Elmore Leonard - Last Stand at Saber River

A rifle barrel rose above the bank, pointed almost straight up, went off with a whining report and Lorraine stopped talking.

Cable turned from the window. “Martha, take the children into the other room.” They watched him; the children, Martha, and Lorraine all watched him expectantly, but he turned back to the window.

He heard Lorraine say, “He’s going to die when he finds out I’m here.”

“He already knows,” Cable said, not turning. “Your horse is outside.”

Her voice brightened. “That’s right!” She moved to Cable’s side. “Now he won’t know what to do.”

“He’s doing something,” Cable said.

The rifle came up again, now with a white cloth tied to the end of the barrel, and began waving slowly back and forth.

“Surrender,” Lorraine said mockingly, “or Major Kidston will storm the redoubts. This is too much.”

Cable asked, “Is that him?”

Lorraine looked past his shoulder. Four men had climbed the bank and now came out of the trees, one a few paces ahead. He motioned the others to stop, then came on until he’d reached the middle of the yard. This one, the one Cable asked about, wore a beard, a Kossuth army hat adorned with a yellow, double-looped cord, and a brass eagle that pinned the right side of the brim to the crown; he wore cavalry boots and a flap-top holster on his left side, butt to the front and unfastened.

He glanced back at the three men standing just out from the trees, saw they had not advanced, then turned his attention again to the house, planting his boots wide and fisting his hands on his hips.

“Sometimes,” Lorraine said, “Duane leaves me speechless.”

“The first one’s your father?” asked Cable, making sure.

“My God, who else?”

“That’s Royce with the flag,” Cable said.

“And Joe Bob and Bill Dancey in reserve,” Lorraine said. “I think Bill looks uncomfortable.”

Cable’s eyes remained on her father. “Where’s Vern?”

“I told you, he went to Fort Buchanan,” Lorraine answered. Her attention returned to her father. “He loves to pose. I think right now he’s being Sheridan before Missionary Ridge. Wasn’t it Sheridan?”

“Cable!”

“Now he speaks,” Lorraine said gravely, mockingly.

“Cable-show yourself!”

Cable moved past Lorraine into the open doorway. He looked out at Duane. “I’m right here.”

Duane’s fist came off his hips. For a moment before he spoke, his eyes measured Cable sternly. “Where do you have my daughter?”

“She’s here,” Cable said.

Again Duane stared in silence, his eyes narrowed and his jaw set firmly. The look is for your benefit, Cable thought. He’s not concentrating as much as he’s acting. He saw Duane then take a watch from his vest pocket, thumb it open and glance at the face.

Duane looked up. “You have three minutes by the clock to release my daughter. If you don’t, I will not be responsible for what happens to you.”

“I’m not holding her.”

“You have three minutes, Mr. Cable.”

“Listen, she came on her own. She can walk out any time she wants.” Behind him he heard Lorraine laugh.

Cable looked at her. “You’d better go out to him.”

“No, not yet,” she said. “Call his bluff and let’s see what he does.”

“Listen, while you’re being entertained, my wife and children are likely to get shot.”

“He wouldn’t shoot while I’m in here.”

“That’s something we’re not going to find out.” Cable’s hand closed on her arm. Lorraine pulled back, but he held her firmly and drew her into the doorway. He saw Duane return the watch to his pocket, and saw a smile of confidence form under the man’s neatly trimmed beard.

“All of a sudden, Mr. Cable, you seem a bit anxious,” Duane said. His hands went to his hips again.

Close to him, as Cable urged her through the door, Lorraine gasped theatrically, “Would you believe it!”

“Go on now,” Cable whispered. To Duane he said, “I told you once I wasn’t holding your daughter. What do I have to do to convince you?”

Duane’s expression tightened. “You keep quiet till I’m ready for you!” His gaze shifted to Lorraine who now stood under the ramada a few steps from Cable and half turned toward him. She stood patiently with her arms folded. “Lorraine, take your horse and go home.”

“I’d rather stay.” She glanced at Cable, winking at him.

“This is not something for you to see,” Duane said gravely.

“I don’t want to miss your big scene,” Lorraine said. “I can feel it coming.”

“Lorraine-I’m warning you!”

“Oh, stop it. You aren’t warning anyone.”

Duane’s voice rose. “I’m not going to tell you again!”

Smiling, Lorraine shook her head. “If you could only see yourself.”

“Lorraine-”

“All right.” She stopped him, raising her hands. “I surrender.” She laughed again, shaking her head, then moved unhurriedly to her horse, mounted and walked it slowly across the yard, smiling pleasantly at her father, her head turning to watch him until she was beyond his line of vision. She passed into the willow trees.

She’s had her fun, Cable thought, watching her. But now the old man is mad and he’ll take it out on you. Cable’s gaze returned to Duane. You mean he’ll try. At this moment he did not feel sorry for Duane; even after Duane had been made to look ridiculous by his own daughter. No, if Duane pushed him he would push him back. There was no time to laugh at this pompous little man with the General Grant beard; because beyond his theatrics this was still a matter of principle, of pride, of protecting his family, of protecting his land. A matter of staying alive too.

Cable said bluntly, “Now what?”

“Now,” Duane answered, drawing his watch again, “you have until twelve o’clock noon to pack your belongings and get out.” He looked down at the watch. “A little less than three hours.”

There it is, Cable thought wearily. You expected it and there it is. He looked over his shoulder, glancing back at his wife, then turned back to Duane.

“Mr. Kidston, I’m going to talk to my wife first. You just hang on for a minute.” He stepped back, swinging the door closed.

“Well?” he asked.

“This is yesterday,” Martha said, “with the places reversed.”

Cable smiled thinly. “We don’t make friends very easy, do we?”

“I don’t think it matters,” Martha said quietly, “whether Mr. Kidston likes us or not.”

“Then we’re staying,” Cable said.

“Did you think we wouldn’t?”

“I wasn’t sure.”

Martha went to the bedroom. She looked in at the children before coming to Cable. “Clare’s doing her letters for the boys.”

“Martha, make them stay in there.”

“I will.”

“Then stand by the window with the shotgun, but don’t shove the barrel out until I’m out there and they’re looking at me.”

“What will you do?”

“Talk to him. See how reasonable he is.”

“Do you think Vern is there?”

“No. I guess Vern does the work while Duane plays war.”

Martha’s lips parted to speak, but she smiled then and said nothing.

“What were you going to say?” Cable asked.

She was still smiling, a faint smile that was for Cable, not for herself. “I was going to tell you to be careful, but it sounded too typical.”

He smiled with her for a moment, then said, “Ready?” She nodded and Cable turned to the door. He opened it, closed it behind him, and stepped out to the shade of the ramada.

Duane Kidston had not moved; but Royce, holding the carbine with the white cloth, had come up on his right. Bill Dancey and Joe Bob remained fifteen to twenty feet behind them, though they had moved well apart.