‘Yore loop’s around yore feet,’ warned Briggs. ‘All you know about him is seein’ him once or twice a week.’
‘I worked for him, didn’t I?’
‘Yea-a-ah, yuh did and yuh do. But I knowed him better than you ever could. I’ve filled his belly with food for years, and I shore know him from his chilblains to his dandruff. And he wasn’t a big man. He was pretty much of a damn fool in lotsa ways.’
‘Just what ways?’ asked the bartender.
‘Lotsa ways. Say! He shore got popped over the head awful hard. I got one look at him, and that was s’ficient f’r me. I says t’ myself, “Pete, you’re a gonner.” And he was, too.’
‘Who was there when he came, Briggs?’
‘Oh, me and Spike and Bert and Dell and Dave Morgan. It shore hit Dave awful hard. Him and Peter never was real friendly, but they was cousins.’
‘Who gets the 6X6 ranch?’ asked Hashknife.
‘Prob’ly lotsa folks are wonderin’ about that,’ said Briggs slowly. ‘Dave looks like the lee-gitimate heir, unless old Pete made out a will. That’ll all be found out later on, I reckon. Pete wasn’t much of a hand to monkey with lawyers. Kinda wanted t’ be his own law.’
‘Dave’ll probably git the Oasis saloon, too,’ said the bartender. ‘Mebby he’ll get his fill of liquor and poker.’