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Back Come Again No More Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover
  3. Title Page
  4. Contents
  5. PART I 
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. PART II 
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. PART III 
  38. 31.
  39. 32.
  40. 33.
  41. 34.
  42. 35.
  43. 36.
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. PART IV 
  48. 40.
  49. 41.
  50. 42.
  51. 43.
  52. 44.
  53. 45.
  54. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  55. Touchstone Reading Group Guide

Eli grinned a little at that. He reached out and squeezed the kid’s shoulder. “I got to hit the trail, son. I aim to make it home to the 8T8 tonight. It’s a long drive and I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night. Drove all night to get here and then found out I was too late.”

“I’m sorry, Grandpa.”

“Taint a bit of your fault. But thanks just the same.”

Bobby trailed him back to the Cadillac. “If you mean it about this summer, I’ll come up to see you.”

“You do that. We’ll turn you into a top hand, find a horse you can ride for the summer—long as you take care of it.”

The boy smiled again. Eli felt his spirits lift a little. There was always some good a man could do somewhere. He squeezed the kid’s shoulder again, hard this time, looking away so that Bobby wouldn’t see him tearing up. Then he said good-bye, got behind the wheel, turned the Cadillac around, headed down the lane. He stopped at the edge of the county road, fighting the urge to try one more time with Emaline. Then he pulled out onto the gravel, bound for Wyoming.

2.

DEPUTY SHERIFF DEXTER MCGUINTY TOOK OFF his hat, rolled down the window of his patrol car, stuck his head out as far as he could, inhaled air so cold his nostrils froze shut. There was nothing on this earth he hated more than cold, but Estelle had ladled an extra scoop of beans onto his plate when he stopped for lunch and he was tooting along like a choo-choo train, his own rising odor in the closed cabin more than he could bear. He drove a mile in second gear, his head halfway out the window, squinting against the glare of the setting sun off the snowbanks. He would give another fellow a ticket for operating an automobile this way, but Dexter was the law and he would do as he damned pleased. Bad enough that Roosevelt was set to repeal Prohibition. That would cost Dexter two-thirds of his income, until he figured out a grift to make up for the lost bribe money. Just thinking about Roosevelt made him so mad he whacked the dashboard with his knuckles as he rounded a curve and was almost decapitated by a big Cadillac speeding west on Route 26. He yelped and pulled his head in like a frightened turtle, hit the brakes too hard and sent the Model A into a skid, which turned into a full circle and left the car teetering on the edge of the barrow pit. The deputy dropped the transmission into low gear and felt the rear wheels spin and catch. He fishtailed up the road in pursuit, so mad he forgot to switch on the siren.