fist, knocking the outlaw down. Dodd dropped his pistol and the man started to reach for it, but Clark cocked his own pistol and shoved it in the man’s face.
“Don’t even think about touching it,” he said. He was trying to make himself as menacing as he could, but in fact what he was doing was saving the man’s life.
At least, he thought he was. But an angry Dodd regained his feet and recovered his pistol.
“I’m going to kill you, mister,” Dodd said. “Nobody does that to me and gets away with it.”
“No!” Clark shouted.
“What do you mean no? You tellin’ me how to run this operation, are you?” Dodd asked, his voice showing his displeasure over being challenged.
“I mean no, let me do it,” Clark said.
“Why would you want to do it? I’m the one he hit.”
Clark smiled at Dodd. “I’m new with this outfit,” he said. “Maybe I’m just trying to make a good impression on you.”
Dodd laughed out loud. “All right,” he said. “If you want to kill him, be my guest. ”
Clark pointed his pistol at the boy’s father. “Come along, you,” he said. “Over here, behind these rocks.”
“Wait a minute, what are you doing? Where are you going with him?” Dodd asked. “I thought you were going to shoot him.”
“Oh, I’m going to shoot him, all right,” Clark said. “But I don’t want to do it in front of the boy.”
“Softhearted, are you? Well, let me tell you somethin'. In this business, it don’t pay to be softhearted. Ever,” Dodd said. “But it don’t bother me none where you do it, as long as you do it, so have it your way. Take him over there and shoot him.”
“Pa!” the boy shouted. He wrapped his arms around his father’s legs.
“Better make the boy stay back, or I’ll shoot him too,” Clark said.
“Stay here, Kenny,” the father said.
“No!”
“Stay here, Kenny!” the father said more forcefully this time.
“Come here, boy, stay with me,” Ralph, the driver, said.
Clark made a motion with his pistol. “Let’s go,” he said.
“Don’t take all day with it!” Dodd called out.
Clark led the boy’s father around to the other side of the rocks. Then he pulled his knife.
“What are you going to do?” the man asked, seeing the knife.
“Cut your hand, then squeeze out some blood,” Clark replied speaking quietly.
“What? Why should I do that?”
“If you want to live, do what I say,” Clark said. “Please,” he added, the tone of his voice more pleading than demanding.
The expression on the man’s face turned from fear to confusion, then from confusion to a glimmer of hope. He cut his hand, then squeezed the wound to get a lot of blood.
“Put it on the back of your head,” Clark said.
The man complied.
“Turn around, let me see.”
“You want me to turn around?” Fear returned to the man’s eyes. Had this all been a ruse?
“Turn around,” Clark said again.
“Clark! What’s taking you so long?” Dodd shouted.
“I’m just having a little fun with him is all,” Clark called, looking back toward Dodd.
“Well, do it and be done with it,” Dodd ordered.
When Clark turned back toward the stage passenger, he was shocked to see the passenger holding a pistol in his hand.
“You didn’t know I had this, did you?” he said with a triumphant grin.
“No, don’t do this!” Clark shouted as he saw the man thumb back the hammer. Clark had no choice but to shoot, his bullet hitting the stage passenger between the eyes.
“Pa! “ the boy shouted, his shout followed immediately by wailing sobs.
Clark walked back to join the others. Dodd and Conklin were already mounted, and Conklin was holding the reins to Clark’s horse.
Without speaking, Dodd rode over to the edge of the rocks, then looked around behind them. Seeing the man lying on his back with a bullet hole between his eyes, Dodd nodded.
“Good job,” he said. “Come on, let’s go.”
