"I'll tell you one thing, Matthew," Festus said sleepily. "If in I do get ma hands on ol Maude, I'm a gonna beat the tar outa him."
Matt smiled as he played with his mug of beer. The Long Branch had closed hours earlier, but Matt had made Festus give him, Doc, Kitty and Thad a recount of the story he had told Matt practically in one sentence earlier.
"You said, Henry cleaned these up," Doc said looking at the gash on the deputy's forehead where Pinto Watson had shot Festus with a rifle.
"Ya," Festus said pulling away from the physicians probing hands. "Doc, I'm to tired fer yer poking and prodin."
"Well," Doc said putting away his glasses. "You better let me clean them up again tomorrow."
Festus scowled at the physician before turning back to Matt.
"You said, those Watson's were headed to Kansas City?"
"Ya," Festus said grinning. "That there was Doc Rands idea to tell em I was hydrophobic. You should have seen the way them yahoo's took off outa there lookin fer a cure!"
"And that's when the mayor gave you three hundred dollars," Matt said with a wiry grin.
"Yep," Festus replied yawning. "Miss Kitty, ya want me ta get rid of this here house of cards?"
"Don't worry about that tonight, Festus," Kitty said with a smile. "If nothing else it makes for a great conversation piece."
"Ya," Thad said looking over the house. "And, it'll come in handy when some one needs an extra card while their gambling."
"Thad," Kitty said looking at the deputy. "Don't get no ideas, you know I don't allow cheating here."
"I wasn't planning on that ma'am," Thad said with a wink.
"Well," Matt said getting to his feet as he looked down at the hill man. "You get some sleep. Tomorrow, I'll send off a wire to Kansas City about them Watson's."
"Alright," Festus said standing up. "What bout Travers, Matthew."
"I guess, I could send out a wire to Cheyenne," Matt replied thoughtfully.
"That'll probably be the right thing ta do, don't cha think," Festus said tiredly.
"Yeah," Matt replied with a with grin. "I guess it would be."
(Kansas City)
"Why we leavin tonight, Pinto," Roan asked yawning. "We ain't had a lick of sleep."
"Cause," Pinto said turning his horse toward Dodge. "I wants an eye fer an eye. If we can't get that Maude Haggen one way, we can get to him another."
"You mean though that Festus Haggen feller," Buff said.
"Ya," Pinto replied angrily. "The one that lead us on this here wild goose chase. He's got something coming just like Maude and well if we can get Maude to by using him than we will, otherwise we just gonna get Festus first then Maude!"
(Dodge)
Festus awoke the next afternoon, stiff and sore from the fight with the Watson's. After washing up, he headed out of his room in the Livery and headed down the boardwalk toward the Long Branch.
"Festus!"
The hill man turned around and stopped when Matthew approached him.
"Matthew," Festus said once the lawman was standing directly in front of him. "Wha'd ya find out?"
"The Watson brothers have already been to Kansas City and left," Matt said hooking his thumbs into his gun belt. "Seems they were pretty upset to, they beat the doctor half to death when they found out they didn't have rabies!"
"Golly Bill, Matthew," Festus said agitated. "I didn't think they'd do anything like that."
"Well that bright idea you and that Doctor in Bucklin had darn near got a man killed," Matt said scornfully.
"Wal, I'm real sorry bout that," Festus replied full of sorrow. "Anything I kin do?"
"I don't know but we may have bigger problems," Matt said tipping his hat up. "That doctor over heard them Watson's making plans to get to your cousin by coming here after you!"