Pale Rider Page #3

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her mind, you may have a long wait.

Yeah, I guess so.

Meantime, why don't you put me to work?

No, I couldn't ask you to....

Maybe something spiritual.

That spirit ain't worth spit

without a little exercise. Tell me where.

Well, okay.

I always thought that

if I could split that rock there...

...and get to the gravel underneath,

there's gold been waiting there forever.

Every morning for two years,

I've been coming out here, and you see...

...it's like this rock and me

have kind of an agreement.

I'm going to do it in,

or it's going to do me in.

I'd hate to lay odds on who's going to win.

I thought of drilling and blasting

the son of a gun, but that would--

-Wreck the stream?

-Dam it up, be the end of everything.

There's few problems can't be solved

with a little sweat and hard work.

Somebody's coming.

You recognize them?

The one on the left is LaHood's boy, Josh.

The other one...

...I ain't never seen him before.

Friend of yours, Barret?

Yep. He's our new preacher.

I hear you messed up some of my boys.

Nothing personal.

Don't you take it personal,

but get the hell out of Carbon Canyon.

There's a lot of sinners hereabouts.

I shouldn't leave before I finish my work.

Jesus!

Your work done now, Preacher?

Part of it, leastways.

Put it in a little ice, that'll take care of it.

Thanks for stopping by, son.

You think you can make it?

Ice!

The Lord certainly does work

in mysterious ways.

Preacher, my ass!

Watch that step!

Why? Damn thing move

since we left Sacramento?

-Thank you, Mr. LaHood.

-Welcome home, Pop.

How was Sacramento?

Paradise! Two politicians

for every Chinese laundry...

...and two whores for every politician.

If there was gold in the delta,

I'd go there. How's business?

We're pulling low-grade ore out

of number five, but it's about played out.

We went down 20 feet more in 12 shaft,

got only manganite, and shut it down.

And that vein in Cobalt Canyon

is wearing thin, too.

What about Carbon?

We ran another raid through there

a few days back and scared them good.

We damn near run them out,

lock, stock, and barrel.

Seems a stranger came through

and pulled them together.

Ain't that right?

Yeah, he pulled them together.

This one stranger did that?

I expect you boys didn't explain to him

just who we are.

I expect that once you explain things

to him, he'll decide to move on!

There ain't much for a preacher

to do here, right?

You let a preacher into Carbon Canyon?

We didn't invite him! He took up with Hull.

What's wrong with a preacher?

When I left, those tin pans

had all but given up.

Their spirit was nearly broken.

And a man without spirit is whipped.

But a preacher, he could give them faith.

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