Sliver Pete

by Carol Moore
I've never told this story before, but just the same I'm telling you now.
I was a boy of 8 in 1885 and I lived in a small town out west with my baby
sister and my folks who ran the loal delivery stable. It might not have
been suh a bad !lae e"e!t for one man.
#is name was Sliver Pete and we thought him the meanest, ugliest, most
ussed hombre that ever !aked a gun and it was well known he arried a
$olt %5. #e didn't muh like to work, was a ow!oke a few months out of
the year and the rest of the time he !layed and heated at ards and killed
anybody who alled him on it. &hen for rereation or just !ure s!ite he
killed every sheriff that ever tried to arrest him. &here wasn't a soul that
didn't fear Sliver Pete, even my 'ather.
&he towns!eo!le ended u! offering a reward of ()*,*** to anyone who
ould either run Sliver Pete out of town or !ut him in his grave. +ind
you, that was a fortune in those days but when Sliver Pete heard there
was a !rie on his head he just laughed and shot u! the saloon and then
the bakery. #e said he was worth muh more money than that. ,nd when
stranger after stranger ame to ollet the reward they ame to stay
beause Sliver Pete !ut them in the town emetery.
-ne very windy day the stageoah arrived in town with an unusual
!assenger. I was there to witness it beause it was my duty to water the
stageoah horses. &he stageoah door swung o!en and a single man, tall
and gaunt and dressed in a brown.blak oat and hat, with a white ollar,
ste!!ed out. I had seen !itures of ,braham /inoln and that is who this
man reminded me of, although I knew ,braham /inoln would not have
been wearing a !reaher's lothes. #e waved the oahman away as he
reahed for his own trunk off the roof of the oah. &he trunk was
wra!!ed in a blue loth that fla!!ed in the wind although !artially tied
with a ro!e. 0ust as he got it to the ground a gust tore at the material and
I learly saw the writing on its side. #e grabbed the loth and stuffed it
bak into !lae, glaning straight at me. &hen he smiled a slow smile,
winked, and !ut his inde" finger to his mouth as if to say we shared a
seret. &hat's the only inident I saw
myself and all the rest I heard
seondhand through either my folks
or my friends.
&he man alled himself Preaher
1an. #e said he hadn't ome to stay but he was in our town on the /ord's
business to get money to build a hurh. #e'd already a2uired most of it,
but !eo!le were sur!rised when he said he !lanned on making the
remainder by !laying ards and that 3od had told him he would win the
rest that he needed in just one night. ,lthough suh behavior was
im!ro!er for a !reaher nobody 2uestioned it. #e had a 2uiet manner
and 2uik smile and, anyway, strangers never stayed too long.
&hat afternoon the ard game started early. ,mong the four !layers
around the table was Sliver Pete. Sliver Pete was his mean self, slouhed
in his hair with a whisky at his elbow. I was told Preaher 1an didn't say
a word the first hour although he smiled readily enough if anyone aught
his eye.
&he first two games were won by +ike +3rew and &om 4ider, town
regulars. &he !urse was small. &here was stati in the air like just before
an eletri storm. &he third game the !urse grew bigger and Sliver Pete
won this round. #e smiled for the first time and Preaher 1an smiled
bak.
56ie going.5 the Preaher said. 5I see the /ord's in need of hel!
tonight.5
Sliver Pete smirked.
7ut Preaher 1an wasn't finished. 5I been eyeing that gun of yours. +ay
I see it85
&he room grew suddenly 2uiet as Sliver Pete's smile vanished as 2uik as
a 7luetail fly beneath a horse's tail swat. 56o man touhes my gun but
me.5
5-h. I didn't mean anything by it,5 the Preaher grinned. 59ou know I'm
not a man. 0ust a messenger of 3od. 1on't usually otton to guns either,
but I hear you're right handy with one and I sure wanted to see the
smoker that's done the damage.5
Perha!s it was the hint of admiration in his voie, or maybe 3od
intervened to soften Sliver's mood, but to everyone's sur!rise, Sliver Pete
unholstered his $olt %5 and !ut it on the table. #is eyes glowered about
the room as if daring anybody to disa!!rove.
