BOOM.
Stump glances up the street and sees that Sheriff Moser has let go with one barrel of the scattergun he’s wavin’ around, then trains his Winchester back on the drover on the right.
The sheriff bellows, “AWL RIGHT! WHAT’S GOIN’ ON HERE!”
Tensleep belts back, “SHERIFF! Stand easy now!”
The Sheriff notices the three men on the hotel porch for the first time and levels his shotgun at them. He then notices the drovers on the saloon porch and swivels the shotgun toward them, then back to the hotel porch, then back to the saloon porch, then back to the hotel porch.
“Sheriff.” Tensleep says, then pauses. “Why don’t you lower that scattergun and walk over here right easy.”
Sheriff Moser glances back and forth, then walks toward the men on the hotel porch, shotgun still aimed at them.
Stump says under his breath, “Boys….”
Arcey reaches under his coat. Now there’s a pistol pointed at the Sheriff. “It’s too early for this crap.”
The Sheriff halts just off the porch and glances from one man to the other, then says sarcastically, “Ok boys. Would ya like to fill me in.”
Tensleep, “Let that scattergun down NOW sheriff.”
The Sheriff lowers the shotgun, looks at Stump Water and says with a sneer, “I seen you around for a few weeks. Who’s these geezers?”
Stump says, “Care ta answer geezers?”
Tensleep explains the events of the recent moments. The Sheriff ambles across the street and spouts brazenly, “You boys from the Lazy H git on outta here! Go on back to tha’ ranch… and make sure ya take Ridge with ya. Now GIT!”
Once the drovers are clear, Sheriff Moser wanders back over on to the hotel porch and asks Stump, “I say agin’. Who’s these geezers?!”
Stump Water grabs the shotgun from the Sheriff and throws it down on the porch with a clatter, then grabs the Sheriff by the collar and slams him into the hotel wall. “The big blonde feller’s an Ex-Ranger. Rode more country and fought more Indian’s and brought more bad men to justice than your little pea brain can comprehend. He goes by ‘Tensleep’. That other feller there, tha one that was ready to give you a new eye in tha middle of your forehead, he goes by ‘Arcey’. He’s been tha LAW in more towns that you even know EXIST. I suggest you give these two MEN a wide berth, lest you wanna be pickin’ yer teeth outta yer tonsils. If any of this isn’t getting’ through yer bone head Sheriff, I’ll be glad to go over it again.”
Stump eases his grip on the Sheriff’s neck and the Sheriff scrambles off spouting obscenities.
Stump, “Arcey, ‘Sleep. Guess we gotta ride out now. Oh well… ”