“It ain’t nothin',” Dawes said.
“Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t,” Doc Baker said. “On the other hand, it could fester and you’d wind up losin’ your hand. Or worse. Now get over here and let me look at it, like I said.”
Dawes walked over to Doc Baker, holding out his bleeding hand.
“Get me a bottle of whiskey, Minnie,” Doc Baker ordered, and within a moment she was back with a bottle. The doctor pulled the cork with his teeth, then poured a generous amount of the whiskey over the wound.
“Ooww, that hurts,” Dawes complained.
“Good,” Doc Baker said. “It serves you right for doing such a dumb thing. What brought all this on anyway.”
Dawes pointed to Smoke. “He hit me from behind for no reason at all.”
“Now, Dawes, I just met this man a few moments ago and I already don’t believe he would have hit you from behind. And I don’t believe he would hit you for no reason,” Doc Baker said.
“I didn’t hit you from behind, Dawes. I tapped you on the shoulder. You turned around and then I hit you.”
“Well, why did you hit me?”
“Because you were about to bring a chair crashing down on the Chinaman’s head, that’s why.”
“That’s no reason. The Chinaman deserved it. That Celestial stole five dollars from me,” Dawes said angrily.
“And you were going to kill him over five dollars?”
“What if I had killed him? Hell, he ain’t nothin’ but a Chinaman anyway,” Dawes said, as if that explained everything.
By now, Minnie had torn off part of her underskirt, and Doc Baker used it to wrap a bandage around Dawes’ hand.
“Go home, Dawes. Go home before you get yourself into more trouble,” Doc Baker said.
Dawes nodded, then started over to pick up his gun.
“I’ll thank you to leave the gun here,” Smoke said. He emphasized his comment by waving his gun, indicating that Dawes should stay away.
“Mister, that gun cost me fifteen dollars. There ain’t no way I am goin’ to just leave it here.”
“You are going to leave it until tomorrow,” Smoke insisted. “I’m sure the gentleman behind the bar will hold it for you until then.”
“How can I trust him?”
“I give you my word, Dawes, that your gun will be here tomorrow,” Nabors said. “That’s right, isn’t it, Paul?” he called out, looking toward the bartender.
Paul, the bartender, was as awed by what he had seen as any of the others. He nodded, but said nothing.
“Yeah, well, it better be,” Dawes said. “'Cause if it ain’t…” He paused, then, with an angry glare, Dawes left the saloon with his gun still lying on the floor behind him.
Chapter Thirteen
With the departure of Dawes, the excitement was over, and everyone in the saloon started talking at the same time, trying to fix in their minds the memory of what they had just seen. The result was a cacophony of excited shouts and conversation.
Smoke walked over to Dawes’s pistol, which still lay where it had wound up after being pushed across the floor by Smoke’s second shot. Picking it up, he saw that, because of the strike of his bullet, it would need a new handle grip. He gave it to the barkeep. After that, he returned to the table, which had already been righted again, thanks to the efforts of Doc Baker and Nate Nabors.
“Looks like we are going to need new drinks,” Doc Baker said.
“Yeah, it looks like it,” Nabors said. “Get us another round, would you, Minnie?” Nabors asked. “And tell Paul they are on me.”
Minnie nodded, then started toward the bar to carry out the order.
For the moment, Smoke said nothing. He continued to look toward the batwing doors, just to make certain that Dawes didn’t suddenly burst back in with a second gun.
“Don’t worry about Dawes comin’ back,” Nabors said, noticing the attention Smoke was giving the door. “I’ve known him a long time and, believe me, he’s too much of a coward to ever try anything against you again.”
Minnie returned with new beers for Smoke, Doc Baker, and Nabors. “Now, where were we before all the excitement began?” she asked.
“Mr. West had just told us that he was Bobby Lee’s brother-in-law,” Nabors said.
“And you said she died?” Minnie asked.
“Yes,” Smoke replied. “Actually, she was killed, along with my son.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry,” Minnie said, reaching out to put her hand on his.
“Did the law ever catch the person who did it?” Doc Baker asked.
“It wasn’t a person, it was three persons. And the law didn’t catch them. I did.”
