"And there's no drug store here? What kind of a bum tank town is this, anyhow?"
"They keep a few patent medicines and such over at the Lone Star Emporium——" I started to tell him. I never had a chance to finish my sentence. He darted around the table, grabbed me by the arm, and urged me to my feet.
"Show me!" he panted.
We sailed through the bar room under full head of steam, leaving the gang staring after us open-mouthed. I could feel we were exciting considerable public interest. At the Lone Star Emporium the little freak looked wildly about him until his eyes fell on the bottle shelves. Then he rushed right in behind the counter and began to paw them over. I headed off Sol Levi, who was coming front making war medicine.
"Loco," says I to him. "If there's any damage, I'll settle."
It looked like there was going to be damage all right, the way he snatched up one bottle after the other, read the labels, and thrust them one side. At last he uttered a crow of delight, just like a kid.
"How many you got of these?" he demanded, holding up a bottle of soothing syrup.
"You only take a tablespoon of that stuff——" began Sol.
"How many you got—how much are they?" interrupted the stranger.
"Six—three dollars a bottle," says Sol, boosting the price.