Track of the Cat Page #3

He's been here all right.

His stink is still in the air.

He's a big one.

Maybe not as big as Joe Sam's cat.

He's big.

Look at that, will you?

Look what he's done.

Trail's still fresh as a daisy.

There's blood on him.

He must've got horned.

- He'll be mean.

- Yeah. He's been feeding.

He's eating mighty high for a cat.

Hold him down, will you?

Keep him quiet!

It's the steer.

Blood's spooking him.

The steer?

What do you mean "the steer"?

You got three of them. Count them.

Two of my best year-olds

and the cross...

that bull I been planning on.

He's finished, too,

by the look of him.

Your steer?

You're always talking about this

valley like it was your valley.

The only plans that mean anything

around here are your plans.

Well, other people have plans, too.

Not me, but Harold might.

He's thinking of getting married.

No ordinary cat to break up

a bunch like this.

Must have been the bull horned

him, by the look of it.

It's gonna be a mean cat.

We've always worked together.

Put everything together in one pot.

You're the only one

who's ever done any taking.

I imagine Harold will want to

do some taking for a change.

- Yeah, we'll talk about it.

- That's what we're doing right now.

Talking about it.

I'm telling you how it's gonna be.

How is it gonna be, Art?

We're gonna work together,

same as we always have.

Only Hal's gonna get his share

without asking for it.

Without waiting

for you to hand it out.

If it wasn't for me, there wouldn't be

any valley, wouldn't be any stock.

The cats would have it all.

The Indians would have it.

You'd have given it back to them

a long time ago.

I built this all up.

It's Hal's, too. He's worked.

Gonna get married, huh?

Gonna get him a wife

and settle down.

Well, she's a nice girl.

She'll make a fine wife,

married to that no-man kid.

Why didn't he come to me,

talk to me himself...

instead of getting you to

stand up for him?

I stand up for you, too, Curt.

Have you ever thought how things would

be around here if you had your way?

No. How would it be, Arty?

Tell me how it would be.

First thing,

I'd run that Indian off the place.

Anybody else that didn't carry

his weight would clear out, too.

I'd whip this valley into shape.

In no time at all,

you'd have nothing left to shoot...

nothing left to fight,

nothing left to flatten.

You wouldn't have anybody to yell at.

There wouldn't be anybody but you.

Then what would you do, Curt?

Well, there's one thing I'm gonna do,

and I'm gonna do it right now.

There's a cat been killing our stock.

I'm gonna walk up there

and take a look...

and if I see him, I'm gonna put

a bullet right between his eyes.

That is, if you don't mind.

He was up there all right,

but he ain't now.

Lit out

while you were shooting off your face.

Cleared the rim rock,

and up the north side.

He'll be back.

Oh, sure.

It would've been

an easy shot in here, too.

We could take the horses

over on the other side...

where he wouldn't get wind of them

and wait him out.

You could wait till kingdom come,

couldn't you?

Well, I can't.

I'm gonna track him down.

You can't go a mile in those boots.

You'll need snowshoes and some food.

You'd like to go back to the house,

wouldn't you?

So you can tell them all

how you told me off...

playing the loving priest.

Thanks. I'll go myself.

Get what I need, and get it now

instead of sometime next week.

Fine. You can forget

I said anything.

Talk to Harold yourself.

Here. Careful, it's loaded.

Be sure to snap the safety off

if you have to use it.

You hold trail till I get back.

Be sure and drag a deep track

in case it snows and you get lost.

If he's still around, you'd better

see him first. So don't get to mooning.

Curt!

The girl means a lot to Harold.

Don't go cutting him down,

making him look foolish in her eyes.

- Was it a panther?

- Big one.

Made tracks the size of a horse.

Are you going after him?

Sure gonna try.

Get some grub ready, Ma.

Bread and jerky's all I'll need.

What's she trying to do,

make a pet out of Kentuck?

First thing you know,

she'll have all the Bridges tamed.

The only one

she's interested in taming is Harold.

Shouldn't have too much trouble there.

He's got about

as much spirit as a gelding.

What's the matter, Joe Sam?

Where Arthur?

Poor, old Art.

Doesn't anybody think

he can take care of himself?

He even got the half-wit worrying.

Don't you want to ask me

about the cat, Joe Sam?

He killed four of my stock.

Ran them like a wolf.

But he got horned, and he left tracks,

so he can't be black.

Where is Arthur? Why didn't he come?

Now, don't worry, sis.

If he's black, he'll be for Art.

If he's yellow, I left him my gun.

Get on.

One thing, if he's black, he's gonna

make a fine blanket for your bed...

with a hard winter coming on

and that bashful kid for a husband.

Don't mind him, Gwen.

We are gonna have a wedding,

ain't we?

We don't have to listen

to his foul mouth.

Hey. You saddle Kentuck...

and see to it that

you don't forget to soap his hooves.

I hear you're gonna build your house

right here in the valley.

- Did Harold discuss it with you?

- No, but Arthur did.

The kid sure got everybody

digging for him.

I'm wondering who he got to pop

the question for him. Grace maybe?

Don't answer him, Gwen.

Bet he hasn't even kissed you yet.

Waiting for somebody

to do that for him, too.

Hey, Ma?

Hey, Ma, if that panther's black,

I'm gonna skin it...

and give it to Gwen

for a wedding present.

She can lay it

right on top of her at night.

Make him stop, Mother.

Why don't you make him stop?

He's trying to spoil everything.

The black panther's the cause

of all the trouble in the world.

He's the evil in everybody.

Joe Sam says so...

Arthur says so, and Grace says so.

Even Hal out there.

I believe he'd say so, too,

if he had half a mind.

It's all right, Grace.

Why, sure, it's all right.

Just think how peaceful

you're gonna sleep...

if you ever get around to sleeping.

With the end

of all the troubles in the world...

right there over you

to prove that nothing can go wrong.

Here's your grub.

I put in just what you told me.

But I think you ought to have more.

No, that's plenty, Ma.

Why don't you dress

in your own room?

Wouldn't want me to freeze,

would you?

All right, Miss Williams,

you can turn around now.

Of course,

if it's just an ordinary panther...

it wouldn't be big enough for a blanket.

Might make a costume out of it, though.

You could give us

a special wedding dance.

I'm not much of a dancer.

Well, I'll show you.

You'd learn in no time.

- Harold's here with Kentuck.

- Is that so?

The times that kid picks to be fast.

He may even get around to telling me

his plans one of these days.

I thought Arthur told you.

What did he say?

Just that there's gonna be a wedding.

There can't be no wedding

till Harold asks her...

and he ain't asked her yet,

that I know of. Has he asked?

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