Vivian replied, “Thank you, Jeb.”
Jeb went on, “All the time I was out in them hills slaving away. Shoveling gravel, toting water, starving, and sweating in that blazing sun, the only thing I ever thought about was you Vivian.”
Vivian hinted, “Well, now, that’s mighty sweet of you, Jeb. But, you know what I’m really interested in. Is finding out about this party I hear you’re going to have in here tonight.
Jeb disclosed, “I bet you’re wondering if I can pay for it. Well, it’s liable to be a goodly sum. You rest your soul, Vivian. There’s the wherewithal.”
Jeb pulled out a pouch of Gold, and dropped it on the Bar. Then he loosened the string and dumped out the Gold nuggets.
Vivian laughed, “- Mmm! Oh!”
The Saloon filled with chatter, and murmuring as Jack said, “Let’s weigh this up.”
Stretch looked in amazement, “Is that real gold?”
Jeb replied, “Well, of course it’s real gold, son. Ain’t you never seen gold before?
Jack set a scale on the Bar, and started weighing Gold nuggets as he mumbled, “Well, I don’t know how much is in that poke, but I figure there’s enough there to pay for all the whiskey they can drink, and you too.”
The people started cheering as Jack went on, “Now, just a minute, Jeb. It’s not the whiskey I’m worried about. After midnight, they start breaking up all the furniture.”
Jeb explained. “ Well, if that ain’t enough, I got a lot more hid away in a real safe place. Don’t you worry your pretty head Vivian.”
Jack put the last of it on the scale. I got about 21 ounces. I make it out to be about $420.
People started whistling, and yelling. Vivian agreed, “Well, you’re right, Jeb. That ought to take care of everything, including the furniture.”
Jeb yelled, “Yippee! Set ‘em up.”
Then he requested, “Serve ‘em, Jack.”
The piano music started playing and lively chatter felled the air. Jeb insisted, “All right, fellas, just step right up and help yourselves here.
Stretch saw someone he thought he knew, “ Hey, Cousin Morgan? Hey, Cousin Morgan? Don’t you know me?”
Morgan replied, “Well, I’m afraid you got the advantage of me, stranger.”
Stretch asked, “Aren’t you Lyle Morgan, of the Caddo County Morgans, up in Oklahoma?”
Lyle replied, “Yeah, that’s right, but, uh, I can’t quite put a handle on you.”
Stretch informed, “Well, I’m Stretch Morgan. Why, you’re Sheriff Greenwood’s kid. Your that young fella that used to follow me around everywhere?”
Stretch muttered, “That’s right.”
Lyle replied, “Well, I’ll be doggoned. You know, I wouldn’t knowed you in a million years. Why, you were a head shorter than me.
Stretch replied, “Well, I kind of shot up all of a sudden. Right”
Lyle replied, “Yeah, I’ll say you did.”
Then Jack yelled, “All right now hold it down a minute. Old Jeb wants everybody to dance and have some fun, and this is his party. Let’s do it. Get away from the bar there. That’s it. Need another girl here. Okay honey, all right now we’re all set.
Jeb yelled, “All right, let’s go.”
The piano started playing a upbeat tune well Jeb yelled, “♪ Well, y’all join hands and circle to the south ♪
♪ And you let a little sunshine in your mouth ♪
♪ Halfway around you backtrack back ♪
♪ Single file, Indian style, with the lady in the lead ♪
♪ Now you’re home and everybody’s waiting ♪
♪ And they whirl ♪
♪ Round and round with a pretty little girl ♪
♪ Allemande left with the old left hand ♪
♪ Right your honey on the right, left grand ♪
♪ Big foot up and the little foot down ♪
♪ Make that big foot jar the ground ♪
♪ Meet your honey and you pat her on the head ♪
♪ She don’t like biscuits, just cornbread ♪
♪ Now you’re home ♪
A lot of laughing was going on.
♪ Everybody’s waiting, whirling round and round ♪
♪ With a pretty little girl ♪
♪ First in turn, then you bow to the right ♪
♪ Circle of four in the middle of the floor ♪
♪ Round and round and round you go... ♪
On the other side of the room Vivian questioned, “Why do I get the feeling that you two know each other?”
Lyle revealed, “Probably because we grew up together.”
Stretch replied, “Of course I used to be quite a bit younger than he is. But he used to take me fishing and hunting, and...”
Lyle insisted. “It’s just sure is good to see you, Stretch.”
Stretch insisted, “Oh, come on, let’s go talk someplace over here.”
Can’t we talk later?
Oh, come on! We got five years to catch up with.
Lyle insisted, “I’ll be back.”
Oliver called out “Promenade her!
♪ You know where and I don’t care ♪
♪ You get that galto an easy chair. ♪”
The song ends with whistling, applause and cheering.
Steve looked at Sholo and remarked, “I just don’t understand how an old goat like you has so much luck.”
Sholo replied, “Luck is what a man makes it, and I’ve been working for years to make mine. Hey, Oliver, come on over here.”
Oliver walked over to the table.
Sholo insisted, “Oliver, if you ain’t the best doggone caller I ever heard.”
Olive replied, “Well, I tell you, there’s nothing like a square dance to kind of stir things up, is there?”
Sholo insisted, “That’s right.”
Oliver asked, “Another one, Sholo?”
Sholo replied, “No! I’m Going home.”
Oliver asked, “What in thunder’s the matter with him?”
