Dodge City, May 25th 1860
Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 8:38 pm
A lone cowhand riding a hard-pressed horse stepped down from the saddle and whipped the dust from his hat by a few stiff blows against his chaps. He stood for an instant looking up and down the street, crowded with buckboards, saddle-horses and men. It was ten o'clock in the morning but Dodge was a twenty-four hour town with thirty thousand head of cattle held on the grass outside of town, and move coming in every day.
Pushing his way through the bat-wing doors, he crossed the almost empty room to the bar. "Rye," he said, and glanced quickly around the room.
Only two men stood at the bar at this hour, a burly cattle-buyer and a drummer. Several other men played cards at the scattered tables, all within range of this voice.
"Have you seen Kilkenny?"
There was a sudden stillness in the room. A cattleman at the nearest poker table picked up his cards, glanced at them, folded them into a neat packet and placed them on the table. "No, I haven't seen him, and I'm not likely to. . . Nor are you. He's a man who prefers to be left alone, and if you know anything about Kilkenny you know he's a good man to leave alone."
"I've been sent to find him," the puncher said stubbornly, "an' I'm to stay at it until I do."
A man had moved to the bar beside him. He was a square-shouldered young man with a look about him the cowhand did not like. Moreover, he knew the man by sight as did a good many Texas men. Wes Hardin was a veteran of the Sutton-Taylor feud and one of the most feared men in Texas.
"What do you want with Kilkenny?" Hardin asked.
"Looks like a range war shapin' up in the Live Oak country," the puncher told them. Suddenly all heck broke loose....
A quick dismount and the cowhand pulled his 1860 Henry from the scabbard. Like lightning his trusty repeater dispatched Hardin's gang, all 50 of them.... 
(most of this is copyright Louis L'amour, and the painting of course courtesy of CM Russell)....but the targets are mine....50 rounds off hand standing, open sights, 45 Colt 250 gr Winchester LFN....maybe my best targets yet. 
"Then the cowhand rode away and left only his calling card behind...."
Pushing his way through the bat-wing doors, he crossed the almost empty room to the bar. "Rye," he said, and glanced quickly around the room.
Only two men stood at the bar at this hour, a burly cattle-buyer and a drummer. Several other men played cards at the scattered tables, all within range of this voice.
"Have you seen Kilkenny?"
There was a sudden stillness in the room. A cattleman at the nearest poker table picked up his cards, glanced at them, folded them into a neat packet and placed them on the table. "No, I haven't seen him, and I'm not likely to. . . Nor are you. He's a man who prefers to be left alone, and if you know anything about Kilkenny you know he's a good man to leave alone."
"I've been sent to find him," the puncher said stubbornly, "an' I'm to stay at it until I do."
A man had moved to the bar beside him. He was a square-shouldered young man with a look about him the cowhand did not like. Moreover, he knew the man by sight as did a good many Texas men. Wes Hardin was a veteran of the Sutton-Taylor feud and one of the most feared men in Texas.
"What do you want with Kilkenny?" Hardin asked.
"Looks like a range war shapin' up in the Live Oak country," the puncher told them. Suddenly all heck broke loose....
- May in-without-knocking-1909.jpg (432.14 KiB) Viewed 2679 times
(most of this is copyright Louis L'amour, and the painting of course courtesy of CM Russell)....but the targets are mine....50 rounds off hand standing, open sights, 45 Colt 250 gr Winchester LFN....maybe my best targets yet.
- May 25th3.jpg (7.02 MiB) Viewed 2679 times
- May 25th.jpg (309.64 KiB) Viewed 2679 times
- May 25th2.jpg (381.53 KiB) Viewed 2679 times
