Part 11 (1/2)

The night breeze carried the stirring story of riot and uproar to the waiting mult.i.tude in the Dance Hall. Those waiting ones looked first their amazement, then their delight. As by one impulse they tore through the door and made, hotfoot, for the Long Branch. By conservative estimates, founded upon the whole number of shots, there should be at least five dead and fifteen wounded.

As the advance guard arrived at the Long Branch they found Mr. Short outside.

”Bat's downed Bob Wright,” remarked Mr. Short; ”plugged him plumb centre.”

Inside went the hilarious Dance Hallers. The astute Mr. Short followed, closed the door and set his back against it.

”It's eight o'clock, Mr. Webster,” remarked Mr. Short. ”We must begin to count.” It was observable that in the hand that did not hold the watch Mr. Short held a six-shooter.

Mr. Webster was in a flutter of nerves; he had been the only one in the Long Branch who did not understand and had not antic.i.p.ated those frantic excesses of Mr. Tighlman, Cimarron Bill and others of that heroic firing party. Mr. Webster was in no wise clear as to what had happened. Borne upon by a feeling of something wrong he made a protest.

”Stop!” he cried, ”there's a lot of Updegraffe men in here.”

”No, sir,” responded Mr. Short, coldly, while a gray glimmer, a kind of danger signal it was, began to show in his eye. ”Every gent inside the Long Branch is for Bat Masterson or he wouldn't be here. Also, to suggest fraud,” concluded Mr. Short, as Mr. Webster seemed about to speak, ”would be an attack upon my honour, me ownin' the joint.”

Now the honour of Mr. Short, next to Mr. Short's six-shooter, was the most feverish thing in Dodge. The mere mention of it sent a s.h.i.+ver through Mr. Webster. Without parley he surrendered tamely, and the count at the Long Branch began. The total proved satisfactory; the returns gave Mr. Masterson two hundred and sixty votes.

”Let us go over to the Dance Hall,” said Mr. Wright, ”and see what Kelly and Peac.o.c.k have to report.”

They were saved the journey; Mr. Kelly and Mr. Peac.o.c.k, the latter bewildered and fear-ridden in the face of the unknown, just then came into the Long Branch. ”Only thirty-three for Updegraffe,” said Mr.

Kelly. ”That's correct, ain't it, Peac.o.c.k?”

Mr. Peac.o.c.k gasped, but seemed to nod a.s.sent.

”Mr. Masterson, it would appear, is elected,” observed Mr. Wright, benignantly, ”by a majority of two hundred and twenty-seven. It is a tribute to his popularity. The whole vote, however, is much smaller than I looked for,” and Mr. Wright beamed.

”I think,” said Mr. Kelly, judgmatically, ”that thar's a pa.s.sel of Updegraffe people stampedin' about the streets. But, of course, since they weren't in the Dance Hall, me an' Peac.o.c.k had no authority to incloode 'em; did we, Peac.o.c.k?”

Mr. Peac.o.c.k mopped his moonlike countenance and shook his head in forlornest fas.h.i.+on. He was too much cast down to oppose the word of Mr.

Kelly.

Bear Creek Johnson, eye aflame, a-bristle for trouble, pushed through.

Cimarron Bill, who was the soul of business at a time like this, met the outraged Bear Creek in the door.

”Whatever do you reckon you're after?” queried Cimarron Bill, maintaining the while a dangerous eye.

Bear Creek Johnson surveyed Cimarron Bill, running him up and down with an uneasy, prudent glance. He smelled disaster off him as folk smell fire in a house.

”Me?” he returned, mildly. ”Which I simply comes pirootin' over to move we make the 'lection of Bat Masterson yoonanimous.”

Thus did the _ruse de guerre_ of Mr. Masterson result in victory; thus was he made sheriff of Ford.

CHAPTER VI

THE FATAL GRAt.i.tUDE OF MR. KELLY

It was at the election following the one which made Mr. Masterson sheriff of Ford County that Mr. Kelly, proprietor of the Alhambra, became mayor of Dodge. Mr. Masterson, aside from being a natural captain of men, had had his genius for strategy ripened as a scout-pupil of the great Ben Clark during the Cheyenne wars, and on this ballot occasion contributed deeply to the victory of Mr. Kelly. Mr. Masterson came forward and withstood certain Mexicans, who otherwise would have exercised the ballot to Mr. Kelly's disadvantage. The Mexicans belonged with the Cross-K brand, which had its range across the river; and since Mr. Walker, proprietor of the Cross-K, was an enemy of Mr. Kelly, they were rightfully regarded by Mr. Masterson as tools of the opposition.

Mr. Masterson urged, and with justice, that an extension of the franchise to Mexicans would be subversive of good morals, and offensive to the purer sentiment of Dodge.