Marshal Jeremy Six #3 by Brian Garfield

Author:Brian Garfield
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: death wish, piccadilly publishing, best westerns ebook, jeremy six westerns, westerns general fiction, brian garfiield, brian wynne westerns, marshals in the old west
Publisher: Piccadilly

Nine

“For those of you that don’t know me, I am Matthew Dane. This man is Hazlitt, Britt Hazlitt. I’ve come here because I figured half the population would be in here on a Saturday night, and it looks like I’m not too far wrong. I’ve got something to say to this town.”

Matthew Dane addressed the crowd in a level voice. He did not have to speak loudly; no one else was talking at all. Jeremy Six swiveled on his heel and rested one elbow on the bar. Beside Matthew Dane, Britt Hazlitt stepped back against the wall by the door and covered the entire room with his attention. When Hazlitt’s glance paused on Six, Hazlitt nodded with reserve; Six knew that from that moment on, Hazlitt was very much aware of Six’s exact placement in the room.

Dane spoke in flat, abrupt tones. He did not seem to care whether his words stung anyone. “I’ve got no more love for men like Hazlitt than any of you. But a man’s got to defend himself. Tave Lockyear is a greedy bastard who wants the whole basin to himself. He knows and I know and you know that Lockyear hasn’t got half enough cattle to fill up the land here. I didn’t come here to start a war. There was plenty of room for Lockyear and me and maybe some others besides, but the Lance Head bunch don’t see it that way. They started shooting at my boys. Where I come from, if a man takes a shot at you, you shoot back. That’s what Hazlitt’s doing here tonight. He wouldn’t be here if Lockyear hadn’t hired Tom Monday.”

Matthew Dane paused. He surveyed the crowd with a deliberate sweep of his cool eyes. His voice was an unhurried prairie twang. “I respect Dan Latourette and I expect you do too, but he’s laid up in bed because a Lance Head gun cut him down. There ain’t no law left around here except what we can make for ourselves. All right, I’ve never been a man who stepped away from what needed to be done. I’m setting down a law for you tonight. I see some storekeepers in the crowd—you can carry the word to the rest of the town. I’m serving notice on this town tonight. No storekeeper in Rifle Gap will trade with Lance Head, as of now. I’m posting a crew of men in town to enforce it. I don’t intend to set it to music, gents, so I’ll say it just once more. If you sell so much as a sack of tobacco to any Lance Head rider, I’ll close you down.”

Matthew Dane did not wait for any reaction. He turned on his heel and drove a path through the door.

Dane’s heels were audible, going down the porch steps; and then his horse started up and trotted away.

Britt Hazlitt stood by the door with a lazy smile. He touched one of his guns, but said nothing; and in a moment he curled out of the saloon.

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