Blood on Mcallister by Matt Chisholm Page A

said: ‘This is more important than training.’ Billy Gage stood there looking worried.
    â€˜Is there something wrong?’ he asked.
    â€˜Sure, there’s somethin’ wrong,’ McAllister told him. ‘There’s somethin’ mighty wrong and I aim to settle it right here an’ now. Shultz, take your hand outa your coat and keep it in plain view or I’ll take that little popgun and shove it down your throat.’
    Gage looked outraged.
    â€˜What the hell is this, McAllister?’ he cried. ‘Harry doesn’t carry a gun.’
    McAllister’s reply was to take a quick step forward, catch hold of Shultz by his coat before he could step back and to pull a small pocket Colt from the waist-band of his pants. He said: ‘I’ll keep that.’
    â€˜Why, Harry,’ Gage said, ‘I didn’t know you had a gun.’
    Shultz said: ‘It’s dangerous out here, what with Indians and everything. You don’t have any right to take the weapon from me, McAllister.’
    â€˜You shouldn’t of put your hand on it.’
    Gage said: ‘You thought Harry was going to shoot you? Why, that’s ridiculous. Why should he want to do that?’
    McAllister told him: ‘I’ll tell you, Billy. After I beat you in the wrestlin’ in Abbotsville somebody attacked me in the hotel and stuck me with a knife. That somebody was Shultz here.’
    Gage looked in horror and amazement at his manager andthen with total disbelief at McAllister.
    â€˜It isn’t possible,’ he said.
    â€˜It’s a damned lie,’ Shultz exclaimed.
    â€˜But that ain’t all,’ McAllister went on. ‘After I’d been knifed somebody with Shultz hit me on the back of the head and put me out.’
    There was a long silence, during which Shultz watched McAllister like a cornered wolverine. Slowly the meaning of McAllister’s accusation came home to Gage.
    â€˜My God,’ he said softly, ‘you think that man was me.’
    â€˜Who else could it be?’
    â€˜Don’t listen to him, Billy,’ Shultz said. ‘Can’t you see what he’s trying to do? He’s trying to split us up.’
    â€˜I’m doin’ more’n that,’ McAllister persisted. ‘I’m warnin’ you, Billy. Can’t you see what this means? I beat you at Abbotsville. I beat you yesterday when we ran together. Shultz has to put his money on me and somehow he has to stop you winnin’. He’s goin’ to nobble you, Billy.’
    â€˜My God, you don’t know what you’re saying, McAllister,’ Gage cried. ‘You must be out of your mind.’ He looked at his manager. ‘Harry, say something. This is all lies, isn’t it? You wouldn’t put your money on McAllister, would you? You know I can win. You have confidence in me, don’t you?’
    Shultz said: ‘I don’t have to say nothing to wild statements like this. McAllister can’t prove a thing. You get outa here, McAllister, and leave Billy and me to get on with our training. We’re going to beat you tomorrow and my money’s going to be on Billy here.’
    McAllister turned and mounted the canelo. He tossed the pocket Colt to the ground.
    â€˜I needn’t have taken that gun from you, Harry,’ he said. ‘You wouldn’t have shot your investment, would you?’ To Gage he added: ‘Watch out for yourself, Billy. He’ll stop you if he can. If he doesn’t, it’ll be the man who hit me in the hotel. If that man wasn’t you.’
    He left them then, Shultz furious, Gage bewildered and puzzled. He rode straight back to town, found Rosa busy in the saloon and went up to her room. For a while he stood at the window and watched the people on the street. The town was getting crowded already in anticipation of tomorrow’s contest. Wagons and rigs had come in from all around,bringing ranch folk and