Cattle King for a Day

 

Across the street the swinging doors of the Diamond Palace jumped outward. Two hard-looking riders strode down the steps and started to cross the street.

 

Chinook did not have to be told that these two were part of Kendall’s outfit. Somehow, all of Kendall’s men were of a similar stamp.

 

Chinook flipped Kendall’s hog leg out and into a pile of straw. The oldster scurried into the dimness, still covering Kendall.

 

“Come on,” said the bowlegged one to Chinook. “Don’t stand there gawping. We’ve got to get the hell out of here before them two arrive.”

 

Led hurriedly out through the rear of the building, Chinook had no time to speculate upon his savior’s identity and the oldster seemed to take it as a matter of course that Chinook knew.

 

They skirted the back of the livery stable, walking over piles of rubbish and, at the bowlegged one’s request, entered another smaller shack which had barred windows.

 

A man with a big nose and flabby jowls looked up from a newspaper, over his upraised boot toes and at the two callers. A large star was prominent upon his chest.

 

“Hello, Deke,” said the sheriff. “Who’s your friend?”

 

“He’s Chinook Shannon. Can’t you tell it? You always was blind in one eye. You got to give him a hand. Kendall was just trying to knock him off over in the barn.”

 

“My, my,” said the sheriff, rubbing his nose and looking apprehensively at the door. “Er . . . aw . . . do you suppose they know he came in here, Deke?”

 

“No, they think maybe he rode away. Shannon, in spite of that jackrabbit expression on his face, this is Sheriff Taggart. Your grandpappy put him in office.”

 

Chinook shook Taggart’s flabby, wet hand.

 

“In case your grandpappy never mentioned me to you, I’m Deacon Murphy, his foreman.”

 

“Pleased to meet you,” said Chinook. “Now that we’re all properly introduced, let me inquire about this Kendall. How come he’s running Bull Butte?”

 

“Took it over this spring,” said Deke. “The son of a jackass took over a mine up Pan Creek, poisoned all our stock with cyanide and raised hell in general. Damn him, he didn’t fight square. He murdered your grandpappy and then went over the rest of us like a prairie fire. The boys scattered to hell and gone but I’ve hung around Bull Butte for two months waiting for you to come. And now that you’re here, you’ve only got the place for a day and we can’t do anything in that length of time.”

 

“How about the courts?” said Chinook.

 

“Er . . . aw . . . ahumph,” said Taggart. “When the circuit judge came . . . er . . . Deke Murphy was the only witness

that could be got—”

 

“Because you was scared to testify,” snapped Deke, rubbing emphatically at his gray whiskers. “But what you going to do, son?”

 

“Murphy,” said Shannon, “the least I can do is nail the man that shot my grandfather.”

 

“Kendall,” said Deke.

 

“And I can at least make a try to save the Slash S.”

 

“Borden’s got his bug eye on it,” said Deke.

 

“I know. I’ve talked to him. Murphy, all my life I’ve wanted to be what they call a cattle king. I’ve drifted around and I’ve never really amounted to much. Well, I’m one now, if only for twenty-four hours. Sheriff, if I shoot it out with this crowd, where do I stand with you?”

 

“Well . . . aw. . . er . . . ahumph . . . aw. . . that is, if you were to get all of them, Shannon, all of them, I think you would find me quite agreeable. But I . . . er . . . aw . . . cannot countenance any slaughter which would . . . aw. . . fail to clean out them all. You are, after all, Shannon, but one man and they are twenty-one. I am afraid . . .”

 

“You don’t have to tell him how scared you are,” snapped Deke. “If we get them all, is it to be an even break in the eyes of the law?”

 

“An uneven break,” said Taggart, “if you should ask me. I am afraid, Deke, that this young man is committing suicide—”

 

“That’s my lookout,” said Chinook. “First, Murphy, we’d better look over the Slash S and that mine. Sheriff, you’ll please give us a hand in getting our horses?”

 

“Not me,” said Taggart, definitely.

 

“Then you cover me, Murphy,” said Chinook. “Daylight’s burning.”