CHAPTER XVII
A FALSE TRAIL
"Sure he's dead!" reiterated Cotton. "Didn't I see them two holes
plumb through him and the blood soakin' his shirt when I turned him
over? If I'd 'a' had my gun on me that Young Pete would be right side
of Steve, right now! But I couldn't do nothin' without a gun. Pete
Annersley was plumb scared. That's why he killed Steve. Jest you
gimme a gun and watch me ride him down! I aim to settle with that Jay."
Cotton was talking to Houck of the T-Bar-T, blending fact and fiction
in a blustering attempt to make himself believe he had played the man.
During his long, foot-weary journey to the ranch he had roughly
invented this speech and tried to memorize it. Through repetition he
came to believe that he was telling the truth. Incidentally he had not
paused to catch up his horse, which was a slight oversight, considering
the trail from the Blue to his home ranch.
"What's the matter with the gun you're packin'?" asked Houck.
Cotton had forgotten his own gun.
"I--it was like this, Bill. After Young Pete killed Gary, I went back
to the shack and got my gun.
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