Chapter 70: Valentine Shopping Spree
Gun Shop
From a distance, the owner spotted Johnny returning after yesterday's visit and brightened, certain more business was walking through his door.
His tired face folded into a grin as he hurried forward.
Johnny gave a lazy wave, signaling the man not to get the wrong idea.
He stepped aside and nudged the uneasy Kieran forward. "Hey, boss, I'm not buying today—the star of the show is this young fella."
Kieran was a poor Irish kid; his father, while working at the Stable, had scraped together three dollars for a cowboy revolver.
Families like his used cheap factory goods; a genuine thirteen-dollar revolver was an impossible fortune.
So Kieran hesitated in front of the glittering display.
Johnny caught the look, smiled, and strode to the counter. "Boss, fetch the kid the real deal—thirteen-dollar model, you know the one."
"If it's been tuned up, even better; if not, I'll tweak it here. Add a detachable stock—he's green, so look after him."
"And a quality holster—money's no object."
Kieran realized how much care those words meant; none of it sounded cheap.
The owner chuckled, pulled a fine wooden box from the shelf, and revealed a brand-new cowboy revolver with its factory card.
He lifted out a detachable stock as well.
Everything about the box screamed value.
Johnny motioned for Kieran to try the grip, then went with the owner to pick a sturdy holster.
Thanks to their long dealings, the shopkeeper shaved the price and threw in three boxes of regular cartridges.
Johnny was too embarrassed to haggle further.
He paid nineteen dollars and the deal was done.
As they headed out, a man by the door was earnestly recounting a tale to a friend.
"I swear it happened, not some lousy excuse."
When Johnny appeared, the man looked up and shouted, "Hey, friend! Remember me? You pulled me out of the river this morning!"
"Wallace, this is the good man I told you about—gave me a seventy-five-cent miracle tonic!"
"Name's Norbert, Mr. Van der Linde; I'd like to repay you. Pick any weapon in the Gun Shop—my treat."
Johnny's heart leapt; a free tool of survival was priceless.
He thanked Norbert warmly and turned back inside.
The owner, who had overheard, greeted him with fresh enthusiasm and began touting new stock.
Though he could have chosen the priciest piece, Johnny knew Norbert was only a ranch hand in Valentine Town.
An expensive gun would bleed the man dry.
After weighing it, Johnny passed on the high-end models.
He lacked a dependable shotgun; the LeMat's two scattershot shells left no room for error.
He proposed splitting the cost of a tuned repeating shotgun—ten from him, ten on Norbert's tab.
Twenty dollars later, he finally escaped the tempting Gun Shop.
[ Hello fellas, hope you guys are enjoying the fic.
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