The Hunt for Carlos Diego
A
BOOT HILL Western Adventure
The town of
Recently however, war between border lands has created
imaginary boundaries, and the town of
Merchants were able to recooperate and enjoy the stiff drinks for the past year, during their visit. However, a Mexican bandit known as Carlos Diego has formed a group of marauders who continue to plag the merchants. His raids are frequent, and the town as finally hired a sheriff.
Several miles from El Derado sits the closest government station housing a detached U.S. Calvary unit.
The station is rather small but extremely fortified with elite units. Many horses stand grazing in a nearby field.
Sentries pace the entranceway, and a tall 50' watchtower houses military occupants
Captain Tellfeild dismounts his horse and hands it off to one
of the troops. He looks around the fort again feeling proud to be stationed
here. Built years before by the Spanish, when they controlled this area, its
walls are made from brick and are nearly ten feet thick supporting old style
ramparts. Tent-like tarp coverings shade these and the same coverings are on the
top of each of the four towers on the corners, as well as above the watch tower.
The courtyard of the fort is paved with brick as well, although it is covered in
sand in most places. The courtyard is dominated by the barbecue grills and other
accessories that make up an outdoor mess. The blacksmith, barber, stables,
barracks, officer’s quarters, pony express office, rations and equipment store,
and the command center are all built up against the outer wall. Two cannons are
set up in a corner of the courtyard on ether side of the Fort’s newest member of
the happy family of heavy ordinance, a Gatling gun. He wonders at his luck for
having one of those in his command, but then again it is not that amazing. This
is the only fort in this region so they need all the firepower they can get. Not
that he expects to have to push back armies, his duties seem to be merely to
keep the mail moving through this area as well as handle situations that the
local sheriffs are unable to control themselves. This Carlos Diego seems to be
one of those situations. The latest letter from his superiors in the capital of
the
He makes his way over to the command center and enters after a brisk knock.
As you enter, you see Leutinant Holker talking with Maj. Williams. Holker stands straight to attention upon your entrance and hastens a stern salute.
Holker: " Salute Capt. Tellfield Sir! Good Day Sir!!!
Williams: "Ah..James, good to see you , please come in.."
James nods to the Lieutenant Holker, “At ease Lieutenant. Glad to see you as well major. Sorry for the dust, I was just out riding with a few of my men to check on the surrounding territory. So far things seem rather quiet. I trust you read our orders regarding this Carlos Diego?”
As the men talk, a woman with piercing red eyes walks in, playing with her hair. "Carlos Diego? I find him quite... charming. Even thought he has a distinct odor. Oh don't mind me, continue with your conversation."
Maj Williams begins to answer Capt. Tellfeild, "Yes,..I have looked over the...." The door suddenly opens again, and in walks a red-haired women, apparently lost.
Major Williams stands straight up from his chair, but Lt. Tolker immediately addresses the lady, "Ma'am! you are not allowed in here, Who are you and how did you get past the guards!?"
Major Williams seems to be slightly shy and says no word but looks at Capt. Tellfeild in puzzlement.
Tellfeild stands as well. He acknowledges the Major’s look with a slight nod and turn to the lady. “The Lieutenant is right miss. This is an officers only area so if you don’t have legitimate business here I shall have to ask you to leave.”
Lt. Holker sees to escorting the lady outside and closes the door behind him.
Major Williams turns and sits back down to his desk. He begins to rummish through his clutter of paperwork in search of his orders regarding Carlos Diego.
"I can't seem to locate that letter...at any rate Capt. Tellfeild, I don't approve of sending too many men on a wild goose chase. However, I do need to see to it..that something is done so that we can file a report and continue with our duties."
"We have had many complaints of inadequate U.S. Mail delivery in this area and securing First-Class mail integrity is my primary goal."
Tellfeild nods in thought as he sits back down. “That is right, we don’t have that many troops to spare as it is. Might I suggest that I travel with the next mail man that goes to town and see if I can have a chat with the sheriff about this. Perhaps he knows something, or maybe he can gather some men together to help us.”
Major Williams pauses and then starts to nod in agreement, "Yes..that is a splendid idea Captain. The major pulls out his pocket watch and replies,.."Good, it's still rather early, the postman doesn't leave on his delivery route until another hour, I believe El Derado is his third or fourth stop."
"I leave this Carlos situation up to you Captain, please come to me once you've cleared things up. I'll make sure you get full recognition for your efforts."
Tellfeild stands and solutes the Major, “Yes sir!” He nods goodbye and walks out of the office. He informs the mailman that he will be tagging along for a while and then spends the rest of the hour cleaning his uniform, weapons, and grooming his horse. No use looking like a flop when you have to represent the only fort in the region.
Tellfeild meets the mailman at the fort’s gates and they ride off towards the local towns to deliver the mail.
I look down at the town of
One of my men,..
"Hey Carlos, let's go round up some more whiskey and let's stay awhile, ahahhhah!"
I turn to Raul , "We will return soon Raul, we will soon." Drink up men and feed our horses, we have to cross the desert, but we will return, so the women will be bored for awhile...mooohahahahHHAAhaha!
My men roar with laughter.
Susen Riviara, ridding in a horse drawn buckboard, arives into town. She smiles at the driver, a ranch hand at Rancho Dous Estara, and exits the buckboard when it stops.
"I will not be to long, Steve. I just need to buy some fabrics for a new dress, and some food for papa's supper. Thank you for the ride."
Steve smiles, and says "Your welcome, Miss Susen. I have to buy some feed for the catle, and a few other things. Thak will take about two or three hours. Meet me in the town squair when your done." He then rides off to the general store, while Susen walks to the place cloth is sold.
Susen proceeds down the street and finds a cloth store. The
small wood structure is simple with a wooden board hanging by a chain. "Fanny's
Immediately, to the left of the entrance is a old hag. Severly poverty stricken, she holds a crooked cain and seems to be humming to herself.
To the right, propped up on a stand is a finished Scarecrow with a sign,..2 cents. The fabric on the scarecrow is a nice red plaid.
The entrance is a small door with window panes.
Susen smiles at the old crone, and gives her two cents. She then enters the tailor shop.
"Hello? Is anyone about?"
As Susen enters, a bell above the door alarms the proprietor that a visitor has entered.
High wooden counters stand in the middle of the floors and contain many colors and designer fabrics. A strange noise..starts to approach Susen. Click..Stomp, click..Stomp...click...Stomp.
Then you see a small obese old lady approaching, the noise made from her wooden leg. She bellows, "Hneayyy!!! Come on In!!! Shes goes to grab Susen by the arm, a gesture made to welcome her to Fanny's Tailor Shop.
"Hello." Susen replied. "May I see some blue cloth?"
"Why yes dear, I have plenty of blue, it's the red I'm short on, the dirty bandits from the desert keep stealing my red fabrics."
Fanny hands Susen a few samples of blue cotton as well as a heavy denim.
"If my hubby hadn't a choked on a chicken wing and died, he'd shoot em all, unlike our lazy sheriff."
"Well help yourself, and I will be at the register to ring you up when you are ready, take your time dear.."
Susen looks at the bolts of cloth. She then places the demin one on the counter (great for eveyday dresses, whair you have to do some chores around the ranch in), and a indigo coten bolt. "I would like about seven feet of both. And, do you have some blue silk? I would like to make a nice dress for dances and such."
Fanny starts to cut out the desired lengths requested by Susen, then replies, "Silk?! Why dear, that's mighty expensive in these parts. I haven't had silk here in quite some time, before you were born. Oh how I adore Silk," she mumbles. Fanny goes on, "you might try the Merchants Guild down the road, there's a few gypsies that might have picked up some along their travels."
"But these items dear will cost you 22 cents dear."
Olaf slowly drives his buckboard down the street, smiling at whoever happens to pass by. He quietly sings a tune in a language unfamiliar to anyone who is listenning. Olaf looks around as he drives, looking for a General Store, anyplace where he would be able to purchase sheep, any buildings in need of repair or handyman work, or anything else of interest. One of his German Shepherds awakes from it's lazy nap and hops onto the plank seat with him, putting it's head in his lap. "Ah, meine freund. Ve are un ein strange land,ja? Ve need to find sheepen soon. Ve vill nicht mack der money last forever, ja?"
Passing by the Tailor's shop, Olaf sees the old lady. "Hier ist ein frau vat hast less dan ve." Pulling the wagon to a stop, Olaf gets out and places a dollar in the lady's cup.
Susen smiles, and pays for her cloth. "Thank you." she replies to Fanny, then picks up the bolts of cloth (now cut to size), and makes her way to the Merchent's Shop. She stops by a wall, and looks at a wanted poster of Carlos. She studdies it for a second, then goes on her way.
The
As Olaf places money in the lady's cup, she can't help to hide her immediate smile though she says nothing. Just then a robust lady exits the tailor shop holding a basket of blue linens.
The stable has a sign that is too hard to read from the street. The bar is dark and quiet. The vacant biuldings each have signs saying, "for rent" with additional information also, too hard to read from the street.
" Guuten Tag, freuleine," Olaf says with a smile, removing his hat as the lady walks by
Olaf can't help but watch the lady as she walks by. "Ja," he says to his dogs, "Der Americans freuleines are ser...how sacht?.... full of bute. Aber, uf ve cans nicht found sheepen, ve vill nicht eaten soon, ich danke."
Looking around, Olaf turns around and heads toward the General Store. in front of the general store, Olaf sets the brake on his wagon and heads inside.
One of the German Shepherds hops up, ready to follow him. Seeing this, Olaf addresses the dog ," nein....shtay un der vagon...shtay." the dog whimpers a bit, but complies. The other dog, slightly larger that the first, opens one eye, yawns ans goes back to sleep as Olaf enters the store.
The General Store is a large three story, wooden structure and appears to be the oldest structure in the lot. The sign that has been repainted over and over says, "Annabelle's General Store and Post Office" and in smaller letters "El Derado, Post 798".
A bell indicates visitors arrival and hangs over the
entrance. The place is very kept with cactus plants on each window ledge.
Although clean and organized, the place is a bit cluttered with merchandise.
In the back is a counter and Post Office. Pigeon holes adorn the back wall with several pieces of mail protruding. A mailman is present sorting mail. The shopkeeper is no where to be seen and several old cattle ranchers are browsing goods.
After leaving the saloon, McCann looks West toward the setting sun. Squinting against it's intense brilliance he can see the heat from it's rays dancing their transparent dance to an unheard melody. Reaching into his vest pocket, he pulls out the last bit of a well chewed plug of tobacco. He sticks the rest in his mouth, chews and spits a terrible black wad of spit onto the dusty street. He turns towards his horse and whistles a tune he learned as a boy.
As McCann drives by, the larger German Shepherd awakes, observing him with narrowed eyes from the safety of the wagon. His ears flatten against the back of his head and he emits a low, unfriendly growl. The smaller German Shepherd wags her tail and barks before lying back down.
As the buckboard jilts by, McCann hears the growl of a large dog that he hasn't seen much of. As the dog growls, McCann sizes up the large man at the helm of the wagon. The tune he was whistling stops abruptly as the dog's ears flatten. He looks towards his fawn colored horse to make sure he can get there if the dog jumps, an unconcious manuever finds his left hand close to the Colt six-shooter on his hip. The moment passes, and McCann is left in staring contest with the unfriendly dog. He smiles, spits and starts his tune again.
Olaf walks out of the store up to the buckboard. Seeing the staring match, he yells, "Sitten zie, du dumbkopf!!!!!! "
McCann watches the funny sounding man holler at the dog, and walks by them into the General Store.
The dog whimpers and sits, still eying the man walking into the store. Olaf gets onto the buckboard and drives around looking for Jed.
A large two story wood biulding with two horse posts on the outside. Two barred windows adorn the front with a large iron door. A sign hangs in the window "Wanted: Carlos Diego Dead or Alive". The porch is dirty from the desert winds.
A simple farmer arrives in town and ties his mule to a hitching post outside of the Sheriff's office. He holds his back as he climbs the several steps leading to the porch.
The old man attempts to walk in but the door is locked.
"HeHHhhh!", he says sharply, as he peers a look into the office. He then proceeds to knock.
"Wher is that darg
The sheriff wakes with a soft snort, momentarily disoriented looking at the bars of the cell. When the old man bangs on the door again he realises where he is, "HOLD YOUR HORSES!" He sits up and stretches before leaving the cell of the otherwise empty jail. He then crosses the office to the front door, "This better be important, what do you want?" as he unbolts the door from the inside and opens it.
"Dag bernit! Sheriff, those dang mexican bandits came again yesterday!", yells the old Farmer.
"This time I got out me scatter gun and ran outside, they were stealing my horses, dag bernit!!", the old man continues.
"But sheriff, I got me one, I did!"
After many a days ride, Marshall Sundance enters the town of
The
The good
Sundance walks toward the entrance of the sherriffs Office, and peers inside, to inform the Sherriff he is in town...
Cane watches the stranger ride up to the hitching post as he continues to talk to the old man,"That's all well and good, Jed. Just what the hell do you want me to do about it now? Where is the body and why didn't you tell me yesterday?"
Sundance peers across the entence off the sherriff's Office and slowly looks inside. While walking towards the door he overhears the Farmer speaking of killing a "bandit", and he knows that he has come to the right place.
"Killed a Bandit did you, I am as curiuos as the Sherriff, where the body?"
Riding by the sherriff's office, Olaf leans over the side of the wagon. Addressing whoever is wearing a star, he says, "Ja...tag, Herr Sherriff. Please to excuse . Ich am Olaf Larson und Ich vish to shtart ein flock der sheep in der land uf American. Please to tell Olaf vere Ich might vind sheep und supples to get shtarted. Danke."
Jed turns to acknowlegde the
As he exits he sees the other farmer outside and says, "Hey ther young man, how much fer yer wagon there?" That's a pretty!"
Meine vagon? Meine vagon ist not ver shale. Uf du vant meine help, Ich vill be glad to help. Der gut buch says to help vun anozer,ja? I vill be glad to help vith vat du needen. Vile ve are making talk, do du know vere Ich cans buy sheep?
I ride into town on my old warhorse and see the sheriffs office, as I notice the men talking, I lower my hat and spur my horse into a stride. As I pass I head to the saloon across the street. I make sure not to look back as I hitch my horse.
The Marshall looks very suprised. "so you got one in the Barn Hu, lets just take a look". He exits the door following the farmer.
Having overheard only part of the conversation, Olaf looks from Sundance to the farmer ," Ein sheep un du barn? Vy ein sheep in du barn ? Sheep liebt der grassen, nicht der barn. Und vy vould du haben ..how du sacht...own lee ein sheep? Haben more? Ich vant to buy der sheep du hast, ja. Ich give du gut how mach. Vell?"
Olaf pulls some money out of a wallet in his vest pocket. It is a sizable wad of bills for a young farmer, especially an immigrant. "Ich needen der sheepen.Con du help Olaf?"
"HOLD ON!" Cane turns to Jed, "You just wait a minute," he flips out a chair with his foot and pushes the farmer into it, "Have a seat." He then looks at the stranger who just walked up and butted into none of his business,"Who the hell are you and what's your business here?" He pulls over another chair and points to it,"take a seat." Then he'll start walking Olaf back to the office door with a gentle hand on his chest," I understand what you're saying but as you well know that I not a church going man. Have a good day." And he closes the door leaving the man standing on the boardwalk.
Olaf looks around for a moment, not entirely sure what just happenned "Vas has die kirche to do vit sheepen? Ich vant to buy sheepen. Der Americans sherriff ist ser ...how du sacht...rude, ich danke."
After a moment of standing around outside the office door, Olaf shrugs and gets back in to his wagon, riding off into town.
Jed listens to the Sherriff by going back inside and taking his seat. He begins to scratch his ear profusely.
Tellfeild rides into town with the mailman and then waves bye to him. He ties up his horse at the sheriff’s office seeing that there all ready is more then one horse tied up there. He walks up to the door and knocks.
Marshall Sundance opens his coat up revealing his US Marshall Badge. "I am Marshall Logan Sundance",he states as he pulls a parchment from his coat.
He then says "If you can read, and from the sound of the way this town talks about you I doubt it, you will see that I am unfortunatley assigned to this town until I can complete a investigation".
He then states "the paperwork states I will have full cooperation, and support from all local and government agency's".
He then looks to the farmer "as I was saying, where is this bandit you have tied up"? "Because from the intellegence that has been gathered on Carlos, he will be looking for his friend soon enough".
Jed appears to be nervous with all the law abound but remains calm as he answers the marshall, "Aaaack, yeah! Hehe, I shot his horse out from under him!" he sreams with excitement. Right now I got my son Billy Bob, looking after him!" he then turns to the Sherriff.
"So Sherriff I think I should get a free meal in town"
The sheriff gets mighty upset with the marshals high handed and insulting manner. He takes the parchment and wakks around his desk and sets it in the spiton, then drops his trousers and pisses on it, After he hitches up his pants he turns," That's about all the corperation you'll be getting out of this office. Now get the hell out of my office. This is my jurisdiction and you pull that gun on anyone in my town and you are gonna spend some time in jail, just like anyone else. Now get OUT!"
The Marshall watches the Sherriff take the Parachment and Piss on it. At first a rather confused look comes to his face, then all of the stress sits in.
"Well Sherriff I see why the government sent me into town", the Marshall responds. "Judging by the size of that Beer Gut you just pulled out, I understand why you missed the pisser and pissed the floor, Furthermore I am guessing you cannot read".
"I have been sent here to do a job that obviously you couldnt" He states. "Furthermore, if your thinking about trying to put me into one of these cells, I beleive your belly has outgrown your brain. " I will conduct my investigation, and my superiors will be notified of the outcome, with or without you." "As far as you Old timer (to the farmer), I am staying at the local Hotel." "I suggest that you come see me before Carlos comes to see you.
He turns to walk outside.
Jed stares at the sherriff in shock then quickly looks toward the Marshall to see his reaction. Then he quickly looks at the door where a calvary trooper appears to be knocking. Jed stands up and opens the door for the calvary trooper and then tries to exit sneakily while the lawmen argue.
The Marshall looks toward the Captain "finally a man with some integrity". He begins to walk out " I would like to speak with you as soon as I get through interviewing the captured Prisoner". "I hope to see you soon", he says as he exits the door following Jed.
Tellfeild steps aside to let the two men past. He is a little surprised at the way one of them addresses him, but when he hears the man’s voice he recognizes the sound of one who has power and knows how to use it. ‘Probably military too’, he thinks. He walks into the Sheriff’s office and raises an eyebrow at the smell of the piss in the air. He is used to the smell after living for the past few years around horses and soldiers, but it surprises him a little to find it in the sheriff’s office. Shrugging this aside he reaches into the inside of his uniform jacket and pulls out a small metal flask, “Good day Cane. Haven’t been around here in a few weeks, how are you doing? Want some whiskey? I picked up a bottle from the King Cow ranch on my way over.”
Cane perks up a bit at the offer, " Get Jed back in here would you, I'll get a couple of glasses." He opens the lower desk drawer and pulls out a set of four shot glasses and a clean rag. He dusts off the glasses and throws the spitoon into the wash basin in the back room. " The only problem with making a name for yourself in a new town is that everyone assumes you'll be thier doormat. Have a seat. My names Cane, Will Cane, its a pleasure to meet someone with manners." He wipes off a corner of the desk and sets out two glasses. " Jed, why don't you go on over to Porter's and order you're self some lunch. I'll be along shortly." Cain sits back into his chair, " So, Captain, what brings you intothe big city?"
The Marshall Looks concerned at Jed , "Look , I dont know how to be anymore simpler or plainer than this, if you dont tell me where that captured person is, you are going to be in serious danger." " We need to get to that villan and bring him to the Jail as soon as possible, Carlos will be heading to town, and I bet money on him paying a visit to you, and your family."
"This drunk ole sherriff may not care, but I do, lwt him sit and there and drink whisky, while Carlos plans his attack on your family", he states.
"Or go show me where the villan is".
Riding by, Olaf notices Jed's mule still outside the sherriff's office. A little hesitant from his last experience here, Olaf collects himself, and gets out of the wagon, walking up to the steps.
"Guuten tag...please to ...how du sacht?....on pard.Herr Jed. Ich vant du ...how du sacht....give doe larren vor du ...plow. Ich needed ein plow, ja. Du habbe ein plow du vanten du schellen,ja?"
"Dag Bernit!! all to heck!! Everyone is yelling at me!" As Jed climbs onto his wagon the Marshall continues to interrogate Jed about the prisoner. "Okay, I will take you to him..." but then the calvary trooper beckons for Jed to once again see the sherriff. Jed screams, "what does he want, I told him everything?!" When the calvary trooper mentions free lunch at Porter's, he quickly changes his tone, "In that case, I be waitin for ya" and quickly walks past the Marshall on his way to Porter's Inn. A German visitor begins to talk with him on the walk, but Jed barely acknowledges with a "...eeeahh?"
" I see your family does not mean much to you", the Marshall says as he Climbs up on his horse. "I will be staying at the Inn, I suggest you come see me, soon, before Carlos comes to see you".
Olaf gets back in his wagon , quickly snapping the reigns. The larger dog looks up and yawns as Olaf begins to chase JEd, shouting ,"Vait, vait! Ich vanten du habbe du plow! Ich needed du plow! Ich habbe do larren! Luch! Luchen du!"
Olaf will try to manouver to be able to show JEd his money.
"Luch...Ich dunke ich vant du buyen du plow. Ich habbe do larren!"
Jed is in a full stride for lunch at Porter's Inn, but stops when Olaf produces a wad of cash.
"I ain't undertandin' you son , but I understand that ther." Now what is it you want, plow. My plow? Yes! It is fer sale, indeed! You mustve' seen my sign over at Annabelles. How much you got ther son?"
Becomming a bit more conservative, Olaf puts the money back into his vest pocket, "Ich haben...how du sacht...plan tea. Aber, virst, ich vant du see der plow. Ich haben hunger, zo ich vill eaten vit du und er, how du sacht? Rifraff.....no , das ist nicht richtig.....shay-reef.Ja....ich vanten du see du plow und uf ist ser gut, ich vill ...how du sacht? ...guf du do larren, mach fairy.
"How much?, I give it to you fer twenty-five dollars." Jed responds. I take you to see it, but I got me a free meal comin', that Lucille makes a fine corn bread. C'mon you gotta try the food, best in these parts, that's fer sure!"
Jed grabs the rail and begins climbing the steps to Porter's entrance.
The Marshall slowly guides his horse in the direction Off Porters Inn. In the back of his mind he is extremly concerned about Jeds family, because he can only imagine what the vile villans will do to them.
Tellfeild smiles as he pours the whiskey, “We can talk about that later. I have to agree with you about being the new guy in charge. When I was first posted at the fort I spent nearly a week just proving that I was not about to be walked all over by ether the Major or the grunts. Those where interesting days let me tell you.” He laughs softly at the memories and then after finishing pouring the drinks he re-stops the small bottle and sets it down next to the glasses. He picks up his glass and sips the amber liquid. “Tell me sheriff, do you play chess? Or have you ever learned the art of the saber?”
"Well captain, I like sitting around sipping whiskey as much as the next man." Cane stands and starts to unlock the rifle rack behind his desk,"but if this is going to be one of those long drawn out getting to know ya chats, this really isn't the time." He pulls out a Winchester and locks the rack back up," I got a prisoner to collect," he loads the rifle and sitts it on his desk. He looks at the Captain in thought for a momen, "Suppose you were a bush wacking murderer and one of your men didn't come home. Would you start looking in the jail?" He begins checking the loads in both of his pistols, " What would it take to make sure you started looking in the jail?"
WhoHoo, Captain is anybody home?" Cain waves his hand infront of the Captain's face." Walk with me," He locks up the rifle rack and putts a box of shells into his saddle bags. He goes over to the door and after the Captain joins him he locks the door and walks arross the square to the stable," Actually, Captain I do both with differing degrees of profeciency. The Army Caverly wasn't to keen on training thier officers to play chess, had to learn that in the streets." When he gets to the stable he hollers, "Jacob! where the hell are you man? I need you to saddle up my horse and put a bit and bridle on that pinto while you're at it. I'll be needing him for this afternoon as well." He flips the man his saddle bags," I'll be back in a couple of minutes." He walks back out into the street and across to the Porter, "Well Captain, its been nice talkin to ya," He holds out his hand," If you are still here this evening maybe we can have that friendly talk you wanted. Right now I gotta go and get a prisoner." He leaves the Captain and enters the Porter heading toward the dinning room.
Tellfeild is silent for a while as he thinks. He follows the Sheriff out to the stable. After Cain finishes talking to the stable master Tellfeild shakes his hand.
“I have been thinking about your question and it is a good one. If I were a bandit I and I lost a man I would first send a few of my worst men to the spot where he disappeared. The worst men because the local law would probably set up an ambush for them so I wouldn’t want to lose my best men. If there were no ambush it would be just as well because then I could have them retrieve my man with no trouble. If there where any witnesses to my man going down or if my men managed to get a hold of the person that brought him down, or that person’s family I would probably have my men make sure that they would never talk again. That is what I would probably do if I were a bandit.”
“Would you mind terribly if I come with you to get the prisoner?” He checks his pistol and saber to make sure that they both are ready for action.
"Let me find out what's going on first," he pulls out his pocket watch, "meet me back here, at the stable, in about thirty minutes? I'll have a better idea what's what then."
He nods and would over to prepare his horse for another long ride.
In the town square sits a large red barn with several fenced in yards. Horses can be seen grazing as well as several mules and ponies.
A large black hound is always basking in the sun outside of the stable entrance and always wags it's tail to visitors.
The stable master is a large man with a black beard, always feeding and grooming the mounts. Although an intimidating man, Jacob is a mild talking, gentle natured man. He frequents the church on Sundays.
Jacob greets the sheriff, "Good day Cane." and quietly prepares his horse. He does a splendid job and ties the horse just outside the entrance to indicate the ride is ready
Tellfeild brings his horse over to the stable to wait for the sheriff and admires the horses there. “You have some good stock here sir. Where did you get them?”
"Hello..oh..most of them are from folks staying at the inn, but some of em are abandoned...well, let's just say their owners are goners. Now that there, that's mine," Jacob says, pointing inside the stables to a pen. A white and brown spotted mare stares back at you chowing on some feed. "names Bucket, cause it keeps kickin the bucket when it's hungry."
"You need to drop off your horse?", he asks as he starts to clean off some dried mud from a horses hoof.
“No, just brushing him up before I go off with the sheriff this afternoon. Tell me, you ever had problems with surly types here? I mean people trying to take horses that don’t belong to them?”
Jacob stops to think, "well, there was this one time, long time ago..a drifter came into town, shot everybody up pretty bad and took one of my horses. Way before this mexican bandit thing came about, if that's whatcha after....no, these bastards go straight for the money when they come in here. They ain't messed with me, but then again, I don't make myself seen during their visits, oh you can hear them comin', the ground shakes from their horses."
“I know that sound well. I was wondering because if you had any that you wanted to get rid of to stop people from pestering you I could talk to the Major and see what he thinks. We are always on the lookout for new mounts at the fort and even if we don’t need them I am betting that there is a farmer or rancher that does.”
Jacob stands up to ponder for a moment, "That's a good idea, I reckon there not mine so to speak, though I have been taking care of em', but then there's the left over saddles and gear too, and some mighty fine guns. I know! We get the mayor to get an auction goin'. We can get ole Lester from the store to do the auctionin', he's good at yackin'" says Jacob politely.
Tellfeild smiles, “That would be a good thing. What do you say to the idea that after I am finished with a few things you and me go have a talk with the mayor about this?”
"Sounds great, most of the towns folk usually gather at Lucille's Restuarant over at Porter's for suppa. We small town folks, you know. The mayor usually tells us the goins on, if anything. Some days I eat over at De Putas. By the way, I'm Jacob," he says as he reaches his hand out..
Tellfeild laughs at himself for forgetting introductions. He shakes Jacob’s hand with a smile of his face; “I am James Tellfeild, Captain in the U. S. Cavalry. I am stationed up at the Fort.”
Cain leaves Porter's and watches the Marshall follow Jed down main street thinking, " That stupid tinhorn is bound and determined to draw attention to this, gonna get himself killed or worse me." He walks over to the stable and grabs up his horse and the reigns to the pinto, " Thanks Jacob! Captain lets go!" He rides out of town in the direction of the ridge top, the short cut to Jed's place.
James nods as Cane comes over, “It was good to meet you Jacob. Perhaps later we can chat more over a pot of coffe. All right Cane lets move.” He vaults into his saddle and rides off following Cane.
On the corner of Main and Porter Street lies a fairly large structure, the largest in El Derado. The biulding is a hotel and restuarant. There are elegant hitching posts as well as a rail fence that seems to offer no real purpose but for decoration. A grand stair leads up to the double door entrance where gold painted letters declare, 'Porter's Inn'.
Upon entering the foyer, an elaborate winding staircase leads to the rooms above while a restuarant lies to the right. Straight ahead can be seen a consierge desk with a small porter room. A man can be seen reading a newspaper behind the desk. To the left is an office door that reads, 'Mayor'.
The Marshall grabs the majority of his belonging and walks towards the entrance of the Inn. While approaching the desk, he carefully scans the room. The Marshall looks to the man behind the desk, "greetings, I will be in need of a room for a undetermined amount of time".
The Maeshall opens his coat revealing his badge "and the bill will be payed for by the United States Government".
The man stands up fairly quickly and appears happy to have a visitor of noble worth.
"Greetings to you sir. A room?..but of course."
He turns to look for a quill and then hands you a registry. Finally after gasping through his clutter, he provides you with a quill and ink.
"If you can sign your name here ..and here..and I will find you a key. I will need to record information from your credentials if I may be so kind as to request seeing them again sir?"
The Marshall quickly takes the quill and signs his Name, on the regiser he writes "Logan Sundance United States Marshall". He opens his coat again exposing his US Marshall badge for the clerk to see.
" Is there someone who can see to these few bags?, I have a life or death situation I need to discuss with the Mayor."
The Marshall then turn and begins to walk toward the door that says "Mayor".
He wraps on the door a few times, and waits patiently for a awnser.
The concierge records the badge number from the Marshalls credentials and fumbles for a room key. He rings a small bell, "I'm sorry Mr. Sundance, sir, the mayor is away hunting this afternoon. He is to return this evening for Lucilles supper. I can take a note if you like."
He rings the bell again, "here is your key sir, room 401, it is a corner room with splendid space."
He rings the bell once again. A small boy runs down the stairway and grabs the luggage. It is very heavy so he slowly starts to drag the baggage, toward the stairway.
The Marshall scribbles a few lines down to the Mayor stating that he is in town, and that he needs to speak with him ASAP. The Marshall see's the Small boy grab for the bags and pats him on the head "Son, let me take my own bags, I didnt mean to pack so much", he hand the boy 2 quarters "Thank you anyway". The Marshall then walks straight up to his room, and unlocks the door, leaving his belongings. The Marshall quickly takes his scattergun, and winchester Rifle, along with all his ammunition.
The Marshall then quickly makes his way down stairs, and back to his horse. The Marshall has only one thing on his mind, Carlos Diego, and Farmer Jed's family. The Marshall Turns his horse and heads to where Jed is having Lunch.
Cain enters the Porter and waves to the desk clerk," Jed ever show up in here?" He heads into the dinning room to find Jed. "Well old boy, how do you like the food?" He pulls out a chair and sits at the table,"What did you order for me?" After they have sat and relaxed for a minute Cain says, "Now, suppose you tell me as close as you can remember, without emsellishing, what happened. After this you can tell anybody what you want and I won't say a thing."
Having taken a while to find an acceptable parking space for his buckboard, Olaf is a bit late, and dinner is underway when he gets there. "Please du accuse " he says to the waitress, " Ich needen du zit vit herr Jed " He continues to banter with the waitress (or whoever seats people) without much luck. Finally, he jiust shrugs, walks in , and find the table where Jed and Sherriff Cain are sitting. He smiles and says "Tag, ich habbe mach hunger. Ist der fud ser gut ? Ja? " as he sits down.
Jed takes his dusty hat off and greets Lucilles as she prepares his order. "oh, they be one more joining me..a german fella."
As Jed gobbles down the food, the sherriff strides in and sits next to Jed, "I didn't git you anything sherriff, but I'm mighty obliged at your gift, says Jed. Lucille sees the sherriff, "Anything for you sherriff?"
Jed begins to tell his story, "See sherriff everytime we get some horses from Bob's Ranch, we keep em in the field behind my barn, and those dang bern bandits seems to always know when we a gettin some new stallions. Well, this time we waited for em and we got into it with them..and.." suddenly the German farmer appears and introduces himself as he sits. "Well ole chap sit down and try some of this cornbread, ..oh he's buying my plow sherriff."
And then walks in the Marshall with two fairly large rifles in his hand, a winchester and a scattergun. Lucille quickly says, "They'll be no guns in here!!"
Olaf looks over at the marshall as he enters "Oofta! Ich on lee vant du per case ein plow!"
The Marshall walks over to the resturant, and peers inside to see Jed and the Sherriff along with the Norwiegan chap. When told there will be no weapons in the resturant, the Marshall seems a bit startled, but quickly obliges the Ladys wishes. Looking around for a Gun Rack he Racks his weapons.
He then walks over to where the Sherriff and Jed are, and then states "Look Sherriff , I know that we maybe from different worlds, but pretty soon, you know whats going to be headed into town". " My suggestion is we let own sworn duty to protect the innocent come first, and our personal buisness come second". "The way I see it, it gonna take the both of us to hold that outlaw in jail."
He pulls up a chair "Now hows about we go get this villan and check on Jeds family?"
Olaf looks at the Marshall, a confused look on his face ,"Der outlav un der yail?Das ist nicht richtig. Vy ein outlav un der yail? Der outlav ist...how du sacht?....un der "out".....Ich danke ich schee ein outlav un der bach uf der eaten haus...outlav vor tu....how du sacht...le reeve du ven tu mach du drinkenuf du habben ein outlav un der yail, mach schtinken vor der poor...how du sacht?...riff raff....no, das ist nicht richtig....shay-reef.
Dr Samuel Brown entered the foyer, he was wearing a brown overcoat, carrying a black medical bag and had a revolver holstered at his side. He looked around, then walked up to the desk and asked, "Excuse me, but is the mayor in? I'm the replacement doctor he requested."
The porter stands up quickly and fumbles with his newspaper, "Dr. Brown? Yes, Welcome sir..."he begins to scream as he furiously rings the counter bell. A boy runs down the stairs and begins to tug at your luggage. The porter continues, "Please the young lad is to take your baggage, the mayor has told me you were coming. We have given you the best room in the house, and there is a hot meal waiting for you in the restuarant, may I take your coat doctor?", as he reaches his arm out.
Cane looks at Olaf for a moment, then he looks as the Marshall sits down, " I don't recall anyone inviting you for lunch." He looks over to the end of the room and says to Lucille, " I'll just have coffee, and put Jed's here on my tab would you?" He looks at Jed and says, " You seem to have a knack for making it diffucult to talk in private, you come join me when you and Olaf are done," He stands and nods to Olaf, " I'm suprised anyone can understand a word of what your saying son." He pushes his chair back under the table and says to the Marshall," Let's you and me give them a little privacy, or is that a concept they don't teach wherever it is you come from." He walks over to a distant table and sits down waiting for the Marhall to join him. When he sits down he quietly starts in," First off I don't like you, you push your way into a situation that's none of your damn business. You want to do your duty, fine , go and do your duty. You got no cause to be here, nobody here sent for you, and I don't give one hoot who sent you.Secondly, you are drawing all kinds of attention to something that needs doing quietly. You shoot your mouth off about a prisoner or Jed's family one more time and I'll put my fist into it. I ain't been here but a week and I don't know who can and can't be trusted, understand? Last, you insult me one more time and I'll do a hell of a lot more that put my fist in your mouth. Got it? Now leave me alone, get out of here." He sits back and drinks his coffee.
A young mother and her daughter walk into the restuarant, but quickly turn and exit as Sherriff Cane's voice steadily increases.
Lucille swiftly makes her way over to the Sherriff, "please sherriff, times are hard and I do need the business, " she says has she pours more coffee.
The Marshall looks deep into the Sherriff's eye's. "Alright Sherriff (in regards to the threats), another time, another place, we will have this conversation one day." "But understand one this, anything that happens in or around this town IS NOW MY BUISNESS".
The Marshall then stands and walks toward the door he shakes his head at Jed "Good luck Jed". He takes his weapons from the racks and heads for the desk to see when the Mayor will return.
Dr Brown nodded gratefully, took of his coat and handed it over "Thank you, I'm a bit hungry so I think I'll have that meal. Just be a bit careful with that trunk," he said while pointing, "there are some breakable objects in it."
He left the front desk and walked into the restaurant and sat down at an empty table.
Looking at JEd, Olaf says," Herr Yed, now ve schee der plow, ja? Uf ist ein plow ser gut, ich giebt du fumph und zwanzig do larren."
Overhearing the lawmen get into a heated discussion, Olaf shakes his head, "Der Riff-Raffen auf American nicht vorken ser gut, ich dunka. HErr Yed, habben sheepen? .....Sheepen? Ich vant du pur case sheepen, doo. Sheepen.....Baa,baa, ja? Habben sheepen? Vo canst Ich pur case sheepen?"
The concierge takes the doctors coat, hangs it delicately in the foyer closet and escorts the gentlemen into the restuarant. As the doctor seats himself, the concierge snaps his fingers and points at the doctor while he prepares his napkin over his lap. Lucille acknowledges and approaches the doctor with a kettel, "Tea or coffee for you Doctor?", she asks. The concierge returns to the foyer to check on the bell boy.
On the other side of the room, Jed slurps down the last of his ginger ale, and gets up rather hastily. Well, parder,..Olaf you said, right? Well Olaf, lets go see that plow, ...nah, ain't got no sheep. Got some cows and some pigs though." He yells rather obnoxiously across the room, "Ima headin' out sherriff, you coming along or I see you later I reckon?"
"Ja, Olaf ist ich.Ich vant du schee der p low, ja." Olaf gets up and follows Jed.
Dr Brown looked up from the table at Lucille and said, "I would like some tea, please."
Lucille kindly pours the doctor tea, "The mayor should be back before dinner, we are so glad to have a doctor in town. Oh, I have this terrible bunyon on my big toe, oh nevermind, it's not the time, your lunch will be right up."
Jed and Olaf leave the inn, as Jed looks to Olaf, "I feel like I'm forgetting somethin'...oh well, I gettin' old these days, can't remember a dang thing as he gets on his make-shift wagon, HHEeddiaUPpp!!", he yells as his mules start to trot, his wagon does a u-turn on Main St, and begins to trolley.
Seeing Jed begin to leave the Marshall walks out to his horse and mounts up. The Marshall Follows Jed at a safe distance, constantly scanning the area for others.
Olaf puts enough money to cover whatever food was unpaid for and a modest tip, and hurries after Jed
Dr Brown started drinking his tea, then asked, "Who are the people who just left?"
Lucille holds a napkin under the kettel as she pours so no tea gets on the tablecloth, "Well that was Sherriff Cane", as she looks out the window in the direction of Jacob's stable, Cane still visible walking briskly to the stable. "..and I don't know the other law man, never seen him here before, I believe he was a Marshall. Well I'm sure you know the dangers of El Derado by now..it seem's the mayor's work if finally showing. After all he did find you somehow. I don't mind seeing lawmen with guns, it's those bounty hunters I'm scared of...I mean you can't sleep at night without fearing a bullet catching you in the night. I'm scared to death, I sure hope they catch this Carlos character!", shes exhalts.
"Interesting," said Dr. Brown, "now, when will the food be served? It was a long trip and I'm quite hungry."
A stranger in a black suit and white shirt enters El Derado on horseback were the Tailor shop is located. He stops to gaze around. He then pulls out a crumpled cigarette which he lites by striking a match on the bottom of his boot. He looks dusty and his skin is somewhat tanned, so you can tell he has been in the desert for some time.
After lighting up, he looks around and spots the well in the town square. He then pulls dismounts, pulls out a cantine and heads for the well, not appearing to notice the inhabitants around him. At least that's the way it appears.
The water is a bit discolored, but tastes pretty good. The well is extremely low.
You notice an old lady sitting on the porch at the tailor shop, and a few kids are playing 'swords' around your horse. You realize you are pretty much in the townsquare of this very small town. A stable is nearby, as well as a bank.
Coming into town by the Church, riding slowly, looking at the people, checking their faces, looking for any face he remembers from wanted posters. McCord spots the General store and heads that way.
As you make your way through the hordes of peddlers that are unloading their wagons across from the church, your eyes are very busy looking at all the faces. No one resembles anyone you best recall from your last look at Most Wanted posters. As you near the General Store, you notice a sign that says, "Closed , Gone Fishin'".
