and the screams it evoked.
“What’s going on in there?” Delbert Collins asked Karl Nolly, nodding at the doors of the saloon.
“Aw,” said Nolly with a trace of a cruel grin. “Our
sheriff
needed to teach a councilman a lesson in manners I reckon. You three get on in there and see to it no townsman gets out of control.”
The three deputies walked inside as the two horsemen sat staring in astonishment. Finally Nolly asked in an impatient tone, “Is there something we can do for you?”
“If the sheriff of this town is Martin Lematte,” said Cleveland Ellis, “I believe there is something you can do for us.” He nodded to his side, saying, “This is Moon Braden…I’m Cleveland Ellis. We heard Lematte was getting together some deputies to keep peace here in Somos Santos.” A dark grin crept onto Ellis’s face.
“Yeah,” said Nolly, his voice becoming morefriendly. “I’ve heard Lematte talk about you two. Step down and make yourselves at home. The sheriff is straightening out a councilman right now, but he won’t be a minute.”
“Sounds like some serious
straightening
,” said Moon Braden. “We heard the screaming all the way from the edge of town.” The two stepped down, twirled their reins around the hitch rail, and stepped up onto the boardwalk.
“Anything we can do to help?” asked Ellis.
“Obliged, but no thanks. I believe we’ve got things covered pretty good,” said Nolly. “Who have you boys been working for lately?”
“We just left a job poking steers for the Double D Spread,” said Moon. “The fact is, we got run off over some trouble we had with a big gunman named Crayton Dawson. Have you ever heard of him?”
Nolly and Snead both grinned. “Yeah, I’ll say we’ve heard of him,” said Karl Nolly. He pointed at Henry Snead. “This man just beat the blue living hell out of him a week back, sent him crawling in the dirt.”
Braden and Ellis looked Snead up and down, then Ellis gave Nolly a skeptical look. “
This
man?”
Henry Snead gave Ellis a harsh stare.
“Yes, this man,” said Nolly, dropping a palm firmly on Snead’s broad, powerful shoulder. “Meet Henry Snead, gentlemen. Mister Snead here spends his time lifting nail kegs just for the fun of it.”
“The fun of it?” Moon gave a bemused look.
“
This
man?” Cleveland Ellis repeated, pointing at Snead as if no one had adequately answered him before.
Henry Snead wasn’t about to let the insult go twiceunattended. “Damn right,
this man
,” he said, stepping forward in his own defense. “What of it?”
“Whoa now,” said Ellis. “No offense intended. I was just making sure I got all the particulars right.”
“I can make it more clear to you.” Snead expanded his chest like a game rooster.
“Well, you sure have got all the particulars right.” Nolly grinned broadly, cutting in on Henry Snead before things got out of hand. “Snead here made him look bad in front of the whole saloon.”
“Anybody who put a hurting on Crayton Dawson is A-OK in my book,” Moon Braden offered, hoping to smooth over anybody’s injured pride. “I’ll be glad to hook up with Lematte again. I’ve stared up a steer’s ass so long I was starting to worry about myself. It’ll be good to get back to some decent work. I just hope it goes well this time…not like it went for us over in Hide City.”
“Don’t worry,” said Nolly. This time is different. Lematte even has a big hired gun coming to town to keep things pinned down for us, in case anybody tries to muscle in after we get this town going the way we want it to.”
“A big gun, huh?” said Cleveland Ellis. “Who is it?”
“It’s a big secret,” said Nolly. Lematte hasn’t even told
me
yet. But it will be somebody good, you can bet on it.” He pointed a finger at the two and added, “But I can tell you one thing; you don’t have to worry about Crayton Dawson any more. He don’t want to tangle with us.”
Moon Braden and Cleveland
“What’s going on in there?” Delbert Collins asked Karl Nolly, nodding at the doors of the saloon.
“Aw,” said Nolly with a trace of a cruel grin. “Our
sheriff
needed to teach a councilman a lesson in manners I reckon. You three get on in there and see to it no townsman gets out of control.”
The three deputies walked inside as the two horsemen sat staring in astonishment. Finally Nolly asked in an impatient tone, “Is there something we can do for you?”
“If the sheriff of this town is Martin Lematte,” said Cleveland Ellis, “I believe there is something you can do for us.” He nodded to his side, saying, “This is Moon Braden…I’m Cleveland Ellis. We heard Lematte was getting together some deputies to keep peace here in Somos Santos.” A dark grin crept onto Ellis’s face.
“Yeah,” said Nolly, his voice becoming morefriendly. “I’ve heard Lematte talk about you two. Step down and make yourselves at home. The sheriff is straightening out a councilman right now, but he won’t be a minute.”
“Sounds like some serious
straightening
,” said Moon Braden. “We heard the screaming all the way from the edge of town.” The two stepped down, twirled their reins around the hitch rail, and stepped up onto the boardwalk.
“Anything we can do to help?” asked Ellis.
“Obliged, but no thanks. I believe we’ve got things covered pretty good,” said Nolly. “Who have you boys been working for lately?”
“We just left a job poking steers for the Double D Spread,” said Moon. “The fact is, we got run off over some trouble we had with a big gunman named Crayton Dawson. Have you ever heard of him?”
Nolly and Snead both grinned. “Yeah, I’ll say we’ve heard of him,” said Karl Nolly. He pointed at Henry Snead. “This man just beat the blue living hell out of him a week back, sent him crawling in the dirt.”
Braden and Ellis looked Snead up and down, then Ellis gave Nolly a skeptical look. “
This
man?”
Henry Snead gave Ellis a harsh stare.
“Yes, this man,” said Nolly, dropping a palm firmly on Snead’s broad, powerful shoulder. “Meet Henry Snead, gentlemen. Mister Snead here spends his time lifting nail kegs just for the fun of it.”
“The fun of it?” Moon gave a bemused look.
“
This
man?” Cleveland Ellis repeated, pointing at Snead as if no one had adequately answered him before.
Henry Snead wasn’t about to let the insult go twiceunattended. “Damn right,
this man
,” he said, stepping forward in his own defense. “What of it?”
“Whoa now,” said Ellis. “No offense intended. I was just making sure I got all the particulars right.”
“I can make it more clear to you.” Snead expanded his chest like a game rooster.
“Well, you sure have got all the particulars right.” Nolly grinned broadly, cutting in on Henry Snead before things got out of hand. “Snead here made him look bad in front of the whole saloon.”
“Anybody who put a hurting on Crayton Dawson is A-OK in my book,” Moon Braden offered, hoping to smooth over anybody’s injured pride. “I’ll be glad to hook up with Lematte again. I’ve stared up a steer’s ass so long I was starting to worry about myself. It’ll be good to get back to some decent work. I just hope it goes well this time…not like it went for us over in Hide City.”
“Don’t worry,” said Nolly. This time is different. Lematte even has a big hired gun coming to town to keep things pinned down for us, in case anybody tries to muscle in after we get this town going the way we want it to.”
“A big gun, huh?” said Cleveland Ellis. “Who is it?”
“It’s a big secret,” said Nolly. Lematte hasn’t even told
me
yet. But it will be somebody good, you can bet on it.” He pointed a finger at the two and added, “But I can tell you one thing; you don’t have to worry about Crayton Dawson any more. He don’t want to tangle with us.”
Moon Braden and Cleveland
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