Saloon justice, p.12
Saloon Justice, page 12
Looking into the man’s eyes, Jerry could see that he really and truly believed this. He was an innocent man, trapped by an unfortunate circumstance and then chased for something he hadn’t done. That, at any rate, was certainly how David Travis believed matters to stand. Maybe, Jerry thought, he had not met enough bad men in his life to judge these things, but there seemed to him to be something lacking in Travis. This was not a bad man trying to defend himself; it was a man who didn’t even know that he was bad.
‘That the only death you’ve been connected with?’
‘Pretty much, I suppose.’
‘Pretty much? What the devil does that mean?’
‘I mean until just recently.’
At these words, Jerry Freeman felt as though he had received a blow to his stomach. He had been hoping and praying that he was wrong and that despite the way all the evidence was stacking up, he was mistaken in his suspicions. Hearing it confirmed from the man’s mouth still came as a shock. He said, his voice barely audible, ‘You mean Maria Fallon?’
‘Sure,’ said Travis, shrugging casually. ‘Who else did you think?’
‘So you do mean her?’
‘Well then,’ said Travis. ‘Yes, I meant Maria. She was one sweet girl.’
‘What happened?’ asked Jerry Freeman, his voice barely above a whisper.
‘Yes, I don’t wonder you would ask such a question. She talked about you, you know? Said she didn’t think that you noticed her as a woman. I think she might have thought that you were on the other side of the tracks, if you know what I mean. One of those who doesn’t go a whole heap on women.’
‘You better leave that alone, Travis.’
‘Hell, I’m only saying. I could tell what she wanted. She saw me watching her, you know. Flaunted herself, like. Women like that, knowing that a man is watching them in that way.’
‘Do they like being beaten round the head with a rock, as well?’
‘Ah, that wasn’t rightly my fault.’
‘No, I thought that it wouldn’t have been. What chanced?’
‘What do you think? I went for her, she played hard to get, like it was game of kiss-chase in the schoolyard. I surely didn’t mean for her to die.’
‘Strikes me,’ said Jerry, ‘that you are a most unlucky man, with people falling dead around you like that.’
Travis shrugged impatiently. ‘All right, you’ve had your say. I told you about it all. What now?’
‘One last thing. How did you get so banged up yourself?’
‘Oh, that. That was nothing. I just banged a rock about a bit on my forehead and so on. You’d be surprised how much blood you can get to flow that way.’
‘Didn’t it hurt?’
‘Are you kidding? It hurt like hell. It was that or hanging though and I figured being hanged would hurt a sight worse. Now, is that it?’
Jerry Freeman shook his head sadly. He said, ‘I guess you couldn’t believe your luck when a fool like me came along.’
‘Come on man, we have to go. I’m leaving, anyway.’ Travis started his horse moving and the lawyer called out to him: ‘You stay right where you are, Travis.’
The other wheeled his horse round and said, ‘That girl was right about you, you know. You’re not a real man. I’m not afeared of you in the slightest.’
‘Damn you!’ said Jerry Freeman and shot him dead.
Chapter 12
As Jerry approached the town, he thought about what had happened and decided that he had at least put one thing right. Travis had been like a mad dog. He looked human on the outside, but within, he was no more than a beast. Judge Singer had seen it well enough and knew what he was dealing with. The old man had a deal more wisdom in some ways than Jerry did, or maybe it was just that he was older.
It would not have been right to let a man like Travis loose again, because as sure as God made little apples, there was a man who would rob, rape and kill again, as soon as the opportunity presented itself to him. Shooting such a man was a duty to the world. It disturbed Jerry Freeman that he had behaved the way that Singer would have done, but there it was. Maybe sometimes, lynch law was a necessary adjunct to the civilized administration of justice.
The closer he got to the town, the bigger it looked. There were telegraph poles running alongside the railroad that ran into the town, which mean that Jerry would be able to wire his parents in New York. He supposed that he should wire Emma as well and let her know that he was safe and well. He didn’t rightly know what his plans would be once he got home, but they probably wouldn’t involve working for some big commercial concern. There was a lot that needed to be done in the country, many things wrong that had to be dealt with. Making himself a pile of money was perhaps not at the very top of Jerry Freeman’s list of priorities, the way that it had been when he had bought that railroad ticket south. He would need to talk to Emma about it and see if the two of them couldn’t come up with another plan. It surely would be good to get home and see her again.
Jay Clanton, Saloon Justice
