Cherokee by Giles Tippette Page A

find out is what he came all the way from Oklahoma for?”
    He got that far-off look in his eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was seeing the prairie out in front of him or the years in the past. He said softly, “Charlie was a gentle man. Wasn’t no fighter. Would rather laugh than argue. Go ten miles out of his way to avoid a fight. But he was a firm man where something counted with him.”
    It was worse than pulling teeth. I said, “What the hell happened?”
    He shook his head sadly. “The whole thing was a mistake, a misunderstanding on Tom Butterfield’s part.”
    â€œWhat the hell has Buttercup got to do with it.”
    â€œMe and Charlie was faced off about ten paces apart, arguing. Not really raising our voices, but an observer could have told we was arguing. Tom Butterfield was holding some cattle about two hundred yards away, maybe a little further, maybe three hundred. Course you know what kind of shot Tom is with a rifle . . .”
    Of course I did. Even with him as old as Howard, he could still take his old Hawken buffalo rifle and outshoot any of us. I said, “Yeah.”
    Howard said awkwardly, “Charlie went to take his revolver out of his holster. Was an old cap-and-ball percussion. One of the first. He said he was going to lay his gun down on the ground so there couldn’t be no mistaking he’d come in peace. Well, Tom had been watching. Hell, Charlie hadn’t been here thirty minutes, half an hour. I hadn’t even offered the man a cup of coffee or a drink of whiskey. Tom seen Charlie pull his pistol and he acted. Too sudden, but it was too late for me to stop him.”
    â€œWhat happened?”
    Howard swallowed and looked pained. “He fired from that distance. I reckon he was trying to kill Charlie, but he didn’t have the quality of a gun like he does now. So the ball hit Charlie in the right arm. The upper part. Broke the bone. Hell, it shattered the bone all to smithereens.” He took the chaw out of his mouth and threw it over the railing. “Course there wasn’t no doctors here then. It’s a wonder Charlie didn’t die. We had to cut off his arm. Cauterized it with a running iron. Took four men to hold him down. After that we took care of him as best we could. Took about two weeks, but finally he was able to get on his horse and left. Went back to Oklahoma.” He looked around at me. “I ain’t never seen the man since.”
    â€œAnd you owe him five hundred dollars plus interest, plus one right arm.”
    â€œThat’s about the size of it.”
    I said evenly, “What else you owe him, Howard?”
    â€œNothing.” But his voice was weak.
    â€œWhat did he come to get back from you? What of his did you have?”
    He wouldn’t answer me, just looked away.
    â€œHoward, what did you really steal off the man that you’re trying to repay with twenty-five thousand dollars? You know it ain’t the five hundred, no matter what kind of interest you want to add. Or the arm; that was Buttercup’s doing. What is it you stole that you don’t even feel twenty-five thousand dollars covers?”
    He suddenly turned around and faced me. “I’m not going to tell you. He probably will and I think you got a right to know. I ain’t got the nerve to tell you. That’s why I want you to find Charlie Stevens. It’s as much for your sake and the sake of your brothers as it is for me.”
    Well, that made me blink. I said slowly, “I don’t exactly know how to take that.”
    â€œTake it for the gospel. It’s been eatin’ away at me for better than thirty years. I’d like the truth to get out, but I ain’t going to say it. I ain’t got the stomach for it. And I ain’t right sure I’m doing the right thing. I couldn’t be sure if I told you. This matter has got me all balled up. I finally decided I’d just leave it to