Lucky Billy by John Vernon Read Free Book Online

Mesilla? The crowd's at the station watching as they take him from the train to the stagecoach and somebody asks, 'Which one's Billy the Kid?' And the Kid puts his hand on Judge Leonard's shoulder, saying, 'This is the man.'"
    "True as taxes."
    "And the quip about the papers," Tomlinson added, providing versicle for my response.
    "I believe you mean the easterner who asked the Kid, 'What do you think when you read about yourself in the papers, Billy?'"
    "That's right."
    "The Kid looks at this man with a twinkle in his eye. 'I think what a hard case, what a bloodthirsty killer, he does not have a drop of mercy in his blood. I'd sure like to meet him.'"
    All laughed. "So he's a wag."
    "The most dangerous wag you could imagine. I for one will not laugh at his antics until he's safely hanged. He'd shoot off your balls just for a merry prank. He's a likable sort who helps himself to whatever he wants, a woman or a horse, but hanging won't atone for half of what he's done. As the good book says, we roar like bears and mourn like doves and look for judgment and there is none."
    "Isaiah," said Jones. "Not bad for an atheist."
    "Atheistic thinking has never led me by the nose. I grew up with the Bible."
    "Too bad you don't believe it."
    "Too bad you don't believe anything else."
    "Now we're talking. Your feet run to evil, your hands are stained with blood, your lips have spoken lies. We look for judgment and there is none."
    "You may look for judgment, Reverend Jones, but I suspect you love your whiskey better than your God."
    "Least I have a God to love."
    Outside on the street there was a sudden commotion. A young buck burst into Hudgen's Saloon and bellered, "Garrett! Garrett! Is Pat Garrett here?"
    All gazed at me. I smiled.
    "The Kid has escaped! He has killed Bell and Olinger! Oh my God, he's escaped!"
    Leaning back in my chair, I checked the diamond rings on both of my hands and the gold watch chain at my waist. My smile didn't fade. I drank calmly from my glass. My long neck stiffened. My tongue was dried up now. I raised my brow and pulled out my watch, noted the time, continued smiling, tucked it back in, reached up the sleeve of my fine worsted coat and tugged down for all to see my silver cuff buttons. They gladden wanton eyes. My face felt warm. My pupils may have crossed. The Lord will take away their tinkling ornaments, their chains and their bracelets, their bonnets and headbands and tablets and earrings, their rings and their nose jewels, their changeable suits of apparel, and their hoods and veils and fine linen and crisping pins. For outside are dogs and sorcerers and murderers, and outside every mouth speaks consummate folly, and outside in the desert men squat on their haunches and drink blood and eat flesh and pick at scabs and lice, all manner of filth, and feed each other's mouths, and feel satisfied, and laugh, and then shall it be for a just man to burn.

3. 1877
Tunstall
Lincoln, New Mexico
23rd March, 1877
7 Belsize Terrace
Hampstead,
London, England
 
My Much Beloved Father,
McSween & I left Belen (where I wrote you my last) after many detentions last Sunday morning; we traveled all day & night reached a place called Abo, it is just above the words
El Salad
on the new map I sent, & lies about 50 miles southwest of Belen. "Abo" consists of about a dozen mud huts, the people are miserably poor & had smallpox in every house (I was vaccinated when at Belen but it did not take) & we slept in one that I supposed from what they said had as little as any of them. Our next drive was to have been to the Gallinas spring which is about 60 miles (there is a waterhole marked on the map which does not exist) & there is not water between the two points. We were under the impression that a man named Dow had a ranch at Gallinas spring & we took no grub save a loaf we had in our mess-box, we got to about 30 miles on our road when our offside mare wanted to lie down. We unharnessed her & she started going into convulsions,