“Things had opened up when we come into the door 117 and we took our seats as quiet as we could. But the jingle of our spurs made some people in the congregation––the’ wasn’t more’n a dozen of ’em––look around. And of co’se they knew us right away. So, pretty quick one or two gets up and leaves, and soon afterward some more, until first thing we knew our bunch was all the’ was stickin’ it out.
“Along about that time the preacher decided he’d quit too, and he was edging off to head for the back door when I got up and told him to stop. Folks said afterwards that I throwed down my fo’ty-five on him but that wasn’t so. Wasn’t any need of a gun-play. I only said that we’d come to see this deal out and we meant to have it to the turning of the last card and if he’d go ahead everything would be all right.
“So he did, and give out a hymn and the boys stood up and sang; and he preached a sermon, taking advantage of the chanc’t to light into us pretty rough. Then it come time for passin’ round the hat and I’ll bet the reg’lar congregation never done half so well by the collection as we did.
“Well, sir, next mo’nin’ I was sittin’ in front of the hotel in the shade of those big cottonwoods, sort of dozing, having been up kind of late after the church-going; and the first thing I knew somebody was saying––
“‘Hanzup.’
“I opened my eyes and here was ol’ Jim Burnett with that double-barrel shotgun throwed down on me, I knew there was no use tryin’ to get the play away from him, either; only a day or two before that he’d 118 stuck up Johnny Harker and fined him a bunch of three-year-old steers for shootin’ up the town. So I obeyed orders and––
“‘Curly Bill,’ says he, ‘yo’ ’re tried herewith and found guilty of disturbin’ the peace at the Baptis’ Church last evenin’; and the sentence of this co’t is twenty-five dollars’ fine.’
“I shelled out then and there and glad to do it, too. Them two muzzles was lookin’ me right between the eyes all the while.”
Up in the San Simon country they ran short of grub and after going two days on scanty rations––
“The’ ’s a cañon fifteen miles south of here,” the outlaw said. “I reckon some of the boys might be camping there now.”