Past the Merchant's Guild, the rest of El Derado is very quiet and somewhat deserted. Several biuldings stand unoccupied and give a sense of despair. Dust kicks up near the middle of town from a farmer's wagon.
A native american with a bowler hat, leather pants, and white shirt, rides into town on the back of a painted mare. He looks around looking for Susen Riviara. He spies her as she is leaving the Merchant's Guild. He clicks to his horse and rides over, sliding from the horses back he lands on his feet easily. She recognizes him as being one of the ranch hands from her fathers ranch, the one that usually tends to the more fiesty animals, "Miss Riviara, your father sent me to help you and to make sure you are safe. Would you like me to carry those items for you? I also have a few more items that Steve is supposed to buy, would you know where he currently is?"
Not noticing anyone worth his time and effort, McCord continues on down the street, spying the courthouse, he moves toward it to see if there are any wanted posters.
As you cross the street toward the courthouse you see a man with a sherriff star stride in front you apparently in a hurry. He doesn't seem to notice you or any of the other farmers who are walking about.
You continue to the courthouse and from the road you can't make out the posters, so you climb up on the porch to get a closer look. Similiar to ones you've seen from your hometown, Wanted: Dead or Alive "Carlos Diego" $5,000 U.S. Dollars.
Another one says, Wanted: Alive "Luke Westwood" $500 dollar reward.
And another little sign says, "Plow for Sale - dirt cheap, see Jed."
Susen smiles at Raven as he takes her things. "Why, thank you. Steve was going to buy some catal feed for the late autum. Also, we need to pick up some potatos and carrots, because the ranch hands and cowboys eat so much of them for supper."
She then looks around the area, and asks "So, why is it so bussy all the sudden?"
Henry looks around seeing the busyness of the street and says, "Not sure what is up, Miss. But whatever it is I am sure your father wouldn't want you gettin involved. He wanted me to pick up some extra nails and a spare hammer too, to fix the fence on the east range. But by the looks of it, the General store is closed at the moment. What time and where, were you supposed to meet back up with Steve?"
"I remember saying to Steve to meet me at the Town Squair at around 3 or so." Susen then looks at the time on the clock in the window. "Oh my...it is 2:40 now. Did you get the nails already?"
Henry looks down at his feet, "No mame, I just arrived. The general store looks to be closed, they have a 'Gone Fishing' sign up. We could try the merchants guild but I am sure it will be a heckava lot more expensive. Perhaps the blacksmiths, they usually make their own nails though usually for shoeing."
McCord will remember the details on both wanted posters. Even though the other is is "Wanted:Alive", $500.00 is nothing to sneeze at.
Noticing the young girl, McCord just sort of quietly whistles to himself and THINKS "Helloooo Nurse!!"
About then, he also starts to wonder(Again, to himself), what is she doing talking to that redskin?
"Alright, Ravin, lets go to the blacksmith." She acepts his arm, and thay walk together to the blacksmith's place.
Next door to the Sherriff office is a 'run-down' establishment. There is a sign that is broken, hanging slanted by one chain that reads, 'Ned's Blacksmith Shop'.
The door to the place is ajar. Upon entering, the simple observation is the place is destroyed, littered with debris and junk. Dirt from the desert storms has made it's way into the room, piling in the corners. A rat scurries from the light of visitors.
Across the rummage sits an old anvil, where sits a small vase of flowers. A small note, 'Rest in Peace Ned, love Sue' adorns the flowers.
Susen looks around the shop, and says "Um, Ravin, I don't think we should be hear right now...considering what a mess this place is."
Leading Susen back out, "I think you are right about that. If worse comes to worse I can do a temporary fix on that fence and head back into town later when the store is open. I think we should go and meet up with Steve unless you have anything else you need to do.
The four story wood biulding sits across the street from the Sheriff's office and a picture of beer mug adorns a sign with the words, "El Salooniditos" in big red letters and "de putas" in small black script.
A small bench is outside on the porch, as well as many horse hitching posts. Swinging doors adorn the entrance.
Inside the Saloon is tantered and dusty. There are several round tables and side booths. A long elaborate bar sits directly across the entrance. A beaten path leads to the stools.
Glowing lanterns flicker a dim light. A stairway ascends into darkness, as well as a door behind the bar.
ace a blond hair blue eyed cowboy sits alone at one of the card tables. He drinks every once in a while from a shot glass of some unknown drink. "how about a game of black jack" is all he ever says other than "bring another bottle over".
Rumor has it he he has sweat spot for one of the local ranchers daughters.
Gilles De ville stepped off the coach and sneered at the dust bitten town. his only hope was that this town had a livelier night life and a chance to have the thrill of playing cards, the game of life.
how about a game of cards gent all are welcome at my table
I hitch my horse, "Rebel" to the post and stride up to the entrance of this fine looking establishment known as "El Salooniditos de Putas". I'm puzzled and unsure of what the name means, but I undertand saloon..As I walk in, I check my six shooters on both hips to make sure they are loose and ready to draw although, I am not eager to use them. Inside i notice the fine looking bartender in red hair and two men, one playing cards at a table and one standing at the bar. The man at the bar is dressed kinda funny. I immediately go to the card table and sit down. "Got any room for a poker player?"
A saloon...good a place as any to get to know some of the townsfolk. Can always buy supplies after a good drink. Scanning the sparse inhabitants, I hike up my saddle bag over my shoulder and make my way to the bar. Upon arrival I reach into my vest and pull out a small leather bag that jingles when I set it on the smooth, worn surface of the bar. Taking out a shiny silver dollar, I look back and forth for the barkeep, mindful of the folks behind my back that I can see in the dusty mirror that runs the full length of the old bar.
"Get a shot of whiskey?" I call out to noone in particular.
You notice the bartender is drunk beyond any normal limit and can't seem to offer assistance. It appears that everyone for the moment can help themselves. :)
I reach over the bar and grab an unmarked bottle that looks like whiskey. Popping the cork, I take a sniff, think for a moment, then another sniff. Well, it smells like whiskey. I take a long pull, set the bottle on the counter, and wipe my mouth on my sleeve. No need to pay for a free drink. Staring at the people sitting at the card table, I walk towards the exit. I barely touch the brim of my hat in acknowledgement at the others.
Hey Pardna', how 'bout bringing over a bottle of that stuff before you leave, knowing my luck the sherriff be comin' over and I'd get nailed for sure. Your luck has gotta be better than mine. As I talk to the fellow, I keep an eye on the funny dressed man in the French coat, I grow suspicious of his dweomer.
Theres always room at my table for one more honest player. what your game five card draw or stud.
The redhaired bartender walks out of the storage room, her hair in disarray.
"Sorry gentlemen, got a little busy back there," she says swaying back and forth. "Ahem.. anyhow, any of you.." She stumbles and falls, grabbing and breaking a few bottles of sasparilla on the way down.
"Whew.. I need a break.." she says, dusting off her skirt.
...and looks back at the seemingly intoxicated bartender. Looking toward the man that spoke McCann says: "Looks like your luck just ran out...pardna." and walks out of the saloon.
I see that the bartender has returned and I shout over for a bottle of whiskey. I look to the man across from me and introduce myself, "Deal em up pardner, I got five big ones, says I'm the winner here.".."names Bart." I then pull out my five dollars in a wad and lay on the table fairly close to me. I keep looking for the bar keep as I light a used cigar.
my names ace glad to meet you". AS he pulls five out of his stack of bills and then deals the hand. i got 7 showing
Ace deals out the first hand and I smile when I see an Ace up for me. I peek at my card down and see the low card, but I maintain composure not to show my frustration. "We playin this one for a buck right? I just like to keep my cash in front of me." I'll raise you a quarter seeing you got nothing", I say in a friendly sarcastic way.
for a bucks fine with me. and ill seeyour two bits. want any cards.
"Hit me" Ace throws down another card with a black 5 of clubs. "The ace of spades and five club. hmmm. I'm staying, any last bets?"
I glance out the window just to keep an eye on this new town I'm in.
Nothing unusual is occuring, you see two farmers talking outside the Porter's Inn and you see a few boys playing swords.
after drawing 3 ace's i also got a 5 and a jack and went bust. how about a game of poker.
"Sounds good. Say, what's this town all about, you been here long?", I ask as I pull the pot money over to my side.
"What's the game, 5 card stud or draw? Any wilds? 7 card? Been awhile since I've played" I bluff. I place an ante of 50 cents in the middle of the table.
"What's with that french dude at the bar? He been mighty quiet, must be a trouble maker?"
"the games five card draw nothing wild". "ace flips four bits in the pot. them frenchy types are always trouble think'n there fancy clothes and talk make'm special". "As for whats going on in town" as he takes a drink from his glass "I hear they been havin trouble with bandits but, i could care less as long as it don't mess with me make'n some money".
As Ace deals the cards, I sip my whiskey and smoke my cigar. I pick up the cards to see my luck, pair Jacks with a ace of spades high. I think to myself, will a pair beat him? I say out loud, "Well this is a no draw hand, so..I raise you a quarter." as I flip a shiny coin onto the tabletop. I start to get comfortable in my chair as the whiskey starts to kick in. "I think I'm going to like it here, Ace the man, " I say in sleekness.
as ace looks at his cards a pair of three's over a pair of ace's. he throw in his money and say's "looks like my lucks turning i call "he throws down his cards and rakes in the loot.
"Wow, that's a great hand for five card stud," I say. "I'm hungry, hey Barkeep!"
"You got any food around here, or do I gotta get my own?"
I look back at Ace, "deal em, I'm going to see if there's any nibblets to chaw on" as I get up to search for peanuts or such.
After a number of days through the desert, Carlos arrives at his make-shift home...The sun has begun to set.
"Raul! See to it that our horses are fed, and get me Maria!"
As Carlos unsaddles his horse, he peers across the courtyard at a few strange men,
"Guerimo! Who are this gringos who stand before me?!"
Guerimo responds, "Wanted men from the north, they wish to join us."
Carlos pulls out his Winchester rifle and shoots them dead.
The men fall to the desert floor and the mexican bandits begin to roar with laughter.
My men continue to laugh. "Raul! gather the men around, it's time we do some shooting.
The men start to pull out their rifles as the sun beams down on a slight slope. A little spanish boy begins to pull chickens from a coop. The chickens begin running in circles as the bandits open fire.
"That's right men, practice for the heart."
As the mexican bandits shoot wildly into escaped jerky, Raul approaches Carlos in haste,
"Carlos! One of our men is missing, I believe it's Hector! A few men were out gathering horses as directed and Hector was one of them. However his women, Lucia, says she hasn't seen him. Recardo said that he thought Hector had rode ahead of the group, but it doenst appear to be true, senor!
"OOOOhhhh!!!!! I am so mad!!!" I pull out my knife and stab the wall, then twist the blade as I begin to sweat profusely. I quickly turn to Raul, "Find him!!! Now!!!"
Raul scurries to the fire pit that has begun to enlighten the darkened sky and begins to gather men.
The sun has finally set.
During the night, my men drink and dance around a pit fire. Inside a small pablo I sit at a wooden table and begin to pour myself Tequila. I down one after the other as Raul sits to join me.
"We cannot afford to make mistakes in this land! If Hector was captured, I do not trust that he would save his tongue!"
Raul replies in haste, "Senor, I would not worry, we will find Hector tomorrow, I can assure you."
"AAahhh Raul, you are my right hand man, and I trust you will take care of this situation." I answer.
As I pass out from intoxication, Raul carries out his task by gathering guns, rifles and ammunition. He randomly picks out several banditos. His plan is unknown to me, but I trust he will be successful.
The bandits are dressed in worn white fabrics, almost brown from the desert dust storms. They wear red sashes and most have ammo belts crisscrossed upon the chests. There large sombraros are different colors, red, black, tan and brown and are unique to that particular bandits background. Weapons are in unique places, some have throwing knives, some carry large sabres. Most all carry a pistol, some two. The Winchester rifle is the primary weapon, stolen from a U.S. Calvary shipment some months ago.
As I lie on the floor from drunken slumber, I dream of my glorious raids. In the face of death, I am quick, the faces of those towns people still etched in my memory. As the gambler laid bleeding on Main Street, the doctor would rush to his side,...ah the doctor. Had I not seen his fancy watch glitter in the sun, he would have still been alive. The gunsmoke would linger as the doctor would tumble in the dust. Blood quickly turning to mud. The women of El Derado, they would simply stare at me. I could never shoot a women, oh I adore the women. I dream again of my brother....money....tequila.
The General Store is a large three story, wooden structure and appears to be the oldest structure in the lot. The sign that has been repainted over and over says, "Annabelle's General Store and Post Office" and in smaller letters "El Derado, Post 798".
A bell indicates visitors arrival and hangs over the entrance. The place is very kept with cactus plants on each window ledge. Although clean and organized, the place is a bit cluttered with merchandise. Sale signs are abundant, perhaps a sign that times are not good due to limited buyers.
An aged man, appearring a bit frail in his 60s, works a broom , stopping occasionally to pick something up. He mutters to himself occasionally. Every now and then he will hum or whistle an old tune from the good old '30s.
After doing his rounds, dusting things off that don't need dusting, the man returns to his counter. A checker coard is set up. Those who care to pay enough attention would note that whoever is playing red is soundly winning.
After studying the board for a while, Lester picks up a red king, jumping 2 more black pieces before going back to his rounds of the store. "I've got you beat this time, you old coot" he mutters.
After another round of the store, he sits back down and moves a black checker.
"Sure is quiet today....must admitt, my mind hasn't quite been on the game" he quips, picking the broom up yet again.
Olaf stomps his feet on the mat outside the door before walking in. A bell tinkles overhead.
Olaf walks up as the man is sweeping.
"Guten tag, meine freund. Ich needed sheepen. Vo canst ich vind sheepen? Und ich needen ...how du sacht?....plow und tools. Olaf vant du bilt ein haus."
Lester scratches his head..."well, young man...I'm not sure what you said, but feel free to look around...if it's in here, it's for sale, and at a good price, too....best prices in town...." Lester mutters to himself ," 'course, they're usually the only prices it town"
LEster continues to clean up as the man looks around.
Stopping momentarilly at the checkerboard, he picks up a red checker, jumping two black checkers. "King me, you old duffer!" he says loudly. Realizing he has company, he clears his throat, pretends to tend to his sweeping. When Olaf looks away, Lester picks up a spare red checker, placing it on top of the one that is to be kinged. In a quieter tone, he says, "that' ll teach ya to brag...why don't you just give this one up?"
Olaf looks around, picking out a crosscut saw, a couple of hammers, several pounds of nails, some flour, and a box of 12 gauge shells and taking them up to the counter.
"Ich shteel needen ein plow und ein ..how du sacht?....hair nets....du know....ein hair nets...vor der horsen." Seeing the old man's look of confusion, Olaf mimes plowing.
Looking at the items, Lester mutters, "that's two dollars for the shells....2 bits for the nails....50 cents for the hammers....10 cents for the flour....dollar for the saw....comes to three dollars and eighty five cents.....
Far as a plow goes, I can get you one, but it takes a few weeks...have to order it. I did hear old Jeb has an old plow he wants to sell....maybe you could talk to him"
"Ah, Dunka Shen, Herr Annabelle." Olaf says as he counts out the money and places it on the counter. "Ich needen du vind Herr Cheb uf er ist shtill un town."
Taking his handful of items, Olaf leaves the store and walks out into the street.
As soon as the door closes, Lester moves a black checker, saying in a rather grumpy tone, "Game ain't over yet, so quit your yackin' and play"
Smiling broadly, Lester picks up a red king and jumps the remaining two black checkers." He he! I told you I'd get you one of these days!" LEster dances around the room with his broom for a bit.
Feeling a pain in his hip, LEster sits back down, a frown on his old face."Well....you gonna set the board up again, or what? I want double or nothin' "
Grinning, Lester begins to set the board up again ,"Always happy to give you a whuppin', you old duffer"
A sign on the porch of the general store reads in poor writing:
Jed's plow: For sale dirt cheap. See Jed.
After setting up the checker board, Lester spins it around, throwing a couple of the pieces out of place. As he is fixing them, he grumps, "I'm red this time".
Looking the board over, he moves one of the red checkers.
LEster then crosses his arms before standing up and resumming his sweeping.
McCann walks into the General Store just in time to hear the old shopkeep muttering something and then make a move at a checkerboard only he seems to be minding.
"You sell plugs of chewing tobacco, Sir?" he asks the keeper. Before allowing him a chance to answer, he adds: "And some good cutting rope. I'm looking to get me a job on a local spread. Can't work cattle unless I got myself a good rope. Better make it two plugs."
"Hmpppph!" Lester snorts, glaring at McCann, "Ain't nobody ever taught you any manners, whippersnapper?"
Lester throws the broom at him (so he can catch it, not to hit him with it) "Clean up that dad blamed mess, then git out and stomp off your feet. I declare...folks think just 'cause they work with cattle, they can't be no cleaner than cattle. Y' heard me, lad, git movin that broom!"
As the startled man does whatever he is going to do, Lester sits behind the counter, composes himself, then says ,"you don't have to take it out on that young fella just because you got yourself beat." Chuckling, he moves one of the black pieces.
Caught off guard by the man's rant, McCann catches the broom and fumbles with it a moment before gaining control. He looks dumbfounded for a moment, and regains his composure... "Don't mind me saying, sir...that's a helluva way to introduce yourself to people paying real silver." McCann leans the broom against a shelf and walks toward the counter. He leans close to Franklin and says in a low, coarse voice: "Now, are you going to get me that tobacco and rope, or do I need to beat you at checkers for it?"
Lester pauses a moment to think of this. Regaining his composure with the impertinent stranger, LEster smiles, "Well, son , now that's a right interestin' offer. Tell ya what...if you can beat me, I'll get you the tobacco and rope you requested, on the house. If I beat you, you sweep up your mess and come back and sweep up again tommorrow.... I could use the help...hip's been aillin' me"
McCann steps back from the counter smiling. "Deal. I'll set it up." McCann grabs a bucket and sits on it as he sets up the board. "Red or Black?"
"Don't matter," LEster says, "I'll even let you be red." Lester studies the board,"Y'know , I've won the last 300 or so games I've played"
under his breath, he mutters," 'course, I've lost that many in a row, too"
Momentarilly forgetting the mud on the floor, LEster settles in to try to outwit the smelly cowpoke.
LEster smiles, thinking this cowpoke should be easy prey to a man who has spent most of the past 7 years playing checkers with himself.
At first the game appears to be going his way, to which he quips, "That'll show ya to track mud on my floor, ya whippersnapper."
The cowboy has obviously played his share of checkers, however, as he fights his way back into the game.
"King me!" Lester shouts, double jumping.
his smile soon fades as the man makes a triple jump, ending the game.
"Well, young feller....looks like I owe you some tobbacco and some cutting rope, " Lester says as he gets up, locating the items. When he is just in hearing range, he mutters, "it's because I ain't used to you givin' me no competition, you old coot!"
Coming back, he sets the plug of tobacco and a coil of rope on the counter "15 yards enough, son?"
"You play pretty well, old man...but a deal is a deal. I reckon 15 yards is more than enough." McCann waits for Lester to get the rope ready, and bites off a bit of tobacco. When Lester finishes with the rope, McCann slings it over his shoulder, tips his hat and grabs the broom to sweep up the dirt and sand he tracked in.
Watching the cowboy swipe the mud off his floor, Lester says, "why that's right neighborly of you, young'un. Come back any time, and I'll give you a free piece of licorice"
Looking back down at the checkerboard, a thought comes to LEster's mind, "hey...we were right in the middle of a game, come to think of it....thought you'd get off easy, didn't ya, you old coot. Nothin' doin', nothin' doin'!"
Lester sets the checkerboard up as it was before McCann came into the store, looking the board over a moment before moving a black checker.
Lester looks at the checkerboard, grumbling, "I ain't about to git beat twice by the likes of you" he picks out a red checker and moves it.
Standing up, he walks outside on the boardwalk, looking around. Spying a hastilly scrawled sign, nailed to the front of his store, he becomes irritated, "That no account sodbuster! If I told him once, I told him a thousand times, I ain't in the advertisin' business, and if I were, it wouldn't be for free." Lester goes back into the store for a moment, coming back out with a crowbar. He gives a couple good tugs, removing the "plow for sale" sign. underneath it is a neatly painted sign that reads "Welcome....Wipe Your Feet" with four fresh nail holes in it.Mutterring to himself, Lester goes back into the store.
Lester picks up the broom, sweeping the already clean floor. When he is close to the checkerboard, he picks up a black checker and jumps a red checker. "You're just a glutton for punishment, old man, but I'm glad to take yer money"
"Y'know what, you old duffer?"LEster quips, without waiting for an answer, "Been a while since we've had some good trout."
Leaving his checker game as is, LEster goes into a back room and grabs a fishing pole and some tackle. He grabs a neatly painted sign from under the counter and heads out the door.Hanging the sign on a hook outside the store, he locks the door and heaeds down the street, whistling a tune he makes up as he walks.
A sign on the outside of the door now reads, "CLOSED....GONE FISHING"
On the other side of town, lies a very large warehouse that has several large double doors. The area is always crowded with merchants, gypsies, and peddlers, as well as simple townsfolk. The outside sign that is more of a billboard than sign says, "Merchants Mall". Wagons can be seen coming and going off into the desert. Inside the large open area is divided by tents, with loud noise of bartering and auctioning. A large framed picture of the guild master adorns the entrance. The man has a distinctive top hat, his name enscribed on lower panel A.J. Wilham.
Susen walks to the Merchent's Guide building, and smiles at the man who holds the door open for her as she enters the building. She is still carring the bolts of fabric as she walks to the penny dreadful rack, and starts scaning them.
You fine slightly tattered but workable blue silk. About 3' worth.
Susen picks up the tattered silk, and says "It is not a lot, but I can use it." She then picks up two penny dreadful books, and goes to the cashier to pay for them.
As you approach the merchant to pay for your goods, a middle-aged women in a purple dress and hat reaches out and begins to grab at your silk. "Oooohh Silk!! I just have to have this silk!", she dictates. You feel a slight tugg but you seem to still have a grasp of the silk though barely.
The lady is accompanied by an older lady with a cane. She is in all black and is apparently a widower.
"Excuse me, but this is my silk. I am Susen Riviara, for the Rancho Dous Estara. Now, if you do not mind, I would like to pay for my silk, and leave this establisment." She looks defiant at the lady in the purple dress. "Besides, what are you going to use it for anyways? Your already married, are you not?"
The lady in the Purple dress stands back and says, "Oh, I didn't know." In that case let me introduce myself, I'm Lucille Blacksborg. Your father does have elegant dances at his estates, will he ever invite me?
The widower replies, "The stoves on fire. Is that your horse?"
Lucille quickly interupts, "Don't mine my mother, she is a bit ...old, well nice talking to you, come to town more often and tell that dear father of yours.. Lucille Blacksborg sends a wish for good fortune."
Susen finaly gets to the cashier's counter, and promply pays for both the silk and the two books. She then looks over her stuff, seeing if it is all thair.
You pay for your items and everthing is in order. You continue to get looks from the Purple lady, as well as several farmers.
A man in a jester's hat approaches you, "Care to buy this magic headache medicine?..only 35 cents but for you 25." The liquid is in a bottle and the color red with the words Bayer written in black letters.
Susen looks at the man. "No thanks." she says as she walks on out.
Visitors at the Market will notice a fairly large Caravan raking in. Tent keepers are busy preparing space for new loot while others are packing for outbound delivery to other far away towns. Caravans are known to stay for a few days before departing again. There is much rejoicing as many carpet baggers welcome back friends and colleagues who were away for long periods of time.
However, there is additional gabbering, and a rumor is afoot that says Bounty Hunters are heading to El Derado in search of raking in rewards for the head of Carlos Diego. This rumor has started to panic the peddlers.
Mutterring to himself, LEster says, "So you won't give me a
re match, eh? Next time, we'll see how much bulletts cost for you, mister..."
Just then Dav interrupts the conversation Lester is having with himself.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you children should be seen and not heard, boy. Quit
interruptin' grown folks' conversations....oh, pay.....of course you'll get
paid. Three square meals a day, on me, and $1 at the end of the day....oh, where
you been staying? Don't stay at Porter's, it'll cost you an arm and a leg, and
from the looks of you, you can't afford to give up either of 'em. Boy, didn't
you're momma ever teach you to use a broom? You missed a spot, now go sweep that
corner there. When you're done, wash the windows....oh, by the way, there's a
cot in the back room...you can sleep there if you want to."
*Dav sweeps the corner and yawns*
After wathcing Dav finish up, Lester picks up the checkerboard. Setting it up, he is ready to start another game with himself, then thinks better of it. "C'mon over here ,son...lemme teach you how to play checkers. If you can beat me, you can have the rest of the day off."
*Dav sits in front of the checker boeard and gets ready to play*
Lester sits behind the chekcerboard, keeping a running
conversation with himself most of the time. If Dav says anything, he looks up,
mildly annoyed and continues talking to himself. "We got him this time. Oh, go
easy on him, you old duffer, you know he doesn't have a lick of sense.The only
time Lester says anything to Dav is to say "King me!" or "I'm takin' your man
for not jumpin!' " ((OOC: I will roll d100 1-50 I win, 51-100 you win....I
rolled a 14))
"He he....I told you I couldn't be beat today!" Lester
says to himself. Looking up at Dav, he says, "why don't you take the rest of the
day off...you look tuckerred out after that whuppin' "
Lester sets about
tidying the store up, chuckling. His hip doesn't seem to bnother him so much
now.
*Dav stands up*Bye Lester*Dav walks out of the store*
as ace walks in " i'm here to do a little shopping. what you got in rifles. "
Lester is dusting the shelf as Dav walks out. He looks back
toward the door as the bell rings, then does a double take...this man asking
about rifles looks a lot like Dav. Same funny duds. Lester notices with a bit of
annoyance that he didn't bother to wipe his feet. Lester throws the broom at the
man, hollering out "dad blast it, can'y any of you young uns read?!! The sign
says WIPE YOUR FEET!!!!!"
"sorry sir but i never was taught to read. We was always to busy bring in the crops and doing chores to learn much schooling"he says as he backs away from the old man.
I open the door to Annabelle's and walk in, "Good day Lester,
I say as I wipe my shoes on the mat. "Lester, How's the fishing? Yes, the
hunting is terrible for me. Listen, Lester, do you have a moment, I have
something real interesting that perhaps you may enjoy?"
I admire some of
the goods as I approach the counter.
Looking at Ace, he says, "well, no permanent harm done...just
step out, wiope off your feet and use that broom to clean up your mess....then
you can look at some of the rifles...got plenty."
Looking up at the
Mayor, Lester brightens, "the fishing? They were biting like crazy last few
days...not a nibble this morning.Something interesting, huh? Weell, I'll be...I
finally quit going to those town meetings, and you decide to have that town
checker championship after all. Y'know I'll bet you still can't beat me after
all these years."
ace goes back and wipes his feet and sweps the floor a little. he then heads for the counter an says" i would like to see a 12 gauge double and 16 shot winchester and 2 box's of ammo for each. also i'll need a sadle sheath for the rifle and a hacksaw please".
I take a moment to stare at Ace and ponder his intentions for
such devices. Then I try to make light of the situation, "Where's the War,
pardner?"
After chit chat with Ace, I turn back to Lester, "Oh, no, no
Lester, not a checker championship, we already know who would win, we've decided
to have an auction and we'd like you to be the auctioneer. See, there's been
quite a pile up of goods over at the stables and at the Merchants guild that are
unclaimed or unwanted. Before we just burn it, it would be a good idea to see
who might want to buy some of the goods. The money will go to fixin some of the
decayed biuldings around here."
"Whatdya say?"
Lester looks up at Ace, "Well now, that's better,
young'un......a 12 gauge and a Winchester? you plannin on goin' after ol Carlos
all by yourself?"
Chuckling to himself, he adds, " I don't have any of
the 16 shot types....got a 15 shot Winchester rifle, or a 12 shot Winchester
carbine...."
((OOC: I dunno much about rifle calibres, so I'm skipping
that info..fill it in if ya like, Devlyn))
"Hacksaws are over on the far
shelf.You looking to buy a hacksaw or just want to use one to make yourself a
scattergun? I got one down here you can use for that, for free.
"The
rifle is $55, or you can have the carbine for $45....has a little less range,
but it's a lot easier to fire on horseback. Bullets for either are $2 for a
hundred count box. Rifle boot'll cost you $5, or I have a few fancy duded up
ones if you want to spend more....
"Double barrel 12 gauge'll run you
$32....shells are 25 for $2"
Looking back at the Mayor, he says
"Dadnabbit, Stone, when you ever gonna give me that rematch...ever since you
cheated me out of the championship, you been tryin to get out of settin' up
another go round.
Oh, an auction...well, I s'pose I could be
persuaded....on one condition...you give me a rematch in public, so the whole
town can see I'm the real checker champion of Derado."
"Why Lester, you sure know how to do business, don't ya.
Well, I reckon we can do that, right after the auction. Well friend, plan on
this Saturday at high noon. I'll bring you the list of goods tomorrow. Well,
Good day Lester." I say.
As I leave, I glance back over my shoulder to
Ace, "keep those things pointed to the ground son, we gotta alot of youngins
playing here." I tip my hat and head out.
"I'll take the 30-30 carbine the shotgun and the sheath and two box ammo each and the use of your hacksaw blade". as he counts out his monet and lays it out on the counter. He then hacks the shotgun to around 16 inch barrel length. "thanks for the help and i'll be seeing you later old man" as he heads out the door with his stuff and back to the stables.
The sawing of the blade leaves a large pile of metal dust and dirt on the floor of Annabelles. A bust of wind catches the dust and sends it flying all over the store, as Ace open's the door and exits.
Lester is momentarilly distracted, plotting his checkers strategy for the big match. When the door closes, he sees all the shavings and dust all over his floor, making a mess. Grabbing a bag of flour, he rushes out the door, "Dad Nab It!....take that" he says as he hurls the bag of flour at Ace as he(Ace) walks away.
Lester looks as Ace walks away, flour billowing out several
feet behind him from the busted sack,"The ol' arm ain't what she used t'be" he
mutters to himself, "no matter, we'll get him next time.
Walking back
into the store, Lester sweeps up the mess, mutterring to himself. After he is
done, he goes to a shelf and pulls down a new sack of flour, placing it under
the counter within easy grasp.
Sitting down at the checkerboard, he
chuckles," you better start giving me more competition, you old duffer, I've got
a big game with that weasel Stone coming up!"
Studying the board he
moves a red checker, then gets up and dusts the immaculate shelves.
Lester walks around the store, straightenning out things that
are already straight and mutterring to himself, "that boy is about as messy as
they come. I tell you, you can't find good help for anything these days....slow
as molasses ,dumb as a brick, and messier'n a twister"
Sitting back down
at the checkerboard,Lester moves a black piece, " Where'd that boy go, anyhhow?
Isn't he supposed to be working? Oh, well, there'll be another like him to take
his place soon enough. FOr now, I got more important things to do, like figure
out what I'm going to do about that impertinent boy leavin' that mess on my
floor.....my hip's feelin better knowin' I'm finally goin' ta get that rematch
with Stoney anyhow."
Studying the board, Lester moves another red pice.
I enter the general store and walk in politely. I nod to the old man and then proceed to walk down one of the aisles. Being the loner type, I prefer to look for fine cigars rather than ask for assistance from the clerk.
Looking up from his checkers as the bell rings, Lester nods
at the man. Seeing the man doesn't seem to need assistance, he is about to turn
back to his checkers when he notices the man has tracked in some dirt
and...what's that? horse manuer, probably. Lester's ire builds and his face
turns red, " Dad Blast it, can't any of you illiterates read?! The sign says
WIPE YOUR FEET!!!!!" As he is saying this, he hurls a bag of flour at the man,
forgetting he had set the bag aside for Ace. ((OOC: rolled a 99, threw the
percentage dice up in the air and pelted them with birdshot..I can only assume
that's a bad mess))
"Now git the broom and clean up your mess!!!!!"
Elizabeth notices the sign outside the door and wipes her feet on the mat before walking in. As the bell tinkles overhead , she looks up for a moment before hearing the angry tirade of the shopkeeper and seeing the flour billow out nowhere near it's intended target. "Oh, my!" she lets out, invluntarilly.
I stand reading the back of a 'Guide to Better Living," when I see flour everywhere, I begin to cough and try to see what happened. I notice the old man yelling about something and appears to be looking in my direction. I glance back at the lady who just walked in, then back to the floor. After a long moment I shrug my shoulders and continue reading the author's prelude.
Lester fumes when he sees the man turn his attention back to the book. "DAD NAB IT, I SAID SWEEP!!!!!!!!!" he says, throwing a broom spear-style at the man, genuine malice beginning to boil within him at being ignored by the impertinent stranger.
The broom misses the customer but does connect with an elegant oil lamp that crashes to the floor as shards of glass fly about.
Now I know he's talking to me I think to myself. I put the
book back on the shelf and try to utilize one of it's passages about 'positive
thinking'.
"Excuse me sir, but I don't understand what you are doing, I
am simply browsing the goods here, did I do something wrong?"
I am
impressed at myself for keeping a steady tone of voice and not reaching for my
six-shooter as I used to in the past.
oh, great, a therapeutic gunslinger
Looking at the mess, Lester's anger continues to escalate.
"Dad gum it, boy, didn't your mamma ever teach you to wipe your feet before you
come in a building?!?!?! Look at that mess you dragged in... and now you broke
my lamp...you broke it, you bought it!....NOW CLEAN IT UP!!!!!!!" Lester
hastilly looks for something else to throw should the dense man not get the
hint....
Suddenly, he notices the lady. HIs tone changes almost
immediately to a grandfatherly tone, "May I help you , Miss?" he asks the lady,
now totally ignorring the man.
Elizabeth is not quite sure what to make of all this, but decides it better to get what she had come for and get out of the way before the old man becomes violent again. "yes....I was looking for something a dog might like to eat....oh, and a collar and leash" Whatever the price is, Elizabeth pays , gets the items, and leaves quietly.
Lester goes to the west wall of the store and pulls down the
leash and collar, then some beef jerky...."that's be 43 cents, Miss"
Lester receives the money and waves goodbye as the lady walks off.
Having forgotten about the man who is still standing there, Lester sits back
down at the checkerboard. "your move" he says before picking up a black piece
and jumping a red piece.
"Aw hell, if it's just some sweeping you want, it ain't worth getting uptight about old man." Then I grab the broom and begin to sweep the isle and walkway. Sweeping was my chore while I was in prison and the broom handle brings back dreaded memories. After I'm done I prop the broom against the corner, "Hey old man, come down here, you got any good Spanish cigars?"
"Well now, that's right nice of you to sweep that floor for me...some lunkheaded gunslick came in here and tracked all that mud in a minute ago...broke my lamp, too....if I were 10 years younger, I tell you , I 'd a jerked a knot in his tail.... the cigars are up here behind the counter....too many kids try to steal 'em to just leave them out. I have some Cuban cigars right here...cost you 5 cents a piece, or you can have a box of 20 for 85 cents." Lester's tone has become very friendly..."do you play checkers?"
I understand the old man's temper now, he's gone loco. "Um...I do play checkers, and yes, I'll take a box of those Cuban cigars you got." I lay down the exact change and then begin to light up. "Yes, a good taste indeed."
"A checker player, huh? I knew right away when I saw you that I liked you....you want to be red or black?" Lester asks, setting the board back up.
"Well, nice of you to ask, but I carry my own," ..I whip out a small coin sack and lay out white marble checker chips. I try not to grin.
Lesters eyes get really big as he sees the checkers. He picks up one of them, turnign it over in his hand and eyeing it up"ooooohhhhh....that's a right pretty checkers set...why, I'd like to be using one just like it when I beat old Stone in our tournament at the auction.....you thik about selling it? Tell you what....let's make it interesting....if I win, you give me the checker set...if you win,I'll give you 10 boxes of the best Cuban Ceegars I've got"
"Your on, old man." I say as I bite down on my cigar. I grab a seat and start placing the white marble checkers on the board.
Lester is as excited as a schoolboy as he places his black
checkers on the board
((OOC: noted and ok.....will roll d100 to
determine winner. 1-50 I win, 51-100 you win))
((41...I finally win
one))
"King me, whippersnapper!"Lester says, chuckling
"he
he...we got him on the ropes this time"Lester says as he double jumps.
"don't blow it now, you old duffer" Lester says to himself as bart takes
one of his checkers for not jumping and then double jumps him.
Moving
one of his kings, Lester triple jumps to remove the last three of Bart's
checkers.
"He, he....come back when you get the black checkers sos I can
win those from you , too." Lester says as he scoops up the marble checkers"Ol
Stone'll sure be jealous when he gets beat by these babies!"
I look down as the old man grabs the checkers towards him
like poker chips. I had had those checkers since my childhood and I can only be
amazed at how quickly they were gone from me. A deep depression sets in, "Time
for a drink," I say as I get up.
I head straight for the bar, De Putas.
"He he...ol' Stone won't know what hit him with these
beauties!" Lester quips.
Noticing the nice young man walk out in a huff,
Lester calls out "nice playin with you, young man...come back anyti...."
The door closes. Lester picks up a broom and sweeps the spotless floor ,
then feather dusts the immaculate shelves.
Hearing the shotgun blast outside, Lester steps out onto the porch" wonder what all the racket is."
Across from Porter's Inn sits a unique establishment, apparently a modest home transformed into a courthouse. Though only a single porch, four large elegant pillars hold the porch roof and provide a eccentric appeal to the place. “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer nisl suscipit lobortis” is enscribed above the entrance.
The entrance of the place is odd for a courthouse, black and white checkered floor with red drapes. But beyond two large double doors rests a recognizable room of law. Several benches on both sides face a large podium and desk, with a jury bench against the far right wall. Doors line the sides excessing other areas of the domain. A United States Flag sits to the right of the judge's seat, while a state flag of Texas adorns the left. A seal of El Derado is in the middle. The seal shows a snake being strangled by a farmer while he holds a fig leaf in one hand.
Hummel looks through the small pile of papers with most of them being reports on Carlose's doing. Carlos steals red fabric, Carlos steals horeses, that dang Carlos! I wish i can just throw the book at him! Not only his ther no cases other than disputes i am just puting files on that dang Carlos. Years of law school for this? The judge makes a sigh to try to realese some anger over the reaports. I geast it cant be helped but i wish that sherif would just arrest that guy, and i hope the mayor would make this towns economy better oh well may be it might help to get some food at the resront. Hummel picks him self up, puts away the files and heads for the doors to go out.
As you are about to leave, the District Attorney for El Derado, Edward Reiner, stops you in the hallway. "Sorry to bother you Judge, but I got something important to tell you, real important. Remember that case we had with Ace Smith a few months ago? (OOC: Read Ace Smith profile) Yes, Ace Smith, the guy who keeps yelling 'Self defense', well the widow of the guy he murdered, um..excuse me..um was killed, has placed an appeal to your original decision. Apparently she has more evidence that Ace started the whole thing. Well to make a long story short, we need to have the sheriff serve Ace another summons to appear before you. My job is to make sure he is found guilty your honor, so you leave the work to me, just let me know if you want to look over the case again and I'll get you the file."
Yes do some resurch on that Ace fellow and Try to make that no good lasy Sherif Rember what his job is, As for me ill make preperations for a court hearing.
Hummel walks back to the offic to to get a few files on Ace to give to the aturny while doing so he thinks to hims self, "well some thing new after all."
Here files that i have And i hope you do some good work on this case.
Ed takes the files, looks at them and hands them back,
"Actually your honor, I have a duplicate of these, but I have new ones that you don't have, I will prepare them and give them to you by the end of the week. As far as the sherriff is concerned, you would probably be the better person to talk to him, you know I rarely 'socialize' in the town, as busy as I am. He does seem to keep to himself doesn't he. I'm sure you will see him for dinner at Porter's before too long."
After departing El Derado from Main Street, the winding dirt road leads several miles to a magnificent cattle ranch known as Rancho Dose Estara. Dose Estara sits between El Derado and Jed Ruban's Farm.
Rancho Dose Estara stretches amazingly over 1200 acres and is the home of some of the best cattle in the region. The Riviara Family are the owners and their popularity in the area is unmatched. The road through the ranch is called Trostles Road, and several smaller roads lead to various ranch buildings and barns. The Rancho Dose Estara Estate is truly exhalting, sitting high on a slope overlooking the majority of the white fenced cattle lots.
Workers and hired hands are constantly out and about in the area, and there is a strange irrigation invention that stops people on the road. A long pipe on large wagon wheels moves slowly over the fields. Cattle dwell near the puddles of water and stare at travellers on Trostle Road as they go by. Further along the road lies Ruban Farm.
Jed's wagon turns a curve onto Trostles Road and starts to head through Rancho Dose Estara on his way home. He stops his wagon at the irrigation system, "Hey Olaf, you need to see this!"
