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“Howdy,” the Earp brothers said, and went back to their dinner.<br />
Johnson didn’t recognize the names, but Perkins’s manner suggested that they were important and<br />
famous men. Johnson whispered, “Who are they?”<br />
“They’re from Kansas,” Perkins said. “Abilene and Dodge City?”<br />
Johnson shook his head.<br />
“They’re famous gunfighters,” Perkins whispered. “Both of ’em.”<br />
Johnson still had no notion of their importance, but any new visitor to Deadwood was fair game for<br />
a photograph, and after dinner he suggested it. In his journal, Johnson recorded his first conversation<br />
with the famous Earp brothers. It was not exactly a dramatic high point.<br />
“How would you gents like a photograph?” Johnson asked.<br />
“A photograph? Could be,” Wyatt Earp said. Seen close, he was boyish and slender. He had a<br />
steady manner, a steady gaze, an almost sleepy calmness. “What’ll it cost?”<br />
“Four bucks,” Johnson said.<br />
The Earp brothers exchanged a silent glance.<br />
“No thanks,” Wyatt Earp said.
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