Chapter 1
The Old West was famous for its bloody history. Deadwood, South Dakota; San Antonio, Texas; Tombstone, Arizona…there were many dangerous, lawless towns. In some cases, the town sheriff was the most powerful person. He maintained law and order.
But, not every town had a sheriff.
Skull Tooth, Oklahoma, for example! Skull Tooth had no sheriff, no laws, and no rules. It was not civilized at all. Everyone did what they wanted.
Gambling, fighting, drinking, and other vices took place all day and all night, seven days a week. Most days, somebody was murdered before breakfast. Or during breakfast!
Yet the town continued to grow every year. And every year, a new criminal would arrive and try to take control. They would try to become the boss of Skull Tooth, the boss of everyone who lived there.
To control the crime, you had to be tougher than the other criminals. To make money, you had to want it more than the others.
That is why the bosses never lived long. They were always killed and replaced!
Until one late autumn day, Erkek Tex came to town.
The people who lived there, the citizens of Skull Tooth, knew he was bad news. They could tell when he rode his horse into town. His horse was pale, whiter than a sheet. His face was tough like leather, his skin tanned from the sun. Under his nose was a giant black moustache. The moustache dropped down past his lips. His eyebrows were as bushy as his moustache.
“Where do you think that man came from?” a store owner asked his friend. His friend owned the bar across the street. The bar was named The Windy Plains Saloon.
“He is not from around here,” said the bar owner. “He looks like a foreigner.”
“Well Marty, what country do you think he’s from?”
Marty raised his hands. He didn’t know.
The store owner looked at Erkek Tex. Tex was tying his white horse to a post. The sun was setting and the wind had turned cold. Tex took out a small container. He took some tobacco from it and rolled a cigarette. He bent his head to light the cigarette. His large brown cowboy hat covered his eyes.
When he looked back up, Tex was looking at Marty, the bar owner. “Who is watching your bar, if you are sitting over there?” he asked. His accent was very thick, he sounded like he was from the Middle East. He would never tell anyone in town, but his family had emigrated from the Ottoman Empire. In fact, his nickname, “Erkek,” meant “man” in Turkish.
“I try to stay outside,” Marty said. “In my bar, customers take what they want, and they pay what they want. Otherwise, there is trouble.”
“What do you mean, ‘trouble?’”
“I mean, they have shot the last three owners of The Windy Plains Saloon.”
“Go back to your bar,” Erkek Tex said. “I am going inside. And I don’t like to pour my own drinks.”
The bar owner looked at Tex. Tex was not a large man, but he wasn’t too small. He had some muscles, but his body was lean. There were guns on both of his hips.
“Stranger,” Marty said, “I will go over there, but don’t start shooting people. I don’t want any trouble.”
“I don’t want any trouble either,” Tex said. “That is why there will not be any.”
The bar owner who was also the bartender--the man who served drinks--walked across the street. Inside The Windy Plains Saloon there were a dozen men. Some of them were playing a game of cards. Some were sitting in chairs at tables, holding glasses or bottles. A few were sitting at the long wooden bar counter talking in loud voices. When they saw the bar owner walk in, they stopped.
“Get out of here, Marty!” said one of the men at the bar counter. He was tall and had curly brown hair and a brown beard. His clothes were torn and he smelled terrible. He stood up from his stool. “We’re putting our money on the counter. We’re taking what we want to drink, so we don’t need you.”
“That’s alright,” the bar owner said, “I just came to check on things.”
The curly-haired man whose nickname was “Curly” walked over. He put his hand on Marty’s chest. “I said, we don’t need you. There is nothing for you to check on. You can leave now.”
Curly’s friend laughed. “Yeah, leave us alone you old man!”
Marty frowned and turned to go back out. But then, Erkek Tex walked through the doors.
Tex looked at the man with curly hair. “Bartender,” said Tex in a very deep voice, “I have ridden many miles today. I’m very thirsty. Stop standing around and go get me a drink.”
Curly spit on the floor. “I am not the bartender!”
“Then where is the bartender? I am tired of waiting!”
Curly pointed at Marty. “This is the bartender, but we don’t want him in here.”
“That is fine,” Tex said. “If he is leaving, then you can get my drink. Now!”
Curly pulled out his gun and pointed it at Erkek Tex. “Nobody talks to me like--”
The sound of a gun firing echoed in the bar. Curly fell to the ground dead.
“Who is going to be the bartender?” Tex asked, with the gun in his hand smoking.
Everyone pointed at Marty.