Olaf pulls his wagon along side of Jed and says, "Hebstera, vhetc, hodu sayche, hebstera vhetc?
Jed replies, "Yep. Strange ain't it? That man up there in that house, he's a strange one, I don't like em, I mean..we neighbors and all, but...well, I just don't like em!!, they rich folk!".
Jed and Olaf spend a few moments talking about the irrigation system.
The Marshall keeps a careful distance away, watching as Jed, and Olaf approach the farm. His eyes carefully scan the distance watching for any sign of people.
Over several ridges and past the elegant Rancho Dose Estara sits a very flat, almost desert-like farm, Jed H. Ruban's place. Though more land makes up Ruban's Farm, only a small part of it is profitable, and by the looks of the house, it would be easy to predict that times are harsh for the Ruban family.
The general crop for Mr. Ruban is wheat and corn, although corn is very scarce. The Ruban household is very small compared to a large, red barn that adorns it. Smoke is coming from a large pit and gives an acute smell to visitors. Horses can be seen grazing as well as mules, cows, and goats. There is scrap metal and wood littered throughout the area, most unusable.
Captain Tellfeild arrives first followed by Sherriff Cane to Jed's farm by way of a very rocky ridge northeast of the home. Captain Tellfeild's horsemanship is extraordinary and Sherriff Cane had several close calls on the steep ridge earlier in the day.
As the two approach the home, they see a shirtless man wearing 'over-alls' standing with a shotgun pointing into a ditch. Although the man is facing the two riders, he does not see the approaching lawmen.
Tellfeild approaches carefully keeping his right hand close to his pistol. “Hay there lad, what do you have in that ditch? Been hunting? I am Captain James Tellfeild of the U. S. Cavalry. This is Sheriff Cane from El Derado. Who are you?”
The farmer pulls his shotgun up straight at the surprise of visitors, then haphazardly loosens his grip on the weapon as he answers back, "Oh sherriff of Derado? Did you see Paw? He got you? Where's Paw at?"
As you near, "I'm Billy, Jed's son, lookie here what we got," pointing the shotgun in the ditch.
A young long brown haired cowboy rides up to Ruban farm. He
is riding a yellowish brown dun, outfitted with a bedroll, a brown leather
saddle and saddle bags. There is a Sharps Old .50 rifle in a brown saddle
holster. He is wearing a dusty, dark gray long cloat, with brown leather chaps
and worn denim pants. He has on a plain brown cotton shirt, with a brown leather
vest. On his right hip is a middle slung, brown leather holster, with a nickel
plated Colt .45, Model 1873, tighly strapped into place. On the other side can
be seen the hilt of a Bowie Knife, equally tightly strapped. On his baby smooth,
pink 17 year old face, he is wearing a warm open smile, that stretches from,
"this ear o'er har to that ear o'er thar."
"Howdy Yawl! How arr ya this
fine day? My name's Darby Hanks. I come-up from Tennessee to see the world and
seek my fortune." With the last he busts out laughing. "If'n you call cowpoking
a fortune! Atcheely, I'ms a lookin fer work! Know anyone could use a man who
works as hard as he is cheap?"
As Billy eyes the approaching lawmen, he is startled as
another visitor approaches from his flank, almost blindly.
"Wow, lotsa
folks today, why yall coming out here, yall comin' to see my prisoner?" he asks.
Hey there! Who's that ya got thar? And why ya got em all
trussed-up, like a calf at branding? Is he a dangerous desperato? I rid 'bout
thm! Some's will take yor mony 'n cut yer throat, soon as they kin look at yer!
Oh, Howdy! My name's Darby Hanks! I'm just up from Tennerssee! I'm
looking for farm work if'n ya could use a hand! I kin mend things, wagons and
fences and such. I'm pretty good around livestock, cattle and horses and such.
And I work real hard, fer next to nuthin', too! Kno' anyone lookin' fer someone
like that?
LucTellfeild smiles at Billy. “Your dad came into town and
talked with the Sheriff. He told me that he needed to pick up a prisoner and I
thought that I might tag along.”
He looks Darby up and down and seems to
nod to himself. “Glad to see new people coming into the area. I just hope that
you don’t expect everything to be like those dime store books you are talking
about. Believe me, it is not.”
ille steps away for awhile, then returns with a steaming
plate of food, she lays it down in front of the doctor. "Our special", she says.
"Enjoy, anything else for you?"
The plate contains 19 oz. steak, rare.
24 ozs. of Mashed Potatoes. 3.7 oz. of corn. A basket of Bread, and a fine red
wine labeled, "Por Amon 1868".
"Thank you," said Dr Brown, "this is perfect. I don't
need anything else at the moment." He then started eating, being careful not to
spill anything.
As you eat you look around at the restuarant, the few visitors to Porter's Inn. There are two old farmers talking across from you at a small table. There is a another man sitting at a window seat enjoying tea while reading a paper and there is a bus boy cleaning plates left over by the previous customers, for one..the sherriff. You noticed the sherriff failed to leave a tip.
Susen Riviara walks into the Inn, looking for Steve, the ranch hand who brought her into town.
You see Steve reading a paper and enjoying Tea, "Why there
you are," he says as he quickly finishes and prepares to get up.
He
finally is ready to take you home as he asks, "after you, dear.."
At
this moment a judge enters the room, you are startled to see him still in full
court robes.
Susen looks at the judge, and smiles at him. "May I be
of some help, Judge?"
Upon seeing the judge enter, Dr Brown carefully put down his knife and fork, then stood up and walked over to him. He said, "Greetings, your honor, I am Dr Samuel Brown. I'm the new doctor in this town."
Oh hello i belive you are the new docter but right now i
am a bit busy, we may talk latter. Turns to Susin and replys to her, "No thanks
i am fine right now i am here to talk to the sherif." He turns to Luci and asks,
"do you know wher the sherif is?"
Lucille ponders for a moment, "Last I saw, your honor, he was heading over to Jacob's, and at a mighty fast pace I might add. He was with a cavalry officer. ....Can I get you something to eat your honor?"
"I guess we should be heading back to the Ranch, right
Steve?" Susen asked as she yanked his hand.
"Oh, right Miss Susen." replied Steve, and thay
both left the building.
Good day Miss,
Are there rooms available here? It
looks like I will be here a while as the coach was robbed. I plan on staying
here until I recover my pocket watch that the bandit took from me.
You see a
rather dashing man about 27 from the east. He is wearing a Union Army label pin
and is dressed in the latest New York City fasion.
The concierge sees Talbot enter and immediately rings for the
bellboy. The boy arrives and begins to take your luggage. Since Talbot is in the
doorway of the restuarant, the concierge comes from behind his desk, "Sir,
please step this way and I will get you a room, " as he gestures his hand in the
direction of his desk closer to the grand staircase.
Many townsfolk are
arriving at the restuarant to eat. These are the 'early' folks anxious to get a
good seat with fellow friends and business partners. Many are strangers from the
Merchants clans.
At this moment visitors to the Inn will notice the
mayor arrive from his hunting exhibition. He is carry a large rifle with several
wool bags. He appears tired.
I see the crowd of folks at the Inn. I'm not ready to talk to anyone so I go straight to my office. I find my keys to let myself in. I try to at least not be rude, so I say "Greetings all" then I shut the door behind me.
The concierge helps Talbot check in, but then sees the mayor,
"Oh mayor, Mayor! You have many messages"
But he is too late the mayor
shuts the door.
"oh, sign here and here, please,.." he asks Talbot as he
reaches for room keys.
Thank you. What are your rates and does that include
meals?
Where might I find the Sheriff? Also, can you point me to the
general store?
Seeing the mayor arrive, Dr Brown excused himself and walked over to introduce himself, but the mayor had gone into his office by the time he arrived. Brown then walked up to the door, knocked and waited.
The concierge hands you the keys, "Yes the rates are $1.25 per night with meals included. The Sherriff has an office next door but I believe he is left town for the moment. The General store is around the corner, just take a right as you leave.." pointing to the right. "Is there anything else I can get for you? Dinner is serving now."
I begin to unload my hunting gear and as I place my rifle up on the mantle, I hear the knock at my door. I open the door as I wipe my brow with a towel. I see a man I do not recognize. "Yes, can I help you?"
Hello, I am Dr Samuel Brown, the replacement doctor that you sent for. I just arrived and wanted to introduce myself. Now, could you tell me where the doctor's office is so I can have my equipment sent there?"
Darby heads to the bar for a drink to knock back the dust and
to ask for information about the town.
"Howdy! Kin I git a beer?" He
places a coin on the bar, his hat beside it and his right foot up to the rail.
Waiting for the beer, he turns and slow pans the room, looking at this fancy
place, all the activity and people.
"I'm sorry sir, we do not have a bar here, this counter is for me,..see the cook places the food here and I bring it to the table." says Lucille in a friendly manner. She picks up Darby's money and hands it to him. "Right now we are preparing for dinner. I need to push some of these tables together for those who wish to join the mayor for dinner. Would you like to help me?"
Dinner sounds fine. Let me get cleaned up and I will be
down shortly.
I reach out my hand and shake the doctor's hand
ferociously, "The Doctor! Dr. Brown! Good to see you sir, I'm glad you made it
to El Derado safely! El Derado, town of prosperity! Please come in and I will
get your keys to your office. We will be having a town meeting in just a bit,
have you eaten?"
Darby gulps, "Shucks Mam, I must be a fool! This place is
awful fancy! I shoulda known nobody could belly-up to this little strip! Shore
I'll hep ya!" He quickly pockets the coin and moves to help pulling the tables
together.
"My name is Darby Hanks. I'm looking fer work. I kin do most
anything, that ain't too tricky. Fence mending, farming, hunting and such. Know
anyone 'round here needing a good hand? I work real cheep!" He smiles at
Lucille, as he looks her up and down. But he's too shy to look her straight in
the eye, ducking his eyes to ground every so often.
I enter Porter's and as usual, it's crowded, I try to find a seat at the table in the restuarant closest to the Mayor's chair.
As I enter Porter's I try to politely walk in between folks who are yappin'. At times I get a bit unpatient and give a good nudge. As folks move, I make my way into the restuarant and takes a seat.
No thanks Lucille i am a bit busy at the time so ill just head for Jed's farm and see what the sherif is up to this time.
Brown shook the mayor's hand and said, "I'm happy to be here. I've already eaten, so could you tell me a little about the town and the surrounding area. I understand that there's some sort of bandit terrorizing the area."
ace walks in and sets down next to bart and orders a steak and beans.
"Yes, it's a tragic truth, that danger lies in this town. But
that will soon be over, you have nothing to fear here, Dr. Brown. Let me take
this hunting coat off, and I'll walk you over to your establishment."
I
hang the coat and tidy's up a bit before shutting the door behind me. As I lock
the door I looks to the concierge, "I will be right back, tell the townsfolk to
take a seat, I'll be back as soon as I show Dr. Brown around."
Then I
motion to Dr. Brown again, "Oh, yes Dr., we are having a town meeting perhaps
you would like to join us, I would understand if you are a bit tired from your
travels. At any rate, let me show you your residence."
I exit Porters
while talking to Brown about Carlos Diego.
The concierge starts to escort folks who are dilly dallying in the lobby to enter the restuarant. Lucille with the help of other townsfolk have put together the tables so that it forms a large meeting table. "Please take a seat everybody, ....yes..Um. Sir? Could you... Yes, thank you. Okay everyone, everyone, can I have your attention? We need for you to find a seat. We do have some new guests as well as some visitors. The mayor will be back shortly."
"I will be around to everyone shortly, Bobcat will be helping
me serve the food."
I begin to take everyone's order.
"Mam, if'n you need a hand, I'd be glad to help serve or run back and forth or wash dishes or whatever! No charge! Just maybe a bite to eat, if there's anything leftover after everyone's served." Darby offers, as he tries to stay out of Lucille's and the townfolk's way.
"Thank you, Mr Mayor. I'd be honored to go to the town meeting, after you show me my residence and office."
Lucille is enlightened at Darby's offer to help. "That would be nice, we do need someone to wash the dishes, I try to in between serving, but tonight, I don't predict I'll have too much 'in between' time. Go see Bobcat the cook, and tell him your here to do the dishes, he'll show you the water basin."
Upon walking into the Inn, I look around and start to get the feeling that everyone ain't here for the food, necessarily. But what the heck, as long as the food is passable, I'll listen to any speech. Can't be no worse the the dang speeches the generals used to give before we'd go howling into the Yankee's guns.
Excited about getting some work (Darby was always one to stay busy), he hurries off to the kitchen to see Bobcat. He wonders too, what could the town meeting be about? He reckon'd folks sometimes just meet. But there were a pile of people at the Inn, and many had worried expressions. He hoped when the dishes were caught-up, he could peek back into the room.
After much confusion due to the extra amount of folks,
everyone finally finds a seat. The waitress, Lucille, can be seen hovering over
all of the customers. Their meals coming and going. The length of the table is
immense and smoke has begun to cloud the ceiling from lit cigars and pipes.
Constant jabbering can be heard from all, merchants, farmers, cowboys and
shopkeeps, as well as distinguished guests and drifters.
The muttering
dims and slight claps of hands can be heard as the Mayor enters.
I wave my hand in Hello as I take my seat, "Greetings All, I
am Lonestar Stone, Mayor of El Derado. Welcome to our dinner and weekly town
meeting...and welcome to our new guests to El Derado, we hope that you find your
stay here charming, and if there is anything I can do for you, please let me
know."
I grab a fork and knife then address the crowd, "Before we begin
our meeting, let us feast on Lucille's great dish...um..what are we having
Lucille?"
While everyone including myself eat, I will mention tonights
topics of discussion. "Our focus on tonights meeting is of course, the
villianous Carlos Diego, but also merchant grievances, deserted businesses, job
opportunities, crime, and my new tax plan. I also have several introductions, I
hope everyone has had a chance to speak to our newly appointed Sherriff since in
indoctrination several past meeting ago..."
I begin to stuff my face
with food.
"We are having Turkey Pot Roast, mayor."
After hitching his horse to the hitching rail, Wesley quietly enters the restaurant, hoping to get something to eat before making contact with someone about getting the church keys
Seeing there is a meeting in place, PAtten finds a seat and waits quietly, hoping to get some dinner and a little information about the town all at once.
Coming in after the mayor, Dr Brown took a seat and waited for the meeting to start.
I finish my meal and down a tall glass of wine before I
start. Then I clear my throat *ahem*,
"Okay first order of
business,...Carlos Diego. Now the sherriff is not present, .um? does anyone know
where the sherriff is? Well, we'll have to move on, does anyone have anything to
report concerning the bandits, anything since last weeks attack on the caravans?
"
Does anyone have any suggestions about how to remedy the Carlos
situation? I wish the Sherriff was here."
"I don't know about Carlos, but all I know is the Merchants do not want any ..no good, blasted, bounty hunters in El Derado!!!" What do you plan to do about the dangers of bounty hunters Mayor?!"
"I believe old Jed was robbed of some horses this week. ..and I believe that's where the sherriff is now, I saddled him up this afternoon, something about a prisoner."
"Thank you Jacob, now that is splendid news, perhaps Sherriff Cane is bringing in Carlos as we speak. ..um, Arthur, about Bounty Hunters, what danger could they pose to El Derado,..I mean, they are somewhat law-like, and if it means we can rid the streets of these bandit scum, then by all means I say."
"But at the expense of more bullets striking our headboards at night while we sleep?"
"People do not shop mayor, when there is total warfare in our town. You know, if it wasn't for us, this town would surely have been swallowed by the ratched dust years ago. El Derado must be a peaceful town if it is to prosper!!
So that's what the sherif has been busy doing, And i though he was being lazy. But still we cant let thous bandits get away. But eny way ill let the state eturny look up files on this bandit that was put on citizen areest. Eny way we are better off if we can git rid off Carlos becuse if he keeps up his durty work what's the point of us being here, so i belive that the bringing of the calvery men will do this town a big favor. Becuse do eny of you belive that the sherif and a posesy can dring Carlos to justis but i dont becuse the sherif only has so much power but with the added inforcement of the calvery we can bring Carlos to justis and have some real peace in this town.
My name is ace smith and a lot of you good people may or may not know me. I came here a little while back and like it here. I'll throw in my guns to keep the town safe. I know my rep is'nt the best but those that know me know that I never start trouble but always finsh it.
"hell I even dust off the old caliber, where is this Carlos character? I say mayor you should form a posey and fight him OUTside of town. Why wait like sittin' ducks?"
"If you make a posse, I'll come along, but just to pull the bullets out of the people who get shot. I don't intend to get into any gunfights."
I would join the possy but do to what my abelitys are best for I cant, I my place is in the cort house while others are better off than me to fight carlos. We will need to question the bandit that the sherif brings in, whoever it is, Me and the distric aturny will handel the questioning if you will lets us Mayor.
"Yes, that is if the sherriff does in fact acquire the prisoner, according to Jacob's information. Again, all we know is he's out collecting a prisoner, it may be just a felon, and not one of the bandits. Concierge! Send the bellboy over to the sherriffs', tell him to come a runnin' as soon as Cane arrives!" Now..next order of business is ,...what to do about town neglect. Last meeting we talked about the loss of our blacksmith, newspaper,preacher and doctor. Well I have hired a new doctor, please allow me to introduce, Doctor Samuel Brown." I stand an sway my hand in the direction of Dr. Brown. "I'm not sure if the new preacher is here, but I also sent out a call for papers in that area too. We may need volunteers for our town journalist and blacksmith. Does anyone here have those types of skills?"
"Mr. Mayor, if I may speak for a moment," a slender man in
his mid 20s with bright blue eyes and neatly rtrimmed brown hair speaks up, " I
am Wesley Patten. I have been sent here from St. Louis , having received a call
to fill the pulpit in this gracious town.
I have just arrived, and it would
seem that El Dorado is in quite a mess, with this bandit Carlos. Might I suggest
that we pause for a moment and ask our Father in Heaven that His Providence
might smile upon us, and this situation might be resolved....it seems to me
that, without his help, many people will certainly be hurt." After finishing-up
the dinner's dishes, Darby pokes his head around the corner at the meeting. He
takes a position near the back of the room to listen to the proceedings, as the
Reverend is about to lead the town in prayer. No bounty hunters? Sheesh, a guy
just can't make a decent living anymore without people gettin' all riled up
'cause it don't fit "their" idea of "decent".
HEY!! Look, I make my
living as a bounty hunter, sometimes. And I DON'T make it a habit to go around
shooting up towns!! If I did that, Hell, if MOST bounty hunters did that, NO ONE
would offer rewards on wanted men anymore. The last thing we need is the
animosity of the people who would pay our fees.
So next time, think
before you open yer mouths.
"We should try and find Carlo's hideout before we form a posse, otherwise we could easily ride into an ambush."
I stand up again, and use my hand gestures as instruments to
calm the crowd, "Yes, yes I am all for bounty hunters, they will stay within
bounds of the martial law. Mr. Wilham, certainly your business may thrive on
'extra' folks arriving to El Derado?"
I turn to the doctor, "Yes, I do
wish the Sherriff was back, it appears that I will have to make a decision
concerning Carlos Diego. Who here would be willing to seek out this Carlos?"
"ARrrragggghh!"
"You are wrong mayor! Bounty Hunters
are ruthless killers, twas last year that old Manny was shot in cross fire, will
you let Manny die in vain Mayor!!!"
I give a cold look to the
confederate soldier.
"Will anyone be having desert?"
Staring back at A.J.,
"If'n 'ole Manny' weren't swift
'nough in the haid to figer out what was happenin', or quick on his feet to
git... Well, I don't like to see innocents die neither, but it happens."
"HOWEVER, I can say with all honesty, I've never kilt anyone that didn't
deserve it. Except maybe in the War betwixt the States. I don't think none of us
deserved that."
Quickly switching from mean killer mode to "Lady Killer"
mode
Mentally undressing Lucille with his eyes....
"Well,
darlin' that depends, you got anthin' specially sweet on that menu?"
Wesley removes his hat, waiting for others to do the same. He clears his voice after a moment or two and begins to pray in a voice loud enough for all to hear, "Heavenly Father, we come to you on behalf of the town's good folks and ask that in Your Providence you would allow these ruthless bandits to be brought to justice swiftly. We pray, oh Lord, that You would protect the innocent citizens of this fair town, watch over them, especially the children and women. Lord, give the men of this town the backbone to stand against wickedness whatever the cost You in Your wisdom deem it must be. I pray that if any should lose their lives, they would first make peace with you that they may inherit eternal life. Lastly, Father, we pray for Carlos Diego and his men, as your Holy Word instructs that we must love and pray for even our enemies. We pray, Oh, Lord, that You would give them opportunity to change their wicked ways, that they may come to the knowledge of your Holy Son , In Whose Name we pray, Amen."
Amen
The mayor looks up after prayer "Sir, I'm glad you are in
town, remind me to give you the keys to the church after we done here. I
apolgize that proper introductions haven't been appropriated yet."
"Well, everyone give some thought as to who would be interested in hunting Carlos whereabouts. I will post a paper in the lobby, everyone who is interested in being part of the posse, sign your name sometime this week and we will get the ball rolling...Now my final talk here, is my new tax plan..." I begin to talk extensively on the resident tax bill...
After a long speech on taxes, I address the crowd one final time, "Before I dismiss everyone, I would like to introduce our new town doctor, Dr. Brown," ..I motion to him. "I am sure his prices will be reasonable and we are only too grateful to have him in El Derado. Now...Is there any questions?..anyone at all? Comments?"
I start handing everyone their tab. "Everyone, I know it's busy here,and you must be ready to go, so just leave your tab on the table and we will collect it, if you need change, let me know."
Not bothering to pray, pretty much ignoring the speech on
taxes, will just sit quietly and eat his food.
Didn't take my hat off
when the preacher did, since I took it off when I came inside, well, at least at
the first sign of a lady, it came off.
"Hey Waitress, um, Lucille! You
got any good sippin' whiskey to wash this down with?"
After the prayer, Dr Brown paid his tab then stood up. "I'm going over to the merchant's guild to get the old doctor's furniture and equipment."
I pull my wagon up to my office and dismount. I look to Olaf, "Help me get this rat into the jail." I see the boy asleep at my porch. "Boy!.....Boy!" I yell. "Wake up!" When he awakes I ask him his business.
"Rat...vo ist der ratten? Ich vill putten der creemnallen
auf der yail. Aber, ich danke ist ser ...nicht gut du putten ein ratte auf der
yail vit der creemnall"
Olaf grabs his shotgun, and urges the prisoner
into the jailhouse "Du creemanllen....du getten auf der yail...nicht machen Olaf
du usse deisse shotgoon....ich nicht vich du bangen bangen "
Assumming
he has no trouble getting the Mexican in the jail, Olaf will find the most
comfortable chair he can (unless it's the one behind the desk) and settle in to
the fitfull sleep of a shepherd who is concerned about wolves preying on his
sheep, waking occasionally and making sure the prisoner has stayed put. Olaf
will sleep with his shotgun in his lap, and his rifle nearby.
"Good work Olaf." I say as I plop down in my chair. Before I
doze off for a few hours, I try to explain to Olaf what a Deputy is,
"No..Deputy, d-e-p-u-t-y, deputy. No! No! You're still saying it wrong. Look,
you are my 'helper'", I reach into my drawer and pull out a badge. "Here put
this star on your vest there." I also reach into my vest and pull out a $10.00
bill. "Here, an advance for your efforts. Now that boy went and ran off to get
the mayor, I'll be lucky to get ten minutes, sleep!!"
I doze off, also
with my Winchester rifle in my lap.
"Dee Eee Pee Ewe.....Ewee? Sheepen? Vo?
no...nicht
sheepen? Dep U Tee? Helper? Ja, Olaf gibbe mach helpen du der riffraff, ja! "
Olaf pins the star to his vest and pockets the ten dollar bill. He
removes his shoulder holster, which holds a sawed off double barrell shotgun.
((OOC: this should probably happen before the last move....close enough,
I suppose))
After sleeping the night, Olaf wakes with a start as the
rooster crows. He will put coffee on if he can find the fixin's, letting the
sherriff sleep.
I walk into Cane's Office, "Cane, we need to talk." When I
see Cane just waking up, I excuse myself, then look at the deputy? "Deputy? I
don't think Cane has introduced me to you yet, Mayor Stone, nice to meet
you,,,and you are?"
When Cane comes around, I immediately start in,
"Cane, you need to see the Judge today, he has several summons for you to
deliver, also, We've decided to form a posse and I need you to coordinate
things, sometime next week, Annabelles is going to have a auction, we'll need
you there. Mrs. Leatherby needs you to see about her 'ghosts', and have you
heard any news about the Carlos situation yet?"
I lift my head and let it nod back to the side, as I peer up with one eye, trying to grasp what the mayor is saying. "Hold on, Stone. I can't think."
"De Putee? Nyecht...Olaf nicht ist der de Putee...das ist nicht richtig...Olaf ist der..how du sacht?.....Hal Per uf der riffraff. Ja, der Hal Per."
"Well nice to meet you..." I reply gracefully to the fellow.
I think to myself, I don't understand what he said.
"Cane?"
I look at my pocket watch, "Stone, I don't have time to chit
chat right at the moment." I stand up and grab my hat and rifle. "If you care to
look in the cell, you will see one of Carlos' men. There has been a gunfight out
at the Dose Estara, and I need to get there right away to do a full
investigation. Now if you don't mind..."
As I reach for extra ammo, I
throw the cell keys to Olaf. "Olaf, see to it that the prisoner stays put, and
keep your eye out, they may come looking for him..I hang my head
momentarily,then look up at Olaf, I take a deep breath and try to slowly
communicate:..Riffraff STAY, you EYE, Watch."
With that I get on Jeb's
wagon and head back to Rancho Dose Estara.
"Well is this good or bad? Is that Carlos?" I say as I
approach the cell.
I look at Olaf, "Olaf, do you need any more help
here, I can possibly get someone from the Saloon."
After Olaf responds,
"Well, I will be in my office if you need me."
I leave and head back to
Porter's.
olaf looks at the mayor, "Olaf needen halpen? Ja, Olaf ist
Hal Per. Olaf hal per vor du riffraff, ja. Uf der creemnallen nicht schtay un
der yail ,Olaf shuutte der creemnal...der bangen bangen! " Olaf picks up his
sawed off shotgun by way of demonstrating, "
After the mayor leaves,
Olaf listens to the sherriff, who seems to be patronizing him a bit, "Der
riffraffen shtay hier? Olaf watch der riffraffen? Ja, Olaf canst vatch der
riffraffen ,aber Ich danke du vant Olaf du vatchen der creemnalen.Olaf halp der
riffraff, ja?"
When the sherriff leaves, Olaf calls out the window
after him, "Ich dunke der riffraffen schtay. Vy der riffraff nicht schtay...der
rfiffraff goo und der creemnal schtay. Olaf nicht schtand oonder."
After the sherriff is gone, Olaf turns to the prisoner, "Que, pasa,
senor muy malo? Como se llama? diga me, Cual es su nombre ? Porque esta aqui ? "
The prisoner looks up with one weary eye, and stares blankly
at the deputy. His hands tied behind his back and his feet tied, he simply lays
on the floor.
He eventually tries to turn over, which he sucessfully
does and leans against the cell wall. He is dirty and smells of cow dung.
Jed walks in and ask Olaf," Is the Sheriff in?"
Olaf looks up as the door opens, grabbing his scattergun and
levelling it at the door.
When the man asks where the sherriff is, Olaf
looks at him quizzically, "Der Shah Reef? Vas ist der Shah Reef? Du canst nicht
halpen der creemnallen. Olaf ist der hap per vor der riffraff, ja. Der
riffraffen ist nicht hier. Er ist un der platz der cattlen...ja, der moo en moo
en."
Olaf shrugs as the man leaves. "Du shtinke" he says to the
man in the cell, then treanslates his statement into Spanish.
Seeing the
man is not inclined to talk, Olaf gets a pitcher of water in the corner and
douses the man ," Diga me, ahorra , porque no hablar con Olaf. Donde esta Carlos
Diego? "
The prisoner doesn't say a word.
Olaf shakes his head at the mestizo's obstinance. "Uf du
nicht vich du spricht vit Olaf, du vilt must lie clee cling un der low gals,
ja...ist ser..how du sacht....mad,ja."
Olaf busies himself by cleaning
the place up, his scattergun in a shoulder holster and his other two weapons
always in easy reach. Noting a foul smell he hadn't noticed before in all the
excitement, Olaf sees a yellow stain on the floor. Getting a mop, Olaf cleans it
up, singing loudly in a Scandanavian language.
After Olaf finishes
cleaning up, he will sit where he can watch the prisoner and the entrances at
the same time. His shotgun is in his ap, the sawed off in his shoulder holster,
the rifle propped against the wall.
Olaf sits there for a while,
studying the prisoner and trying to figure out what in the world has happenned
to him, and why everyone keep calling him De Putee.
After some timne,
Olaf hears the clock bell strike eleven times. Sighing, he gets up and paces
around, stopping to look out the window. "Porque esta aqui? " He asks the
bandit, "porque esta un bandito? Carlos Diego es un hombre meurte. Los maldades
nunca tiennen victoria. Nunca. Digame, donde esta Carlos diego?. Possiblamente
vosotros podeis ir facil por usted, si usted habla con Olaf y digame donde
Carlos esta ahorra. Otros, los vaqueros probablamente mata usted este noche."
Two men walk up on the porch and knock on the Sherriff door. The men are wearing black suits and cowboy hats. They appear unarmed.
Olaf holds his shotgun in his right hand, pointed slightly down, but ready to swing into action should the need arise. He walks over to the door, turning the knob with his left hand and giving the door a slight kick to open it, "Vas ist, Herren? Vas needen du? Ich um Olaf, der Hal Per du der riffraff, ja. Und du...was vich du hier?"
The men look to each other then back to the 'star' adorned
man. "You must be the Deputy, please may we come in?", asks one of the
gentlemen.
"Oh,... we are with the Press. We have several questions
concerning the shootout at Rancho Dose Estara.", says the other.
"De Putee? De Putee ist ...how du sacht....un ein Trinkhaus
vas ist nommen Der Saloonditos de Putas, ja. Aber, Ich vich du herren vill habbe
machs schmartz und nich goo auf de putees....ist nicht ser gut. Gott vichs du
habbe ein frau uf du owen, nicht de putees, ja.....
"Comme in? un hier?
Vy?
"Der press...vas ist der press? Der press uf Rancho Dose Estara? Du
vas un der pesss der Rancho dose Estara?"
Olaf scowls as he hears this,
levelling the shotgun at the men. "Du....un der yail," he says, motionning with
the shotgun toward the cell with the bandito."Mubbe....ich sacht mubbe...un der
yail!"
As soon as Olaf raises the shotgun a look of terror crosses
the face of both the gentlemen. "Wait!!!, Wait!! What are you doing?!" yells one
as he raises his hands to his face and ducks his head away from the barrel.
The other is got both arms high in the air.
"We are writers with
the Texas Tribune!!, we just wanted to ask some questions!!" The men do as Olaf
says, but keep trying to communicate, "We-men-paper-we-write-on-paper."
One of the men as he's heading to the jail, sees a newspaper on the desk
and jumps to grab it, "See!!! We write paper!!" he screams in anguish.
Olaf has a flusterred look on his face as the men try to
explain. For a second, he is second guessing himself. When the man makes the
sudden movement for the paper, Olaf gets an alarmed look on his face and swings
the barrell of the shotgun at the man (to hit him in the head and hopefully
knock him out.....rolling.....rolled a 98)
"Du mubbe un der yail!" he
yells,"nicht du halp der creemnal! Olaf kulle du uf du nicht mubbe un der yail!"
Olaf misses the man with the stock of his shotgun, but the man feels the agression and quickly gets in the jail. The other simply walks in with both hands behind his head. The mexican bandit slumps in the corner watching inquisitively. "Your making a big mistake deputy," says one of the businessmen.
Olaf slams the door of the cell, locking the three men in the
jail. When the man speaks up, Olaf gives him a frustrated look, "Du comme un
hier du halpe der creemnal, und new du tell Olaf du vant big shteak? Uf du vant
shtake, du goo auf Porter's....und Ich vill nicht gibbe du nicht de putee....de
putee ist un der saloonditos. DU press du de rancho de estara , und du sacht du
ista der press uf rancho de estara...du halp der creemnal, und new du are un der
yail, ja. Und un der yail du ville shtayen, ja. Vo ist Carlos Diego? Du tella
Olaf richt new! Vo ist Carlos Diego und vo ist Susen Rivera! Du Tella Olaf richt
new!"
Seeing he is getting nowhere, Olaf speaks to the press of rancho
estara in Spanish, figuring the would obviously know Spanish if they are part of
the press of Rancho doce Estara.
"Diga me, ahorra, banditos! donde esta
Carlos Diego y susen Riviera?! Si ustedes no digame, los caballeros
probablamente vameis aqui y maties ustedes."
"Look, " says one of the businessmen, "We've got money, see"
as he holds out about ten dollars, "it's your just let us out of here," If Olaf
approaches he takes the money back, "Only after you let us out."
The
other starts in, "Where is the sherriff? He'll know who we are, we are not
bandits, we are good people."
Olaf looks sternly at the bandit who is obviously trying to
bribe him, irritated since they earlier tried to threaten him(ie, "you'll be
sorry")
"Du canst nicht vool Olaf. Olaf ist ser mach schmart vor du
banden, ja. Ich vill spricht auf der yudge und ich vill sacht auf du yudge das
creemnalen....das banden trah du gibbe Olaf dollaren und trah du gat oot uf der
yail, aber Olaf ist too macht schmart,ja. Olaf ist der hal per uf der riffraff,
ja. Du creemnallen schtay vo du ist und der yudge vill macht vast gibbe du ein
tree el und gibbe du ein...how du sacht? nicht tied par tee, ja.....aber uf du
tell Olaf vo ist Susen Rivera, Olaf vill sacht auf der yudge der creemnal halp
Olaf und der riffraff vind der frauleine, ja"
A rat-tat-tat noise comes from the front door as someone is
knocking.
It appears to be a lawman, Brim hat, vest and gunsling.
Olaf peers out the window, seeing the gunslinging man. "Er
nicht habbe ein schtar" Olaf mumbles to no one in particular. Olaf walks over to
the door openning it cautiously, his 12 gauge held waiste level and ready to use
if necessarry.
"Vas ist?" Olaf asks.
Olaf waits a couple of
minutes for a response. Not getting one, he shrugs and closes the door again,
then thinks of something. Whistling, he beckons for his dogs to come inside and
he leaves the door open a bit for them, and gets them some water and scraps.
The two dogs sniff the man and the larger growls at him, his hackles up
a bit.
I found myself thinking and writing ideas on my paper when I forgot to watch for the door opening. Noticing it is slightly ajar, I walk in gingerly. "Greetings. I am Edward Reiner from the El Derado courthouse and I'm here to get some facts about the prisoner so we can do a background check. The quicker I can do this the quicker we can trial him as an outlaw. Which one of those men there is the bandit?"
"Der carthaus? Du canst nicht plaun carts hier. Deisse ist der yail...du canst plaun carts auf der Saloon vas ist calt De Putas......der outlav? Der outlav ist un der bach uf der builtung....Vy parsons vant du ooz der outlav un der yail?...schtinken! Der bandit? Der bandit? Deiise Herren ur awl banditten, ja. New, du goo. Du goo auf der outlav und der saloon uf du vich, deisse ist der yail und uf du nicht mubbe und gibbe Olaf to doo der yob uf halper du riffraff und vach der creemnallen, Olaf vill poot du un der yail vit der creemnallen, now goo." Olaf keeps his shotgun at waist level, pointed in the general direction of the new man, who is obviously a gambler by the way he is dressed and the fact that he is asking about the card haus.
"Umm.. I'm afraid I don't fully understand what you are saying. Do you speak English?"
When the man enters the sherriff office, the sound of Olaf babbling alarms the two reporters who had seated themselves on the dusty cell floor. They immediately arise and begin to shout, "Mister! We are reporters with the Texas Tribune, you need to get us out of here!" The other reporter responds, "This lunatic put us in here by mistake!" About that time the mexican bandit gets up and in perfectly good english says, "Yes, we are reporters with Texan Tribute."
Olaf looks at the gambler incredulously, "Ja, ich spricht
Anglsch....und du....du nicht schtand oonder Anglsh? Ich sacht goo...goo auf
der....."
Suddenly the 3 men start yelling from the cells about being
from Porter's, and Olaf is becomming increasingly confused and frustrated. Red
faced , Olaf thumbs back both hammers of his 12 gauge, backing up so he can view
both the men in the jail and the newcommer, Olaf yells, "Goo! Ich sacht ,
goo....errrrrrr oofta! yomp und yimney! Uf du halp der creemnallen, Olaf vill
shutte du...BANGEN BANGEN!" His shotgun is pointed at the gambler, clutched in
angry hands, but he tries to keep one eye on the ones in the cell.
I put my hands up in the air slowly showing my palms. "I'm
leaving now, you have nothing to be afraid of, I am going, " I say as I slowly
walk backwards toward the door. I reach behind for the knob and slowly exit.
"Whew! Deisse parsonen ur ser strang un American. Vell,
creemnallen, du freund canst nicht halp du new."
Olaf closes and bars
the door, and starts to look for something to eat in the office.
Olaf spends a few moments looking around, opening desk drawers and box tops. Soon enough he finds Sherriff Cane's bag lunch...a ham sandwhich, and sliced potatoe skins. There is also a apple as well as a note. The note reads, Have a good day, remember to pick up stamps at Annabelles, love Meggae
Olaf looks hungrilly at the lunch, considerring eating it. Noticing the note, he reads it. He decides against eating the lunch. Food will just have to wait. The larger dog whines, then lies down and goes to sleep while the smaller one walks toward the cell, sniffing the prisoners, tail wagging.
Olaf's stomach begins to growl savagely. "Ich habben mach
hoonger, ja" he says to himself. Finally his hunger gets the better of him. He
looks at the prisoners and says" Du schtay....schtay."
Olaf makes sure
to lock the sherriff's office up before leaving, fumbling to get the right key.
He also double checks the cells to make sure they are locked securely. Once that
is done, Olaf heads out to Porter's.
Robbie Lee stops to look around the room, then brings his eyes back to the counter. He walks over to it and waves to the man, "How about a plate of whatever meat and vegtables are ready and a beer to wash it down with? I'll be at the table over there againist the wall." Robbie walks over to a table againist the wall, pulls out a chair and sits so that he can see all the doors in the room. After studying the room for a minute, he looks at the posse sheet. The young gunslinger stands and crosses the room to get a better look. After reading the sign he picks up the pen and signs the sheet, "Robert Lee Beauregard" and goes back to the table to wait on his food.
I overheard the visitor ordering food to Bobcat and went out
to give the customer silverware.
After a few moments, I bring out his
food, "Here you go, a pepperfried steak with green beans, ..enjoy."
"Hey Lucille, you forgot his ale, whatchu got your mind on
anyhow?" I yell.
After she gets the mug, and joke, "Keep it up , you'll
be workin' over at De Putas."
as he takes his silverware and food, "Thank ya'kindly ma'am." Robbie Lee eats his food quickly and downs the beer. After finishing the steak and beans, he leans back with the remains of his beer and relaxes for a few minutes. "Is this mayor of yours in?" Robbie asks Bobcat, "Any particular place that we need to wait on him to get this posse going?"
"The dinner folks be coming in anytime now, this place gets a bit crowded, so enjoy your foot room while you can. Yeah...the mayor usually gets fat while talkin' about town matters...he should be here any bit now."
of a crowd, "Well, I guess I'll go and leave room for your customers. Tell the mayor that I'll be ready to ride whenever he wants to." Robbie Lee stands and pulls out some money, "how much do I owe ya?" After waiting on the response and dropping the amount on the table, he walks out the door, "I need to go see to my horse."
The townsfolk have started arriving for a final day's meal at Porter's. Tables are pushed together to form a large meeting table. The end of the table has been reserved for the mayor who has not yet arrived. Lucille is busy taking orders and constantly goes to and from the kitchen area where Bobcat the cook can be heard singing.
"Herrrr, Where's that Mayor AT!?"
I take a seat near the head of the table. "Yes Lucille, can I get some of your left-over oatmeal?"
A dozen or so merchants walk in, escorted by myself. We sit amongst the townsfolk and chat amongst ourselves.
I take everyone's orders and submit the requests to Bobcat. "The mayor should be here any minute, I know he's not hunting today."
Gunshots fill the space of townspeople talking in the restuarant and everyone quickly jumps up to peer out the window. As they do, the quickest patron reaches the ledge just in time to see a man willow to the ground dead. A showdown no doubt. A man in black the victor. The mayor can be seen exiting the courthouse heading to the spot of the deceased.
Bullets level the crowd and no one is left standing in the window as everyone lies flat as possible to avoid the fable stray bullet.
