Hashknife and Sleepy knew nothing about the shooting until the next morning, when they found Roaring Rigby and several men in the restaurant, eating breakfast. The Black Horse had had a big play, and two of the dealers, Mack Ort and Keno Smiley, were eating breakfast before going to bed. Lovely Lucas was there, still half-drunk and inclined to be a bit belligerent.As Hashknife and Sleepy came in, Lovely was at the height of an impassioned defense of Jimmy Moran. It did not take long for Hashknife and Sleepy to gather the gist of what had happened at the Hot Creek ranch. Ort and Smiley eyed Hashknife coldly, and it was evident to him that English Ed had told them who he was.“I been wonderin’ where you boys were,” said Roaring. He turned to Lovely Lucas. “If you don’t shut up, I’ll put you in jail, Lucas,” he declared.“By golly, I’ll be with honest men, if you do. Jimmy Moran never shot Old Man Conley. Why, I tell you, he was aimin’ to marry Dawn Conley. He wouldn’t shoot his father-in-law.”“A-a-aw, what can you do?” wailed Roaring. “To hell with this kind of a job! Business is too good. Set down, boys. I’m glad there’s somebody around here that ain’t got no opinion. Ask me all the questions you like, but don’t offer any advice.”“This is a free country, ain’t it?” demanded Lovely. “I ask you if it ain’t. You can’t put a man in jail for talkin’, can you, Roarin’? You can’t—”“Men have been put in the graveyard for talkin’,” said Roaring seriously.“Is that so? Huh!” Lovely got to his feet. “I’m goin’ home and tell Horse-Collar Fields about Jimmy. Horse-Collar gits some awful good ideas. Jimmy’s our boss, you know. Oh, I’ll be back, Roarin’. All hell can’t stop me, I’ll tell you that.”Lovely went weaving toward the door, slammed it behind him and headed for the hitch-rack. Ort and Smiley paid for their breakfast and went out. Sleepy grinned widely. He could understand Lovely Lucas.“Just what happened out there last night?” asked Hashknife.Roaring placed his knife and fork carefully on his plate and told Hashknife just what he knew about it. Roaring wasn’t sure about the two shots being fired, but he thought that he had heard two. He was riding pretty fast; but there was no doubt that two shots had been fired. Jimmy admitted that there had been, and Dawn spoke of the two shots.“Jimmy was a fool,” declared Roaring.“He knew what would happen.”“You say Jimmy threw somethin’ against the window to attract Conley, and then called to Conley, telling him that it was Jimmy Moran outside?”“That’s what Dawn said; Jimmy didn’t deny it.”“And when Conley came to the door he took a shot at Jimmy and Jimmy shot him.”“Looks thataway. Conley must have shot first. I don’t think he could have fired after Jimmy shot him, unless he happened to have the gun cocked and it went off as he was fallin’.”“How long was it between the shots?”“I dunno how long; I didn’t ask. I’m goin’ out there in a little while. Why don’t you ride out with me?”Sleepy groaned when Hashknife assented.“What’s the matter with you,” asked Roaring.“Somethin’ you can’t prescribe for,” grunted Sleepy.“He groans thataway often,” said Hashknife seriously. “It sounds like he was in pain, but he ain’t; it’s a joy-groan.”
Hashknife and Sleepy knew nothing about the shooting until the next morning, when they found Roaring Rigby and several men in the restaurant, eating breakfast. The Black Horse had had a big play, and two of the dealers, Mack Ort and Keno Smiley, were eating breakfast before going to bed. Lovely Lucas was there, still half-drunk and inclined to be a bit belligerent.
As Hashknife and Sleepy came in, Lovely was at the height of an impassioned defense of Jimmy Moran. It did not take long for Hashknife and Sleepy to gather the gist of what had happened at the Hot Creek ranch. Ort and Smiley eyed Hashknife coldly, and it was evident to him that English Ed had told them who he was.
“I been wonderin’ where you boys were,” said Roaring. He turned to Lovely Lucas. “If you don’t shut up, I’ll put you in jail, Lucas,” he declared.
“By golly, I’ll be with honest men, if you do. Jimmy Moran never shot Old Man Conley. Why, I tell you, he was aimin’ to marry Dawn Conley. He wouldn’t shoot his father-in-law.”
“A-a-aw, what can you do?” wailed Roaring. “To hell with this kind of a job! Business is too good. Set down, boys. I’m glad there’s somebody around here that ain’t got no opinion. Ask me all the questions you like, but don’t offer any advice.”
“This is a free country, ain’t it?” demanded Lovely. “I ask you if it ain’t. You can’t put a man in jail for talkin’, can you, Roarin’? You can’t—”
“Men have been put in the graveyard for talkin’,” said Roaring seriously.
“Is that so? Huh!” Lovely got to his feet. “I’m goin’ home and tell Horse-Collar Fields about Jimmy. Horse-Collar gits some awful good ideas. Jimmy’s our boss, you know. Oh, I’ll be back, Roarin’. All hell can’t stop me, I’ll tell you that.”
Lovely went weaving toward the door, slammed it behind him and headed for the hitch-rack. Ort and Smiley paid for their breakfast and went out. Sleepy grinned widely. He could understand Lovely Lucas.
“Just what happened out there last night?” asked Hashknife.
Roaring placed his knife and fork carefully on his plate and told Hashknife just what he knew about it. Roaring wasn’t sure about the two shots being fired, but he thought that he had heard two. He was riding pretty fast; but there was no doubt that two shots had been fired. Jimmy admitted that there had been, and Dawn spoke of the two shots.
“Jimmy was a fool,” declared Roaring.
“He knew what would happen.”
“You say Jimmy threw somethin’ against the window to attract Conley, and then called to Conley, telling him that it was Jimmy Moran outside?”
“That’s what Dawn said; Jimmy didn’t deny it.”
“And when Conley came to the door he took a shot at Jimmy and Jimmy shot him.”
“Looks thataway. Conley must have shot first. I don’t think he could have fired after Jimmy shot him, unless he happened to have the gun cocked and it went off as he was fallin’.”
“How long was it between the shots?”
“I dunno how long; I didn’t ask. I’m goin’ out there in a little while. Why don’t you ride out with me?”
Sleepy groaned when Hashknife assented.
“What’s the matter with you,” asked Roaring.
“Somethin’ you can’t prescribe for,” grunted Sleepy.
“He groans thataway often,” said Hashknife seriously. “It sounds like he was in pain, but he ain’t; it’s a joy-groan.”