with

In any case, he had no intention of being caught asleep, so he carried his revolver in its holster on his hip and he took his Winchester with him and leaned it against the fence.

He stopped every few minutes and leaned on his shovel as he studied the horizon, but nothing happened, each day dragging out with monotonous calm.

Reaching the house ahead of them, he waited with his Winchester in his hands.

Morgan filled the fire box with wood again, then started supper and set the table.

She helped him with the dishes, then he brought more water in from the spring before it got dark.

He said: `` If it's all right with you, Mr. Morgan, I'll sleep out here on the couch.

`` You can't stay here with me.

`` He stuck with me all these years.

Just a half-breed 'pache, never said much, never meant anythin to me, but he stuck with me.

He got into a fight with Tom English, your brother's son.

He wiped his lips with a sleeve, then stared at Clayton in a childish kind of wonder.

`` Do you mean '' -- he asked almost shyly -- `` you want me to go with you, wherever you're goin ''??

The old man beckoned with one finger and Clayton went forward to him.

Gavin's stallion was in the barn and he tightened the cinches over the saddle blanket, working by touch in the darkness, comforting the animal with easy words.

We may take her with us -- to California.

Clayton is with him, takin him out of the valley.

His wife had said to him: `` Nellie is in love with Clayton Roy.

He wouldn't even dance with her at Gavin's party.

If we let them go, they won't stay away, they'll find men to ride with them and they'll be back.

Cabot turned back to the men and he was drunk with the thing they would do, wild to break from the cloying warmth of the saloon into the cold of the ebbing night.

He fled through the door and down the steps, running, and the men grunted and followed, pushing Lester to one side where he backed against the wall with the sleeve of his jacket raised before his eyes to shut out the light.

in the cold dawn the mist swirled low to the ground, then rose with a gust of sudden wind to leave the valley clear.

The clouds parted and hard gashes of sunlight swooped down to stain the earth with streaks of white and gold light so that the shadows of the running horses flowed like dark streams over the dazzling snow.

Gavin's face was bloodless with excitement.

You stay with the ladies.