alive?” Marina interrupted.
“ Last I heard.” The man was obviously disappointed that he couldn’t continue his oft-told tale.
“ Where might he be?”
“ The marshal? If he’s still alive, the roomin’ house, most likely.”
“ Where’s that?”
He pointed toward a building that looked like a warehouse.
Marina dropped the coin in the mud and started to turn away.
“ You miserable old hag.” The man caught Marina by the arm. “Pick that up.”
Marina whacked him on the ear with her cane and stepped on the coin, burying it in the mud. “Old hag?” She whacked him on the other ear, and then slogged toward the building, ignoring the man’s howls.
~
“ Anybody ever tell you that it ain’t polite to walk into a man’s bedroom without knockin’ first?” Josiah Whipple lowered his pistol, carefully released the hammer, and sat back against the bed’s pillows with a grimace.
“ It stinks in here.” Marina walked to the window and opened it.
“ That stink is me,” Whipple said. “Takin’ a bath with a bullet in my belly’s proved to be a tad difficult.”
She turned toward him and leaned against the window sill. “I heard that William shot you in your privates, not in the belly.”
“ I crouched down a bit when he pulled the trigger and he was a couple o’ inches too high.”
“ How is it that you’re still alive?”
“ The bullet went through my pistol belt. It ain’t that deep but it’s too deep to pull out with my fingers.”
“ Why haven’t you let a doctor remove it?”
“ There ain’t no doctors here, Marina. The closest they got to one is a barber. And he’s the filthiest man I ever did see.”
“ Then I guess I better do it.” She took a small leather bag off her shoulder and walked toward the bed.
“ I ain’t exposin’ my privates to you, Marina.”
She shrugged. “You have a fever. The bullet probably took a chunk of your belt and some cloth with it. Now the wound’s infected. If I operate, remove the bullet and clean out the wound, you might recover. If I don’t, you’ll be dead in another day or two. Is your modesty worth dying for?”
He closed his eyes. “You gonna put maggots on me?”
“ Let’s hope that you don’t need them. I didn’t bring any and growing them is a slow and disgusting job.” She put the bag down beside him. “There’s a pint of laudanum in there. Take a big swig. I need to get some clean water.” She started toward the door.
He opened the bag and found the bottle. “What are you doin’ here, anyway?”
She stopped. “Back in Matamoras, I heard a rumor that you were hung like a stud horse, Josiah. I thought this might be an opportunity to peek.”
He chuckled. “Thanks, Marina.” He took a swallow from the bottle.
“ Thank me when the fever breaks.”
~
Whipple awoke with a start and groped for his pistol.
“ Shh.” Marina caught his hand. “The door’s barred and I’m well armed. You’re safe.”
He looked toward the dark window. “How long have I been out?”
“ About fourteen hours.”
“ Fourteen hours? What the hell was in that bottle?”
“ I told you it was laudanum.”
“ Laudanum don’t knock a man out cold for no fourteen hours.”
“ It was the chloral hydrate I mixed in the laudanum that knocked you out,” she said after a moment of indecision.
“ The what?”
“ Chloral hydrate.”
“ I’ve never heard tell of it.”
“ It’s a new discovery by a German chemist. I bought it from a very disreputable man in San Francisco. He said it was being used in Europe to render patients unconscious during surgery. But he wouldn’t, or couldn’t, tell me the correct mixture or dosage.”
Whipple rubbed his eyes. “Well, I think you done gave me too much. My brain’s full o’ mush.”
“ What choice did I have?” she asked defensively. “You’re too strong. I couldn’t hold you down and operate at the same time.”
He touched the bandage on his groin. “Did you get
“ Last I heard.” The man was obviously disappointed that he couldn’t continue his oft-told tale.
“ Where might he be?”
“ The marshal? If he’s still alive, the roomin’ house, most likely.”
“ Where’s that?”
He pointed toward a building that looked like a warehouse.
Marina dropped the coin in the mud and started to turn away.
“ You miserable old hag.” The man caught Marina by the arm. “Pick that up.”
Marina whacked him on the ear with her cane and stepped on the coin, burying it in the mud. “Old hag?” She whacked him on the other ear, and then slogged toward the building, ignoring the man’s howls.
~
“ Anybody ever tell you that it ain’t polite to walk into a man’s bedroom without knockin’ first?” Josiah Whipple lowered his pistol, carefully released the hammer, and sat back against the bed’s pillows with a grimace.
“ It stinks in here.” Marina walked to the window and opened it.
“ That stink is me,” Whipple said. “Takin’ a bath with a bullet in my belly’s proved to be a tad difficult.”
She turned toward him and leaned against the window sill. “I heard that William shot you in your privates, not in the belly.”
“ I crouched down a bit when he pulled the trigger and he was a couple o’ inches too high.”
“ How is it that you’re still alive?”
“ The bullet went through my pistol belt. It ain’t that deep but it’s too deep to pull out with my fingers.”
“ Why haven’t you let a doctor remove it?”
“ There ain’t no doctors here, Marina. The closest they got to one is a barber. And he’s the filthiest man I ever did see.”
“ Then I guess I better do it.” She took a small leather bag off her shoulder and walked toward the bed.
“ I ain’t exposin’ my privates to you, Marina.”
She shrugged. “You have a fever. The bullet probably took a chunk of your belt and some cloth with it. Now the wound’s infected. If I operate, remove the bullet and clean out the wound, you might recover. If I don’t, you’ll be dead in another day or two. Is your modesty worth dying for?”
He closed his eyes. “You gonna put maggots on me?”
“ Let’s hope that you don’t need them. I didn’t bring any and growing them is a slow and disgusting job.” She put the bag down beside him. “There’s a pint of laudanum in there. Take a big swig. I need to get some clean water.” She started toward the door.
He opened the bag and found the bottle. “What are you doin’ here, anyway?”
She stopped. “Back in Matamoras, I heard a rumor that you were hung like a stud horse, Josiah. I thought this might be an opportunity to peek.”
He chuckled. “Thanks, Marina.” He took a swallow from the bottle.
“ Thank me when the fever breaks.”
~
Whipple awoke with a start and groped for his pistol.
“ Shh.” Marina caught his hand. “The door’s barred and I’m well armed. You’re safe.”
He looked toward the dark window. “How long have I been out?”
“ About fourteen hours.”
“ Fourteen hours? What the hell was in that bottle?”
“ I told you it was laudanum.”
“ Laudanum don’t knock a man out cold for no fourteen hours.”
“ It was the chloral hydrate I mixed in the laudanum that knocked you out,” she said after a moment of indecision.
“ The what?”
“ Chloral hydrate.”
“ I’ve never heard tell of it.”
“ It’s a new discovery by a German chemist. I bought it from a very disreputable man in San Francisco. He said it was being used in Europe to render patients unconscious during surgery. But he wouldn’t, or couldn’t, tell me the correct mixture or dosage.”
Whipple rubbed his eyes. “Well, I think you done gave me too much. My brain’s full o’ mush.”
“ What choice did I have?” she asked defensively. “You’re too strong. I couldn’t hold you down and operate at the same time.”
He touched the bandage on his groin. “Did you get
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