The boy shrugged. “I really don’t know, mister. I’ve seen them around lately. The last few weeks or maybe a month from time to time. They ride into town, get drunk, and ride back out. Sometimes, there’s a bunch of them.”
“How many? At most, I mean.”
“I don’t know. I never stopped to count. Ten, maybe? I don’t know. Maybe a dozen? There’s a bunch of them that ride together sometimes. They’re a little on the rough side.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, Danny Bump rides with them, and he’s always been meaner than a badger.”
“He’s local?”
The boy nodded.
“You know any other names?”
“The short one’s named Henry, I think. I’ve heard others call to him by that name.”
Everything in Conn sharpened then. “Short one, huh? He have a scarred-up face like a fighter?”
The boy nodded. “That’s Henry. He’s their leader, I think. At least, he acts that way.”
Conn gestured toward the saloon. “Is Henry in there now?”
“No, sir. He wasn’t one of the three.”
“What else can you tell me about them?”
“Well, like I said, the one fella’s hurt real bad. His face is all busted up, and they couldn’t get him to wake up. Said he fell off his horse.”
Conn had been punched by his brother before, and it felt about like falling off a horse. Or maybe getting kicked by one.
“The other two, they ain’t nobody I’d mess with,” the kid said. “They said some pretty mean things to the doc, telling him whatthey’d do to him and his wife if he didn’t fix up their friend. Then they laughed about it, heading over to the saloon.”
“What do they look like?”
“Sort of rough. Shabby. One bearded, the other clean-shaven, sort of. The one with the beard’s got dark hair, maybe black, and he wears a big old hat and what I guess you’d call a range coat? Long, leather thing, comes down to his knees.”
“And the other one?”
“Tall, skinny. I don’t remember what he was wearing. Just clothes, I suspect. But he’s got two guns tied down like a gunfighter and he’s got a gleam in his eyes like a dog that’s about to bite.”
“Son, I appreciate your help,” Conn said, and handed the boy the dollar.
“Gee, thanks, mister.”
“My pleasure. You did a good job telling me everything you did. Would you like some more money?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Well, I’m fixing to go inside this doctor’s office.”
The boy nodded.
“While I’m in there,” Conn said, “you keep an eye on my horse, all right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And if those men come out of the saloon, you holler into the office and let me know, okay?”