Summary
The town of Skull Tooth, Oklahoma is very dangerous because there is no sheriff. No one is in charge. A mysterious cowboy named Erkek Tex comes to town. He asks Marty, the owner of the town’s bar, to go inside the bar. Tex walks in. He sees the customers do not want Marty there. One of the customers points a gun at Tex, but Tex kills him first.
Multiple-choice questions
Select one answer for each question
1. Erkek Tex’s family came from:
a. Oklahoma
b. Mexico
c. Deadwood, South Dakota
d. Ottoman Empire
2. Marty owns the town:
a. store
b. horse stable
c. bar
d. barber shop
3. What colour is Tex’s horse?
a. White
b. Brown
c. Black
d. Dark grey
4. Why does Marty sit outside?
a. He trusts his customers
b. He is afraid of his customers
c. He doesn’t have any customers
d. Someone else is helping the customers
5. What does Curly want?
a. To pour Tex a drink
b. For Marty to leave
c. For Marty to pour Tex a drink
d. To kill Marty and Tex
1. d
2. c
3. a
4. b
5. b
“This town is not big enough for both of us,” said “Daring Diablo” Noel Cruz. Daring Diablo was an outlaw from the state of Texas. He was wanted by the police in several states. They wanted to capture him for many different crimes.
If you saw a “WANTED” poster with his face, the poster usually said “Dead or Alive.”
Daring Diablo was tired of running from the law, so he had gone somewhere the law did not exist. He had moved to Skull Tooth, Oklahoma.
In Skull Tooth, he was able to make a nice living. He managed some card games, and he bought and sold gold. Sometimes, he helped smuggle weapons up from Mexico. It was a good life. He was free from fear. He did not worry about police knocking on his door.
But sometimes, strangers came to town. They wanted to take over. They wanted to be a big boss. They wanted to make trouble. Daring Diablo did not like that. He didn’t want someone in charge of the town. If someone were in charge, things would become organized. If things became too organized, it would attract attention.
Nobody in Oklahoma cared about Skull Tooth. Everyone left the place alone. It was too small for the police to bother with, but if someone started making a lot of money, more people would move there. It was already growing faster than Daring Diablo wanted.
“We have to deal with this new character,” he said to his wife. She was a Native American woman from the Cherokee Indian tribe. Her name was Ayita, which meant “first the dance.”
They lived together in a small log cabin. The cabin was on the edge of town. They owned several acres of land. Nobody ever came to visit them.
But sometimes, they would go into town for supplies. They knew the town had been changing. They had seen it growing quickly, and they knew it was because of the stranger--Erkek Tex.
“Leave Erkek Tex alone,” she said, as she cooked some stew. “He has only been here for four months. Soon, he will become tired of this place. He will leave.”
“I don’t think so,” Daring Diablo said, cleaning his rifle. Most of the criminals in town liked to carry guns. Most carried handguns. Handguns or pistols were smaller and easier to walk around with, but Daring Diablo did not care. A long rifle was more powerful. He was fast with his rifle. He was as fast with his rifle as most were with their handguns.
But, he never used his weapon unless he had to. He didn’t want to kill anybody.
When you kill a person, there is always trouble, he thought. Some relative of the dead person will come. They will try to shoot you. Or the police come looking for you…
“Tex is a little bit like me,” he said. “He likes it here, out in the open fields. No one around, and nobody bothers you here. But, he is like the others too. He wants to make a name for himself. He wants to rule this town.”
Ayita used a large spoon to scoop some of the stew into a bowl. It was very hot. She put the stew on the table. “Eat your dinner,” she said.
“I’m not hungry.”
“Put down your rifle,” she said. “It is clean enough. You never use it. Come eat.”
Daring Diablo dropped his cleaning cloth and put the rifle down. He got up from his chair and went to the table. “Listen to me, woman. I know what I’m talking about. That Ottoman Turk has big plans for this place. He’s got people working for him. New businesses have opened up. Soon, the town will be twice as big, then the police will start coming to Skull Tooth. Someone will notice there isn’t a sheriff.”
She put down a bowl of hot stew for herself, then she brought over some bread. “Maybe you could be the sheriff.”
He laughed. “Me? I am a wanted man. The police are after me. I am wanted for many crimes!”
“Then you need to stay hidden. Don’t make a problem with the stranger.”
Daring Diablo tore a piece of bread and dipped it in his stew. “That stranger already made the problem,” he said. “And tonight, I am going to fix it.”
