"Evans, Tabor - Longarm 223 - Longarm and the Double-Barrel Blowout" - читать интересную книгу автора (Evans Tabor)

"My boots look pretty good, Ruben."

"I can make 'em look even better."

"All right," Longarm said, knowing that Ruben would be hurt if Longarm
failed to tell him that he was about to go on a month-long vacation.

"Longarm, you jest sit right down and take a load off these feet. Wanna
read yesterday's newspaper?"

"No thanks," Longarm said, stepping up onto the chair and resting his
boots on iron pegs. "I'm going on vacation next week. Thought I'd let
you know so you didn't think someone out there plugged me this time."

"A vacation!" Ruben grinned, always an interesting sight because of his
missing front teeth. "Where you goin?"

"Haven't decided for sure," Longarm admitted. "Maybe New Orleans. Think
I'd like to take the train to St. Louis and then ride the riverboats all
the way down to the Gulf of Mexico."

"Woo-wee! Now maybe you need old Ruben to come along and carry your bags
and to keep these boots lookin' good!"

"I couldn't afford you," Longarm said as he gave Ruben the customary
five-cent cheroot and stuck one in his own mouth. He lit both and the
two men puffed in contentment for a moment before Ruben started dabbing
on brown shoe polish, saying, "That sure is a sorry-lookin' little
package you got there, Longarm. What's in it?"

"Damned if I know. I guess I might as well find out."

Ruben nodded to indicate he also thought that was probably a good idea.
"Where's it from?"

"Arizona, if I'm reading this smudged postmark correctly."

Longarm reached for his pocketknife. He was a big man, standing six four
and weighing over two hundred pounds. He was still in his prime and cut
an imposing figure with his deeply tanned face, broad shoulders, and
handlebar mustache. He had a notorious reputation as a ladies' man, and
not without good reason, although he never spoke of his times with women
nor did he give them much thought when he was hot on some outlaw's
trail.

Longarm cut the package string. "Ruben, this package is so beat-up it
looks as if it's probably been stomped on by a bunch of your Apache."

"If it was from my Apache relatives, it'd be wrapped in a white man's
scalp!"