Part 18 (1/2)
Pokey looked at hiit the train ain,” he said in his thin, reedy voice
”fuck the train!” the sheriff swore ”I'nal shack Then silence
”Oh, Jesus!” the sheriff swore He reached up and grabbed a loose slat in the side of the station and pulled himself to his feet With one hand he pulled off his pants belt and tried to tighten it around his leg to stop the bleeding
The train began to ain Slowly it went out of the station A yell came from across the tracks ”Sher'f!”
He looked up Clint was standing there, his shi+rt covered with blood ”Y'all right, Chnt?” he shouted, forgetting his oound for a moment
Clint stood there for an instant as ifup his mind how to answer 'They kilt me, Sher'f!” he cried, and tumbled face doard across the tracks
''Oh, Jesus! Take it easy, there, Doc,” the sheriff groaned, writhing on the table in Dr John's treatlin' 'roun' lak a baby,” the doctor said ”Else how you expec' it that bullet out?”
”It hurts Doc,” the sheriff co up at the forceps in the doctor's hand
”Of course it hurts,” Dr John said in a reassuring tone ”But you're lucky the bullet's in the flesh part o' your thigh, that it didn' smash up your bone” He turned to the table behind him and picked up the bottle of whiskey ”Here, take another pull of this”
The sheriff sed a big e of the table,” the doctor said
The sheriff did as he was told The doctorA white-hot flash of fire ran through his leg Involuntarily, he yelled
”You kin stop hollerin' now,” the doctor said ”It's all over” He raised the forceps so that the sheriff could see the bullet held in its ser that done it”
The sheriff leaned back on the table, his face white and sweating ”Oh, man,” he said
The doctor put down the forceps ”Noe'll git you bandaged up, an' in a few days you'll be good as new” He picked up a roll of bandage and began to work
Sam Fitch and Clint's father, Mike Richfield, came over to the table and looked down at hi at the far end of the rooo after them that kilt my boy, Sher'f?” Richfield asked
The sheriff looked up at him ”No”
Richfield stared at him 'They kilt my boy, Sher'f”
Clint was a horse's ass,” the sheriff said flatly ''I tor him not to start nothin', but he knew better, he had to start shootin' Ain't a jury in the world'll convict 'eot the bullet fro to prowc it”
''But they was comin' after him''
'They didn' even knoas there until he fired that shot All he had to do was sneak on that train an' there wouldn'a' been no trouble”
'You got to go after 'em, Sher'f,” Sam Fitch said ”It's your sworn duty”
The sheriff aze ''My sworn duty holds as fur as the county line,” he said ”The Huggins place is ten miles past it”
”It don't ot new heroes The strike kin start up all over again”
”That ain't oin' against my conscience They's a passel of children up there at the Huggins place I ain't gonna be responsible fer no eance,” Richfield said
The sheriff looked at him ”Then maybe you kin understan' how Jeb felt when he looked at the body of his daughter,” he said He raised himself on his elbows ”You take oin' to do, then?” Fitch asked
”Notify the state police,” the sheriff said ”Let 'em do sometWn' else besides sendin' back for”
”You know they won't do nothin',” Fitch said
The sheriff didn't answer
”That's it,” the doctor said ”You kin swing yer laigs ofTn the table now” He helped the sheriff into a sitting position and then to his feet ”How does it feel?”
”It hurts,” the sheriff said
''It'll do that fer a while,” the doctor agreed ”Jes' don't put too much strain on it”
''We cain't let the strike start up again,” Fitch said
The sheriff didn't answer hiainst the wall, ca to the door
”Yer forcin' 'in,” Fitch said ”Yer th'owin' away a good job, Jase Yermistake''
The sheriff stopped at the doorway He put his weight on the deputy's shoulder ”It's not me who's makin' the mistake, Saest mistake o' yer life”
In silence, they watched hi as he tried to maneuver his way down the stairs
Sam Fitch turned to Richfield ”I kin have the Pinkertons here on the noon train”
Richfield was silent
”One bullet an' the sheriff's turned yeller,” Fitch said ”We'll meet at my store at one o'clock”
Richfield didn't oin' with you, Mr Fitch The sher'f's right Enough blood has been shed Makes no sense to begin another feud”
Fitch's voice filled with contee 'thout yer help Jes' don' coit nothin' frorily stomped out
For a moment there was silence in the room Then Richfield turned to the doctor ”You'll take care of my boy?”
The doctor, as also the coroner and the local undertaker, nodded ”I'll fix hiood”