‘My God, did you hear that, too? He wanted me to go out to the ranch and kill Rex Morgan. I was gettin’ scared. But I wanted this saloon. I heard them comin’ on the grade; so I let ’em past before I shot. I never missed so bad before, but the light was awful poor.’
‘Just one thing more, Cave,’ said Hashknife. ‘When yuh had a chance down there, why didn’t yuh kill the tenderfoot?’
Joe sighed and looked at the handcuffs.
‘I was a damn fool,’ he said slowly. ‘I don’t sabe women. This ’n said she wanted the tenderfoot so bad that she’d rather stay with him than git out alone. And if you’ve ever been down there, where nothing much but a buzzard or a lion can git—yuh can sabe how bad she wanted him.’
‘And that’s why yuh brought ’em out, Joe?’
‘Wasn’t that enough?’
The doctor came and made an examination. He did not even open his black bag.
The crowd wanted more explanation. Hashknife drew a folded paper from his inside vest pocket and handed it to Lem, who read it, while the crowd leaned in over his wide shoulders to see what it was all about. It read:
This is mi last will--when im ded.
To Mary Morgan, legal wife of Dave Morgan i hearby give the 6X6 ranch to own. i dont give nothing to Dave Morgan he dont deserve it.
If Mary dyes it goes to her nearist kin. To Napoleon Bonaparte Briggs I hearby give the Oasis saloon he aint got no branes so he will have to give Jack Farewether a job as long as the saloon keeps open. This is mi onely will.
Yrs Respy
Peter Morgan
his X MarkP.S. wrote bi Napoleon Bonaparte Briggs oct 18 1904 because Pete Morgan cant wright.
Lem read it aloud to the men. Spike Cahill examined it, handing it back to Lem.