Preaher 1an almly retrieved the gun and e"amined it thoroughly,
looking u! the barrel and bouning it gently in his hand to weigh it.
Suddenly, unaountably it sli!!ed from his fingers onto the floor.
:er!lunk...
Sliver Pete jum!ed to his feet, sliding his hair bak with a s2ueal. 7ut
just as 2uik the Preaher leaned over and retrieved the gun, wi!ing it
with his jaket hem and sleeve. 5Sorry 'bout that,5 he said, handing it
bak.
57etter sorry than dead,5 growled Sliver Pete. 7ut there was a notieable
sigh of relief from the room as he holstered the %5 and sat bak down.
,fter that things seemed to !ik u! s!eed as the bets got bigger. +ike
+3rew !ushed away from the table. 5&oo rih for my blood,5 he said.
6ow there were three left at the table, inluding Sliver and the Preaher,
and Sliver Pete was winning big time. #e had a small mountain of bills
and oins and, reklessly, was !laying for bigger and bigger stakes.
If Preaher 1an felt !ressure he didn't show it although all his $hurh
money was fast going to Sliver Pete. ,t last, just before dusk, the last all
of ards ame and Sliver had won it all. #e wra!!ed his burly arms about
the !ot and began drawing it to him.
50ust a moment.5 &he voie was soft and deadly and a startled Sliver
didn't at first reali;e it ame from the Preaher who added, 59ou been
heating all night and if you take that money now you an add thievery to
the deed.5
Sliver's hand went to his gun, but knowing the Preaher didn't arry a
gun he held it there like a threat. 5I don't heat and I don't let no one all
me one neither. 6ot even a !reaher.5
5Is that so8 /et the /ord deide. &hat is, if you are to take your fight to
the street where it's right and !ro!er and you're not afraid to meet your
maker,5 said the Preaher.
5<hy, you don't even own a gun,5 sneered Sliver, 5,nd you wouldn't
know to shoot one anyhow.5 #e literally s!it out the words.
5I'm no math, that fat's assured. 7ut 3od said I'd have that money
tonight and you won't make him a liar.5 &he Preaher's eyes narrowed
with serious intent. 5So long as someone here sees fit to loan me his gun,
whomever remains standing will have s!oke the truth.5
7eause Sliver Pete had never turned down a gunfight in his life and the
Preaher was handed a gunbelt with two guns by the bartender, they
ended u! outside at o!!osite ends of the street. , small rowd gathered,
not so muh to witness Sliver Pete kill another man, but in sym!atheti
su!!ort of a foolish !reaher who was about to die for the sake of his
hurh.
&he two men
stood there a
seeming
eternity, eah
with their gun
hand !oised and
ready. &hen gun
fire rang out
and the look and
smell of gun
smoke filled the
air. Sliver Pete
blew away the
smoke at end of
his gun barrel as
he saw the tall
figure of
Preaher 1an hit the dirt. $ries of anguish ame from womenfolk in the
rowd.
7ut Sliver Pete was unonerned and made it a !oint to look bored. #e
had holstered his gun and started his walk bak to the saloon when he
notied the body of the Preaher begin to move. 6ow Sliver Pete had
never failed to kill with his first shot and he wathed, fasinated, as the
Preaher stood u! and again !ointed his borrowed gun. So Sliver Pete
had to shoot him again, atually two shots just to be sure. &he Preaher
fell like a ut tree, straight down with his fae in the dirt.
Sliver wi!ed his forehead with his gun hand still holding the gun and his
eyes steady on the body of the Preaher. 7ut what he hadn't e"!eted to
ha!!en ha!!ened yet again. &he rowd gas!ed as they saw the Preaher
struggle one more to his feet.
&his time Sliver Pete didn't even give the Preaher a hane to aim. 'or
the first time in his life there was fear in his e"!ression. &wo gun shots
rang out and the Preaher !ithed over.
