[To the woman] Dont you mind him, maam: he's mad with drink
and devilment. I suppose theres no fake about this, Strapper. Who
found her?
WAGGONER JO. I did, Sheriff. Theres no fake about it. I came on
her on the track round by Red Mountain. She was settin on the
ground with the dead body on her lap, stupid-like. The horse was
grazin on the other side of the road.
THE SHERIFF [puzzled] Well, this is blamed queer. [To the woman]
What call had you to take the horse from Elder Daniels' stable to
find a doctor? Theres a doctor in the very next house.
BLANCO [mopping his dabbled red crest and trying to be ironically
gay] Story simply wont wash, my angel. You got it from the man
that stole the horse. He gave it to you because he was a softy
and went to bits when you played off the sick kid on him. Well, I
guess that clears me. I'm not that sort. Catch me putting my neck
in a noose for anybody's kid!
THE FOREMAN. Dont you go putting her up to what to say. She said
she took it.
THE WOMAN. Yes: I took it from a man that met me. I thought God
sent him to me. I rode here joyfully thinking so all the time to
myself. Then I noticed that the child was like lead in my arms.
God would never have been so cruel as to send me the horse to
disappoint me like that.
BLANCO. Just what He would do.
STRAPPER. We aint got nothin to do with that. This is the man,
aint he? [pointing to Blanco].
THE WOMAN [pulling herself together after looking scaredly at
Blanco, and then at the Sheriff and at the jury] No.
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