Longarm and the Colorado gundown

_{“I’d consider it a honor, sir, a real honor if a gentleman such as yourself would sit an’ have a drink with me.” “And I’d consider myself one sorry sonuvabitch if I refused to have a drink with a man who’d just saved my bacon. Lead the way, Parson, an’ the honor will be mine.”}

_{Chapter 30}

_{Parson seemed uneasy in the lamplight indoors where his facial disfigurement was so completely on display. Longarm turned the lamp low, and helped himself to a pair of drinks from Aggie’s supply in the office half of the cabin. The lady was keeping herself out of sight for some reason. Frightened half out of her wits probably, Longarm suspected. And that was just because there’d been gunfire outside her walls. She had no way to know that she had barely escaped an ugly death by fire.}

_{“To your good health, Parson,” Longarm said, toasting the big man.}

_{“Thank you, sir.”}

_{“My pleasure.”}

_{They both drank. Parson seemed pleased.}

_{“Before we get down to business,” Longarm said, “I know this isn’t customary. But we’ve been through a good bit together tonight. I was wondering, Parson, if I could ask you a personal question.”}

_{The man touched his cheek, feeling of the scarred and puckered flesh there. He shrugged and nodded. “If you really want t’ know, I suppose there’s no reason why I shouldn’t tell you. This happened t’ me when—”}

_“Whoa!”

_“Sir?”

_{“I wouldn’t ask a thing like that, Parson. None o’ my damn business, an’ likely painful for you t’ have to call back to mind.” He smiled. “Not that the other is any of my business either. But what I keep wondering on, Parson, is}

_{how you came by a name like that. I mean, I’m real sorry. I know better’n to pry into another man’s personal life. But the question just keeps fretting at me, if only because of how poorly it seems to fit you. And, uh, you can now tell me t’ shut up and tend to my own knitting. I won’t take any offense an’ will apologize for butting in where I got no call t’ be.”}

_{Parson chuckled and shook his head. “This name? That’s all you’re wanting t’ know? Aw, I don’t mind telling you ’bout that, sir.”}

_{Longarm leaned forward and topped off Parson’s glass with a shot of Aggie’s fiery applejack, then helped himself to a freshener too. The liquor—calvados had she called it?—wasn’t rye, of course. But it kinda grew on a fellow.}