The Fast Gun...Chapter Four

Keegan takes one more Job.

A day later, Jubal rode down the main street to stop at the Saloon. He knew he shouldn't go inside with the riders from the Fargo Ranch, but he was thirsty and had that I do not give a damn attitude about him. Stepping down, he loosened the six-gun on his right hip before stepping inside. The talk at the table to the right of the door stopped talking at his entrance. One nodded to another and motioned toward the door. They drained their Beers and walked out.

Jubal was not one to start any trouble on a normal basis. But he was not one to side-step it or back down. Those who knew what he could do in a fight, whether it be with his fists or a gun, waited for the explosion to start. They knew one was coming, and it was only a matter of time.
As he stood at the bar sipping his Whiskey, he heard two cowboys talking about Mr. Deeds' beating. That it happened bothered him much. What bothered him more was the two gloating about it and saying Dedds got what he deserved from Cobb. Downing his shot, he turned to them.

"What was that you Peckerwoods were saying?" He didn't know these men, and they for sure did not know him. Jubal stalked down the bar to stop an arm's length away. He waited for one of them to speak.

"We said that Mr. Deeds got what he deserved. What business is it of yours anyway, Mister? We don't know you."

"My name's Jubal, and Deeds is a friend of mine." He threw a right cross to the nearest one's chin. Broke the jaw. The man's eyes rolled back in his head as he fell to the floor. His partner reached for his gun and managed to get it out of the holster before Jubal pistol-whipped him. One hit was all it took to join his partner out cold on the floor.

The Bartender smiled and asked if Jubal wanted one on the house. "Where is Deeds?"

"Down at Doc's. I'm sure he will be able to tell you who did it when he comes around." He stated, wiping out a glass that was already clean and free of dust.

Jubal had started to walk away, but then he turned back. "Which Cobb was it? Not that it matters much one way or the other.


"The Sheriff conveniently said there were no boot prints inside the Livery to show who had done the deed to Mr. Deeds. That stableman said otherwise. There were bootprints all over the place, and the boots that made them were fairly new and the only one around town wearing new boots is Deputy Cobb."

"Interesting. Thanks for the info. I'll mosely along to the Doc's." Jubal strolled out to his horse, stepped into the saddle, and rode down to the Doctor's House. Tied up at the hitching rail and knocked on the door. Waiting only a moment before the Doc's wife and his Nurse opened it. She smiled seeing him.

Holding the door wide open, she stepped aside for him to enter. Jubal took off his hat upon entering. Out of respect, more than anything. "How is he, Mary? Will he survive?"

"Go on back to the examination room. He is there full of Laudanum. Though you might be able to talk to him in a couple of hours. I'll let Henry tell you about his injuries." She grabbed his arm as he started for the room. " He might lose one eye, but we will know better when the swelling goes down."

She took a step back as Jubal exclaimed out loud."Cobb's a deadman!" He closed the door behind him.

The man lying in the bed could not be recognized. His face all cut up and bruised. The Doc sat next to him, keeping an eye on his breathing and occasionally checking his pulse. Jubal moved silently up to the bed.

"You needn't be so quiet, Jubal. I don't know if he can hear you or not. Gave him some Laudanum to sleep, which is the best thing for him at this point. I can't do anything more for him. It is in God's hands now." He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"What's his injury? Mary said he might lose an eye."

"Yes, he might. Broken nose, jaw, and cheekbone. I stitched up the cuts. Twenty of them. He'll wear them bruises for a while. Three cracked ribs and at least two broken. Not sure about internal injuries. Only time will tell. Deputy Cobb did a number on him for no Damned reason. I swear I will dance a jig when Cobb is dead."

"He will be when Laredo hears of this. Unless I beat him to it. Neither brother is any good."

"You have a couple of patients when they arrive. I knocked two of them Fargo riders around the Saloon a few minutes ago. Both are lucky I didn't shoot either one. Maybe I should have."

Deeds groaned and moved a bit on the bed, but did not wake up. Both looked in his direction and did not say a word. Mary stuck her head in the door. I have fresh coffee you two."

