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Authors: Robert J. Randisi
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what?”
“Well…”
“Girls?”
“Yup.”
“Those two standing on the bar?”
Thomas turned and saw that a couple of men had helped Dora and Henri up onto the bar so they could see better.
“I’m afraid so,” Thomas said. “They came up to us, Pa. I swear, the place was empty when we got here, but—”
“Save it, Thomas,” Shaye said. “Looks like they’re about to start. That big guy looks like he’s going to be tough. Big belly on him. It’ll anchor him.”
“That’s what I thought, Pa,” Thomas said, “but Matthew said he could take him.”
“I guess we’re about to find out if he’s right.”
22
Dan Shaye watched as his son Matthew dug his feet into the floor. He thought he could actually see the muscles of his tree-stump-like legs tensing. Matthew was going to try to use the strength of his legs to counteract the bigger man’s heavy center. If he was able to do that, it would come down to the man with the most arm strength.
The bartender got the two men to clasp hands, held them steady with his own hands, then released them and said, “Go.”
Immediately, the place erupted in shouting, yelling, and whistling as the men—and the two ladies—rooted for the man they had their money on.
“If your brother wins,” Shaye said into Thomas’s ear, “are his partners going to go along with it?”
“They should,” Thomas said. “It’s only gonna cost them the two girls, and drinks.”
Shaye turned and looked at the two cute saloon girls on the bar. They were jumping up and down, waving their arms, their breasts bouncing so much they were threatening to take some of the attention away from the contest in the center of the floor.
“Go!” the bartender said, but neither man moved.
Well, in fact it only looked as if neither man moved. Actuality, they were pushing against each other, and neither was making any headway.
“This could be a battle of attrition,” Shaye said in Thomas’s ear.
“What?”
“One of them will have to wear the other one down.”
“Oh,” Thomas said, nodding.
One of Mary’s concerns about moving to South Texas had been that the boys would not receive a proper education. She had attended college in the East. Shaye had gone as far as the eleventh grade in St. Louis until he went out on his own. Both were considered better educated than the average westerner. The boys had ended up in a one-room schoolhouse in Epitaph, and had also received some tutoring at home from their mother.
Watching Matthew, he admired how, in profile, his middle son seemed to resemble a Greek god. While he did not consider Matthew simpleminded, the boy did have a rather simple outlookon life. He concentrated on one thing at a time, whether it was eating a piece of pie or arm wrestling. At that moment his face was a mask of concentration, and Shaye suddenly knew that Matthew was going to win. The other man’s eyes were already moving around, unable to hold Matthew’s, and his legs were beginning to tremble. For a big man, he did not have very thick legs, and his belly was not giving him the advantage it might have.
Now Matthew was bringing the man’s arm down toward the table, slowly but surely. The crowd got into it, screaming and shouting louder, while Shaye, Thomas, and James watched silently. The look on Lou Scales’s face was panicky as he too realized he was on the verge of losing.
Abruptly, Scales changed his tactic. He stood up and pulled Matthew across the table toward him. He intended to smash Matthew in the face with his fist, but Matthew was too fast for him. He blocked the blow and sent the bigger man staggering back.
“The youngster wins!” the bartender shouted, but a backhanded blow from Lou Scales sent him staggering back against the bar.
Embarrassed, Lou Scales was furious, and he tossed away the table that was between himself and Matthew.
“Pa?” Thomas asked.
“Let it go, Thomas,” Shaye said. “Matthewhas to finish this now. Where are the
“Well…”
“Girls?”
“Yup.”
“Those two standing on the bar?”
Thomas turned and saw that a couple of men had helped Dora and Henri up onto the bar so they could see better.
“I’m afraid so,” Thomas said. “They came up to us, Pa. I swear, the place was empty when we got here, but—”
“Save it, Thomas,” Shaye said. “Looks like they’re about to start. That big guy looks like he’s going to be tough. Big belly on him. It’ll anchor him.”
“That’s what I thought, Pa,” Thomas said, “but Matthew said he could take him.”
“I guess we’re about to find out if he’s right.”
22
Dan Shaye watched as his son Matthew dug his feet into the floor. He thought he could actually see the muscles of his tree-stump-like legs tensing. Matthew was going to try to use the strength of his legs to counteract the bigger man’s heavy center. If he was able to do that, it would come down to the man with the most arm strength.
The bartender got the two men to clasp hands, held them steady with his own hands, then released them and said, “Go.”
Immediately, the place erupted in shouting, yelling, and whistling as the men—and the two ladies—rooted for the man they had their money on.
“If your brother wins,” Shaye said into Thomas’s ear, “are his partners going to go along with it?”
“They should,” Thomas said. “It’s only gonna cost them the two girls, and drinks.”
Shaye turned and looked at the two cute saloon girls on the bar. They were jumping up and down, waving their arms, their breasts bouncing so much they were threatening to take some of the attention away from the contest in the center of the floor.
“Go!” the bartender said, but neither man moved.
Well, in fact it only looked as if neither man moved. Actuality, they were pushing against each other, and neither was making any headway.
“This could be a battle of attrition,” Shaye said in Thomas’s ear.
“What?”
“One of them will have to wear the other one down.”
“Oh,” Thomas said, nodding.
One of Mary’s concerns about moving to South Texas had been that the boys would not receive a proper education. She had attended college in the East. Shaye had gone as far as the eleventh grade in St. Louis until he went out on his own. Both were considered better educated than the average westerner. The boys had ended up in a one-room schoolhouse in Epitaph, and had also received some tutoring at home from their mother.
Watching Matthew, he admired how, in profile, his middle son seemed to resemble a Greek god. While he did not consider Matthew simpleminded, the boy did have a rather simple outlookon life. He concentrated on one thing at a time, whether it was eating a piece of pie or arm wrestling. At that moment his face was a mask of concentration, and Shaye suddenly knew that Matthew was going to win. The other man’s eyes were already moving around, unable to hold Matthew’s, and his legs were beginning to tremble. For a big man, he did not have very thick legs, and his belly was not giving him the advantage it might have.
Now Matthew was bringing the man’s arm down toward the table, slowly but surely. The crowd got into it, screaming and shouting louder, while Shaye, Thomas, and James watched silently. The look on Lou Scales’s face was panicky as he too realized he was on the verge of losing.
Abruptly, Scales changed his tactic. He stood up and pulled Matthew across the table toward him. He intended to smash Matthew in the face with his fist, but Matthew was too fast for him. He blocked the blow and sent the bigger man staggering back.
“The youngster wins!” the bartender shouted, but a backhanded blow from Lou Scales sent him staggering back against the bar.
Embarrassed, Lou Scales was furious, and he tossed away the table that was between himself and Matthew.
“Pa?” Thomas asked.
“Let it go, Thomas,” Shaye said. “Matthewhas to finish this now. Where are the
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