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Katie.  I got to get back. ”
    “ Well,
then, thanks for the information.  I ’ ll
go over to the phone office shortly and give that Woody Clampett a call.  I
assume it ’ s long distance to Terryville? ”
    “ It
is.  Nothing leaves Blazedale that isn ’ t. 
Make sure Marta doesn ’ t listen in once she ’ s
made the connection.  She has a habit of doing that, and then telling it all
over town. ”
    “ What
is it that she doesn ’ t tell all over town? 
I don ’ t
know where that woman gets all her information. ”   Katie
chuckled.
    “ Rubbernecking! 
Like I said …”  Ralph
laughed with her.

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER
EIGHT
    When
Katie arrived back at the tavern to open at noon, she was disappointed there
wasn ’ t
a crowd waiting, as there had been the morning before.  But perhaps those involved
in the riot at the sheriff ’ s office last
night felt it too soon to be showing their faces about town.  However, some
customers did begin to trickle in as time went on.  The first was an old
farmer, Jake Pearson, from north of town, who came in frequently for a double
shot of whiskey, of which he sipped while smoking his pipe.  Generally he had
little or nothing to say, but today he couldn ’ t
seem to shut up.
    “ Clyde
Banyon was put under early this morning …”
    Katie
was unaware, shocked the man had disappeared from her thoughts so soon after he ’ d
passed.  “ Oh! ”
    “ There
wasn ’ t
a single mourner …”
    “ Not
one? ”   Her father had told her
once: “ Katie,
live life with compassion or you ’ ll
not be remembered once you ’ re
gone. ”
    “ Nope. 
That Presbyterian preacher, Dewey … Fratt, I think his name is, said a few words anyway.  I think he read from the
book, because he could think of nothing good to say.  When Dewey said, ‘ God
rest his soul, ’ I kinda expected it to thunder,
but there wasn ’ t a cloud in the sky. ”
    “ You
were there, Jake? ”
    “ Yeah,
but not to mourn …   I just stopped by to see how deep the
hole was. ”
    “ Why
would you want to know that? ”
    “ I
figured since everybody knew where Clyde was heading in the hereafter, they ’ d
dig it extra deep to give him a head start. ”   Jake laughed at his own
joke until drool dripped from the corners of his near toothless mouth, onto his
shaggy grey beard, and tears skittered over the deep wrinkles of his cheeks.
    “ Now
that wasn ’ t nice to say, ” Katie
said forlornly.  “ I ’ m
sure there must have been somebody that loved Clyde at some point in his life. ”
    “ Maybe
his mother, for a moment, when he was still wet.  But that was before Clyde
slapped the midwife across the bare butt till she cried. ”   Jake continued with
laughter.
    Even
Katie had to laugh at that one, but felt bad all the while she did it.  “ Poor
Clyde. ”
    “ Oh,
he wasn ’ t
poor, ” Jake said.  “ Nosiree! 
The way I heard it Clyde Banyon had a lot of money stashed.  Gold!  It ’ s
probably in that livery somewhere.  Buried under the floor, maybe. ”
    “ Jake,
you can ’ t
know that for sure! ”   Katie looked around the room to see who
may have heard him and saw several paying close attention.  “ Even
if he did have some … money, there must be
heirs?  Clyde must have family somewhere? ”
    “ Well,
if there are, he never told anybody.  Some say Clyde was an outlaw, when he was
younger.  That ’ s where the gold came from, I
madgine. ”
    Now,
the outlaw part, Katie could believe.  She flashed back to the three men that
were with him the day he died.  Come to think of it she couldn ’ t
recall seeing them before … or since. 
Fellow outlaws maybe …   And maybe they killed him … for the gold?  It may be worth looking into, but where would she start?  The
livery?  Now she wondered if anyone had reopened the place … or if it ’ d
ever closed.
    Katie
noticed Jake had finished his whiskey.  “ Can
I get you another? ” she said and