"A Fistful of Thorns"

Excerpts

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"Sheriff John Behan, at 35, still had a boyish face that sported a walrus mustache. He was rapidly losing his brown hair which only served to emphasize the dominance of his large, nearly unexpressive brown eyes. Eyes that didn't so much look as they did stare in a fixed unblinking gaze like those of a snake. He was the offspring of corrupt politicians and organized crime. As folks in Tombstone would soon discover, beneath Behan's glad-hand manner and youthful appearance lurked a vicious predator."

"‘What I think we've got here, Creek,' said Doc with a hacksaw edge on his voice, ‘is one of Sherman's baby killers who couldn't pick his mother out of room full of hogs.' That insult, at last, had the desired effect. Conly slowly rose to his feet as he said, ‘I don't know who the hell you are, Dude, but you've just killed yourself. I'll send you to hell on a shutter.' ‘Now the thought of that,' drawled Doc through his taunting, crooked smile, ‘just burdens me with sadness and fear. And for that I'm going to take your gun away.'"

"Ike Clanton was drunk and throwing a wide loop. In his high pitched, squeaky-gate voice, he whined, ‘those goddam Earps and Colonel Hooker mean to take over this County and everything in it. Not only that, but they're planning to murder all of us to do it.'
From his faro table not more than 15 feet away, Doc said,
‘Up till now, Ike, I thought you were merely a man of weak abilities, but now I see you are living proof that life's hard but it's a lot harder when you're stupid.'
A laugh sputtered through the crowd.
‘If you're as clever as folks say, you'll butt out of this Holliday.'
But Doc, as usual, was hoping to provoke Clanton into slapping leather and wasn't about to pass up this opportunity..
‘Ike, you seem to be under the impression that I follow the same shooting rules as Wyatt. I don't. He won't kill an drunk man. Which makes you safe from him because you are drunk most of the time. But I suffer from no such sentiment. You cross me, drunk or sober,' said Doc tapping the grip of his holstered Colt with a forefinger, ‘and I'll enlarge your head with one of these beauties.'"

"Once the fight at OK Corral was over, Behan emerged from his hiding place in Fly's Studio. He swaggered up to Wyatt and Holliday and while pushing the front brim of his derby up with the barrel of is six gun, he boastfully announced, ‘I'm placing you men under arrest for murder."
Wyatt looked at him while reloading and said, ‘Go chase yourself, you pusillanimous little prick,' holstered his pistol, turned his back on Behan and walked away.
Doc had already reloaded and stepped between the withdrawing Wyatt and Behan.
‘So, you yellow, lying bastard, you ‘disarmed' them. Well, now they are truly disarmed but you aren't,' pointing to the pistol Behan was carrying, ‘suppose you effect the arrest yourself, right here, right now if you've got the stones to try.' The startled Behan suddenly realized the peril he had place himself in and dropped the pistol as though it was a red hot horse shoe.
‘You know that's not my way Holliday,' he stammered."

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