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Sacrifice: destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else: giving up some desirable thing in behalf of a higher object. (Webster´s 3rd. New International Dictionary)
Part 1
Josiah sat on the slanted roof of the church. The early morning dew
soaked through his pants to his skin. He smiled around the handful of
nails trapped lightly between his lips.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vin watched the two on the roof under the slouch of his hat. Without looking up or acknowledging Larabee´s approach, the Tracker held out an expectant hand.
“Josiah ‘n Nathan are up early,” Larabee took the empty seat beside Tanner and sipped his coffee.
“Up to no good,” Vin pushed his hat slightly off his eyes and shifted carefully in the tilted chair.
The sudden, persistent, twin, hammering echoed around town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ezra Standish cursed. Vile, scathing words flew from his mouth. The words tumbled with the explicitly and duplicity of a longshoreman with a freshly jammed finger. With anger so profound, he jumped from his feathered bed with the intent to maim and do bodily damage.
The Cretins. The foul, no good, bottom dwelling, fiends.
He yanked his trousers on and threw open his window. With a fury he had not known since his mother´s last visit, Standish scanned the area.
There they were. On the roof. Who the hell would be hammering this time of morning? Of all the conniving things a person could do this was one of the lowest.
A wicked, unrepentant sneer leached across his features. He was prepared to do battle.
He left the window, grabbed his weapon of choice and headed for the roof. His ammo waited there for him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buck and JD joined them. Both nursed their coffees and enjoyed the morning´s unexpected activities.
This had been building for weeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Standish hauled back on the sling shot and let loose with the projectile. It sailed high in its trajectory. It arched over main street in its diagonal path and landed within a few feet of Sanchez.
The weakened shell smashed on impact spewing its heated rotten yolk everywhere.
Sanchez jumped to his feet as if shot.
Jackson´s laugh was cut short when a second egg caught him full in the chest.
The aroma had a tangible taste to it.
“Why that squirrely no good Son of a Bitch!,”
Standish stood squaring his shoulders and tipped his hat.
He let a third egg fly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vin leaned back in his chair, “Looks like Ezra´s got himself a passel of rotten eggs.”
“I´d say he´s got himself a passel of trouble,” Larabee sipped his coffee without hiding his smile.
“Where´d he get the sling shot?” JD leaned against the porch post and watched as eggs sailed over main street and smashed on Josiah´s roof. Wonder how Josiah´s gonna git rid of that smell?
Buck sipped from his coffee and chuckled. Dang Ezra sure takes low
to a new level. “He swiped it from that kid on the wagon train
The others nodded in understanding.
“I s´pect Ezra best git himself a hidin´ place cuz here comes Josiah and Nathan,” Vin´s chuckling voice mingled with the others.
They watched as Josiah and Nathan ran across the street. They ran with their arms curled over their heads and their bodies hunched and twisted away from the flying eggs that seemed to rain down on them and explode on impact.
Ezra sure is fast. JD backed up when the preacher and healer drew closer. They stunk.
“Howdy Boys,” Buck held up his coffee in greeting. He stepped back a bit when the repugnant odor rolled in his direction.
Both men ignored him and made to barge through the batwing doors.
Inez suddenly materialized with broom in hand. She held it diagonally across her torso, “Sorry senors but you are not coming in here smelling like that,” She turned her head to the side trying to garner some fresh air.
“Now Ms Inez he can´t go unpunished for this,” Nathan held his arms up and wide to display the obvious egg stains and shells that clung to him. A country chicken coop had less smashed eggs after a coyote´s visit.
“Senor Standish would not be awake at such an hour if he had not been roused by your hammering,” Inez too had a room in the saloon and she herself kept late hours.
This little war of pranks and jokes had been slowly building over the last week. Something had to give and at the moment it seemed as if it would be Inez´s temper.
“Has a point boys,” Larabee directed his gaze upward and met Nathan´s
and then Josiah´s eyes, “no sense waking up the rest of the town.”
