by Short, Luke;
Now the reaction of the weariness and the excitements of the day seemed to affect them both, and they were silent for a minute. Abruptly then Juliana asked, “Dave, have you ever thought of applying for a commission again?”
“Not really,” Dave said slowly. “Not until this trip anyway.”
“Mother wrote that the Army is desperately short of officers. The ‘Benzine’ board retired so many incompetent officers last year that there aren’t enough good officers to go around. I know Dad would turn over heaven and earth to help you.”
“There’s this eye,” Dave said drily. “I don’t like it, and I don’t think the Army would like it. And there’s nothing to do about it.”
“I like it,” Juliana said simply.
Dave looked obliquely at her, in surprise. “Why do you?”
Juliana thought a moment, then she said slowly, “I can’t exactly explain why. But that patch is sort of a badge that says nothing has got you licked.”
“I know a lot of saloon riffraff that wear eyepatches,” Dave said wryly.
“That’s just it,” Juliana countered. “You’re not saloon riffraff full of self-pity. You’re a good businessman and a better soldier. You proved that once, and I should think you’d like to prove it again.”
Dave, his doubts resolved, put a hand out and took her small hand in his. “You’ve answered something for me, Juliana. Yes, I think I will try it again.”
About the Author
Luke Short is the pen name of Frederick Dilley Glidden (1908–1975), the bestselling, award-winning author of over fifty classic western novels and hundreds of short stories. Renowned for their action-packed story lines, multidimensional characters, and vibrant dialogue, Glidden’s novels sold over thirty million copies. Ten of his novels, including Blood on the Moon, Coroner Creek, and Ramrod, were adapted for the screen. Glidden was the winner of a special Western Heritage Trustees Award and the Levi Strauss Golden Saddleman Award from the Western Writers of America.
Born in Kewanee, Illinois, Glidden graduated in 1930 from the University of Missouri where he studied journalism. After working for several newspapers, he became a trapper in Canada and, later, an archaeologist’s assistant in New Mexico. His first story, “Six-Gun Lawyer,” was published in Cowboy Stories magazine in 1935 under the name F. D. Glidden. At the suggestion of his publisher, he used the pseudonym Luke Short, not realizing it was the name of a real gunman and gambler who was a friend of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. In addition to his prolific writing career, Glidden worked for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. He moved to Aspen, Colorado, in 1946, and became an active member of the Aspen Town Council, where he initiated the zoning laws that helped preserve the town.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1961 by Frederick Glidden
Cover design by Andy Ross
ISBN: 978-1-5040-3981-9
This edition published in 2016 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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