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@@@@@Her fat one-armed husband was one of themSally replied with details about her little boy that bored Scarlett sillyShe wondered how soon they'd have supperIt couldn't be too very long; all the men were farmers and would have to be up the next morning at dawnThat meant an early end to the evening's festivitiesShe was right about an early supper; the men announced that they were ready for it after only one drinkBut she was wrong about the early close to the partyEveryone was enjoying it too much to let it endTony fascinated them with stories of hisadventures"It was hardly a week before I hooked up with the Texas Rangers," he said with a roar of laughter"The state was under Yankee military rule, like every place else in the South, but hell- apologies, ladies-those bluecoats didn't have the first idea what to do about the Indians The Rangers had been fighting 'em all along, and the only hope the ranchers had was that the Rangers would keep on protecting them So that's what they didI knew right off that I'd found my kind of people, and I joined upIt was glorious! No uniforms, no marching on an empty stomach to where some fool general wants you to go, no drilling, no sir! You jump on your horse and head out with a bunch of your fellows and go find the fighting Tony's black eyes sparkled with excitementThe Fontaines had always loved a good fight"What are the Indians like?" asked one of the Tarleton girls"Do they really torture people?" "You don't want to hear about that," said Tony, his laughing eyes suddenly dull"They're smart as paint when it comes to fightingThe Rangers learned early on that if they were going to beat the red devils, they'd have to learn their way of doing things Why, we can track a man or an animal across bare rock or even water, better than any hound dogAnd live on spit and bleached bones if that's all there isThere's nothing can beat a Texas Ranger or get away from him "Show everybody your six-shooters, Tony," urged A