I pop my head up from under the concierge counter, "Is it safe to come out now?" I ask to no one in particular.
Just as folks begin to wonder the outcome of the gun battle, it starts up again. Residents of El Derado duck for cover again, the shots this time seem muffled as if being shot indoors.
Olaf lets himself back in to the Sherriff's office, locking the door behind him. He places the food on the sherriff's desk. He does a quick check to make sure nothing is out of order (ie, prisoners not in cells) then sits down at the desk and empties the box. Seeing the pancakes, he digs into them hungrilly. He gets about three bites down before rememberring the prisonners. He takes the other two plates and the bowl and sets them within an arms' reach , keeping a wary eye on the men as he does, his shotgun always close at hand. "hier....habbe hunger? Eet, ja....der vud ist ser gut."
The 'prisoners' stop chatting to each other and slide over to
the bars. One says, "I hope we don't rot in here." The other one says cooly,
"Don't you worry, someone will be along with some sense."
The bandit
slops down the food hastily and burps ferociously when done.
to read the Wanted Poster, "Hmmm...wonder who this 'Jim' is?
$500...Dead or Alive? They must mean shoot first, ask for reward later...." A
smirk slowly creeps on the young gunslinger's face, " I think I can agree to
those terms." He pauses as he catches a glance of the prisoners and man feeding
them inside through the window, "I don't think I want to get invovled with that,
he looks like he has his hands full, as it were." Robbie moves down the walk
back toward Porters, "I could use some grub myself."
Hearing the man's
footsteps outside on the boardwalk, Olaf looks out a window, 12 gauge in hand.
After watching the man for a minute, he decides he is probably harmless. A loud
belch draws his attention back to the prisoners. A disgusted look on his face,
Olaf picks up a bucket of water and douses the nasty bandit. "Du schtinka,
ja...du nidden ein bat."
The prisoners have nodded off to sleep.
Seeing the prisoners safely asleep, Olaf grabs up his shotgun and walks out the door, locking it behind himself, whistling as he walks outside.
The prisoners awake to the sound of gunfire, then become frightened after seeing the deputy plunge through the window, bullets fly about the room!..and the Mexican bandit smiles and says, "Banditos De Mexico, Banditos De Mexico!"
"Mayor, I have somethin'. A gentlemen and I were talking today about the left over horses and gear over at my stables? ..and We was wonderin', it'd be a good idea to have an auction to get rid of the stuff. It's the stuff belonging to folks who have ..let's say, moved on to greener pastures."
"That's a splendid idea, yes indeed! I will go over to Annabelles and see about gettin Lester to do it for us. Great idea, I'll put up signs when we get a date. Thanks Jacob!"
After a long speech on taxes, I address the crowd one final time, "Before I dismiss everyone, I would like to introduce our new town doctor, Dr. Brown," ..I motion to him. "I am sure his prices will be reasonable and we are only too grateful to have him in El Derado. Now...Is there any questions?..anyone at all? Comments?"
Not bothering to pray, pretty much ignoring the speech on
taxes, will just sit quietly and eat his food.
Didn't take my hat off
when the preacher did, since I took it off when I came inside, well, at least at
the first sign of a lady, it came off.
"Hey Waitress, um, Lucille! You
got any good sippin' whiskey to wash this down with?"
After the prayer, Dr Brown paid his tab then stood up. "I'm
going over to the merchant's guild to get the old doctor's furniture and
equipment."
"Mayor, I have somethin'. A gentlemen and I were talking today about the left over horses and gear over at my stables? ..and We was wonderin', it'd be a good idea to have an auction to get rid of the stuff. It's the stuff belonging to folks who have ..let's say, moved on to greener pastures."
"That's a splendid idea, yes indeed! I will go over to Annabelles and see about gettin Lester to do it for us. Great idea, I'll put up signs when we get a date. Thanks Jacob!"
You notice a large crowd of people leaving the restuarant
inside Porter's. It appears a meeting has adjourned. The mayor walks out into
the lobby, "okay folks, I will put the posse signup sheet right here on the
concierge desk. I'll be in my office if anyone needs me." With that he enters
his office across the hall and sits behind his desk.
The concierge trys
to speak aloud above the clatter of folks talking. "Does anyone need a room this
evenin, anyone?"
Seeing that it was late, Dr Brown decided against going to the merchants guild and would instead go there tommorow morning. He walked over to the concierge and asked him, "I'm Dr Brown, could you please tell me where my room is."
The concierge answers, "Yes, by all means, Dr. Brown. Here is
your room key, the bell boy has already taken your bags up there, you should see
fresh water in the basin, will you be needing anything else?"
The room
key is #402.
"Room 402 is all the way up the stairs and to the left."
I wait in line behind the doctor. When he's done I approach the desk, "I'll be needin' a room too bud. Make it a cozy one, you got any whore's tonight?
The concierge is dismayed, "Sorry sir, we are not that type of establishment, perhaps a house of ill repute is a more suitable place for you. But if you want a room, with bath water, we can arrange that."
"Hell, well , go ahead and get me a room then. I've had to much to drink any hoot." I pay for the room and retire for evening.
after the meeting i return to my home the saloon
Dr Brown took the key to Room 402, "Thank you. By the
way, is there a place near here where I can get my watch fixed, or maybe buy a
new one? Mine's been broken for quite a while now and I haven't had a chance to
get it fixed."
Darby looks for the nice waitress, hoping to get a bite to eat, and maybe a place to sleep. "Miss Lucille? I was wondrin' 'bout gitting a bite, an' if there was a place I could lay my head? I kin camp outside. But a bath would be nice."
Let me be the first one to sign up on the posse list. What time are we heading out Mayor?
"Watch, yes I don't know of anyone who could repair, but you could get a decent one over at Annabelles, or an expensive one at the Merchants, I believe." answers the concierge to Dr. Brown.
Lucille ponders for a moment, "Bobcat, how much are you
paying this fine young chap for doin dishes?"
Bobcat replies, "75 cents!
Why?!"
"Well he needs a place to stay, can't you give him enough to pay
for one night here at Porter's?
Bobcat replies, "What!? A buck twenty
five?! for dishes! Tell him to come back tomorrow to mop up and I'll give him
$1.25 , no more, no less!"
Lucille looks at Darby, "looks like you have
a place to stay" and she hands Darby $1.25.
The mayor is busy writing, when a man appears at the door and peaks in to inquiry about the posse, the mayor responds, "Yes? ....oh the posse, ..Yes, just sign your name and where you are staying and the sherriff will come and get you. I haven't decided the date yet, but you will be the first to know."
"Thank you Miss Lucille! I'll mop-up real good tomorrow, fer the room! And soon as I kin git a regular job, I'll be back fer another stay!" Darby is curious about the Posse. But he's so tarred, he can't think to ask questions. After seeing to his horse (unsaddling and setting him loose to graze in nearby pasture), he takes a bath and beds down for the night.
Walking up to the mayor, Wesley introduces himself, "I am
Wesley Patten...here to be the new pastor. I have my papers here" He hands over
a copy of his call papers and his recommendations from St. Louis and Ft. Worth.
After receiving the keys to the church and parsonage, Wesley mills
around, making sure to invite everyone he can to sunday services.
When
he has a moment to speak to the mayor alone, he does so.
Dr Brown said, "Thank you, I'll go to the shops sometime tommorow. Good night." Then he went up the stairs, unlocked the door to room 402 and went in.
"Wow, it's getting late." I exasp. I review the papers the
pastor hands me. "I am impressed father. Welcome to our community." I hand him
the keys and shake his hand.
"yes sir, I will see you on Sundays.
Today's Wednesday right?, yes it is."
I sit back down at my desk, "Do
you have any questions about the town?"
"Well,sir," Wesley replies,smiling," I could certainly use a map or some directions showing where the outlying ranches and farms are so I can invite folks to services...and, please, call me Wesley, or Brother Wesley if you really need to give me a title. But I can see you're quite tired, so those things can wait untill the morning"
" A Map, yes! I do believe I can do that for you. " I stand
up and open a cabinet door. "Let's see, ...um, yes here's a one I think you can
use. Topeka County." I point to a drawing on the map, "..and here is El Derado
right here."
I hand Wesley the map, "Hope it helps, Wesley."
"Thank you, sir, I'm obliged"
A young lady in her early 20s walks through the doors of
Porter's Inn, following a well built young man who is carrying two bags.
Residents quickly recognize nate, one of the shotgunners for the local stage
line. the young lady is unknown to anyone in the area.
She waits
patiently at the desk, occasionally trying to push a long lock of blonde hair
back into place in the neat, loose bun on top of her head. not having much
success at that, she gently pushes her spectacles back up onto nose.
Nate, seeing she is just waiting, says, "Wait a minute, I'll get him for
you, then begins pounding on the counter, "Hey! Geddown here! Ain't you never
heard of service?! got a lady waitin' here."
the young lady's light
complected face turns pink, obvious embarrassment showing as she continues to
wait quietly.
Finally waking-up after having eaten the large trout that Lester gave him, Yellow Dog stretches and comes out from 'neath the steps. And just in time to catch a whiff of the new lady, just walking into Porter's Inn. As people are leaving, he sneaks into the Inn. Keeping his distance from Nate, (that man's kinda mean sometimes), Yellow Dog eases up to the good smelling lady. He puts on his best sad-eyed dog face and stretches his neck out to get a better smell of the lady. "Sniff! Sniff!"
The concierge returns from the restuarant after hearing his
beckoning. "Oh, sorry folks, I was just trying to get a bit for myself to eat,
seeing I have been truly busy today. ...Now, what can I do for you?, ah a room,
yes, right away."
The concierge retrieves a key hands it to the nice
lady, "If you can sign here, and here. ..And here is your key, it's room 308,
third floor, nice view of the market."
The concierge rings a bell and a
very tired bellboy slopes down stairs. The concierge looks at the boy, "Andale'
Andale' Yeehaw Yeehaw! Get a move on it Mister." Then looks back at the folks,
"Kids".
I lock up my office and head to my room for the night. "Good night folks," I call out. I can't stop thinking what a horrible day I had hunting. Maybe next week.
*he has a 44.lighting in his right and left pants pocket along with 6 bullets in the right pocket he walks up to the counter to get a room*id like a 1 small room and free maybe i dont have any money but i will take the worst room as long as its free
The concierge finishes with the young lady and starts to jot down a few items on the guestbook, and about that time he glances up to see the young gunslinger walk up, guns in front pockets, and generally unkept. He refrains from the humorous situation by talking slowly and using proper verbage, "We do not have free rooms, I am sorry." After a checking his composure, "You might try the bar near the stables, or the stables even for that matter."
*Dav walks out of the inn and sits down outside*
Waiting for her bags to be carried upstairs, the tired young
lady is ready to fall asleep on her feet. A slight involuntary frown crosses her
features in response to the rude treatment Nate shows the concierge, and again
at the equally rude treatment the concierge gives the bellboy. After receiving
her key, she quietly says, "thank you, sir...good night," and begins walking
toward the stairs. She is startled by the yellow hound she almost trips over...
"oh, my....where did you come from," she says, gently, patting the dog's
head lightly, "you look like you need a friend....and a bath...."
Her
attention is distracted momentarilly by the man asking for a free room. A small,
involuntary frown crosses her face again --really almost more of a pout than a
frown--as she sees the man put out. After he leaves, she gently addresses the
man, "certainly you could have put him up for one night....he's obviously been
on the road...." reaching into her handbag, she pulls out some coins,
"here....wait a few minutes and then go tell the man he has a room...but don't
tell him who paid for it....it wouldn't be fitting, and he might be too proud if
he knew a lady paid....better yet, just tell him you've had a change of heart
and let him stay the night."
Seeing the bellboy come back down the
stairs, she puts a hand on his shoulder, "you look awfully tired," she says as
she presses a shiny quarter dollar into his hand, "thank you very much for your
help with the bags."
She struggles to hold back a yawn, ready to get to
her room and a good night's sleep.
hmmm.*He loads 3 bullets into each one and puts them back in his pockets*
the young lady finally manages to get that stray wisp of blonde back where it belongs, letting out a light sigh. As tired as she can ever remember being, she walks toward the stairs and climbs them to the third floor, locatting room 308. Jiggling the key in the lock, she lets herself in and nearly collapses onto the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
At the sound of the word "Bath", Yellow Dog runs for the door! And out into the cool dark night. Better to approach that lady when she's outside, in the open, with lots of room to run!
Since it was late, Dr Brown made a cursory check of his luggage, then changed and went to bed, falling asleep nearly immediately.
As he knocks upon the door, Vicenzo is dusting off his
emaculate attire, from his long ride. He is wearing tight, stitched, black
leather riding pants. His shirt is white and crisply ruffled, spilling out above
his tight, black leather with red trim vest. He has a black, straight blocked,
flat-topped hat, with a dark red silk band. He has a few gold rings and a large
silver necklace. In a black leather holster, slung low on his left hip, is a
large caliber, short barreled, silver pearl-handled revolver. He stands stallion
Erect! A surveyor could make a living using the line of his back as a straight
edge, except near his shoulders, where his modest, but taunt muscles are always
pulled back, as though he could stand even more erectly!
Speaking
quickly to the austere man servant who answers the door Vincenzo says, "Good
Afternoon Senoir, I would like to make introductions to the Gentlemen and Ladies
of this fine Casa. I could not help but notice this Grande Villa as I was riding
by. But forgive me, my name is Vincenzo Lucifer. Lucifer of the Spanish House of
Lucifer, Court of the 15th Century King Ferdinan and Queen Isabella, at your
service!" With this he bows grandly, doubling over to near the ground, sweeping
his hat off, and behind his back in one smooth movement. Straigtening back up,
he replaces his hat and waits attentively, gazing quietly at the servant.
As he waits for an answer to his calling, Vincenzo stands calmly and cooly in the hot afternoon sun. A fly buzzes by his ear and in an almost imperceptable move, he has drawn his silver, richly inscribed sword and sliced the fly in two, replacing the sword into it's dark red scabbard on his right hip, with barely a ripple of his shoulders. He returns to his unmoving, perfectly erect calm, not a bead of sweat on him.
Several ranch hands have begun to gather around a shed near
the front porch apparently taking a smoke break. There are muffles and few
laughs as they look in your direction. The ranch hands are typical
cowboys,..vests, hat, banderos, boots, buckles and of course a trusty sidearm
for shooting wild wolves. They don't do a very good job of disguising their
stares in your direction.
After several long moments, the door begins to
budge, as several locks are removed from the inside. A small hunchback old man
answers the door, he is in a full suit. "MmmmyesSSSS?"
Over Vincenzo's shoulder can be seen and heard a huge, pitch
black stallion, bucking and tossing about. His well-groomed coat attracts light
and absorbs it into night. The snorting and stamping increases until Vincenzo
with one finger, flicks a short retort, immediately quieting the animal. This
horse is named Satan. A beast no sane man would want to stand near, let alone
ride.
"Yes good Senoir, let me introduce myself..." Vincenzo goes
through the rhetoric by route. His gaze never leaves the older man's eyes, a
gaze unsettling to return. "If you could be so kind as to deliver this note to
the Master of this Grand Estate, I would be greatly in your debt." With this he
pulls a crisp white piece of fine parchment from his shirt, and hands it to the
Butler.
The paper bares the names of several fine Gentlemen from Mexico
City, and the personal seal of the city's mayor. It is as official an
introductory document as could be imagined. Many of these names are royal
dignitaries to the crown of Spain. Vincenzo then bows near to the ground once
more, with an even greater flourish than before.
The Butler is puzzled at the man's abnormality, he has never
seen anyone as dandy as he. It was the ranch hands that use to make fun of his
ways, but now there was someone new.
The butler closes the door as he
peers at the letter. He delivers the letter to the heirs room and lays it upon
the desk, he closes the door and returns to his duties.
Though he's no stranger to the sun, after an hour passes Vincenzo grows weary of waiting by the closed door. He suspects that his letter of introduction has been mislaid or worse is being ignored. Without losing his severe composure he steps back into the saddle and swings his mount over to where the cowboys have gathered in amusement. "Is there a place in town where I might find boarding? I have travelled a long ways and would like to clean-up and to have a meal." He pulls a silver coin from his pocket and flips it idlely across the fingers of his gunhand. "There could be a tip in it for the man that would direct me. And if the Gentleman of this Grande Casa should ask, please tell him where I've gone."
The grimacing cowboys begin to laugh, then one small fellow busts through the men and says, "Why yes, sir, all you got to do is keep following this road, it'll take right into Derado." As he says this one of cowboys pushes him back, saying, "Dammit Kid, you don't know how to mess with folks, Im gonna teach you!", as he lurches for the kid. But the kids runs off quickly.
With little more than a nudge, Vincenzo rides his horse toward the man scolding the kid. Vincenzo's and the horse's left sides are turned slightly away from the man. "Senor, perhaps you have something to teach me?" He takes his hat off with his right (non-gun) hand, and lays it across his lap. This move is calculated to disguise his grip on the pistol in his left hand, which is pointed straight at the man. He smiles and waits for the man to respond.
The air gets rather thick, and time begins to crawl as a
standoff becomes ever imminent. The cowboys are slightly perplexed at the
foolhardiness of the visitor, and begin to stand up straight in anticipation of
what's to come.
The sound of a wagon quickly interrupts the multitude of
aggressors. One of the cowboys speaks out, "Good day Jed, sir."
Jed sees the boys and responds, "Oh, I'm doing fine, what's
goin' on here?" Jed is accompanied by another farmer, Olaf. The two wagons
create alot of dust. As the cowboys wave their hands to see, one of them
replies, "Nothings going on here, " then looks at the visitor, "Is it?"
Jed then turns to the elaborate man on the black horse. "That's a mighty
fine horse you got there son, where'd you get it?"
Vincenzo slowly eases the grip on his gun, hidden under his
hat. He holsters the weapon. Then he replaces the hat to his head, the wide
smile never leaving his face. He tosses the silver coin to the cowboy who'd
spoken.
"No, no, nothing going on! We were just getting to know one
another." His thin-lipped smile widens, if possible. "I can see that you know
horses, Senor!" Turning his horse toward the road, he trotts up to Jed's wagon.
"This fine beast comes from my family's ranch in Me'hico. His momma died giving
birth. He came out stamping and snorting mad! Hasn't quit stamping and snorting
since. But let me introduce myself. My name is Vincenzo Lucifer. I have come far
and would like to find a room for the night. So if you would excuse me, I'll be
on my way."
With this he turns in his saddle and looks back at the
cowboy. "You might let the Master know that he can find me in town for a few
days. Seeing how folks are so friendly around here, I might stay on awhile." He
turns back smiling widely and tips his hat to Jed, "Good day Senor."
Susen watches as the view changes as she, Steve, and the
buckboard move through the road leading up to Rancho Dous Estara.
"So,"
Susen asked, "You still need that pair of pants mended, Steve?"
"Yes."
he replied.
"Good. I will start on the mend as soon as we get home.
Expect them to be fixed by tomorow."
Vincenzo trotts along the road to town for a ways. He comes upon another wagon. This one driven by a ranch hand with a young girl onboard. He pulls up to stop as they approach. "Good afternoon Senor and Senoritta!"
Susen smiles at the man. "Welcome, senior. What brings you out to Rancho Dous Estara?"
Susen makes shure the buckboard is keeping up with the handsom stranger's horse. She then gives him a warm smile...the wind starts to blow lightly through her hair, and what is left of the sunlight shines through her curls like thay were made out of gold as she waits for an answer.
Henry spurs his horse up to the side of the buckboard. He eyes the man and the horse, "Hello, sir. Very nice horse, though he seems to be a little high strung. You may want to add a little of hibiscus to his feed, should calm him down a little."
With a nudge, Vincenzo's horse Satan bows front legs folding
to the ground, while Vincenzo doffs his hat for the lady. "And a fine day it is
to meet you, Senioritta!" Satan quickly recovers his stallion stance as Vincenzo
replaces his hat. Vincenzo takes in everything about the three people. Steve the
driver, average ranchhand seeing to the needs of the lady. Henry, Indian, at the
least half-breed. Bowler hat signifying some connection to or love of English
ways. Strong and sure, Henry is one to look out for! And the Senioritta, lovely,
well-kept, likely heir to Ranchos Dose Estara. Those hands have not known the
hard work of building a ranch from scratch. A tempting delicacy, if a little
young. But then Vincenzo's Latin blood doesn't make too many discriminations!
"You have noticed Satan's temper, Senior. And yes, he is a fine animal.
But then so is your horse. Could I assume that you three are heading to the
Ranchos Dose Estara? There doesn't appear to be anyone home at the moment..." He
let's this line dangle to see if he's guessed right.
"My business here is yet to be seen. I am Vincenzo Lucifer, of the Spanish House of Lucifers. I have travelled far and stopped by the Ranchos Dose Estara byway of introducing myself to the fine people in this area." Calculating that his manner is not too assumptuous he states, "You must be the Senoritta of the Rancho! Such charm and beauty could only come from a fine background!"
Susen smiles at Mr. Lucifer. "You flater me, sir. I am Susen Riviara, of Rancho Dose Estara
The man driving the buckboard is Steve, a ranch hand of ours. And the person on the other horse is Henny Raven, a trusted worker of the ranch." She then looks at the setting sun. "It is getting late. If you would like, Mr. Lucifer, you could be our guest for tonight."
Vincenzo flourishes his hat, bowing from his mounted position, "That is an offer I can not refuse, Senoritta! I thank you most humblely for your hospitality." He raises back to straight seated position and gestures ahead of the wagon. "After you, my sweet and generous hostess." He keeps apace of the wagon, making idle chatter as the group heads for the Hacienda.
Finaly, the hosenda is in site from the road.
"We'r
thair. It won't be long till I can take a nice hot bath." Susen exclamed
"That is an Excellent idea, Senoritta! I too am a bit dusty from the trail, and could use a place to wash-up. Seperately, of course! If you would but lead the way." Vincenzo offers to help the young Senoritta from her wagon and accompany her to the Main House.
Henry looks at Vincenzo we he suggests cleaning up, "You can clean up down at the Ranch house. I will show you the way as soon as I help Steve take care of the supplies. If you wish to ride on over and see to your horse, it is just past the main house, tell them the lady and I sent you over and you shouldn't have any problems. And since you will obiously be spending the night, I'll make sure you have a good cot set up for you at the ranch house also." He dismounts quickly when they reach the main house and offers his hand to Miss Susen to help her down off the buckboard. He then grabs her packages and quickly puts them in the house then returns as Steve heads off towards the storage shed to store the feed and other supplies. Again he looks at Vincenzo as he mounts up, "Looking at the sky and the smell in the air, supper should be ready in just over an hour." he turns to Susen, "I shall escort your guest to the house when he has had time to clean up then I will return to my duties."
As Henry places the bags just inside the doorway of the home, he helps Susen in as he leaves to show Mr. Lucifer the guest house. Susen is alarmed to see her Father's cane in the middle of the foyer room floor. The butler is no where to be seen. At this time of night, her Father is usually reading in the master study. She ponders about the cane though, as he can't walk without it.
"I too need to brush and feed Satan. Please lead the way Senor... er, uh, forgive me, but I did not get your name." Vincenzo follows Henry's lead closely. He looks around noticing the buildings and the ground.
Susen picks up the cane. "What is my father's cane doing out
hear?"
Just then, she notices her father's body in the next room...and a
group of men standing around it. "What are you doing to my father!" she shouts
at them.
As the women pauses to see what's goin on, I come from behind the door and slam it shut, making sure to bolt lock it. I grab her by the arm and push her into the room where Carlos is, as I laugh, HHaahahhHHAAa hahahh hehaaRA!!
"Welcome home senorita! We have been waiting for you. Perhaps our welcome will be more pleasant than that of your fathers. Jusepe! get the horses we must move quickly! Your coming with us young lady."
I laugh while pointing my repeating carbine in her nose. "ahhhHAAahahHHAAA" . "heheeeee".
I am unpatient at my brothers niceness, I do not want to wait therefore I grab my knife and quickly place it around her throat as I push her hard to the rear exit, where several bandits are guarding the exit over two dead cowboys.
I exit the rear, if the coast is clear, I bring up the horses from their hiding. I keep an eye out for anyone.
"Haaahahahah!!!hhhaha" As Henry and Mr. Lucifer approach the small guest cottage they see a small boy hiding behind bushes. Mr. Lucifer recognizes him as the lad who helped with directions earlier in the day.
Vincenzo, seeing the little guy hiding in bushes, goes over
to him and quietly inquires, "My little amigo, what are you doing in the bushes?
Is that Jack Ass who was here earlier, still after you?"
Vincenzo eases himself out of the saddle and down to the boy. He is using the horse as a partial cover, standing between the horse and the bush that the boy is hiding in.
Susen starts to scream for help the moment she leaves the
house. And she also starts to strugle with her captors (hopefuly enougth for
them to deside that she needs to be restaned by more than just strong men).
Now...lets make this a bit book-like.
"Help! Help!" Susen starts to
scream as she starts to strugle in the bandet's grasps, taking cair not to hurt
herself on the knife pointed at her neck. Her hair starts to thrash wildly,
sausage curls lashing at whoever is behind her, not that her hair style of
choice would hurt them, only anoy them a bit.
Henry watches Vincenzo, "So, you two have met? Why don't the
both of you follow me to the ranch house so Senior Vincenzo here can get cleaned
up and I can get some work done."
"Son? What seems to be scaring you so badly? I could have a word with that cowboy, if he is still taking after you for being helpful. It would only be the polite thing to do!" Vincenzo is perplexed at the terror exhibited by the boy and suspects that there is some far greater reason that the boy is hiding than just a little bunkhouse hazing.
The boy looks up momentarily and then begins to talk,
"Mister..they..they" , about that time the boys eyes get real big as he looks
past you.
You both quickly turn around in puzzlement, and are taken off
guard at what you see. From behind the house several mexican bandits have run
into the front yard of the home toppling over several wheel barrels and have
taken cover behind them as they prop their rifles aiming right at you. From this
distance, about 100 yards, it appears to be about five to seven. Another one has
climbed on top of the home and has taken position behind the chimney.
Vincenzo grabs his Winchester from the saddle holster and slaps Satan on the rump, {Whap!} shouting "Vamoose!" Off runs Satan into the night. Vincenzo ducks behind the bush the boy is hiding in, takes aim at the most visible target (assumabaly one of the men behind the wheel barrels). Holding his fire, he checks the position of Henry and the boy.
Henry quickly leaps from his horse and rolls to a ditch (cover of some such) with a knife in his hand, "damn, don't have my rifle with me. Kid, if you can, sneak back to the ranch house and get the others and have them bring my rifle, then get on a horse and ride like the wind to town and get the sheriff. Tell him the Diego gang is attempting to kidnap Miss Susen." Henry will attempt to crawl around behind cover and get closer so he can use his thrown knives to hit.
The boy listens to you and runs across the open space toward the ranchers. Immediately gunfire erupts.
Henry will continue to approach the mexicans by using cover, shadows, and the night, til he is within throwing range.
Vincenzo will squeeze-off one careful shot, as he's had a little time to take aim. Then as soon as the boy runs he will fire repeatedly, to provide cover.
Henry looks at Vincenzo we he suggests cleaning up, "You can clean up down at the Ranch house. I will show you the way as soon as I help Steve take care of the supplies. If you wish to ride on over and see to your horse, it is just past the main house, tell them the lady and I sent you over and you shouldn't have any problems. And since you will obiously be spending the night, I'll make sure you have a good cot set up for you at the ranch house also." He dismounts quickly when they reach the main house and offers his hand to Miss Susen to help her down off the buckboard. He then grabs her packages and quickly puts them in the house then returns as Steve heads off towards the storage shed to store the feed and other supplies. Again he looks at Vincenzo as he mounts up, "Looking at the sky and the smell in the air, supper should be ready in just over an hour." he turns to Susen, "I shall escort your guest to the house when he has had time to clean up then I will return to my duties."
"I too need to brush and feed Satan. Please lead the way Senor... er, uh, forgive me, but I did not get your name." Vincenzo follows Henry's lead closely. He looks around noticing the buildings and the ground.
Vincenzo, seeing the little guy hiding in bushes, goes over
to him and quietly inquires, "My little amigo, what are you doing in the bushes?
Is that Jack Ass who was here earlier, still after you?"
Henry watches Vincenzo, "So, you two have met? Why don't the
both of you follow me to the ranch house so Senior Vincenzo here can get cleaned
up and I can get some work done."
"Son? What seems to be scaring you so badly? I could have a word with that cowboy, if he is still taking after you for being helpful. It would only be the polite thing to do!" Vincenzo is perplexed at the terror exhibited by the boy and suspects that there is some far greater reason that the boy is hiding than just a little bunkhouse hazing.
The boy looks up momentarily and then begins to talk,
"Mister..they..they" , about that time the boys eyes get real big as he looks
past you.
You both quickly turn around in puzzlement, and are taken off
guard at what you see. From behind the house several mexican bandits have run
into the front yard of the home toppling over several wheel barrels and have
taken cover behind them as they prop their rifles aiming right at you. From this
distance, about 100 yards, it appears to be about five to seven. Another one has
climbed on top of the home and has taken position behind the chimney.
Vincenzo grabs his Winchester from the saddle holster and slaps Satan on the rump, {Whap!} shouting "Vamoose!" Off runs Satan into the night. Vincenzo ducks behind the bush the boy is hiding in, takes aim at the most visible target (assumabaly one of the men behind the wheel barrels). Holding his fire, he checks the position of Henry and the boy.
Henry quickly leaps from his horse and rolls to a ditch (cover of some such) with a knife in his hand, "damn, don't have my rifle with me. Kid, if you can, sneak back to the ranch house and get the others and have them bring my rifle, then get on a horse and ride like the wind to town and get the sheriff. Tell him the Diego gang is attempting to kidnap Miss Susen." Henry will attempt to crawl around behind cover and get closer so he can use his thrown knives to hit.
The boy listens to you and runs across the open space toward the ranchers. Immediately gunfire erupts.
Vincenzo will squeeze-off one careful shot, as he's had a little time to take aim. Then as soon as the boy runs he will fire repeatedly, to provide cover.
To keep the man on the roof honest, Vincenzo takes careful aim and fires off one shot at the chimney. (OOC: 57, rats! That's a miss(?). But enough to make him jump!) Now Vincenzo is firing fairly rapidly, "Pow! Pow! Pow!" at the men behind wheel barrels. This hopefully gives the boy time to run to the next cover. If Henry Raven was circling left to get in nearer, Vincenzo will get-up and run right (toward the upper wagon). If Henry was circling right (toward that wagon), Vincenzo will run left, in a flanking maneuver. He might dive into the field, if the return firing on the left-side gets too hot! As soon as he reaches the next item of cover, Vincenzo will fire again. I will roll the 3 quick shots he just fired (62, rats! 53, rats!, 79, rats!), and wait for the rest to react before rolling the next volley.
We open fire trying to hit the puny boy. I want to aim for
his legs to prevent him from running.
We also try to hit moving indian,
and man in fancy clothing behind cover.
two mexicans take careful aim but miss. One shoots three
rapid shots at boy but misses. The other two are still taking position and are
aiming carefully.
Henry will attempt to throw on of his knives at the nearest least hidden bandit, (not sure what I need (I rolled a 44) also noting 5 banditos, Henry will try to keep track of the gunshots.
Vincenzo having gone left to flank the Banditos, dives head first into the field just past the cow troughs. Rolling in tucked position, he comes-up crouched and levers five rounds at the Banditos (75 = 75, 26 = 26, 84 = 84, 13 = 13, 37 = 37), mostly shooting at fire that catches his eyes. If the response is NOT too lethal, Vincenzo will continue to work his way around the left side, eventually to come-up behind the building that the Banditos are in front of. If the bullets are flying pretty thick, he will throw himself flat to the ground, rolling left into the rows, or behind rocks in the field.
Henry stands up
and delivers a knife sharply into the air. It slices off the ear of one of the
mexican bandits crouched behind a wheel barrow. The bandit stands up and shrieks
and drops his rifle as he tries desperately to stop the blood.
Your flank move gave superior angle from which to fire, and
the mexicans didn't have time to react. Your crossfire shots mainly richochet
around the area sending sharp pieces of wood off the house into the air. One
shot however, pits a pool of blood as it hits a bandit squarely in the head. He
falls lifeless. Gunfire continues to plague confusion in the area.
Agh, My ear!! Keep firing! aahhhh!
The Bandit on the roof has a better view of the flanking
fancy man, so he fires off three shots.
First two bullets keep you honest in
your position, but the last shot (rolled a five but still missed with massive
negative modifiers) hits your rifle and sends it flying out of your hands about
10 feet! You are shakened but not stirred.
The other bandits on the ground continue to light the sky
with fire, six shots are flying around the bush where the Henry is.
The
noise of passing bullets is too much for Henry to bear and he flattens himself
on the ground. Dirt flies up and tree branches snap under the intense fire.
Henry quickly gets to his feet in a dead run, finding his vest staying behind. He will attempt to get to cover behind one of the wagons, zig-zagging as much as possible to avoid being hit, diving to the ground if the bullets get too thick. He will then throw another knife at on of the bandits with a weapon
Vincenzo twists back to the ground from his knelt position, to roll flatly toward where he believes his rifle has fallen. He hopefully finds it, with little groping and tries to fire a round at the Bandits
Henry zig zags toward the wagon. Henry throws a knife as he
lurches behind the wagon. The knife strikes a bandit in the left leg as he falls
grabbing the serious wound. Mr. Lucifer, your gun fires still, but your shot is
off the mark.
The kid runs out of the ranch home with Henry's rifle.
"Henry!" he yells.
Following the kid is two cowboys with rifles. They
dive behind the wagon to join Henry.
I can't find my ear, but I pick up my rifle and squeeze off one shot at the kid.
The Chimney bandit continues to plague bullet disease at Mr.
Lucifer. Theuarrllll! A bullet strikes Mr. Lucifer in the right shoulder, just
nipping the corner, tearing his shirt and producing a red stain. It is a light
wound (ooc: -3 hitpoints; subtract from strenght ability score) The hit makes
you quince, but you still have a hold on your gun.
While one bandit is
rolling on the ground from a knife wound, one last bandit on the corner of the
house aims at the cowboys coming from the ranch house. All three shots miss, and
the bandit desperately cocks his rifle again.
Amid the onslaught and the wound, Vincenzo steadies his
nerves and his rifle, firing from prone position, he will fire at the chimney
Bandito. (OOC: I'm thinking that he might get two sorta steady shots off per
round. But to really aim, he'd probably do no better than one shot per round,
which is what he'll take, hopefully reducing all modifiers as much as possible.
Dang a 91!).
"Merde de Dios!" After missing he will jump-up and run as
hard as he can for the back (left-side of the picture) of the house.
from behind the wagon, Henry throws his knife (the 11) and shouts to the kid, "Throw it here, then get your arse back into safety." He will attempt to catch the gun without giving up his cover behind the wagon.
Henry's knife hits the previously wounded bandit in the
chest, but the blade went in lobsided, causing a light wound. However, the
bandit is demoralized and falls to the ground in anguish.
The boy throws
Henry his rifle as Henry catches it successfully. The boy then takes off for
cover.
The chimney bandit fires three shots at the running fancy man,
all three shots trail Mr. Lucifer spitting dirt and debris on his heals.
The earless bandit fires shots toward the wagon. Ricochets off the wood.
And the last bandit takes a careful aim at one of the cowboys, he fires a single
shot, ppppeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, misses!
The Rancho Dose Estara cowboys
return fire aggressively, Two shots hit the unwounded bandit standing at the
corner. The shots hit simultaneously and it's hard to see what hit where, but
the bandit drapes to the ground at the corner of the house.
"Glad you boys could join us. With where those bandits are, I am afraid Miss Susen and her father may be in trouble. I dropped her off at the house right before this all started." With that he will take careful aim at the guy at the chimeny waiting til he gets a clear shot then lets her go (84).
TheAs soon as
Vincenzo gets to the house (if he does), he will try to find a way inside, to
check on the Senoritta Susen Riviara. He will use stealth, as he does not want
to alert anyone inside that he is there.
If he meets more bullets, he
will drop or dive to any cover nearby. This is his next move (I'm thinking that
he hasn't had time but to get to the house). If there are Bandits on that side
of the house, he will naturally find cover and start shooting at them. Perhaps
he's only to the wagon on the left-side of the picture. Delvyn, I'm sure you
will justly regulate how far he could have gotten.
Henry sees Vincenzo dash behind the house out of sight. One of the cowboys yells at Henry, "Henry! What the hell is goin' on!?"
"Those bandits may
be attempting to kidnap Miss Susen, not sure if she is safe inside or if they
already got her. That guy that just ran inside is with us so don't shoot him."
With that Henry will take aim again at the guy on the roof and wait to fire
until there is a good mostly clear shot. (rolled a 21)
Henry steadies his gun and takes careful aim. **POW!** The
gunsmoke gets in his eyes as the wind changes, but Henry squints his eyes enough
to see the bandit on the roof grab his shoulder and fall. He begins to slide
down but hangs up on the edge.
The ranch hands have also returned fire
again. Several more shots ring into the night. The earless bandit is shot
horribly in the face, without a doubt, deceased. One of the cowboys reaches in
front of Henry pointing toward the road, "I see a wagon comin down the road!!
See it?"
The bandit on the ground finally finishes pulling out the
knives from his wounds, and reaches for his rifle. He is able to get off one
shot, **POW!** the bullets zings over Henry. The last bandit on the roof tries
to crawl back up behind the chimney. As he does he pulls out his six-shooter and
starts to shoot wildly, the shots making the ranch hands duck for cover.
I stay back trying to figure out what is going on.
But my
carbine is loaded and ready to fire at a moments notice.
Olaf nods as Tellfield motions him to the right. He moves as
quickly as he can to find suitable cover to crouch behind. If there is nothing
to crouch behind, he will try to find a large tree for partial cover.
Henry will count the shots of the bandit on the roof, after
six shots he will fire his rifle at him (rolled a 19), "Yeah, I sees 'em.
Probably either from town or from a nearby farm."
The bandit on the roof tries desperately to climb back behind
the chimney. He is unsuccessful and the fact that his gun simply click, click,
clicks, motions him to simply bleed in agony.
Henry tries not to let the
cowboys distract his shot as he squeezes the trigger. The bullet fire appears to
Henry in slow motion. The bullet strikes the the man on the roof straight
between the eyes. The solid shot pinned the body to the roof like a tack. The
cowboys, now about four to six more send a thunderstorm of bullets on the
remaining bandit. Then all is silent.
The smell of gun powder fills the
air, and your hearing starts to come back now, as you hear the voices of
cowboys, and a wagon approaching.
The damsel was giving too much struggle, so my brother knocked her out with the hilt of his stileto. After throwing her into my lap on my horse, we drove off for Barbados Pass. As I look back my brother has sent several banditos to the front of the home to ward off any followers. "Good thinking brother." Even though, the captive cannot hear me I say, "Soon you will be home, soon! HHaahahaHaaaa!"
Susen lays on top of the horse, her hair tossing over the side.
I see Carlos riding through the pass, and point my steed in his direction and ride as fast as possible, "Carlos! Carlos! It is good to see you, why are you here Carlos? Hector, he has been captured by the sherriff. If we are quick , we can get him!"
I put down my rifle when I notice the horde of men to be our own, Raul and a few banditos. "You are a lucky hombre, I almost shot. HaahHHaaahahaha.!"
"Yeah, shot you, aaHHAAHH hahahaHHHAAhahaHA.!!!"
"It is time for you to relax my good friend, Raul. Do you not
see, that we have aprehended a princess of those people. With her we can have
Hector. We can have Money. With her we can have Derado!"
My men roar
with laughter. I point my rifle into the sky and send my men's morale straight
up with it. We ride off into the night.
Susen awakes to find herself being dangled on her belly utop
a running horse. She's feels that her legs and hands are tied tightly. She is
uncertain whether she is tied directly to the horse.
Carlos is unaware
that she has awoke but continues to ride in full gallop through the dark desert.
At this point they come across a wide stream.
"Let your horses drink, " I tell my men. "And soon we must
ride with the stream to hide our tracks."
Susen looks around a bit to get her berrings. Then, she mutters to herself "great...I am a hostage to be exchanged...and I don't know whair I am...". She decides to 'play good little hostage' for a while (like she can do anything else), but will not hide the fact that she is awake.
"Patience little one, we will soon be someplace you never dreamed of, " I say to the captive
"Whair are you taking me?" asked Susen.
Lester takes down the "Gone Fishing" sign, unlocking the
store and walking in. He walks over and picks up a fillet knife and a cutting
board of a shalf, along with an old spittoon.He sets them down for a minute as
he passes the checkerboard, which he eyes pensively for a moment before moving a
red checker..."It was my turn ,wasn't it?" he asks.
Without waiting for
an answer, Lester walks out onto the General Store porch and begins to clean and
fillet his trout, putting the waste in the spittoon. He whistles an old melody
as he works.
