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Literary
December 7, 1955
Atlanta Daily World
Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
What is this article about?
In this Western novel excerpt, rancher Wayne Cameron is roused at night by Rob Mallory, who arrests him at gunpoint for accessory to Joe Larrabee's murder and other crimes. Cameron, outmatched, complies as Mallory escorts him to join his associates at the sheriff's in Sundown.
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Full Text
THE BOSS
By Nick Summer
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
WAYNE CAMERON was a light sleeper. The sound of a horse approaching the Double Diamond ranch-house roused him. He slipped out of bed and pulled on his clothes in the dark, with the swiftness of practice. He wasn't anticipating trouble, but he played it safe by slipping his gun into the waistband of his trousers. As the tramping stopped in front of his door, he called, keeping his voice sleepy "Who's there?"
"Mallory. Open up."
He lit the lamp and opened the door.
"Evenin', Mallory. What brings you here this time o' night?"
"You're up late." Rob observed calmly.
"Just got in. Sick horse in the barn."
"Saves me waiting for you to get dressed. You're coming along with me, Cameron."
"Comin' where?"
"To the sheriff."
Wayne Cameron's weren't the kind of nerves to be jolted by shock; he'd kept alive too long by expecting the unexpected. The tone in which he answered Rob was as level as his. "What for?"
"For being an accessory to Joe Larrabee's murder-and a couple of other things I haven't figured out the legal names for yet. I'll leave that to Lacey, after he's heard what your girl and your partner can tell him. They're at Broken Spur now, waiting for me to bring you back so we can all ride into Sundown together."
"Where's your warrant, Mallory?"
"Here." One instant the gun had been resting in its holster; the next, it was in Rob's hand, bright and deadly.
With a sinking inside him, Cameron wished he hadn't sent Calder away. This was the one weak spot in his armor. He wasn't really good with a gun-as good as practice alone could make him, but he didn't have the instinct of a gun-fighter, and that lightning draw had convinced him it would be suicide to try to make a plain fight of it.
"Come on, Cameron, and don't try any fool plays. Make no mistake about it. There's nothing I'd like better than shooting you-except I happen to need you alive and talking. And that's the way I aim to deliver you."
By Nick Summer
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
WAYNE CAMERON was a light sleeper. The sound of a horse approaching the Double Diamond ranch-house roused him. He slipped out of bed and pulled on his clothes in the dark, with the swiftness of practice. He wasn't anticipating trouble, but he played it safe by slipping his gun into the waistband of his trousers. As the tramping stopped in front of his door, he called, keeping his voice sleepy "Who's there?"
"Mallory. Open up."
He lit the lamp and opened the door.
"Evenin', Mallory. What brings you here this time o' night?"
"You're up late." Rob observed calmly.
"Just got in. Sick horse in the barn."
"Saves me waiting for you to get dressed. You're coming along with me, Cameron."
"Comin' where?"
"To the sheriff."
Wayne Cameron's weren't the kind of nerves to be jolted by shock; he'd kept alive too long by expecting the unexpected. The tone in which he answered Rob was as level as his. "What for?"
"For being an accessory to Joe Larrabee's murder-and a couple of other things I haven't figured out the legal names for yet. I'll leave that to Lacey, after he's heard what your girl and your partner can tell him. They're at Broken Spur now, waiting for me to bring you back so we can all ride into Sundown together."
"Where's your warrant, Mallory?"
"Here." One instant the gun had been resting in its holster; the next, it was in Rob's hand, bright and deadly.
With a sinking inside him, Cameron wished he hadn't sent Calder away. This was the one weak spot in his armor. He wasn't really good with a gun-as good as practice alone could make him, but he didn't have the instinct of a gun-fighter, and that lightning draw had convinced him it would be suicide to try to make a plain fight of it.
"Come on, Cameron, and don't try any fool plays. Make no mistake about it. There's nothing I'd like better than shooting you-except I happen to need you alive and talking. And that's the way I aim to deliver you."
What sub-type of article is it?
Prose Fiction
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
Political
What keywords are associated?
Western Novel
Arrest
Murder Accessory
Ranch Confrontation
Gun Draw
What entities or persons were involved?
Nick Summer
Literary Details
Title
Chapter Thirty Nine
Author
Nick Summer
Key Lines
"For Being An Accessory To Joe Larrabee's Murder And A Couple Of Other Things I Haven't Figured Out The Legal Names For Yet."
"Where's Your Warrant, Mallory?"
"Here." One Instant The Gun Had Been Resting In Its Holster; The Next, It Was In Rob's Hand, Bright And Deadly.