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Show 61 "And you were fighting?" "Can't say I wasn't, specially since George there saw me." George was the deputy hired by the dance hall, a butcher during the week. Behind me the chief was still talking softly on the phone and my father sat down to wait. "Then how is it you figure you're not guilty?" "Well, Judge, you know a little whiskey smell on a man's breath don't make him drunk. And if having a couple and then getting slugged makes you drunk and disorderly, why who's innocent? You'd be working Sundays just to put us all away." He lisped like a pampered child. What a mess he was in. Castle smiled and turned sideways a little to cross his legs. "How many drinks did you have? Before the fight." "Just a few swigs from the bottle. Hard to keep track that way-I could of walked a tightrope though." "George says you were staggering." "No, sir, I wasn't staggering. I mighta been a little wobbly after Verne hit me, but not before. No sir." "You say you were wobbly from Verne hitting you?" "Jesus, he can hit!" "Then how come you could knock him cold?" Buck looked surprised. "Why, I just hit him back." Castle sighed. "Now, Buck, what about this fight? Verne claims you started it." "No sir, Judge, he hit me first. Ever'body saw that; George'11 tell you that. I didn't start no fight that night." "Verne claims you provoked him though, used bad language on him and then laughed at him." |
