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Author's Chapter Notes:
Finally: the true conclusion!
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From THE MEMOIRS OF "MALARKEY" JOHNSON

"I was later told that Jeb Daniels screamed like a frightened little girl as he arced through the air. Even to the point of soilin' his long-Johns by the time he landed on the flattened palm of Becky's giant right hand! But, that he eventually composed himself enough to look up at her when she ordered him to."

" 'Hello, Jeb. It's been a while, and a lot's happened since I last saw you. I got married, for one thing. And, I'd like you to meet my husband. Mr. Brendan Dooley Reardon...alias the San Blas Kid.' "

"Whereupon, she brought her right hand a little closer to her left. And, standin' in the palm of that hand (barefoot and bare-chested) was Dooley. His Colt Peacemaker nestled in the holster of the two-gun rig he hadn't worn since he took to usin' the Starr as a hide-out gun 'neath his red poncho."

"And he tossed that Starr over to Jeb. Watchin' it land right in front of the latter's knees."

" 'I'll get right to the point, Daniels,' Dooley exclaimed (loud enough for the cavalry to hear): 'You've caused my family a lot of misery. Well, now, I'm here to put you out of it! And, you got one of three choices how to do it. A classic back-to-back duel, where we turn and fire at the count of three. Put a bullet from that Starr right between your eyes. Or, let Becky swallow you...alive and whole.' "

"I'm told that Jeb didn't answer, right away. He just looked up at Becky, who looked back at him, and grinned."

"Like a cat what's cornered a mouse."

" 'Are you loco?!' he finally answered back: 'Th-that's...' "

" '...murder?' Becky finished for him: 'That's what you intended for Dooley, the night of my sweet sixteen party. You were _still_ tryin' to kill him even as Echota tried to wrestle that derringer away from you!' "

" 'And, now, you get to try again,' Dooley added (deliberately turnin' his back to Jeb): 'So, at the count of three, either fire that gun at me...or use it on yourself. Either way; you ain't goin' back to Tonkawa Springs, alive. ONE!' "

"Becky continued the count: 'TWO!' "

"Sure enough; Jeb didn't even wait for the pronouncement of 'three.' Instead, he dove for that other revolver and tried to shoot Dooley in the back! But, the moment he cocked the hammer, Dooley was already swervin' counter-clockwise; comin' to rest in a crouch; drawin' the Peacemaker; and fannin' four shots right into Jeb's chest."

"Becky closed up her right hand, right quick, to keep Jeb's body from fallin' to the ground. She then cupped it together, with her left, so's Dooley could recover the Starr. After that? She put him on her left shoulder..."

"...before droppin' Jeb's body down into her wide-open mouth."

"I'm told that Colonel Lancer was shocked speechless for the first twenty seconds, or so. But, that he finally regained his senses fast enough to order the Gatlin' guns to open fire, at will. Just before they did, though, somethin' unforeseen happened."

"A giant keg of gunpowder--the size of a California redwood--came flyin' through the air and landed right in front of the middle battery. With a short fuse that was already half-burnt down! And, it was quickly followed by a second...and a third!!"

"The resultin' explosions made holes the size of meteor craters. And, some folks might call it a miracle that most of them soldier-boys scattered fast enough to wind up only seriously wounded, at worst!

"Me? I call it the result of Rachel breakin' into the Reardon gunsmithy (with my help), before her abduction of Jeb Daniels, and makin' off with three normal-sized powder kegs. Which, of course, grew giant-size along with her!"

"In the confusion that followed the explosions, Rachel ran back in the direction of Tonkawa Springs. While Becky and Dooley high-tailed it to where they had left Yvette to guard the horses."

"I haven't seen the latter three to this day."

"It's for the best, I suppose. Old Man Daniels never forgave them for killin' his only boy. He even paid to have wanted posters printed up, offerin' a million dollar reward for Dooley and Becky. Just plain dead!"

"But, ain't anybody collected on it, yet."

"In the many years since then (like I said at the beginnin'), a lot of dime novels have been written about this highly unusual couple. Each one referrin' to them as 'Big Red and the San Blas Kid.' But, me? I prefer their Spanish nicknames: 'La Giganta Y El Pistolero.' It sounds more...poetic."

"And, wherever they are, right now, I want 'em to know that I love 'em."

"Vaya con Dios, mis ninos."

THE END
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