Soak It!

Texas Stanton was a dignified weasel. But she was raised in the west, with their habits and mannerisms. And not only was she crack shot with a revolver. She was with her spit. She could land a spitoon shot blindfolded from ten feet away! She never did it, since it was rude and frankly disgusting. But if it was a choice between coming off as uncouth or being subject to a point-blank sewer bomb, she’d take the hit to her dignity. The flame burned bright as it neared her. She sloshed her tongue on her cheek, trying to get a nice shot. After all, once it was under her chin, she was done. Taking a deep breath, she fired.

“Ptoo!” A direct hit! The fuse fizzled, before it died off. Tex slouched back, beyond relieved. Taking a second to unwind a bit, she quickly assessed how to get out of the rest of this mess… It honestly didn’t take long. Marian was good with metals and explosives, but she was an amateur at rope. Wriggling a bit, she managed to loosen herself. Tucking her lasso back into her belt, she stood up, freed the fuse from her clothing, and tried the door.

Jammed. “That rotten scoundrel…” Tex growled. She would spend a lot of time in the town jail if she had anything to say about it! Peering through the window, she saw a board jammed against the door handle. A minor inconvenience, to be sure. Tex grunted, and yanked the door _inward _with what strength she could muster. The old hinges gave just a bit, and she heard the unsupported plank fall to the ground uselessly. With the last obstacle out of her way, she opened her smelly prison and walked out.

Marian had gone, as had her wagon. Tex’s horse was thankfully still there. And as an added bonus, she found her gun yet again outside the latrine. It must’ve slipped out of Marian’s belt while she was setting this trap up. Sliding it into its holster, Tex mounted her steed. She couldn’t have gone far.