nearby said. He was tall, with full whiskers but neatly trimmed, and he was not dressed like a saddle bum. Did not look much like a town merchant either. His voice was friendly enough though. Very polite.
âDo you want a refill already, Chuck?â the barman asked.
âNo, Iâm still good here. I was talking to that other fellow.â
âMe?â Longarm asked.
âThatâs right. You asked about somebody called Netty, right?â
âI sure did.â
The man moved closer, dragging his mug with him. He took a peanut out of the bowl and carefully took the meat out of the shell, his fingers busy with that task while he spoke. âI heard such a name,â he said.
Longarmâs interest quickened.
âIâm trying to remember where that wouldâve been.â
âWould it help your memory if I was to set you up to a drink?â Longarm asked.
The fellow smiled. âIâm not trying to cadge drinks off of you, mister. I can buy my own. No, Iâm really trying to recall . . .â He snapped his fingers and grinned. âNow I recollect. It was out at the Birdwell ranch. The missus was saying something to her hired help. Called her Netty. I never heard what her right name might be, but Iâm sure about that much.â
The bartender tipped the bottle of rye over Longarmâs glass to refill it and said, âIf Chuck says it, you can take that to the bank. Iâve never known him to be wrong.â
âI wouldnât go that far,â Chuck said modestly. âItâs just that I get around a lot. Meet plenty of folks. Pretty much everybody around here actually.â
âThatâs the truth,â the barman injected. âChuck here is a vetârinarian. Doctors just about every horse or cow in the county.â
âOnly those that need it,â Chuck said. âI keep trying to find a way so I can charge my fees for every animal, but for some reason the cattlemen donât much cotton to that idea.â He laughed and took a deep pull on his beer.
âIâd be happy to buy you another of those,â Longarm offered.
âThanks, but I have to go. There are some sick sheep over south a way.â
âBefore you go, would you mind pointing me to this Birdwell place you mentioned?â
âIâll be glad to. Step outside with me and Iâll tell you how to get there.â He looked at the bartender and nodded, âThanks, Jerry. Iâll see you this evening, right?â
âRight,â the barman said, taking Chuckâs mug down from the bar and dropping it into a basin of soapy water. Longarm noticed that he left the glass of rye where it was, rather than assume Longarm would be leaving after he got directions to the Birdwell ranch. Longarm definitely liked this place.
âNow about this Birdwell place . . . ?â He followed Chuck out onto the boardwalk that fronted the saloon.
Chapter 13
It looked like he would not be in and back out of Medicine Bow in one day, but duty trumped comfort in Longarmâs view, so he retrieved his carpetbag from the railroad depot and asked the clerk there where he could put up for the night.
âOh, we got a hotel. It isnât much of a place, but it serves the purpose. Cheap this time of year too. When the buyers are in and the cattlemen are shipping, thatâs another story entirely. The price goes up, but the place fills up anyhow. Let me tell you how to get to it,â the clerk offered.
Five minutes later Longarm was standing at the counter of a small and rather shabby hotel a block off the wide main street.
âWill you be staying long?â a skinny kid with freckles and big teeth asked. Probably the proprietorâs son, Longarm guessed.
âNo idea,â Longarm told him. âWhen I leave, Iâll give you a voucher for payment.â
The kid scowled. âI donât think we can do that.â
âSure you can. Itâs a