by J. T. Edson
Swinging his gaze from the two men, the Actor caught the eye of his partner and gave a quick nod in their direction.
On the point of emerging from the dining room where he had just finished a leisurely breakfast, Cruikshank came to an immediate halt when he saw the reason for the Actor’s signal. However, he too saw little cause for alarm. Like Steffen, particularly since he no longer had on the false beard and wig worn in Hereford, he bore little resemblance to his persona while playing the role of a professor of mathematics. His attire was more suitable for the moderately successful representative of an Eastern mail-order company he was purporting to be. Therefore, he had no doubt that he would be an unsuspected factor should he have guessed wrong and his companion needed support to carry out the assignment for which they had been hired. With that in mind, hiding his ear trumpet behind his back, he put his right hand into the front of his jacket where he was armed in the same way as his partner.
“Why, howdy, Mr. Sidcup,” Waxahachie Smith greeted, coming to a halt facing the black-dressed man in the attire of a Catholic priest. “Or should I say ‘Howdy, Actor Steffen’?”
“I don’t know what you mean, my son,” the hired killer stated, needing only a moment to recover from the shock caused by what he had heard.
“The hell you don’t,” the rusty-haired Texan declared. “It’s no use trying to pull a bluff, hombre. We were on to you right from the start.”
When making the statement, Wax was speaking the truth.
On learning what was being planned by liberals imbued with the close to paranoid hatred their kind always felt for everybody who declined to follow exactly the dictates of their will—and some having a financial stake that made them just as eager to try to ruin the cattle business in the Lone Star State by means of playing upon fears of the so-called Texas fever—Belle Boyd had been determined to thwart them. Notifying Dusty Fog of all she had discovered, she had offered to keep supplying all the pertinent information to come her way. She had also been confident that the small Texan would take adequate measures to circumvent the scheme at his end.
Justifying the confidence of the Rebel Spy, Dusty, with the full support of his wife, had set about making preparations to deal with the situation. When laying their plans, Freddie and he had seen a way they might also help Wax circumvent the problem of the warrant still open against him if he returned to his home state. Being immediately promised the willing support of Mark Counter and the Ysabel Kid, they had set the scheme in motion.
One of the items of information Belle had sent was that a notorious Eastern hired killer—noted for his ability at adopting a variety of excellently produced disguises—and his partner had been selected by liberals in Chicago to use whatever means might be required to make sure a cure for the Texas fever was not discovered. The Rebel Spy also claimed that the men would be commencing their task by seeking information in Austin and that they had been told there was somebody in the service of Governor Matthew Anderson—whose name she had not learned—who would be able to help them learn much of what they needed to know. Being suspicious where what she called “civil servants” espousing “liberal” pretensions were concerned, it was at Freddie’s instigation that they made use of Edmund Dell to make sure that such news of their activities as they wanted known reached the conspirators Belle had reported were already at Austin trying to discover what action was contemplated to prevent a cure for the Texas fever from being found.
When Freddie and Dusty were satisfied that what they wanted to be known was passed on by Dell, they passed a warning to Mark, who took over the next part of the scheme by meeting Wax at Hereford. Having survived the two attempts upon his life and deducing who Lance Sidcup and Amos Cruikshank really were—as Dusty had when noticing the latter was eavesdropping by lip-reading at the governor’s reception in Austin— Wax had set out to collect Frank Smith from Chicago.
From the moment the rusty-haired Texan left Hereford, the Kid, putting to use the training as a Comanche warrior he had received as a boy, had followed him without the men sent after him realizing that this was taking place. When deciding that they had gone far enough, the Kid had stolen their horses while they slept and left the old pair of moccasins in the justified assumption that the oldest member of the party would realize what this meant and also suspect his involvement.
