ya’ll taken while Herman was outten the room. I seen you through the door. You can’t put one over on me. Now, you better let me hear that silver ring.”
Potts was the one closest to the bar. Wayne said, “Put a couple of dollars down, Potts. Turns out the man is going to rob us in the bargain.”
Longarm drew both hammers back on the big shotgun and raised it to his shoulder. “I reckon that mouth you are talking out of ain’t doing too good a job. What say I make you one in yore belly.”
Higgins said, “Now, Bull. Now, Bull. Take it easy.”
But then Potts dug in his pocket and pitched two silver dollars on the bar. He said, “We never taken no second drink, but there’s money anyway.”
Longarm said, “Now, you fellers, as you like to call other folks who don’t care to be called that, ya’ll get to marchin’ backwards out that door. Step along now.”
He followed them stride for stride as they backed toward the front door. Wayne said, “We leave you enough whiskey? You reckon what’s left will handle you till supplies can arrive?”
Longarm said, “Git!”
Frank said, “For a mule hustler you seem mighty at home with that scattergun.”
“It’s a rabbit-getter. But you three be a bunch bigger than a rabbit. Stay bunched up now, on account of I ain’t got but the two barrels and I’d have to get a brace of you with one shot. And I wouldn’t let a single finger get near them fancy shootin’ irons of yores. Make sure none of them little leather strings falls off the handles neither.”
They were at the door. Frank said, “Now what?”
Longarm was keeping about two yards between them. He said, “Now you rush out there and get on yore horses and see how fast you can get out of shotgun range. But by that time I’ll have a carbine in my hand so I’d keep on goin’ was I you.”
“You just a regular Jesse James, ain’t you.”
“Move! Now! NOW!”
They went through the door in a bunch. Longarm ran up to the wall and peeked around the opening. He could see them getting to their horses and mounting. One started to pull his carbine out of the saddle boot, but Longarm stuck the barrel of the shotgun around the door. They turned their horses and spurred away, heading north. As they rode, Wayne yelled back, “I ain’t forgetting this, hayseed. That other day is coming!”
Longarm turned in time to see the laugh building in Higgins. He clamped his hand over the old man’s mouth and indicated he should be quiet. He nodded his head toward their private quarters. Higgins bobbed his head that he understood, and Longarm took his hand away. Higgins immediately giggled, though in a low tone. He said gravely, “Well, Bull, I reckon we handled them hombres.” Then he couldn’t help himself. He slapped his knee and let out a chortle. “Boy, howdy, that was plumb fun! Is law work always this much fun? Hot damn! I got to tell Sylvie ‘bout this. She’ll have a fit, We shore fooled them, huh, Bull? Heh, heh, heh.”
Longarm rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “I don’t know, Herman. That one was mighty suspicious. I don’t know if my acting like a stable hand fooled him. I did too good in the fight. Stable hands ain’t supposed to know how to fight like that.”
Higgins’s eyes got round. He said, “Boy, I’ll say you done good in the fight. Last thing I saw move that fast was my ol’ woman when she spilt a big pot of bilin’ grits on the floor and her in her bare feet. You whupped up on them some mighty good. And say, I thought we done pretty good way we played our parts.”
Longarm shrugged. “Herman, those men are up to something. I don’t know what it is, but they make me uneasy. They are not strangers passing through. We didn’t run off innocent men. Those are paid gunmen or I’m a Hoosier. And I never set foot in that state in my life. I don’t think I fooled them.”
“Well, you fooled me. Lordy, I got so carried ‘way watchin’ you knockin’ ‘em around I nearly forgot my part.”
Longarm looked around at him and half smiled. “I was beginning to wonder. Lucky for me I got that biggest one out of the way before he could even matters out.”
“You shore fetched him a lick! Went down like a poled steer. Wait’ll I tell Sylvie ‘bout this!” Longarm suddenly frowned. “Listen, Herman, until I’m sure about what the hell is going on, I don’t reckon we ought to be telling anyone anything. When it comes to explaining this to the ladies, I reckon you better leave it up to me.”
Higgins looked slightly crestfallen. He said, “Shore, if that be the way you want it. But you won’t tell it like I seen it. Or how me an’ you done that actin’ like we was on the stage or somethin’. What’d you think of me comin’ up with that name? Bull. What’d you think of that?”
Longarm looked at him and said dryly, “What’s my last name? Shit?”
Higgins giggled. “See? You won’t put all the good parts in. Can’t I just tell Sylvie about it tonight after we be in bed?”
Longarm shook his head. “You can tell her after we are gone on the stage tomorrow.” He glanced at the door, noting that it was ajar. “I think our birds are already flitting around. Remember, you leave the telling to me.” He raised his voice and called, “Ladies? Ladies? Rough stuff is over. You can come out now.”
They came through the door with Mrs. Higgins in the lead. They looked around. Other than the two overturned stools there wasn’t much to see. Mrs. Higgins fixed her husband with a look. “Mr. Higgins, I’d be obliged to know what has been going on in this place that required you to run for a shotgun.” She looked at Longarm, who was holding the weapon. He hastily set it on the floor and leaned it against the bar as if to distance himself from it. “Has this place become unsafe for civilized folks?” Mrs. Higgins asked.
Longarm said quickly, “Just some riders that got out of hand. Maybe had too much whiskey in them. Not a lot happened, Sylvia. And you get to be right proud of your husband. He set them straight about behavior around here and made it mighty clear.”
Rita Ann walked across the floor and looked at several red splotches on the floor where the man with the nosebleed had spit. She said, “Looks like somebody cut his finger on something.”
Longarm was trying to hide his hands, which he knew were skinned and bruised. They’d swell up if he didn’t get
