Man with the Gun Page #4

as Sheridan to have a graveyard

as big as we got.

Why, sure, Tollinger.

We'll give Slim a real good send-off.

Sure hot today, ain't it?

You just tie Slim onto his horse,

and get on with it, lke.

Now, get out of town!

Take your dead with you.

Anyhow, there ain't been

a Lazy Tombstone rider in town

since Reedy was killed last week.

Nobody else, neither.

Business was bad enough before,

but it's worse now.

It's the quiet I don't like.

If you ask me,

Tollinger don't like it, either.

He don't care how much blood he spills,

just so something's happening.

Time's on Holman's side,

and Tollinger knows it.

5:
00 sharp, each day,

he comes in here for his one drink.

You can set your clock by him.

He don't like to drink with no one,

so I keep the end of the bar for him.

Wouldn't hurt my feelings none

if he took his business somewheres else.

Oh, how nice.

Thank you very much.

Quite a hand with the ladies.

So was Samson.

So was Samson.

How are you doing, Mr. Tollinger?

Things quieted down enough to suit you?

You lost your way, Lescaux?

Oh, no. I know my way around Sheridan.

I venture to say

I could tell you a lot of things

nobody else has bothered to tell you.

That Dade Holman is a reasonable man,

for instance,

and willing to listen to reason from you

if you feel like riding out for a little talk.

Safe conduct, if you are worried.

Any time he feels like riding in,

I'll feel like talking to him.

By the way, Lescaux,

I've decided the town needs a curfew.

All places of business will close tight

at midnight,

starting tonight.

What are you trying to do?

Put me out of business?

I thought we settled all that.

It's Holman's business.

Why not let him worry about it?

5:
00 sharp.

Allowed time for interruptions.

A man of prompt habits.

Prompt habits.

Mr. Tollinger.

Run along, run along.

Not apple pie.

I do want you to try

some of my green tomato pie.

Green tomato pie?

How did you know, Mrs. Elderhorn?

Oh, well...

Some of the ladies have delegated me

to congratulate you,

Mr. Tollinger,

on the splendid work you're doing,

driving the riffraff out of Sheridan.

Oh, I know you'll like this pie.

There's just one element

that hasn't been touched yet.

The women that sing and dance

and carry on so shamelessly at the Palace.

Not one of them has left town.

They sing and dance? What else?

Well, they carry on.

I think you'll find, Mrs. Elderhorn,

that the dancehall girls

leave of their own accord

when things slow down.

You don't know Nelly Bain, Mr. Tollinger.

Don't I?

Now, don't you be fooled

like some of the ones

I can name around here.

Oh, the airs she puts on!

I daresay it takes a woman

to know she's no lady.

And you're all woman, Mrs. Elderhorn.

Glad you got here.

Come see who's here.

Well, it's good to see you up and about.

Well, up anyway.

Not that I'm going to be much

use on the dance floor.

Don't you worry, honey.

Somebody'll take pity on you

sooner or later.

Sheridan only has two dances a year,

- and she loves to dance.

- Jeff!

He used it as an excuse to get out of bed.

Maybe she'll take pity on me.

I'll just sit here with Jeff

if you'll excuse me, Mr. Tollinger.

You know you can't sit still

when the music's playing, now.

You seem to enjoy dancing,

Mr. Tollinger.

Maybe you're human after all.

At first, I wondered if you were fierce

enough for the job, remember?

But then after...

Well, I just wondered.

I'm human.

Thank you, Miss Atkins.

Seems you're a man of your word,

Mr. Tollinger.

They tell me it's a different town

since you took over.

No, it's the same town.

The real work is still to be done.

That so?

I don't want to interfere

with that time schedule

you were talking about,

but I aim to start working on my homesite

and make up for lost time.

- I'd like you to wait a little longer.

Why?

Well, the choice of battlefield is important.

I'd like to try to keep it

out of Holman's territory.

It's my homesite.

In his territory.

Are you forbidding me to go ahead?

Yes, I am.

That doesn't mean I'll stop you.

That means you go ahead

on your own risk.

Fine.

I've never asked for your help.

You're right, of course.

Only you shouldn't have

told him off in front of Stella,

when he's trying to prove to her

that he's a man now,

and not the kid she grew up with.

He chose the time, the place

and the audience.

Kind of a big audience for plans like that.

Good night, Saul.

You know why I'm still here?

The longer you keep putting it off,

the more I want an answer.

How is Beth?

I took her to my family in Toledo.

I know that.

I asked, "How is she?"

If you know that,

and cared enough to find out,

you could have followed us.

The idea was to take her too far away

to follow, wasn't it?

Would any place have been too far

if you'd wanted to?

Follow you? Why?

To ask you to come back to something

you hated enough to make you run,

the way you ran?

I couldn't wait to say goodbye.

If I had,

I wouldn't have gone.

It wasn't you that I hated.

You believe that, Clint, don't you?

I wanted to see Beth.

I just thought she might be safer...

That she'd be safe there.

She is.

Safe from you and from me,

and that's your answer.

One more thing.

Business this time,

since you're a businesswoman now.

Curfew means your girls, too.

It's 11:
15 now.

Don't worry, Clint, they'll be in by 12:00.

I know what happens

in a Tollinger-tamed town.

So we'll be moving farther west soon.

Any suggestions?

Where you won't be?

May I come in, please?

Must be pretty important for you

to risk the gossip.

There was nobody downstairs.

I knew where to find you

'cause I've seen you sometimes

at the window.

It is important.

This morning, when we woke up,

Jeff was gone.

Dad's gone to the lumberyard to see

if he's really going to do

what he threatened.

And I came to tell you.

- You're that worried, huh?

- Yes.

I know he can take care of himself

any other time,

but he's not strong enough yet.

Well, he may be lucky today.

You don't really believe that.

No.

- Then what are you going to do?

- Nothing.

I warned him.

I thought I made it pretty clear.

Yes, but if you warn a child,

and he does something foolish anyway,

you try to stop him from getting hurt.

Oh, I see. You think he's still a child, huh?

- Partly.

- Well, I think he's a man.

He might be a little young

and bullheaded about some things,

but if there were more like him around,

I might not be here.

Look, I'm sorry...

Stella!

This wasn't necessary.

But time is so important.

You didn't find him?

He picked up a load of lumber an hour ago.

I don't think Mr. Tollinger's interested.

I'm not going after Jeff.

I guess you have your reasons.

I'll go.

No.

I just don't think they're interested

in killing Jeff today.

You don't!

And you were there when they shot him.

When I took this job,

we signed an agreement,

no interference.

We'll do it your way.

His way!

You mean do nothing at all.

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