The Floating Outfit 59 by J.T. Edson

Author:J.T. Edson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: piccadilly publishing, the wild west, wild west fiction, jt edson, gunfighters and outlaws, southwest usa, the floating outfit westerns, dusty fog westerns
Publisher: Piccadilly

Sitting on a bunk in one of the jail’s cells, Dirk touched the top of his head and groaned. On the opposite bunk, Jigger lay holding his swollen jaw. Dirk looked around him, through the bars separating him from the next cell in which a small Texas cowhand lay apparently sleeping off a session of drinking. Then Dirk lifted his eyes to the window and scowled as he saw the position of the sun. From all appearances almost two hours had passed since the girl clubbed him down with her whip.

Although Dirk had been conscious for some minutes, he waited to allow an improvement in his condition before making any move. At last he felt that he could think well enough to talk with the peace officers who had brought him to jail. Rising, he lurched across to the door.

‘Hey!’ he yelled, hanging on to the bars. ‘Where’s somebody?’

‘Want something?’ asked the Ysabel Kid, coming through the connecting door to the office.

‘Yeah. What am I doing here?’

‘Making one helluva noise. You’ll wake up the other guests happen you keep at it.’

‘Damn it!’ Dirk snorted. ‘I mean why’ve you got us in here?’

‘For jumping and whomping a feller ’n’ gal in the street, the marshal told me,’ answered the Kid.

‘That old goat started it!’ Jigger growled, joining Dirk at the door.

‘Sure hope the judge reckons so,’ the Kid replied.

‘I want to see Lawyer Grosvenor,’ Dirk stated, trying to sound polite.

‘What’s up in there, Lon?’ called a voice from the office.

‘One of them jaspers you hauled in wants to see the law wrangler.’

‘Is that the marshal?’ Dirk asked.

‘You might say that,’ drawled the Kid.

‘Lemme talk to him.’

‘Feller wants to talk to you,’ announced the Kid.

‘Fetch him in here,’ ordered the voice from beyond the connecting door.

Unlocking the cell’s door, the Kid stood aside and allowed Dirk to walk by him. However he refused to let Jigger out, declaring that the marshal said he wanted to see ‘him’, not ‘them’. Turning, Dirk told Jigger to sit and wait. Despite the Kid’s concern, the noise did not appear to have disturbed the jail’s other ‘guest’ for he still lay facing the wall and snoring gently.

On entering the office, Dirk scowled at the sight of the man behind the desk. It was the blond giant who had handled him with such apparent ease on the street. Then Dirk remembered who ran the law in Trail End. It seemed that all the stories about Dusty Fog’s exceptional size and strength had a considerable basis of truth. One thing Dirk knew for certain; he must shelve his antagonism and play careful if he hoped to get out of the difficulty in which he found himself.

‘What’ve you got me and my pard locked up for, marshal?’ Dirk asked, eyeing the badge on the other’s shirt for a moment.

‘Assault,’ Mark Counter replied, satisfied that the man did not suspect the deception being played on him. ‘I figured you to be a couple of drunks when I saw you rough-handling that old nester and the gal.

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