“You guys stink,” JD waved his hand in front of his nose and backed away from them. Boy the roof was gonna smell for days what if some fell through the roof into the church
Buck laughed and sat against the railing. The war had just begun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The dark mid morning lighting of the saloon kept voices somewhat hushed. The proprietress still prowled the room with an angry glare. Buck had only made one attempt to describe her beauty and it met not with indifference but intolerance. JD had chuckled but cut it short when her frosty eyes landed on him.
The second story of the saloon resounded with the gentle click of a carefully closed door. The sound seemed to echo. Ezra paused waiting for a moment cautiously swinging his eyes around the supposedly empty corridor. His companions were fiends. No man should have to live like this. Walking on the balls of his feet he carefully picked his way down the hall. He stepped over every board that creaked, he rolled his foot at every loose plank. There was not a board he did not know or recognize. He knew which ones spoke and how loudly. With a sheen of perspiration on his forehead he made it to the head of the stairs.
With one foot raised in the air to descend upon the first step, catastrophe hit.
“Ezra quit yer gawd dang pussy footin´ around and git down here,” Larabee´s exclamation, though no louder than room conversation seemed like a heraldment from the devil himself.
“Aww Hell.” Standish thought about turning back down the hall but Larabee swiveled in his seat and watched the gambler. With a resigned sigh, Standish descended the steps. The fourth, sixth and seventh creaked and moaned loudly. Next time next time they would never know he moved about.
“Son, you and I are going to have us a talk,” Josiah´s booming voice tolled over the room. The levity he hid from his face laced his words. It seemed neither he nor Jackson could quite get the upper hand. Maude raised a tricky, cat walking, fox. Dang Standish would give you a beguiling smile, an innocent look and make off with the eggs from the hen house. A fox.
“I hope you and Mr. Jackson have bathed,” Ezra plastered a smile on his face and sauntered across the room as if his life were not on the line.
“Oh don´t worry Ezra you´re going to git yers soon enough,”
Ezra matched it.
“Now, now Mr. Jackson, whatever happened to your benevolent side?” Ezra slid into the chair Buck dragged out for him with his foot. Standish sat nestled between JD and Buck. Josiah flanked the other side of JD with Nathan and Vin closing the circuit. Somehow, even with a round table it seemed Larabee sat at the head.
“Must´ve washed off it with all them eggs,” JD chuckled.
“Yes, well, one should not throw punches if they don´t want to be hit back,” Standish smiled a thank you when Inez handed him coffee. The barmaid forced a smile that appeared more like a hybrid snarl.
“You´re gonna git...” Jackson´s voice pulled the gambler´s attention from Inez.
“Alright enough,” Larabee sat forward and cut off the remainder of threats and innuendoes, “you two can kill him later.”
Ezra balked wide eyed at the comment.
“But,”
“Mr. Larabee, I take some offense to your casual disregard to my future demise ..these miscreants are the ones to have thrown the proverbial first punch.”
“Life´s unfair Ezra,”
Was Mr. Larabee being facetious or gracious? Always let people believe you think the best of them Ezra smiled and tipped his hat accepting the compliment.
Buck chuckled as he reached across Ezra to JD´s plate and stole some bacon
while the kid laughed at the gambler´s expense. Poor Ezra always
seemed to turn up short with
“Favoritism I tell you, favoritism always backs the others .” Standish muttered under his breath not sure if he really felt disgust or hurt.
Tanner sipped his coffee and watched the table. Maybe next time he would help Ezra out. Two against one don´t seem right fair. Lately there´d been too much of it.
“What are we doin´ tonight
“Judge wants us to put a stop to that pit fightin´ they´ve got going between here and Eagle Bend.” Larabee thought the order fell into the area of mundane and more nuisance work. It seemed as if the Judge was trying to justify having seven men defend one town. Pit fighting though illegal was only as illegal as the law that enforced it. If it kept the dregs of society out of town, kept the cowards away from his citizens then let them seek their fun in the desolate wildness and enjoy their dog fights.
“You´re kidding?” Buck leaned back in his chair having palmed a second piece of bacon while JD threw Josiah an accusatory stare.
Standish leaned back out of the way enjoying his coffee. Young
Mr. Dunne needed to learn to expect the unexpected. No one was above
taking advantage of you, friend, foe or relative. With a smirk, the
gambler watched
Larabee´s ,“Nope,” pulled the Southerner back into the conversation. The whole prospect of the Judge´s order was absurd.
