THE CUR: Vin's Dog
Follows The Cur.
It was his dog from the start, even though he denied it.
I didn't even notice her until the other boys started giving him crap about the dog. He didn't get too prickly about it, just took it quietly, like he takes most things. It wasn't one of those dogs that always wants attention, that's why I didn't notice it much. Looked to me like it'd had its fill of people a long time ago, but it was real skinny, hardly more than hide stretched over bone, and I suppose that's why it took to hanging around town. Lots of people fed it, JD and Buck alone gave it enough it should have been fat. Course, you'd think that way about Vin, too, the way he puts chow away, but look at him.
I only saw him touch the dog once. Most of the time, he'd be sitting out on the boardwalk in the early morning, drinking coffee, and that dog would be laying off to his right, down in the dirt on the street. It seemed to have this certain distance that it'd keep between the two of them. It was always close enough, but just out of arm's reach. When lots of people started coming around during the day, that dog'd go find some secret place to lay up until it got dark and quiet again, and then, there they'd be, sitting there together, but not really. One day I got up earlier than normal; I'd had way too much to drink the night before and my gut was feeling it. So I get up and glance out the window, and Vin's sitting on the edge of the boardwalk, and that dog, she's leaning up against his leg, and they're both looking off towards the hills. He's got one hand on her head, just resting there, and it was a peaceful picture the two of them made. I thought at the time it kind of made up for his grandpa killing his dog when he was little, but I guess it wouldn't, really.
He said it was a female, and I'd give him bullshit about he needed to bathe a little more often if all's he could get for company was a bitch. He'd just grin. It was a pretty sad looking dog, same color as Josiah's horse-sorrel. I was going to tell Buck it was the same color as his horse when JD and Vin dyed it, but that joke was getting old, anyway. She had one ear that stood up and one ear that flopped down. She was always scratching at fleas. Made me itch just to watch her. I think Vin was going to give her a bath, just before he got shot.
These cowboys had come into town and lost most of their pay to Ezra. He was probably cheating, but Vin said no. How would he know, hell, Ezra takes most of his money, too. They were riled up, and tearing down the town. It seemed like there were more cowboys that came to take revenge than had come to lose their money, but it was over pretty quick, then I saw Vin laying there by the livery. I could just see him on the ground, and she's laying there pushed up close to him, and his eyes were closed and I just stood there like a stone, sure he was dead. I didn't even want to go over closer and look. I've seen enough death, I don't need to see anymore. Then that dog got up and she's snarling and then I saw this man standing behind the livery door, lifting his gun towards Vin. I'd holstered my gun already; I drew, but not before he got a shot off. The dog caught it, and I got the gunman. Then everybody came running.
Nathan was bent over Vin, and Vin was pretty quiet, he had a bloodly hole in his coat and we quick carried him up to Nathan's room. Last I saw of the dog, Josiah scooped it up and went the other way. He said later he buried it up in the trees, and he knew just where, in case we ever needed to bury Vin, it'd be a good place. I thought that was a damn foolish thing for a preacher to say, but Josiah says a lot of stuff I don't really understand.
I didn't want to tell Vin that dog was dead. Lucky for him she was there, lucky for all of us, I guess. I would have liked to just told him she ran off and nobody'd seen her, but he'd have known I was lying.
Ezra called her Ginger. I didn't call her anything, but I always thought of her as Vin's dog.
It ended up JD told him she was dead.
END
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