Ranger Justice

by James J. Griffin

  “You want ‘em jailed?”

  “Nah. I think they’ve learned their lesson. Unless Andre or Paul wants to press charges.”

  “I’m satisfied,” Miller grunted.

  “Same here,” Doherty concurred.

  “If that’s what you want,” Lewis shrugged. “All right, Cady. You and Moore take the rest of your pards and what’s left of Wylie and get outta here.”

  “This ain’t the last of it, Ranger,” Al Cady threatened. “Mace’ll be sure and settle your hash. And Lewis, we’ll be wantin’ to press charges against those two hombres for fightin’.”

  “I’ll be waitin’,” Jim promised.

  Thinking quickly, Lewis snapped, “And you can’t press charges against two duly sworn county deputies, Cady. They were just enforcin’ the law by tryin’ to break up a fight. Reckon you can consider yourselves lucky you’re all not bein’ arrested for assaultin’ officers of the law. Now get outta here before I decide to run you in myself.”

  “Reckon we’re licked for now, men,” Cady grumbled. “Let’s get outta here.” He and Jess Moore dragged Jasper Wylie’s body out of the saloon, the rest of their crew staggering out behind them.

  “Josh, I reckon my friends can use another drink,” Jim said, as soon as the Rafter Q hands had departed. “And I sure can use another sarsaparilla. You gonna join us, Rick?”

  “Reckon I have time for a beer,” the deputy replied.

  “Have ‘em in a minute,” the saloonkeeper replied.

  “Thanks for jumpin’ in and givin’ me a hand with those jaspers,” Jim gratefully told Miller and Doherty.

  “No problem at all,” Miller replied, as he wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. “Besides, I couldn’t let a man call me that and get away with it.”

  “I know,” Jim replied, “Just wanted to make sure no one could say you started that fight.”

  “Most fun I’ve had in years,” Doherty chuckled as he gingerly felt the huge lump rising along his jaw.

  “Here’s your drinks, on the house, and don’t worry about the damages,” Hemingway told them as he placed their glasses on the bar. “It was worth it just to see Mace Jeffers’ men get the comeuppance they’ve been needin’. And Jasper Wiley finally got what he deserved. He’s been throwin’ his weight around for too long.”

  “No one deserves to die like that, no matter what he might’ve done,” Jim objected. Despite his chosen career as a Texas Ranger, he hated having to kill anyone, and usually got slightly sick to his stomach when forced to, even after all his years as a lawman. “I wasn’t tryin’ to kill Wylie. He just fell wrong and broke his neck.”

  “Mebbe so, but Wylie was sure tryin’ to kill you,” Doherty noted, “So I’d say things turned out for the best.”

  “Gotta agree with Paul,” Hemingway added. “And Jasper started that fight.”

  “Don’t matter much anyway,” Jim morosely replied, wincing as he took a swallow of his soda pop. “It’ll just stir up more trouble with Mace Jeffers.”

  “Jim, you all right?” Lewis questioned, as Blawcyzk grimaced again when he gulped down the rest of his drink.

  “Wylie broke a couple of my teeth, and they’re diggin’ into my cheek,” the Ranger explained. “Reckon I need a dentist. You happen to have one in town?”

  “As a matter of fact we do,” Lewis answered, “Young fella who set up practice about a year ago. You want to see him right now?”

  “Guess I can wait until mornin’,” Blawcyzk replied. “Dunno about the rest of you, but I’m headin’ for bed. Rick, I’ll see you in the mornin’. Andre, Paul, I’m sure we’ll be runnin’ into each other. Now, I’m gonna say g’night.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Early the next morning, Jim followed the directions Rick Lewis had provided to a small, neatly whitewashed building on a side street a few blocks from the Terrell Hotel. “Like Rick said, you sure can’t miss the place,” he grinned, looking up at a huge carved wooden tooth hanging over the door with “James Geyda, Dentist” emblazoned across the symbol.

  As Jim stepped into the office, a tall young man turned to him, looking at the Ranger curiously through a pair of pince-nez spectacles. He was neatly dressed, his brown hair carefully combed. “May I help you, sir?” he politely inquired.

  “I take it you’re the dentist,” Jim replied, his attempted smile coming out as more of a grimace.

