“Chuck, you’re dead! Old man Whittaker shot yuh.”
“Tha’s good,” he replies. “Same to you and many of ’em.”
We runs slow-like to Paradise, and I bumps the front end of the
machine into McFee’s corral to stop her. I gives Chuck an alcoholic
anesthetic, and leaves him there. I ambles over to the town, and finds
a crowd in front of Mike’s place. I moves up closer and hears the
conversation.
“It was deplorable,” I hears old man Whittaker state, with tears in
his voice. “I loved Chuck like he was my own son. It was a accident,
Bill—just accidental. You don’t think I’d kill him with malice
aforethought, do yuh, Bill?”
“We can tell better what yuh killed him with after we sees the
re-mains,” replies Bill. “I can’t help jailing yuh, Whit. It’s the
law. If you’re innocent, yuh ain’t got nothing to fear. I got Scenery
Sims down there now, so yuh won’t get lonesome.”
“What did Scenery do?” asks the old man.
“Disturbed the peace. This place is law-abiding, if yuh asks me. Just
for the looks of the thing we’ll take Doc Milliken along, while we
gets your victim’s body. Where did yuh say this here dastardly deed
was done?”
“It wasn’t dastardly!” whoops the old man. “It was accidental, I tell
yuh! It happens near where the old pack-trail leaves the main road.
You know where that is?”
“I know. Wait a minute, fellers, and I’ll be with yuh.”
He takes the old man and goes off down toward the jail, and when he
comes back they all gets in that wagon and rattles off down the road.
The old man must a been rattled, ’cause it happens a long ways this
side of the pack-trail end. That’s where I leaves Muley and Telescope.
Mike and Calamity stands there on the porch as the wagon leaves, and I
hears Mike yell at Bill:
“Hey, Bill! Be sure and get back before sunrise on account of them
salutes.”
“What salutes is them?” asks Calamity.
“Bill’s got ’em down in the jail. He’s got five ten-gallon kerosene
cans full of water down there, and in each can is six sticks of
dynamite, wrapped in canvas and covered with axle-grease. They’re all
ready to touch off. Some salute, eh? Now, if Bill’s late we won’t have
our sunrise salute.”
They goes back inside. I looks at my watch, and sees that it’s danged
near morning, and at the same time I gets a happy idea. I ambles back
to the autymobile, and finds Chuck setting on the seat, holding his
head in his hands.
“Henry,” says he, “how came I here, and why am I so dry?”
“I brought yuh here, Chuck, and I hid the jug under the wagon.”