to the last man-第58章
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when she discovered him。 Big； shaggy； grayish white and black；
with wild； keen face and eyes he assuredly looked the reputation
Springer had accorded him。 But sagacious； guarded as was his approach；
he appeared friendly。
〃Hellodoggie！〃 panted Ellen。 〃What'swrongup heah？ 〃
He yelped； his ears lost their stiffness； his body sank a little；
and his bushy tail wagged to and fro。 What a gray； clear； intelligent
look he gave her！ Then he trotted back。
Ellen followed him around a corner of bluff to see the body of a man
lying on his back。 Fresh earth and gravel lay about him； attesting to
his fall from above。 He had on neither coat nor hat； and the position
of his body and limbs suggested broken bones。 As Ellen hurried to his
side she saw that the front of his shirt； low down； was a bloody blotch。
But he could lift his head； his eyes were open； he was perfectly
conscious。 Ellen did not recognize the dusty； skinned face； yet
the mold of features； the look of the eyes； seemed strangely familiar。
〃You'reJorth'sgirl；〃 he said； in faint voice of surprise。
〃Yes； I'm Ellen Jorth；〃 she replied。 〃An' are y'u Bill Isbel？〃
〃All thet's left of me。 But I'm thankin' God somebody comeeven a Jorth。〃
Ellen knelt beside him and examined the wound in his abdomen。
A heavy bullet had indeed； as Colter had avowed； torn clear through
his middle。 Even if he had not sustained other serious injury from
the fall over the cliff； that terrible bullet wound meant death very
shortly。 Ellen shuddered。 How inexplicable were men！ How cruel；
bloody； mindless！
〃Isbel； I'm sorrythere's no hope；〃 she said； low voiced。 〃Y'u've not
long to live。 I cain't help y'u。 God knows I'd do so if I could。〃
〃All over！〃 he sighed； with his eyes looking beyond her。 〃I reckonI'm
glad。 。 。 。 But y'u cando somethin' for or me。 Will y'u？〃
〃Indeed； Yes。 Tell me；〃 she replied； lifting his dusty head on her knee。
Her hands trembled as she brushed his wet hair back from his clammy brow。
〃I've somethin'on my conscience；〃 he whispered。
The woman； the sensitive in Ellen； understood and pitied him then。
〃Yes；〃 she encouraged him。
〃I stole cattlemy dad's an ' Blaisdell'san' made dealswith Daggs。
。 。 。 All the crookednesswasn't onJorth's side。 。 。 。 I wantmy
brother Jeanto know。〃
〃I'll tryto tell him；〃 whispered Ellen； out of her great amaze。
〃We were alla bad lotexcept Jean；〃 went on Isbel。 〃Dad wasn't fair。
。 。 。 God！ how he hated Jorth！ Jorth； yes； who wasyour father。 。 。 。
Wal； they're even now。〃
〃Howso？〃 faltered Ellen。
〃Your father killed dad。 。 。 。 At the lastdad wanted tosave us。
He sent wordhe'd meet himface to facean' let thet end the feud。
They met out in the road。 。 。 。 But some one shot dad downwith a
riflean' then your father finished him。〃
〃An' then； Isbel；〃 added Ellen； with unconscious mocking bitterness；
〃Your brother murdered my dad！〃
〃What！〃 whispered Bill Isbel。 〃Shore y'u've gotit wrong。 I reckon
Jeancould have killedyour father。 。 。 。 But he didn't。 Queer；
we all thought。〃
〃Ah！ 。 。 。 Who did kill my father？〃 burst out Ellen； and her voice
rang like great hammers at her ears。
〃It was Blue。 He went in the storealonefaced the whole gang alone。
Bluffed themtaunted themtold them he was King Fisher。 。 。 。 Then he
killedyour dadan' Jackson Jorth。 。 。 。 Jean was outback of the
store。 We were outfront。 There was shootin'。 Colmor was hit。
Then Blue ran outbad hurt。 。 。 。 Both of themdied in Meeker's yard。〃
〃An' so Jean Isbel has not killed a Jorth！〃 said Ellen； in strange；
deep voice。
〃No；〃 replied Isbel； earnestly。 〃I reckon this feudwas hardest on
Jean。 He never lived heah。 。 。 。 An' my sister Ann saidhe got sweet
on y'u。 。 。 。 Now did he？〃
Slow； stinging tears filled Ellen's eyes； and her head sank low and lower。
〃Yeshe did；〃 she murmured； tremulously。
〃Ahuh！ Wal； thet accounts；〃 replied Isbel； wonderingly。 〃Too bad！ 。 。 。
It might have been。 。 。 。 A man always seesdifferent whenhe's dyin'。
。 。 。 If I hadmy lifeto live over again！ 。 。 。 My poor kidsdeserted
