“This, this insult to my divine spark, was hanging from my doorknob,” he said, shaking the little cord noose that was a brother of the one hanging on our door.
“Guess someone’s of a mind to string you up,” I said. “You got any objections?”
I got to give credit to the old boy. He grinned at me like a snapping turtle. “Now and then,” he said.
“You see anyone in the courthouse?” I asked.
“That mausoleum, you could fire grapeshot down the halls and never hit a live mortal during business hours,” he said. “No, I don’t have the slightest idea, and no one else over there does either. I asked the same question.”
“There’s been a few nooses put here and there,” I said. “One real one hanging in my horse stall at the livery barn. Another hanging from the doorknob at my office.”
“Hardly know which side’s having all the fun,” Nippers said. “But I’m ordering the gallows built for half a dozen. If they want hangings, they’ll get more than they bargained for.” There was something real bright in that old prune of a face. “You got any notions?”
“Admiral Bragg’s crew was in town, but they’re gone. There ain’t a T-Bar man in sight.”
“Tell me about your nooses,” the judge said.
“One was hanging from a rafter above my horse. A real one, thick hemp, put there by someone that could climb up there and tie it down. These here little ones, anyone could slide them onto a knob.”
“Which side, do you figure?”
“Admiral Bragg’s outfit already threatened me if I hang the kid. They’re just making sure I get the message.”
“What about Crayfish Ruble?”
“Well, what about him? It’s not his boy gonna stretch rope. He told me the other day, all he cares about is getting it done. Justice. His men were kilt so he wants justice.”
“Any threats from Ruble?”
“Not toward me or you. It’s the Anchor Ranch they’re thinking about. If Admiral Bragg’s bunch bust the boy out, there’ll be a war around here. But as long as the hanging goes forward, they’re not getting their drawers in a knot.”
“Get me some proof,” he said. “By gawd, I’ll string up the whole lot.”
He sure was enjoying himself. He twirled his noose around like it was a trophy, and then stuffed it into the pants of his ancient suit, probably the only one he owned. Nippers patted the bulk bulging from his breast pocket.
“You think a pepperbox can’t hit what it’s aimed at?” he asked.
Actually, that was pretty much true to what I knew about them. I nodded.
“Well, I’ll show you a thing or two!”
He whipped that miserable firearm out of some pocket down inside his bosom, and began eyeing targets.
“No!” I yelled.
But he just ignored me, and finally settled on some dodgers that had been pinned to the rear wall because I thought them fellers looked familiar to me.
“Judge, put that thing down!”
But he was squinting along the top of that handheld Gatling.
Bam! A slug cut through an eyeball of Lorenzo Baca. Bam! The lips of Rattlesnake Billy vanished. Wham! The forehead of Art Hammer was perforated.
Judge Nippers blew smoke away and smiled. “It’s all in the practice,” he said. “I’ll leave two chambers loaded to give me fangs.” And with that, he plunged outside.
“Don’t know as I’ve seen the like,” Burtell said. “Them things put lead everywhere but straight ahead.”
Judge Nippers sure was an entertainment all by himself. The smell of gun smoke lingered in the office. I went and looked at them dodgers. Nippers hadn’t missed a shot. He’d nailed Baca, sure enough. It occurred to me that Baca looked a lot like Rocco, one of them three that King Bragg had sent to heaven, or wherever. I thought maybe I’d write the sheriff down in Refugio County, New Mexico, and see if Baca ever used another name.
I’d had about enough of Admiral Bragg’s meddling, and thought maybe to take a couple of deputies out there to Anchor Ranch and haul his skinny butt into town. The best place for the boss of the Anchor Ranch was in the cell next to his boy. I wouldn’t have no trouble rigging up a few charges to hold him on.
I headed into the cell block to make sure King Bragg was all right. He was lying on his bunk.
“I heard some shots,” the boy said.
“Judge Nippers making a believer of me,” I said.
“I wish he’d saved one for me. Get it over with.”
“How come you went to the Last Chance that day?” I asked.
“Make some trouble.”
“How’d you know there’d be any T-Bar men in there?”
“They told me.”
