Longarm shrugged. “Herman, those men are up to something. I don’t know what it is, but they make me uneasy. They are not strangers passing through. We didn’t run off innocent men. Those are paid gunmen or I’m a Hoosier. And I never set foot in that state in my life. I don’t think I fooled them.”
“Well, you fooled me. Lordy, I got so carried ‘way watchin’ you knockin’ ‘em around I nearly forgot my part.”
Longarm looked around at him and half smiled. “I was beginning to wonder. Lucky for me I got that biggest one out of the way before he could even matters out.”
“You shore fetched him a lick! Went down like a poled steer. Wait’ll I tell Sylvie ‘bout this!” Longarm suddenly frowned. “Listen, Herman, until I’m sure about what the hell is going on, I don’t reckon we ought to be telling anyone anything. When it comes to explaining this to the ladies, I reckon you better leave it up to me.”
Higgins looked slightly crestfallen. He said, “Shore, if that be the way you want it. But you won’t tell it like I seen it. Or how me an’ you done that actin’ like we was on the stage or somethin’. What’d you think of me comin’ up with that name? Bull. What’d you think of that?”
Longarm looked at him and said dryly, “What’s my last name? Shit?”
Higgins giggled. “See? You won’t put all the good parts in. Can’t I just tell Sylvie about it tonight after we be in bed?”
Longarm shook his head. “You can tell her after we are gone on the stage tomorrow.” He glanced at the door, noting that it was ajar. “I think our birds are already flitting around. Remember, you leave the telling to me.” He raised his voice and called, “Ladies? Ladies? Rough stuff is over. You can come out now.”
They came through the door with Mrs. Higgins in the lead. They looked around. Other than the two overturned stools there wasn’t much to see. Mrs. Higgins fixed her husband with a look. “Mr. Higgins, I’d be obliged to know what has been going on in this place that required you to run for a shotgun.” She looked at Longarm, who was holding the weapon. He hastily set it on the floor and leaned it against the bar as if to distance himself from it. “Has this place become unsafe for civilized folks?” Mrs. Higgins asked.
Longarm said quickly, “Just some riders that got out of hand. Maybe had too much whiskey in them. Not a lot happened, Sylvia. And you get to be right proud of your husband. He set them straight about behavior around here and made it mighty clear.”
Rita Ann walked across the floor and looked at several red splotches on the floor where the man with the nosebleed had spit. She said, “Looks like somebody cut his finger on something.”
Longarm was trying to hide his hands, which he knew were skinned and bruised. They’d swell up if he didn’t get to soaking them fairly soon. He said, “Well, I figured to maybe help ease them out. I didn’t want to see no gunshots getting fired. One of ‘em must have scuffed his knee or his hand or something.”
Mrs. Higgins sniffed. “Sounded to us like was a herd of cattle runnin’ loose through the place.” She rounded on her husband. “Then I hear this one yelling at the top of his lungs about blowing people in half. Laws! Nearly scared me and Rita Ann to death. We never knowed from one second to the other what to think. And couldn’t see much through the crack in the door.”
Higgins said placatingly, “Now, Sylvie, we git them kind through here now and again. We’s jus’ lucky we had Mister Long here to help out with matters. They was only some bullies needed showing the error of their ways. And we done that, didn’t we, Mr. Long.”
“Yes, yes, Herman. We sure did. You did the biggest part of it, of course. But I thought you handled the situation right nicely. You ought to be proud, Mrs. Higgins, Sylvia. Quite a man, your husband.”
Mrs. Higgins gave him a stern look and said, “He ain’t big as a minute and thinks he can take on the world. One of these days he is gonna bite off more than he can chew and then we’ll just have to see about it.” But at the tail end of her look, a little maternal fondness came into the sternness. “I guess I’ll keep him.”
Rita Ann came over to Longarm and before he could react, took his right hand in hers and lifted it up. The scuffs across the knuckle were clear. She dropped it and picked up the left. It had a cut across the first two knuckles. She said, “Looked like it must have been a two-fisted fight. Didn’t go exactly the way you told it, Mr. Long.”
He cleared his throat. “Well, there was a little scuffling. But not enough to write home about. However, I would be obliged to get a pan of warm salty water and maybe soak these here mitts of mine before they get sore.”
Mrs. Higgins said, “I’d be obliged. You jus’ give me a minute to run into the kitchen and I’ll fetch it right out here. Herman, you come along with me. You ain’t out of the woods about this scuffling affair. No, sir. Not by a long shot. I’ll have a few more words with you, mister.”
Higgins said, “Now there you go, Sylvie, makin’ a cow outten a kitten. They ain’t nothin’ else to it.”
But he followed her obediently as she walked back into their living quarters.
As soon as they were out of sight Longarm turned immediately and started for the front door. He wanted to make sure the three men had kept riding and had not cut around to approach them from the back. He was aware that Rita Ann was following him, but he walked 50 yards out in front of the relay station and slowly swept his eyes across the terrain from north to south to east to west and then back north again. He could just pick out some little dots moving along at a pretty good pace. They appeared to be about three or four miles away. It could be the three that had come in the station, or it could be three entirely different men. He meant to speak to Higgins as soon as he conveniently could about putting his Mexicans on watch. It wouldn’t hurt to keep a close lookout until dusk.
Behind him Rita Ann said, “Why did you beat those three men up?”
He whirled around. “What?”
She said, “I could see a little through the crack between the door and the wall. It was almost over by the time we got there, but I saw that two men were laying on the floor and I saw you kick one in the head when he tried to get up. Why’d you do that?”
He stared at her. “Hell, Mr. Higgins told you. They were making trouble. They started in on him and I had to step in and help.”
She shook her head. “No, that is not true. Mr. Higgins was back getting the shotgun when the trouble started. I heard it. You were the one out there. You were the one using your fists. I saw you had left your gunbelt on the divan, which means you had gone out there to fight. You didn’t want to be weighed down by it.”
He gave her a perplexed look. “Who the hell are you? The sheriffs I don’t know exactly how it happened, but Mr. Higgins came back through the door and said it looked like he was going to have to run some hombres off, so I went out to see what was going on. I didn’t wear my gunbelt because I didn’t want to take a chance on any shooting. Damn! Talk about minding other folks’ business! What the hell has this got to do with you?”
“Nothing,” she said calmly. “I only want to know who you are.”
“I’ve told you. How many times I got to tell you?”
“You’re a businessman. Well, from the way you fight I’d recommend you go in the fighting business.”
He said, “I always wondered who the person would be who exasperated me beyond my reason. I think I may be looking at her.” Then he stepped around her and went back into the station, where Mrs. Higgins was waiting with the pan of hot, salty water.