Triple Drabble - ASJ Challenge #1
Title: The Sting (apologies to Newman and Redford)
Character: The Kid (?)
Word Count: 300
Challenge Words: ace-in-the-hole, varmint, dogie, tenderfoot
"Whoo-eee! Look at the tenderfoot!" Red slapped his knees. The new hand - christened The Kid until he earned a nickname - grinned. He probably didn't know what a tenderfoot was.
Yessir, the new man was as raw as Red had seen. It'd be no trouble to buffalo him while they liberated a few beeves. Of course, Red tried to lose The Kid on the way to the line cabin, but had no luck. He grimaced at the man.
A spotless hat perched atop slicked-back dark hair. Red never saw a shirt quite that shade of red. And what kind of real cowhand wore silver spurs? Even the cows were insulted. An old mossy-horn suddenly bolted, knocking The Kid ass over teakettle. It stomped on the hat and vanished into the brush.
"That varmint giving you trouble?" Red drawled.
The Kid grunted, struggling to his feet. "No," he said. "But why's that dogie wearing a WB brand? I thought ours was the VI."
Maybe not such a tenderfoot. "Kid, keep quiet and you'll get your share. Blab, and you might have a nasty accident."
The Kid looked like he'd been poleaxed. "You're rustling the boss' herd?"
"Yeah, and if you know what's good for you, you'll go along quietly."
"Actually," The Kid said with a grin, "I was about to say the same thing."
He put two fingers in his mouth and let loose a piercing whistle. Red's jaw dropped as the boss appeared, along with the sheriff and his deputies. The boss shook The Kid's hand as the lawmen rounded up Red's gang.
"Lom was right," he said. "You sure can play a part! I'd have never caught them otherwise."
"Oh, Heyes is our ace-in-the-hole," the sheriff said. "Now that he's on our side of the law, that is."
Character: The Kid (?)
Word Count: 300
Challenge Words: ace-in-the-hole, varmint, dogie, tenderfoot
"Whoo-eee! Look at the tenderfoot!" Red slapped his knees. The new hand - christened The Kid until he earned a nickname - grinned. He probably didn't know what a tenderfoot was.
Yessir, the new man was as raw as Red had seen. It'd be no trouble to buffalo him while they liberated a few beeves. Of course, Red tried to lose The Kid on the way to the line cabin, but had no luck. He grimaced at the man.
A spotless hat perched atop slicked-back dark hair. Red never saw a shirt quite that shade of red. And what kind of real cowhand wore silver spurs? Even the cows were insulted. An old mossy-horn suddenly bolted, knocking The Kid ass over teakettle. It stomped on the hat and vanished into the brush.
"That varmint giving you trouble?" Red drawled.
The Kid grunted, struggling to his feet. "No," he said. "But why's that dogie wearing a WB brand? I thought ours was the VI."
Maybe not such a tenderfoot. "Kid, keep quiet and you'll get your share. Blab, and you might have a nasty accident."
The Kid looked like he'd been poleaxed. "You're rustling the boss' herd?"
"Yeah, and if you know what's good for you, you'll go along quietly."
"Actually," The Kid said with a grin, "I was about to say the same thing."
He put two fingers in his mouth and let loose a piercing whistle. Red's jaw dropped as the boss appeared, along with the sheriff and his deputies. The boss shook The Kid's hand as the lawmen rounded up Red's gang.
"Lom was right," he said. "You sure can play a part! I'd have never caught them otherwise."
"Oh, Heyes is our ace-in-the-hole," the sheriff said. "Now that he's on our side of the law, that is."