not bleeding bad, but if we can stop the bleeding altogether, I’ll be all right till we get to the hideout. Kathryn can patch me up then.”
They drew up to the stream and dismounted. While the others were leading the horses into the slow-moving current to let them drink, Tony Chacone helped Gib sit down on a fallen tree trunk with Tag walking beside them. Tag ripped the sleeve of his good arm from Gib’s shirt and went to work to make a bandage for his shoulder wound.
While he was doing so, Tony said, “Wasn’t that something, Darryl’s horse leaving us and heading back to him.”
Gib nodded. “Doesn’t surprise me. Ol’ Blackie kept running when Darryl fell off him ’cause guns were roaring. He was scared. But when we were riding hard with no guns going off, it didn’t take ol’ Blackie long to decide to go back to his master.”
“I sure hope that guy you called Doke will take Darryl to a doctor, Tag,” said Gib. “Where do you know him from?”
“Doke Veatch is from Scottsbluff, Gib. We all grew up together. We were good friends. I know him well. He’ll take care of Darryl, all right. Little brother will end up in jail, I’m sure, but at least he’ll still be alive.”
Tony grinned. “Well, maybe someday we can bust him out of jail, Tag.”
“We’ll just do that, my friend.”
When the horses and their riders had all had their fill of water, Tag said, “Let’s open this cash box and see if we’ve really got fifty thousand.”
Gib was still sitting on the fallen tree trunk. His wounded shoulder was no longer bleeding. Tag carried the box to the spot and sat down beside Gib. The others gathered around and watched as their leader opened the box and took out a wad of currency in small denominations. Tag counted it, and they all were pleased to find that it was exactly fifty thousand dollars.
Tag placed the money back in the box and closed the lid. “We’ll put most of this in our retirement fund, boys.”
“That’s really gonna help,” said Bart.
They all laughed and agreed.
Tag stood up, box in hand. “Fellas, now that we’ve got Gib’s wound bandaged up so it isn’t bleeding, I want to delay our return to the hideout long enough to find out about Darryl. I’m not sure where Doke will take him on the stagecoach to get him to a doctor, but I want to talk to him and find out how little brother’s doing. Wherever he takes Darryl, Doke will have to be back on that stage as soon as possible, I’m sure. How about we go back to that patch of woods near Chugwater and buy some groceries at that little store there? You boys can hide in the woods while I track Doke down and find out about Darryl.”
Everyone was in agreement. Gib was hoisted into his saddle, and the gang rode back northward toward Chugwater.
Dr. Dane Logan was occupied in one of the curtained sections of the examining room at the office in Cheyenne, removing dirt particles from a farmer’s eye. The usual stethoscope hung around his neck.
Dr. Jacob Logan had been awakened by a loud knock on his door before daylight to find a frantic rancher whose wife had gone into labor just after midnight. Dressing quickly, he had hitched his horse to the buggy and speedily followed the rancher and had not yet returned.
While dripping water into the farmer’s eye and carefully clearing away dark little specks of dirt with a cotton swab, Dr. Dane heard the door between the office and the examining room open, and footsteps moving to another part of the room. There were low voices, one of which was his mother, and another which was that of Nurse Ella Dover. There was also a low-toned male voice.
Then footsteps the doctor recognized turned in his direction.
Naomi Logan pulled back the curtain. “How’s it going, son?”
“Just fine, Mom. Mr. Webber’s eye will be fine.”
“Good. We … ah … have an emergency.”
Dane glanced over his shoulder. “What is it, Mom?”
“An outlaw was just brought in with a bullet in
They drew up to the stream and dismounted. While the others were leading the horses into the slow-moving current to let them drink, Tony Chacone helped Gib sit down on a fallen tree trunk with Tag walking beside them. Tag ripped the sleeve of his good arm from Gib’s shirt and went to work to make a bandage for his shoulder wound.
While he was doing so, Tony said, “Wasn’t that something, Darryl’s horse leaving us and heading back to him.”
Gib nodded. “Doesn’t surprise me. Ol’ Blackie kept running when Darryl fell off him ’cause guns were roaring. He was scared. But when we were riding hard with no guns going off, it didn’t take ol’ Blackie long to decide to go back to his master.”
“I sure hope that guy you called Doke will take Darryl to a doctor, Tag,” said Gib. “Where do you know him from?”
“Doke Veatch is from Scottsbluff, Gib. We all grew up together. We were good friends. I know him well. He’ll take care of Darryl, all right. Little brother will end up in jail, I’m sure, but at least he’ll still be alive.”
Tony grinned. “Well, maybe someday we can bust him out of jail, Tag.”
“We’ll just do that, my friend.”
When the horses and their riders had all had their fill of water, Tag said, “Let’s open this cash box and see if we’ve really got fifty thousand.”
Gib was still sitting on the fallen tree trunk. His wounded shoulder was no longer bleeding. Tag carried the box to the spot and sat down beside Gib. The others gathered around and watched as their leader opened the box and took out a wad of currency in small denominations. Tag counted it, and they all were pleased to find that it was exactly fifty thousand dollars.
Tag placed the money back in the box and closed the lid. “We’ll put most of this in our retirement fund, boys.”
“That’s really gonna help,” said Bart.
They all laughed and agreed.
Tag stood up, box in hand. “Fellas, now that we’ve got Gib’s wound bandaged up so it isn’t bleeding, I want to delay our return to the hideout long enough to find out about Darryl. I’m not sure where Doke will take him on the stagecoach to get him to a doctor, but I want to talk to him and find out how little brother’s doing. Wherever he takes Darryl, Doke will have to be back on that stage as soon as possible, I’m sure. How about we go back to that patch of woods near Chugwater and buy some groceries at that little store there? You boys can hide in the woods while I track Doke down and find out about Darryl.”
Everyone was in agreement. Gib was hoisted into his saddle, and the gang rode back northward toward Chugwater.
Dr. Dane Logan was occupied in one of the curtained sections of the examining room at the office in Cheyenne, removing dirt particles from a farmer’s eye. The usual stethoscope hung around his neck.
Dr. Jacob Logan had been awakened by a loud knock on his door before daylight to find a frantic rancher whose wife had gone into labor just after midnight. Dressing quickly, he had hitched his horse to the buggy and speedily followed the rancher and had not yet returned.
While dripping water into the farmer’s eye and carefully clearing away dark little specks of dirt with a cotton swab, Dr. Dane heard the door between the office and the examining room open, and footsteps moving to another part of the room. There were low voices, one of which was his mother, and another which was that of Nurse Ella Dover. There was also a low-toned male voice.
Then footsteps the doctor recognized turned in his direction.
Naomi Logan pulled back the curtain. “How’s it going, son?”
“Just fine, Mom. Mr. Webber’s eye will be fine.”
“Good. We … ah … have an emergency.”
Dane glanced over his shoulder. “What is it, Mom?”
“An outlaw was just brought in with a bullet in
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