*
Daring Diablo took his rifle and a bag. He got on his horse and rode into town. Most of the citizens of Skull Tooth were indoors. The night was cold, he could see his breath in the air.
“Where is Erkek Tex?” he asked a person on the street. The person was wearing an expensive jacket and new boots.
“Who wants to know?” the person asked, looking at Daring Diablo. Diablo knew most of the people in town. He did not recognize this stranger.
More and more new people, he thought. This growth has to stop!
“If you do not know my name,” Diablo said, “then you must be new here.”
“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not,” said the man in the fancy jacket. “But I asked you a question. Who are you?”
Daring Diablo was shocked. No one in Skull Tooth had ever spoken to him like this! “I’m Noel Cruz. Folks call me ‘Daring Diablo.’”
“That is a stupid nickname. If you don’t know where Tex is, you don’t need to know. Good evening!” The man kicked a rock and walked away.
Diablo wanted to jump off his horse and hit the man, but he took a deep breath and looked around. The Windy Plains Saloon was well-lit. He heard voices coming from inside. Since he was in town, he might as well get a drink.
“Look who is here!” someone shouted when Diablo walked into the bar. “Come sit down with us!” The man who had shouted waved to Diablo. He was sitting at a table full of men.
Diablo sat down.
“Why did you come into town tonight?” they asked him.
Diablo ordered a drink from Marty and told them his plan.
After he told them, Diablo said, “Now I only need to know two things. Where is Erkek Tex? And, who wants to help me kill him?”
Summary
Noel Cruz, also known as Daring Diablo, is a criminal. He is hiding in Skull Tooth because no police ever go there. He doesn’t want the town to get bigger. He doesn’t like Erkek Tex because Tex is making the town grow. Diablo’s wife wants him to leave Tex alone, but Diablo goes into town to look for Tex. He goes to the bar and meets some men.
Multiple-choice questions
Select one answer for each question
6. Where does Diablo live?
a. In a wooden cabin near town
b. In a house in the middle of town
c. In the town next to Skull Tooth
d. With his wife, in Texas
7. What does Ayita want?
a. She wants her husband to kill Erkek Tex
b. She wants to go to town
c. She wants her husband to leave Tex alone
d. She wants to move to Nevada
8. What kind of gun does Diablo like to use?
a. He uses a rifle
b. He uses a pistol
c. He doesn’t use guns
d. He uses a machine gun
9. Why is Diablo shocked after talking to a man on the street?
a. The man is wearing funny clothes
b. The man is a stranger and he speaks rudely to Diablo
c. The man makes fun of Diablo’s rifle
d. The man want to dance with Diablo’s wife
10. How many men does Diablo meet inside the bar?
a. 2
b. 4
c. 5
d. It doesn’t say how many
6. a
7. c
8. a
9. b
10. d
“This town is not big enough for both of us. You have to leave,” Daring Diablo said, “or die.” He was carrying his rifle. He raised it up in the air.
Erkek Tex was sitting in a barber chair. He was having his hair cut and his moustache trimmed. The barber, an overweight man with red cheeks, stopped cutting.
“I did not say to stop working,” Tex told the man. So, the barber went back to work, but kept one eye on Diablo.
“Hey!” Daring Diablo yelled. “Did you hear me?”
“You are very persistent, Noel Cruz,” Tex said, calling Diablo by his real name. “That can get a man into trouble.”
“I did not come to argue. I came to make you leave.”
Tex raised his hand for the barber to stop. He whispered something to the barber, and the man left. Then, Erkek Tex got out of the chair. He brushed his large black moustache with a small comb. He always carried a moustache comb. He liked to look good, especially for his enemies.
Diablo was confused. Why was Tex so calm? Diablo pointed his rifle at Tex who slowly began walking to the door.
“You are right!” Tex said loudly. He walked outside. “I say, you’re right, Daring Diablo! Skull Tooth is not big enough for me! So, it cannot be big enough for me and you!”
A small crowd had already begun to gather. The barber had been telling people to come outside. Tex spoke to the crowd of people.
Diablo was not alone, though. He had two friends hiding. His friends were also carrying weapons. If Erkek Tex tried anything, the three of them would shoot Tex down.
But, the Ottoman Turk wasn’t stupid. He put on his cowboy hat and kept his hands up. He did not reach for his pistols.
“I want you out of here!” Diablo shouted. “We all want you to leave Skull Tooth. We want things to go back to the way they were!”
