A Lone Star Christmas by William W. Johnstone Read Free Book Online Page A

the wagon yard.”
    â€œDo me a favor, would you, Tom? Get his horse and meet me in front of the jail.”
    â€œDo you think you can get him out?”
    â€œI’m going to try,” Clay said. “And if it is anything less than murder, I think I can get the job done.”
    The city jail was on the corner of Second Street and Rusk, about three blocks away from the billiard parlor. It only took Clay a couple of minutes to cover the distance between the two buildings. Then, tying his horse off at the hitching rail in front, he pushed through the front door of the jailhouse.
    â€œHello, Clay,” Marshal Courtright said. “I thought I might be seeing you this afternoon.”
    â€œWhat did he do, Jim?” Clay asked.
    â€œClay! Clay, is that you?” a voice called from the back. “Get me out of here, Clay!”
    â€œHold your horses, Dalton,” Clay called to him. “Let me figure out what’s going on here.”
    â€œI’ll tell you what’s going on here,” Dalton said. “They arrested me for no reason at all.”
    Marshal Courtright walked over to the door that was open onto the jail cells in the back and slammed it shut, effectively silencing Dalton Conyers.
    â€œHe tied the back axle of Jack Ebersole’s buggy to a lamppost. When Ebersole started out, it jerked the axle out from under the buggy and tossed Ebersole out on his ass.”
    Clay laughed, and Courtright joined him.
    â€œIt was pretty funny,” Courtright said. “And Lord knows I can’t think of anyone in town I’d more enjoy seeing dumped on his ass than Jack Ebersole. But Ebersole has sworn out a warrant for assault and destruction of private property. And he certainly has every right to do that.”
    â€œCan you release the boy to me?” Clay asked. “You know damn well Big Ben will make it right with Ebersole.”
    Courtright stroked his jaw as he considered Clay’s proposition. “You know, Clay, this isn’t the first time the boy has been in trouble. If Big Ben don’t do somethin’ quick, Dalton is going to wind up in real trouble some day.”
    â€œI know,” Clay agreed. “But Big Ben is just real protective of Dalton.”
    â€œI’m just saying, is all,” Courtright said. “Look, as far as I’m concerned, Big Ben is as fine a man as you are likely to find in all of Texas. He could have bought himself out of the war, but he went anyway, and was damn near kilt at Gettysburg. As far as I’m concerned, it was men like him that made Texas.”
    â€œWhat about Dalton?” Clay asked. “Are you going to let me take him home?”
    â€œI’m going to let you have him,” Marshal Courtright said. “But you tell Big Ben that he is going to have to pay for the damages to Ebersole’s buggy. And like as not, Ebersole is goin’ to want a bit more soothing money to drop his charges.”
    â€œI’m sure Big Ben can work something out with him,” Clay said.
    â€œI’ll get Dalton.”
    Clay Ramsey leaned back against the marshal’s desk and waited as Courtright went into the back.
    â€œIt’s about time!” Clay heard Dalton say. He could hear the boy before he saw him. A moment later Dalton came through the door with Marshal Courtright. “Clay, what took you so long to get me out of here? I’ve been in that jail cell for hours. It stinks in there.”
    â€œDalton, you’re lucky I didn’t let you stay all night,” Clay replied. “You’ve just cost your Pa a couple of hundred dollars, and I don’t think he’s going to be all that pleased about it.”
    â€œI didn’t do it on purpose,” Dalton said.
    â€œHow can you tie a rope onto the back axle of a buggy, and say you didn’t do it on purpose?” Clay asked.
    â€œWell, yeah, I mean, I did that on purpose. But I thought it would just keep him from