In town, Sheriff Jason got them rooms at the boarding house. They were the only guests except for the sheriff, a bachelor, who used it as his home. It was obvious that he, and the widow Barns who owned the boarding house, were very close friends.
It was evening, and Crow was sitting on the porch, his chair tilted back with his heels on the rail. Earl and the others had gone down the street for a drink. Earlier, Jed had gone to the telegraph station to send his report to the Marshal in Los Angeles. It was late when he got back, and he"d stopped on the porch to have a smoke. From his perch, he could see Jason and the widow Barns through a window. Jason sat slouched in a high-backed leather chair, smoking his pipe, talking to the widow as she sewed. Crow brought his pipe to his lips and drew
