They drank solemnly. Sunshine looked them over with a critical eye.
“Strangers, eh?” he decided.
“Just passin’ through,” said Hashknife. “We’re goin’ East with a train load of cattle. Old cattle-cars developed hot-boxes, so we had to stop a while.”
“Thasso? Goin’ East, eh?” Sunshine grew reflective. “I ain’t never been East. Mus’ be wonnerful country out there. No cows, no sheep—nothin’. Not a thing. I wonder how folks git along out there. Lo’s of barb wire, I s’pose, eh? Whole —— country fenced in, eh? P’leecemen to fight yore battles. Nothin’ for a feller t’ do, but eat and sleep. Mus’ be wonnerful.”
“We dunno,” admitted Hashknife. “This is our first trip East.”
“Oh, my, is that so? My, my! Hones’, I wouldn’t go, ’f I was you fellers, nossir. Firs’ trip is always dangerous. Let’s have another snifter of demon rum and I’ll try to talk yuh out of it.
“I had a frien’ who went East. Oh, my gosh, it was ter’ble! Got drunk and bought him some clothes. My, my, my! Wore ’em when he got back here and got shot twice before anybody rec’nized him. Everybody thought he was a drummer.”
“Did he have a drum with him?” asked Sleepy innocently.
“Huh?” Sunshine goggled at Sleepy wonderingly. “Shay! Me and you are goin’ to git along fine. If you ever want to be arrested decently, you have me do it. Gen’lemen, I sure can do a high-toned job of arrestin’. I’m Shunshine Gallagher, the dep’ty sheriff of Lo Lo County ’f I do shay it m’self.”
Hashknife and Sleepy shook hands solemnly with Sunshine, removing their hats during the handshaking. Sunshine was just as solemn, and almost fell against the bar in trying to make an exaggerated bow. Sudden Smithy drew out of the poker game and came over to the bar.