Jeb replied, “The older he gets, the grumpier he gets. He’s just like a ol’ hound dog. All he wants to do is lay by the fire and sleep or growl.”
Everyone at the table started laughing.
Rising a glass Oliver declared, “Jeb, here’s to your very good luck.”
Steve said, “That’s just what I told him it was... luck!”
Jeb stood and raised his glass saying, “All right then its luck. So here’s to luck boys. The goldurndest, luckiest night old Jeb ever had.”
About 5:00 in the morning Jeb through down his cards and said, “I’m out. I ain’t even got a pair. Boys, I’ve had me a night. I’m going home.”
Stretch insisted, “I’ll be right with you, Jeb.”
Jeb replied, “No, forget it son. You stay in the game. I don’t need a nurse.”
Jack insisted, “Well, I’ll tell you one thing, this game’s only going to have two more hands, because I’m closing up. Sun’s going to be all the way up in another hour.”
Jeb moaned, “By golly, if you ain’t right. Vivian, I want to thank you for all your kindness. I’m coming back tomorrow and marry you.”
Vivian laughed, “It’s already tomorrow.”
Jeb mumbled, “Well, then, make it the next day.”
Vivian smiled, “All right, I’ll be right here waiting for you. You sure you can get home all right?”
Jeb insisted, “You’ll never see the day I can’t. Night, Vivian.”
Vivian laughed, “Good morning, Jeb.”
Jeb went on, “Been the luckiest, happiest day of my whole goldurned life.”
Vivian disclosed, “Oh, by the way Jeb, you’ve uh, got some credit left. Not much, but some.”
Jeb insisted, “Fine. Buy yourself a wedding gown.”
Jeb got on his horse singing, “Get along home, Old Joe Clark Ah. Get along home, I say Get along home, Old Joe Clark I’ll see you another day Get along home, Old Joe Clark Get along home, I say Get along home, Old Joe Clark I’ll see you another day...”
The next morning at the Jail Jim was getting ready to take John to do his chores. When the Door flung open with a bang. It was Sholo panting trying to get his breath.
Albert asked, “What’s the matter Sholo?”
Sholo barked, “Sheriff! Sheriff!”
Then he was panting as Albert insisted, “What is it?”
Sholo wheezed, “You-you come... Mr. Jeb...! Hurry!
Albert asked, “What’s the matter with him?”
Panting Sholo continued, “I think... I-I think he’s dead.”
Albert insisted, “Be right with you. Truck on.”
Jim proclaimed, “I’m getting the doctor, and I’ll meet you out there. It’s just past the Brother’s wood lot right?”
Albert replied, “Yah that that old falling down shack.”
Jim insisted, “Give me about fifteen minutes before you start time, and I’ll meet you there.”
Then Jim blinked out, and Albert walked over and touched Sholo.
Sholo went on, “Poor old Jeb. Looks like his biggest night on earth might have been his last.”
Albert asked, “How bad do you think he is?”
Sholo explained, “You know, it’s hard to tell. I don’t really know, but it’s amazing. A blow on the head like that would have killed an ordinary man his age, but old Jeb he’s pretty tough.”
At the shack.
Jim got the doc and helped him hitch his horse to his buggy. Then he blinked them just down the road from the old shack. Inside Jeb gasps and mumbles.
Doc insisted, “Easy, Jeb. Easy.”
Albert inquired, “Jeb? Jeb, can you hear me? It’s Albert Blocker.”
Jeb mumbled, “Sheriff.”
Albert questioned, “Jeb, what happened here? Who did this to you?”
Jeb moaned, “Couldn’t see. Couldn’t see! From... behind. I...”
Then he muttered some things that didn’t make sense.
Doc insisted, “Well, I’m afraid he’s not going to be much help to you for a while, Albert.”
Albert acknowledged, “No... no, I’m afraid not.”
Doc explained, “Albert, I’d like to get him out in the buggy as soon as we can and get him into Dention. Then someone can watch over him.”
Albert revealed, “You want to take him to the Jail? We have a cot setup in there now.”
Jeb moaned as Doc insisted, “We’ll need to keep an eye on him for a day or so.”
Albert agreed, “All right, fine.”
Jim asked, “You think whoever did this got the gold?”
Albert replied, “I don’t know Jim.”
Jim asked, “You talked to Sholo about this?”
Albert insisted, “Oh, yeah, from all the sense he made. You’d think he’d been hit on the head too.”
Back at the Jail Sholo asked, “He going to be all right.”
Albert implied, “He isn’t going to die? Doc said he’d be laid up for a few days, but he’ll come out of it all right.”
Sholo admitted, “I’m mighty glad for that Sheriff.”
Albert asked, “Sholo how’d this happen?”
Sholo went on, “20 years me and him been together, maybe even more than that.”
Albert agreed, “Yes, I can imagine it’s been quite a shock for you.”
Sholo told, “I always knowed when he wanted something done without him even telling me. He said I know it by a kind of... of...well, like a dog knows something. You know when me and him was working the claim. He didn’t talk to me sometimes for maybe a week. Then when I’d say something he didn’t even listen. Course there wasn’t no reason for him to. I... I never said nothing important in my whole life. And when I did talk it always come out wrong. People’d would start a-laughin’ at me. But not him he never laughed at me Sheriff. He’s the greatest man in the world.”
Albert replied, “Yes, he’s a fine fellow, Sholo. Tell me, now. I want to know what happened.”
Sholo admitted, “I don’t know. I was asleep.”
Albert barked, “Asleep?”