"Sounds good, Dear." Said the Doc.

"Thanks, Mary," I replied, leaving the room in front of the Doc.

We sat at the table having our coffee when there was a knock at the door. Mary looked at Doc. He looked at me, and I shrugged my shoulders. Finally, he got up and strolled to the door with the ease of a man who did not care how fast he moved. He waited until the person knocked more impatiently, then opened it up, blocking the way inside.

"May I help you?" He asked the two bleeding men, who were leaning against each other, to stand.

At first, neither man spoke out. One because he did not have a clue as to where the Hell he was, and the other one could barely speak through broken lips and teeth. Doc put a smile upon his face and did not care one bit if it pissed them off.

"We need attention, Doc. We got ambushed in the Saloon." he looked around and saw me sitting there drinking coffee calmly and smiling. "And there is that Sumbitch." He tried to pull his six-gun only to find himself staring down the barrel of Jubal's pistol.

"Maybe I should have just shot both of you, sorry excuses for a human being. Doc, grab them hog legs and hand them over. Then you can treat them if you wish. But they are to go nowhere near Deeds. They do, and I'll save you the effort of treating their boo boos." I sat back down at the table to finish my coffee. But I kept my six-gun in my right hand. As long as they were here, I was not going anywhere. No one was getting another chance at Mr. Deeds. Not these two yahoos or that Peckerwood Cobb.

Later that day, Sheriff Cobb found his brother, Deputy Cobb, drunk in his room above the Saloon. He stayed with one of the ladies. She claimed how wonderful a man he was, and everyone who knew him thought she was full of Shit. She is a piece of work herself, only a step up from the horse crap covered dusty street.

Sheriff Cobb slammed the door shut and kicked his brother's feet to wake him up. Slowly, he came out of his stupor, and he rubbed his hands across his face. "Where's Shelly?"

"Your whore is not here. What the Hell did you do to Deeds? Who told you to do that? I sure as Hell didn't. You opened up a can of worms with the town. It is going to be a while for this to calm down."

"Just put that uppity ass in his place is all..I'm only sorry about one thing."

"And that would be?"

"I did not finish him off when I had the chance. What are you so sad about? Maybe if you had the balls, I would not have had to show him who is in charge of this town." He reached for the near-empty Whiskey bottle on the stand next to the bed. After draining it, he threw the bottle across the room to smash against the wall.

Disgusted, Sheriff Cobb stormed out of the room, slamming the door open. In a bad mood, he stomped down the stairs, causing those in the Saloon to look up at him and then turn away quickly, not wanting to feel his wrath. Straight to the bar he went. Grabbing up a bottle, he turned and stormed out the batwing doors. A sigh of relief rippled through the Saloon.

Back in his Office, he sat at the desk and wondered if maybe hiring his brother as Deputy had not been a good idea after all. He took his coffee cup and filled it with some coffee, and mostly with Whiskey. After a couple of cups, he stood up and went out the door, turning in the direction of Doc's Office. Down the street he strolled with a swagger. He did not bother to knock on the door, just walked inside.

Imagine the shock on his face to be staring into Jubal's six-shooter. "What the Hell do you want, Cobb?"

"Checking on Mr. Deeds. See if he is okay to stand trial for assaulting my Deputy."

"Assaulting your Deputy, who beat the hell out of him and almost killed him. Why would he do that? A larger man, far stronger, and carrying a pistol. Sheriff, you have some nerve showing up here. Tell your brother he'll get his. Now, get the Hell out of here before I lose my temper and give you a third eye."

Doc spoke up, "Another word, Cobb and I will not treat either one of you from now on." He finished with the two men and was not gentle about it either. "Take your lackeys with you when you leave." Doc turned his back on the three men and did not turn back around until they had left, slamming the door behind them.

"Whatever he needs, Doc. Make sure he gets it and do not spare the cost. Thanks for the coffee, Mary." Jubal left and was about to step into the saddle when a shot rang out. It missed him, but not by much, and he ducked, pulling his six-shooter to turn, trying to find the ambusher. He could not find him. The Doc's post on his porch had a new bullet hole in it.