After cleaning the trout, Lester puts them inside on ice. He
wipes his hands off, then looks around."Place is a mess" he says, "Annabelle'd
have a fit if she saw this mess. That said, Lester begins to ssweep the
immaculate store, pausing for a moment by the checkerboard to jump a black
checker over a red one. "Heard there's s'posed to be lots of bounty hunters in
after that diego fella"
Jumping the black checker with a red one, he
answers himself,"Well, you'd better stock up on bullets...bounty hunters are
always good for business....and get rid of that for sale sign by the weapons and
ammunition...time to raise prices on bullets.Yes, indeed, bandits and bounty
hunters are good for business."
Good day sir. I was looking to see what you have in stock. I
am looking to pick up a Peacemaker and holser, (FDR6) as it looks like there is
going to be action soon.
Been a few years since I last used a pistol.
They look much better than the cap and ball I used to use during the war.
Double jumping, Lester says," that'll.....oh, we have a visitor...what can I get for you?" he asks after seeing the man has not tracked in too much mud..."Oh, a Peacemaker....been in real demand lately, but I have a couple left. Now if you haven't shot iron since the War, are you sure you want something so light? Some folks have trouble adjusting at first. Maybe one of Sam colt's .44 Equalizers would suit you better. Either way, it's your hide I suppose. I have two PEacemakers left....Colt .45, of course, short barrel, small sight. GOt this one with wooden grip for $40 and this other one with ivory for $48....or I could get you into an Equalizer a little cheaper, or maybe a Colt Lightenning .44 ....y'oughta see those babies....self cockers...you just point and shoot.
I'll take it *Dav Takes out 200 Dollers*
It has been a few years and I would not want to waste money
on a weapon that does not feel right. A pistol should feel like an extension of
ones hand.
I hear that the .44 has good stopping power but I had no need
for a pistol in New York City.
What would you recommend and can I try a
few shots to test it out?
Lester is about to answer the gentlemen's question when
another man plops some greenbacks on the counter, saying he'll take it.
Looking at the new arrival, Lester gives an annoyed look, and says,
"you'll wait your turn, whippersnapper, and while you're waitin' go get that
brrom in the corner and clean up the mess you brought in...I declare....can't
any of these kids read nowadays?"
Looking back at the stately gentleman,
Lester says ," Well, most of the gunfighters are sticking with the single action
types, like the Equalizer or the .45 peacemaker....say they can get that first
shot off quicker....myself, if I had to clear leather and fire from the hip, I'm
not so sure I could hit the broad side of a barn with the first shot, so I'd
take Sam Colt's Lightenning....you can't cock it manually....they call it double
action...the trigger cocks and fires when you pull...the pulls a litlle tighter
and the first shot may be a little slower, but the next five'll take you less
time because you won't have to cock it between every shot....sure you can try
'em out...got a range out back...you'll have to buy the bullets...box of 100 is
$2, .44s or .45s.
the Colt's Lightenning is $31...on sale.It takes .44s if
you want to try her out."
Well, the .44 should do the trick. I will give it a try. Let
me pick up a box of .44 ammo and we shall see how the Equalizer and Lighting
stack up. A half dozen shots of each should do the trick.
It would be
nice to try out a pistol that does not try to explode in your hand. Here is $2
for the ammo and an extra 50 cents for the wear and tear on the pistol that I do
not purchase.
As the saying goes, Speeds fine but accuracy is final.
However, my captain had a saying, "Get the first lick in and they don't shoot
back"
gets the broom*im a gunslinger not a sweep boy *Dav waits his turn when he finishes*
Lester smiles at the other gentleman, but gives him the 50
cents back after producing a box of .44s. "Not necessary...most folks like to
shoot a gun before they lay their money down" He glares at the impertinent young
man who had laid his money down, "unless of course they're greenhorn gunslick
wannabes who've read too darn many dime novels."
After giving the man
the box of bullets, LEster sits back down to his checker game...after studying
the board for a moment, Lester moves a red piece,"It was my turn,wasn't it? "
Picking up a black piece and double jumping, he answers himself,"Yeah, I
think it was...don't much matter...I'm gonna make short work of you anyhow."
Lester makes all the moves with his left hand, his right hand on his
knee behind the counter.
Thank you sir, I say. Lets take a look at the range. I set up
a man sized target at the range and fire off a few shots. Using the Lightning
first
*Dav finishes sweeping*Can i buy the gun now?
Looking Dav's work over, Lester grunts his approval. "One
Colt's Lightenning, and some licorice on the house. That'll be $31 even....be
careful how you play with that, sonny.....not bad on the floors, either...I'll
tell ya what. My hip's been ailin' me. I could always give you a job sweepin and
stocking shelves....save your mamma a lot of bad dreams...I'll pay you a whole
dollar a day."
Whatever the reply, he will add, "Do ya need a box or 2
of .44 bullets? I'll throw in one box 'cause I like ya,son....$2 a piece after
that"
Looking back at the other gentleman, Lester replies," Either
one'll cost you $31, assumming wooden grips are good enough for you. If not, I
have one ivory handled of each for $8 more. Will you be needing a gunbelt and
holster as well? Tell ya what, business has been a bit slow,and you seem like a
good sort. I have a slightly used gunbelt I'll throw in free.....the last fella
that bought one didn't need it for very long...." Lester seems to get a bit
pensive at this.
I will purchase the Equalizer Sir. While I thank you for the
offer, I would consider that bad luck.
A new holster and belt would be fine.
Also, do you have any shotguns or scatter guns in stock? One of the best
ways to clear the streets of rabble.
Lester thinks about the question for a minute, "Don't carry
scatterguns. Seems kinda un neighborly to charge a man an extra 10 dollars when
a hacksaw only costs 50 cents. I do have several shotguns, ranging from 10 gauge
to 20 gauge. Most folks seem to like the Remington 12 gauges. Single barrel will
cost you $22, double barrell will cost you $32. Either way, if you want a
scattergun, I have a hacksaw you can use for free to cut the barrells off....as
for the gunbelt, suit yourself....funny, don't seem to be able to give that
gunbelt to anyone...maybe I'll use it myself if that varmint Carlos comes in
here...unless of course he's paying with gold.'Course, I don't suppose I'd be
much of a shot with a pistol anymore...oh, but I'm rambling....the holster and
gunbelt will cost you $5, unless you want one of them fancy low slung, tied down
rigs the gunslicks fancy...I only have three of those in stock, and with all the
bounty hunters coming in to town, they're in high demand, so I had to raise my
price on those to
$10....I know that's high, but every green horn who's ever
read a Beadle's dime novel figures he needs one of them fool things, and like I
said, I only have three left...."
Looking at the younger man, Lester
says to himself, "wish that whippersnapper'd make up his mind so we can get back
to our checkers."
Having an afterethought, he adds, if you take the
shotguin, I suppose you'll be needing some shells. Be $2 for a box of 25 12
gauge buckshot. Birdshot's a little cheaper. I don't suppose you want slugs if
it's streets you're wanting to clear.
*Dav hands the man the money and takes the 2 44. bullets and buys 4 extra*when do u want me to be here?
Back at Porter’s Inn,
I peer behind the gentlemen who has approached for a room.
"I'm sorry, one moment sir,.." I walk to the porch where the young man is
sitting loading or polishing his gun, I can't tell. "Excuse me, I have changed
my mind. I have a room on the first floor that you may have for just tonight.
But you will need to find a place tomorrow, okay?" Not waiting for an answer, I
walk back behind the counter and get a key for the young man if he decides to
stay.
"Now, where was I? Yes, I truly sorry sir. It's late and the last
minute stragglers have made my head spin. I will get you that sasprilla for
free, seeing you had to wait. I truly appreciate your patience. Sign here...and
here. Good, and here is your room key, Room 306.
I hand him the key and
ring for the bell boy. The bellroy arrives and begins to help with luggage. "Is
there anything else I can do for you? The bellboy will drop off your drink
shortly."
no i dont need anything else oh and im sorry i cant give you a tip*After the bellboy leaves he sits in the bed and falls over asleep*
" I'm fine." He gives Poter some money. He also notices the
bellboys tired look and gives him a qauter.
"I don't need a bellboy," He
says and takes his saddle bags and backpack up to his room with his key. He
opens the door and sits on the bed, waiting for his drink.
"Daddy!" she cries, awaking with a start, her heart beating
rapidly. The room is completely black, and she talks to herself,"Must have been
a bad dream"
Turning over, she tries to settle in and get some rest.
After a half hour of tossing and turning, she sighs and sits up, getting out
of bed. She stumbles around the room untill she finds a lamp. Lighting it, she
walks over to the stand beside the bed and feels around untill she finds her
spectacles. It takes a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light, but she
finds the box of books she had brought with her and opens it, rummaging through
untill she finds what she wants, a small hardbound book with a green binding.
Walking over to the wooden rocker on the other side of the room, she opens
it, reading the words in a voice barely above a whisper. Even to one who doesn't
understand her, the French poetry has a lilting, musical quality. She reads for
a while, closing her eyes and seeing the images she has read in her mind. She
flips the pages of the well worn volume, reading through some of her favorites
before trading the book for another book, a well worn leather Bible with her
family name "Cuthbert" inscribed on the front. A worn piece of pink ribbon marks
a familiar page. turning to it, she whispers the familiar words ,"He giveth His
little ones rest"
She has barely read the words when she falls into a
comfortable sleep, the chair still lightly rocking.
*He sits up and yawns*I wonder why that man changed his mind?*Dav takes out a small match and lights it and looks around for a lamp hoping there is one*
By this time Jeb is asleep after having his sasparilla.
The judge puts his amount of monney for dinner and heads for the court house.
Dav wakes up and does find an oil lamp after fumbling for it.
His match lights the room and reminds him of being in an unfamiliar place once
again.
The wind has started to pick up outside, you notice your window
is open.
I finish with my cigarette and finally clean off the last table in the restuarant because the Judge has left. After falling alseep in his chair during the meeting, no one dared to wake him. He wasn't nicknamed the 'hanging judge' for nothing. I quickly clean up his snoring drool, tidy up a bit, and then lock the restuarant.
I wake up as the rooster calls even though I'm exhausted. I roll over and try to get some sleep
*Dav Walks up to the window and looks outside slowly*
looks at the young man, a bit confused and a touch annoyed,
then seems to remember something," Oh, yes, the job! How'd you hear about that?
Well, no matter, you can start first thing in the morning. I usually open around
9 unless the trout are biting. Do you play checkers?"
Im pretty good at checkers ooc:ok i bout 2 then and 4 extra bullets so thats 70& and i now have 0$
Looking at the young man, he says "Well, I'll see ya in the
mornin' then....if the door's locked, just wait on the porch...I'll be by soon
as the fishin goes bad...or, if you've a mind, grab a pole an' meet me at the
crick....you do know how to fish, dontcha boy?"
After letting the young
man out, Lester locks up and heads upstairs to his apartment on the third
floor
No problem sir. Plunking down $75.00 I will take the
Equalizer ($31.00) along with one of those quick draw holders ($10.00) that you
have left.
In addition, that double barreled 12 gauge sounds fine
($32.00) along with a box of buckshot ($2.00)
Looking over the shotgun,
I reply "It looks too nice to take a hacksaw to its barrels. I will leave it
just the way it is."
Pleasure doing business with you sir.
Lester collects the man's money ,"Thank you for your
patronage, sir."
under his breath, he adds as he gets the gunbelt
and holster, "must be a greenhorn...he sure can't be a gunslick"
After
getting the man his things, Lester shows him out and locks up.
store in the morning and waits for lester*
LEster peeks out a third story window , wearing a nightcap
and holding a shotgun ," Who's that making all that racket out front?" he
grumps. Getting no answer , he grunts, "I told you it wasn't anything"
"Ya can't be too careful, you crotchety old duffer, "he answers himself,
"Never know when Ol' Carlos'll come and try to steal some of our licorice...he
always was a bad child"
the shutters close and Lester heads back to bed
*Dav then looks in side*MR.Franklin?im here for the job
"King me, you old duffer!" Lester says as the young man
bursts into the store.
"Job? What job? " he says to the young man, then
a thought hits him, "Oh yeah...the job! Where'd ya hear about that? No
matter...broom's over there ....go ahead and start sweepin'....I have to step
out fer a minute..." As he walks out the door, he calls over his shoulder,"you
any good at checkers?"
I Already told you im very good at checkers*Dav starst sweeping the floor*
After finishing his breakfast Jeb leaves enough money on the
table and walks to the general store.
He sees Dav sweeping outside and asks
him,"S'cuse me son but where's the owner of this establishment?"
Whistling a tune that date from before the War, Lester lets
himself in the store,"Heya, whippersnapperr...take a break and get some food in
ya....you're too skinny. Man can't expect any work to get done if his worker's
haven't ......who's this? now, boy, how many times do I have to tell ya, we
don't open 'till nine? "
Looking at the new arrival, Lester smiles, "I
tell you, that boy...it don't matter how many times you tell him...." in a
whisper loud enough for both to hear, he continues,"he's thick headed...I think
maybe his mamma dropped him on his head too many times."
"Anyway, you're
here now, and the fish aren't biting, so I may as well be open, I suppose...what
can I get for ya?"
"Well I'm going after this Carlos fellow and I'll
be
needin' a box a bullets if it t'ain't to expensive."
"Bullets, eh? You need .44s or .45s or something else. Bullets been in high demand lateely...I'm runnin' short and not expectin a delivery for at least two weeks. I think Carlos got my last shipment...not really sure...anyhow, box of bullets will cost you $2.50 for any kind...100 in a box. Shotgun shells are 25 for $2.00...say, you care for a good game of checkers?"
Looking at the 3.00$ left in his hand, he hands the three
bills to Lester.
"Thanks. I think I'll buy a box of .45's. Think I got time
for a game of checkers but might
you know of any posse's headin' to stop
this Carlos fellow or where I could get some decent money. I got about 200 but
it's all in the Well's
Fargo Bank in Houston.
"Great, I'll set it up, " Lester says, totally ignorring the
other question as he hands the man his change. Lester addresses Dav as he sets
up the checkerboards, "After you finish those eggs, take the dishes back to
Porter's, and then make sure ever'things swept and dusted...get a move on, son
....."
Turning back to his custommer, he says apologetically, "Hard to
find good help these days, but if I can keep him off the streets, he might live
longer"
All right then, do you want to be red or black?
*Dav finishes the food and runs back to the inn to give the plates back and comes back in 5 minutes and sits down to play checkers*
Lester shakes his head, looking at Jeb as Dav sits down to
play checkers, " I told ya the boy was slow"
Looking back at Dav, he
says," Now you run along and get busy with the broom, then dust the shelves
while Jeb here and I play our game of checkers."
Looking back at Jeb, he
says, " I don't know how these young'uns will ever make it, as little sense as
they've got....you go ahead and be red."
((I rolled a 58...Jeb wins))
"King me!" Lester says, double jumping, leaving Jeb only one red king,
but setting Jeb up for a triple jump which puts him into position to trap the
last king, so that either way Lester moves , he'll be taken. Lester gets a scowl
on his face and flings the checkerboard across the room, narrowly missing Dav.
"Wanna play again?" he asks.
So when do i get payed?
"Naaa Lester, I think I'll head to the sheriff's office," I say leaving and walking to the sheriff's office.
"So, Ravin," Susen asked as she walked out of the blacksmith shop, "What do you think happened to the blacksmith?"
"I'm not sure. Could have been from the bandits. I am
surprised this place is in that kind of condition. A blacksmith is one of the
most needed individuals in a town. Of course if it was the bandits, they would
surely profit from the sheriff's horse throwing a shoe. Come on lets meet up
with Steve and get you back home. That way you can start on that new dress you
bought this fabric for. I wanna get back and check on ole Charger, that roan ate
something bad and I want to make sure she is doing fine with the potion I gave
her." With that he quickly leads Susen back to his horse, then on to meet up
with
Henry places the material safely in the wagon, "Ma'am, maybe
you should go in to the inn and check to see if Steve is in there. I think I had
best stay out here, not everyone is as openminded about my people as you and
your father. And the last thing I want to do is start any trouble. I will stay
out here and watch the wagon and check the horses. Just give a yell if you need
my help, and I will come a runnin."
Susen smiles at Henny, and says "I think I shall look for him
there." Then, she leaves for the Inn.
You walk along the road noting that most of the shops are
closing, for the sun is about to set. Alot of the residents, are heading for
Porter's Inn for a last meal.
The exception is El Salooniditos de Putas,
which seems to be vibrant with occupants. Across the street from Putas is the
sherriff's office. It is dark inside. You try the door and it is locked.
Susen Riviara gets on the buckboard, along with Steve, and thay both head for the road leading up to Rancho Dous Estara.
When Steve and Susen exit the end and board the buckboard, Henry smoothely mounts his horse and follows about 2 horse lengths behind.
As Darby eases his horse down Main Street into El Derado, he
looks to the left and right noticing the people and buildings. Some kinda old,
look unsed or vacant. Others look closed for the evening. He notices a few
people wandering in and out of Porter's Inn. He rides-up to the Inn.
Dismounting, he ties Rascal to the hitching post and goes inside.
Yellow Dog stops by Fanny's Tailor Shop on his nightly rounds. On lean times herself, sometimes Ms Fanny still has a bone or scrap of gristle to spare.
I fixin' to close the shop when I see Yellow Dog coming my
way again. I am unsure of what to do. The broom is locked up already. "Get outta
here you no good varmint!!!", I scream. When Yellow Dog doesn't budge, I have no
other choice but to throw my wooden leg at him. I reached down to unscrew it
then I give it the hardest toss.
Yellow Dog retreats quickly! But he soon settles into an easy trott toward the Courthouse and the Saloon beyond. He's not too surprized by Miss Fanny's reaction, after all, these are his regular rounds.
I retrieve my leg, attach it and hobble over to Porter's for dinner.
LEster walks back through town quickly, a string of some half
dozen good sized trout in one hand and a fishing pole in the other. "We'd-a had
a real good meal if ya hadn't let that big one get away on you, you old duffer"
he says aloud.
Seeing the yellow dog, he removes one of the trout and
tosses it to him,"There ya go , feller...got more than I can eat anyhow. "
Lester hurries back to the general store, and unlocks the door, removing
the "Gone Fishing" Sign.
At the concierge desk is the sign up sheet for the hunt for
Carlos Diego. There is currently only one name on the list, L.S. Stone.
"Do you need a Quill?" I ask.
I bring out a large bowl and sit it on a center table, "Time for lunch." I say to no one in particular. "Care for some of my oatmeal and bread?" I ask to 'Dav'.
"Yes Sir! I could use a Quill Pen! Uh, that is, this is the sign-up sheet for the Posse? No special qualifications to apply, is there? I kin hunt 'n' track, and I'ma pretty good shot, that is, when I have time to take a good aim with my Old Sharps .50! I'll give it a try, if'n that's okay?" Darby takes the Quill from the Concierge and signs his name on the sheet. "When do we start? Should I wait here?" Darby looks kinda flushed and excited, but he keeps ducking his eyes to the ground, kinda shuffling his feet. But everytime he thinks of the adventure he looks-up, and his face blooms excitement all over again.
Elizabeth walks in to Porter's already tired from the morning's work. She occasionally tries to push a stray lock of blonde hair back into the neat, loose bun on top of her head. While she is waiting to be served, she cleans her spectacles, revealing beautiful deep green eyes, if anyone is looking closely enough.
I approach the customer (Elizabeth), "Hello, good day to you ma'am. What can I get for you?"
I pay for my meal and get up, headin for the lobby, as I pass goldy (elizabeth), I tip my hat and exit.
Elizabeth had just replaced her spectacles as the man walked
by, tipping his hat. She gives him a brief but sincere smile before looking
down, glad to see that some of the men in town have some proper upbringing.
She is lost in thought when Lucille approaches,"oh...."she says,"I would
like a light lunch...whatever is good, and some tea if it's not too strong,
please.....oh, and the doctor wanted me to inquire as to where he might find
some men to transport the medical equiptment to his office from the merchant's
guild"
"Oh, I am suppose to give this note to all who sign the posse
list."
The note reads,
..."Thank you kind resident of El Derado for
coming to the towns need in it's time of despair. Carlos Diego is a merciless
villian who continues to plague the prosperity of El Derado and must be stopped.
As participating in this VOLUNTARY posse group, you will receive free
accommodations during the hunting time frame which will last 2 weeks for this
expedition. As an added incentive to Volunteering, you will be exempt from all
taxes during the month of October, 1873. There will be no wages, but if
apprehended the posted reward at the time of capture will be evenly divided by
all participants. Please meet at Porter's Inn on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. L.S. Stone, Mayor
I approach the counter and sign up for the Posse list, then I bid a thanks as the concierge hands me the note. I read it as I'm walking out of Porter's Inn.
I bring the lunch over to (elizabeths) table, "Here you are, a turkey club sandwhich and my special brew of tea, let me know if you like it." I jot down the price on a piece of paper as I peer out the window, "Oh, you might try the saloon across the street, De Putas, most folks have regular chores to do, but anyone you find in that hole doesn't, but they would probably want some pay for it."
"Thank you," Elizabeth says as she receives the food, "It
looks delicious"
"De Pu...." it registers midsentance what De Putas
means, and Elizabeth refrains from repeating it,"the saloon?" a slight frown
covers her features briefly, but she composes herself,"Yes, thank you for that
information..I will pass it on to the doctor."
Her stomach reminds her
that she hasn't eaten since lunch yesterday, having missed dinner last night
because of the broken axel on the stage and breakfast this morning beecause of
the heavy work load. She turns her attention to her food, eating with nearly
impeccable mannerisms.
Her ears pick up a bit as she hears the menfolk
talk about hunting carlos Diego. She hates to hear even a bandit referred to as
a turkey.She thinks to herself"That was the man the stage driver and Nathan were
so worried about."
Tasting her food, then the tea, she confirms her
approval," the tea is quite good....is it from India? It tastes much like an
Indian tea leaf....a type of darjeling, perhaps?"
Darby thanks the Concierge for the note. But after reading it, he realizes he's not sure what day it is. Monday? Tuesday? Wednesday? He says to the Concierge, "This is a fine day for a Thursday!" He waits for some response, as he folds the paper and tucks it into the pulp Western, he has in his back pocket.
After Darby boasts of a good day, I look at him and give a
smile hopefully appearing customer friendly.
Then I think to myself, I
never was good at fake smiles.
"Why yes it is, how did you know? I get the tea from the merchants guild, but my secret...well there's a few things I do myself, but I let it sit in the sun for about 12 hours. We've got a window ledge in back of the kitchen. Bobcat knocked one over last year, 'bout killed the town dog, Yellow Dog."
Confusion is a state of mind. One Darby is no stranger to. He walks off, not sure if it's Thursday or what day! He figures he'd better check on his horse, Lulu Belle. She's been down quite a few roads, but rides real nice for an older mare. And she can take care of herself. Sometimes that includes taking care of Darby. Stepping outside Darby sticks two fingers in his mouth and whistles loudly, "Whheee-oo-wheeet!! Lulu Belle!" he hollars! He walks further out toward the field behind Porter's looking for his horse.
Dr Brown entered the inn, walked over to the restaurant and sat down at an unoccupied table.
"Before my mother beacame ill, my family travelled a great
deal. There is no tea in the world like the leaves grown in India. MY mother was
quite fond of Indian tea, and we continued to have it imported....of course my
poor father never could really appreciate the difference, but he was always very
accommidating to mother's tastes. I'm amazed you are able to get these leaves at
such prices...mother paid much more."
Talking about her mother, she
takes on a pensive tone to her already soft voice.
"At any rate, the tea
is wonderful."
After she has finished eating, ELizabeth pays for the
meal, leaves a tip, and heads up the stairs to her room, letting herself in.
Putting aside the skirt that is ripped and the dusty blouse, she changes into a
fresh outfit....something in a pale green. That done, she heads downstairs.
Seeing the doctor in the dining room, she walks up to him,"Doctor...the
waitress, Lucille, informed me that the Saloon is a good place to look for
people to do the work, but they'll probably want to be paid for it."
"Thank you, I'll go there shortly. I think I've got enough money on me to pay the workers, so there shouldn't be any problems."
"That's a good girl, Lulu-Belle!" Darby finds his horse grazing nearby, close to the Merchant's Guild. Curious at the activity there, he wants to go closer. But he thinks of his horse first, and leads her back to Porter's to get her some water.
After speaking with the doctor, Elizabeth goes back up to her
room for a moment, and comes back down with a couple of books in hand.
"Doctor, I'll check back with you later this afternoon to see if you
need anything...I think I'm going to spend some time walking about."
That said, she leaves Porter's and walks about town, trying to ofind
where various places are located, and especially trying to find a quiet place,
preferably under a nice shade tree where she can read for a while.
Dr Brown stood up and walked over to the posse sheet. He signed his name, but wrote doctor next to it. Then he left. Wesley walks up to the doctor ((OOC: I assume Jacob has followed me, but if not, I will adjust appropriately and just go myself)). "Hello, doctor...I overheard you saying you need some help hauling your medical equiptment to your office. I spoke with Jacob here...he's the owner of the stables...and we've hitched up a wagon and are ready to help you if you'll direct us to the equiptment that needs to be moved....oh, by the way, I'm Wesley Patten, the new pastor."
"Hi, I'm Samuel Brown, pleasure to meet you both. Thank you for your help, the medical equipments at the merchants guild. Let's go there now."
"Hey Reverend, looks like ya got a parade!" Darby shouts from back of Porter's Inn, where he's watering his horse Lulu-Belle. "What ya got the wagon fer? You hauling Hymn Books? Do ya need a hand?" Darby offers, always looking to stay busy.
"Well, hello, Darby...no , we're not hauling hymn books. The
ones in the church appear fairly new...or at least they're in good shape...we're
helping the new doctor get settled in...he has some medical equiptment to
use...I'm sure we could use another pair of arms if you're able to get away from
your duties for a while...have you met Jacob or the doctor here?"
After
Darby's response, whatever it is, Wesley will smile at the doctor, "Well, sir,
I'm new in town myself, so if you'll lead the way, we'll follow with the wagon."
"Okay then, just follow me," said Dr Brown, then he walked to the merchants guild.
I exit my office to review the posse list, "Ah good, very good. We should have more when the day arrives." I head over to the courthouse to talk with the Judge.
As he walks by, Jeb sees a sign asking people to sign up for the posse. He writes his name down and walks back to Eli's.
Olaf walks up to the counter, shotgun in the crook of his
arm( though the hammers have long since been let down gently) . When the
concierge approaches, Olaf says in a tired voice,"Ich neede mach fud vor trei.
Olaf und zwei creemnallen neede du ette. Pleez to liver auf der yail...danke"
that said, Olaf pulls out a wad of cash.
"Yes sir, there is no food here, but there is the restuarant,
they will have plenty for you, ...Lucille will help you."
As I point, I
notice a foul odor, ..."Sir..may I get you a room, we have ..um bath's that are
available?"
Ignorring the rest of what the man said, Olaf walks into the restaurant. He isn't trying to be rude, but this has been a taxing day. He waits for the waitress. When he has her attention, he repeats the request as it was stated in the previous post.
"Lucille's out having a smoke break, what'll have?" After a moment I surely do not understand what the man is saying, "Here. Point to what you want." ..and I hand the man a menu.
Olaf looks relieved at the man's suggestion. Unfortunately, his reading is not the best in English either, and he doesn't know what the items are. Shrugging, he randomly points to four items, figurring there ought to be at least one he likes and he can let the prisoners argue over the other three."hier.....hier....hier.....und hier, ja...dunke."
I smirk at the items the man has ordered..shrug, then return to the kitchen to start the grill. After a few moments I return..."Okay, here ya go, one lemon-herbed fish steak, a dozen pancakes, a bowl of onion soup, and lastly a turkey sandwich. Thatd' be $2.15."
Olaf looks at the wide array of food that comes out, a
grimace on his face. "Ja, dunke" he says, handing the man two silver dollars and
two quarter dollars."Canst du gidda deisse fud du der yail?"
Assumming
the man can't understand him, Olaf gets mildly frustrated, and repeats, "auf der
yail, bitte." If this is no better, Olaf points to the star on his chest, then
points in the direction of the Sherriff's office and jail.
If he doesn't
get any help carrying the items to the jail, he will carry them himself as best
he can.
"Ugh?..."
"No sir, you still gotta pay, Cane is
expected to pay as well."
After seeing the man stack the plates as if to
begin carrying them,.."Oh, let me get you a box for that, Here go." ..and I hand
him an empty milk box.
"Dunka" Olaf says as he loads the items into the box. He then pays and leaves, heading back to the jail with his smorgasboard.
An average chestnut gelding plods into town, an old leather
saddle tied down by cinchings that have seen better days. Atop the horse sits a
young man, slender and erect. His light brown hair shows a bit under his flat
crowned black hat. He is a young man, in his mid 20s ,if appearances can be
trusted. He has an easy smile and smiles at all he passes. He is dressed in a
plain black suit, with a string tie neatly worn. His bright blue eyes take in
all that he can see.
"Well, Sally," he says to his horse, "Looks like
this is it....El Dorado." He fishes into a vest pocket, retrieving his
ordaination papers and a letter from the presbyter of texas and New Mexico.
"Sure looks like a friendly place....can't wait to settle in and start
meetings...if I hear right, they've been some time without a pastor. We're quite
fortunate to be here, thanks be to the Almighty."
As he rides around, he
is looking for the church or whoever it is he should meet about starting
meetings.
Yellow Dog snatches-up the trout and runs off to hide under the steps of Porter's Inn. Home again! And a good place to check-out all the action going on around the Inn.
Wesley steps out of Porter's Inn and into the street,
unhitching his horse and walking him to the stables.
Elizabeth steps out
of the stagecoach after it comes to acomplete stop. She feels like a complete
mess, though in reality she looks fairly clean for someone who's been in a dusty
stage coach. She sighs a weary sigh.
the driver and shotgunner, a
grizzled old man and a younger man step down off the stage coach. The shotgunner
grabs her back.
"Uh, sorry we was so loate gettin' in to town, miss,"
the driver says, "If we hadn'ta broken that axle we'da got you here a lot
sooner.Should I have Nate here take your bags to Porter's Inn? Y'oughtta be able
to git a room there for the night 'till ya kin figger out where y'need ta be."
"That's quite all right, " the young lady says, trying in vain to push a
stray lock of blonde hair into the large, loose bun on the top of her head.
Giving up on that, she removes her spectacles and cleans them with a clean piece
of cloth from her handbag,"Oh, about being late, I mean," she adds, quietly, "If
he could take them to the Inn, I would be very grateful."
Nate loses no
time in carrying her two bags-one large and the other smaller- toward Porter's.
Elizabeth follows him.
"nice night tonight, isn't it?" Nate says, by way
of making conversation. Elizabeth appears not to hear him, lost in her thought
and tiredness.
Shrugging, Nate carries the bags the rest of the way
quietly to Porter's Inn
A rooster crows in the distance. The sun has risen to the
east and casts a morning dew upon El Derado's rooftops.
"Stange boy" Lester mutters to himself, "but at least he gets
to work early"
Lester walks off to Porter's
Before he gets in
the door, he says to himself ,"now let's not scare him off....he might try his
luck as a gunfighter, and from the look of him, he wouldn't live long that way"
The young woman steps out into the sunlight, her blond hair done neatly into a loose bun on the top and back of her head. Her spectacles reffflect the sunlight, as she walks off, looking for the doctor's office.
Wesley leaves the church, headed toward the stables. He smiles and greets anyone who passes by, inviting them to Sunday service. "Ten O' clock, sharp" he says with a smile.
As I pass Porter's I notice the horse comes on first call by his owner, very impressive I think to myself. "That's a mighty fine horse you got there Mister." I say.
Elizabeth comes out of Porter's carrying a couple of books in
time to see the horse trot up to the dishwasher, and notices the guitar toting
man. She smiles as she walks out into the sunshine. She passes by the men
quietly humming to herself. Every so often she tries to push a stray lock of
hair back into the loose bun of blonde hair that covers her head, touching her
shoulders. Having little luck at this, she eventually leaves it alone.
Elizabeth walks toward the edge of town , looking for a good shade tree to
sit under. When she finds one, wherever it is, she sits down and opens up one of
the books, reading silently to herself. Occasionally she looks upwards, face
toward the sun and closes her eyes, reflecting on something she has just read.
Twixt and between Porter's and the Street, Darby responds to
the guitar toting man, "Thanky mister. She's a little wore-out, but sweet enough
to ride. My name's Darby Hanks. I'm kinda new in town, just helping out at
Porter's and all. Fixing to help the Doc haul his gear to his office. Reckon we
could use another hand, if it's alright with the doctor."
Elizabeth awakes with a start. In all the excitement of the past two days, she was more tired than she had thought. When had she dozed off? She was reading poetry last she rememberred...the book is still in her lap...she can feel it, but , where are those spectacles? They must have fallen off while she slept. It happens often enough. Elizabeth feels around on the ground, not having much success. She can see very little without them.
The women grabs around the ground as a shadow engulfs her
body. She looks up as the sun blinds her momentarily then a man's face appears
on horseback.
"Your Eyes Ma'am, " I say as I reach down to hand her the
glasses.
I tip my hat and then raise back up on the horse, the sun again
blinding the women as she try to put her glasses on quick enough to see me, but
I turn my horse before she can get a good look and head back into town.
"Th...thank you," she calls after him, her eyes having trouble adjusting. when they do adjust somewhat, the spectacles are quite dusty. Taking them off, she wipes them with a soft handkerhief and replaces them. "I must look a fright," she says to herself as the stranger rides off. She doews what she can to shove that rebelleous strand of hair back into the otherwise still neat hairdo. Realizing the time, she begins to head to the doctor's office, but has an afterthought and heads to the General Store instead.
I open the door to the doctor office and show Dr. Brown around. "The finishing touches were just completed. I think you will appreciate the space. Now we still have the other doctors equipment and furniture over at the Merchants guild in storage. Perhaps you can find time to go over and see what you would like to have and what you want to discard. I can have some farmers do the moving for you." I hand Dr. Brown his keys to the biulding.
Dr Brown took the keys and put them in his pocket. "Thank you. Let's go to the meeting now. I'll go to the merchant's guild tommorow morning to look through the old doctor's equipment."
People passing by the doctor's notice a long line of wounded farmers crouched in the road. About dozen stretch out into the street. Most are lightly wounded, bloodied noses, lacerated appendages. Some hold their arms in craddle positions. ...and most are passed out and stink of alcohol.
Walking up to the doctor's office, her medical bag in hand, Elizabeth sees the line of farmers."oh...." she says, quietly, then asking one of them, "is the doctor in yet?"
A burly man grumbles, "ain't seen the doc yet, been waitin' nearly two haars since the sun done come up. I heard we gotta new one, so maybe he ain't open for business yet, but ther ain't nowhere else to go ma'am." He holds his arm in a craddle position.
After leaving Porter's Inn, after breakfast, Dr Brown was going to the Merchant's Guild when he saw the lineup outside his office, and decided to go to his office first. He walked up and said, "Hello, I'm the new doctor. Would everyone who is in need of medical assistance please line up, with the most seriously injured at the front."
Where the hell you been doc!" yells a drunken man. After the
doctor gives instructions, the men shake off the dust and begin to form a line.
One man is kicked several times to wake up but doesnt budge. "I reckon he the
worst off, Doc," laughs one the farmers.
A scuffle breaks out near the
back of the line, "You betta git off of me, Varment! My nose is more important
than your finger!" Suddenly a fist fight erupts. It is intense and dust is
kicking about. Someone yells, "get him Hank!!"
The scuffle breaks out behind her, startling the young woman. She lets out an alarmed gasp as one of the combatants knocks into her, sending her sprawling. She loses her grip on the bag she had been carrying, strewing medical equiptment all over the ground. Her glasses fall off on the ground and she blindly feels around for them as the fight escalates.
Dr Brown stepped forward to the combatants. "Stop it! If you want to get treated today, then form an orderly line, now! I'll decide who goes first." He then knelt and helped the woman find her glasses and gather up her equipment.
Elizabeth composes herself as the older man helps her to her
feet, handing her the spectacles. Her eyes, a beautiful deep green , are much
more noticable without the glasses, which she quickly puts on. Her hair is now
somewhat in dissarray, and she notices a tear in her skirt with slight dismay.
Dusting herself off a bit, she looks at the doctor and quietly says, "Thank you,
sir....you must be the town doctor. I'm elizabeth...elizabeth Cuthbert. I am a
visiting nurse. A friend in the area sent me a letter saying the town
desperately needed medical help that I could provide. I am a certified medical
nurse...I assume you're familiar....
Dr Brown nodded. "Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm Dr Samuel Brown, and I'm also new to the town. It's nice to have some assistance," glares at the crowd, "because it looks like I might need it."
The farmers and cowboys minimize their squabbling and form a
rough line behind the man who has not yet stirred. "Doc, I done kicked him well
enough, old Fred here ain't budgin'", says one of the locals.
Forgetting
the squabble in light of the need at hand, Elizabeth hurries over to the man on
the ground, checking to see if he's dead, seriously injurred, or just passed out
from too much liquor.
"Well doctor," she says in her characteristic
quiet tone, "I'm glad to be of any help I can"
from the north, passing
between the Doctor's and the Tailor's, taking an extra moment to look over the
Doctor's office as if knowing that he may need to go there one day. The rider
passes the town square and stops at the corner of the bank looking the town
over. His weathered face takes in the empty buildings and the stores that seem
to still be in business. He turns his head to look back at the bar in the corner
of the square and slowly turns so that his gaze pauses at various buildings as
if he is locating places of interest, the stable, bank, store, inn, sherriff,
saloon, court. "Hmm, not much," he mutters to himself, "but these little towns
never are much to look at." His eyes lift to look at the upper stories as he
slides off of his horse and stretches his legs.
Elizabeth walks out of annabelle's, putting her purchases
into her bag. She walks around for the poor stray dog she had seen the day
before.
Seeing the dog outside of Eli's ((I assume he's here because he
was following Jeb, and that's where Jeb went)) , she stoops down, fishing out a
piece of the beef jerky she had bought, "Here you go, pup...." she says in a
sweet voice.
...scraps, Yellow Dog is always nearby! Chewing a few times, he gulps down the beef jerky greedily, licking Miss Cuthbert's hand in the process. "Whine, whiiinne" he speaks softly, like a good dog, looking for another. He also notices this is the good smelling lady. He sniffs tenatively at her dress hem.
Elizabeth laughs as she pulls out another piece of jerky, "you look terribly underfed" she says, petting him as she feeds him the jerky. While the yellow dog is busy gulping, Elizabeth stealthilly picks out the other items from her bag and quickly attempts to put them on the yellow dog.((I assume an ability check of some sort needs to be done here...which means I should actually roll the scores up....be back with a roll momentarilly))
Jeb walks out of the saloon and sees Elizabeth. He looks at
her," Like that dog? Me too."
He then sees the gunslinger and helps him get
off his horse," Hello friend. You look like a gunslinger. I am too. By the way,
my name is Jeb.
the newcomer, "Howdy Jeb, my name is Robert Lee Beauregard, but you can just call me Robbie Lee." Robbie Lee's eyes track down to look at Jeb's guns, "And yep, I've been known to make a livin with my guns at times." Beauregard looks up at Eli's, "that bar serve decent whiskey? I need to wash the road dust from my throat."
" Guy in there is drunk already. Good thing I only had a glass of whiskey. I got 317$ off him, so I guess a fool and his money are quickly parted. Or a drunk, as the case may be."
Robbie Lee grins, "$317, then you must be buying the drinks." and chuckles. Leading his horse over to a hitching post, "Did you win it playing poker?" Robbie ties his horse up and dusts off as much of the road dust as he can.
Elizabeth looks up at the man, her spectacles dropping a bit, revealing beautiful , expressive deep green eyes."Uh, yes, I......" she starts as the men begin to conversate with each other, ignorring her answer. Turning her attention back to the yellow stray, she speaks soothingly, feeding him(?) another piece of jerky "good, dog...you just need some care, don't you...yes....I think I'll call you Amarillo (or Amarilla if it's a female) ((pronounced Ah mah REE yo))
Slipping the collar on Yellow dog's neck, Elizabeth continues
to talk to him in cheerful tones, and continues to feed him jerky, the leash
tightly held in the other hand."good dog..there you go....lots more where that
came from, Amarillo...good boy."
Standing up, elizabeth pats her side
and says, "come with me, Amarillo, c'mon....good boy....let's go get some more
jerky"
Elizabeth begins to walk down the street, seeing if the dog will
follow.
to the lady, "ma'am" and watches the lady lead the stray away. Once the lady is out of earshot, "strays always follow them at first, he'll be wanting his freedom before long."
