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In the last episode, Buck details the
lawlessness in Contention City since Sheriff Brucker died. Buck almost had
his head shot off on the outskirts of town.
Episode 17
After Brucker's death, Whitby MacMillian,
proprietor of MacMillian's Dry Goods, found his goods being blatantly
stolen so frequently that he decided to close up shop until the Council
hired a new sheriff, however long the process took.
Trouble was, MacMillian's Dry Goods was the only
store in town selling certain necessities for mining and personal use.
MacMillian made a lot of people mad when he closed.
"Don't blame me. Blame the Council. They've
got to find someone. I can't run a business if everybody keeps stealing
from me," he yelled over and over through his locked door when people
cussed him out.
"If you didn't charge so much for every
damn thing, people wouldn't have to steal from you," one man yelled
back.
"Do you think it's cheap shipping stuff all
the way out here?" MacMillian retorted angrily, being driven to open
the door. "I've got to cover my costs."
The yelling continued all morning long. Most
people resigned themselves to a ride to Tucson to buy what they needed.
One man didn't. "He don't have no right to
close up like that," Darren Tammany said to the men who gathered
outside of the store's door. Knocking sharply, Tammany commanded,
"Let me in!"
"We're closed," MacMillian called out
as he had called out many other times that morning.
"What are you closed for? This is the
daytime. You're supposed to be open," Tammany said through the door.
"We're closed and we're not going to open
until there's some law in this town. We can't make a profit,"
MacMillian answered. "There's a notice I put outside, if you can
read."
"There ain't nothing out here. It don't
matter anyway. You're nothing more than a greedy bastard."
"I'm not being greedy. I need to make
money. Ain’t that why you come out here to be a prospector? I can't if
people come in here and take my merchandise, can I? You have a problem
with that, talk to the Council. Tell them to hurry up and hire a
lawman."
The City Council was well aware of what Whitby
MacMillian was doing. The Council couldn't force him to open and they had
no idea who they'd hire to take Brucker’s place. Not only did the person
have to have certain skills, but they also had to have a death wish and
not mind passing the chance to get rich finding silver.
Still, most folks realized there wasn't going to
be much mining until somebody took the job.
"I'm no courier. You go tell the damn City
Council we need a new sheriff. I need a new pick and shovel."
MacMillian asked who he was speaking to. Tammany
told him. "I did all ready. I've talked with several of them.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Tammany. I'm not going to
be doing business with anyone until this town has a new sheriff. There are
stores in Tucson that'll sell you a pick and what you need. I
regret…."
"That's too far. I'll be back here,"
Tammany said, angrily interrupting. "This door best is unlocked by
the time I get back or you're going to be sorry."
"I'll be sorrier if it is open, the way
things are."
Thirty minutes later, Tammany returned with Joe
Sheldon, his partner.
"This door is still locked, isn’t
it?" Tammany said, trying the handle and knocking sharply. "You
didn't take my advice, did you?"
"I told you I ain’t opening up until
there's a new sheriff. You don't like it, you go see Hardy, Garza,
Hawkins, Hayes and Craig. They can open this store. They can hire this
town a sheriff," MacMillian said.
"That could take weeks. We don't have
weeks, Mr. MacMillian," Shelton said. "We need to keep
going."
"However long it takes," MacMillian
said. "I don't like it just like you don't, but I can't run a
business if everybody keeps stealing from it."
"You hear him, Joe?" Tammany said.
"He's a stubborn one. Ain't he?"
"What if we need something?" Shelton
said, trying to reason with the storekeeper.
"You've got to buy it from someplace
else," MacMillian repeated. "This store is closed!"
"But this is the only store in town,"
Shelton replied.
"That's your problem!"
"It's going to be your problem!" said
Tammany.
"We really need supplies," Shelton
said. "We'll pay you doubly!"
"You get them to hire a sheriff, you won't
have to pay double! I'll even thank you very kindly. I just can do
business in a town there the likes of Halahan and Henry run amok,"
MacMillian said.
Tammany whispered to Shelton: "This ain't
working' Joe. We've got to talk tough to him."
"Why should we go anywhere else when we've
got you right here Macmillian?" Tammany said loudly.
MacMillian, weary of the exchange through the
locked door, chose not to answer.
"Darren and I need equipment. Why can't you
open just for us? We're good for it! We'll put it on our accounts and
everything, pay you when we strike it rich. We've paid as long as we've
been doing business with you," Shelton argued.
"No sales on credit until there's a new
sheriff," MacMillian said flatly.
"Well, we're not going away. We love
standing here talking to you!" Shelton said, chuckling.
"It won't work," MacMillian said.
"Get this town a sheriff and I'll open the door."
"My friend was only kidding," Tammany
said angrily. "We've got things to do, just as I'm sure you do too.
You're leaving us no choice."
"You do that, I'm going to shoot you. I
told you I wasn't open for business and I told you what you can do about
it," MacMillian said.
"Well, we ain't going to do it. What do you
think about that?" Tammany said.
"Too bad. If I open for you, I'll have to
open for everyone. I ain't about to do that," MacMillian said.
On the count of three Tammany and Shelton bashed
against the side of the door. It splintered, but didn't give way.
"You guys will go somewhere else if you know
what's good for you," MacMillian warned nervously, cocking the cradled
shotgun in sweaty palms.
"Open the damn door!" Tammany screamed
angrily.
MacMillian didn't, though he knew the door wasn't
strong enough to withstand another blow from the men.
On a second count of three the two of them slammed
open the door and fell inside.
"I warned you goddamnit! I told you!"
MacMillian said, pulling the trigger of his loaded shotgun. Shelton caught
the pellets squarely in his chest. Tammany got grazed.
"Didn't think you'd go that far,"
Shelton said, bleeding to death.
"You were wrong. And it's a damn shame too. I
hate to lose a customer," MacMillian said.
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