Rio Loco by Robert J. Conley Read Free Book Online Page A

looked at the clock again, and she was right,by God. We sure as hell had played the whole night away. “Damned if you ain’t right,” I said. I tuck another swig. Bonnie picked up her little pink drink with her thumb and two fingers with her little finger a-sticking out to the side and had her a dainty little sip. It made me think about Sly again. Then Dingle come in through the front door. He come right back to my table and set down across from me.
    â€œBarjack,” he said.
    â€œThat’s my damn name.”
    â€œBarjack, Happy sent me over here. He said I should go because I’m the only one you didn’t deputize.”
    â€œYou mean he throwed you out?”
    â€œWell, no, but he wanted me to tell you what’s going on.”
    â€œI’m a-listening,” I said.
    â€œWell, it seems that Chugwater and a whole bunch of his cowboys are hanging around town.”
    â€œThat’s it?” I said. “Just hanging around?”
    â€œWell, yes. But they’ve been here all night.”
    â€œSo the wolves is gethering, are they?”
    â€œIt sure does look that way.”
    â€œBarjack?” said Bonnie. “Does this mean trouble?”
    â€œI don’t reckon it means much trouble,” I said. “They’ll find out that there ain’t no sheep what they’re gethering around.”
    But to tell you the whole truth a’ the matter, I was a-feeling kinda like a sheep with the wolves a-gethering around me. That there news what Dingle had brung sure as hell weren’t the bestnews I coulda heared just at that damn time. I figgered what with the men we had done kilt that ole Chugwater could round up at least twenty men if he wanted that many. I helt back a shudder at the thought. I picked up my tumbler and emptied it right then, and I shoved back my chair to stand up.
    â€œI reckon I’d best get on down to the jailhouse,” I said.
    â€œYou do think there’s trouble a-coming,” Bonnie said.
    â€œNothing for you to worry your pretty little fat face over,” I said. “I just think I’d oughter go down and talk with my depitties about the situation. That’s all.”
    â€œBarjack, be careful,” she said.
    â€œThat’s my middle name, sweet tits,” I said. “Come on, Dingle. Let’s get our ass back down there.”
    We walked out onto the boardwalk together and turned to head for the jailhouse. Just as we turned, a bullet smacked into the wall just beside a’ my head. I jerked out my Merwin Hulbert and looked around. They was two cowhands a-standing out in the street. Both of them had their Colts out and a-pointed at me and Dingle. I shoved Dingle outta the way back toward the door to the Hooch House.
    â€œWatch out, Barjack,” he shouted.
    â€œBarjack,” one a’ the cowhands said, “your ass is grass, and I’m a hungry bull.”
    I snapped off a lucky shot and dropped the hungry bull right in the street where he had been a-standing. The other one shot then, but I haddodged to one side. His bullet smacked into the wall alongside the other’n. I raised up my Merwin Hulbert and aimed at him, but he had turned around and was a-running. I aimed real keerful, and then I pulled the trigger. My shot hit him in the right cheek a’ his ass. He screamed and went to tumbling in the street. He was on his belly, and he kinda raised hisself up on his right hand. I fired again, and this time I hit him smack in the middle a’ his back. He dropped down on his face dead.
    â€œCome on, Dingle,” I said, and we hurried on down to the jailhouse. Whenever we got there, I damn near forgot to yell out. My hand was on the door handle whenever I remembered.
    â€œBarjack a-coming in,” I called out. Then I pulled on the door, but it were latched. In another minute, someone unlatched it, and I went in, follered by Dingle. Pistol Polly was a-setting in that chair with her