Yellow Dog springs and jumps at Ms Cuthbert's attempt to
collar him! He isn't used to a lot of petting and such and remains a bit warey
as she puts the collar around his neck. He immediately squats in the middle of
the street and starts to try to scratch the collar off with his hind legs.
Though straining the leash, he doesn't try to bolt away. Eventually he begins to
settle down, following half-heartedly, taking time to scratch at his collar
every now and then.
Elizabeth leads Amarillo off, looking around untill she finds someplace where she might properly bathe the poor lost stray. she will be careful not to mention the word "bath". Assumming she finds someplace, she will tie the leash securely while she gets water and soap.
after making sure his horse was tied up and nods to Jeb.
Robbie Lee watches the woman attempting to bathe the stray. As he walks further
down the street he notices that the mailman has tacked up something at the
Sherriff's Office.
Finding the well in the town square, Elizabeth ties one end of the leash securely, testing it to make sure it's tight. Rummaging through her bag, she finds some perfumed soap from back East.Hoisting the bucket, she dumps the water over Amarillo's head and starts to lather the dog up.
"Yowl! Yeeoowwwlll!" Yellow Dog begins to fight the bath in earnest! Not actually attacking Ms Cuthbert. But he strains the leash (perhaps a strength roll?) and jumps about, mostly just falling into the dirt, getting bubbly mud all over him and Ms Cuthbert. In just a few minutes the both of them are covered in brownish bubbles. And his leash is thoroughly tangled, around his legs, around Elizabeth's legs, around the well; and possiblely worked nearly loose. "YeeWwwooowl, Wwoooo, Wwwooo-Wwooo!" he complains loudly!
Robbie Lee sees Dav lying in the street and steps over to get a look. Seeing that he is still breathing, "Drunks laying about in the middle of the street, some town..." Robbie Lee walks down the street toward his horse tied up by Eli's.
Elizabeth does her best to controll the poor frrightenned
stray and bathe it. As Amarillo struggles with the leash, tangling himself and
Elizabeth she tries to soothe him "Calm down, boy...calm down...."
Trying to controll him, she gets her ankles tangled in the leash. By now
she is a frightfull , muddy mess. turning around, she falls, her spectacles
falling off her face. Desperately she searches the ground with her hands,
letting the struggling dog go ((of course, whether it is still tied is up to the
GM)) Her face and dress are thoroughly muddy, as the ground had become a mess by
this time.
Walking back toward the church, Wesley notices a young man
lying in the street. Running closer, he sees he is not much more than a boy.
Wesley quietly prays as he leans down over the young man "Are you all
right?.....Can you hear me?"
If there is no response, Wesley checks to
see if he's alive.
I jump down off the porch of El Salooniditos De Putas
shouting, "There's going to be a gunfight! There's going to be a gunfight!
There's going to be a fight!!"
As I run down Main street, and try to
sing a song while strumming my guitar, ....Oh! El Derado, town of turmoil, where
one man wins as another man falls, Wo! El Derado, town of dust, not too many
faces but plenty of ghosts!! Oh! El Derado....."
"Whats he talking about"*He looks pale and his voice is scratchy*
Yellow Dog flounders in the muddy dust! Some of his coat's natural oils are being loosened, but he's adding the grim and grit of the street back into his coat, as he struggles at the leash now thoroughly tangled. "Boooo Woooo Wooooo!" he howls his complaint. His ears flopping down as his head hangs low. The saddest puppy-dog eyes ever, his humiliation to the bone! Gradually his resistance wanes and he just squats as Ms Cuthbert lathers him vigorously. A few more buckets of rinse water and he's almost clean as new. Yellow Dog is in fact more Golden than most could remember before, his coat now gleaming with bright highlights.
"Between the dawg yelping and the fools sangin I wonder if this place ever calms down," Robbie Lee mutters to himself. Walking past the dog bath, "Po'dawg, little bit of a thang tried to do the same to me back in Dallas. I had to break and run when she brought out the sweet smellin water." Robbie Lee walks down toward the other saloon past the singer talking to himself, "Damn yankee needs some sangin' lessons."
Elizabeth finally finds her glasses as Amarillo calms down a
bit. Putting them back on her face, she still can't see anything because they
are mud cloverred. Miraculously, they aren't broken. Elizabeth gets a clean
hankerchief out of her bag and cleans them off. She sings softly in French as
she finishes bathing Amarillo. "Well, aren't you beautiful," she says, handing
him a piece of jerky," I knew all you needed was a good bath....but look at
me...I look a fright"
Her dress is thoroughly muddy, and she has a
couple splotches of mud on her face.
"I need to find a place to get
clean, and to see about a house."
As Dav gets up ,looking confused , and runs off, Wesley
shakes his head. "Bad place for a nap" he mutters to himself, then calls after
the boy," hope to see you in church sunday morning!"
Watching the boy go
into the saloon, he mutters to himself,"Those havens of Hell are getting to boys
much too young these days...seems like we'd have a law to keep young'uns out of
those places. You'd have to think a man ought to be at least 21 before they'd
turn him loose to drink that infernal stuff."
Shaking his head, Wesley
walks to the church. It's been a tiring day.
The sun is beginning to set when suddenly, a burst of
rowdiness erupts out of De Putas and into the street. Two gunmen square off, as
farmers, ranchhands, cowboys and such surround the two shouting words of
encouragement. Dust has begun to kick up and screams from passing ladies fuel
the fire. Kids run from the biuldings and begin climbing posts to get better
views.
A hectic and confusing state has engulfed the immediate area.
Some people running away, others running closer.
I take careful steps about forty feet, then turn around
slowly pulling back my vest to reveal a single low-strung holster.
Veterans of this sort of thing would find my stance very remarkable, and
my full black clothing, though dusty grey now, brings back memories from long
ago.
Observing all movements from my enemy and watchers, I notice that
the man has lots of friends, so I keep an eye out closely. I also peek to see if
my friend Ace is near.
I step onto the street not sure if I'm totally interested in
a showdown. But I hear my friends cheering my on, and see their delight in their
faces. I can't let them down I say to myself.
I turn to face the man in
black and start to loosen my arm up by swinging it in a complete circle about
fifteen times. Then I shake my hand a bit, as I begin to stare at my opponent.
Robbie Lee steps up on the boardwalk and moves down to the corner of the 'Putas building to get into a postion to watch. His eyes start scanning the crowd while he mutters under his breath, "Hmm, wonder if that cowpoke's friends are going to try to help..."
Seeing the crowd and the two men squarring off, Olaf puts zweei und zwei together in his head and runs toward the action. When he is still some 15-20 yards off, he fires a round from his shotgun in the air and yells "Stoop...du canst nicht habbe ein goon fit hier. Stoop. Poot du goonen un der hall stairs, ja! Stoop!"
Elizabeth has been impervious to the noise of the growing crwod, intent on the task at hand. She looks up with a start when she hears the shotgun blast and heard the man begin to yell unitelligibly. "Come on, amarillo...we had better move well out of the way" she says as she leads amarillo off to the side of the street, heading back toward Porter's.
Lester looks outside. He quickly sizes up the situation
"gunfight, eh...hadn't had a good gunfight around here in years. "
Looking closer, he recognizes one of the combatants,"hehe...HOPE YOU'RE
BETTER WITH A GUN THAT YOU ARE WITH CHECKERS, YOUNG FELLA!"
Seeing the deputy come out and shooting in the air, I pause to take a breathe. But I don't move from my position and stare in my opponent eyes trying to read his mind. I am ready to shoot at any moment.
The shotgun blast goes off in my ear and I jumped at it's echo. I pull out my gun by reflex then realize it was a warning shot by a bystander. Seeing that my opponent has not yet drawn, I keep raising my pistol with a smile on my face knowing I have got the advantage. I shoot hoping to knock the man out of his boots.
Elizabeth hurries out of the way, hearing the gunfire. She doesn't wander off too far, however, realizing her services may be needed. She ties Amarillo to a hitching rail, patting him on the head. "Stay, boy," she says, handing him another piece of jerky. Though not fond of watching gunfights, she strains to see what she can in case her services are needed.
Olaf sizes up the situation, aiming his shotgun at the man
with the drawn gun"Schtoop....schtoopen ich sacht!" Seeing the man raise a gun,
I admire his reflexes for a brief milli-second then realize I have got to move
quickly. A flip of the wrist and my gun emerges from it's holding place, a shiny
black metallic Colt with an ivory handle. A give a hip shot aiming for the man's
gun hand.
A blaze of fire erupts from the gun of Black Bart, which appeared in thin air. Without lifting and arm, Bart's hipshot hits Harry directly in the stomach and goes all the way through as he spins down on the dirt road. Harry's body hits first followed by his gun which lands squarely on his head. A dust cloud emerges then quickly disipitates. An eerie read glow now engulfs the area as the sun punctures the desert peaks on it's last breath of day.
Yellow Dog has seen gunfights before. The sharp retorts disturbing his sensitive hearing and balance. He dodges, jumping around on his leash, he tries to hide behind anything nearby (horses, boxes, barrels, water trough, under the steps if his leash will reach, etc). Whimpering quietly, he folds his front paws over his head, "hmmm-UUH, hmmm-AAH!"
Robbie Lee stares intently at the gunfight, nodding with approval at the accurate hipshooting of the man in black. "Hmm, good shot placement, and decently fast," he says with professional interest. 'Must remember how fast this one is,' Beauregard thinks to himself.
I think to myself, ..oh man, I was aiming for his gun, what a
horrible shot.
I continue to stand in my place eyeing the reaction of
the crowd, as I wait patiently, my next move is to just go back into De Putas
and take my seat.
I twirl my gun in three quick motions and holstered it
back. Pulling my vest back over the hilt of the weapon.
Dr Brown, carrying his bag, pushed through the crowd and knelt next to the body. He didn't hold out much hope that the man was alive, though, after seeing the shot and where it hit. But he had to make sure.
Olaf pulls back the other hammer of the shotgun, levelling it and yelling at the man with the smoking gun "Du...schtoop...du oor a roost oonder....poot du hens un derrair, ja!"
Elizabeth runs out into the street, medical bag in hand, mud still all over her, to see if she can be of any assistance. "Doctor...is he...dead?"
"Well, I'll be...the boy can shoot....keep that in mind next time you throw a bag of flour at him, you old duffer"
Robbie Lee steps off the boardwalk and crosses the street at
a slight angle, keeping out of the line of fire between the lawman and man in
black, "Why are you putting him under arrest? Clear case of self-defense if ya
ask me, the other fella tried to kill him." Robbie Lee side steps a couple of
steps to keep clear of the scatter gun's cone of shot toward the gunslinger.
I turn just my head to acknowledge the deputy. Then I turn my back to him and begin to walk up the steps to De Putas.
"Ich sacht shtoop! uf du nciht shtoop, ich vill BANGA BANGA....schtoop,ich sacht!!!!Poot du hams un der yare!"
A young boy, about 10 or 12 has pushed his way in front of the crowd and had picked up the gun of the fallen cowboy and starts to try and twirl it...a women sees this and screams!
I keep going, a real man would never shoot a another in the
back, I think to myself. I approach the swing doors to the entrance of De Putas
then go in.
Olaf begins to yell in a completely foreign language. When
the man continues to walk away, Olaf takes careful aim and yells one last time.
"Sctoop! un der nome uf der lav! Schtoop!Du arr a roost oonder!"
Elizabth's attention is diverted by the glint of the twirling gun. Seeing the young boy, she gasps and lunges, trying to pin the boy's arm down and get the gun.
With a quick flick of his eyes to take in the situation,
Robbie Lee comes to a snap decision. Pulling both of his FDRs, he hipshoots
firing three shots from each at the crazy lawman while shouting, "FREYA!!!"
As the gunshots ring out, Dr Brown leaves his examination of
the dead body and tries to run off the street and into the nearest building.
The Deputy stands on the sherriff office boardwalk
overlooking the crowd and shakes a bit as he aims for the stubborn gunfighter
across the street. The chaos from the townsfolk and the child brandishing the
fallen weapon has stirred an enormous amount of uncertainty in the air. Tense
townsfolk run and collide with each other as gunfire erupts. The doctor runs and
trips over a farmer and violently rolls into the step hurting himself, he puts
his hands over his head after seeing a rushing crowd of merchants coming his
way. The only person not in a state of panic is Elizabeth who calmly requests
repeatedaly, "Give me the gun boy,..Give me the gun." She is successful in
retrieving the weapon and looks for a way out of the line of fire. The deputy
fires at Bart as he attempts to enter De Putas. To his right is Beauregard, a
warrior enraged at Olafs' dishonor. Olaf catches this in his eye and immediately
turns noticing the man's intent to do harm. Not knowing if his shot found Black
Bart, Olaf can only remove himself from the close quarter gunfight with
Beauregard, by jumping into the sherriff office.
Yellow Dog cowers and whimpers with the gunfire lacing the
air.
Though she is frightenned by the gunfire, Elizabeth quickly takes the gun in one hand and scoops the boy up, her first thought to get him to the nearest safe place. Wherever she finds safety, she will duck down, holding the boy close untill the horror stops. She sings to him softly a song her mother taught her long ago.
Standing outside and craning his neck to see, Lester quips, "Ain't seen this much action 'round here since the time Hec Tatham and jimmy Weston got likkerred up and shot it out in front of the church...course, they missed each other clean, but that old preacher sure was mad 'bout those windows......" As a bullet plunks into his sign, Lester hollers out," Dad gum kids.....I'll have you out in the mornin' mendin' that!" When another one whizzes by, he thinks better of it and retreats into his store, climbling the stairs quickly to get a view from his 3rd story window.
Just as folks begin to wonder the outcome of the gun battle, it starts up again. Residents of El Derado duck for cover again, the shots this time seem muffled as if being shot indoors.
I put my arm around Josh and pat Amarillo on the head with
the other hand, giving him more jerky. I consider scolding the boy about playing
with guns, but think better of it. He looks frightenned enough already. I try to
calm him down, " I knoiw, Josh...it's all right...you didn't harm anyone....tell
me, is your mother or father around? How old are you? Do you live near?"
I ask the questions slowly and softly, giving him time to answer.
Inside, my mind races as to what to do. I know my medical services will be
needed, but I can hardly leave the boy alone, and the dog is all in a tither.
instincts I thought I would have lost years ago well up inside of me, and I run off behind De Putas, following as shadow of a man.
Smoke trails and richochet bullets engulf what was Main
Street of El Derado. The night as come and the nearly full moon casts shadows of
townsfolk and merchants running for cover from a gunfight erupting in the center
of town.
Residents in nearby homes and shops run to the windows to see
if it is the work of the notorious Carlos Diego. They soon find out it is a
battle between the law and the fowl of De Putas. A bandit in all black falls
into the doors of De Putas, a shot hitting him in the shoulder sending blood up
on the door archway, pieces wood fly about and glass starts to shatter in area
windows. A cowboy shoots viciously at a deputy of El Derado as he returns fire
and jumps through the sherriff office window, glass exploding around the
boardwalk. Bullet holes punch into biuldings and the night becomes filled with
fireworks from the muzzles of guns. A women and child are stuck in the middle,
ducking behind a dead man. They can only huddle tighter as rifles emerge from
the windows of De Putas firing toward the Sherriff's office.
Beauregard is apalled at his shooting, perhaps the darkness
playing a part. All the shots zing past the deputy as he dives head first into
the sherriff office window to escape death. Beauregard's final shots trailing
the man's feet then ricochet off the biuldings.
Robbie Lee ducks his
head as the shots from the saloon behind him go after the deputy, "Loki's balls,
ah missed." Beauregard runs for the northeast corner of the sherriff's office.
'No matter ifin he's reloading or changing weapons, time to get mah hide under
some cover,' He thinks, 'Ah think some of those other fellas aint to happy with
a back-shootin' lawman.' Once He gets to the corner, Robbie Lee keeps running
south toward the back of the office talking to himself, "There's jus gotta be a
window or backdoor so's that Ah can outflank him whilst them boys keep his
attention to the front."
*Dav runs into the middle of the gunfight taking out the 2
44.'s he looks around his lucky necklace showing under his neck he ducks behind
a small wall his head is easealy seen as he looks around aiming at anyone he
sees he fires out into the open not hitting anyone he then stands up and runs
into the open towards the women and child and runs in front of them blocking
them from fire*"GET OUT OF HERE!"*He stands up and fires a shot at(Robert Beauregard)
I crouch down and point my repeating rifle through the window, and let off three rounds into the direction of the broken window across the street, (sherriff office). I make sure that only my gun and partial head are visible as I shoot. "I'll get em Bart!" I yell.
"Run for your lives!!! Run for your lives!!! AAAaaaaaaa!!!!
I drop my guitar and head for the hills.
Olaf can only move on addrenalline...he's never actually shot
at anyone before, and he's not enjoying the experiece much. When the bandito
yells, he considers plugging him. Instead, he draws his sawed off , fires both
barrells simultaneously out the window at Beauregard, then runs to bar the door.
He tries not to show himself in the window except briefly to shoot.
If
the gun rack is not locked, he grabs 2 Winchester repeaters. If it is, he grabs
his breech loader,trying to be ready to fire and reload his 2 shotguns at the
same time.
Elizabeth nods scoops the boy up, holding him tightly and running away from the action toward cover.While running, she says to herself and the boy ,"yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil...."
Watching from the third story window, Lester giggles like a
schoolboy on recess,"he he...lookee there...woulda ya look at that? he he...."
He begins to pick up bags of flour he has stashed for just such a
wondrous occasion, and begins throwing them at random targets, not much carring
what he hits, just delighting in adding to the mayhem.
Wesley emerges, running from the direction of the church, his leather Bible in his hands and a gunbelt strapped around his waist. He is still wearing a nightshirt and night cap. The shirt billows out hbehind him as he runs to the scene quietly praying that God would intervene and protect the people from their own foolishness.(once he sees that some of the shots are comming from the saloon)
Seeing the people running at him, Dr Brown tried to get out of the way and then kept down on the ground, trying to avoid catching a stray bullet.
After noticing the wound is not that bad, I head up the stairs to the second story and attempt to find a window to sniper from.
Doc Brown finds room under the boardwalk and slides under.
Beauregard, armed with two six-shooters raises them as he dashes for
cover around the sherriff's office.
Olaf quickly glances out the window. Seeing the fleeing
criminal who shot at him, his dander gets up "DUnkopf!!!!!" he yells as he
quickly snaps both hammers back and gives him both barrells."
The blast from the deputy's shotgun is overwhelming and
sprays the entire 20' area with buckshot as Beauregard dashes for cover.
Beauregard feels a tense pain and knows he's been hit, (Lt. wound on
left shoulder -3 to your Str). The blast makes you fall to the ground but ..now
safe against the sherriff office wall.
As Olaf shot, he is immediately
pulverized with shards of glass as bullets fly by into the office.
A large
chunk of glass falls sharply into Olaf's left leg and deeply penetrates causing
a serious wound, (-7 to Str). A bullet grazes his left shoulder causing a light
wound (-3 Str). Olaf drops his gun by accident..a result from the excruciating
pain.
As Beauregard picks himself up off the ground, kneeling, he is
astonished to see a kid pointing a large .44 at him. Before he knows it, he
(Dav) fires! Beauregard is struck in the right shoulder this time (-7 to Str)
and the bullet goes straight through and richochets off the biulding. A poof of
blood follows the bullet.
"Good time for a smoke," I say as I light a match and
approach the general viscinity of the ensueing lead throw.
I simply wish
to observe this round, in close range to the action.
Finding cover around the side of a building (assumming this is acceptable), Elizabeth cradles the boy, "There, there...it's all right....are you all right, boy?"
Confused as to who the kid is, Robbie Lee remembers seeing
him passed out in the street earlier, "damn drunk kid, doesn't know who to shoot
at, Ah'll take care of him later. Wouldn't want to be caught up in the crossfire
here." He says to himself as he backs down the wall of the Sherriff's Office to
get out of sight heading south.
Doc Brown crawls along under the boardwalk until he gets a good distance away, then he crawls out, gets up and runs for to his office.
i ready my repeater and fire three more shots at the first
terget i see.
I find an empty room on the street side of De Putas and lean out to peek at the action. Being on the 2nd story I can make out movement in the sherriff's office, but can't see any definite target. Rather than give my position away, I wait until I can make out a good target. I am confused of the cowboys who have joined the fray, (Dav, Beauregard, Jim) but try to determine who is fighting who.
*he runs as fast as he can and jumps threw the door of the building black bart is in and lands hitting a wall he then gets up and looks around quickly*
The rest of the scattering townsfolk finally get a good safe
distance away from the shooting. Three riflemen from De Putas continue to plague
the sherriff office with bullets. Everyone who was in the street jumped into
nearby biuldings and the street is left abandoned except for one lone cowboy
leaning against a post.
Wounded persons spend the very brief moment
examining their wounds while they contemplate their next move. Flying bullets
keeps everyone in a slight hunchback position. The tight biuldings lining Main
Street, leave no room for missed shots and bullets clang against everything
imagineable.
The Reverend of the town comes running up, Bible in hand.
I run up, still dressed in a night shirt and cap, Leather
Bible in my hand, gunbelt buckled around my waist.
Looking around, I am
not really able to make much sense of the commotion,"Lord," I pray, "keep these
people safe from their own foolishness...protect them that their souls not face
you prematurely"
I try to get an idea of what's going on, without
getting too much into the line of fire.
I enter quietly and quickly through the rear entrance of El Saloonditos De Putas, coming up behind the three outlaws shooting at my office. I have my Winchester rifle pointing at them, "DROP EM BOYS!!!" I yell as loud as humanly possible making sure they hear me above their gunfire. I'll shoot given any sign of retaliation. I see the barkeep in the corner of my eye with a shotgun. I pull out my six-shooter with my left hand and point it at her without leaving my gaze at the outlaws at the front entrance. "Drop it Sister!"
"You know me sherriff, I wasn't going to do nothin'," I say as I drop my gun. I raise my hands.
*He jumps into el sallones deputas and hits a table a 44. aimed at the man with the winchester*"DROP IT!"
I slowly turn around and put my rifle against the wall."I was just defending my self . That fool over their shot at bart in the back and dab near killed everone in here with that shotgun of his." Ace says this with his hand about chest high and a smile on his face.
I stroke the boy's hair, reasonning he must be terribly
frightenned, "There , there...it's all right...tell me, what's your name?"
If the shooting has died down, I will go out and find poor Amarillo.
The other cowboys shooting from De Putas also stop firing and
raise their hands in the air. "Right Sherriff, we just protectin' ourselves, "
one states.
Suddenly a kid rolls in from the door and slams into a table
knocking over a bottle of whiskey, cards fly up in chaotic fashion and the boy
points a large revolver at the Sherriff. Cane is surprised by the act and
hesitates slightly as he aims at the kid.
Outside, the reverend stands
quizzically looking at the carnage left from a gunfight, a dead man still lying
in the street.
Across the street the sherriff office is all black inside
but scuffling can be heard.
Hearing the gunfire start to die down in the street, Doc Brown, in his office, opens his bag and puts in some anesthetic and equipment for treating wounds likely to occur during a gunfight. He then opens one of his bags and removes a box from the bottom. He places the box on his desk, opens it and removes a long barreled revolver and some bullets. Doc Brown loads the gun and cautiously goes back out onto the street, gun in his right hand and bag in his left.
I look around, still trying to figure out who is on what side. If I see anything obviously suspicious (ie, someone I can see shooting at the sherriff's office or sneaking around back of it with a drawn weapon) I will draw my weapon and shout "Stop!"
After hearing the sherriff downstairs, I exit the biulding through a back window.
I have no choice but to fire at the kid (dav) who appears to be a direct danger. I fire a solid single shot at point blank range with my pistol.
Deciding to get a better view now, I walk up on the boardwalk, stepping on all the broken glass, and make my way to a window looking into the saloon. I peer in to have a look see, pulling back a window curtain with two fingers, I make sure to keep my head as close against the window frame as possible.
*Dav drops the handgun as he puts his hands in the air*
Robbie Lee seeing Oalf behind the desk, fires one shot and ducks behind the doorframe.
After moments of silent eternity, the gunfire erupts again,
this time inside the sherriff office and El Salooniditos De Putas.
The
back door of the sherriff office opens as two gunmen spot each other's eye. The
deputy pulls to fire, a shotgun blast in the night. But the intruder got the
first shot off, sending a bolt of lightning into the office. The deputy is
struck in the left arm, his third wound of the evening. (-3 str) Just has he's
hit, his shotgun blast covers the entire doorway, when the smoke clear, it
becomes evident the fight is over. A headless man lies motionless on the floor.
(RIP Robert) It appears several of the prisoners are wounded as well.
In
the saloon, Sherriff Cane fires at Dav, in self-defense. His shot misses and
hits the piano making a high pitched squeal. Everyone ducks from the backfire.
Dav quickly drops his weapon and raises his hands in the air.
Even as Olaf realizes what he's done, he yells out,
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Seeing the decapacitatted man, Olaf vomitts the pancakes
he had eaten earlier. "Gut Gott, halp Olaf" he wails, trying in vain to hold
back tears.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, he does his best to
steel himself and focus on anyone else who may be trying to come in the doors or
windows.
Elizabeth continues to speak soothingly to the boy, "it's all
right...you're safe....I'm Elizabeth....what's your name?"
When the
gunfire dies down, she peeks her head out, only to hear the eruption of gunfire
from the sherriff's office. Quickly, she ducks back behind the building.
After hearing the gunfire from the sherrif's office, he ran around the side, putting his gun away and getting his medical bag ready. He took in the dead body with a single glance, then asked Olaf, "Are you wounded? I'm a doctor."
Olaf, still extremely shook up, sees the man carrying the
bag. Seeing he is not holding his weapon, Olaf, in excrutiating pain from his
three wounds, yells ,"Ap poot du hams! Ich sacht Ap!", pointing the shotgun at
him. When he hears the word dcotor (which he recognizes b/c it's the same word
in Spanish) he repeats, "doctor? Ja, ich nid ein doctor.Der ootlaven shoote Olaf
trei toms,ja."
Olaf keeps the loaded and cocked shotgun in one hand,
pointing it away from the doctor, but still watching windows and doors.
Yellow Dog has had enough! He'd have been long gone, had he
not been tethered and tied. As it is, he's straining at the leash, trying every
which way but loose, to get away and hide.
"YEEeeooOOOWWWLLL!
WoooOOOooo! WoooOOOOoooo!"
When the gunfire dies down, Elizabeth ventures out, leading
the boy by the hand. She questions again, "What is your name? Where are your
parents?"
Hearing the yowling, she remembers the poor stray dog,
"Amarillo!"
rushing over, she unties the leash,holding it in her hand
and giving Amarillo another piece of jerky. She then looks around to see what
help she might be as far as tending wounded people.
"ALRIGHT!! You three! Get against the wall!" (cowboys
including Ace).
I holster my pistol and grab Dav by the head, still
pointing my Winchester at the cowboys..."Smart thinking kid," I say as I push
him aside the others.
"Jim! Why aren't you watchin' the bank. Get in
here and help me wouldcha?, don't just stand there."
"Well Sherriff, I reckon I can lend a hand." I pull out a heavy double-action revolver and hip aim at the boys. "Boy, glad they didn't shoot up my water hole like this, Ole' Eli have a fit."
"Name's Josh Ma'am! I was only lookin' at the fellars gun HONEST!"
The shooting has appeared to stop, yet this time, no one leaves the safety of the stores. Most residents scouried to their homes in the fields. Those still in town doused lights long ago, and Main Street has become a dark passage.
"Listen here tin horn I just shot at the people shooting at me and I didn't start the shooting anyhow. It was bart throwing lead down the street with some ya-who down the street in a fair fight. So I don't think I need to be going to jail for defending my self and my freinds." He says with a dark look at the town law. With his hands still at chest level close together.
Doc Brown worked on Olaf's statement in his head until he
finally made some sense of it, "The outlaws shot you three times?" he guessed.
He then examined the two wounded people in the cells and tried to
determine whether they were more badly wounded than Olaf.
*Dav Turns around to try and reason with the sheriff*"I Swear sheriff i didnt know you were the one i thought you were a theif er something"*He looks like hes lieing*
"Well until I can go over across the street and figure out
what the hell happened here, none of you are goin' nowhere!" I say as I attempt
to head over to my office. "Shoot em if they move Jim, I'll make sure you get
compensation for it."
I exit the front door.
Glancing at about ten bottles of whiskey with their tops
blown off, "Well fellows, might as well drink whats left of these.." I say as I
head over to the patrons with some glasses.
"Don't worry it's on the
house" I say (to Ace),.. "Are you old enough to drink?" (to Dav)
Doc Brown turned away from the prisoners and back to Olaf.
"Now, the wounds on your shoulder and arm are minor, I'm more worried about the
leg."
After the examination, and the bandaging of the wounds. "I have
some bad news for you. Your leg is too badly injured, it will have to be
amputated. I can't do it here, we'll have to get you to my office first."
"Yes im old enough to drink"*He says lieing and takes one of the drinks. Dav watches his handgun on the ground getting ready to turn the table he's sitting beside over , grab the gun and run out the door*
ace sits down and has a drink. "how about a game."
"I'll have another round of whiskey, lady"
I look to Ace, "so..another hand?, tell you what, we play this one for the next drink. After this I gotta go get a room at the Inn before the sun goes down, then I be back for more."
ace deals the cards and says"i'll join you for dinner if you don't mind"
I smile as I look at my cards. "Triple Eights! YEEHhawWW!!! I say as I down the last of my whiskey waiting for a free refill.
"looks like i ran into someone with a lucky streak as good as mine."as he poors out the drinks"how about some food on me "
Black Bart starts on his new drink. "Well, can't say no to a free meal."
De Putas is now beginning to fill with night regulars, mostly foul odored farmers who have been working hard in the fields. A few ranch hands also arrive, wearing poor conditioned gunbelts and pistols. Two old farmers and a fat man approach Ace's table. "Mind if we join?"
we're going to get some dinner will probly be back in about an hour thow . you can use the table as long as we get are seats back when we return.
ace gets up and heads for porters inn. he enters and asks for a table and ask for a steak and all the fixins and what ever my friend wants.
I get up from the table as well, as I point to my chair, "This is my seat, I've been hittin' the cards with this spot, I'll expect it when I git back." Then I follow Ace to Porter's Inn.
Seeing no one out back, Yellow Dog trotts around to the front
of the Saloon. He pokes his head under the swingin' doors. The smells inside
tell him there isn't much going on here. Then where is that aroma of roasted
meat coming from? Yellow Dog turns his head back out to the street. Lots of
people going into Porter's. Yellow Dog does a little hounddog math...
Lots of People = Lots of Food
...and trotts across Main Street,
to see what he can find.
The saloon is full of rough brawling types, much different than during the day. Farmers, merchants and stragglers have had way too many drinks. At times, small brawls break out, but are quickly ended with a broken nose or such. At this time a gunslinger walks in, the room turns at the noise of stirrups. The small roar of clatter resumes as the stranger approaches the bar, "Whatdya be having?" asks the red-haired bartender lady.
Doors his face is not visible because the hat he is wearing he sits on a stool and orders a glass of water*
ACe returns to the saloon and looks around before heading back to his table. "I'm bach jents whatys the game you can deal me in".
As Ace approaches the table, he is not surprised to find all the seats taken. One of the farmers remembers Ace from earlier and says, "There you are, hey go ahead and sit here," he says has he pushes a very intoxicated old man off his chair. The man lands to the floor , *Thump!*, but doesn't move. "There's your seat!, laughs the farmer.
ace sits back at the table an orders a bottle "whats the game
gents and who's deal is it."
The dealer which is a stubble faced farmer smoking a fat
cigar, deals out cards to you and four others and himself. "Five card draw,
one-eyed jacks wild. All bets in?"
A piano man has begun to play rather
loudly. The voices of all the gamblers steadily increases, and folks find they
must yell to communicate.
A drunk cowboy has begun to dance on the bar.
You hear the sound of glass breaking in the distance as well, probably another
brawl.
De Putas was at it's usual uproar in the late hours. With the
sheriff absent, it was even more rowdy than normal. The main hall is littered
with drunken farmers. The broken tables and glass create an eye soar. The piano
is missing one of it's keys and smoke from the night as given the place a foul
odor.
Ace awakes from his drunken slumber to hear the sounds of a guitar
outside. It seems the night slipped him bye. Perhaps the result of too much
spirits. The sound of the melody is unfamiliar.
As the sun rises I get up from my straw bed and make my way to De Putas. It is a good day. The sun is bright today I notice. I sit at the steps of De Putas and begin to strum lightly on my guitar as I sing my new ode, "A Day in the land, a day in the swamp, days are long and days are hot...I once knew a lady with gold in her hair, I once knew a home, and money to shop. Tis all the old cowboys drunk on the run, when will the wind crumble and bow to the sun...." I stop momentarily to place my hat upside down for any tips.
ACe gats up from the table and heads for the dang blasted noise. "you better stop playing that thing mister or you'll have a belly full of lead instead of a hat full of coins." as he puts his right hand on his head.
"Oohh you got a headache, I got just the jingle,... ..Swinging in the wind, just a twig on a
limb, swing left, swing right,..ooh a butterlfy, swinging and singing..."
I keep looking at the cowboy with a wide smile.
"I told you to stop that catawalling and if you don't stop now i'm going to kill you." as ace squares up in a gunfighters stance. "you got to the count of three boy"
I stop playing when the cowboy mentions kill. "Sir, I beg your pardon, but every morning, I sit here on these steps playing my melodies and now you say I can't? Am I suppose to find another place to play?"
"most days i love the sound of your music. but, last night only ended a few seconds agos for me and I have a bit hangover. so could you please keep it down untill I get a little of the hair of the dog that bit me in me." as he takes the last sip of an almost empty bottle.
"Very well then, I'll just go to the other bar." I pick myself up, dust off the bottom and then mosey to the town square. I sling my guitar on my back and pull out a harmonica.
after a couple more hours sleep i then head for the stable.
I barge into the saloon, if anyone gets in my way, I shove
them with all my might. "Git outta my way!" I'd say.
Going up to the
bar, "Whiskey, make it two!"
The evening crew of smelly farmers, tired ranchhands and stragglers start to arrive at De Putas. 'Regulars' take their seats, some playing poker, some merely standing holding their drinks. Seats at the bar become scarce and the steady noise of conversation and rowdiness slowly esculates.
Still upset about loosing my childhood checkers, I wander over to the poker table where I was the day before. "You got my seat." I say to a ranchhand. "Move or else." Due to the circumstance, I don't dilly around, as I pull back my vest to reveal my six-shooter. I snap the safety belt undone hoping the ranchhand catches my drift.
The ranchhand is taken by surprise, it being only 7:30pm and all, surprised to see 'early' trouble. "Listen fellow", he says, "You can't just go around town bullying people around with your gun, I mean.." As the ranchhand talks his movements indicates he is arming a gun under the table.
"Take it outside boys!!!!!" "I just got finish cleaning up the place from last night, and I ain't going to have no gooders startin' up again, I'm tryin' to run a decent establishment hiya!!! For Pete Sake!!!!! OUTSIDE!!"
"Let's do it." I say. "Unless you yella." I begin to exit, turning my back to the man.
The ranchhand follows...fellow friends call out, "Go get him Harry!" As he leaves, the entire bar empties into the street, taking all sides of the road.
After the initial showdown, a gunfight esculates between a
'rent-a-cop' and the gunfightees. Black Bart, the victor of the duel, ignores
the deputy's shouts as he enters the saloon for a celebrative whiskey. The
deputy fires into the back of Bart and hits him with a blast from a shotgun, but
the hit grazes Bart's shoulder as he falls on the floor from the wound, the bulk
of the buckshot hitting Putas Bar, as bottle of whiskey explode as well as the
10' x 17' glass mirror. Shards of debris fill the drinking tavern as more
gunfire erupts outside.
Cowboys who had stayed inside during the duel
are shocked and dismayed at the current situation, but a few grab their rifles
and head for the windows, expecting another ride from Carlos Diego. Two farmers
grab Bart and drag him to his feet behind a staircase. "You aright son?", asks
an older farmer.
"I don't know!".."Where'd he get me?" I try desperately to look over my shoulder, seeing the blood I get a bit agitated.
*he has 1 44. in each hand he hides behind a barrel and looks around*"HEY BART YOU OK!?"*Dav yells into the bar from outside*
"I'll be right back"*Dav takes out his lucky necklace and puts it on as he runs to the gunfight*
On the other side of town, lies a very large warehouse that has several large double doors. The area is always crowded with merchants, gypsies, and peddlers, as well as simple townsfolk. The outside sign that is more of a billboard than sign says, "Merchants Mall". Wagons can be seen coming and going off into the desert. Inside the large open area is divided by tents, with loud noise of bartering and auctioning. A large framed picture of the guild master adorns the entrance. The man has a distinctive top hat, his name enscribed on lower panel A.J. Wilham.
Visitors at the Market will notice a fairly large Caravan
raking in. Tent keepers are busy preparing space for new loot while others are
packing for outbound delivery to other far away towns. Caravans are known to
stay for a few days before departing again. There is much rejoicing as many
carpet baggers welcome back friends and colleagues who were away for long
periods of time.
However, there is additional gabbering, and a rumor
is afoot that says Bounty Hunters are heading to El Derado in search of raking
in rewards for the head of Carlos Diego. This rumor has started to panic the
peddlers.
I stretch from a long nights sleep and immediately fix some
coffee. As I look out over my makeshift balcony, I see a few peddlers are
already hard at work preparing for a hopeful day of bartering. I hesitate for a
moment then finally reach for the bell. "BBBOONNNNNGGGGG!!" I ring 'the bell'
which officially commences a new day at the market.
As the bell goes
off, tent flaps fly open as peddlers awake. The steady noise of conversation
increases and before long, it's a new day indeed at the Market's Guild.
Yellow Dog chased a Jack Rabbit for a few yards, before it zigged into a hole. So, he trotts on over to the Market Place. Some folks moving around, still kinda sleepy though. Not a whole lot of customers yet. Could be some scraps left from breakfast! Yellow Dog starts to snoop around the tents and stalls.
Dr Brown walked in to the Merchant's Guild and looked for the guild master. As soon as he saw him, he walked over, introduced himself, then said, "I'm here for the doctor's equipment. I need it at the office."
"Let's see, where did I put it, ah yes. This way." I show the new doctor the storage area where his equipment is. "So, new doctor, glad your here. I'm A.J., you will probably get to know me well as my stomach always is givin' me trouble, but I'll let you alone for now, hehe let you get situated first, hoho. Here is your equipment, I'm afraid I can't personally bring it over, and I don't know of any of the merchants who can either, I believe Stone brought these over, yes he had some local farmers do the dirty work I remember. Well, pleasure to meet you Doctor Brown, I'll be in my office if you need me, good day."
The old doctor's equipment consists of the following:
3 examination tables, 1 box of linens, 1 box full of cottonballs, swabs,
bandages, splints. 1 hacksaw, 1 bag of surgical instruments. 1 box contain 9
bottles of alcohol. 1 vial of iodine. 1 large bed frame and mattress, 1 desk
with roll drawer, 1 box of parchment, 3 quills with ink, 1 box of envelopes, 1
roll of twine for stitches, 1 box of headache powder, 4 white labs coats with
Dr. Young written in script on chest, 1 nightstand, 5 lanterns, 1 sign 'Doctor
is IN' on one side, 'Doctor is OUT' on other, a locked tin box (no key visible).
There is a layer of dust on everything, and a few bugs can be seen
crawling around the furniture.
"Thank you," said Dr Brown, "I'm going to go see if I can find some help to carry these over to my office."
"Boo-a-Woo!", Yellow Dog suddenly barks aloud! He just had a sickly, bitter feeling, in his near empty stomach. He flashes back on a bitter substance he once licked-up in back of Porter's! Not sure why the feeling came over him, he trotts off in search of something to fill his hollow, grumbling belly. Maybe there will be someone over at the church. Somedays there's a pile of people at the church, and all kinds of scraps!
Dr Brown arrived at the merchants guild again, and pointed to one of the storage areas. "That's where the equipment is."
The Reverend takes off his jacket, placing it on the wagon seat. Rolling up his sleeves, he starts loading equiptment onto the wagon ," Hey, Darby, can you give me a hand with this?" he calls out, loading something too big to handle himself.
I take off my coat and also lay it across the wagon. "I'll get the little boxes here." I begin to make trips to and from the storage area.
Dr Brown took off his coat and placed it on the wagon, then started to load the light equipment onto the wagon, leaving the heavy stuff for later. When he got to the locked tin box, he examined it and looked among the rest of the equipment for the key.
After a decent attempt of searching for a key, you do not find one. There are numerous items inside the box as you tilt it.
Wesley whisles Amazing Grace as he works. He will help untill the work is done, following to the doctor's office and helping unload if no unforseen circumstances arise.
