Jebediah Kane - Gunslinger

New character I came up with Thursday, here is the rough draft of part of that story:

A group of rowdy cowhands was in the saloon shouting and firing their guns in the air, the marshal stood just outside the doors of the saloon checking his pistols to make sure they were loaded.
“Morning Marshall, sounds like a party is in full swing inside, tad early in the day for this kind of behavior, wouldn’t you agree?”
Looking up he saw the smiling face of Jebediah Kane his eyes almost hidden over his hat that he had tilted forward at a cocky angle. On his hip he wore two pistols with ivory handles in their holsters that were worn in the manner that gunslingers preferred. It allowed for a faster draw, even if it was only a matter of a few seconds, that was what kept some men alive when it came down to man against man. Nobody knew where Jebediah came from or where he stayed when he wasn’t in town, he was a complete mystery to everyone but the marshal.
“You don’t mind if I go in first do you, I’m parched?”
The marshal just gestured towards the swinging doors and stepped aside. As Jebediah walked through the doors he sat down in a chair in front of the saloon and watched through the gaily colored window. Inside everyone turned towards the doors and watched him enter. The marshal smiled and put his pistols back in their holsters.
Jebediah slowly walked to the bar, passing a couple of cowhands that glared at him. He counted twelve in plain sight, maybe one or two more where he couldn’t see them. Placing both hands on the bar he said, “Stan give me a shot of Redeye. Looks like you got yourself a party going on”
“Mister we’re having a private party here and you ain’t part of it!!” a gruff looking man with a livid scar on his left cheek walked towards Jebediah, trail dust still heavy on him from the cattle drive.
“Sounded like you fellas were having shooting contest of some kind, mind if I give it a try?” Jeb smiled as he asked, “I love contests. Good way to test your skills”
Behind him a man who sat at a table with a bottle of whiskey in front of him said, “Like my friend said, this is a private party”
“OK, I get it. Stan I’d like that shot of Redeye now” he said to Stan who had stepped as far away from him as he could behind the bar.
“Like my friend said, you ain’t welcome here,” the man with the scar reached down towards his gun and the man at the table reached for his at the same time. Before either man could grab them four shots rang out. The man with the scar’s gunbelt fell to the floor the clasp shot off. The man at the table’s bottle of whiskey shattered and he fell sideways as two legs of his chair were shot out. Some of the other men started to reach for their guns as well when in a calm low voice Jebediah said, “I’d think twice about slapping skin to them smoke wagons, because it will be the last thing you ever do”
Jebediah was still standing at the bar, smoking pistols laying front of him as he reached for a shot of Redeye, “I’d appreciate it in fact if you would kindly take your party someplace else. In fact I’ll buy two bottles of whiskey for you to replace the one I broke. The other option is that I take offense to the two of you trying to slap leather against me without cause,” his voice dropped a note, “and I don’t like that at all” Turning slowly he smiled at them as he said, “Stan could you get two bottles of whatever my friend was drinking and put it on my tab?”
Stan hurried into the back room to get the whiskey.
Tension in the room was strung as tight as a piano wire as the men waited for someone else to make the first move. “I did my fair share of cattle drives in the past. Trail dust becomes a part of you, loneliness and the dangers during the drive keep you and edge until you finish the drive. I can understand wanting to celebrate making it through OK. Seems a pity to let a little fun ruin your day doesn’t it?”
A couple of the men nodded in agreement.
“I’ll even treat all of you to baths at the bath house down the street and pay to get the trail dust cleaned out of your clothes. Like I said I’ve been there myself and I know what it’s like. Do we have a deal, or do we have a shooting contest? I think I just showed you my accuracy and speed. All that’s left is my willingness to kill a man” as he said that he tilted his hat back so they could clearly see his face. Some of the men gasped and took their hands away from their guns and shook their heads in agreement.
“You fellas enjoy yourselves and just be respectful while you do, OK?”
“Yes sir we will” several of them said as he walked by them and walked out the swinging doors again.
The Marshal was still sitting in the chair laughing, “I just love watching you work Jeb”
“Hell, it ain’t work at all”
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Published on May 20, 2012 00:42 Tags: jebediah-kane, neil-leckman
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