Gunman's Song by Ralph Cotton Page A

we’re going to look worse than old Sidlow out there.”
    Listening to the two, Elton felt a nausea crept upward from deep in his belly. He’d no idea Barton Talbert was who these men rode with. He made a strange sound in his throat and Donald Hornetti snapped around facing him, saying, “What are you laughing at, idiot? You’re in trouble too…you didn’t try to help Sidlow either.”
    â€œWhoa,” said Elton. “I’m not laughing, I swear! But I’m not a part of this in any way. I don’t ride with nobody. I just have a pal who’s going to call down Fast Larry and shoot him. This is strictly a onetime business deal for me.”
    â€œIn a pig’s eye you’re not a part of it, idiot,” saidHornetti, grabbing Elton’s shirt collar again. “You’re a part of it if I say you’re a part of it!”
    â€œTurn him loose, Donald,” said Willie, “and stop grabbing him. We need to think this thing through.”
    â€œYeah,” said Elton as Hornetti turned loose and shoved him back again. “And stop calling me
idiot.
”
    â€œI’ll stop calling you an idiot when you quit being an idiot…
idiot
!” Hornetti snapped, once again palming the side of Elton’s head. “What are you going to do about it?” He stepped real close to Elton, almost nose-to-nose, except Donald Hornetti stood a full head taller than Elton and his shoulders were twice the width.
    â€œIt just doesn’t look right,” said Elton. “Nobody wants to be called an idiot. What if I called you an idiot? Would you like it?”
    â€œTry it,” said Hornetti. “I dare you, idiot!”
    â€œAll right, that’s enough,” said Willie the Devil. “We’ve got to get this shooting going with Sammy and Shaw. At least if Sammy kills him, we’ve got some good news for Barton and Blue Snake. If Shaw kills Sammy, we can always say we did our best.”
    Elton just looked at Willie, wishing he’d never met these men. Now he was on the spot, and so was Sammy Boy.
    â€œSammy will have to call him out tonight right before dark,” said Willie, looking at Elton. “Is that going to be all right? Can you get all our bets down by then?”
    â€œSure,” said Elton, trying to muster up the courage he needed to get back into the scheme. “But I’ll need to get moving on it. Give me the money and I’ll start making the rounds.”
    â€œNot so fast,” said Willie the Devil.
    â€œYeah,
idiot,
not so fast,” said Hornetti, feinting a palm to Elton’s head, then stopping himself at the last second, causing Elton to flinch nervously.
    â€œI’m going along with you,” said Willie, pulling out a large roll of money.
    â€œBut these are my people; they don’t know you from Adam,” Elton protested.
    Willie shook the money in Elton’s face. “This is
my
money, it don’t know
you
from Adam,” he said, chuckling.
    â€œYeah, so shut up, and do like you’re told, idiot,” said Hornetti.
    Elton gritted his teeth. He had to get the money down on the gunfight, half on Sammy Boy, and half on Shaw, making sure he and Willie the Devil won either way it went. For the time being he’d have to put up with Donald Hornetti’s insults and bullying. He’d made the mistake of letting the big man get away with calling him an idiot the first time, an hour ago when Hornetti joined him and Willie in the saloon. Like any bully, Hornetti had gotten worse. Now it had gone too far for Elton to tell him to leave him alone and get any results other than a thump on his head for his effort. He’d have to find a way to straighten this big man out once and for all. He couldn’t keep taking this kind of treatment from him.
    â€œAll right, Willie,” said Elton, ignoring Hornetti, “let’s get going.”
    The first person Elton led Willie