A Ranger Rides to Rimrock by John G Read online

clue that told him anything. And, as the sun

  Kid’s breast. Lieutenant Tracy had been right.

  sank behind the Negras range, somber Once a Ranger, always a Ranger. And Daunt shadows played upon the set faces of fifteen

  had hidden up front again, back beside

  mounted men. Behind them rode the Brazos

  Kramer. In the front rank where the Kid knew

  Kid, down the narrow canyon, at the end of

  a snapped command of “Halt! Hands up!”

  which he knew lay the Big River. The river

  would cause gun hands to flash into flaming,

  which, legally, Texas Rangers might not cross.

  violent action. And that action would bring the The river that made a haven of Rimrock.

  retaliation of bursting, crackling rifle fire from At the head of the cavalcade rode Ranger guns—guns which would endanger the Daunt. Straight-backed, jet-eyed, three-lives of Daunt and the Kid as well as those of fingered Daunt. Then Kramer—huge, hunched

  the others:

  spider-like in his swaying kak, long arms

  Then it came!

  flopping loosely.

  “Halt!”

  And as he watched these two and the

  A curse from Kramer. Daunt whirled,

  hard-eyed killers behind them, the Brazos Kid gun flashing, and called the battle cry of the cursed savagely to himself.

  rimrock Rangers. An answer burst from the

  Shod hoofs clicking sharply on rock-

  lips of the Brazos Kid, from the bushes beside strewn sand. They came to the Rio Grande and

  the trail, from a dozen loyal Ranger throats.

  crossed. Shallow water cascaded, foam-

  topped, about the limbs of daintily stepping

  THEN confusion. Rifles and pistols flamed

  broncs.

  and roared. Screams and curses. And, mingled

  They splashed out on the other side,

  with that mad mixture of sound, came to the

  entering the land of the Ranger patrols. The

  ears of the Kid the sharp crack of a small-

  Brazos Kid longed for his badge. He wanted

  calibered .38. And high-pitched, courageous

  to face this gang, badge on his shirt, guns out.

  and oft-repeated, there came to the Kid’s ears Slowly Daunt reined in his bronc, the throaty cry of a girl in battle.

  dropped back beside Kramer. In a low voice

  And so it was that Kramer and his

  he spoke to the fat man. Kramer nodded, but

  killer crew met and fought with the forces of turned in his saddle and, while he rode, Texas law. Fought with the ferocious courage watched Daunt, reined in motionless beside

  of cornered beasts. And the poker face of the the trail, giving low-voiced instructions to the Brazos Kid wreathed into a mirthless smile as riders as they filed past him. Satisfied, Kramer his guns flamed death. He was fighting on the looked front again.

  side of the Texas law—for the honor of

  “About a mile more,” Daunt was Captain Daunt. Blood stained the yellow saying. “Rifles out.”

  sands. Bullets pocked the rocks. Acrid smoke

  There was the swish of steel against

  filled the air. Men who had lived giving no

  leather as they filed past the straight-backed quarter, died asking none—died with hate in

  Daunt. Then they had passed, and Daunt fell

  their eyes, a snarl of fury on their lips, and

  A Ranger Rides to Rimrock

  15

  smoking guns in their hands.

  There was a smile of satisfaction on his lips.

  Then, out of the bloody action, the

  Comfortingly he placed a hand on Kitty’s

  swirling smoke and dust, emerged the Brazos

  shaking shoulder. Then his lithe figure

  Kid and Captain Perry Daunt. Triumphant,

  straightened. Level-eyed, soldierlike, he

  heads up, they marched to the waiting Ranger

  looked at the assembled Rangers. At Captain

  line. And out of puzzled eyes, the Kid saw

  Daunt. His hand flashed to salute.

  Captain Daunt fold tenderly into his arms the

  “Captain Daunt,” he said, “—Texas

  girl who had been at Rimrock.

  Ranger.”

  Hardly understanding, he heard her

  Blood on his arm, dripping from the

  tearfully tell of her knowledge. She told them wound in his shoulder, the Brazos Kid

  of her mother’s discovery, years before, that straightened, joined in the salute. Then he

  she was a bigamist. She had married Daunt

  slumped, groaned, slid to the ground.

  thinking that her first husband, Kramer, was

  Kitty ran swiftly toward him, bent over

  dead. She told them of Kramer’s devilish him. There was nothing hard about her face threat to tell the tale to the world, to disgrace now. It was shining with sympathy and

  Daunt, and of a woman’s weakness to save the

  tenderness.

  name of the one she loved. It had been a futile The Kid looked up at her and grinned

  sacrifice.

  weakly. “You can shoot,” he said, “and fight, Swiftly, beseechingly, the girl turned

  and ride.” His eyes were a study. “I wonder,”

  to Tracy. “Mother released Kramer that night

  he went on softly, “how you’d like t’ learn t’

  when you and Captain Daunt captured him.

  cook—for a Ranger?”

  She was still legally Kramer’s wife and, to

  Kitty studied him, her eyes as

  save Captain Daunt from disgrace, she went

  expressionless as his. “You,” she said softly, with Kramer that night. She took me with her.

  repeating his own words when she had hired

  Captain Daunt is my own daddy.

  him, “You are the boss? You hire and fire, I

  “Captain Daunt—Daddy—didn’t do it.

  suppose? A cook, for a Ranger?”

  Mother did. Kramer made her do it. She

  The Kid nodded. Kitty seated herself

  thought she was doing right. She was good—

  beside him, mimicked his own previous

  much too good for the beast she thought was

  words. “All right,” she said. “I’ll ride in your dead. Daddy discovered what she had done,

  rodeo.”

  and to save her he took the blame on his own

  Then, snuggled to his breast, blood

  shoulders.”

  from his forgotten wound stained to brown the In sudden mental exhaustion, Kitty blue of her shirt. A dozen Ranger hands lifted swayed against her father’s breast. Gently he to smart salute—a salute to a Texas Ranger

  stroked her head with a tender hand.

  who had risked all to clear the name of

  Lieutenant Tracy stepped forward. another.