HUMAN NATURE
"How can you be so irresponsible! You were in charge of safekeeping it!" Heyes shouted and he sat on the edge of the bed and hastily slithered a foot into a boot.
"And I woulda if you had just given it to me but you didn't!" Kid shouted in return while yanking his pants on and buttoning his fly.
"Kid, I handed it to you just before I sat down to play poker!"
"I wasn't even there when you sat down to play poker. I was upstairs with Viola!"
"Which one's Viola?" Heyes asked, his voice no longer shrill.
"Kinda short, dark hair, wearing a pretty little blue number."
"Oh, yeah, she was pretty."
"Heyes, you didn't give me the money!" Kid said sternly, returning to the subject at hand.
"Well, I didn't gamble it, Kid," Heyes replied, slipping into his other boot. "Pick pocket, maybe?"
"Heyes, we had two hundred dollars. Now we got...nothing!"
Heyes suddenly smiled and pulled off his left boot. He dug his hand down under the lining of the sole and pulled his hand out of the boot, waving a five dollar bill in the air.
"Not, true. We've got money for breakfast," he said teasingly.
"Hold out enough to pay the livery, too," Kid replied, buttoning his shirt. "I ain't losing a good horse and tack just because of your negligence."
Heyes' face scrunched into a scowl. "I ain't negligent," he growled. "I didn't lose it!"
"No, just let it get stolen right outta your pocket," Kid sneered in return. "Just how low can people get, stealing money from poor folk like us?"
Both of them suddenly saw some humor in Kid's comment and blue and brown eyes raised and met.
"So, it's gone. Now we just gotta figure out a way to earn some more," Heyes said in a slow, calm voice.
Kid plopped down on the edge of the bed and reached for a boot. "You don't got some more in your other boot, do you?" Kid asked.
Heyes looked at Kid suspiciously. "Why?"
"Just thought maybe you had enough for a poker stake, that's all."
Heyes' shoulders dropped and he frowned. "Just got a silver dollar in the other boot," he confessed.
"Don't that hurt your feet, walking around with coins under em?" Kid asked.
Heyes shook his head. "You get use to it."
Kid stood and reached for his holster to strap on, the finale of the morning dressing process (except for the hat, of course). "I'm ready to eat," he announced.
They headed down the stairs and across the hotel lobby.
"Oh, Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones, an envelope was delivered for you this morning," the hotel clerk called to them."
Heyes and Curry gave each other a curious glance as they approached the counter.
"Who delivered it?" Heyes asked.
"A stranger. He said he played poker with you last night," the clerk replied, handing Heyes the envelope.
Heyes felt the envelope and looked up at Kid and smiled. "Feels like what we thought we'd lost, Kid."
"Open it."
Heyes opened the envelope and sure enough their money was inside. As Heyes pulled the money from the envelope, a note fell out. Kid picked it up and unfolded it.
"Found this under your chair after you left. Hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of giving myself a rather generous finder's fee," Kid read aloud. "How much did he leave us?"
"Hundred and eighty," Heyes replied.
"Mighty generous finder's fee," Kid complained and held his hand out flat in front of his partner. "Give me my half," he said.
"Don't look on the negative, Kid. This should restore your faith in human nature," Heyes replied, handing Kid eighty dollars. "We'll break the other twenty at breakfast and then split what's left."
"You're right, Heyes. He coulda taken off with all the money," Kid said as they headed out the door for breakfast at the cafe. "But if you had kept that money in your pocket..."
"Don't you start with me, Kid. I'm warning you!"
Kid stopped dead in his tracks and grabbed Heyes' shoulder. "You're what!" he snarled.
"I'm warning you. You got your money, now let it be."
"You'd better be careful throwing out them threats at me," Kid growled. "Less you want to find out what the real outcome would be," Kid retorted and continued on toward the cafe.
"What, you think you can take me, Kid?"
Kid smiled. "I know I can take you, Heyes. You'd be eaten dirt before you even got your fist balled."
This time Heyes grabbed Kid's shoulder. "You want to try it?" Heyes said, pulling Kid to a stop.
"Maybe after breakfast, Heyes. A full belly will soften the fall for ya."
Both men stood glaring at each other, with a challenging look in their eyes. Half a minute later, Kid's mouth grew into a smile which significantly softened Heyes' expression as well.
"I think we both are in dire need of some coffee, Heyes."
"Yeah, we never have been morning people, have we?" Heyes said, swinging an arm around his partner's shoulders as they continued on to the cafe.
"Maybe we should just agree never to talk to each other until after we've had some coffee," Kid suggested.
"Kid, I think I'm beginning to rub off on you?"
"What do you mean?"
"That my friend, is a brilliant idea!"