“Surely you don´t intend to disrupt the gaming competitions?” The incredulous tone in Standish´s voice pulled at Jackson´s moral fiber.
“It ain´t right to be forcing dogs into a pit and fighting to the death,” Nathan nailed the southerner with demanding eyes.
“The fights are not always to the death though a few have occurred,”
Standish started shuffling cards from hand to hand. The deck flew in a
fluttering arc of color from right hand to left hand. “There is no profit in it
if the dogs perish. There would be no rematch. Without rematches
this far from civilization then there would soon be very few matches.”
Ezra raised his eyes from his cards to Larabee pointedly ignoring
“Nope,” Larabee sipped from his cup and met Standish´s gaze waiting for a challenge.
“I see no point in it,” Ezra muttered, “we´ll no sooner break up this ring then another, a few months down the line, will spring into existence.”
“Then we´ll stop that one too,”
Larabee ignored the inflammatory comment. He knew Standish had been to
the fights. Knew he had made wagers. The man had a flagrant Achilles
heel. Though one day it would probably get him killed, it would not be
under
“Enough to supplement my meager earnings as peacekeeper for this fickle citizenry.”
“Gawd Ezra don´t it turn yer stomach to know you make a dollar off the sweat of another living beings forced labor?”
“Do you Mr. Jackson, have your gut turn every time you saddle your mount and force it to rush you off to the next medical emergency or gun battle?” Standish quirked a raised eyebrow with brazen inquiry.
Buck let out with a low whistle. Some skirmishes were better left untouched.
Nathan´s color rose in his cheeks. His eyes blazed, “It ain´t the same thing that horse is trained.”
“As are those dogs,” Ezra lifted his eyes from his cards and met the healer´s heated gaze, “and dear sir it is never ‘the same´ when one finds themselves embroiled in a similar folly.”
Tension sparked across the table. JD gave up looking for his bacon and stared accusingly at Josiah. The preacher noticed the glare but shook his head not understanding the animosity coming from the young man.
“Ok that´s enough,”
Standish focused his attention back on his cards. Angry that no one seemed to notice it took two people to argue, that in order to have a discussion there has to be a point and counter point. To learn and make ones opinions heard they had to be spoken and persuaded, not dictated.
Buck pushed himself from the table and rested a reassuring hand on the gambler´s shoulder.
Standish shook it off.
Part 2
The more I see of men, the more I admire dogs…Madame
Roland
The seven gathered just outside the wooded hollow. Within the branching oaks and sycamore trees, amongst the bent and beaten prairie grasses, men stood shouting and betting around a fenced hole in the ground. Horses picked and ate at the slim forage from their picket lines. Small fires blazed haphazardly throughout the woods. Reaching fingers of flickering fire light illuminated the area.
A few hundred yards off, cloaked by the converging darkness of a moonless night, gathered the seven. Through the maze of trees they could just make out the gathering of rowdy crowds. The occasional snarl and snapping of teeth punctuated the darkening evening.
“Ok since you´re acquainted with these gentlemen Ezra, I want you and Buck going in first,” Larabee let his gaze slide across shadow protected faces of his men.
“I do not know these gentlemen as you so quaintly put it,” Standish bit out with the flash of fury that had all day to build.
“Ezra shut yer mouth,”
“That´ll be a first,”
“And what would you have us do Mr. Larabee, flash badges and announce in the name of his righteous Judge Travis to cease and desist from all illegal activity?” Sarcasm and frustration dripped from Standish´s voice.
Larabee pinned the gambler with a frustrated stare, “I expect you to do your job, read the crowd and make a judgment call.”
“Ohhho use my judgment now?” Ezra barked out a mocking laugh. One moment Mr. Jackson finds his judgments lacking and now Mr. Larabee wishes them to be employed. Fickle. With a tip of his hat he disappeared into the shadows and weaved his way toward the pit.