"Here I am Reverend! Let me help ya with that!" Darby says as he gives the Reverrend a hand. He helps the Reverend lift the larger items into the wagon. Hearing the Reverend's tune he says, "Hey, I know that one, 'Amazing Grace!' My Mamma used to sing that one, back home in Tennersee!" He looks a little sad as he thinks about home. But quickly turns his full attention to helping.
"Why, yes it is....glad to hear your mother taught it to you. Were you raised in the church, Darby?" Wesley conversated without slacking the pace of his work.
Shrugging, Dr Brown placed the tin box on the wagon, deciding to get it opened later, then continued to load the wagon.
Still lifting and loading right along with the Reverend,
Darby says, "I guess so Reverend. We didn't go to Church too much. Closest one
was three mountains away. But my Daddy would quote the Bible. My Ma taught me ta
read from it! It was the only book we had, growing up."
"Sundays the men
around the area would git together, to play mountain music and sometimes hymns.
The women folk would cook-up a great big Sunday Feast. That's when my Mamma
would sing. And everyone would join-in, singing and dancing!" Darby pants a
minute, still working, but catching his breath after that long-winded speech!
"hmmm...." Wesley says as he continues to work, "sounds like church to me...oh, you might not have had a pastor, but sounds like the folks were doing what they could to lead you in the Lord's ways....I think God's a whole lot more impressed by what we do at home all week than he is what we do on sunday anyway....though it is important to gather together when we're able."
Placing a last few small objects in the wagon, Dr Brown stepped back and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Well, that takes care of the small stuff. Let's bring this over to my office, then we can make a second trip for the large stuff."
Wesley wipes some sweat from his brow. "Sounds good to me...lead the way" He will get up on the buckboard, either driving or riding as Jacob drives.
I drive the wagon then turn to the reverend, "You know, was thinking, this might be a good business opportunity,...you know, rent wagons for movers..thinkin' of callin' it Uhaul...Whatcha think?"
Darby hops up onto LuLu Belle and sets her to trotting along side the wagon. "Ewe-Hall? Like where sheeps dance or sumptin?" he says looking scrunchy-eyed, like he's in deep thought. Then he mosies LuLu Belle along quietly, digesting the thought.
"Well now, Jacob, that's quite enterprising. Only probelem is, I can't see folks paying for something any good neighbor would gladly lend for free. I hope the day never comes when a man moves his family or business and folks don't have the decency to pitch in and help get the moving done."
Darby is still stuck on the "Ewe" in "U-Haul." "Besides, most folks 'round here got cattle. Not much call fer moving sheep!"
I close the shops and call an end to the merchant trading day. After locking up, I had to Porter's Inn with some fellow peddlers.
In the town square sits a large red barn with several fenced
in yards. Horses can be seen grazing as well as several mules and ponies.
A large black hound is always basking in the sun outside of the
stable entrance and always wags it's tail to visitors.
The stable master
is a large man with a black beard, always feeding and grooming the mounts.
Although an intimidating man, Jacob is a mild talking, gentle natured man. He
frequents the church on Sundays.
"Sounds great, most of the towns folk usually gather at
Lucille's Restuarant over at Porter's for suppa. We small town folks, you know.
The mayor usually tells us the goins on, if anything. Some days I eat over at De
Putas. By the way, I'm Jacob," he says as he reaches his hand out..
Yellow Dog comes sniffing 'round the stable. As always, he's looking for a meal.
Jacob sees Yellow Dog approaching. Jacob's hound stands up lazily and sniffs a friendly hello to his friend. "Here ya go yellar," says Jacob as he tosses down some beef jerky. "You were almost late, I'm on my way to Porter's for Suppa."
...in only three bites! Yellow Dog wolfs down the jerky! Looking up to Jacob, he pants his grateful smile. He turns and sniffs around Jacob's dog, in the familiar dog nose to dog butt pose. He then trotts off to seek other snacks.
Jacob, attaches a chain to the front stable doors and proceeds to Porter's Inn. It has been a long day for him.
Wesley walks up to the stables. when he sees they are closed
and chained, he loses his smile for a moment.
"Oh, well, Sally,maybe the
church has a small outbuilding or barn...if not, I suppose I'll leave you staked
just outside of town for the night. Shouldn't hurt you any....you've slept that
way all the way here anyway."
Wesley looks around for the owner of the
establishment for a moment, calling out "hello, anyone here?" before heading off
to find a place to put his horse for the night.
I approach my stables and see alot..ALOT of horses simple tied to the chain. "Maybe I should hire a helper, folks seem to come in at all hours." I unchain the door and open the wide entrance. Out comes my dog, all dirty again from the pens. "Well, hello Dog." I say.
"Hello......hello?" Wesley calls out, waiting for a response. When he sees someone, he adds, " I was looking to see who I should pay for Sally here. Sorry to leave her by the fence, but I really couldn't find any other good place to put her for the night....oh, I'm Wesley PAtten...I'm the new pastor. You will be in service this Sunday, won't you? Ten o'clock sharp."
I begin to smile and enthusiastically go to shake the man's
hand, "Wow, you got here fast! The congression said it would be several months
or more before we got a new preacher. Names, Jacob, Jacob Rogers."
I
begin to brush 'Sally' as I ask, "So, where did you come from? Oh, don't worry
about the cost, the last preacher and I set up a payment thing, he'd pay twice a
year. I'll get with you later on that."
Shaking the man's hand, Wesley replies, "Well, I'm from St. Louis most recently, though I've lived many places. My father was a lawman, first a sherriff and later a Deputy US Marshall, so we moved around a bit....oh, yes, there is quite a shortage of ministers compared to the new communities springing up here in the west.... I was just graduatted, so normally I wouldn't be sent to pastor a church, but I was asked to come out here because there is such a great need, and so few to fill the need....many areas have even gone to having a pastor ride a circuit of several towns, but I don't think I'll need to be doing much of that."
"Well, welcome to El Derado, it's on the rebound. There were dark days though here not too long ago. Having a sherriff again sure helps. But our livelyhood depends on the market folks. If that merchant guild was to find another town to wet their whistles, there'd me no more money to run a town with."
"hmmm...I see. Well, Jacob, I wouldn't fret. The good Lord
has a way of seeing to it that we're taken care of. His Word tells us that He
will richly provide for us, if we'll trust ourselves to His loving care. See you
later. Could you have Sally here rubbed down and saddled say around 2 pm....I
think I will ride out to some of the farms and ranches....let them know we will
be having services...I'd certainly appreciate it."
After Jacob replies,
Wesley heads off into town, heading toward Porter's.
"Yep! I'll getter fixed up for ya."
howdy jacob i'm here to take a ride around looking for carlos. I,ll be back in a couple of days. have him ready in 30 min. and theres an extra 4 bits in it for you."as he walks over to general store.
"yes, will do mister."
"I'll need my horse saddled up and ready to go by tonight. I only have 50 cents left after paying you the money when I first got here, so I though I should live off the land for a time."
I look up from another horse that I'm cleaning. "Um..yes sir, will do."
As the cowboys ride in I shade my eyes and think (maybe I can get some work after-all)
The cowboys approach in haste, but as the dust clears, you
notice the men dismounting are not cowboys but businessmen. "Jacob, three days,
please."
One of the businessmen looks at you, "You look like you need
some work?"
ace enters the stable and nods to the men as he walks and starts loading his knew gear up."heres your money i'll be back in a day or so". and ride over to the bank.
"Thanks for your business."
I then notice the
businessmen are back. "Right away sir."
"John, we don't have time," says one of the businessmen.
"Yall two go on, I'll catch up, we need a volunteer if we are going to get this
story." responds 'John'.
John looks back to (Jeb) "So, you interested in
a job?"
" It depends on the job."
"Well, let's find a place to talk, let's just say there's big
bucks and alot of danger involved. Let's step into this bar here, I need a drink
anyhow."
The businessman motions and starts heading to a small bar next
to the tailor shop called, 'Eli's Saloon'.
I follow them, wishing they would explain.
"Jacob?" wesley calls out as he approaches the stable. When he sees the man, he will say," good afternoon." After pleasantries are exchanged, Wesley will add, "I overheard the new doctor say he needs some help transporting his medical supplies to his office. I recalled seeing some wagons parked out here, and thought perhaps you could give him a hand, or maybe one of the folks who own the wagons.I'd be happy to help with the loading and unloading."
"Well this one here is abandoned, the mayor's going to put up for auction, but we could use it. I'll help too, where's the doctor?, last I saw he was helping folks on that street, but I had to do some chores up on the loft for the past few hours."
" I think He was headed to Porter's....I'm sure we can catch
him there if that's where he went. I didn't really talk to him. I just overheard
him say he needed help getting the medical supplies from the merchant's guild."
That said, Wesley helps Jacob hitch the wagon and heads out to find the
doctor.
I close the stable for the evening, finishing up some last minute chores. Then I head over to Porter's for dinner.
Across from Porter's Inn sits a unique establishment,
apparently a modest home transformed into a courthouse. Though only a single
porch, four large elegant pillars hold the porch roof and provide a eccentric
appeal to the place. “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer nisl suscipit
lobortis” is enscribed above the entrance.
The entrance of the place
is odd for a courthouse, black and white checkered floor with red drapes. But
beyond two large double doors rests a recognizable room of law. Several benches
on both sides face a large podium and desk, with a jury bench against the far
right wall. Doors line the sides excessing other areas of the domain. A United
States Flag sits to the right of the judge's seat, while a state flag of Texas
adorns the left. A seal of El Derado is in the middle. The seal shows a snake
being strangled by a farmer while he holds a fig leaf in one hand.
Ed takes the files, looks at them and hands them back,
"Actually your honor, I have a duplicate of these, but I have new ones
that you don't have, I will prepare them and give them to you by the end of the
week. As far as the sherriff is concerned, you would probably be the better
person to talk to him, you know I rarely 'socialize' in the town, as busy as I
am. He does seem to keep to himself doesn't he. I'm sure you will see him for
dinner at Porter's before too long."
Recives the files back.
Thank you Ed, and ill go to
seeing the sherif about Ace at the dinner. Oh and Ed i do apresate the hard work
you do around here. Eden takes his files back to his ofice and stores them wher
they wher. He then walks torweds the doorto go to Poters Inn.
Ed begins working on the Ace Smith case. His study is quite fancy but the lighting is poor. He paces back and forth during periods and constantly trashes useless papers.
Yellow Dog slows down a bit around back of the Courthouse. He sniffs the ground carefully, looking around for scraps. Sometimes a person working late at the Courthouse will have a few leftovers. The folks that work here eat better than at some of his stops.
Ed sees Yellow Dog outside his window again. "Here ya go Yellow Dog, If it wasn't for you, we would've have found that buried evidence to put Ace Smith behind bars." I throw him a turkey sandwhich that I haven't had time to eat.
Yellow Dog inhales the sandwich in a couple of bites! He happily pants up at Edward Reiner, that's the nice man! He remembers other treats. This man is generous. But soon Yellow Dog is distracted and wanders off into the back alley, toward El Salooniditos des Putas.
Edward stretches back in his chair as a sigh of relief
escapes. "Yes, I have finally finished. Whoa it's late, I best be headin' home."
With that Ed locks up the courthouse and walks down Porter Street
towards home.
I am the first to the courthouse, and I go to unlock the door, but it's already unlocked. "oh, the Judge must be in already. I guess I'll head over to Porter's for coffee." I head across the street.
Wait Edward.
*Judge Hummel can be seen heading torwds
Edward.*
the Sherif has arested a bandit last night, so i chose to wait a
bit on telling the sherif about Ace and have you check on this guy, ok?
Jeb walks up to the court house and knocks on the sturdy oaken doors.
Good day sir, Is his Honor in? In case he is not, let me
leave my calling card.
James G. Talbot Esq.
Talbot, Talbot
& Miller
Member New York State Bar
I had agreed with the Judge's decision although I was eager
to put Ace behind bars. However, Carlos Diego was a much highter priority. I had
finished my coffee at Porter's and was heading back across the street..when I
notice two gentlemen at the courthouse entrance, "Good day sirs, I am the town
prosecutor, how can I be of assistance?'
"Oh, another lawyer in town,
this is great." I accept the gentlemen's card and look it over.
" Hello, I was wondering if there is a posse going after this Carlos fellow. The sheriff wasn't in and his deputy doesn't speak english."
"I'm not sure, I missed the town meeting last night. The Judge might know."
"It's okay," I say and walk to stables.
I sit at my desk
and prepare for the 'meeting' with the prisoner over at the Sherriffs office. I
carefully tuck away the 'Ace' files and open a new folder. I place a few sheets
of paper, mostly questions about what to ask of the suspected villian. I get up
to put my hat on, then grab at my 'non-existent' gunbelt. "Hmmm, I reckon I
should get the gun, just in case." I reach into my top drawer and remove my
gunbelt, adorning it carefully, "been a few years" I say to myself. I check the
chamber, and leave one empty. Then I grab my vest and head over to Cane's.
I enter the courthouse and down to the Judge's chamber, I tap at the door then open it, "Hummel, you here?"
"Mayor! Good thing I caught you, we got a problem over at the Sherriff's office, the deputy there, I don't recognize him, well..he went and locked up two writers from the Texan Tribune and about locked me up,...I believe he's a bit over strung about the mexican bandit he's looking over."
"Oh, that's not good. Say, have you seen the judge?"
I am here mayor. You sound like you need to tell me some thing urgent.
"Hummel, the press is in town again. I would like to speed up things with the villian we captured before the press gets a hold of him. I'll get the sherriff to bring him over now, and we do the 'quick' and speedy version of justice, what'dya say?"
I would like to do so but the prosicuter wouled need evadens or the case is nuthing, and two unless the villian whants it, i cant just give him a trial by my self. beilieve me i would like to make a fast trail but unless the prosicuter gets evedens quickly i cant make a proper and leagal trail. Prety much to put it bluntly, unless the Edward gets eny dirt on what the jail bird is convicted of we cant hold trail yet. The only thing i can do is set bail. Also i am planing on Edward talking to the villan to get information on Carlos like his location.
"Well, your a good man Hummel, I respect your descision."
I enter the judge's chamber behind the mayor, "Sir, I can't even get anywhere close to the prisoner, the sherriff has 'starred' a deputy, and the bloody idiot can't even speak English!!! He about went up and shot me!!"
hmm i geast this going to be a hamper on trial. But i think ill talk to this so called deputy and let him know about the importance of you geting information for the trial and how important this trial is, and if he is as not understanding about this trial i geast we will have a bone to pick with the sherif about him
"I'll go with you Judge."
"Judge!!! There's ..There's ..A man has been shot!!! Lookout!! I yell as more firing of guns commences. I fall to the floor as a bullet ricochets into the courtroom. "Judge take cover!!" I pull out my six-shooter, but stay down as dust falls on my head. I cover my eyes and think of my options.
The judge gets down to the ground knowing that the who ever shoting is after the prisoner. Dang it wher is some one to take care of the shoting when you need it? The judge pulls out a deringer and a spare bulete. Unforunetely I never fired a gun in my life!
"Great Scott!!!" I yell as I rush into the courthouse, slamming the door shut behind me. "Hell, I left my gun in the office, ...It's the deputy and some outlaws over at Putas! Where's that Sherriff!!!"
I sewer on my dead wife's grave that i dont know wher the sherif is!
I point my rifle out the doorway, "Keep back Judge, I'll take
whoever comes this way."
"Edward! Pass me your six-gun!"
"I'll not stand for
this kind of lawless behavior in our town. These outlaws must be stopped!"
I toss my pistol to Stone. "You just tell me what to do mayor and I'll do my best, " I say as I cock the winchester and engage a round.
"...muzzle flash Edward. The duel looks to be over, and
anyone still firin' ain't duelin'. They're just shootin' up our town."
"When ya see the muzzle flash, use that t'aim by. If y'see innocents
nearby, don't take the shot unless you're sure you ain't gonna miss."
"At the very least, we can maybe draw them our way. And we can use this
building to our advantage."
"Okay mayor, will do." After a moment of looking out the window, I don't see much except an occassional flash of light from inside the sherriffs office, "I don't have a shot! It's too hard to tell!"
"Sir! I believe the doctor is entering the sherriff office, should we go?!"
After departing El Derado from Main Street, the winding dirt
road leads several miles to a magnificent cattle ranch known as Rancho Dose
Estara. Dose Estara sits between El Derado and Jed Ruban's Farm.
Rancho Dose Estara stretches amazingly over 1200 acres and is the
home of some of the best cattle in the region. The Riviara Family are the owners
and their popularity in the area is unmatched. The road through the ranch is
called Trostles Road, and several smaller roads lead to various ranch buildings
and barns. The Rancho Dose Estara Estate is truly exhalting, sitting high on a
slope overlooking the majority of the white fenced cattle lots.
Workers and hired hands are constantly out and about in the area,
and there is a strange irrigation invention that stops people on the road. A
long pipe on large wagon wheels moves slowly over the fields. Cattle dwell near
the puddles of water and stare at travellers on Trostle Road as they go by.
Further along the road lies Ruban Farm.
I pull up my wagon in haste. "What is going on here?!"
Seeing that the sherriff has arrived and deducting that the 'good' has prevailed, I emerge from the woods and approach the men. If they seem startled, I proclaim my status, "Captain James Tellfeild, 4th United States Cavalry, Station 431, Texas."
Olaf climbs from beehind whatever cover he manages to find. He addresses the Marshall and anyone else that will listen, "We schooen der creemnallen deisse dime, ja? We shooen der creemnallen das ist nicht ser gut du causse der treblen vit der gut volken der hier, ja?"
Henry stands up from behind the wagon, glancing at the bandits making sure they are out. "Sheriff, glad you could make it. These dead mexicans attacked us. I am afraid Miss Susen and her father may be in trouble. Lets go check inside and see if they still be there." Moving quickly without waiting for the sheriff, Henry runs up to the door and opens it with a knife ready to throw.
At the rear of the house, Vincenzo slips inside through a doorway (if there is one unguarded) or a window (if there's one unlocked). Once inside he will proceed slowly, cautiously, trying not to reveal that he is there, at least until he sees or hears where the other Bandits and Miss Susen might be. He will leave his rifle near the door or window he came-in, and draw his pistol and sword.
Vincenzo is the first in the home, climbing through an open window. Once inside, he manages to move from room to room in a silent but quick fashion. He is startled to find a room full of bound prisoners..the butler, the maid, and several ranch hands are all tied up and gagged, placed in a circle. But it's the moaning in an adjacent room that get's his attention. As he quickly moves to the sound, he passes the front door to place, and it's obvious a struggle occurred here. Suddenly the front door bursts open and Vincenzo points his gun at the intruder. It's Henry! The moaning is coming from the kitchen.
I wish I had deputies, I think to myself. This area is going to need a full investigation. "I gotta get this prisoner back to Derado. Tellfeild!, I'm going to need your help here, secure the area, and find out all you can about what happened. I'll be here first thing in the morning! Olaf! I'm appointing you my deputy as of this moment! Run like the wind and get your wagon, you're going to help me make sure this train gets to Derado. Hurry man!" I snap the reigns and hurry off back to town.
"Right Cane! I'll see you in the morn." I immediately run up to the mexican bandits to review the situation. My next goal is to interrogate the ranch hands and search for clues, possibly tracks leading to and from the home.
Vincenzo holds up his hand toward Henry, in a gesture of silence. Then he points toward the kitchen from where the moaning is coming. Vincenzo cautiously proceeds toward the moaning. If he can, he will attempt to peak into the room. Taking-off his hat and crouching low, he just lets one eye and the side of his head show.
"De Putee? Vas ist das? Oofta, deisse riffraff spricht ser strag" Olaf does his best to figure out what the sherrif is trying to tell him. Understanding "Wagon" And "come", Olaf will go get his wagon , bring it back, and follow the sherriff.
Vincenzo peers into the kitchen area to see an elderly man on the floor. He is groaning in pain and holding his leg. The floor here is muddy and footsteps lead to a back door which is wide open, swaying in the wind.
...after the horses have left the barn!
Vincenzo
rushes in to see if he can help the old gentleman. He pays especial close
attention to his leg, obviously in pain. He asks the old man quickly, "The
Senoritta? What has happened to Senoritta Susen Riviara?" Still attending the
old man's wounds, Vincenzo looks up and says to Henry, "Check out back, they may
still be in sight!"
Henry takes a quick glance in the kitchen as Vincenzo hurries to help the man, (Susen's father right?). He then quickly follows Vincenzo's suggestion and quickly runs to the back to see if he can see Susen being carried off. If he doesn't see them, he will slowly examine the ground for tracks, and follow them a short ways when found to assure himself which way they are going and not just any random tracks that would be found on a ranch.
Vincenzo follows the tracks far enough to get an idea of the direction that the Bandits are going. He will pick-up the tracks in the morning. He returns to the Ranchos and confers with henry the information that he's found. Also asking for items Henry may have noticed. Vincenzo then asks if someone can help him attend his minor wound and where he might rest for the night. He will sleep fitfully, but at least 3-4 hours uninterupted; ready to start on the trail at first light.
Vincenzo and Henry do find significant tracks coming from the
rear of the home. Henry is able to distinguish that after a few feet, the tracks
were of the full galloping type. Henry rubs a certain track and also puts his
ear to the ground. (ooc: Henry notices they are far gone, and one horse had
'extra' weight, perhaps two or more riders).
Susen is nowhere to be
found. Her father alive but wounded calls out her name, "Susen!, Susen! My Dear
Susen!"
By this time, a good number of ranchers, cowboys, hirelings and
neighbors have engulfed the home's immediate yard. Before the cowboys started to
pull the bandits into a guarded area, Capt. Tellfeild was able to search them.
The following facts are determined by inquisition from Capt. Tellfeild,
Henry, Vincenzo, and several ranch hand leaders: It had turned dark, tracks lead
out of the tall corn field out back to the rear of the house. Two cowboys, Jake
and London were chopping wood, now dead in the kitchen, stabbed and dragged
inside. The bandits entered through a rear window, then unlocked other areas for
other bandits, the butler was attacked in the hallway, the maids were in rooms
cleaning when abducted. Everyone, except the father was tied and bound, maybe
two hours. There was yelling, then shuffle sounds, glass breaking. Silence, then
door opening. Silence, door opening again, then scuffle. A scream and horses
galloping, then gunshots for about fifteen minutes.
Henry gathers with the Capt. and Vincenzo, and a few of the other ranch hands, "Capt. I suggest we send someone to inform the sheriff about this and let him know at least some of us are going after them as soon as we can. Vincenzo you are welcome to join us, your rifle would come in mighty handy."
"The sherriff will be arriving in the morning, do you want to leave now or wait for him?"
"Senor Henry, I appreciate your concern for the young Miss Riviara. The Bandits could kill her at anytime. However, they must be aware that to do so, would be to lose their leverage. As long as she's alive, they can use her against us, as a hostage. If we follow the Bandits now, we enter their domain, tired, I'm wounded, and uncertain as to where they are. They have all of the advantages. If we rest a little, and make a plan, perhaps with the help of the towns people, we can increase our chances of rescuing the Senoritta alive. If you must follow them immediately, then perhaps take a few men who can scout their camp, quietly, secretly, without being discovered. Then report back to the rest of us what you find. What do you believe is the best approach?"
"You are right Vincenzo. You especially need your rest, I hadn't even noticed you were bleeding. I will take 2-3 others with me on a scouting mission. Only the best trackers and quietest. Capt. I am unsure of your abilities, but if you are capable I would like to have you with me, if not, a couple of the boys here will do just fine. We need to find where they have taken her before there is any chance that the tracks will be destroyed."
"I want to go in all honesty, but I really must wait for Cane. If I go with you I might not make it back by morning, as I am tired as well. I rode in with the morning mail today, which seemed like weeks ago. Here take my canteen, it's full."
"Good Luck Senor Henry! ...and Be Careful! These are
obviously desperate men! Don't take any chances until you've had a chance to
report back their location. Fear not my friend, we will get her back!"
At this point Vincenzo will seek out a servant who can help with his
wound. "I'll need a bottle of something strong, Tequila, to clean the wound.
Also, I'll need a clean cotton cloth to bandage the wound. And is there
somewhere that I can lay down for a few hours?"
A maid tends to your wound Vincenzo, she is an elderly
Spanish lady. One of the cowboys speaks up, "We won't be safe in the home, we
will make the largest guest home a secure place for everyone to get some rest.
Me and the boys are going to stay up all night and keep an eye out."
After sleeping in the bunkhouse, set-up for safety by the
cowhands, Vincenzo wakes to the early morning sun. At first he doesn't remember
where he is. The stiffness of his wound reminds him. He gets up tenderly and
looks for a cup of coffee, and for someone who might know what's going.
"Mr. Riviara? Henry? Major? Anyone here?"
Vincenzo is stiffer than he'd thought from the battle last
night. Finding the coffee, he is concerned at not seeing any sign of Henry. Did
he even return after leaving to track the Banditos? He goes outside and whistles
for his horse, Satan. The horse trotting up having stayed nearby for the night.
He waters and feeds the horse some oats. Then brushes him down a bit, not much
worse the wear for the night out. He checks the cinch of the saddle starps and
the horse's shoes for stones. Then mounting-up, he prepares to ride out to where
he'd followed the Banditos' tracks last night. Before leaving, he looks around
for the anyone else who might be around, once more.
I stayed out on the range during the night, dozing off in a guard position. I wake up and grab coffee, waiting for Sherriff Cane to arrive. "Good morning, Vincenzo's the name right?"
The sun rises on Rancho Dose Estara and cowboys are millowing around the home, not yet ready to start routine chores. Susen's father is inside the home. A maid has brought out coffee and danishes for everyone. The front porch seems to be the main gathering place. Present are Capt. Tellfeild, Vincenzo, several ranch hands, cowboys, the boy.
"Has anyone seen Henry? Has he returned? We'd better plan for the worst! Captain, can you lend any troops to help? And what of that Sheriff? Does he have any men to spare? I don't plan to wait very long before scouting ahead. But I'd like to know what kind of back-up we might organize. Some of these cowhands would help I'm sure. I'd like three men with me, if there are three who're ready. One at least, who knows the area well!"
Down the road, a cloud of dust can be seen approaching, a cowboy gallops up, "Canes coming, be here any minute." The cowboy then strides off gun in hand.
The normally cool and composed, Vincenzo is beginning to look
the worse for the wear. His concern for the Senoritta and Henry is visiblely
affecting him. "I'd like to leave as soon as possible. But for the same reason,
I fear Henry might have met a bad fate. So I will wait for the Sheriff."
Vincenzo drinks his coffee and eats a danish while waiting for the
Sheriff. He discusses tactics with the Captain. "I'd like to scout ahead as soon
as possible, taking a few men who are good shots with a rifle, and at least one
who knows the area. What do you believe is our best tactic?" By the time the
Sheriff rides up Vincenzo appears a little more composed, yet deeply concerned.
"Good morning Sheriff. It is good to see you! Do you have any news about the
Banditos? Are there any other men from town who are willing to help us affect
this rescue of the Senoritta Riviara?"
Tellfeild nods as he listens to the man dressed in the fancy
clothes. He has never liked people that wear overly fancy clothing. They always
seem to be just showoffs with no real skill to back up their clams to fame. This
one doesn’t strike him as very different, but still he fought the bandits and
seems to be genuinely concerned about the safety of the missing lady and her
servant.
“I don’t have any troops under my direct command right now. I
could ride up to the fort and gather my company but that would take the better
part of the day and by then Carlos’ men would be long gone and dug in. I am sure
that the cowboys would be willing to lend a hand. I will ask them when the
sheriff gets here.”
He watches Cane ride up and stands in greeting.
“Good morning Cane. I trust that you are feeling well. What do you say that we
start tailing the bandits that attacked here? I was thinking that perhaps if we
don’t plan on making any fast moves I could ride up to the fort and gather my
troops to help in the hunt. What do you say?”
I pull up my wagon to see the waiting party at the Rancho
front steps. "Okay, I'm ready to get this Carlos character off my back. If it
ain't one thing, he's got the mayor all over my back."
I approach
Tellfeild first, "What do we know?"
After Tellfields prologue I give the
low down on the current situation. "The mayor is forming a posse with his bunch
of fruit cakes, there's bounty hunters leaning on every street post, and things
have gotten so out of hand, I got a guy who can't even speak english as a
deputy. I didn't have time to interrogate the prisoner, he wouldn't talk on the
ride in. Were there any tracks?"
"That might not be a bad idea, but I if we all go out, whose watchin in? We need just as many men here and Derado. "
"It is your job to organize the people and keep the peace here, my good Sheriff and Captain. I on the other hand, am unattached to people or duty. This makes me available to carry out more immediate, more dangerous jobs such as scouting the Bandito's camp. I am worried however, that that half-breed Henry has not returned. It is not likely that he has been easily tricked or ambushed. I am sure that these men are well prepared. Would that you could, I invite you to join me. But I understand that you have your responsibilities here. Any last suggestions or instructions? Captain? Sheriff?"
I look at the man, "Who are you?"
Finally another cowboy rides up with good news, the cowboy is out of breath as he says, "We've got fresh tracks, north...Henry is waiting for us..he's at the Pass..No, no sign of Susen."
"My good Sheriff, were we to meet under more civil circumstances I would be glad to give you the full introduction, not so much to impress you, as to inform you with whom you are dealing. I am Vincenzo Lucifer of the Spanish House of Lucifer. I have left those trappings of luxury, to find a more fullfilling life on the range, as a manhunter. Only new to the area, I have yet to become fully introduced with your good town. But I assure you, if I have no business here, I shall move on without incident. And now if we may, I believe that our good Henry may have found out more about the Banditos! Shall we gentlemen?" he says with a wave toward the range from whence the cowboy'd just arrived.
Cane looks at Vincenzo, "Well, pleasure to meet you, I'm Cane, now that's over with let's go get Carlos." Cane looks at the gathering of ranchhands and cowboys. "Now listen up, we're going to keep this fight out of El Derado, am I clear on that? I don't want anyone bringing guns into my town, what you all do outside of town is your own business. Now I don't have to tell everyone about the danger involved with this Carlos character, so whoever's going with us, you do so at your own risk. Okay, everyone whose going saddle up!!"
Captain Tellfeild nods grimly when he hears the news about the tracks. “It seems that we don’t have time to gather troops from the fort. I will ride with you.” He tucks his carbine under his arm and walks over to his horse. After sticking the small rifle in the saddle sheath he vaults into the saddle and rides to where the others are gathering.
The Hunt has begun. The search party consists of the
sherriff, the captain, a spanish conquistidor, and three Estara cowboys.
One of the ranchhand proclaims, "Good luck, and speed be with you. The
rest of us will keep a guard here, if they come back we'll finish em off."
Over several ridges and past the elegant Rancho Dose Estara
sits a very flat, almost desert-like farm, Jed H. Ruban's place. Though more
land makes up Ruban's Farm, only a small part of it is profitable, and by the
looks of the house, it would be easy to predict that times are harsh for the
Ruban family.
The general crop for Mr. Ruban is wheat and corn,
although corn is very scarce. The Ruban household is very small compared to a
large, red barn that adorns it. Smoke is coming from a large pit and gives an
acute smell to visitors. Horses can be seen grazing as well as mules, cows, and
goats. There is scrap metal and wood littered throughout the area, most
unusable.
I peer through the make-shift telescope in the direction of
the men talking. I try to see into the ditch. "Stay low men".
Darby was brung-up right, respecting the Law! He senses that
this scene is already too hot for common folks such like he.
"Thank you
fer d'vice, Kernnel! I reckon you fine Officiers of tha Law have some serious
bidness to take care of. I'll mosey on to the town and find a place to stay.
Nice to meet ya!"
With this he mosies his horse at a slow walk, in the
direction of town. Curious, he keeps looking back o'er his shoulder now and
agin, just in case something happens.
Cane pulls his horse along side of Tellfeild and dismounts. "What do you have there Billy? Your father told me, you two caught one of the bandits." Cane pulls out his Winchester rifle from his saddle sheath and heads in the direction of the ditch. He ignores the visitor who has mosey'd along.
Darby Hanks mosies on to town. He passes a few people on the
way, always tipping his hat for the ladies. But feeling tired and hungry, he
doesn't stop until he's in town.
I approach the ditch and then shake my head in disbelief. "Captain. You need to see this." Billy starts to grin from ear to ear.
“Right sheriff.” Tellfeild dismounts and keeping a hand on his saber hilt makes his way to where Cane is standing.
As you peer into the ditch you almost get a face of dirt, for
a large mexican is digging a ditch. He is cut and bruised but gives a wearily
look up momentarily.
"Keep on diggin you!!" yells Billy. "See, I got him
doin' some work! Figured he wasnt doin' much good all tied up, he tried to get
away, but one slap with the gunstock and he knew who was boss!"
"But I
reckon he's yours now ain't he?"
As Billy ponders the mexicans demise,
Jed and Olaf finally arrive.
"Whatchu got there Billy Bob? Now what in the hail blazes are you doin son!!?" yells Jed. "Sorry Sherriff, I don't know 'bout my boy sometimes.."
I reach down in the pit, to get an arm under the mexican, "Good Grief!!!" I try to lift him up, "Help me get him out of here Captain, would you?" I lay my winchester down to get a good grip.
Seeing the farm boy raise the shotgun, Olaf jumps into the
back of his buckboard, his own shotgun in hand. His trusty double barrell 12
gauge has seen him through a tough spot or two, though he'd rather not have to
use it, except on wolves and coyotes. The two dogs in the wagon begin to growl.
The larger one seems to be especially uneasy.
Seeing that the young
farmer doesn't seem to mean him any personal harm , Olaf quietly watches,
wonderring what in Gott's Nomen is going on.
Seeing the man tied up and
the wariness of the others, Olaf checks the loads in his shotgun, then reaches
into the wagon producinbg an old Sharps breechloader. He loads a round into the
breech and quietly looks around for a moment before addressing Jed...
"Herr Yed, ich danke du nicht on der sit Olaf. Ich vanten ein plow und
der sheepen. Vas ist das? Du needen Olaf vor to help vit creemnalen? Der
riffraff ist der ein vich helpen vit der creemnalen.Uf du needen , ich vill
habben mach hahp du helpen.....der gut buch sacht du mast helpen du nay barn,
und ich vill helpen uf du needen, aber ich danke ve cummen du pur case ein
plow."
Olaf looks around nervously, then gets off his wagon, standing
behind it with a confused look on his face.
I scold my son Billy,.."Son! Don't you know your suppose to
point that gun down when you talkin' to folks, you might accidentally fire that
thing!"
I look to Olaf, "I think the sherriff has got everything under
control, tell you what,..the plow is in the barn, why don't you go over and take
a look, I'll be over shortly as soon as we git this prisoners loaded up."
"Que muchos amigos, que pasa, Raul?"
Olaf nods at Jed "Ja, Herr Yed, ich vant du schee der plow."
With that he wanders toward the barn, his shotgun over his shoulder. He tosses
the rifel back into the back of the wagon, stratling the dogs, who jump out of
the wagon and start howling at nothing in particular. The smaller one sniffs at
Jed while the larger one meanders toward the Sherriff, his head a little low.
Walking in to the barn , Olaf looks at the old plow. "Ich danke ich kan
vixen der plow, ja?" he says to no one in particular.
Walking back out,
he says "HErr Yed, Ich vill mach du ein dell ser gut. Ich vill gibben
du....zwanzig do laren. Der plow ist ser alt und needen mach...how du
sacht....pears...ja...mach pears.....Zwanzig do laren....ist ser gut, ja?"
"I wouldn't get so close sheriff. He is not tied up and could easily fight you. Jed could you go and get us some rope please." While saying this Tellfeild has his pistol in his hand pointing at the bandit in the ditch.
"Jed, don't just stand there, go get me some rope would you!?
...and I'm taking your wagon for a little ride into Derado."
I look to
the Tellfeild, "We'll tie em up in the wagon and drag his ass to jail. Then
we'll interrogate him,...you good at interrogation?"
Jed holds his back as he goes up into the porch of his modest farmhouse and brings back a line of rope. "Here's a 25 footer, sherriff".
As the sherriff corrals the prisoner and begins to tie his
hands and feet, one of
Olaf's dogs starts barking intensely in the direction
of an open field. Besides a
large woodline, nothing can be seen.
Tellfeild keeps his pistol trained on the bandit as he talks
to the sheriff. "I don't speak Spanish unfortunetly so I probably won't be of
much help there."
When the dog goes nuts at the woodline Tellfeild does
take his eyes away from the bandit to glance at the woodline. He speaks very
softly so that only those close to him can hear. "Beware Cain, dogs like that
don't lie." He looks back at the others and keeps talkig softly. "It could have
seen a rabbit or something, or it could be that we are not the only ones
interested in this lad. Jeb, you might want to get out your gun now. Don't be
odvious about it. Make it look like you are just taking it out for a dayly
cleaning. Billy, get inside and let your mother know that if you have a basement
connected to the house now is the time to use it. Unless of course she can shoot
a gun. I could be wrong about this but it is better to be safe then sorry."
Olaf, hearing his dog barking, says, "Vas ist, Fritz? "
Olaf slowly walks over to his wagon, his mind off the plow now as
everyone seems a bit out of sorts.
Olaf will stand behind the wagon, ready
to duck behind it if need be and scan the treeline where his dog is barking
toward. Too many times his dogs have warned him when some cattle rancher wanted
to kill him and his sheep. Of course, his dogs will bark at most anything
they're not familiar with, so maybe it's nothing.....
"No like the situation Ricardo. I say we wait..unto they are in range. Si senor, muchos gringos. Go get the horses."
"Si senor! Que pasa el Dog?"
Olaf quietly scans the treeline, wonderring what has riled
his canine friend.(( He will size up the range to the tree line. If it is more
than 100 yards or so, he will put the shotgun in the back of the wagon and
retrieve the old Sharps and a pocket full of bulletts.))
Quietly, Olaf
mutters, "Gut Gott, meine Vater, Ich aska du helpen du kinder. Ich veel zeig ich
auf un ein land vas ist ser unfreundlich. Ich habbe mach needen du comes fort."
I push the mexican up on the wagon and tie him to the side posts. "Let's get his train rollin' who's ridin' shotgun?" I ask as I load my two six shooters. Finally I pick up my Winchester ready to hand it to whoever rides with me. "Jed, make sure my horse gets back to Jacobs' will ya?" Then I board the wagon.
“Sorry Cain, I just can’t stand the wagon seat. I’ll stay in
my saddle and ride point.” Tellfeild vaults into his saddle holstering his
pistol. "Just keep your eyes open everyone. I have a bad feeling about this.
Jed, you are welcome to take your family to the fort for protection. The
Major knows me and he will take care of you." He tosses down a scarf, "Here give
the major that if he gives you any trouble. He'll know what it means."
"Du riden ein shotgoon?" Olaf asks, more confused than ever,
"Dast ist ser...how du sacht...dangerful....ja....riden der shotgoon...das ist
nicht richtig...du shuten der shotgoon....der bangen bangen...du riden der
vagon." Olaf shakes his head, mutterring to homself, "Der riffraffen auf
American ist ein dumkopf, ich dunke"
Looking the situation over, Olaf
says to Jed, "Ich vill pur case du plow ein otter day. der riffraffen needeen
ein man vich haben ein kopf vast ist nicht ....how du sacht...en der
heiner...auf deis ist ein creemnalen, der riffraff needen mach helpen und Olaf
vill ...how du sacht....goo vit der riffraffen."
Hearing someone mention
something about Spanish, Olaf says "Spansch? Ich spricht Spanch ser gut, ja"
seeing no one really getting what he means, Olaf says, still with a slight
accent, "Yo hablo espanol muy bien.Diga me...este caballero...es espanol su
lingua de este caballero?"
I give a stare at Olaf, not mean, nor nice but quizical. "I don't understand you." With that I give a hard yank on the reigns and pull the wagon back onto the road. "YyaH!" I yell at the horses as I head back to El Derado.
I take the scarf from the Captain and ponder to myself,
*hmmm, free meals I bet at that fort*, "C'mon Billy! We headin' for the Fort, go
grab Bobby Sue, Jason, Jimmy, Jack, and Jo Jo. Don't forget Mammie neither."
"We'll take the spare wagon out in the yard. I know the wheels a busted,
but it'll move enough, now get goin' son!!"
Before Billy runs to grab the family, he pauses at Olaf, "You
comin' with us?" Jed gets the wagon ready and replies to Olaf, "Yeah, we work
out the par-tick-ulers on the plow a later". You come back now ya her?"
Captain Tellfield and Sherriff Cane round the last bend of the road out
of Jed's Farm and see nothing suspicious on their travels. The town is another
several miles away.
Olaf looks at Jed, "Ja, Herr Yed...ich vill comen und pur
case du plow un otter time."
Olaf jumps in his buckboard, snaps the
reigns and begins to follow the sherriff and the soldier. His two dogs hop into
the back before the wagon picks up much speed, hanging their heads out of the
side of the wagon. Olaf keeps both his shotgun and rifle close by.
