“YES.”
“Who is talkin’,” asks the Judge, and it spells out--
“H-A-R-D-P-A-N H-A-W-K-I-N-S.”
“Hard-Pan Hawkins talkin’,” announces the judge.
“Just a moment,” says Dirty Shirt. “Ghost or no ghost, I want to say
right now that Hard-Pan Hawkins is a ---- liar.”
“Hard-Pan Hawkins might ’a’ lied when alive, but the dead don’t lie,”
states the judge. “Hard-Pan was a rustler, and very friendly with
certain folks in Yaller Rock County, therefore able to disclose a heap
about Mighty Jones. Now, Mighty, what does you want to ask Hard-Pan
about your wife?”
There ain’t no answer. Pretty soon some feller from down near Paradise
says--
“If you mean the feller who asked about his wife--he went out.”
“Anybody wishful to ask Hard-Pan a question?” asks the judge.
“Ask him who helped him steal them Triangle cows,” says Johnny Meyers,
who owns the Triangle outfit.
“Just a moment,” says “Doughgod” Smith, standing up in the twilight.
“ ’Pears to me that we paid our money for entertainment.”
“Which is correct and proper,” agrees “Swede” Johnson. “I don’t like to
pay good money under false pretense.”
“I’m all through if this keeps up,” says Art Wheeler. “This ain’t even
instructive. Come on, boys.”
Then Doughgod, Swede and Art single-filed out of the place.
“Could you get in touch with Hard-Pan again?” asks Wick Smith.
“You let that ---- liar of a horse-thief alone!” squeaks Scenery Sims.
“I never coveted your wife, Wick Smith, and I never will. By grab, any
old time I want to get married I’ll pick something besides a waddlin’,
duck-footed--uh----”
_Crash!_
“Ow-w-w-w-w-w! Leggo! Leg--ug--ug----”
* * * * *
Comes the sound of something falling down-stairs, and then Wick’s
voice--
“The ---- fool might ’a’ paid some attention to who was behind him.”
“‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,’” quotes the judge.
“Especially when they’re husky like Mrs. Smith, judge. Me and her ain’t
speakin’ until we has further communication with Hard-Pan. I hope she
didn’t hop on him after he lit at the bottom of the stairs.”
“Does you mean to tell me that you can ask that contraption a question
and have it answered by the dead man?” asks “Jay Bird” Whittaker,
standing up to ask his question.
Jay Bird owns the Cross J outfit and a couple of banks, and a grouch
against humanity.
“She is the medium through which we speaks with them what has gone
before, J. B.” says Magpie. “Ask and she shall be told to you. Any
special ghost yuh wants to wau-wau with?”
“What ones yuh got, Magpie?”
Magpie and Buck gets into position again, and the judge asks the board
who’s going to talk. It jiggles around and spells out--
“H-A-R-D-P-A-N H-A-W-K-I-N-S.”