Chapter 21 - A Change of Scenery

A fight over a card game in the saloon encourages the cowboys to move across the street to a cafe to continue the story.

“You cheatin’ son of a…”, a man yelled out angrily from the gambling table in the front of the saloon.  “I seen you pull that card outa yer sleeve.”  He stood and reached inside his coat.

“You pull that gun and yu’ll ne’er come in here again,” Charlie called across the room, aiming a shotgun at the man.  The man pulled his empty hand out of his coat.  “Now get outta here.  Both o’ ya.  Come back when yer not so riled up.”

The man and the remainder of the group staggered out of the saloon.  The men in the corner had been watching the whole episode from their seats.  “Charlie keeps a tight shift.  Ain’t no fightin’ in his place,” the old man explained with a chuckle.  “Now where was I?”

“What ever happen ta that ol’ Mr. Meyers, anyway?”  Asked Boots.

“Now yer interuptin’ the story,” Joe remarked with a chuckle.

“Hey, you boys gettin' hungry,” asked Boots, looking through the doors across the bar.  “Ol’ belly startin’ ta growl like a grizzly.”

“This ol’ bar’s gettin’ too crowded anyway.  Looks like that storm ‘bout blew over,” Joe said. 

“Got paid purty nice fer that last job I done,” gloated Boots.  “I’m buyin’.”

“Well, alright.  Prob’ly quieter in that café across the way anyhow,” The old man said as he rose slowly to his feet.

The four men clopped through the muddy street and into the café. 

“So, what happened ta that ol’ man?”  Duke asked, as they took a seat.  He pulled the lighter back out of his pocket and went back to playing with it.

“Caleb found out.  Took a day or two ta get it outta Frank.  That was one story he was in no hurry ta tell.  Didn’t want Caleb ta go tellin’ Elizabeth ‘bout it.  Knew it’d be hard fer her ta take, I reckon.  Frank finally gave in when Caleb told him what had happened ta Elizabeth on her trip into town.”

“You boys want some coffee?” the waitress asked, as she stepped to the table.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Joe replied with a smile. “Make mine black.”

“A lump o’ sugar in mine,” Boots told her with a smile.

She walked behind a long counter at one side of the room and returned a few minutes later with four steaming cups of coffee.

“Thank ya, Ma’am.”

“So what was that ol’ man up to?”  Duke asked.

The old man carefully took a sip from his cup and continued.