  “You’re absolutely correct,” came the reply, “Dr. James Geyda at your service. And from your expression and the swelling on your jaw, it appears you came to me none too soon. You certainly seem to have a bad tooth.”

  “I reckon you’re right,” Jim replied, “And it’s more’n one tooth, I’m sorry to say. A few men from the Rafter Q and I had a slight disagreement in the Blue Tail Fly last night. One of’em broke a couple of my teeth. I’m Ranger Lieutenant Jim Blawcyzk, by the way.”

  “I take it you’re in worse shape than they are,” Geyda noted.

  “You figure wrong,” Jim answered. “The jasper who broke my teeth won’t be doin’ any more fightin’, and the rest of those hombres will be laid up for quite a spell.”

  “My apologies, Lieutenant. I just assumed from your appearance.”

  “No apology needed,” Jim broke in, “I reckon I look as if I’d taken on a bunch of bobcats and lost.”

  “That’s about right,” Geyda smiled. “Well, if you’ll take a seat in my chair, let’s see what I can do for you.”

  “Is this gonna hurt much, Doc?” Jim asked, apprehensively eyeing the menacing, to his eyes, dental equipment and appliances surrounding the chair.

  “Probably nowhere nearly as much as the punches you obviously took last night,” Geyda chuckled, then sobered as he continued. “Unfortunately, there will be some pain when I work on your mouth. That can’t be avoided. However, I try to be as gentle as I can be, and my equipment is the most modern available. I pride myself on causing my patients as little discomfort as possible. Most of my work is practically painless. And you certainly don’t have much choice.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Jim answered, as he hung his Stetson on a wall peg and reluctantly settled into the chair. Geyda fussed with the chair’s levers, tilting the Ranger back.

  “Now open as wide as possible,” the dentist ordered, as he lifted a pick from a tray. “Would you like some laudanum or whiskey before I proceed?”

  “Uh-uh.” Jim shook his head. “Need to keep my head clear.”

  “Fine. This will sting somewhat,” Geyda warned, as he jabbed the pick between two of the Ranger’s teeth.

  “Ow!” Jim yelped, as the dentist probed under his gumline. “Thought you said this wouldn’t hurt much,” he managed to mumble.

  “I’ve just started,” Geyda warned, “You’re going to feel more pain once I begin working. Are you sure I can’t convince you to take some laudanum?”

  “Not a chance,” Jim replied, “Just do what you can.”

  “I’ll be as careful as possible,” Geyda assured him. “But I will have some grinding to do, that’s for certain. Let me get a better look.” He removed a small, long-handled mirror from the tray and placed it in Jim’s mouth, grunting speculatively as he studied the broken teeth.

  Once Geyda had removed the mirror, Jim asked, “Well, what’s the verdict, Doc?”

  “I can fix those two broken teeth without too much trouble, and with only a minimal amount of pain,” Geyda answered.

  “Pain for you, or for me?” Jim grinned.

  “For you. I won’t feel a thing.” The dentist chuckled appreciatively at Jim’s joking question. “To explain further, I can grind down the first tooth to smooth the top edge. That’s no problem at all. The second tooth has quite a crack. It will need to be drilled and filled.” Seeing Jim fearfully eye the foot-pump operated drill, Geyda tried to assure him. “That drill you’re looking at is t
he fastest one on the market. It will drill out your tooth very quickly. And the mercury amalgam filling material I use is the strongest available.”

  “Somehow I don’t find that very reassuring,” Jim answered.

  “I didn’t think you would. Most people don’t,” Geyda replied, “And there is one other problem. You have a wisdom tooth which has a large cavity under the gumline, and it’s about to become infected and abscess. I’m rather surprised it hasn’t caused you some discomfort already. That tooth needs to come out immediately.”

  “You mean pull it?”

  “That’s exactly what I mean, Lieutenant. If you don’t have it taken out, you’ll be in a great deal of pain shortly, and will be very ill besides. Besides, wisdom teeth aren’t really needed. They usually cause a great deal of trouble. Those men who fought you just might have done you a favor by forcing you to come in for a visit. And fortunately, I don’t have any patients scheduled until later this morning. I can take care of all three teeth right now.”

  “How much is it gonna cost?” Jim asked. “Ranger pay ain’t all that much.”

