Part 42 (1/2)

I let her wear my hat.

She slipped an arm around my waist, and we rode on over to the trail. It was strange, having a girl behind me, hanging onto me, sometimes brus.h.i.+ng up against my back. I rather enjoyed it, actually.

After I'd seen that Bowie knife, I couldn't help but trust her. I couldn't help but like her, too. She was tough and had more gumption than any gal I'd ever run across. Even though she'd tried to steal General and she'd hurt me some, I judged she must have a good heart or she would've cut me open.

She was awful pretty, too.

I took to feeling glad she'd jumped me.

Maybe we'd stay together all the way to Tombstone.

But by and by she said, ”I sure could do with a smoke.”

The words were rocks that crushed my joy.

”I haven't any makings, I'm afraid.”

”Too bad.”

Too bad. Quite.

She's bound to end up as dead as McSween, I thought. Dead as everybody else who's crossed my trail.

There was only one way to save Jesse. I had to get clear of her, and soon.

But I'd told her she could ride with me, and the notion of going against my word didn't set well. Besides, it wouldn't be right to leave her alone in the wilderness without a horse and supplies. So I was stuck with her, at least for now.

Glad to be stuck with her, too, though it worried me.

I'll just have to see that she doesn't doesn't get killed, I told myself. get killed, I told myself.

The trick was to keep her alive, and let her stay with me till we came to a town or met up with some folks who might be willing to take her off my hands.

We rode on and on. Sometime late in the afternoon we came up behind a buckboard pulled by a pair of mules. It was still a ways off when I saw it had a boy in the back, a man and a woman in the driver's box. This looked like an outfit that might not mind an extra pa.s.senger.

The kid was maybe eight years or nine years old. He sat amidst of a jumble of luggage and supplies, so I judged the family likely had food to spare. I couldn't see how they might object to taking Jesse along if I paid them for their troubles.

But it didn't seem right to foist her off on these folks without warning, so I said, ”I should think this family might be pleased to have your company. Perhaps we'll ask if they'd be willing to let you travel with them.”

She didn't answer. Pretty quick, though, she smacked the back of my shoulder.

”Say, now!”

”Dirty sidewinder.”

”You'll be better off.”

”I'm just fine right here, thanks all the same.” Then she fetched me another smack.

”Quit that.”

”You ain't gonna drop me off with a pa.s.sel of strangers. Get it outa your head.”

We were just drawing up on the buckboard, the kid waving, the man and woman in front both turning around to see us, when Jesse called out ”Gee-yup!” and gave General a whap on the rump. He took off with a lurch. I had half a mind to pull in the reins, but instead I let him trot on until we'd left the bunch a ways behind us.

General settled down to a walk.

”I don't see why you had to do that,” I said.

Jesse didn't talk for a spell. Finally, she said, ”I thought you and me was pardners.”

”You'd be better off with those folks.”

”How do you know that, Mister Smarty? How do you know the pa-if that's what he even is-don't take a horsewhip to his wife and boy eighteen times a day just to exercise his arm?”

”It wouldn't have hurt to have a talk with them. They might've been quite friendly.”

”How come you're so all-fired hot to throw me off on someone else?”

”I don't care to see you hurt.”

”You fixing to hurt me?”

”Why, no. Certainly not. The problem is, you're likely to get get hurt if you stay with me. You just won't last, not unless you get clear while there's still time.” hurt if you stay with me. You just won't last, not unless you get clear while there's still time.”

”Why's that?”

”I don't know, actually. But I've left behind me an awful string of dead folks.”

”You got a sickness?”

”Nothing more than bad luck.”

”Well, that eases my mind. You near had me scared. I saw a feller caught himself a dose of the rabies, one time. He took to cavorting down the street all wild-eyed and s...o...b..ring. You never seen such a sight. He went to bite old lady Jones, and Sheriff Hayes dropped him stone cold dead. That was in El Paso three years back. Saw it happen with my very own eyes. They say it was a dog bite. You get yourself bit by a rabid hound, you might just as well cash in your chips then and there. That's what I'd do, blow out my own brains and call it quits. You don't want to make a fool outa yourself, foaming all over tarnation and snapping at folks so they have to shoot you.”

”You won't catch rabies from me,” I told her.

”When was the last time you got yourself bitten?”

”Earlier today, actually.”

She let out a laugh and slapped my arm, but not hard. ”Smarty.”

”I do hope I won't commence to s...o...b..r and snap.”

My hat suddenly got shoved down onto my head. ”Ow!”

”You better wear it for a spell. The sun's getting to your brain.”