Free Quiet Town by J. T. Edson Page B

explained in: THE TOWN TAMERS .

CHAPTER SIX
    Bringing In The Law
    DUSTY WALKED forward towards the stairs, conscious that every eye was on him. The customers at the bar and the tables, those standing on the verandah, looking down, all wondered how the small Texan would handle things. The bouncer at the foot of the stairs grinned as he measured the distance with his eye.
    “Move!” Dusty snapped. “I’m going up there.”
    The bouncer moved aside with surprising mildness but as Dusty passed swung his fist. It was a good blow, struck with all his weight behind it, the fist ripping at Dusty’s temple with enough force to fell an ox. It would have knocked Dusty unconscious, if it landed. Dusty’s head went down, under the blow and the bouncer was thrown off balance. Coming up inside the man’s reach Dusty brought up his hand, the heel smashing under the bouncer’s top lip, crushing it. Never in a life full of being hit had the bouncer known such pain. His eyes were filled with tears of pure agony and he stumbled into a sitting position on the stairs. Dusty struck again, the fingers straight and tight together, the thumb across his palm to hold the hand rigid in the tegatana , the hand-sword of karate. Like a knife the edge of the hand s’ashed into the man’s throat. The bouncer’s head rocked back, and he was unable to breathe.
    Without another look at the man Dusty went on up the stairs. The bouncer turned, his hand going towards his gun. Doc Leroy came gliding in, his boneless-looking right hand making a flicker of movement as his Colt cleared leather, rose then thudded down on to the bouncer’s close cropped head. The man went down as if he was boned and in the same move Doc came round, his gun swinging in an arc which froze the hostile moves contemplated. Bearcat Annie’s men halted their course of action. They had seen the speed and the way this pallid, studious-looking young man drew and handled his gun. He might not look much but he was the peer of any man in the room.
    Dusty carried on up the stairs, ignoring what was happening behind him. He knew Doc Leroy was behind him and was confident in the slim cowhand. That left Dusty free to give, his full attention to the man at the top of the stairs. The bouncer watched Dusty and, lifting his foot, tried to stamp at Dusty’s head. Then he yelled, two hands caught his ankle, his leg jerked up, twisting it. He yelled again, lost his balance, hitting the banister and going over. Dusty gave no thought to the man, not even looking as the bouncer crashed to the floor below and lay writhing in agony, his leg broken. It was hard and savage but Dusty knew that in a town like this the law must be as tough if not tougher than the other side.
    “Where was the shooting?” he asked, seeing the respect in the eyes of onlookers as they moved back to allow him passage.
    Bearcat Annie stood watching Dusty go towards the room where the shooting happened. Then she looked at Doc Leroy who was standing with his gun back in leather again. “You boy badges are starting to rile me,” she snapped. “You won’t be so uppy if I have the boys throw you out.”
    “That’s right, ma’am.” Doc’s voice was mild. “I wouldn’t. But do you reckon your boys could do it—before I send a couple of forty-four balls through that fancy ole chandelier up there?”
    The blonde woman’s eyes left Doc Leroy and went to the magnificent crystal chandelier in the centre of the room. It was her pride and joy, the finest of its kind in Montana. She thought of what a couple of .44 would do to it and of how fast he could draw his gun. She might get her men to try to throw him out. However she knew that not one of them could move fast enough to stop him sending lead into the chandelier and bring it down in a shattered mass.
    Dusty opened the door of the room and entered. Some ten or so men were standing around one side of the long table in the centre of the room. On the other side facing them was a