“She and Charley just yelled while she was telling it all to me; and they was laughing ’emselves ’most sick all the rest of the way across to Santa Fé. When we got into town I drove ’em to the Fonda; and then the Hen rigged herself out in good clothes she bought at Morse’s––it was the pot we made up for them sweet babes paid for her outfit––and give her old black duds to one of the Mexican chambermaids. They allowed––knowing I could be trusted not to go around talking in Santa Fé––they’d stay on at the Fonda till to-morrow, anyway: so I might let ’em know, when I get back again, how you boys took it when you was told how they’d played it on you right smack down to the ground!
“Charley sent word he hoped there wouldn’t be no hard feeling––as there oughtn’t to be, he said, seeing he was so drunk when he shot Bill it was just an accident not calling for hanging; and the whole thing, anyways, being 236 all among friends. And the Hen sent word she guessed the two of ’em had give you a first-class theatre show worth more’n you put in my hat for gate-money, and you all ought to be pleased. And they both said they’d been treated so square by you fellows they’d be real sorry to have any misunderstanding, and they hoped you’d take the joke friendly––the same as they meant it themselves.”
Well, of course we all did take it friendly––it wouldn’t a-been sensible to take as good a joke as that was any other way. Cherry was the only one that squirmed a little. “It’s on us, and it’s on us good,” Cherry said; “and I’m not kicking––only you boys haven’t got no notion what it is having a woman a-grabbing fast to your legs and groaning at you, and how dead sick it makes you feel!”
Cherry stopped for a minute, and looked as if he was a’most sick with just thinking about it. Then he sort of shook himself and got a brace on, and went ahead with his chin up like he was making a speech in town-meeting––and 237 it turned out, as it don’t always in town-meeting speeches, what he said was true.
“Gentlemen,” said Cherry, “there’s this to be said, and we have a right to say it proudly: we’ve give this town the clean-up we set out to give it, and from now on it’s going to stay clean. There won’t be any more doings; or, if there is, the Committee ’ll know the reason why. Palomitas is purified, gentlemen, right down to the roots; and I reckon I’m mistook bad––worse’n I was when the Hen was yanking my legs about––if the Committee hasn’t sand enough and rope enough to keep on keeping it pure!”
THE END