right
foreshoe."
"If you find the
animal and it's got any sense, send it my way," Rowe growled. "I
can always use the business."
Longarm dismounted
and dropped to one knee. He dug his pocket knife out of his
Levi's and said, "Come here and take a look at what I'm about to
show you."
Rowe started to
say something, then clamped his mouth shut as if he thought
better of it. "What the hell are you going to do?"
"If someone brings
in an animal with a shoe like this," Longarm said, sketching a
horseshoe to indicate how the track he had followed down from the
cabin had appeared, "then I'll pay you ten dollars to alert
me."
The anger drained
out of the blacksmith's square face, and was replaced by a look
of cunning. "Say now, Deputy, this wouldn't have anything to do
with that train wreck up at the summit, would it?"
"Ten dollars,"
Longarm repeated. "And if it leads to the arrest of the men I
want, there could be a whole lot more in reward
money."
The blacksmith's
entire demeanor underwent a transformation. "I'll keep it in
mind, Marshal! My back aches and I can't pay my bills, what with
the hard times we're in right now. How much is the reward for
them train robbers?"
"I didn't say
anything about any train robbers."
"You didn't have
to. I'm not stupid, and neither is anyone else in this town.
We're expecting a whole raft of lawmen to come sniffin' around
looking for that bunch of murderin' sonofabitches."
"Well," Longarm
said, "I was on that train and my prisoner escaped and a lot of
passengers died. So I have a personal need to get my hands on
those men first. Is that clear?"
The blacksmith was
not as tall as Longarm, but he was more muscular. "Hey," he said,
"I'm on your side! If someone brings a horse in with a shoe like
you've drawn, I'll beat a hot trail to you. Count on
it!"
"I'll be staying
just up the street at the Outpost Hotel," Longarm said. "But I
don't think that I'll be there more than a day or
two."
"If this horse
that you're looking for was ridden all the way down from the
summit with a broken shoe, I'm surprised he hasn't gone lame
yet."
"Me
too."
"You gonna go to
my competitor with the same offer?"
"Sure, why
not?"
"No reason," the
blacksmith said quickly. "But he's blind and drunk most of the
time. He won't help you."
"I'll be looking
pretty hard for myself," Longarm informed the man. "But if I was
riding a horse with a broken shoe, I'd take notice and get him
shod right away. That's why I came to you first
thing."
"Much obliged!
And hey, what about your horse, Deputy? Looks like he could use
a new set of irons."
"Hell," Longarm
drawled, "he was just shod in Cheyenne yesterday."
Ned Rowe scratched
his belly and turned back to the horse he was working on. He
jerked hard on the rope, and the animal backed away in fear.
"All right, jug-head! You settled down yet?"
"Yes, sir, Ned,
you sure got a fine way with horses," Longarm said cryptically as
he reined his sorrel on down the street to find the other
blacksmith.
"Go to hell,
Deputy!"
At the corner of
the street, Longarm glanced back and saw that Ned Rowe was
watching him closely. Did the man know something that he wasn't
telling about the gang? Longarm hadn't a clue. Most likely,
Rowe didn't know anything. He didn't seem the sort to ride with
an outlaw gang. Still, he might know someone who did. Or just
as likely, he might even know who owned the horse with the broken
right shoe, and might even decide that he could use his
information for a share of the train's bounty.
Yes, sir, Longarm
thought, Ned Rowe had the cunning look of a person who would have
no qualms about playing both sides against the middle in order to
gain a windfall. The man would definitely bear watching and
another visit.
The other
blacksmith was far more cooperative. His name was Jimmie Jeter
and he was a short, balding man considerably past his prime for
this hard and dangerous work. In addition to being a
foreshoe."
"If you find the
animal and it's got any sense, send it my way," Rowe growled. "I
can always use the business."
Longarm dismounted
and dropped to one knee. He dug his pocket knife out of his
Levi's and said, "Come here and take a look at what I'm about to
show you."
Rowe started to
say something, then clamped his mouth shut as if he thought
better of it. "What the hell are you going to do?"
"If someone brings
in an animal with a shoe like this," Longarm said, sketching a
horseshoe to indicate how the track he had followed down from the
cabin had appeared, "then I'll pay you ten dollars to alert
me."
The anger drained
out of the blacksmith's square face, and was replaced by a look
of cunning. "Say now, Deputy, this wouldn't have anything to do
with that train wreck up at the summit, would it?"
"Ten dollars,"
Longarm repeated. "And if it leads to the arrest of the men I
want, there could be a whole lot more in reward
money."
The blacksmith's
entire demeanor underwent a transformation. "I'll keep it in
mind, Marshal! My back aches and I can't pay my bills, what with
the hard times we're in right now. How much is the reward for
them train robbers?"
"I didn't say
anything about any train robbers."
"You didn't have
to. I'm not stupid, and neither is anyone else in this town.
We're expecting a whole raft of lawmen to come sniffin' around
looking for that bunch of murderin' sonofabitches."
"Well," Longarm
said, "I was on that train and my prisoner escaped and a lot of
passengers died. So I have a personal need to get my hands on
those men first. Is that clear?"
The blacksmith was
not as tall as Longarm, but he was more muscular. "Hey," he said,
"I'm on your side! If someone brings a horse in with a shoe like
you've drawn, I'll beat a hot trail to you. Count on
it!"
"I'll be staying
just up the street at the Outpost Hotel," Longarm said. "But I
don't think that I'll be there more than a day or
two."
"If this horse
that you're looking for was ridden all the way down from the
summit with a broken shoe, I'm surprised he hasn't gone lame
yet."
"Me
too."
"You gonna go to
my competitor with the same offer?"
"Sure, why
not?"
"No reason," the
blacksmith said quickly. "But he's blind and drunk most of the
time. He won't help you."
"I'll be looking
pretty hard for myself," Longarm informed the man. "But if I was
riding a horse with a broken shoe, I'd take notice and get him
shod right away. That's why I came to you first
thing."
"Much obliged!
And hey, what about your horse, Deputy? Looks like he could use
a new set of irons."
"Hell," Longarm
drawled, "he was just shod in Cheyenne yesterday."
Ned Rowe scratched
his belly and turned back to the horse he was working on. He
jerked hard on the rope, and the animal backed away in fear.
"All right, jug-head! You settled down yet?"
"Yes, sir, Ned,
you sure got a fine way with horses," Longarm said cryptically as
he reined his sorrel on down the street to find the other
blacksmith.
"Go to hell,
Deputy!"
At the corner of
the street, Longarm glanced back and saw that Ned Rowe was
watching him closely. Did the man know something that he wasn't
telling about the gang? Longarm hadn't a clue. Most likely,
Rowe didn't know anything. He didn't seem the sort to ride with
an outlaw gang. Still, he might know someone who did. Or just
as likely, he might even know who owned the horse with the broken
right shoe, and might even decide that he could use his
information for a share of the train's bounty.
Yes, sir, Longarm
thought, Ned Rowe had the cunning look of a person who would have
no qualms about playing both sides against the middle in order to
gain a windfall. The man would definitely bear watching and
another visit.
The other
blacksmith was far more cooperative. His name was Jimmie Jeter
and he was a short, balding man considerably past his prime for
this hard and dangerous work. In addition to being a
Similar Books
