Free Dorothy Garlock - [Dolan Brothers] by With Heart Page A

light of battle—“I don’t know why you’re not in jail where you belong, but you can bet your filthy hide I’m going to find out.”
    “Ya go on and do that, baby doll,” Webb leered at her. “Say, sugar, how ’bout goin’ honky-tonkin’ tonight? Otis and his Ring-tail Tooters is playin’ out at the Twilight Gardens. There’s a gal there what’s goin’ to show us how to do the jitterbug dance. Ya’ve seen it done, ain’t ya?”
    “You’re out of your mind if you think I’d be caught dead with warthogs like you.” She wrinkled her nose in a contemptuous sneer.
    “She ain’t goin’ to be friendly. It’s a pure-dee shame. Guess we better be on our way.”
    “Not so fast . . . scum! Johnny Henry told the sheriff about you.”
    “Yeah. Fat lot a good it done him. Now get outta the way. We ain’t got no time to stand here jawin’ with a . . . high-tone split-tail when we got things to do.” He reached out and grasped her upper arms.
    Rage gave Kathleen strength to jerk her arm loose and swing her fist. The blow caught Webb on the side of his face. He let out an angry yelp and raised his hand to slap her.
    “Hit me, you yellow-bellied buzzard bait, and some dark night you’ll get a belly full of lead!” she shouted as she was suddenly pushed aside. Johnny was between her and the two men.
    “Touch her, and I’ll bury you.”
    “She started it. She hit me.”
    “You grabbed her. I saw you.”
    “Yeah? Well go tell it to the sheriff. She ain’t nothin’ but a—”
    “—Say it, and your nose will be smeared all over your ugly face.”
    “Why aren’t they in jail?” Kathleen demanded.
    “I don’t know.” Johnny glanced at her, then back, as the two men began to edge around him. “But I’ll find out. Go on, get off the street. You’ve given the folks a show. I’ll take them down to the sheriff.”
    “Won’t do no good. We been there and told him how it was.”
    “You can tell him again why you threatened Miss Dolan. Come on,” Johnny snarled, and prodded them ahead of him.
    “She come on to us,” Webb yelled. “She wild as a harelipped mule! Redheaded wildcat is what she is.”
    Kathleen watched as Johnny herded the two men off down the street. He had rescued her again. She looked around and saw that several people had stopped along the street to watch the
show.
With tears of rage and frustration in her eyes, she hurried on down the street to the
Gazette.
Thank goodness Adelaide wasn’t in the office when she reached it, and she had time to gather herself together before she had to face her.
    This had not been her best day. Not by a long shot! First the randy deputy, then the ranting cobbler, and the embarrassment of being brushed off by Johnny Henry. Finally seeing the miserable jayhawkers who had tried to rob her walking the street as free as air. It was all too much. She desperately wanted to cry, but her pride forbade it.
    She heard the linotype machine start up and knew that Adelaide would be coming back. She hastily put a sheet of paper in her typewriter, dug in the basket on her desk for the information about the rodeo, and began to write. She wrote three lines, Xed them out, then started again.
    The fifth annual Rawlings rodeo will be held at the Tillison County fair grounds Saturday Sept. 23. Fifteen contestants have signed up to compete in nine different events.
    Johnny Henry, local rancher, who took home the purse last year for “Best All-Around Cowboy” will enter seven events.
    The stock for the event will come from the McCabe ranch just south of the river in Dallam County, Texas.
    Again this year the local churches will be in charge of the concession stands, and a variety of food and drink will be available.
    The screen door was jerked open, and a big man with a star on his chest came in. He looked around the office, then down at her.
    “May I help you?”
    “You can if you’re Miss Dolan, and I think you are. There’s not many women—”
    “—in town