the Sky-Liners (1967) Read Online Free PDF

Fetchen.
    He had surely changed. He wore a brand-new black broadcloth suit, a white shirt, and black tie. His boots were polished like all get out, and he carried a new black hat in his hand. His hair was all slicked down with bear grease or the like, and I'll have to admit he was a handsome sight. Tory came in behind him, with Colby Rafin and another one of their outfit known as Ira London.
    Fetchen walked right over to our table, the others sitting down across the room with their backs to us.
    "Why, Judith! How nice to see you!" Then he turned to me and said, "I hope you boys carry no grudge against us. We're certainly not about to hunt trouble with you. Back there we were just a-funnin' - we didn't mean no trouble."
    Judith was beaming. It made me mad to see so much sparkle in her eyes over such a no-account rascaL Me, I didn't buy that flannel-mouth talk, and he knew it. All the time he was talking I could just see the taunting in his eyes; but Judith, she was all excited and happy.
    "Why, sure!" Galloway was the smooth-talking one of the two of us. "Why don't you pull up a chair and set? We'd enjoy talking a while. Maybe you could tell us something about a herd of cattle somebody stampeded and run off back down the trail."
    Judith's face went white and her lips tightened up. She was both mad and scared ... scared something was going to happen.
    "Cattle? Since when did you two go into the cattle business?"
    "They weren't our cattle," Galloway said as smooth as silk. "They belong to a friend of ours, name of Evan Hawkes ... a good man. His herd was stampeded by some rustlers ... murderers, too, because they killed his boy, and some of his men."
    Fetchen never batted an eye. Oh, he was a cool one! He just smiled and said, "Come to think of it, we did see a few stray cattle. We even drove in half a dozen and turned them over to the marshal."
    He pulled back a chair and sat down, easy as you please. "As a matter of fact, I didn't just come over to say howdy to some old friends from the home state. I came over to see Judith. Seems you boys aren't going to give me a chance to be alone with her, so I'll have to speak my piece right here before all of you."
    Judith's eyes were shining and her lips were parted. I didn't like it to see her getting so flustered. Before I could say anything, Black Fetchen, still smiling like the cat sizing up the canary, says, "Judith, will you marry me?"
    And before either of us can say aye, yes, or no, she ups and says, "Yes, James - yes, I will!"
    "I'm honored, ma'am, right honored." Then he says, "I don't think it is really the right thing for a man's betrothed to be spending so much time with two men, single men who are no kin to her, so I've taken a room for you here at the hotel until we're married."
    We sat there, caught flat-footed. This here was something we hadn't expected, nor did we know what to do. It was Galloway who spoke first "That's right nice, Black," he said, "but her grandpa asked us most particular to take her to her pa in Colorado. Now, it ain't so many miles from here, so why don't you two figure on being married there where her pa can attend? After all, she's his only daughter."
    Fetchen never stopped smiling. "Mr. Sackett, I wouldn't expect you to understand, but I am in love. I do not want to wait."
    "Nor do I!" Judith said. "We can be married right here in Dodge."
    Galloway didn't show any ire, even if he felt it. He just said, "It would be nice if your pa knew, Judith. Do you care so little for him?"
    That got to her, and she sobered up, suddenly so serious I thought she might cry.
    "It's a noble sacrament," I said, "and a rare thing for a man to see his daughter wedded to the man of her choice."
    She looked up at Fetchen. "James .. maybe we should wait. After all, it isn't very far."
    Black's lips tightened and his eyes squinted just a mite. I'd always heard he carried a fearful temper, liable to burst out whenever he was thwarted, and it was edging toward the surface