'Along with the money that he won't be leaving here with,' Longarm said.
The other men at the table laughed. Frank Carson said, 'Yeah, along with the money.'
Longarm gave Colton a small smile. He said, 'Well, Mr. Colton, I guess you better start walking for that door. These gentlemen appear willing to let you go, and were I you, I'd just stick that empty wallet in my coat pocket and get the hell out of here.'
Colton said as he edged away from the table, 'I won't forget you. I won't forget this.' He looked around the table. 'You know, you people may be making a mistake. Maybe I was the one set up. How do you know this yahoo,' he jerked his thumb toward Longarm, 'didn't set it up with that guy leaning up against the wall just to rob me?'
Longarm said, 'Now, Mr. Colton, you are starting to ask for some bruising. I don't much care for that kind of conversation. I think if you're still here by the time I count to five, I'm going to put this gun away and beat you to a small pulp myself.'
Without a word, Colton walked around behind Longarm and straight through the door and out of sight. Longarm slowly holstered his gun and then sat down at the table. He said, 'Y'all get busy and divide that money up. Everybody knows who lost what, so try and parcel it out evenly.'
Frank Carson said, 'What about that son of a bitch frozen up against the wall there?'
Longarm said, 'I'm just going to let him stay there.'
Carson said, 'What makes you think he'll stay there?'
'Because if he moves, I'm going to shoot him in the leg.'
One of the other players said, 'Won't they miss him back at the bar?'
'I would imagine that Mr. Colton will tell them out at the bar that his partner is slightly tied up and likely to stay that way for some while. Meanwhile, let's get that money distributed, courtesy of Mr. Colton, and get on with this game. I can't believe this, but I'm down about fifty dollars, and the idea of me being down fifty dollars to the caliber of poker players like y'all is galling to me.'
Frank Carson was busy counting the pile of money, including Colton's. He looked up and gave Longarm a look. He said, 'Well, now. I don't know what caliber poker player you are, but I know that's a.44-caliber revolver you just used very nicely. Are you a bigger or smaller caliber poker player than that?'
Longarm gave him a smile. He said, 'As it happens, I'm exactly the same caliber. Saves me from investing extra money in cartridges, if you understand what I mean.'
Carson smiled and said, 'Oh, yes. I understand exactly. But just for fun, let's play a few hands and see if you're as good at making money as that big revolver of yours.' He gave Longarm an amused look. Carson, in spite of his crooked nose, looked friendly enough.
Longarm said, 'Well, just deal the cards and see.'
The man who had dealt the hand that exposed Colton sat holding the cards. He looked first at Frank Carson and then at Longarm. He said, 'I take it that you two gents ain't from around here.'
Carson looked curious. He said, 'No, I'm just passing through, myself. So what? Is this a hometown game?'
Longarm said, 'Yeah, what difference does it make if we're strangers?'
The man shrugged. He said, 'Well, maybe you noticed that me and these other two fellows didn't take much of a hand in that business. We kind of left the play up to you two. Did you notice that?'
Longarm said, 'Well, at that time, it wasn't your affair. I was the one who caught him, and I was the one holding the gun and giving the orders.'
One of the other men smiled ruefully. He said, 'I sure as hell hope that Morton Colton saw it that way.'
'Why?'
The man holding the deck said, 'Colton is bad news. He runs with a rough bunch, and he's some kind of kin to the sheriff. Word is that he can get even with you on either side of the law.'
Longarm looked at the man. He said, 'is that a fact?'
He looked slowly around the table and said, 'Did you boys think he was cheating, or did you think he was just uncommonly lucky?'
The dealer said, 'It was always just healthier to figure he was uncommonly lucky.'
Longarm smiled without humor. He said, 'Maybe his luck just ran out.' He glanced over at Frank Carson. 'Now, why don't we play cards and let the matter drop. It's come damn near to ruining my afternoon.'
Carson said, 'I'm in favor of that. I've just about got this money cut up, so I reckon it's about time to turn the crank on that deck of cards.' Carson glanced toward the wall. He asked Longarm, 'What are you going to do about small potatoes over there? I think he's about pissed his pants.'
Longarm looked around at the quivering waiter. He smiled and said, 'Oh, I reckon he can run on out of here now. I would imagine that he's learned to quit sucking eggs. In this particular hen-house, anyway.'
The man with the cards said, 'Ante up.'
After the game was over, Longarm and Frank Carson stood at the bar of the saloon, having a drink. Longarm had enjoyed the afternoon of poker, though his skill and luck had been somewhat distracted, enough so that he had only won slightly over a hundred dollars. Carson had done better. He said, 'Well, I pulled nearly three hundred dollars out of that game, so I reckon that I'll be paying for these drinks.' He slapped a five-dollar gold piece down on the bar and motioned for the bartender to bring over the bottle.
Longarm studied his companion. They were very much alike in the set of their shoulders, but Carson was a few inches over six feet, an inch or two taller than Longarm. He reckoned that the man had seen his share of rough living, judging from his face and his scarred fists. They were the big fists of a man who could use his hands to either make something or tear something down, even if that something was an opponent's health.