"Expediente! Ricardo! We cannot let the hombres take Senor Hector. We must at least try , tell the men to ready their guns. We use Barbatos Pass, quick now move!!
Sherriff Cane speeds down the dirt road following Captain
Tellfeild. Not far behind is Olaf, whose dogs hang on for dear life as the wagon
bounces from rocks below. It is a full moon out, giving an eerie illumination to
the terrain.
It is not long before the group crosses Jed's property line
and into the land of Rancho Dose Estara. After several minutes, an all too
familiar sound can be heard from over the hills. Shots!! Gunfire in the night!
Yet a good distance away.
"Sounds like those shots are coming from the Rancho Dose estate. We better hurry!" I yell to Tellfeild. I whip the horses with the reigns but they can't seem to go any faster. "Damn!"
Olaf pulls up next to the sherriffs wagon and says in a
hoarse whisper," Riffraffen....auf der...how du sacht....platz der moo-en moo-en
....ich hieren der goons...bangen bangen. Vas ist?"
Olaf is trying to
stay somewhat low ,and is holding his breech loader in one hand, with the
shotgun close by on the buckboard, looking to see if he can tell what is going
on.
Tellfeild hears the shots and wheels his horse around, “Lets go and have a look see shall we.” He makes his horse walk towards the ranch house trying see what is going on before he rides off into the middle of a gun fight.
Tellfeild dismounts and quietly leads his horse threw the fields.
Olaf looks back and forth between the two lawmen,trying to
decide who to follow ((OOC:how far are we,or how far does Olaf figure it to
be...Tellfield is running on foot...how long would it take to run there on
foot))
the dogs whimper and pace uneasilly in the back of the wagon.
Olaf, you can make out flash's of gunfire through the night and estimate the distance to be relatively close, but you are not sure. You figure the field to be the quickest route than a winding road, however you do remember seeing white pickett fences that would impede your wagon.
Olaf looks around for a good sized tree and ties the team to
it, seting the wagon's brake as well(working as quickly as he can and noting
which way Tellfield goes). He grabs a box each of 12 gauge shells and bullets
and stuffs them in his pockets. He grabs his rifle in his right hand and his
shotgun in his left and takes off after Tellfield. He mutters to himself "Deisse
Riffraff scheemen du habbe mar brinen auf det otter riffraffen" In his mind are
pictures of the lovely young lady he had seen in town earlier.
His dogs
instincitvely follow after him,and he whispers to them "Shhhhhh!"
Olaf will
follow Tellfield untill he can make out what is happenning, trying to stay
unnoticed,using cover when possible (so long as he can still keep up with
Tellfield.)
If Tellfield is already way out of sight, Olaf will just head
the general direction he did and try to keep in cover.
Securing your wagon took some time, before long Sherriff Cane disappears down the road. But you secure your wagon and head off in the general direction of Tellfeild. You don't see him, but you see his tracks his horse makes in the wheat field. The gunfire has begun to steadily increase and louder, as you can only imagine the horror that lies ahead.
Figurring that no one in the gunfight is likely to notice
him, with it being dark and them being shot at, Olaf breaks into a dead run
untill he is close enough to get some idea of what's going on. When he is close
enough, he will get behind the best hard cover he can find. If bullets seem to
be getting too close, or if it appears he is being shot at, he will immediately
seek cover.
"Commen" Olaf says to the dogs as he breaks into the run.
Tellfeild approaches another fence in which he has to jump
over with his horse or take a long round about way, but after successfully
herdling, he finds himself in a corn field that ends right near the massive
Ranch home of Rancho Dose Estara. There is little doubt that a gunfight has
erupted here. Still only flashes in the night, you can make out smoke from the
rifles now, and hear several shouts from men. From his military experience he
gathers it's a standard faceoff between no more than six to ten individuals.
Tellfeild turns around at a slight noise to see the German farmer
following close behind. The farmer has brandished a shotgun.
I tie my horse up to the nearest tree and pull out my army
carbine from it's sheath. When Olaf gets close enough, I motion with two fingers
to move to the right, while I motion myself as going left.
With that I
duck slightly and head across the open space to the home.
Rancho Dose Estara sits on a crest below a much larger obstacle. A long ridge that protrudes from the desert. From ground level, the only break through the craggy terrain is through a low point on the ridge. This crack is known as Barbados Pass to the old Spanish caravans.
Tracks lead to this point at Barbados Pass. A Dose Estara cowboy props a rifle in your direction, then releases his aim after recognizing your party. He emerges from behind a rock on the slopes craggy side and approaches the trail.
"Whoa Satan, easy" Vincenzo pulls back on his horse's reins. "Hello" he says to the sentry. "Is this where Henry is waiting?" Vincenzo slides out of the saddle. He checks his pistol and pulls his rifle from its holster. Leading his horse, he says, "Show us the way."
*HE doesnt notice the others he hasent been riding long he has a 44. Lighting in each pocket he then turns and sees the others his hand over the 44. just in case*
The cowboy is delighted to see everyone, it's been a long
morning. "Henry is down the trail about 40 clicks. He'll sure be glad to see
you, C'mon, I take you too him."
As you enter the Pass, you see of lone
drifter approaching from behind, he is riding a small horse and appears to be a
boy, as he approaches you, you instead find him to be a young man(dav). The most
noticeable feature is his lack of a gunbelt as two pistols appear to be stuffed
in his pockets.
I stop my horse (which was one of the wagon steeds), and waits to get a clear eye on the boy's identity. After I don't recognize him I say, "Son, you seen any Mexican bandits on your travels?"
Thats what i was about to ask you im looking for Carlos Diagos
"Well then, continue on lad, but I would stay close to Derado if I was you," Then I continue on following to Henry's position.
It's not long before the group meets up with Henry, the
Indian ranchhand of Rancho Dose Estara.
"Henry right? Sherriff Cane, what can you tell us about their tracks, how far off are they?" I dismount my horse to shake Henry's hand. Then I kneel down next to the tracks and rub them, acting as though I know what I'm doing although I don't.
Tellfeild rides up behind the others and looks around. After seeing Henry he nods a greeting to him. Purely a polite greeting, of course. He has fought more than one native in his career and while he does his best not to hold grudges against his opponents he still can’t forget the friends and comrades that he left behind on those battlefields. Another memory tugs at his mind but he quickly pushes it away and returns to the task at hand. While the sheriff pretends to look at the tracks Tellfeild check out the rocks surrounding them and looks down the pass for any sign of a possible ambush or a location where an ambush would be set.
"Hello sheriff. Yes I am Henry. Glad to see you looking strong Vincenzo. The tracks lead off further in that direction," he indicates which, "I did not follow them any further than here, afraid of possible ambush and the dangers of moving around in the dark. It appears that several others joined up right before entering the pass, and it still appears one of the horses is carrying an extra rider, presumebly our kidnap victim. Now that there are others to watch the horizon, I can attempt to follow the tracks."
"Yes I am doing well Henry. It was just a scratch and thank you for asking." Vincenzo hides the fact that his 'scratch' is still a bullet wound, stiff and sore. He has lost a little blood and will tire more easily. But it is not enough to stop a strong man used to such hardships. He takes a minute to scan the horizon, the position of the pass is not good. He acknowledges the same outcroppings and places for ambush, as noted by the Captain. "But then this is the hand we are dealt gentlemen" he states the obvious. "Henry, if you will, I shall shadow your movements, following a little behind. I am good at tracking, and a fair shot, should you miss something or get into trouble. Then I'd reccomend that the rest follow, but cautiously of course. Does this sound acceptable to everyone?" He looks around, especially to the Sheriff, not wanting to assume anything, until all have had their say.
"Just as I thought, we're being followed, that kid is going to get himself killed or one of us. Either we bring him in, or get rid of him. Henry and Vincenzo, go ahead, we'll wait here for you to get a good start. As soon as you fade in the distance, we'll follow. Now, what to do about that kid."
Tellfeild keeps facing forward as he rides along side of Cane. He whispers to Cain without turning his head, “How about this. You stop to check your horse’s hooves. I think you picked up a rock or two back there.” Wink wink. “I will continue to follow the others and then when I am out of sight I will climb the walls around us and come up behind him and ether put a bullet threw him or knock him out with my rifle but. I know that this may sound a bit extream, but how do we know that he isn't one of Carlos' men? I don't know about you but I'd rather not take that chance while I have a choice.”
"Right" I whisper. Then I slowly dismount and begin to check the horses hooves. I tell the three Ranchos cowboys, "don't look back, but we are being followed. We are going to ride along in just a bit and Tellfeild is going to find out what that kid is up too. Just a bit longer, " I say as Tellfeild is out of sight. "Okay lets move now, slowly," As we all get back on our horses, I say to the men, "We don't know if this kid is alone, so after Tellfeild makes his move, we'll turn around quickly and join him, but keep your eyes open around us,"
Seeing the Sheriff nod Tellfeild calls out laud enough so
that everyone with them can hear. “I am going ahead to join Henry. They might
need my help if they run into something.” With that he rides on ahead.
Once he is out of sight of Cain and the cowboys, as well as Dav,
Tellfeild will quickly dismount, grab his carbine and give his horse a pat on
the rump to make it continue along the trail. Henry will easily be able to catch
the horse and will have no trouble with him, as long as nobody tries to ride him
that is.
Seeing that his horse is trotting on ahead Tellfeild will then
sling the carbine over his shoulder and climb the west wall of the pass
(Assuming that there is a way to do this. If not than he attempts to hid behind
a rock.) Once he is on top of the pass wall he will check around for a place
where he can hide from the people walking on the road but still be able to see
them and get a clear shot if need be. Once he finds a hiding place he will squat
down and wait.
The Ranchos cowboys and I continue on following Henry and Vincenzo's lead with Tellfeild well out of sight. As we make it through the end of the pass and out into the desert, I try to make small talk with the ranchhands, and at least get to know their names.
Dav yells out into the desert wind. He listens with the ear for any hint of a sound acknowledging his voice. He only hears desert crickets and a coyote howl in the distance. Dav has lost sight of the sherriff as they make it over a ridge up ahead.
Tellfeild watches the young fool from his hiding place on the
pass wall and mentally reviews the situation. The boy is dangerous. He may be a
member of Carlos’ gang, and even if he is not his foolish actions and blatant
lack of skill in outdoors situations dealing with terrain and combat would give
the others away far better than a column of two hundred cavalry ever could. This
prompts Tellfeild to want to put a bullet through the lad’s head, but then the
boy starts shouting and waving his gun around. This proves that the child is
confused and scared. James thinks to himself, Why do they always have to think
that this sort of thing is just like those damned dime novels. If I could I
would strangle every one of those writers. Those damned books have sent more
unthinking lads to their deaths than military service.
Tellfeild decides
to give the boy a chance to walk away with his life. He aims his carbine at the
boy’s feet and squeezes of a shot with no warning. The sound of the powder going
off fills the silent pass as if a hundred rifles had gone off at the same time.
Then, before the boy can react, the carbine is already re-cocked and
Tellfeild, still hidden from sight, shouts down to him in his deepest voice.
Tellfeild’s voice echoes off of the stone walls of the pass so that it seems to
be coming from everywhere at once.
“Put down those Hog Legs boy. I could
have just as easily put lead through your head as into the dirt at your feet.
This is dangerous territory and nowhere for a strapling like you to be without
your daddy. Go home now! If you don’t I can’t vouch for your safety, from Carlos
or myself. Have I made myself clear?”
*Rage fills Dav as The man Yells about his father*"LEAVE MY PARENTS OUT OF THIS CARLOS!"*Dav mistakes the man for Carlos and attempts to Fire at the voice but misses and hits the rocks he then runs and hides behind a rock hoping to be in cover from the shooter*
Tellfeild flinches slightly as the bullet hits one of the
rocks around him. That was too close for comfort. He calls down to the kid again
“Listen lad, I am not, and never will be, Carlos. You had best learn
more about situations before you start shooting off your hogleg like that. I
gave you a warning shot before, I wont do it again. Next time I will aim to kill
if I have to. I have no desire to exchange lead with you here. I suggest that
you hightail it back to the town right now, before you meet up with someone that
doesn’t have problems with killing kids.”
After saying that Tellfeild
retreats slowly from where he was and makes his way across the heights hiding
behind rocks and boulders when he can.
Dav remains motionless and trys to find the 'voice'.
Pulling-up short of the gunfire, Vincenzo dismounts and
settles Satan to some grass nearby. He takes out his Winchester, levering it to
be sure there's a bullet in the chamber. Just then the other cowboys sent to
explain things to him, ride up. They dismount next to Vincenzo, and explain
about the Captain and the mysterious boy. "You mean a kid is giving away our
position? Carlos has bound to have left men to watch his backtrail. There may be
several in this pass right now! Let's put an end to this!" Vincenzo stands up
and walks boldly out into the open, following the trail back towards the Kid and
the Captain. "Alright, who's shooting? What's going on here? You're making more
noise than a gang of kids and a pin-yata on the Day of the Dead!" He strides
more out into the open and shouts, "Come-out! Come-out right now!" Holding his
rifle out to his side, he drops it in the sand, a few feet away.
Tellfeild shakes his head when he hears the rich man shout. “Not a bit of sense in any of them is there?’ he thinks to himself. He decides to check on the situation and peeks over the rock that he had just started taking cover behind. He sees Vincenzo standing there with his weapon lying on the ground and then he sees Dav air his gun at the man and advance. Tellfeild almost growls in rage and exasperation at the situation. Luckily his military training allows him to contain his feelings. He looks down at Dav and shakes his head again. Why is it always kids? He must be cursed. Tellfeild brings his carbine around and lets off another shot at the boy’s feet. He then lets out a battle cry that sounds like demons from the nine hells. After he does this he ducks back behind the rock and hopes that Dav did not notice him. A bullet hitting the ground at Dav’s feet and a demons call should un-nerve the boy enough that be might get scared and get the hell out of there before Carlos’s men catch them all.
"Easy Son" Vincenzo says as he reaches down for his rifle and rolls out of the trail toward some rocks. "Is that you Captain?" he shouts up to the craggs! "This isn't getting us anywhere! If that's you Captain, I believe that we'd all be better served continuing with the matter at hand, namely hunting Carlos and his men!" Vincenzo stays partially hid, incase it's one of Carlos' men. "I'm going back to my horse now. I will see you gentlemen later!" With that Vincenzo gets out from hiding and starts to walk back to his horse.
*He drops the 44. after being spooked by the captain*
Tellfeild sighs with relief when Vincenzo starts to leave. Now with the danger to Vincenzo gone he prepares to make his own getaway. Keeping an eye on Dav he makes his way along the top of the pass wall until he reaches a place out of sight of Dav where he slides down. Once he reaches the pass floor he starts following Vincenzo and the cowboys looking for his horse along the way.
Vincenzo goes back to where he'd left his horse and the other cowboys. "Let's get a move-on boys" he says to the cowhands. He then rides-off more quickly than before, to catch-up to the searchers, at Tonawaka Creek.
After a few miles beyond Barbados Pass lies a creek that
splits the desert. The creek is fairly wide but arid conditions have lowered the
water level.
The creek is only swift at certain parts where rocks and
tree limbs collide. For the most part, the steady tide is calm and crossing is
easily negotiable.
The tracks end here at the creek.
"The tracks end here. Could mean they followed the creek bed in one direction or another. Vincenzo, take upstream, look for possible signs both in the bed or on the other side of the creek. I'll check down stream for the same. After about a half mile head back checking the other side of the creek if you hadn't found anything, we'll each take one other person along to keep an eye out."
"Sounds like a good plan, Henry. I'll go upstream and you down! We'll have to wait for the rest to catch-up. They should be along in a minute, lest they've fallen into a trap. We did see another rider. But I haven't heard any shots. Maybe we should double back to let them know what's ahead. What do you think?" Vincenzo sits loosely in his saddle, scanning the horizon and rocks for ambush or traces of Banditos!
It is deadly quiet at the edge of the river. Only the noise of the water and occassionaly desert crikets. A coyote calls for it's mate several miles away.
Sherriff Cane and the ranchhands have arrived at Henry and Vincenzo's position.
"The river, the tracks end here don't they?! I should've known. Henry, what's your thoughts?"
A gunshot explodes in the air. It thunders through Barbodos Pass behind you. Your thoughts go out to Tellfield and the wandering kid.
Vincenzo quickly says to the Sheriff, "Is the Captain still
back there?" Then more quickly, digging his heels into his horse, he says,
"Andelae! Andelae!", and rides back toward the gunshot!
"Henry, what is wrong! You've had your ear to the ground for
eternity. Have you found something!?"
Then I hear the shot, "That's
Tellfeild."
Vincenzo rides off swiftly before I can explain, I look to
one of the ranchhands, "Go with Vincenzo, tell him about the ambush we planned
for the nosy kid."
I dismount my horse and approach Henry. "Henry man,
For Pete sake, what is it?"
"The tracks do end here, my plan was to check in both directions and see if they start up again. Apparently the Capt. is enjoying himself with a wanna be hero."
"Okay then , I'll head upstream if you'll go downstream, how
far do you reckon we should look?"
After Henry estimates based on his
tracking skills, I proceed to take one of the ranchhands with me, while the
other joins Henry.
"Okay, we meet back here." I light a used cigar and
head upstream.
Henry will look for tracks on both banks of the creek as well as any obvious newly turned stones in the creek itself.
Henry finds tracks leading downstream and follows them for
about 20 yards, then looses sight as the depth increases. Carefully he finds the
tracks again and continues another 35 yards or so. At this point they continue
on.
Sherriff Cane find tracks leaving the creek upstream about 40 yards
away. Careful examination reveals a party of two on horseback.
Vincenzo rides back to where the tracks end at Tonawaka Creek. He looks upstream and then downstream for any sign of the rest of the trackers. Dismounting, he checks around the area where the horses apparently entered the stream. Remounting, he crosses the stream, looking for signs on the far side. All of this having been done by Henry already, no doubt, Vincenzo is a man of thoroughness. Finding no new evidence (if that's the case), he decides to ride out as though the banditos had continued directly across the stream. He rides for fifteen minutes looking closely at the bushes and ground along the way, for any disturbances. He finally holdsup and scans the horizon all around him, looking for smoke or dust, rocks or formations that might be large enough to provide any kind of cover. He then returns to the creek, to see if anyone else has returned with new information (also sharing anything that he found).
Tellfeild rides up to the creek after spending time finding his horse. He gets there just as the others start coming back from scouting. “Any word or ideas?”
I stride back to the starting point, "I heard some shots,
everything okay Tellfeild?"
"I found two sets of tracks a little ways
upstream."
"I went straight ahead, looking to see if they might've returned to this trail. Not much out there but rolling hills of desert-like prairie, cactuses and craggy rock formations. I didn't see any new tracks. They must've gone off somewhere up or downstream. Sheriff if you only found two sets of tracks, that leaves the most of them heading downstream. Anyone seen Henry?"
"Henry went downstream, should've been back by now."
Just as the Sheriff indicates Henry should be back by now, he walks up to the others, "There are many track downstream, I couldn't tell if the double ridered horse is in that lot. Of course they could have had an additional horse waiting. The tracks lead off onto a prairie. Lots of open ground."
"Well, I suppose this is good news, we have tracks to follow at least. Listen men, I have got to go back to town, that prisoner may have information. Now if yall decide to go on alone, take it easy, be on the lookout for anything! I'm going to make sure the prisoner gets locked up, then I'll be back out here with more men. Does anyone have a way to mark your tracks, so I'll know which way to go?"
"Good work, Henry! We can concentrate our seacrh efforts downstream. Sheriff, I suppose we'll be making more tracks on top of Carlos' and his men. And we won't be trying to hide ours, at least not at first. Using marks on the trail could be mismarked by Carols' men, though a broken branch or two might be good enough to assure you, we've passed that way. Good idea about goiung for reinforcements! This looks to be a longer hunt than first anticipated. You might want to pack-in extra food and ammo before rejoining us. You might also send someone to the fort for reinforcements from the Calvary. Captain, any special way that you can send word?"
I head back to El Derado.
Vincenzo is anxious to get on with the hunt. He nudges his horse downstream, keeping his eyes to the ground and the rocks under the stream, looking for any sign. Ocassionally he looks up, and carefully examines the scenery around them.
Your party continues to follow significant horse tracks downstream, then about a mile down, they emerge out of the water and into the desert heading north. Stars have begun to shine and the north star points the way oddly enough. Vincenzo, Henry, Tellfeild and three ranchhands head into the desert tired but driven by the hunt.
You kneel down and feel his wrist. As you slight your head, you then feel his throat. There is no doubt, the man is dead.
Dr Brown also knelt down next to Fred and checked him,
once he realized that he was dead, he tried to see if there was any obvious
cause of death.
Elizabeth bites down a bit on her lip, stiffling the
emotions that come to her every time she encounters death. though she's seen
more than her share in her profession, she has never learned to get used to it.
Though she didn't know the man, her thoughts wander immmediately to his family.
"He's dead," she says, quietly, emotion clearly in her soft voice.
As
the doctor checks the man for cause of death, Elizabeth quietly gets up and
begins to check one of the other men, helping in whatever way she can. She works
quietly unless spoken to, or if she runs into something she needs to ask the
doctor about.
There is no obvious cause of death, considering his age, upper 70's, it's most probable the cause of death was internal failure of some type.
Dr Brown stood up and faced the crowd. "He's dead," he announced, "but it doesn't look like it was your fault, as far as I can tell. But I don't want to see any fighting around here ever again, is that clear?"
Elizabeth busies herself tending the remaining men. If any need any serious treatment, she will take them into the doctor's office, where presumably bandages, and other equiptment would be. Elizabeth only speaks to them to ask pertinent information, and then in a quiet, shy tone. Her nose wrinkles a bit occasionally at the foul odour of stale alcohol. She habitually pushes her glasses back up on her nose between tasks. If anything is beyond her professional ability, she will refer it to the doctor.
The doctor's office is locked. When doctor Brown opens, you find no equipment inside.
Down the street everyone hears a familiar sound. A wagon
towing a cart with a squeaky wheel approaches.
I approach the dead on
the street and kneel down to his side. I take his boots off and apply a toe tag.
Then I put my arms under his and pull him up on the cart.
Everyone
watches me as I do my work. I sift the dirt around where the body was with my
feet and board the wagon again. I strike the reigns and the cart begins to
squeak again as I head on to Boot Hill cemetary.
Dr Brown turned to Cuthbert. "Okay, you see what you can do for these people now, I'm going to the merchant's guild to get the equipment."
Elizabeth looks up briefly as the undertaker does his job.
Nothing terribly unusual, though she wonders why he doesn't get his axle
greased. turning back to her work, she says to a man who had hurt his finger."It
looks like it's just a sprain," she says, as much to herself as to him. She
rummages through her bag, finding a small splint, then applies it to the man
"come back in a week and let the doctor or me have a look at it...untill then ,
keep the splint on and don't use that hand for any heavy work"
She
bandages a few more, tends to the minor cuts and bruises. Such things as
hangover headaches she saves untill last. She looks through her bags when she
gets to them. Looking up at them, she says in a quiet but firm voice, " I don't
have enough powders to go around, Get some good, clear water and some sleep."
Elizabeth will take anybody who needs serious medical attention into the
doctor's office to await his return.
Wesley walks up, seeing the young nurse and the line of
patients, some of whom seem in no particular hurry to leave after being treated.
Wesley nods in greeting to the undertaker as he rides by.
Walking up,
Wesley is assaulted with the stench of stale alcohol. His only reaction is a
slightly arched eyebrow.
Walking up, Wesley syas so all can hear,
"Hello, folks....I'm the new pastor in town....Just dropping by to make sure you
all know there will be services this sunday morning....10 o'clock sharp. I hope
to see all of you there"
Wesley smiles at them all. He can't help but
notice the young nurse, and hopes he will see her on Sunday.
Elizabeth looks up at the preacher momentarilly, "oh, the
town has a church...how wonderful. I'll be there sunday morning, Reverend."
She quickly looks down, brushing a stray lock of blonde hair from her
face, only to have it fall back down. After trying this 4 or 5 times, she gives
up on it and resumes her work.
Wesley will find somewhere nearby to sit or lean, hoping to
be inconspicuous. He is watching the goings on at the doctor's office, in part
because he finds himself interested in getting to know the young nurse better,
and partly because he realizes that a group of drunk men might turn unsafe
quickly.
"I wonder who on God's green earth was fool enough to leave a young
woman like that with a bunch of drunken rowdies" he mutters to himself.
Dr Brown arrived back at his office. Later today, around lunchtime, he would go looking for help to move the equipment. In the meantime, he used the basic medical supplies he had brought with him to help treat some of the injuries.
"Doctor, now that you're here, I'll take these men with
broken arms inside and see if I can find the materials for setting some
casts."Elizabeth says quietly.
Assumming the doctor's consent, she begins to
do so, taking the men who appear to have broken bones or similar injuries inside
and looking for plaster and whatever other materials she needs to set a cast. If
those materials aren't available, she will make splints for them, telling them
to come back after lunchtime.
The doctor's office is completely empty. Most injuries were minor and were treated by Elizabeth. The major ones, a broken nose, a broken arm and a broken hand, (three different patients) remain outside. The receive they splints and now sit on a bench outside the office. They complain of the pain and ask for further medicine before departing for their respectives homes.
Seeing the three with more serious injuries, Elizabeth
retrieves some powders from her bag, giving them to the three men. "Take some
water with these...it should help the pain some," she says, gently, showing
genuine concern.
Already tired from the heavy workload so early in the
day, she asks the doctor, "Do you mind if I go on to Porter's and get something
to eat...I haven't had breakfast yet....it's been a rather exciting first day in
town already. "
Assumming the doctor doesn't have a problem with that,
she will add "would you like me to bring something back for you?"
"No, I don't mind. I should be able to clear up the rest of these injuries. But while you're there, could you try to find out where I could hire some people to move the equipment from the merchants guild over here?"
"certainly, doctor," Elizabeth syas quietly, placing her medical bag in the doctor's office before heading toward Porter's.
After the last of the patients had left, Dr Brown went inside, left his bag on a desk or shelf and then walked over to Porter's for lunch.
Seeing the excitement die down, Wesley moves on, heading to the Stable.
When they arrive back at the doctor's office, Wesley hops down and starts unloading.
Dr Brown got off the wagon, walked over to his office and unlocked and opened the door. Then he started unloading boxes from the wagon and placing them in the office.
Wesley helps unload, asking Darby or Jacob for help with
particularly awkward or heavy items.
Carrying in a chair, Wesley feels
something unusual on the bottom of it"hmmm....what's this?" he asks himself,
looking under the chair."Hey, doctor....I found a key here taped to the bottom
of the chair....anything you might need?"
Dr Brown carefully set the object he was carrying down, then walked over to the Reverand. "Hey, thanks. There was a locked box, this is probably the key." He then walked over to the wagon and tried the key in the lock of the box.
The lockbox opens and inside you find a parchment rolled up and sealed with a candlewax insignia. The insignia is unreadable.
Darby helps finishing unload the wagon. Then standing nearby, but out of the way, he watches the Doctor open the locked box.
"What's this," Dr Brown said to himself, then broke the seal, opened the parchment and examined it.
Dr Brown, after reading the parchment, carefully folded it up and placed it inside his pocket. He then continued to unload the wagon.
After finishing with the wagon, Wesley tells Jacob, "Don't
worry about saddling up my horse...too late to get out to the ranches
tonight...could you have him ready for me in the morning?"
"well, I
think I'm going to go catch up on some studying and get a little shut eye. I
hope to see you gentlemen in services come sunday morning.Good evening
darby...Jacob...Doc"
Dr Brown walked over to Darby. "Darby, this parchment I found is a map. I'd like to hire you to go dig something up with me tomorow, are you interested?"
After saying goodbyes and promising to be in church Sunday, Darby turns to answer the Doctor's proposition. "Sure thing Doc! I can use the work! Where will we have to go? I can be ready to go by sun-up, unless they need me at Porter's Inn again. I'm kinda helping out over there."
There is an unavoidable commotion in the middle of Main Street. It appears to be two men about to duel.
Looking out the window, Darby sees the commotion. "Holy Cow! Are they gonna shoot it out?" Darby asks with innocent zeal.
Sighing, Dr Brown went into his office and retrieved his black bag full of medical equipment and came back out just in time to see one of the men get shot. He quickly ran towards the fallen man.
Darby, excited at first, suddenly wretches dryly as he
watches the man die. Killed with one shot! Darby hides his face and runs away
toward the pasture behind De Putas! (OOC: I just realized which side of the
street that the Doc's Office is on, so I changed it from Porter's to De Putas).
Tears can be seen streaming down his face. He thinks, "I never thought it'd be
like that! Oh God, I'm Sick!"
As more gunshots sound, Darby wretches
dryly in the field. He gets to his feet and brushes himself off. Darby then
pulls the Pulp Western from his back pocket and flings it away, into the desert!
He thinks, "If a man can die so easily, it's not a glorious thing to be part of!
Now I know what everyone's been trying to tell me!"
After finding an acceptable place to put his horse for the
night, Wesley settles in to the parsonage. Looking around, he sees that it is a
well kept, modest home. The ladies of the church have obviously been keeping it
nice while without a pastor.
Too tired to explore much, Wesley finds a
lamp, lights it, and looks for the bedroom. Finding the bed, he kneels beside
it, and prays quietly, "Heavenly father, you have guided me here. I don't
understand your reasons, but I trust your great love for me and your
unfathomable wisdom. I pray you will use me to serve this town in your great
name. Enable me to speak your word with boldness and love, and to live in love
toward these folks. Help me to introduce them to you, that they might see a
greater glimpse of your boundless love. Keep me in your love, and keep me
mindful always that it is only your grace that enables me to ven come before
you, much less to speak of you to others. Thank you for your tender mercies, in
the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."
That being said, Wesley changes into
bedcloths and climbs into bed, soon snoring the night away.
The door to the church opens and the new day sun shines on the entranceway. 'Stomp...click, Stomp...click, Stomp.....click.' I hobble in, with a basket of flowers in my hand. "My leg sure is given me trouble today, I reckon I should've never gone and thrown it at yellow dog, like I did. I don't think I's gots it on straight, " I say to myself.
Wesley wakes with the sound of the rooster, and lights a
lamp. He opennes his bible and reads from the book of Amos, taking some notes on
some sheaves of paper he keeps inside the bible. After about 20 minutes of
reading, he closes the bible and begins to pray, "Lord, please watch over the
folks of this town. Let Your Spirit go before me and prepare the hearts of the
people here to receive the Gospel. Protect these folks from the likes of Carlos
Diego, and help them to capture him, so he may not menace the good folks of
town. Help me to send the hope of your Word to the people here, and help me to
be faithful to you. Guide my steps today, and show me what you want me to do, in
the name of Jesus I ask, Amen."
Rising, Wesley washes up, puts on clean
cloths, and heads over to the church. Overhearing someone inside, he calls out
"hello....hello"
About this time, he notices how ornate the church is,
and whistles to himself, "my,my they've sure kept the place up nice"
"Whooo Hoooo. It's Fanny Miles from the Tailor shop, who is that?"
"Oh, hello there, " Wesley says, seeing Fanny, "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. My name is Wesley...Wesley Patten. I'm the new pastor here . I arrived last night."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, heeheehee". I have brought
flowers for the altar. I'll put them here." I lay the flowers down and arrange
them.
"How did you find Derado, this hole in the wall? Well my deceased
husband Randy, came from a big family up on Heagy Hill, and they use to sell
pottery to folks here in Derado. And we met is 1823 I think it was. That was a
good year because we got alot of vegetables that year. The crop was great.
Matter of fact, you could buy so much for your money. Not like today. My that is
a nice suit you have on. I have a fabric just like that, I got it from Shanty at
the market. He always has good items he trades from the Indians. Have you been
to market?"
"Well, I need to get back to the shop to open. Do come by
sometime, I will see you Sunday."
"Well, I......" Wesley begins to respond as the woman banters
on
" I uh......
"Well, you know.....
"Uh....it was good
meeting you ,too...see you Sunday" he calls out as the lady leaves.
Wesley continues to look around for a few moments, quietly saying,
"Well, Glory be, " before turning around and walking out into the town.
Slim pickings so far on Yellow Dog's rounds! People at the
Merchant's Guild were just too busy, to pay a hound dog any mind. Ah well,
that's what his legs are for, going someplace else. Maybe a place that has
scraps.
But here at the Church there's no one around. Ah well, may as
well check Boot Hill. Some folks leave slices of pie or cake near the stones.
And sometimes he finds a rat, hanging around one of the graves. Yellow Dog takes
what he can get.
Jeb walks out of the saloon and walks up the hill to the
cemetary. I see Yellow Dog and take out a scrap of toast from breakfast.
"
Where you from, ya little varmit?" I ask softly.
"Sniff, sniff", Yellow Dog gingerly sniffs at the bread. He warily walks up to the man. Stretching his neck out, holding his head down, he keeps his eyes up, on the man. "Sniff, sniff" ("it's food!") Yellow Dog gently grabs the bread with his teeth, gums pulled back in an ugly grin. But then quickly backs-up a step, and gulps the bread down! His tail starts to wag, but he looks up at the man with his sad puppy-dog eyes. ("Please sir, could I have more?") he'd say (if he'd ever read Charles Dickens)!
Never being able to resist sad puppy dog eyes, Jeb takes out two full peices of toast and lays them on the ground. He walks back to Eli's forgetting the idea of scouting the area.
Yellow Dog gulps-up the toast! Forgetting all about looking around for varmits, he waggy-tailed follows the man (from a distance) back toward town, stopping every now and then for sniffing and scratching.
When the clock struck 6:30, Jeb ran into Porters. With a
quick," I'm in the posse." He goes to his room from last night and drops off his
.55's. He know stands at the cemetary waiting for the bandits with a pencil and
a peice of paper.
Wesley considers studying, but thikns better of it. "I'm
beat," he says to himself...I think I'll turn in..I can finish my notes for my
sermon tommorrow. "
He walks into the parsonage. KNeeling beside his
bed, he prays briefly "Heavenly father, Lord of all, I pray that you would keep
the good folks of this town safe. Help the men who are going on with the posse
to swiftly and safely apprehend this Carlos Diego. Be with those I have met, and
those I have yet to meet. Draw them in to your house, Lord, and let them be
receptive to your Word and your love. be with that young man who went into the
saloon...I don't know his circumstances, but I hate to see such a young man
wasting his life with liquor. Save him, Lord. Thank you for always listenning
and loving me. Good night, Lord. I love you. Amen"
Wesly is almost
asleep by the time he finishes. He crawls into bed and falls asleep.
Jeb had been sitting in the graveyard for some time. He begins to think, "I must be too late." But soon a noise disturbs your thoughts as you anticipate it's origins. The noise is that of a creeky wheel, and it is indeed as you see a mule driven wagon approaching from the field beyond Boot Hill. An old man perched atop.
"Heeheeheh, Come fellow, I'll take you to your grave. Get in the wagon"
"Sure friend. But don't make me stay ut to late. I got fields to attend." Jeb says, trying to talk like a farmer. It's been a long time since his youth.......
Jeb climbs into the wagon, as it starts out across the
desert. As he sits staring at the old man, he can't help but to notice the
unusual shape of the wagon, it appears to be a coffin, and a few bones in the
corners indicate so. Though indeed eerie, Jeb finds time to relax for a bit,
then decides to read the paper that the reporter had given him earlier in the
day. It is written, "Questions for Mr. Diego" a note is sribble in corner, "make
sure to ask these questions for TT Editor" 1. Background, born? parents? 2. What
are plans for region? 3. How many men killed 4. Why so popular outlaw? 5. Why do
you hide? 6. Will their be anymore killing ?"
Jeb is puzzled at his
assignment but looks out into the desert as the sun finally sets.
Jeb takes out a pen and writes,
7)What have these people
ever done to you?
8) How did you become an outlaw?
9) Why do this to
these people? What do you hope to gain?
Nestled between Fanny's Tailor shop and Jacob's Stables lies
a very tiny bar called 'Eli's Saloon'.
Upon entering the swing door, you
find but a single room with a small bar in the corner. There are about five
small booths. The room is dark and smells of smoked pork.
A old man sits
behind the bar with a shotgun in his lab. His torn red shirt worn pink from age
hangs with his sweat of the day.
Entering is 'John' the businessman. "Whiskey." John looks
over his shoulder to see if the fellow (Jeb) has followed him in. "Make it two."
He then sits at a corner booth.
The businessman sits at the booth, then notices the cowboy he was conferring with failed to follow him into the bar. "Now, as I was saying.....uh?..what? where?....well..where did he go?" About that time the barkeep brings over two whiskeys. "Um, here you are," as he hands him a buck. "Well reckon I can't let good whiskey go to waste."
"Hello." Jeb says sitting down," What is this job your offering?"
"Allow me to introduce myself", says the businessman, "I am
John Rubar and I'm a writer for the Texas Tribune. We have been following the
exhorts of one Carlos A. Deigo for some time now. The man is a mystery and
frankly, his stories 'sell'. The general public wants to know about Carlos
Diego. I aim to give the public just what they want."
I finish my
whiskey with a quick gulp,.."Ahhh. Whiskey for you?"
"You look like a
'cut-to-the-chase' kind of fellow so here it is. I've set up a meeting with
Carlos himself, however he won't allow any 'writers' into his kingdom of
bandits. Only one unarmed town farmer with tools of writing. I need someone to
go in and ask him these questions," I begin to slide him a parchment, but stop
halfway, "First, does this sound like something you could do?"
"I'll try, and if I fail I'd be dead!"
John continues, "Very well, here is what we need to know, now
if Carlos offer more information about himself, then by all means..try to jot
down as much as you can." John hands you the list of questions.
"I know
what your thinking, what's a job like this worth? Consider the danger we will
give you $100 now and $500 when you return. Apparently the informant for Carlos
has told us that the writer, you, will be joining him for dinner, so this job
shouldn't take too long, now getting there could be another story. All we know
is that you are to wait in the Boot Hill cemetary where you will be 'escorted'
to his hideout. The rendevous time is 7:00 p.m. tonight." John begins to reach
into his pocket, "Here is your starting pay, any questions? Oh, you should leave
you sidearm with me if you choose, or..well, just remember they will probably
frisk you."
"I'll do it, then. The pay sounds good."
I get up and say," I think I'll scout out the cemetary."
I walk back in," A lot of graves. About it. And a dog. So, anything I should do until 7?"
John's head is lying on the table, but he lifts up when you
enter, "Ughh? uh? Oh, iiiit's you, what timmmmme is it?
Apparently John
the Write is drunk. Eli snickers in the corner.
" Now his bill is 700$, on account of no downpayment. I signed up for the posse, and I get a free room."
'John' the writer stares blankly at you, "Uggh, oh I didn't
pay you, yessssh, I neeeddd to payy you, yesh."
He fumbles a drink on
the table reaching for his money. He takes out a large pouch, and begins to dish
out money. After much trouble with counting, he simply hands you all he
has,...$311.
"Now that's all IIIii GOT!...youuu get the rest when you
come baccck. My partners gottt the resst. Hey Eli, another round for me and
...what's your name again? Another round a whiskey."
The drunk reporter gets up and leaves to find his friends.
Rather swiftly, I enter, sit at a corner table, "The usual."
and Robbie Lee steps in. Looking around he steps over to the bar, "whiskey," he orders. After his drink arrives he pays for it and turns to look at the patrons in the bar. Robbie Lee's eyes stop when they come to Jim and he pauses...
Other than Eli slumped on a bar stool behind the bar, holding
a shotgun in his lap, the only other patron is (Jim) a cowboy sipping whiskey
from a bottle.
There is evidence though of past customers, each table
housing an empty bottle here, and empty mug there, ..Eli not too keen on
'cleaning' up routinely. Even a chair is knocked over at a round table in the
center of the room, cards also strewn about the place.
and sipping his whiskey, "Howdy." Robbie Lee notices that Jim's demeanor and gun marks him as a professional gun.
"Evenin'".
from outside, Robbie Lee downs his glass of whiskey, and walks over the the door and sticks his head out. Looking back in, "Some fool saying something about a gunfight." Robbie Lee steps outside to see where the commotion is at.
A group of bystanders are engulfing what appears to be two men about to duel on Main St.
Hearing the gunfire erupt outside, I stand up to see what all the commotion is about. I take my bottle with me and lean against a post just outside. Since it's down the road aways, and all I can see is people's backs, I just take a seat in a porch chair and watch to see if the commotion esculates. Meanwhile I enjoy the whiskey and breathe of fresh air.
"Well that was quick," I say, and go back inside Eli's and sit down at a table.
"Aw Hell, just when I sat down! Then it decides to get interestin', ...Come with me Eli and bring that buffalo gun with you." Me and Eli leave the saloon to get into the mess, I walk in the middle of main street with Eli following along.