Sins of Summer by Dorothy Garlock

Author:Dorothy Garlock [GARLOCK, DOROTHY]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780759522770
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2009-09-26T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

* 16 *

As the horse carrying Sid’s body passed, the men who had gathered in front of the bunkhouse removed their hats in respect for the dead. Tinker, Steven and Louis dismounted at the corral. Louis stomped off toward his room, leaving Steven and Tinker with the job of preparing the body for burial. They went through Sid’s pockets and removed several small coins, a pocketknife, a silver toothpick, and a picture of a very plump naked woman. After taking off Sid’s gunbelt, they rolled the body in a blanket and placed it on a wagon bed to await the service in the morning.

The area in front of the bunkhouse was well lighted with torches. The men stood around in bunches and talked. Many of them had disliked Sid Hanes, but now that he was dead, he was, so it seemed, everyone’s friend. Angry voices spoke of riding down to the homestead and confronting Ben Waller. Some said hanging was too good for a man who would shoot down a man without cause; others said it could just as well have been one of them that lay on the wagon bed waiting for a hole in the ground.

Milo had done a good job stirring up the men against Ben.

“Sid were mouthy… but he didn’t mean no harm.”

“Sid never was no gun hand.”

“Couldn’t hit a mule in the ass at ten feet.”

“Waller ain’t ort to a gunned him down like he done.”

“Ain’t no law up here. Poor Sid ain’t got no folks to speak up fer him.”

“Jist never thought of Waller as a killer. We ain’t ort to let him get away with it.”

“Ya can’t tell ’bout quiet fellers like him… could be wanted by the law for all we know.”

“I think we ort to go down and have us a little talk with ’im.”

Tinker listened to the talk and became more and more disgusted with the fools who couldn’t think for themselves. You can lead them like sheep, he thought. Like damn dumb sheep. Finally he spoke up.

“I’m thinkin’ if ya want to do something for poor Sid, ya can get ya a shovel and start diggin’ a hole.”

Heads turned. Tinker was as well thought of as any man in camp. All were eager to hear what he had to say.

“Ya ain’t thinkin’ Waller ort to get away with this, air ya, Tinker?”

“Get away with what? Ya dumbheads! Ain’t ya got brains enough ta see that Milo’s usin’ ya ta get back at Waller? Waller come in on him tonight and broke up the little get-together he and Sid was plannin’ with Miss Dory and Waller’s girl.”

“Milo didn’t say nothin’ ‘bout womenfolk bein’ there.”

“What the hell do ya think they went down there fer? A church meetin’?”

“Wal, even if they did have courtin’ on their minds, Waller didn’t have to kill Sid.”

“What would ya a done if somebody shot you? Stand there and let him shoot ya again?”

“That ain’t the way Milo told it an’ he was there.”

“He lied to cover up the meanness he done down there.

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