so over the balustrade; when, after a further pause to take a quick slurp from his hip-flask, he crashed spectacularly through the window of Dodo’s bedroom. Where, as we know, she had gone to ponder on perfidy; and this new occurrence didn’t help any! In fact, being a well-brought up girl, she was about to go so far as to scream the place down, when the Doc clapped a gloved hand over the in-breath.
Always wore gloves, these sort of characters – don’t know why...
‘Hush, little lady!’ he advised; ‘I’m a friend.’
She inspected his forbidding features as carefully as possible under the circumstances; and couldn’t, for the life of her, remember them.
‘Are you sure?’ she enquired, as soon as her mouth was once more available. ‘Perhaps you’d care to remind me of when and where?’
‘Hush!’ he counselled yet again. ‘My name’s Doc Holliday!’
Whereupon, having heard all about him and his widely reported unsavoury ways, she fainted.
Well, such things happen – and having urgent business of his own to attend to, Doc, with a muttered imprecation bearing on the generally unreliable nature of women, stepped over her heaving form, and emerged onto the landing; where he was just in time to witness the arrival of his understudy in the bar-room below.
‘One more time, boys,’ Kate was saying. ‘We’ll take it from the top – an’ try to remember that, for a red-blooded American, this song’s kinda holy! So let’s have a little damn reverence, shall we?’
But the Doctor, who had by now reached the bar unnoticed, was already applauding.
‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘In my opinion that was an admirable rendition! Very well played, Steven, my boy!
And I must say, Miss Elder, that for a dentist’s receptionist, you sing most attractively. Bravo! What a stirring tune, to be sure!’
The boys were duly stirred, and wheeled rapidly on their heels to prove it. And to say they were also disconcerted is to put it mildly. I mean, it’s one thing to gun a man down when he’s negotiating a swing-door, and his hands are busy about it; but it’s quite another to find him with his back against the bar, a monographed, low-slung six-gun, as they noticed, available for action, and when your own hands are occupied in clutching your head-gear over your patriotic heart. Where it wouldn’t afford a deal of protection, when it came to the call!
No, sir! This needed thought. Especially as Steven and Kate were now behind them ... Well, the best laid schemes, as they say...
Seth was the first to speak. Because it was he, after all, who had set up the arrangement, and he was duly proud of himself.
‘Boys,’ he said, with the air of a conjuror producing a horned toad from his hat; ‘I’d like for you to meet the great Doc!’
‘Thanks,’ they muttered, grimly. They were going to take this up with him later...
The Doctor demurred. ‘Oh, you flatter me there, I’m afraid. Reasonably accomplished, perhaps, but hardly
"great". No, I can’t allow that at all! Now, I believe, Mr Harper, that you were so kind as to invite me for a drink?
And I must say, that after my recent experience, I would be extremely grateful for a glass of milk...’
This had the obvious effect of making them mistrust their ears. They were thrown, as the saying is, like steers in a stew-pond!
‘Whatever’s your pleasure, Doc,’ said Charlie, affably –
but wondering where in hell he’d find a glass of milk at this time of night. The cat, perhaps, might be of assistance in the matter. He went hurriedly to find out.
‘What we really want, Doc, is a little talk,’ interjected Ike, recapturing the initiative with some difficulty. ‘A little talk about our brother, Reuben,’ he explained further.
‘Dear me! Is he in some sort of trouble?’
‘You could say that,’ agreed Phineas.
‘On account he’s dead,’ contributed Billy. ‘Dead as a coffin nail in a gallows-tree!’
‘Well, I am extremely distressed to
Always wore gloves, these sort of characters – don’t know why...
‘Hush, little lady!’ he advised; ‘I’m a friend.’
She inspected his forbidding features as carefully as possible under the circumstances; and couldn’t, for the life of her, remember them.
‘Are you sure?’ she enquired, as soon as her mouth was once more available. ‘Perhaps you’d care to remind me of when and where?’
‘Hush!’ he counselled yet again. ‘My name’s Doc Holliday!’
Whereupon, having heard all about him and his widely reported unsavoury ways, she fainted.
Well, such things happen – and having urgent business of his own to attend to, Doc, with a muttered imprecation bearing on the generally unreliable nature of women, stepped over her heaving form, and emerged onto the landing; where he was just in time to witness the arrival of his understudy in the bar-room below.
‘One more time, boys,’ Kate was saying. ‘We’ll take it from the top – an’ try to remember that, for a red-blooded American, this song’s kinda holy! So let’s have a little damn reverence, shall we?’
But the Doctor, who had by now reached the bar unnoticed, was already applauding.
‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘In my opinion that was an admirable rendition! Very well played, Steven, my boy!
And I must say, Miss Elder, that for a dentist’s receptionist, you sing most attractively. Bravo! What a stirring tune, to be sure!’
The boys were duly stirred, and wheeled rapidly on their heels to prove it. And to say they were also disconcerted is to put it mildly. I mean, it’s one thing to gun a man down when he’s negotiating a swing-door, and his hands are busy about it; but it’s quite another to find him with his back against the bar, a monographed, low-slung six-gun, as they noticed, available for action, and when your own hands are occupied in clutching your head-gear over your patriotic heart. Where it wouldn’t afford a deal of protection, when it came to the call!
No, sir! This needed thought. Especially as Steven and Kate were now behind them ... Well, the best laid schemes, as they say...
Seth was the first to speak. Because it was he, after all, who had set up the arrangement, and he was duly proud of himself.
‘Boys,’ he said, with the air of a conjuror producing a horned toad from his hat; ‘I’d like for you to meet the great Doc!’
‘Thanks,’ they muttered, grimly. They were going to take this up with him later...
The Doctor demurred. ‘Oh, you flatter me there, I’m afraid. Reasonably accomplished, perhaps, but hardly
"great". No, I can’t allow that at all! Now, I believe, Mr Harper, that you were so kind as to invite me for a drink?
And I must say, that after my recent experience, I would be extremely grateful for a glass of milk...’
This had the obvious effect of making them mistrust their ears. They were thrown, as the saying is, like steers in a stew-pond!
‘Whatever’s your pleasure, Doc,’ said Charlie, affably –
but wondering where in hell he’d find a glass of milk at this time of night. The cat, perhaps, might be of assistance in the matter. He went hurriedly to find out.
‘What we really want, Doc, is a little talk,’ interjected Ike, recapturing the initiative with some difficulty. ‘A little talk about our brother, Reuben,’ he explained further.
‘Dear me! Is he in some sort of trouble?’
‘You could say that,’ agreed Phineas.
‘On account he’s dead,’ contributed Billy. ‘Dead as a coffin nail in a gallows-tree!’
‘Well, I am extremely distressed to
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