Longarm and the Colorado gundown

_{“I agree with you most strongly,” Farmer said. “Most strongly indeed. I certainly would never be able to abide anything like that either.”}

_{Longarm puffed slowly on his smoke for a moment. ‘That story in today’s edition comes t’ mind, Farmer.” “Which one did you have in mind?” The question was deceitfully bland. The man had to know good and well which story was in question here.}

_{Longarm’s eyes narrowed.}

_{“About my clients,” Aggie put in, apparently accepting Farmer’s smart-ass response at face value.}

_{“Oh, yes. My warning about the impending atrocities. Not that I expect any praise, you understand. I was only doing my civic duty to pass that information along. Protecting the life and property of one’s fellowman is what any good newsman hopes to accomplish.”}

_{“Where’d you come up with bullshit like that?” Longarm snapped.}

_{“Surely you can’t mean—”}

_{“Quit your playacting, Farmer. Why’d you print a string of lies like that? You must’ve had a reason, man. But damned if I can work out what it could be. Can’t see any sense in it whatsoever.”}

_{“Lies, Deputy? What lies could you possibly mean?” Longarm glowered at him. It was Aggie who answered the man. “There is no danger from the Ute tribe, Ellis. Certainly there is no danger from the band of frightened, innocent people I represent here. Now why in the world would you print a story saying all those awful things?” “But those were not lies, I assure you. I was given that information by my source. I repeated the warning exactly as it was given to me.”}

_{“Bullshit,” Longarm said.}

_{“We won’t accomplish anything if you insist on being rude,” Farmer said.}

_{“Fact remains, mister. Your story is bullshit. Dangerous bullshit at that. The sorta bullshit that causes trouble an’ gets innocent people killed.”}

_{“Just what part of my story do you claim is, um, bullshit, Deputy?*’}

_{“Roughly speaking, I’d say it’s the part between the first word an’ the last one.”}

_{“I see. For instance then, you dispute what I wrote in my story about the massacre at the agency? About the Rev. Mr. Meeker and those other innocents being slaughtered? Was that bullshit, Deputy? Have I been misinformed? Did those deaths not actually take place?”}

_{“You know that isn’t what I was talking about, Farmer.” “Then perhaps you do not believe that young white women were .. . excuse me, Agnes, I don’t mean to be indelicate in your presence... were raped by savages during that recent uprising. Did that not happen either?. Is that what you disagree with, Deputy?”}

_{“Damn you, you know—”}