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  Swinging around to give it more force, Belle’s clenched right fist buried its knuckles into the mound of Sarah’s left breast until seeming to force it into her chest. As the fist withdrew, the left hand crossed to force the right breast outward. Torment too great to be fought off flooded through Sarah. Her eyes rolled until only the whites showed and her mouth opened in a soundless scream of agony. Such was her pitiful condition, she did not feel the right cross to the jaw which flung her half naked body as flaccidly as if its bone structure was removed to measure its length on the hard planks of the porch.

  Stumbling with the force she had exerted, right hand feeling as if it was broken so hard had she delivered the final blow, magnificent—if now raw looking and bruised from the punishment it had taken—bosom heaving as she struggled to replenish her lungs, Belle caught the rail of the porch for support. Through the whirling mists of pain and exhaustion which assailed her, although she had not heard anybody riding up, she heard a drawling masculine voice.

  “I told you she was good!”

  Raising her head, despite her right eye being swollen almost shut and the vision through the left impaired by tears of pain and exhaustion, the lady outlaw could not envisage any sight more pleasant at that moment than Waco and Doc Leroy hurrying toward her from where they had left their horses—brought after the stagecoach by William “Fast Billy” Cromaty and the other cowhand—standing ground-hitched and hurried toward her. Opening her mouth to make some response, she felt her legs buckling and she crumpled unconscious alongside the girl she had beaten.

  Chapter 17

  YOU’VE GOT YOURSELF TWO TEXANS

  “THE SHERIFF’S GOT THAT DEPUTY OF HIS LOCKED IN the pokey along with those two gals and the one yahoo who come through alive,” Peter Glendon said, at the completion of the report he was making. “It was him, not the gals who told us about Martin. Fact being, the big ’n’s got a busted jaw and isn’t talking and the lil blonde’s so worried about her being beat up the way she is, she won’t say nothing.”

  It was noon of the day following the attempted stagecoach hold up which had seen the brief criminal career of the Summer Complaints brought to an end.

  On regaining consciousness, after having had her injuries attended to by Doc Leroy—who had also diagnosed and treated Sarah Siddenham for the jaw broken by the final blow of the fight—Belle Starr had made arrangements for her future. She had spent the night at the ranch house and, at sun up that morning, took the best of the available horses and, wearing some of her opponent’s clothing, set off to by-pass Marana and report to Pierre Henri Jaqfaye in Tucson. However, she had not mentioned this to the Texans; claiming only she had to collect the property left on the stagecoach. As she was confident she would arrive before the vehicle, she would allow the Frenchman to repossess it. They had brought her skirt and reticule and, as none of her own property was in the portmanteaus, she was not unduly worried in case he was unable to do so.

  Delivering Sarah to Marana, Waco and Doc had found Sheriff Anstead was in charge. He accepted the reason they gave for the “French woman” not having accompanied them, being pleased to have the whole of the Summer Complaints either in jail or awaiting burial at the undertaker’s establishment. He had, he claimed, been on the point of going to the ranch to take their leader into custody and was saved the ride.

  On leaving the sheriff’s office, the Texans had been met by Glendon with an offer to join him for lunch. Arriving in the dining room of the Pima County Hotel, they had found they were not the only guests. Looking very pleased with himself, having just received a chance to achieve his ambition to become a peace officer—although he did not mention this—Jedroe Franks was sharing a table, set apart from the other occupants, with Major Bertram Mosehan.

  “What did you say the name of that lady Pinkerton agent was?” Mosehan inquired, looking from Doc to Waco and back.

  “‘Magnolia Beauregard,’” the young blond supplied, knowing this was a favorite alias of the lady outlaw.

  “But she didn’t show you anything to prove she was what she claimed?” the major asked, face as lacking in emotion as if it was carved from stone.

  “Well, no sir, she didn’t,” Doc replied. “Fact being, she wasn’t in any shape to do more than lay quiet and let me ’tend her hurts when we got there.”

  “She told us her name was ‘Magnolia Beauregard’ and she was a Pink-Eye though,” Waco supplemented, having asked Belle to do this so he would not be speaking untruthfully—as far as it went—by giving the information. “And, her being a lady and all, it wouldn’t have been right to make out we didn’t believe her.”

  “I suppose not,” Mosehan said dryly. “Well anyway, Belle Starr’s name has been cleared.”

  “I reckon she’ll be right pleased when she hears about it,” Waco drawled, with such innocence it seemed butter would be hard put to melt in his mouth.

  “Could the OD Connected spare you boys for a while longer?” Mosehan inquired, deciding enough had been said upon the subject regardless of his very accurate suppositions about the true identity of “Magnolia Beauregard.”

  “I reckon they could, hard as that is to believe,” Waco affirmed. “About me, anyways.”