  “I know,” Geyda answered. “Let’s see, I’ll need to burr down the edge of one tooth and smooth it, drill and repair the second, then pull that wisdom tooth. It will be five dollars all together, but with a ten percent discount for a peace officer, all told you’ll need to pay me four dollars and fifty cents. Is that agreeable?”

  “Reckon I don’t have much choice,” Jim conceded, “Let’s get at it.”

  “All right,” Geyda agreed. “Now I am going to splash some whiskey in your mouth to help deaden the pain and as an antiseptic. Swish it around, then you can swallow it or spit it into that bucket, as you see fit.”

  “Thought you said this wouldn’t hurt much, Doc,” Jim protested, “Even the sign in your window says ‘Virtually Painless Dentistry’.”

  “What do you think makes it virtually painless?” Geyda retorted, laughing. “Trust me, when I start working on that wisdom tooth, you’ll be glad for the whiskey.”

  “You’re the expert,” Jim shrugged. “Lemme have a slug of that red-eye.”

  Much to Jim’s surprise, he had to admit that while there was considerable pain as Geyda repaired the two teeth Jasper Wylie’s fist had broken, it was far from unbearable.

  “I told you it wouldn’t hurt all that much, Lieutenant,” Geyda said, as he packed the last of the filling. “Would you like to relax for a few moments before I start on the extraction?”

  “I reckon not, Doc,” Jim answered, “I’ve already been here a lot longer’n I planned on.”

  “Fine, as long as you’re comfortable with that,” Geyda replied. “Just take a little more whiskey.” After Jim had rinsed the liquor through his mouth, then spit it out, the dentist once again leaned him back in the chair.

  The moment Geyda placed his pliers around the offending tooth, Jim screamed in agony, practically jumping from the chair.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t do much more to help the pain, unless you take some laudanum,” Geyda apologized. “I won’t use chloroform. It’s too dangerous.”

  “No laudanum,” Jim insisted. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  “All right,” Geyda agreed. However, as he clamped down on the tooth, Jim once again screamed in pain, twisting and writhing.

  “Lieutenant, if I’m going to remove that tooth, you’ll have to sit still,” Geyda ordered.

  “I’m doin’ my best, Doc,” Jim insisted. “This hurts worse’n bein’ gut-shot.”

  “I think you’re exaggerating just a trifle,” Geyda retorted. “I’ll work as quickly as possible.” Again as he began to work on the tooth, the Ranger screamed and pulled away, his teeth clamping shut. The dentist barely got his fingers out of Jim’s mouth in time to avoid a nasty bite.

  “Sorry, Doc,” Jim apologized.

  “I realize you’re not pulling away deliberately,” Geyda answered. “I’ll need you to stand up for a moment, however. I have to adjust that chair again before we can continue.”

  “Sure,” Jim agreed, wobbling slightly as he came to his feet. Geyda turned away for a moment, then whirled, bringing his left fist up from his hip to land a solid punch to the point of the Ranger’s chin. Totally unprepared for the mild-mannered dentist’s surprise blow, Jim dropped back into the chair like a sack of potatoes, out cold.

  “Now I’ll be able to pull that tooth, and it will be painless, Lieutenant,” Geyda softly chuckled. The dentist shook his hand and blew on his bruised knuckles, then opened Jim’s slack jaw. “Hated to do that to you, but it was the only way to get this done.”

  Forty minutes later, Jim was climbing out of the dentist’s chair, tentatively waggling his aching jaw.

  “Didn’t I promise you I’d make pulling that tooth as painless as possible?” Geyda asked him, “I’ll wager you don’t remember a thing about it.”

  “You’d win that bet,” Jim grinned despite himself. “Hey Doc, you ever think about joinin’ up with the Rangers? You pack quite a wallop.” He laughed wickedly as he glared at Geyda and stated, “And we know you can sure enough drill the bad guys.”

  “Now I’m the one who’s in pain,” Geyda winced at Jim’s pun. “And thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass. The people I deal with usually don’t shoot back at me.”

  “I can sure understand that,” Jim smiled, as he dug in his pocket to pull out four silver dollars and a fifty cent piece.

