“Matt, I have a feeling that, like me, you’re going to wind up making some enemies, more than likely, a lot of them,” Smoke told him. “In addition, there will be some men who aren’t particularly enemies, but would be happy to kill you just for the reputation. One place where you are always vulnerable is when you’re sitting in a barber’s chair with a cape tied around you. That’s when your enemies will see you as a prime target. But you don’t have to be vulnerable there. If you’ll just pull your pistol and hold it in your lap, you’ll turn the situation around. Then, it will be you who will have the upper hand.”
“That fella that just left here sure gets around,” the barber said. “You heard him talking about Matt Jensen, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Yes, sir, well, Matt Jensen ain’t the only one he knows. He’s good friends with Smoke Jensen and Falcon MacCallister too. He also knows Wyatt Earp, and he knew Wild Bill Hickock. Yes, sir, that fella really gets around.”
“Some men just have a knack of making friends, I suppose,” Matt said, swallowing a laugh.
“Find anything interesting in the newspaper?” the barber asked as he began building up a frothy lather in the shaving cup.
“I was just reading about Northwest selling out,” Matt replied.
“Yeah, what do you think of that?”
“It doesn’t look like they had much choice,” Matt said. “According to the article, they’ve been losing money for the last couple of years.”
“I guess that’s right,” the barber said. “It’s just that I hate to see it go to Gillespie.”
“Why? What’s wrong with Gillespie?”
“Oh, I don’t know as there is anything wrong with him. It’s just that it don’t seem right for one man to have so much money. Why, they say he’s as rich as some countries.” The barber was sharpening his blade on the razor strop.
“There’s nothing wrong with being rich, as long as you have come by it honestly,” Matt said.
“Well, yes, sir, I reckon that’s true. Maybe I’m just jealous ’cause he’s got all that money, and I don’t.”
“Are you married?” Matt asked.
“Yes, sir, I am. I got me a fine wife, two kids, a boy ’n a girl, and another one on the way.”
“And a nice business where you provide a service for people who need that service,” Matt commented.
The barber was quiet for a moment, then he chuckled. “You’re a pretty intelligent man, mister. You’re right. Now that I think about it, I’ve got all a man needs to be happy.”
The barber whistled a contented tune as he began shaving Matt.
After the shave and haircut, Matt walked out front, untied his horse from the hitching rail, then swung into the saddle.
“Spirit, we’re going to San Francisco. I know that’s over a thousand miles, but you won’t have to walk the whole way. I’ll find a place for us to catch the train before we get there.”
PINNACLE BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2012 William W. Johnstone
Copyright © 2016 J. A. Johnstone
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Following the death of William W. Johnstone, the Johnstone family is working with a carefully selected writer to organize and complete Mr. Johnstone’s outlines and many unfinished manuscripts to create additional novels in all of his series like The Last Gunfighter, Mountain Man, and Eagles, among others. This novel was inspired by Mr. Johnstone’s superb storytelling.
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
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ISBN: 978-0-7860-3817-6
First electronic edition: February 2016
ISBN-13: 978-0-7860-3819-0
ISBN-10: 0-7860-3819-5
Sixkiller, U.S. Marshal Page 26