When no more shots rang out, he climbed aboard his horse and rode down to the Mercantile. Inside, he stepped up to the counter and asked for as much ammunition as the store could spare. Back outside, he stowed the ten boxes of Forty-Fours in his saddlebags and rode to the Gunsmith's Shop. He tied up and strolled inside. Gunderson was busy working on a rifle; the Hammer pin had to be replaced.

"Howdy, Jubal! How you been? What can I do for you? Sorry to hear about Mr. Deeds. Was that a gunshot I heard a few minutes ago? "

"Someone took a potshot at me outside the Doc's house. How many boxes of Forty-Fours you have? I'll take as many as I can."

"Let me check a moment ." He went through a curtain into a back room and came back carrying fifteen boxes. "This is all I have for right now, and I expect a new shipment in a couple of days. "

"If you don't mind, I will take them all. Looks like there is a shooting war fixing to happen around here and me, Laredo, and will be needing them, as well as some others."

He walked out to his horse and, after packing the boxes away, he stepped aboard to ride out of town. On the way, he saw Deputy Cobb peek his head out of the Sheriff's Office door. Pausing a moment, he stared at Cobb and pointed a finger at him, mimicking a pistol being shot. Then chuckled when Cobb's eyes widened and ducked back inside as fast as he could. Jubal rode on out of town.

Back at the gathering place, he rode in to see that a few of the smaller ranchers were still around. He waved at them and gave out acknowledgements. Grabbing a cup of coffee, he sat down and sipped it after blowing across the rim. "Where's Laredo?"

"He rode out a while back and has not been back since then. Everything okay in town?" Mrs. Carpenter asked.

"Gather around you all. Deputy Cobb beat the hell out of Mr. Deeds. He is cut up and bruised something awful, and the worst of it is, he may lose an eye." Jubak explained while sipping his coffee.

"Son Of A Bitch!" More than one said out loud

"Anymore trouble with Fargo? You all better stock up as best you can. I have a feeling this is going to get ugly fast. On my way to town, I saw a group of riders heading toward the Fargo Ranch, and the way they set their saddles, I imagine they were hired guns."

"How many were they, Jubal?"

"Stopped counting at twelve, but there could have been closer to twenty. I stocked up on Forty-Fours. I am heading back to my place for the time being, and if any of you see Laredo, send him my way." Jubal finished the coffee and sat the cup on the table. Cinching up, he stepped into the saddle and rode out toward the North. Miles away, he turned from his trail and waited to see if any followed him. When not seeing anyone, he continued onward.

He rode with purpose and caution. His rifle across his saddle. Around boulders scattered throughout the pines, his horse sensed they were going out, and Jubal let him have his way. He sat easily in the saddle, aware of his surroundings, but not letting himself drift off to sleep. His place was small in comparison to others, but it suited his purpose. He ran a few head of cattle and some horses. Mostly, he kept to himself. But Fargo pulled him out of the mountains and into town more than he liked.

Coming closer to his cabin, Jubal pulled up as he had a sense of something being wrong. Looking all around him, he could not see anything out of the ordinary. But there was a feeling, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Slowly, he rode on to his cabin, and there, out front, a horse was tied to the hitching post. It was one he recognized as belonging to Laredo. Knowing whose horse it was, he rode in and stepped down. The door opened, and Laredo stood with a coffee cup in hand.

"About time you showed up. Coffee's on the stove, and a stew is cooking. Got a deer earlier today." He stepped aside to let Jubal into his cabin.

"Been wanting to speak with you. Have you heard about Mr. Deeds?"

"What's up?" A look of concern crossed his face in an instant. He sat down hard when Jubal started talking. "Cobb's a deadman. Anything else?"

"Fargo is hiring gunslicks. About twenty rode towards Fargo's Ranch earlier today. I stocked up on Forty-fours in town. Figured we would need them. " He stood up and went back outside to return with his saddlebags. He emptied them onto the table.

Laredo looked at them, then up at Jubal.."Think there's enough there?"