I went to bed that night, leaving him setting on the steps, talking to himself about the gentle touch of a woman’s hand. I asked him if he remembered the one what “touched” him in Great Falls. There wasn’t anything gentle about that one, being as she took his watch and three hundred dollars. That was another case of love at first sight, and then he went blind.
As I said before, bad news travels fast. The next day is Sunday, but that ain’t no excuse for every puncher from Silver Bend to Yaller Horse to come to Piperock. I don’t think that the Cross J bunch went home Saturday night.
Sam Holt never sold so many breakfasts before in his life. Some of them hair-pant specimens ate two or three times. Muley Bowles comes back to Buck’s place with his belt in his hand, and groans when he tells me that he thinks he got ptomaine poisoning for breakfast.
“You done et three orders of ham and aigs,” says Hen.
“You say ‘ham and aigs’ to me again and I’ll massacree yuh, Hen.”
Magpie comes back from breakfast and acts kinda sad-like.
After everybody is back from breakfast, old Sam Holt shows up. The bunch kinda crowds around him.
“I has to come away,” informs Sam. “Ma’s goin’ t’ feed the strange lady, and she won’t allow nobody in the dinin’-room.”
“Won’t allow nobody in the dinin’-room?” parrots Telescope.
“She has her orders,” grins Sam. “Only one man is allowed to see her.”