JEREMIAH CREED

Jeremiah had just finished his breakfast of sausage, fried potatoes, biscuits and gravy, and was drinking his coffee when Trampas came in and sat down. “Appears I was right, by th’ look on your face.” ‘They know you’re here, too.” He nodded. “They sent me to tell you they’d be outside waitin’ on ya.” “Anything else?” “Yeah, whatever it means...Said tell you, Ryan Gibbs said hello.” “That son of a bitch....I knew I should a killed him.” “Do you know any of those old boys, out there?” “Never seen ‘em before in my life.” He motioned Alice over, giving her a ten dollar gold piece. “This man’s next meal is on me, Alice...You got a back door to this place?” “Sure, down the hall from you.” He gave Trampas the room key. “Go get my saddlebags, rifle and slicker, take ‘em back to th’ Livery for me.” “You gonna fight these Turkeys, that’s four on one....All four of ‘em’s Gunslingers.” “Gunslingers?...Where’d you come up with a name like that, for ‘em? “Huh?...Oh, damned if I know, man, it just popped out, that’s all.” “Well, Trampas....So am I, a gunslinger.” He laughed. “Yeah, I’m gonna fight ‘em, and I want a be able to leave ahead of th’ law, if I can.” “If you win.” Said Trampas. “Hell, there’s four of ‘em, man.” “Yeah,...if I win...Can you do this for me?” “Anything, Jeremiah, you know that.” He looked at Alice then. “I’ll be back later, for breakfast.” “Hey, and you remembered my name, too.” Laughed Jeremiah, pulling the Navy Colt and checking the loads as Trampas left on the run. Satisfied, he holstered the pistol and dropped the table linen over his plate. He got up, adjusted the gun-belt, made sure the pistol was still unlatched, put his hat on, nodded at Alice and went out into the hallway to stop at the front door and peer at them through the glass. There they were, every shaggy headed, bowlegged, two gunned one of them. ‘Can they shoot with both hands?’, He wondered. ‘Most can’t’. He opened the door and stepped out into the semi-crisp morning air of September, stood for a moment to look them over, adjusted his hat and stepped down into the Hotel’s front lawn area, walked across to the road, then to the edge of the wide street itself, his eyes never leaving the faces of the four men. “You boys finally got th’ nerve to face me, huh?” “Oh, we weren’t in no hurry, Creed...Our Benefactor wanted, that we should have a lot a witnesses to your death,...so we waited.” “What’s he payin’ you?” “Five hundred apiece.” “You should a got your money up front....You men had breakfast yet?” “We’ll eat later.” “I doubt that,...I’ve learned, that with a good breakfast, a man tends to take care a business more easily,...that’s one mark against you boys. You should a got your money before facing me,...that’s th’ second mark against you boys....Now, I got a feeling you won’t live long enough for either one.” He watched their faces, seeing different expressions in them, and not able to interpret any of them. He did notice several people stopping the traffic to move them out of the line of fire, sending cowboys off the street, and wagons to turn back. “That enough witnesses for you boys?” “Yes, sir.” came one of them. “That ought a just about do it.” He went for his gun.