“Buck keep an eye on him,”
“No problem pard´.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The pit lay about four feet into the soil. A dug out square really. A square surrounded by a three foot fence made of discarded railroad ties and two by sixes. The fence sported the marks of countless fights. Men surrounded and leaned over the barrier waving money and shouting bets.
Down in the dug out hole on opposite corners snarled and spat two dogs. Equal in height and weight. One dog held the silvery/copper color with a smattering of solid black patches. Its heritage long lost and disrupted from generation to generation. It held one dark brown eye and one blue. The broad chest gave hint to a mastiff descendent but the long legs spoke of a swifter breed somewhere within the family tree. The dog snarled and lunged at the black dog across the pen.
The black dog held its ground. It snarled and bared its teeth but did not fight the restraining leather tether that confined it. The black was a seasoned fighter. Undefeated since coming to this wooded area. In the four months that it had fought, it always walked away victorious. Finding an opponent for such a beast had become increasingly more difficult. It forced the ringmasters to search long and hard and become increasingly brazen in their inquiries for a suitable opponent.
Amongst the throngs of hecklers and fevered wagers stood
Pit fighting was a simple blood lust diversion for simple people. Buck didn´t like it but did not find it offensive enough to put an end to it aggressively. With a sigh he followed Ezra´s lead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nathan cursed the gambler and all those that welcomed him to the fenced railing. How much of a profit had he made off of the misery of those poor creatures?
“Now Brother yer not being fair,” Sanchez spoke softly watching the crowd and feeling the rising excitement. There was almost a fevered pitch to the whole thing.
“He ain´t ever gonna change Josiah .He is what he is .been raised to be a cheat and gambler .He ain´t got it in him to be anythin´ else,” Nathan shook his head in despair. He really did like Ezra and tried hard to show the gambler that there was more to life than a pocket full of cash. Ezra jist weren´t interested in listening, “such a waste.”
Sanchez slid his gaze to his friend and softly uttered, “Does that mean you will always be a slave less than others?”
“Why´s Ezra so mad?” JD rested his thumbs in his gun belt. His hat sat back off his forehead. Dang night was so dark he could hardly see Vin standing next to him. The fires around the pit did a pretty good job lighting the place. Dunne hated to admit it but he was kind of curious about the fights wanted to see one for himself understand what the big deal was all about. Nathan sure seemed upset.
“Guess he´s gettin´ tired of standin´ alone when it comes to facin´ us,” Vin unholstered his mare´s leg.
JD gave him a quizzical look but Vin ignored it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The fight began. The dogs were released. In a fury of savage brutality, the dogs dove head first engaging in a battle. The crowd roared with anticipation.
Standish took odds and held money. Buck could scarcely keep pace with the betting. Cash was handed off and passed in wads. With each turn in the battle, the crowd reacted with voice and the shifting of cash. Men screamed in jubilation while others groaned. The smell of blood sweetened the air.
The black dog fought like a demon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nathan watched the betting. With blazing eyes, he focused on the money that swam through Standish´s hands.
Josiah marveled at how easily the southerner intergraded himself into the crowd. With note book in hand and pencil in the other, Ezra made quick calculations shouted changes in odds and accepted money and handed cash over.
The sound of a deadly battle raged unseen by the waiting peacekeepers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Why we waitin´?” JD, in reckless abandonment marked with youth, wanted to act.
“Best we wait til after the fight wait for the blood lust to go down less likely to have to pull any guns.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The fight suddenly came to an end.
Groans and cries of disgust filled the air, while others whistled and cheered in victory.
The black dog finally latched onto the massive throat of the other dog. With its jaws firmly in place, the big black simply held on squeezing and scissoring its teeth back and forth.
The opponent panicked and flailed. It threw its body to the ground and pawed desperately at the black chest. The standing dog took the abuse calmly.
The fight had been declared won .or lost depending on the perspective.
It was then things went awry.
The owner of the dying dog jumped into the pit. With a mad rage, he kicked viciously at his downed dog. The dog refused to acknowledge the added abuse. Glazed eyes stopped roving madly around the pen.
The black´s teeth finally found the trachea. With a horrible sudden inrush of wind, the rings of the trachea were crushed and the vacuum destroyed as teeth penetrated the air way.
