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Page 96
"This yere's Timber Wiggins, deputy sheriff from Pinal County,"
explained Slim, for Peruna's enlightenment. "Mr. Wiggins, will
you take care of this friend of mine?" continued the Sheriff,
glancing from Peruna, who looked at him stolidly, to Wiggins. "I
reckon he's been doin' something naughty."
The two men dismounted, keeping the outlaw covered and watching
his every glance.
"Anything to oblige," replied Wiggins, who had solemnly entered
with Slim into his assumed formality.
Wiggins stepped behind Peruna, and reaching forward, removed
Buck's gun from the outlaw's holster, which had been empty since
Buck, earlier in the day, had taken his revolver after he had
insulted Echo.
"Anything to oblige," said Wiggins to Slim. Then to Peruna he
commanded: "Let's take a walk. You first. I'm noted for my
politeness."
"You might tie him up some," suggested Slim.
"I sure will," answered the deputy, as he marched his prisoner
toward the corral.
Slim hastened to the side of the fallen man, and turned him over
on his back to get a glimpse of Peruna's victim. He saw that
Buck was still breathing although mortally wounded, the blood
gushing from his mouth.
McKee recognized the Sheriff. "Hullo! when did you git back?" he
asked.
"Jes' now. Is this your money?" said Slim, holding the roll in
front of McKee's eyes.
"No; it's your'n. Part o' what I took from 'Ole Man' Terrill.
The idee o' not recognizin' your own property!" McKee grinned at
his joke on the Sheriff. "I held the old man up, and that's all
there is to it."
"Who was with you?" asked Slim. "There was two."
McKee was silent.
"Bud Lane was the other man," hazarded Slim.
"No--" began Buck, but Slim interrupted him.
"He was with you that night. He came to the weddin' with you.
It ain't no use in denyin' it. I've been thinkin' it all out. I
was fooled by Jack's pacing hoss. You and Bud--"
Here McKee interrupted with a solemn denial. Whether from a
desire to foil the Sheriff, whom he knew was Bud's rival in love,
and so thought him the young man's enemy, or from the benevolent
spirit induced by the recent contemplation of his virtues, McKee
was impelled to give an account of the murder which very
convincingly indicated Bud as a protesting catspaw, rather than a
consenting accomplice.
At the end of the story he smiled grimly:
"So while you were out o' the county on a wil'-goose chase after
an inercent man, Peruna, he goes loco on paten'-medicine, an'
gits the guilty party. Joke's on you, Slim. I nomernate Peruna
fer nex' sheriff."
Exhausted with the effort and pain of talking, McKee dropped his
head upon Hoover's broad breast in a faint. Hoover bore him down
to the spring, and bathed his wound and mouth. McKee revived,
and in broken phrases, which were accompanied with blood from his
pierced lungs frothing out of his mouth, continued his
observations on the ridiculous and unfortunate mistake Peruna
made in killing him.
"Damn' fool--'s bes' fren'--I would herd--'th low-down
intellecks--nev' 'preciated--no chance--to be firs'-class--bad
man."
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