THE GRAVE 23

shug sat at carries table trying to shake off the effects of the nap. he was still goggy. carrie was standing at the cook stove. after she set a plate of food and a cup of coffee in front of shug she sat down accross the table from him . " arnt you going to eat?" shug asked. " no, you eat i want to talk just eat and dont interupt me." she had a glass of water and took a sip. " i was fourteen years old when your father picked me up off the streets in tucson. my step father had abandoned me there. i was on the verge of starvation or disgrace . if i wanted to survive that was the only avenue open to me. he kept me from it. rip choate never laid a hand on me.never.he told me your mother had taken you and returned to the tribe on the reservation. he was heart broke over it. he loved your mother and missed haveing you around. your father was a kind hearted man in everyway except when he sat a card table. then he took no prisoners. when he got up from the table he might give you your money back that he won if he thought it would cause a hardship. the night he played blake he realized very soon blake was cheating. so when he had won a substantial stake he stood up saying he had to go home. when he turned to go blake shot him in the back. when he fireed the second shot rip was already falling , dead from the first shot. the second one went through a window and killed neils wife out on the street. when i screamed at the first shot blake turnned and ran. i believe he was going to rob your father. but me seeing what happened and the crowd out side around neils wife had scared him. when slaughter got there i was pushed aside.believe this, rip choate loved you and your mother , right to the end. and i was never in any way his whore. he was a good man.he had no bad thoughts of apaches,they were just people like any other. do you understand what ime saying?" carrie layed it all out for him. shug nodded. " mom never said why she left him, but i always thought she did it for a reason other than being abused or preyed upon." " i believe she left him so he wouldnt be picked on for marrying her. he never really said but i felt that."carrie said. the next morning at 9 shug and slaughter escorted blake to the court house. the judge was a old confederate soldier who had seen hell with the doors flung wide. he sat through the proceeding with out saying much. but when the appointed attorney for blake touched on the prejudice of the folks for the apache. the old man leaned forward from his seat behind the desk " if you touch on that subject you will be held on contempt. it has nothing to do with this case." the contempt the judge had for the attorney was plain as the day light out side the window. blake was found guilty of three murders plus the accidental killing of neils wife. the judge glared at him as he passed sentence. he was to hang as soon as a gallows could be constructed. from the crown came the call for the hanging to be held that day. " no lynching will there be. i want this man to reflect on his actions. but i dont believe he will repent in the least. he is a coward from high up the headwaters of the coward river. court adjourned." he slammed his gavel down in a final statement.