Read TW12 The Six-Gun Solution NEW for Free Online Page B

with her in a saloon one night and King heard we were together. He'd had a few drinks and he was fixed for trouble. He busted in on us and jerked his pistol. Molly tried to get between us just as his pistol went off. The bullet went right through her and smashed into my hip. I managed to get my pistol out and shoot King as I fell, but it was no help to Molly. They both died. And me, after I healed up, I had to walk around with a cane for quite a spell. That's where the story started that I got the name Bat from batting people over the head with it." He chuckled. "Amazing how these things get around."
    "Where did you get the name Bat?" asked Neilson.
    "It's short for Bartholomew, which is my real name. I never cared for it, so I use William Barclay. I like the sound of it better. But most folks know me as Bat Masterson, just like they'll probably know you as the Montana Kid from now on. I guess you have me to blame for that."
    Neilson grinned. "I don't mind. I kind of like it."
    "You may not always feel that way," said Masterson. "Having a reputation as a gunfighter is a sword that cuts both ways. It gets you plenty of respect, but not the kind you'd like. The way Wyatt reacted was the way any lawman would react on hearing of a gunfighter come to town. You represent a threat. Potential trouble. And it didn't help any to have Frank say you were faster than Wyatt. That sort of thing puts a man on his guard right away."
    They entered the adobe house and Neilson started looking around. He didn't expect to find much. Observers were always careful to leave no sign that would indicate they were anything but what their covers made them appear to be. Even if someone hadn't already torn the place apart, he would have found nothing from the future here. But that wasn't what he was looking for.
    "Well, it's like I told the marshal," he said, "I don't want any trouble."
    "You stay around here, you'll find it sure enough," Masterson replied. "By now, the Clantons will have heard about how you gunned down those two. Now, Wyatt. Virgil and Morg know them a sight better than I do, but from what I've heard about that bunch, you'd do best to steer clear of them. Ike Clanton I've met. He's not so much. A blowhard, mostly. His brother Billy seems a lot more likable, offhand, but I hear he's quite good with a six-gun and he'll back up his brother. Then there's the McLaurys, Frank and Tom. Both gunmen. And Frank's said to be dangerous. Billy Claiborne runs with them, but I wouldn't put him in the same class as Frank and Torn. And then there's Curly Bill and Johnny Ringo."
    "I've heard of them," said Scott.
    "That's not surprising." Masterson replied. "Curly Bill Brocius has killed his share of men. And Ringo has a big reputation as a gunfighter. There's a good number of others, cattle rustlers and stage robbers, not a good apple in the bunch, but of them all. I'd worry about those two the most."
    “And you think I have something to worry about?" asked Scott.
    "If you stick around, you do." Masterson replied. "I don't want to seem ungrateful or unfriendly, Kid, but if I were you, I'd waste little time in moving on. You're young, yet. Got your whole life ahead of you. You can be anything you want to be. But if you decide you're going to be a gunfighter, then you've closed off a lot of options. You can find some town that needs a good man with a six-gun to wear a badge. A saloonkeeper who'll cut you in for a small share of the business to hang around and make sure there isn't any trouble. Or you can hunt bounty. There's some money to be made from that. But it's not what I'd call an easy life. Or a very good one. Often, it's a short life. too.
    "Oh, maybe your reputation as a pistolero will make some men back down." he continued, "but it will also mark you. Instead of trying to face you down, they'll look to shoot you from behind or get you through a window with a scattergun. And then they'll be able to brag about how they gunned down the Montana Kid.