Dusk was upon us when we reached Devil’s Paw. “Do you fellows ever stay at the hotel?” I asked.
“Yep. Sometimes we get a couple rooms, pair up such as we land. Merle’s funny about that. All this money, but he thinks it foolish for only one man to occupy a bed.”
“You’re welcome with me,” I said as we stopped at the livery.
“I’ll take you up on that,” returned Frank, “but first I want to check on the others, make sure nobody’s gone off the rails or Merle is laid out somewhere he shouldn’t be.”
“Sober fellow always has to play mother hen,” I noted.
“Suppose so.”
“See you later, then,” I said. “I’ll be at Day’s.”
“Fair enough.”
The telegraph office was still open, so I wired Whitlock on my progress.
Bonner in town mostly drunk. Rides with three others: Frank Metty, Vance Dunbar, Ed Ra