“Is that right?” Tex asked. “If that’s true, then okay. You stay here, Noel Cruz. Stay here, so the police can’t find you! Stay here and do nothing! I do not judge you and I do not blame you!”
“I told you once, Tex,” Diablo said. “I didn’t come to argue!” He kept the barrel of his rifle pointed at Tex’s chest. “Don’t make me have to shoot you.”
“No, no, I won’t! I can promise you that! I never give anybody a reason to shoot me,” Tex said, looking around at the crowd. “That is not my style. I try to be good to people! I try to bring in some new business – some new money – but I don’t try to pick fights. I hate fighting!”
“You shot Curly on your first day here! Everyone knows that.”
“Yes, I did!” Tex admitted. “But I did not start that fight. I was protecting myself, and a man has a right to do that! Doesn’t he?”
The people in the crowd nodded. One of them shouted, “Tex is right!”
Diablo knew Tex was not telling the truth. He had not been defending himself against Curly. He had started the fight, then he shot Curly dead. But, that didn’t matter now.
“I’m going to count to ten, Tex. You better get going!”
“Okay, I already agreed with you,” Tex said. “You stay here! I will go pack my bags!” Tex took one last look into the crowd. A few of his friends were there. “I’m leaving, boys! Don’t try to stop me!”
“No, don’t go,” said one of the men. “You’ve been a good boss!”
“Yes, the best boss!” said another one of the criminals. “Skull Tooth needs you!”
“I know, I know, but look, Mister Darling Diablo here--”
“‘Daring,’ not ‘Darling!’” Diablo said.
“Sorry. Mister Diablo wants me gone. He wants to be in charge. It is his turn now!”
“That’s not what I said,” Diablo protested. “I don’t want to be in charge--”
“Fight him, Tex!” a woman in the crowd yelled. It was one of Tex’s girlfriends. “You are faster than him.”
Daring Diablo was getting nervous. He did not expect the people of Skull Tooth to act this way. He thought they hated Tex as much as he did, but they were acting like he was their best friend.
Tex nodded, but looked at Diablo. “I am the fastest gun in Oklahoma. That’s a fact! But, Noel Cruz has brought friends with him.” He pointed to one of Diablo’s friends who was hiding on a rooftop. “He has outsmarted me. He’s your boss now! He earned it!”
“People, that’s not what I want!” Diablo shouted to the crowd. “I’m not here to take over. I don’t want Skull Tooth to grow too much. That will bring a sheriff here! That will bring law here!”
Marty the bartender had been watching. Now, he walked out to stand next to Erkek Tex. “We already have law here. Tex’s law!”
The crowd began to shout and clap.
Marty continued. “Tex, what can we do to make you stay?”
Erkek Tex shrugged his shoulders. “There is only one thing I can think of! If Noel Cruz, also known as the outlaw Daring Diablo, did not exist…I would not have this problem!”
Tex looked up at the rooftop. The man who had been up there was gone, and Tex knew the other gunman was gone too.
Daring Diablo was alone.
“If I didn’t exist?” Diablo said. He was getting scared, but he still had his rifle. He kept it pointed at Tex. “Then you have a problem, Tex. I do exist!”
A second later, several guns fired. Noel Cruz, the “Daring Diablo” from Texas, fell dead in the middle of the street. Tex looked down at the dead man’s body.
“No, you don’t exist,” he said. “Not in my town.”
Summary
Daring Diablo finds Erkek Tex in a barbershop. He tells Tex to leave town. Tex walks outside and begins talking. People from town have come to listen. Diablo has two friends hiding, but they leave. They leave because the people of Skull Tooth want Tex to stay. So, they kill Daring Diablo.
Multiple-choice questions
Select one answer for each question
11. What is Tex doing in the barbershop?
a. Getting his hair and moustache cut
b. Getting his beard shaved off
c. Getting his hair shaved off
d. Getting his fingernails cut
12. Who asks Tex to stay?
a. The barbershop owner
b. The bar owner
c. The store owner
d. Tex’s girlfriend
13. Why did Tex leave the barbershop to go outside?
a. To get some fresh air
b. To look for his girlfriend
c. So the people could listen to him
d. So the barber could finish cutting his hair
14. What reason does Tex give for killing Curly?
a. He said Curly was cheating at cards
b. He said he was defending himself from Curly
c. He said he was protecting Marty from Curly
d. He said Curly had shot the store owner
15. Who kills Daring Diablo?
a. Erkek Tex
b. Ayita
c. Marty
d. The people of Skull Tooth
11. a
12. b
13. c
14. b
15. d