Ralph Compton Straight to the Noose (A Ralph Compton Western) - Softcover

Galloway, Marcus; Compton, Ralph

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451472373 ISBN 13: 9780451472373

Verlag: Berkley, 2015

Inhaltsangabe

A gambler runs out of luck in this rousing Ralph Compton western.
 
Mississippi charmer Abner Mason is a professional gambler and a regular on the Delta Jack, a luxurious riverboat. But things haven’t exactly been going Mason’s way. After a disastrous loss at the tables, he owes an impossible debt to the most powerful man on the ship: mysterious, ruthless Cam Greeley. And Greeley’s willing to do whatever it takes to get his fortune back—even threaten Mason’s life. 

Now Mason has a single night to raise all the funds to pay off his debt by completing whatever ominous jobs Greeley has waiting for him. He just has to make it through alive....

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Ralph Compton stood six-foot-eight without his boots. He worked as a musician, a radio announcer, a songwriter, and a newspaper columnist. His first novel, The Goodnight Trail, was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Medicine Pipe Bearer Award for best debut novel. He was also the author of the Sundown Rider series and the Border Empire series.

Marcus Galloway is the author of numerous novels in the Ralph Compton series.

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MAN OVERBOARD

SIGNET

THE IMMORTAL COWBOY

This is respectfully dedicated to the “American Cowboy.” His was the saga sparked by the turmoil that followed the Civil War, and the passing of more than a century has by no means diminished the flame.

True, the old days and the old ways are but treasured memories, and the old trails have grown dim with the ravages of time, but the spirit of the cowboy lives on.

In my travels—to Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona—I always find something that reminds me of the Old West. While I am walking these plains and mountains for the first time, there is this feeling that a part of me is eternal, that I have known these old trails before. I believe it is the undying spirit of the frontier calling me, through the mind’s eye, to step back into time. What is the appeal of the Old West of the American frontier?

It has been epitomized by some as the dark and bloody period in American history. Its heroes—Crockett, Bowie, Hickok, Earp—have been reviled and criticized. Yet the Old West lives on, larger than life.

It has become a symbol of freedom, when there was always another mountain to climb and another river to cross; when a dispute between two men was settled not with expensive lawyers, but with fists, knives, or guns. Barbaric? Maybe. But some things never change. When the cowboy rode into the pages of American history, he left behind a legacy that lives within the hearts of us all.

— Ralph Compton

Chapter 1

Mississippi
1869

The Delta Jack was one of the most luxurious riverboats to float down the Mississippi. If one were to look at her plush carpets, sample the fine selection of liquor served in one of many bars, or taste the food prepared by its well-paid chefs, one might guess the riverboat to be exclusive to rich men or prominent gamblers. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Everyone was welcome aboard the Delta Jack. All a man needed to become a passenger was enough money to sit in at one of the gambling tables scattered throughout its three decks.

Such a man didn’t even need to be rich. He could stay aboard as long as he kept gambling. The Delta Jack made frequent stops, and as soon as a man’s bankroll ran out, he was promptly escorted onto dry land. If he didn’t want to separate himself from the Jack’s many hospitalities, he could always apply for a line of credit from the boat’s owner. Cam Greeley was always willing to consider such an application so the man in need of funds could remain on board for a while longer. It was generally a good arrangement, if only for one of the two parties involved.

Games played on the Delta Jack ran the gamut from gin rummy and simple rolls of the dice all the way up to roulette and backgammon. But most men didn’t board the Jack to play anything but poker. If all those other games were appetizers and dessert, poker was the steak and potatoes served in between. Some men dined for days on that steak. Others choked on it.

Abner Mason was one of the better-known faces on the Delta Jack. When he left his small but elegant cabin on the middle deck, he was greeted by friendly smiles by everyone from the young men hired to sweep the halls to the young women hired to convince certain players to stay on board for just a bit longer. At the moment, Mason’s rounded face reflected every hour of the last twenty he’d played five-card stud before he’d gotten three hours of sleep. His light brown eyes were slightly bloodshot and black stubble sprouted from his chin. Even so, he did his best to return the smiles he was shown with one of his own, which was always well received.

“A good mornin’ to you, Emma,” he said to the young lady who walked toward him.

She was a fresh-faced little filly with blond curls and eyes that told a man she could teach him a thing or two. Having already taught some of her lessons to Mason during his many stays on the Jack, she smirked and nodded. “Afternoon is more like it,” she said.

Mason wore a rumpled blue suit that had obviously doubled as pajamas. Since one hand was being used to keep his jacket hooked over his shoulder, he used the other hand to fish a watch from the pocket of his vest. The hallway was too narrow for both of them to pass each other while he stood facing her head-on, so Emma stopped as he flipped the watch open to check the time.

“Why, you’re absolutely right,” he said.

Remaining less than two inches away from him, she replied, “I may not know a lot of things, Abner, but I know how to tell the time.”

“You know plenty, sweet thing,” Mason said with just a hint of a Mississippi drawl.

“Up for another lesson?”

“Not just yet. I need to have breakfast.”

“You mean lunch,” she said.

“Not hardly. I’d never skip over breakfast. After all, even a man in my condition needs his coffee and bacon.”

“And a woman in my condition,” Emma said as she placed a hand on his chest to give him a little push, “needs to keep her schedule.”

Allowing himself to be moved to one side like a door in a rumpled suit, Mason said, “By all means.”

Emma traced her hand along his chest as she passed him. Once she’d taken a few more steps, she broke into a stride that caused her golden curls and a few other things to bounce in time to her gait.

Mason watched her strut all the way down the narrow hall. “A fine day indeed,” he muttered before checking his watch once more and snapping it shut. “Or afternoon.”

A good portion of the second deck was set aside for amenities to keep passengers comfortable. Apart from the small sleeping cabins, there was a dining room, a kitchen, and even a barber. It was to the latter that Mason went, and he wasn’t the only one. When he arrived, there was already a man in the barber’s chair. Mason helped himself to one of the newspapers that had been picked up when they’d last visited New Orleans and stepped outside again. There were chairs on either side of the door to the barber’s cabin, but no other customers waiting for a trim. Grateful that he wouldn’t have to make any polite conversations for a few minutes, Mason sat down, opened the newspaper, and pulled in a deep breath of warm air.

It was a balmy day with no shortage of insects buzzing around the chugging riverboat. Mason flipped through the ink-covered pages, skimming through the outdated stories without actually reading any of them. The words bounced off his swirling mind like flat rocks upon the water’s surface. Finally he folded the paper up and placed it on his lap.

“Hell of a day, ain’t it?” asked the freshly shorn man who emerged from the barber’s cabin.

Mason looked up at him and replied, “I suppose so. You planning on playing more faro today? Or will you be taking another crap game to the cleaner’s?”

“How’d you know all that? Did we meet during a game?”

“We sure did,” Mason said, even though he only remembered the man’s face after walking past the faro tables so many times the previous night. “You had a good run of luck.”

“There’s more to it than luck, my friend. Don’t let anyone tell you any different!”

Mason got to his feet and tucked the newspaper under one arm. His jacket was draped over the back of the chair and he picked that up to drape over the same arm. “Is that a...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Berkley
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2015
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0451472373
• ISBN 13: 9780451472373
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 304
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar