his
grey eyes.
"Derned if I kin understand why they took so much trouble hidin' their
trail, Peanut," he spoke to the little pinto pony at his side. "The main
bunch must of rid higher up and one of 'em come down for the bridle and
saddle after King was shot; but, thar ain't a moccasin or any other
track nowhars. It beats me."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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