Rebel Spurs Read online

  2

  Two lighted lanterns hung from pegs along the center of the stable, andCallie had mounted a barrel to put up a third as Drew entered. There werethe soft peaceful sounds of horses crunching fodder, hoofs rustling instraw. Shadow turned her head and nickered as Drew came up to her boxstall. She was answered by a blowing from Shiloh, a bray out of Croaker.

  "It's all right, girl--pretty lady--" Drew fondled her mane, stroked thesatin-smooth arch of neck. Callie dropped from his barrel perch.

  "She sure is right purty, Mister Kirby. Mister Kells said as to tell youhe's sleepin' on a cot in th' tack room over there, should you be needin'him." Callie pointed. "Me, I'm beddin' down in the last stall. I put yourgear up right over here, so's you can hear if she gits to movin'--"

  "Thanks." Drew felt in a pocket, tossed Callie the coin his fingers found.

  The boy caught the piece, his eyes round as he looked at it. "Lordy!Thanks, Mister Kirby! You must be near as shiny as _Don_ Cazar--or MisterTopham!"

  "Shiny?"

  Callie laughed. "Silver-shiny! Ain't too many men as goes round Tubaccathrowin' out good money thataway. 'Less it's ringin' down on th' bar, orslidin' 'cross some table 'cause they found out as how they was holdin'Jacks against some other fella's Kings. You want anything--you jus' holler,Mister Kirby!"

  "Mister?" Drew thought he did not have the advantage of Callie by morethan four or five years.

  "Oh--Captain Kirby, maybe? Or Lieutenant? Johnny Shannon--now he was alieutenant with Howard's Rangers." Callie gave Drew a shrewd measuringlook.

  "Sergeant." Drew corrected automatically and then asked: "How did you knowI'd been in the army?"

  "Well, you wear them two shootin' irons army style, belted high an' buttto front. Must use a flip-hand draw as do all th' hoss soldiers. Listen,Mister Kirby, iffen you rode with th' Rebs, you better keep your lipbuttoned up when th' Blue Bellies hit town. There's been a pile offightin' an' folks is gittin' mad 'bout it--"

  "Blue Bellies?" Drew was wrenched back months, a year, by that old armyslang. "Union troops stationed here?" He had unconsciously tensed, hisbody responding nerve and muscle to past training and alarms. But therewere no Yanks or Rebs any more, no riders or marchers in blue andgray--just United States troops.

  "There's a garrison out to the Mesa camp. An' Cap'n Bayliss, he don't takekindly to Rebs. You see, it's this way.... Out in th' breaks there's abunch of Rebs-leastways they claim as how they's Rebs--still holdin' out.They hit an' run, raidin' ranches an' mines; they held up a coach a whileback. An' so far they've ridden rings round th' cap'n. Now he thinks ashow any Reb blowin' in town could be one of 'em, comin' to sniff out somegood pickin's. So anyone as can't explain hisself proper to th' cap'n gitslocked up out at camp till he can--"

  "Trifle highhanded, ain't he?"

  "Well, th' cap'n's for law an' order, an' he's army. But folks ain'tlikin' it too much. So far he's been doin' it though."

  Drew frowned. So even this far away from the scene of old battles the warstill smoldered; the black bitterness of defeat was made harder by thevictor. Drew's hand rubbed across the bulge beneath his shirt. In onepocket of the money belt were his papers, among them the parole writtenout in Gainesville which could prove he had ridden with General Forrest'scommand, far removed from any Arizona guerrilla force. But to produce thatwould change Drew Kirby to Drew Rennie, and that he did not want to do.

  "I rode with General Forrest, attached to General Buford's Scouts," hesaid absently.

  "General Forrest!" Callie glowed. "Lordy, Mister Kirby, that's suresomethin', it sure is! Only don't be sayin' that round Cap'n Baylissneither. He has him a big hate for General Forrest--seems like Bayliss wasa colonel once till th' General outsmarted him back east. An' there was abig smoke-up 'bout it. They cut th' cap'n's spurs for him, an' he endedth' war out here. Now he ain't no patient man; he's th' kind as uses hishooks hard when he's ridin'.

  "You know, you sure can tell a lot 'bout a man when you give a look at hishoss after he's come off th' trail. That there Shiloh colt o' yours, an'this here lady hoss, an' that old mule ... anyone can see as how they'salways been handled nice an' easy. They ain't got no spite 'gainst nobodyas wants to rub 'em down an' give 'em a feed. But some hosses what gitbrung in here--they's white-eyed an' randy, does you give 'em a straightstare. For that there's always a reason. Mostly you can see what it iswhen you look good an' steady at th' men who was ridin' 'em!"

  Drew laughed. "Glad I passed your test, Callie. Guess I'll turn in now.Been a long day travelin'--"

  "Sure thing. An' from up there you can hear this little old mare, does sheneed you."

  The Kentuckian's pack had been hoisted into the mow, and Callie had evenhumped up the fragrant hay to mattress his bedroll. A window was open tothe night, and as Drew stretched out wearily, he could hear the distanttinkle of a guitar, perhaps from the Four Jacks. Somewhere a woman beganto sing, and the liquid Spanish words lulled him asleep.