  “What he means,” Doc commented, in tones of patient martyrdom. “I reckon Ole Devil and Dusty would reckon they could do without me and be a whole heap better off if somebody close by I could name wasn’t around, happen there was a good cause for us staying away.”

  “I’m beginning to wonder if it’s worth it!” the major informed Glendon somberly. Becoming more serious, he quickly explained the task he had been appointed to carry out and then went on, “So I’m organizing a small force of State Police who’ll be able to go everywhere in Arizona and I could use a couple of fellers like you.”

  “Us!” Doc breathed. “In the State Police?”

  “I mind what Davis’s carpet-bagging State Police did in Texas during Reconstruction,”1 the young blond growled. “And, much as I’d like to take cards in your game, major, there’s no way I’d wear a badge with State Police on it!”

  “Or me!” the slender cowhand supported.

  “All right,” Mosehan replied, considering that gaining the services of the two extremely competent young men would be worth making the adjustment. “We’ll have ‘Arizona Rangers’ on our badges and warrants of authority.”2

  “That being so,” Doc declared. “You’ve got yourself two men!”

  “Better than that,” Waco stated. “You’ve got yourself two Texans!”

  IN CONCLUSION

  THE READER MAY BE WONDERING WHY THE PRESENT “expansion” differs so drastically from the episode which first appeared in THE HARD RIDERS.

  When we asked Dustine Alvin “Cap” Fog about this, he said the descendants of Major Bertram Mosehan at the period in which our source of information was produced felt it unwise to allow the true facts to be known; particularly in connection with the escape of Belle Starr. However, “Cap” and Andrew Mark “Big Andy” Counter persuaded the present generation that their illustrious forebear’s memory would not be affected adversely by the disclosure of what really happened and permission was granted for us to do so.

  APPENDIX 1

  Left an orphan almost from birth when Waco Indians—from whence came the only name he ever knew—raided the wagon train in which his parents were travelling, Waco had been raised as a member of a North Texas rancher’s large family.1 Guns had always been a part of his life, starting with an old Colt Model of 1851 Navy revolver and progressing through a brace of Colt 1860 Army2 to two Colt “Peacemakers.”3 Leaving his adopted home shortly before his sixteenth birthday, he had become a member of Clay Allison’s “wild onion” CA ranch crew. Like their employer, the CA cowhands were notorious for their reckless and occasionally dangerous behavior. Living in the company of such men, all older than himself, he had become quick to take offense and well able, eager even, to prove he could draw his guns with lightning speed and shoot very accurately
. It had seemed only a matter of time before one shootout too many would see him branded as a killer and fleeing from the law with a price on his head.

  Fortunately for Waco, that day did not come!

  From the moment Captain Dustine Edward Marsden “Dusty” Fog saved the youngster’s life, at considerable risk to his own, a change for the better had come.4 Leaving Allison, with the blessing of the Washita curly wolf who wanted to see him attain a better life, Waco had become a member of the OD Connected’s floating outfit.5 The other members of this elite group had treated him like a favorite younger brother and had taught him their respective specialized skills. Mark Counter gave him instruction in bare handed combat. The Ysabel Kid had shown him how to read tracks and perform other tricks of the scout’s trade. From a friend who was a gambler, Frank Derringer,6 had come information about the ways of honest and crooked members of his profession.

  From Dusty Fog, however, had come the most important lesson of all!

  When—Waco already knew how—to shoot!

  Dusty had also supplied advice which, helped by an inborn flair for deductive reasoning, turned Waco into a peace officer of exceptional merit. Benefiting from such an education, he became noted in law enforcement circles. In addition to the periods during which he wore a badge under the Rio Hondo gun wizard,7 he served with distinction in the Arizona Rangers,8 as sheriff of Two Forks County, Utah9 and finally as a United States Marshal.10

  APPENDIX 2

  Over the years we have been writing, we have frequently received letters asking for various Western terms, or incidents to which we refer, to be explained. While we do not have the slightest objection to receiving such mail, we have found it saves us much time-consuming repetition to include those most often requested in each volume. While our “old hands” have seen them before, there are always “new chums” coming along who have not.

  1. We are frequently asked why it is the “Belle Starr” we describe is so different from photographs which appear in various books. The researches of Philip José Farmer, q.v., with whom we consulted, have established that the person we describe is not the same as another, equally famous, bearer of the name. However, the Counter family have instructed Mr. Farmer and ourselves to keep her true identity a secret and this we intend to do. How her romance with Mark Counter commenced, progressed and was brought to an end is told in: Part One, “The Bounty On Belle Starr’s Scalp,” TROUBLED RANGE; its “expansion,” CALAMITY, MARK AND BELLE; RANGELAND HERCULES; THE BAD BUNCH; Part Two, “We Hang Horse Thieves High,” J.T.’S HUNDREDTH; THE GENTLE GIANT; Part Four, “A Lady Known As Belle,” THE HARD RIDERS and GUNS IN THE NIGHT. Belle also makes “guest” appearances in: HELL IN THE PALO DURO; GO BACK TO HELL; THE QUEST FOR BOWIE’S BLADE and Part Six, Calamity Jane in “Mrs. Wild Bill,” J.T.’S LADIES.

