“Well, I fell on somebody,” he proclaims. “Got a match handy?”
I lights a match and sees Magpie setting on a man’s stummick. The feller looks sort of yaller in the face, and I don’t think he’s got much fight left in his carcass, He’s still got a gun in his hand, the same of which we removes. Magpie looks him over and snaps some bracelets on his wrists.
“Safety first, Ike,” says he. Another match shows a rifle against the wall. Sudden-like Magpie remembers.
“Gosh, Ike! We’ve forgot the lady!”
There’s a box down there, which we hauls over under the door. Magpie climbs up and lifts the trap so we can see, and it sure is some tableau.
The door is open. There stands that feller Brand, with a grin on his face, and behind him is all the Piperock population that can crowd in. The lady is standing there against the wall, and all to once she drops her hand.
Bang This Brand person’s gun comes up and explodes, and the lady falls on her face. Magpie moves some quick. He flops out of that cellar, whirls on the crowd with a gun in each hand.
“You danged coward!” he yelps at Brand. “Shoot a defenseless woman, will yuh! Drop your guns!”
Every gun in sight hit the ground, and the lady staggers to her feet.
“Give me a gun,” she pants at Magpie, but Magpie just stares at her.