&he rowd edged bak from the street. &here was something deidedly
unnerving and otherworldly about this gunfight when a man wouldn't
stay dead. It ourred to them maybe the Preaher had s!oke the truth
about his onversation with 3od. &he same thing had ourred to Sliver
Pete, beause with a !ale fae he very slowly a!!roahed the body. #e
was )* feet away when the Preaher again struggled to his knees and then
his feet, this time holding out his hand !alm u! as if to say, 59ou owe me
that money5. &he Preaher's blak eyes bored into and through Sliver
Pete and understandably Sliver res!onded with !ani, this time aiming at
the Preaher's head. It was his last bullet.
,s the shot rang out Preaher 1an's hand sla!!ed his forehead and his
body swung a om!lete irle before falling fae down into the dirt.
6obody and nothing moved e"e!t a orner of the Preaher's blak jaket
aught by a gust of wind. Sliver Pete was shaking so bad he sim!ly
ouldn't tear his ga;e off that body and the rowd looked from him to it
and didn't know whih was more inredible. &hey'd never seen Sliver
Pete so afraid nor witnessed a dead man ome bak to life before.
&hen there was a small movement just at the
waist. , bird, a white dove, struggled free from
beneath the body and with a gentle 5oo, oo,5
fla!!ed its wings and flew u! into a loudy sky
and disa!!eared from sight.
6ow I don't know what you would make of
that, but the townsfolk and Sliver Pete both saw
it as a sign from 3od. &ruly this had been 3od's
messenger and Sliver Pete had just killed the
messenger. =nnerved he began baking away
and had gotten 1* ste!s when the Preaher's
body twithed and slowly !ulled itself u!wards
to a standing !osition.
5<here are you going85 it boomed in a dee!, se!ulher voie from the
grave. 59ou owe me the /ord's money.5
Sliver Pete sim!ly fell a!art. #e gave a strangled s2ueak of terror,
dro!!ed his gun, whirled on his heels and ran u! the street until he was
out of sight. &he stunned rowd wathed him go before setting their
fearful ga;e bak on the Preaher. Standing straight he flashed them a
wide, friendly smile and suddenly didn't look so dead. &rue, there was
blood on his forehead but with one swee! of his sleeve it mysteriously
disa!!eared.
5&hat's one !roblem you won't see again,5 he said in a voie again
friendly. 5,nd don't worry yourselves 'bout me. 4"e!t, that is, unless
you don't want to make good on your !romise of a reward for getting rid
of that snake Sliver Pete.5 #e winked.
&he townsfolk were ha!!y to give Preaher 1an the reward. #e didn't
even ollet all of it, only half, leaving the rest for the town hurh.
6obody ever heard from Sliver Pete again, although it was rumored he
hadn't sto!!ed running 'til he'd got to 6ew +e"io, married and beome
a farmer, never to touh a gun again. Peo!le ouldn't sto! talking about
how a man ould be shot si" times and rise u! as if he hadn't been shot at
all. 7ut no one dared ask Preaher 1an to e"!lain it and he left town so it
remained a mystery to everyone e"e!t me.
9ou see, I remembered the day I saw the writing on the side of his trunk
revealed by a !esky wind. It had said, 51an the +agnifient. +agiian's
Illusions 3reat and Small.5 So Preaher 1an was not a !reaher, but a
gifted magiian. I figure when he dro!!ed Sliver Pete's gun at the ard
table he swithed it for one with blanks. &he white dove had just been for
effet. #ere was a man shooled in the ways of human nature and he had
done us a great favor while being !aid for his servies. I thought at that
time far be it for me to give away his serets.
Some say it wasn't a !reaher or even a dead man that got u! off that
dusty road, but an angel of the /ord himself, and in a manner of s!eaking
that might be so.
7ut only 3od, 1an the +agnifient, and me >> and now you >> really
knows the truth of what ha!!ened on that windy day in 1885.