English Short Stories For Intermediate Learners: 8 Unconventional Short Stories to Grow Your Vocabulary and Learn English the Fun Way!

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?

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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

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Answers to Chapter 1
1. d
2. c
3. a
4. b
5. b

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Chapter 2
“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

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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

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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?”

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Annex to Chapter 2
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.