Imposter by William W. Johnstone Read Free Book Online

the movement. “Take it easy, Mr. Morgan. We’ll carry him across to the jail. Don’t do nothing hasty now. Come on, boys. It’ll take all three of us to tote Big Ed. Let’s get to it.”
    The three hands managed to get Big Ed Simpson up on his feet. He was only half conscious and not able to help much, but he did manage to put one boot in front of the other and stagger out onto the boardwalk. Then he fell down and rolled off the high boardwalk, landing half in and half out of a horse trough, taking one of his hands with him.
    â€œOh, Lord!” the hand hollered. “I done sat down in a pile of horse crap! And it’s fresh too.”
    â€œCome on, Jimmy,” one of the other hands told his partner. “Let’s get the boss out of the trough. He’s gonna be plenty pissed enough without gettin’ half drowned.”
    The third Simpson hand was trying to get the horse crap off his britches. He succeeded only in spreading it all over him.
    â€œYou stink, Pete,” Jimmy told the man.
    â€œYeah,” the second hand said. “Git away from us. Go wash, or something’.”
    â€œOh, go to hell, Claude,” Pete said.
    â€œWhat happened?” Big Ed muttered through smashed, swollen, and bloody lips. “Where am I?”
    â€œOn your way to jail,” Frank told him. “Now shut up and walk.”
    â€œWhat’s that smell?” Ed mumbled.
    â€œThat’s Pete, Boss,” Jimmy said. “He sat down in a pile of crap.”
    â€œWhat the hell’d he do that for?” Big Ed asked, looking around him, trying to get his eyes to focus. “Jail! What’d I do?”
    â€œAssaulted a deputy,” Frank told him. “Now, move, you big ox.”
    â€œBig ox!” the rancher yelled. “You can’t talk to me like that.”
    â€œI just did,” Frank said. “Now move your big butt.”
    â€œGet your hands off me!” Ed yelled to his men. He shook off the hands that were holding him up, and promptly fell down in the street. Big Ed began crawling around in the dirt, trying to get up, mumbling and cussing all the while.
    By this time, a large crowd had gathered on both sides of the street, lining the boardwalks. The locals seemed to take a great deal of pleasure in watching Big Ed Simpson get what many felt was his long-overdue comeuppance. Frank would soon learn that Big Ed was not the best-liked person in the area.
    â€œI’ll kill you, Morgan,” Big Ed mumbled. “No man does this to me and lives.”
    â€œWhat in the hell is going on here!” Marshal Tom Wright hollered, shoving his way through the crowds. “Get out of the way.” He stepped into the street and stopped, staring in total disbelief at the sight before him.
    â€œThis man assaulted me, Tom,” Frank explained. “I subdued him.”
    â€œYou sure did,” Tom agreed, a smile playing on his lips. “Yep, I’d say you done a right good job of subduin’ the prisoner.”
    â€œGet him on his feet,” Frank told the Simpson hands. “And get him over to the jail.”
    â€œWe’ll have to drag him,” Pete said.
    â€œThen drag him.”
    The three cowboys lifted Big Ed to his feet and began dragging the cussing rancher toward the jail.
    â€œI’ll fire you all!” Big Ed hollered.
    â€œAll right,” Jimmy said. “If that’s the way you want it.” He turned his boss loose, and Claude and Pete did the same.
    Big Ed hit the dirt of the street face-first.
    â€œNow that’s plumb disgustin’,” Marshal Wright observed. “A man of your position eatin’ dirt and horse crap.”
    â€œShut up, you big fat tub of lard!” Big Ed mumbled, his face in the dirt.
    â€œStand aside, people,” a local said. “Here comes Doc Evans. Let him through.”
    â€œWhat in the world is going on here?” a man asked, stepping through the