Longarm and the Colorado gundown

_{Longarm handed the youngster a nickel, accepted his newspaper in return, and waved away the offered three cents change.}

_{“Thanks, mister.” The kid sounded sincere, and no doubt}

_{was. But by the time Longarm winked at him, he had already turned away and was looking for his next customer. He wasn’t wasting any time dawdling where all the readily available profits had already been reaped.}

_{Longarm chuckled and wandered off in the direction Aggie had just taken, carrying his paper with him.}

_{The restaurant she’d entered had a menu board outside advertising everything from elk steaks to smoked buffalo tongue and a good assortment in between. The lady lawyer had just walked past two other cafes that served such mundane articles as mulligan stew and cheese sandwiches. Apparently Miss Agnes preferred living somewhat higher on the hog than that.}

_{“You certainly took your time,” she complained once he had joined her at a comer table.}

_{“Didn’t know we was in all that big a hurry,” he responded.}

_{“I don’t know about you, dear, but I happen to be hungry. I’ve already ordered, by the way.”}

_{“For both of us?”}

_{“Yes, of course.”}

_{For some reason it irked him that Aggie was assuming she should, or could, take charge like that. “Oysters on the half shell, I s’pose,” he grumbled. “Or is it a pate?” What he was in the mood for was something solid and meaty, steak and potatoes, sausage and biscuits, something on that order. Definitely not any fancy-prissy crap like truffles and pickled quail eggs.}

_{“I only wish oysters were available,” Aggie said, missing his tone of voice and taking the question seriously. “But we won’t get any fresh oysters in until the railroad is completed, I’m afraid.”}

_{“Such a pity,” Longarm said with no particular sympathy.}

_{“Yes, isn’t it?”}

_{The conversation wasn’t going anywhere. Longarm retreated from it by leaning back and opening the local newspaper. He glanced at a bold headline in the upper left comer of the front page.}

_{Then sat bolt upright with a frown.}

_{“Damn!” he blurted out.}

_{“I beg your pardon?”}

_{“Damn,” he repeated, loud enough this time that heads turned at the adjacent tables to see what was wrong. “D’you see what some sonuvabitch has gone an’ done?”}

_{Longarm went outside and bought another newspaper. It was either that or wrestle Aggie for possession of the first one. By the time he came back to the table she was muttering and moaning and getting red in the face.}