Close to the same time Hawk was setting out for Alvin Peavy’s trading post on the Sun River, the four men he chased arrived at Rufus Bodine’s store at Wolf Creek, sixty miles away. Ready for a drink of the rotgut Bodine sold for whiskey, Tater led them inside and headed straight for the saloon side of the room. Standing behind the counter in the general store half of the building, Bodine gave him no more than a nod for a welcome, having never seen Tater before. He followed Tater over to the saloon side, and when he looked back to see the three men following, he at once recognized two of them. He stopped and scowled, which was his version of a smile. “Well, well, if it ain’t the Corbin boys,” he greeted them then. “It’s been a right long spell since you two passed this way.”

“About two years, I expect,” Booth responded. “How you makin’ out, Bodine?”

“Better’n ever,” Bodine answered. “I see you’re travelin’ with a couple of friends. Tell you the truth, I figured you boys had finally got yourselves caught, figured you might be in prison. I’m right glad to see you again. Figure you’ve come back to pay me for them forty-eight dollars’ worth of horse feed and supplies you forgot you owed when you left that morning.”

Remembering only then that he and Jesse had sneaked out early that morning two years ago, Booth was quick to reply. “That’s exactly right. Me and Jesse said we had to get back here as soon as we could to settle that bill with you. Matter of fact, we was thinkin’ we oughta pay you double that amount, since it took us so long to get back to this part of the territory. Or, I’ll tell you what, knowin’ you’re a sportin’ man, I’ll give you a hundred dollars and you pour us all one drink of likker. How’s that?”

“By God, that’s fair enough, all right.” Bodine was surprised, to say the least, when Booth counted out the money from a sizable roll in his pocket. Bodine hurried over behind the bar and pulled a bottle from a shelf underneath. “This is the good stuff,” he said as he poured four shots. He paused to watch Booth’s men toss the whiskey back. “You boys musta been havin’ a little luck lately.”

“I reckon you could say that, wouldn’t you say, Jesse?” He looked at his brother and grinned. Back to Bodine, he said, “You know Jesse. Say howdy to Trip Dawson and Tater Thompson.”

Bodine nodded to each of them in turn. “Glad to have you boys come by. You plannin’ on stayin’ awhile? I’ve still got them two cabins back down the creek. Ain’t nobody in ’em right now. Or, I’ve got two rooms upstairs over the saloon that ain’t occupied right now.”