in their babyhoodruined for life！ All for nothin'。 。 。 。
May God forgive〃
Then he choked and whispered for water。
Ellen laid his head back and； rising； she took his sombrero and started
hurriedly down the slope； making dust fly and rocks roll。 Her mind was
a seething ferment。 Leaping； bounding； sliding down the weathered slope；
she gained the bench； to run across that； and so on down into the open
canyon to the willow…bordered brook。 Here she filled the sombrero with
water and started back； forced now to walk slowly and carefully。 It was
then； with the violence and fury of intense muscular activity denied her；
that the tremendous import of Bill Isbel's revelation burst upon her
very flesh and blood and transfiguring the very world of golden light
and azure sky and speaking forestland that encompassed her。
Not a drop of the precious water did she spill。 Not a misstep did she
make。 Yet so great was the spell upon her that she was not aware she
had climbed the steep slope until the dog yelped his welcome。 Then
with all the flood of her emotion surging and resurging she knelt to
allay the parching thirst of this dying enemy whose words had changed
frailty to strength； hate to love； and； the gloomy hell of despair to
something unutterable。 But she had returned too late。 Bill Isbel
was dead。
CHAPTER XIII
Jean Isbel； holding the wolf…dog Shepp in leash； was on the trail of
the most dangerous of Jorth's gang； the gunman Queen。 Dark drops of
blood on the stones and plain tracks of a rider's sharp…heeled boots
behind coverts indicated the trail of a wounded； slow…traveling
fugitive。 Therefore； Jean Isbel held in the dog and proceeded with
the wary eye and watchful caution of an Indian。
Queen； true to his class； and emulating Blue with the same magnificent
effrontery and with the same paralyzing suddenness of surprise； had
appeared as if by magic at the last night camp of the Isbel faction。
Jean had seen him first； in time to leap like a panther into the shadow。
But he carried in his shoulder Queen's first bullet of that terrible
encounter。 Upon Gordon and Fredericks fell the brunt of Queen's
fusillade。 And they； shot to pieces； staggering and falling； held
passionate grip on life long enough to draw and still Queen's guns
and send him reeling off into the darkness of the forest。
Unarmed； and hindered by a painful wound； Jean had kept a vigil near
camp all that silent and menacing night。 Morning disclosed Gordon and
Fredericks stark and ghastly beside the burned…out camp…fire； their guns
clutched immovably in stiffened hands。 Jean buried them as best he could；
and when they were under ground with flat stones on their graves he knew
himself to be indeed the last of the Isbel clan。 And all that was wild
and savage in his blood and desperate in his spirit rose to make him
more than man and less than human。 Then for the third time during
these tragic last days the wolf…dog Shepp came to him。
Jean washed the wound Queen had given him and bound it tightly。
The keen pang and burn of the lead was a constant and all…powerful
reminder of the grim work left for him to do。 The whole world was no
longer large enough for him and whoever was left of the Jorths。 The
heritage of blood his father had bequeathed him； the unshakable love
for a worthless girl who had so dwarfed and obstructed his will and
so bitterly defeated and reviled his poor； romantic； boyish faith；
the killing of hostile men； so strange in its after effects； the
pursuits and fights； and loss of one by one of his confederatesthese
had finally engendered in Jean Isbel a wild； unslakable thirst； these
had been the cause of his retrogression； these had unalterably and
ruthlessly fixed in his darkened mind one fierce passionto live
and die the last man of that Jorth…Isbel feud。
At sunrise Jean left this camp； taking with him only a small knapsack
of meat and bread； and with the eager； wild Shepp in leash he set out
on Queen's bloody trail。
Black drops of blood on the stones and an irregular trail of footprints
proved to Jean that the gunman wa