  2. Although Americans in general use the word “cinch” for the broad, short band made from coarsely woven horsehair, canvas, or cordage, and terminated at each end with a metal ring, which—together with the “latigo”—is used to fasten the saddle on the back of a horse, because of its Spanish connotations, Texans employ the term “girth” and pronounce it, “girt.” As Texans fastened the end of the rope to the saddlehorn when working cattle, or horses, instead of using a “dally” which could be slipped free in an emergency, their rigs had two girths for added security.

  3. “Light a shuck”: cowhands’ expression for leaving hurriedly. It derives from the habit in night camps of trail drives and open range roundups of supplying “shucks”—dried corn cobs—to be used for illumination by anybody who had to leave the campfire and walk in the darkness. As the “shuck” burned away very quickly, a person had to move fast if wanting to benefit from its light.

  4. “Make wolf bait”: to kill. It derives from the practice in the Old West when a range was infested by predators—not necessarily wolves alone—of killing an animal, poisoning the carcass and leaving it to be devoured.

  5. We suspect that the trend in film and television Westerns made since the early 1960s to portray all cowhands as long haired, bearded and filthy stems less from the desire of the production companies to create “realism” than because there were so few actors—to play supporting roles particularly—who were clean shaven and short haired and because the “liberal” elements who began to gain control of the entertainment industry appear to have an obsession for dirty conditions or filthy appearances. In our extensive reference library, we cannot find a dozen photographs of cowhands—as opposed to Army scouts, mountain men and old time gold prospectors—with long hair and bushy beards. In fact, our reading on the subject has led us to believe the term “long hair” was one of opprobrium in the Old West and Prohibition eras, as it is in cattle country today.

  6. The sharp toes and high heels of the boots worn by cowhands were purely functional. The former could enter, or be slipped from, a stirrup iron very quickly in an emergency. Not only did the latter offer a firmer grip in the stirrup iron, they could be spiked into the ground to supply extra braking power when roping on foot.

  About the Author

  J.T. EDSON brings to life the fierce and often bloody struggles of the untamed West. His colorful characters are linked by the binding power of the spirit of adventure—and hard work—that eventually won the West. J.T. Edson has proven to be one of the finest craftsmen of Western storytelling of our time.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

  Books by J.T. Edson

  WACO’S BADGE

  TEXAS KILLERS

  COLD DECK, HOT LEAD

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  WACO’S BADGE. Copyright © 1982 by J. T. Edson. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  EPub Edition April 2009 ISBN 9780061932380

  Version 05252012

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  1. The idea of having mail carried by stagecoach instead of on horseback is said to have been originated in England early in the eighteenth century by John Palmer, manager of the Orchard Street Theater, Bath. As Mrs. Sarah Siddons—the greatest actress of the period—frequently had to appear in Drury Lane, London, and at Bath and Bristol in the same week, seeking to make travelling easier for her, he persuaded the great statesman, William Pitt, to have t
he Royal Mails delivered by stagecoach between the towns on a daily basis. The idea proved so popular and efficient, it spread throughout the United Kingdom and was eventually copied by other countries. J.T.E.

  2. The purpose of “dished” wheels is described in: THE WHIP AND THE WAR LANCE. J.T.E.

  3. See: Paragraph Three, AUTHOR’S NOTE. J.T.E.

  4. During the 1820s, manufacturers in the town of Concord, New Hampshire—notably Abbott, Downing & Co.—had proved the quality of their stagecoaches to the point where their superlative designs had become the final word for such vehicles everywhere in the world. J.T.E.

  5. How an uninitiated person, albeit one with considerable experience in handling a heavy freight wagon, coped when compelled by circumstances to drive a stagecoach is told in: CALAMITY SPELLS TROUBLE. J.T.E.

  6. Information regarding the various models of the Colt Model P “Single Action Army” revolver, known as “the Peacemaker” can be found in: Footnote 3, APPENDIX ONE. J.T.E.

  7. See: Paragraph Two, AUTHOR’S NOTE. J.T.E.

  8. In all probability, the horse from which a cowhand was thrown, or otherwise dislodged, belonged to the rancher by whom he was currently hired. On the other hand, the saddle was generally his personal and most important item of property: hence the way in which the request for assistance was worded. J.T.E.