The Kid had achieved his purpose and, satisfied that there would be no further danger from that source, had headed to the Smith ranch in Ellis County, where he helped the Lombards ready its defenses in advance of for Wax’s arrival there. Not the least of these had been the construction of the apparently solid mounds. In reality these were domes of light sticks over which burlap was spread and turf, brought from some distance away, placed on top to be watered and tended until it started to grow in a natural-looking manner. While this was being carried out, in spite of the claim he had made about having to “sage-hen” throughout the entire mission, he had stayed at the house, although taking the precaution of wearing clothing less easily distinguishable than his usual all-black attire and making sure he
kept out of sight whenever anybody came visiting. By doing so, he had kept his presence in the area from being discovered. He felt the precaution was justified when news of the hard cases assembling in Waxahachie arrived and a couple of them carried out scouting forays to study the layout of the ranch house.
Notified by telegraph from Ashdown, Arkansas, that Wax would shortly reach Texas, the Kid had gone to the prearranged point for crossing the Red River. His sense of humor had demanded that he keep his presence from being discovered by any of the trio—although Wax formed the correct conclusion when the other two mentioned their belief that they were being watched by somebody they could not locate—yet remain ready to render assistance should the need arise. The attack on the house had come earlier than was anticipated. Nevertheless, so effective did the false mounds prove, it was broken up without the Kid’s having needed to become involved until after the attackers were driven off. Trailing after them, he had prevented a return from being made and, as he discovered later, caused the survivors to decide to give up any further attempts.
After discussion over breakfast that morning, the Kid had had his proposal that the time had come to settle accounts with Steffen and his partner—if they could be found—accepted unanimously. Everybody agreed that there would be further attempts made against them as long as the pair were at liberty to do so. Wax and Teddy had gone to the Gunnison Hotel as the most likely place to find their quarry, and, on entering, found their assumption to be correct—at least as far as the Actor was concerned, for his partner had not been with him.
“I’m afraid you have the wrong man, my son,” Walter Steffen claimed, although he realized from the use of the sobriquet “Actor” that the Texan confronting him was aware of his true identity. Moving his right hand slowly, he unfastened the black jacket and, making a scratching motion in a seemingly nonchalant fashion with his fingers, slipped it underneath toward the waiting handle of the Merwin & Hulbert revolver. “Damn it, I’ve picked up a flea!”
Making the second comment, the hired killer coiled his hand around the butt of the revolver confident that his true intention was not expected.
There was one thing that the Actor failed to take into account due to his ignorance of certain vitally important matters.
Despite having acquired reasonable skill at handling revolvers, Steffen had done so east of the Mississippi River. Nor had he ever seen a Western-trained pistolero in action. He was not present when Waxahachie Smith and Mark Counter dealt with their attackers in the dining room of the Hereford hotel. Furthermore, none of the men whom he had hired rated as efficient gunfighters. Therefore, he had nothing upon which to base his assessment of the situation. Instead, despite having been identified, he was confident that his intended victim was unaware that he was armed.
In the latter assumption, the Actor was completely wrong.
For a good many years, Wax had been associated and
in contention with men well versed in all aspects of gunplay. Among the survival lessons he had learned was the ability to watch for and locate hidden weapons. Scanning Steffen while approaching, he had noticed the bulge beneath the left side of the fastened jacket and drawn the correct conclusion as to its cause. What was more, pretending to scratch at a nonexistent flea was an old ploy, even though Steffen believed he had just thought it up. In fact, the rusty-haired Texan thought the action gave added evidence to his estimate of the other being armed.
Satisfied that he had lulled Wax’s suspicions, the Actor grasped and started to twist the short-barreled revolver from the spring-retention shoulder holster.
With the move commenced, Steffen began to realize that he had been wrong in his assessment of the situation.
Twisting palm outward, the rusty-haired Texan brought his slip gun from its Missouri Skin-Tite holster with a deft and deadly-flowing speed that bespoke long practice. With the action cocked as the Colt emerged, turned forward before the other man’s weapon came into view, flame and smoke erupted from the muzzle. At such close quarters, even though the barrel was being pointed at waist level by instinctive alignment, the multi-ball load of the cartridge flew as intended. All three pieces of lead plowed into the center of Steffen’s chest and, allowing the Merwin & Hulbert to slip from his suddenly inoperative fingers, he toppled backward to the floor.
