Texas Iron Read Online Free PDF Page B

get himself into this predicament.
    Sam and Evan McCall had been released from jail the very next day. Dick Stark had gotten enough men together to back their
     story that the police had to let them out without charging them.
    They were, however, asked to leave San Francisco as soon as possible.
    Fortunately, that was not a problem.
    While still in jail Evan had told Sam that he’d received a letter from Jubal just a couple of months ago, while he himself
     was in Sacramento. Apparently Jubal and Evan had stayed in touch much more than Sam had with either of them.
    The next morning, as they bought two horses and provisions and set out for Wyoming, Sam had said, “Tell me again what the
     letter said.”
    “Jubal said that he was going to Wyoming to try and stay out of trouble.”
    “Well then,” Sam said, “All we have to do is find the hottest spot in Wyoming, and our little brother will be there.”
    Of course, the hottest spot in Wyoming was definitely the town of Prosper, in the controlled Folk County. The word had gone
     out for miles around that a hanging was going to take place. In fact, there was so much interest that Jubal was told they
     were postponing the necktie party for a couple of days to accommodate certain people—highly placed people in the running of
     Folk County. The hanging certainly couldn’t go on without them there.
    And so Jubal’s waiting was prolonged. Later, he’d realize what good the postponement of the hanging had done him.
    The day was here, though, and Jubal was just hours from the rope. He tried to pass the night by thinking of the most pleasant
     thing he could. Unfortunately, the most pleasant thing he could think of was being in bed with Erin Flanagan, buried in her
     loving, but that just brought him full circle to being hanged again.
    He wondered who was nestled between Erin’s sweet thighs while he was waiting out his last night on earth.
    The McCall brothers had been in Folk County only a day when they heard about the hanging, in a saloon. Apparently, some young
     fool had been caught in bed with the wife of Dan Flanagan, son of Darby Flanagan, who, with Seth Folk, ran Folk county. As
     confusing as it sounded to them, the important element was “young fool.”
    They looked at each other and said, “Jubal.”
    They asked a few pertinent questions, then left the saloon and rode to Prosper.
    “Let’s go, McCall,” the deputy said, opening the cell door. “We kept you waitin’ long enough.”
    “Don’t rush on my account.” Jubal spoke without rising from his bunk.
    “Come on.” The deputy entered the cell and kicked the underside of the bunk. “There are a lot of people waiting out there
     for you.”
    “Yeah,” Jubal said, “we can’t keep them waitin’, can we?”
    “No, we can’t. Get up.”
    Jubal swung his feet to the floor and the deputy backed up, his hand on his gun.
    “What are you, nervous?” he asked.
    “You’re Sam McCall’s brother, ain’t you?”
    “So?”
    The deputy wet his lips.
    “So, that’d make anybody nervous.”
    Jubal laughed.
    “You think big brother’s gonna come ridin’ in here to save me?”
    “The thought had crossed my mind.”
    “It come to anyone else’s mind?”
    Now it was the deputy’s turn to laugh.
    “Not hardly. Folk County is so secure Folk and Flanagan aren’t even worried about Sam McCall.”
    “So don’t you worry, either,” Jubal said. “I ain’t seen my big brother in years, and I don’t expect to.”
    “Let’s go,” the deputy said. “If you don’t mind, I’ll keep my hand on my gun anyway.”
    Jubal stood up and said, “As if that would help you against Sam McCall.”
    The deputy took Jubal out to the office, where the sheriff was waiting. Sheriff Ernie Watt had been hired personally by Seth
     Folk and Darby Flanagan, and was firmly in the Folk/Flanagan pocket. When Flanagan and Folk said to hang somebody, he hanged
     them. That was what he was paid to do.
    “You ready,