Dragons Teeth Crichton 2017 (WWT)

“It is two hundred more than you have, I believe,” Marsh said.
“Look, Wyatt,” said Johnson. “There’s a telegraph office here in Laramie. I can cable my father for
funds, and by this time tomorrow I can give you five hundred dollars for your share.”
Marsh darkened. “Mr. Earp, we have made our deal.”
“That’s so,” Earp said. “But I like the sound of five hundred dollars.”
“I’ll give you six,” Marsh said. “Now.”
“Seven fifty,” Johnson said. “Tomorrow.”
Marsh said, “Mr. Earp, I thought we had a deal.”
“It’s amazing,” Earp said, “how things keep changing in this world.”
“But you don’t even know if this young man can come up with the money.”
“I suspect he can.”
“Eight hundred,” Johnson said.
Half an hour later, Marsh pronounced himself happy to take Earp’s share of the bones, at once and
without inspection, for a thousand dollars in cash. “But I want that box,” he said suddenly, spying the
one with the small X on the side. “That means something.”
“No!” yelled Johnson.
Marsh drew his weapon. “It would appear that box has contents that are especially valuable. And
if you believe that your life is also especially valuable, Mr. Johnson, which I do not, then I suggest
you let me remove this crate without further discussion.”
Marsh had the boxes loaded onto a wagon, and he and Navy Joe Benedict headed north, toward
Deadwood, to retrieve the rest of the bones.
“What does he mean, the rest of the bones?” Johnson asked, as he saw the wagon drive off into the
sunset.
“I told him there was another thousand pounds we left behind in Deadwood, hidden in Chinese
Town, only you didn’t want him to know about them,” Earp said.
“We better get moving,” Johnson said. “He won’t go far before he cracks open one of those cases
and finds he has bought worthless granite. And he’ll be back hopping mad.”
“I’m ready to go,” Earp said, thumbing through the money. “I feel well satisfied with my return on
this trip.”
“There’s one problem, of course.”
“You need crates to replace the ones you just lost,” said Earp. “I bet the army garrison has some,
given their need for provisions.”
Within an hour they had procured ten crates of more or less equal size as the ones Marsh had taken.
Johnson unearthed the bones from their manure bed, and packed them carefully but quickly. The box
containing the dragon teeth received another X, which satisfied him more than he could say.
They left, within minutes, for Cheyenne.
Earp was up on the box with Tiny. Inside the coach, Miss Emily stared at him. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“I think I’ve been very patient.”
“I thought you might be Wyatt’s girl,” he said.
“Wyatt’s girl? Wherever would you get an idea like that?”
“Well, I thought so.”
“Wyatt Earp is a scoundrel and a drifter. The man lives for excitement, gambling, shooting, and