As soon as Cruikshank saw his partner reaching beneath the jacket, he knew what to expect. Bringing out his own weapon, he stepped forward and started to raise it. Things might have gone badly for Teddy, as he had forgotten there were two men to be found. Although he glanced around and recognized the danger with which he was being threatened, he could not react swiftly enough to save himself. Nor, being occupied by dealing with Steffen, was Wax in a better position to deal with the second menace.
Thrusting himself across the threshold from where he had remained to keep watch on his companions, the Ysabel Kid brought his magnificent “One of a Thousand” Winchester Model of 1873 to his shoulder with smooth-flowing rapidity. Hardly had the butt been cradled at his right shoulder than the octagonal barrel was aligned to his satisfaction and a squeeze at the set trigger caused the weapon to fire. Struck between the eyes by the .44-caliber bullet, its director having concluded that only such a means would serve to save Teddy, Cruikshank was killed instantly and driven backward a couple of involuntary paces to measure his length on the floor.
“Bully, Lon!” Teddy boomed, having watched his would-be assailant go down, then turned his gaze to the black-dressed, Indian-dark Texan. “And my thanks, sir. I owe you my life.”
Stepping forward to kick the Merwin & Hulbert farther away from its owner, Wax studied the effect of his shot.
Although Steffen was still alive, the three segments of the multi-ball load formed a triangle in his chest to inflict a wound from which not even the best medical attention would have enabled him to survive.
“Why didn’t you stop me if you knew who I was and what I was after?” the Actor croaked, looking upward.
“We concluded to make you spend a whole heap of those lib-rad sons of bitches’ money before we called time on your game,” Wax replied, knowing nothing could save the man and willing to do what little was possible to give relief for his remaining life span.
“Goddamn it!” Steffen growled, swinging his eyes to where Teddy was approaching. “You’re the only one I ever failed to get once I started, Smith.”
“He’s not Frank Smith,” Wax stated before his companion could speak.
“Not—?” the Actor gasped, but a spasm shook him to end the question unsaid.
“Nope,” Wax confirmed when Steffen showed signs of being able to concentrate again. “Freddie and Dusty Fog fetched Frank back with them from Chicago, and he’s been working on the cure for the Texas fever down to their spread in Rio Hondo County ever since.”
“But why—?” the Actor croaked.
“To stop anybody finding out where he was and trying to stop him doing it,” Wax explained. “And, like I said, make those soft-shells waste their money. I hope you soaked them good.”
“I—I did, much good it will do me now,” Steffen admitted, then went on, “But if he isn’t Frank Smith, who is he?”
“His real name’s Theodore Roosevelt, but he’d sooner be called Teddy,” Smith replied. “And even if he doesn’t do anything else in his life, he’s sure done a real service for the cattle business in Texas.”
Appendix
With his exceptional good looks and magnificent physical development, xxix Mark Counter presented the kind of appearance many people expected of a man with the reputation gained by his amigo, Captain Dustine Edward Marsden “Dusty” Fog. It was a fact of which they took advantage when the need arose. xxx On one occasion, it was also the cause of the blond giant being subjected to a murder attempt although the Rio Hondo gun wizard was the intended victim. xxxi
While serving as a lieutenant under the command of General Bushrod Sheldon in the War Between the States, Mark’s merits as an efficient and courageous officer had been overshadowed by his unconventional taste in uniforms. Always something of a dandy, coming from a wealthy family had allowed him to indulge in his whims. Despite considerable opposition and disapproval from hidebound senior officers, his adoption of a “skinless” tunic in particular had come to be much copied by the other rich young bloods of the Confederate States Army.” xxxii Similarly, in later years, having received an independent income through the will of a maiden aunt, xxxiii his taste in attire had dictated what the well-dressed cowhand from Texas should wear to be in fashion.
