The Desperate Deputy of Cougar Hill Read Free Page A

of great importance. But that all changed when Jenny agreed to become his wife; and now Cameron was encouraged when the town fathers showed open approval of his work. Because it would be men like McTigue, who owned the livery and the hay and feed store just to the north of it, and Marcus Stedman, the banker, and John Colby, his cashier — these and two or three others would decide if Cameron was the man they wanted to replace Balder. And as Balder grew more openly eager to retire, the attitudes of these men grew more important.
    And yet Cameron was was no man to curry favor, and more than once he had ruffled feelings, stepped on toes. He had openly told the townsmen and the valley ranchers that their refusal to extend the jurisdiction of the local law beyond the town limits was foolish penny pinching, and he made it clear that as marshal one of his first moves would be to fight for spreading the law through the entire Cougar valley country.
    But they were fair-minded men for the most part, Cameron admitted. They knew that as the valley settled, the law would have to become stronger. And their concern at getting the right man stemmed from this realization.
    He passed the Hay and Feed, the barber shop and bath house, the smaller of the two mercantile stores, and stopped on the corner of Hill Avenue. His handling of Rafe Arker just might be the final test, he thought.
    Crossing Hill, he passed in front of the hotel, and momentarily he forgot Rafe Arker as memory of the stranger returned to him. He sought again to place the man, and again he failed. Frowning, he walked on toward the jail building.
    It was quiet, but no more so than usual on a Thursday night. Darkness had shouldered aside the last of the evening light and there was a hint of fall in the cool air that drifted down from the hills. As Cameron passed the weedy vacant lot that separated the hotel from the jail, the lamps came alight in the Widow Crotty’s boarding house to the north. Across the street, light already came from Jenny Purcell’s Café and from the bank just south of it. The end of the month, Cameron thought. Stedman and Colby would be working late for a night or two.
    The jail office door was open and he turned in, finding Balder bent over a pile of paperwork on his desk. Balder looked up with a frown. “You’re late tonight.” His voice held a meaningless gruffness. He was a small man, dried with age like a California raisin grape, and uncompromising in his beliefs. But he seldom interfered with Cameron’s handling of the law, even when it went against his ways.
    Cameron said quietly, “I was talking to Rafe Arker.”
    Balder showed little surprise. “The stage driver was noising it around that Rafe got let out of the penitentiary. I was wondering when he’d get back here.” The interest in his voice was obvious. “He give you any trouble?”
    Cameron told him briefly what had happened. Balder grunted. “Rafe’s a fool in some ways. He don’t know when to quit when he’s ahead. He’ll do everything he can to run you out of this country. He’ll try to make you look bad so you’ll have to pack up and ride. My advice is — make the first move. Every time he comes to town, roust him hard.”
    Cameron shook his head. “What happened today is valley business, and separate from my job here. If Arker starts trouble in town, then I’ll use my authority. But I don’t intend to roust him until he gives me a reason.”
    “He threatened you, ain’t that reason enough? And he’s been in prison,” Balder snapped.
    This was the major disagreement between the two men. Balder believed firmly that a leopard could never change its spots. That once a man had been in prison, the mark would be on him forever. And that a man who consorted with criminals or criminal types was infected and would always have to be watched. Tod Purcell and some other growing boys had ridden with Rafe Arker when his greatest crime was bullying; and though they had all