  “Now you’ll have to take it easy on those teeth for a couple of days, Lieutenant,” Geyda warned as Jim handed him the money. “Don’t try and chew on anything tough or bite off a piece of steak, for example.”

  “I’ll stick to hotcakes, scrambled eggs, and soft biscuits,” Jim promised.

  “And most important, try not to let anyone punch you in the mouth for a few days,” Geyda added.

  “Does that include smart-aleck dentists?” Jim retorted.

  “Especially smart-aleck dentists,” Geyda chortled. “Now remember you’ll be sore, but if you have severe pain, or feel any swelling or heat in your mouth, get back here right away.”

  “Will do,” Jim promised, as he jammed his Stetson on his head and opened the door. “Thanks for everything, Doc.”

  “You’re welcome, Lieutenant. And be careful. I’d hate to see all my good work undone.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Jim assured the dentist, as he stepped onto the boardwalk. A short walk brought him to the livery stable, where he found Sam partaking of his favorite activity when left alone, terrorizing a hapless stableman. Somehow the big gelding had escaped from his stall and cornered Shawn Sweet, Jeff Murphy’s assistant.

  “Sam, quit it,” Jim shouted at the paint, who had backed the young hostler into a corner. The horse’s ears were pinned back as he screamed in fury. Hear-

  ing his rider’s voice, Sam spun to trot up the aisle to the Ranger, nickering softly as he nuzzled Jim’s shoulder.

  “Thanks…thanks, Ranger,” the hostler stammered. “I figured I was a goner for sure when that devil got out of his stall.”

  “Didn’t Jeff warn you about my bronc?” Jim demanded. “No one’s supposed to go into his stall.”

  “Yeah, he did,” Sweet answered, “But his was the last stall left to muck out, and I wanted to get it done. Guess I should’ve known better, but I didn’t believe any cayuse could be as bad as Jeff claimed. Reckon I should’ve listened to him. I’ve learned my lesson.”

  “I sure hope so,” Jim replied, as he led Sam back into his stall and latched the door. “You’re just lucky I came along when I did.” As Sam snorted in satisfaction Jim scolded him, warning, “One of these days horse, someone’s gonna shoot you when you go after him, and I’m not gonna be around to stop him. How many times have I gotta tell you not to go around chompin’ on everyone you don’t like…which is pretty much everyone but me? I know, I’m just was-tin’ my b
reath,” Jim sighed, as Sam rested his head over his rider’s shoulder and nickered with contentment.

  “Never would’ve guessed that’s the same horse who just tried to tear my head off,” Sweet marveled.

  “Don’t worry, Sam wouldn’t have taken your head off,” Jim told the hostler, “he just goes for the belly and rips your guts out.”

  “Oh, that’s reassuring,” Sweet sarcastically retorted. “Guess I’ll just feed and water him. Jeff can clean his stall when you take him out.”

  “Now you’re bein’ smart,” Jim replied. “Sorry for what Sam did, but Jeff did warn you. And I’m gonna rub him down, so you can clean his stall while I do that.”

  “You’re right, Jeff did,” Sweet ruefully conceded, as he tossed a forkful of hay into Sam’s manger. “I’ll keep clear of him.”

  After rubbing down his horse, Jim headed for the Bon Ton. His belly was reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since the night previous, and despite his sore jaw it was high time he got some breakfast. Andre Miller waved to him as he entered the café.

  “Jim. C’mon over and join us.” Miller and Paul Doherty were seated at a corner table, working on steak, eggs, and hotcakes.

  “Thanks,” Blawcyzk replied, as he pulled up a chair and sat with his back to the wall, and from where he could watch the doorway.

  “How’d you make out at the dentist?” Doherty asked.

  “Not too bad, considerin’,” Jim answered. “Had those teeth Wylie busted fixed, plus had a bad one pulled.”

  “Your usual, Lieutenant?” the waitress asked, as she walked up and poured Jim a steaming mug of thick black coffee.

  “Not today, Maisie,” Jim smiled. “Better just make it scrambled eggs and hotcakes, and a few biscuits if they’re soft and fluffy. If they’re hard enough to crack my jaw, then just bring the eggs and flapjacks.”

  “I made the biscuits myself today, and they’re the best you’ll ever taste,” Maisie assured him. “I’ll bring you half a dozen or so.”