When peace had come between the North and the South, Mark had accompanied Sheldon to fight for Emperor Maximilian in Mexico. There he had met Dusty Fog and the Ysabel Kid. On returning with them to Texas, he had received an offer to join the floating outfit of the OD Connected ranch. Knowing his two older brothers could help his father, Big Ranse, to run the family’s R Over C ranch in the Big Bend country—and considering life would be more enjoyable and exciting in the company of his two amigos—he accepted.
An expert cowhand, Mark had become known as Dusty’s right bower. xxxiv He had also gained acclaim by virtue of his enormous strength. Among other feats, it was told how he had used a tree trunk in the style of a Scottish caber to dislodge outlaws from a cabin in which they had forted up, xxxv and broke the neck of a Texas longhorn steer with his bare hands. xxxvi He had acquired further fame for his ability at bare-handed roughhouse brawling. However, because he had spent so much time in the company of the Rio Hondo gun wizard, his full potential as a gunfighter received little attention. Nevertheless, men who were competent to judge such matters stated that he was second only to the small Texan when it came to drawing fast and shooting accurately with a brace of long barreled Colt revolvers. xxxvii
Many women found Mark irresistible, including Martha “Calamity Jane” Canary. However, in his younger days, only one—the lady outlaw, Belle Starr—held his heart. xxxviii It was not until several years after her death that he courted and married Dawn Sutherland, whom he had first met on the trail drive taken by Colonel Charles Goodnight to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. xxxix The discovery of oil on their ranch brought added wealth to them, and this commodity now forms the major part of the present family’s income. xl
Recent biographical details we have received from the current head of the family, Andrew Mark “Big Andy” Counter, establish that Mark was descended on his mother’s side from Sir Reginald Front de Boeuf, notorious as lord of Torquilstone Castle in medieval England xli and who lived up to the family motto, Cave Adsum. xlii However, although a maternal aunt and her son, Jessica and Trudeau Front de Boeuf, behaved in a way that suggested they had done so, xliii the blond giant had not inherited the very unsavory character and behavior of his ancestor.
The Waxahachie Smith Series
No Finger on the Trigger
Slip Gun
Cure the Texas Fever
You�
�ve reached the last page.
But the adventure doesn’t end here …
Join us for more first-class, action-packed books.
Regular updates feature on our website and blog
The Adventures continue…
Issuing new and classic fiction from Yesterday and Today!
More on J.T. Edson
i Taking place on Thursday, April 21, 1836, the Battle of San Jacinto was the culmination of the struggle by the people of Texas to free themselves from Mexican rule. Information about some of the events leading up to the battle is given in the Ole Devil Hardin series.
Information about the career and family background of Captain Dustine Edward Marsden “Dusty” Fog can be found in most volumes of the Civil War and Floating Outfit series.
ii The first meeting between Dusty Fog and his wife when she was Lady Winifred Phoebe Besgrove-Woodstole, why she was living in Mulrooney, Kansas, under the alias “Freddie Wood,” and the events leading up to their marriage are told in THE MAKING OF A LAWMAN, THE TROUBLE BUSTERS, and DECISION FOR DUSTY FOG.
“Freddie Woods” also appears in CARDS AND COLTS; THE CODE OF DUSTY FOG; THE GENTLE GIANT; THE FORTUNE HUNTERS; Part Six, “The Butcher’s Fiery End,” J. T.’S LADIES; and THE WHIP AND THE WAR LANCE.
“Miz Freddie” Fog makes a guest appearance under her married name in NO FINGER ON THE TRIGGER.
iii Information about the career, family background, and special qualifications of the Ysabel Kid can be found in various volumes of the Dusty Fog’s Civil War and Floating Outfit series.
iv Danny Okasi was not Chinese. He was Japanese, a trained samurai warrior—which explains his skill at fighting in such an (to Occidental eyes) unusual fashion—and serving a family obligation by living in the United States with the Hardin, Fog, and Blaze clan as an uncle had done previously.
