Accidental Shot

Tom stumbled to the door of the saloon still in a drunken fog and not too positive where he was. The place looked familiar. No, crap in the street and everyplace else was a given. He knew where he was supposed to be, though. He had drank until he ran out of money, or he had passed out and had his money stolen. He woke up in a corner, half under a table and lying in his own puke. He hoped it was his own puke. He needed to get outside so he could wash it off in the horse trough, although God knows what’s in there.

As he got outside, he threw his hands over his face to get the sun out of his eyes. It must be later in the morning than he thought for that to happen. There was the usual hustle and bustle of town folks doing whatever it was they did. Every time he came to town, he’d see people walking around. What they did for money was a mystery,unless it was stealing from drunk cowboys.

Tom didn’t really know because he was a cowboy. Being a cowboy made him remember he lived on a ranch and he needed to find his horse. He knew he rode one to town, so it had to be around someplace. The where escaped him for the moment. He looked around after his eyes got adjusted to the light. He didn’t see his horse or anyone he knew. Did someone steal his horse after robbing him? The horse was just an old nag, not worth much but it was something to ride. Also, he didn’t own the horse. The ranch owner gave it to him because it was a nag. The people from around here will steal just to be stealing.

He heard gunshots followed by shouting and screaming. He felt like his head was going to explode. He noticed a bunch of men riding away from the bank, shooting at people and yelling. Tom couldn’t take any more noise. He drew his gun and meant to fire into the shy. Tom wasn’t a very good shot as most cowboys weren’t. He only carried a gun because it was a manly thing to do. He had occasionally shot a rattler or at least shot at one. It usually got his horse riled up and the horse would run a couple of miles with Tom trying not to fall off. He usually did but, not always. Trying to be bad ass he bragged about some of the gunfights he’d been in. He hadn’t been in any but who knew.

Trying to be sociable, Tom decided to fire a round off into the sky. As he was raising his pistol he fired too soon Tom’s shot hit the rider and knocked him off his horse. The rest of the riders kept on going. They were being fired at now by several townsmen and didn’t stop to help their companero. Turned out hehad the money from the bank robbery that had just occurred. The town marshal arrested the man and a crowd soon formed wanting to hang him. “Hangin’ seems a mite strong for a bank robbery,” the sheriff said.

“Well, we ain’t hardly hung no one this year. Jus’ that drifter feller what was bangin’ on Miss Davis’ door that time,” one of the townsmen said.

“Yea, and it were her brother. She ain’t hardly got over that yet,” the marshal said. “Well, we got this here yahoo. One day extra for a trial ain’t goin’ to’ make no difference no how. Not to him.” one of the town folds said.”

“Say, we ain’t thanked this here cowboy fer shootin’ the idjut right off his horse. That was some mighty good shootin’. Come on into the saloon and I’ll buy ya a drink,” Huey the corral owner said. Tom thought maybe he knew where the nag was. He also had an idea where the whiskey was going to go.

Tom didn’t really want a drink, but wanted to be social able. So, he went into the saloon except banker Maris. He took the satchel of money and went back to the bank. The marshal went to the saloon as well. He half-dragged the robber with him. “What with him all shot up I don’ think he’s going anywhere. Well, he was going to the hangin’ tree tomorrow but not going anywhere right now. Hell, let’s get him a drink too. Took a lot of balls to rob that bank with a marshal in town and this here shooter too. I reckon he didn’t know about the shooter though. Still, let’s give him a drink seein’ as how we’re goin’ ta hang ‘im tomorry.’ ”

After a short while, Tom was feeling pretty good. The headache was gone. His money was gone but no one was asking him to pay for his drinks. He still didn’t know where his horse was but a few of the men promised to help him find the nag. Tom had his doubts about them being any help. It should be the only horse no one recognized but these men were drunk.

“Say,”one man said. “Did old man Maris, he’s the banker, did he give you a reward for stoppin’ the robbery?”

“Well, no he didn’t,” Tom told him.

“Well, ain’t that a load of crap. Here you go and save his money, which saved his bank and his sorry ass and he don’t give you nothin’? Maybe we need to have a double hangin to set things right.”

The marshal spoke up at that. The bank paid half the taxes in town and that meant they paid half his salary. This was getting out of hand with his salary at stake. “Now,jus’ you be holdin’ on there. We ain’t hanging no banker jus’ cause he’s a skinflint. That’s it. Tomorrow we hang this robber and that's all.”

“Well, I guess that be right. Say, mister, we didn’t get yer name”, one of the townsmen said,

“It’s Tom. Tom Green.”

“Well, Tom Green, I can’t say as I ever heard of you but that’s no never mind. They ain’t many coulda made that shot. Stay over the night and we’ll give you the honor of kickin’ the box from underneath this here robber.”

The honor of kicking the box out from under the man? They want me to hang him? Why would I want to hang him? He didn’t do anything to me.

“Well, I’m sure as shootin’ sure it be an honor. I need to find my horse and get back to the Square Circle Ranch and get back to work.”

“Ya mean ya don’t want to see this here bandit hung? You are the one what shot him clean off that horse. Seems like ya’d like to help with that. Well, if ya don’, ya don’. Marshal, this here bandit ain’t going to need his horse no more so how’s about we let this fellah have him?”

The marshal looked down at the robber and thought he had stopped breathing. He watched for a minute and was sure he wasn’t breathing. He listened to his heart and it wasn’t beating.

“Well, guess the hangin’s off. He done died on us. Damn it!”

“Maybe we should ought to hang him anyway. Hell, it ain’t goin’ to matter to him,” a townsman said.

“No, that’s stupid. We ain’t hangin’ a dead man,” the marshal said.

“Well, who’s goin’ ta pay ta bury him? He’s just a dead man as is. If we’d hang him the county would have to be paid for his burial,” the local undertaker said.

The saloon became really quiet. The men looked around at each other but no one spoke. This was something new. Who is going to pay the undertaker? Everyone looked to the marshal for guidance as if he had any. He cleared his throat and said, “Let’s hang ‘im right now afore he starts to stink.”

Tom went out and got the late bandit’s horse and rode out of town. He wanted to get back to ranching. He never intended to come to this town again. No sir, he wasn’t coming to a town that hung dead men.