Cassidy, Hopalong (Fictitious character) -- Fiction; Western stories
If the sheriff expected to detect any interchange of glances between
his auditors at his reference to the watchman's bump on the head he was
disappointed. Johnny was looking at him with a frank interest seconded
by that of Idaho, and neither did anything else during the short pause.
"John got his senses back enough to know what had happened, an' one
glance around told him that he was right," continued Corwin. "Finally
he managed to get his legs loose enough to hobble, an' he butted out
into th' flyin' sand with his eyes shut an' his nose buried agin' his
shoulder so he could breathe; an' somehow he managed to hit a buildin'
in his blind driftin'. It was McNeil's, an' by throwin' his weight
agin' th' door an' buttin' it with his shoulders an' elbows, he woke up
Sam, who let him in, untied his arms an' th' rest of him, fixed him up
as well as he could in a hurry an' then left him there. Sam got Pete
Jennings, next door, sent Pete an' a scatter-gun to watch over what was
left in th' bank, an' then started out to find me. He had to give it up
till it got light, so he waited in th' bank with Pete. Th' bank fellers
are there now, checkin' up. Th' big, burglar-proof safe was blowed
open neat as a whistle--but they plumb ruined th' little one. They
overlooked th' biggest of all, down in th' cellar. Well," he sighed,
arising, "I got to go on with my callin'--an' it's one fine day to be
wanderin' all over town."
"If I was sheriff I wouldn't have to do much wanderin'," said Idaho.
"But, anyhow, it can't last," he grinned.
Johnny nodded endorsement. "Th' harder, th' shorter. It's gettin'
less all th' time," he said, pivoting and sitting on the edge of the
bed. "But, just th' same," he yawned, stretching ecstatically, "I'm
shore-e-e--g-l-a-d _I_ can stay indoors till she peters out. Yo're
plumb right, Corwin; them fellers never left town last night. An' if
I was you I'd be cussed suspicious of anybody that seemed anxious to
leave any time today."
"They never did leave town last night," said Idaho, a strange glint
showing in his eyes.
"An' nobody can leave today, neither," said Corwin. "If they try it
they will be stopped," he added, pointedly. "I've got a deputy coverin'
every way out, sand or no sand. So-long," and he tramped down the bare
stairs, grumbling at every step.
Johnny removed his hat to put on his shirt, and then replaced it. "You
speakin' about sand in yore hair gave me what I needed," he grinned.
"That's why I said it," laughed his companion. "I saw that yore neck
was stiff an' felt sorry for you. Now what th' devil do you think about
that bank?"
"Kane," grunted Johnny, pouring sand from a boot.
"That name must 'a' been cut on th' butt of th' gun that hit you,"
chuckled Idaho. "It's been drove in solid. Get a rustle on; I'm hungry,
an' my teeth are full of sand. I'm anxious to hear what Ed knows."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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