Parnell was very fast, but he couldn’t hit anything but air. On the third day, Smoke concluded that the man never would be able to hit the side of a barn, even if he was standing inside the barn. Since they had plenty of rifles, Smoke decided to try the man with a Winchester. To his surprise, Parnell turned out to be a good shot with a carbine. ”
“You can tote that pistol around if you want to, Parnell,” Smoke told him. “But you just remember this: out here, if a man straps on a gun, he best be ready and able to use it. Don’t go off the ranch grounds packing a short gun, somebody’s damn sure going to call your hand with it. Stick with the rifle. You’re a pretty good shot with it. We got plenty of rifles, so keep half a dozen of them loaded up full at all times.”
“I need to go in and get some books and papers from the school.”
“I wouldn’t advise it, Cousin. You’d just be askin’ for trouble. Tell me what you need, and I’ll fetch it for you.”
“Perhaps,” the schoolteacher said mysteriously, and walked away.
Smoke had a feeling that, despite his words, the man was going into town anyway. He’d have to keep an eye on him. He knew Parnell was feeding on his newly found oats, so to speak, and felt he didn’t need a baby-sitter. But Smoke had a hunch that Parnell really didn’t know or understand the caliber of men who might jump him, prod him into doing something that would end up getting the schoolteacher hurt, or dead.
Smoke spread the word among the men to keep an eye on Parnell.
“Seems to me that Rita’s been lookin’ all wall-eyed at him the last couple of days,” Pistol said. “Shore is a bunch of spoonin’ goin’ on around here. Makes a man plumb nervous.”
“Wal, you can re-lax, Pistol,” Hardrock told him. “No woman in her right mind would throw her loop for the likes of you. You too damn old and too damn ugly.”
“Huh!” the old gunfighter grunted. “You a fine one to be talkin’. You could hire that face of yours out to scare little children.”
Smoke left the two old friends insulting each other and walked to the house to speak with Cord sitting on the front porch, drinking coffee.
Cord waved him up and Smoke took a seat.
“I’m surprised Dooley hasn’t made a move,” the rancher said. “But the men say the range has been clear. Maybe he’s counting on that Danny Rouge to pick us off one at a time.”
“I doubt that Dooley even knows what’s in his mind,” Smoke replied. “I’ve been thinking, Cord. If we could get a judge to him, the judge would declare him insane and stick him in an institution. ”
“Umm. Might be worth a shot. I can send a rider up to Helena with a letter. I know Judge Ford. Damn! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Maybe he’d like to come down for a visit?” Smoke suggested. “Has he been here before?”
“Several times. Good idea. I’ll spell it all out in a letter and get a man riding within the hour. I’ll ask him if he can bring a deputy U.S. marshal down with him.”
“We just might be able to end this mess,” Smoke said, a hopeful note in his voice. ”With Dooley out of the picture, Liz could take over the running of the ranch, with Gage to help her, and she could fire the gunslicks.”
“It sounds so simple.”
“All we can do is try. Have you seen Parnell and Rita?”
“Yeah. They went for a walk. Can’t get used to the idea of that schoolteacher packin’ iron. It looks funny.”
“I warned him about totin’ that gun in town.”
“And I told Rita not to go into town. However, since I’m not her father, it probably went in one ear and out the other. Dooley and me told those girls fifteen years ago not to see one another. Did a hell of a lot of good, didn’t it? Both those girls are stubborn as mules. Did Parnell get his back up when you warned him?”
“I ... think perhaps he did. I tell you, Cord, he can get that six-shooter out of leather damn quick. He just can’t hit anything with it.”
The men chatted for a time, then Smoke left the rancher composing the letter he was sending to Judge Ford. The rider would leave that afternoon. Smoke saddled up and rode out to check on Fae’s cattle. As soon as he pulled out, Parnell and Rita left in the buggy, heading for town.
“I shan’t be a moment, Rita,” Parnell said as they neared Gibson. “I only need to gather up a few articles from the school.”
Rita put a hand on Parnell’s leg and almost curled his toenails. “Take as long as you like. I’ll be waiting for you ... darling.”
Parnell’s collar suddenly became very tight.
He gathered up his articles from the school and hurried back to the buggy.
“Would you mind terribly taking me over to Mrs. Jefferson’s house, Parnell? I have a dress over there I need to pick up.”
“Not at all ... darling.”
Rita giggled and Parnell blushed. He clucked the horse into movement and they went chatting up the main street of Gibson. They did not go unnoticed by a group of D-H gunslicks loafing in front of the Hangout, the busted window now boarded up awaiting the next shipment of glass.
“Yonder goes Miss Sweety-Baby and Sissy-Pants,” Golden said, sucking on a toothpick.
“Let’s us have some fun when they come back through,” Eddie Hart said with a wicked grin.
“What’d you have in mind?
“We’ll drag Sissy-Britches out of that there buggy and strip him nekkid right in the middle of the street; right in front of Pretty-Baby.”