The downed dog began to turn blue, grey at the gums. The dilated eyes became fixed.
The Black shook its head tearing and damaging as much as it could.
The owner of the downed dog turned his fury on the black dog. With foot and hand, he beat at the dog. Someone from above tossed him knotted stick. With blind rage the man took the stick to the dog.
With no thought of consequences,
A brawl suddenly erupted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Damn you Buck,”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JD didn´t wait for Vin´s ok. The Kid took off as soon as Buck hauled off and nailed the guy next to him.
Vin took a breath holstered his mare´s leg and followed Dunne. Dang kid had more grit and loyalty than any ten men. The rest of them were lucky to know JD.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Wonder where Brother Ezra is disappearing too?” Josiah asked quietly of Nathan.
“Probably gonna go git his damn head bit off, tryin´ to play the good Samaritan, dumb fool ain´t got any sense no better than Buck,” Jackson´s disgusted diatribe trailed behind him as the healer bolted toward the aid of his friends.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The owner of the black dog jumped in to interfere with the beating of his dog and to get away from the riot that suddenly spawned around the pit. Harsh words were exchanged, money changed fists and soon the owner took the branch to his own dog.
The black held on.
Up above the fenced hole, men cursed and stumbled. Fists fell and bodies flew. Buck felt something slam into the back of his head. A sparkling display of lights exploded in his visions before all went black.
Standish in an act of brash unthinking jumped into the pit. Buck could take care of himself, besides Mr. Larabee was out there somewhere brandishing a gun. The man would not let anything untoward happen to his oldest friend.
The creature in the pit, however, faced cruel odds.
Larabee pulled his gun, “Enough!” He fired into the air. Can´t his men do anything simple? Accomplish even the simplest tasks without throwing a punch or starting a fight? Why must it be so difficult to get anything done?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“
“Yup.” Tanner swung his mare´s leg up and stepped from the shadows into the light.
They let Josiah and Nathan haul bodies off
“What the hell´s he thinkin´?” Nathan´s concern for the gambler hid
behind anger.
“Just actin´ like ´imself,” Josiah laughed as he caught a reveler by
the collar and redirected the man´s panicked steps out away from camp.
The southerner soundly whipped on the man with the club. The black dog had dragged its kill to its corner of the pen.
The second man raised his arms in surrender, “I ain´t done nuthin´ .that there is my dog I jist want to git it and I´ll be gone.”
Ezra heaved for breath and discarded the club to the furthest corner, away from any of them.
“You doin´ alright down there pard´?” Vin´s amused voice was tempered by the easiness in which he held his gun.
“Mr. Tanner how much is a beaten cur like that one in the corner worth?” Standish´s voice came out between gasps but his disgust had Vin turning his attention to the black dog.
“Ain´t worth much .half beaten,” Vin´s Texan drawl took on a tone of authority, “ain´t got much meat on ‘im so he won´t be good eatin´ .and he´s got blood all over ´im. He´s got his bell rung ain´t gonna be keepin´ his feet much longer.”
Ezra curtly nodded his thanks, “How much do you want for him?”
The man backed into a corner away from the tailored dressed man, “He ain´t fer sale .he´s mine.”
“You have forfeited your ownership how much?” Standish lowered his voice to almost a snarl.
“He ain´t fer sale.” The coward gave more ground as he smashed himself into the small space of the dirt corner.
“Mr. Tanner?”
The bounty hunter leaned over the fence and critically appraised the dog, “He ain´t worth more than a double eagle if even that.”
Ezra fished in his pocket and pulled out two. In twin steady strides, he closed the distance to the man who now cowered with his arms over his head.
In a gesture of impatience and disgust, the gambler pulled down one of the offending arms and pressed two double eagles into dirt stained hands.
“That should more than cover the cost of the dog.”
“You can´t do this he´s mine.”
Ezra whirled on the man and pinned him to the corner with a raised index finger, “No sir, he is no longer yours.” Standish leaned in close and whispered something in the man´s ear.
No one above heard the whisper but all watched perplexed as the quivering man slid to the ground and pleaded in a high pitched voice for mercy.
Standish turned his back on him confident the others would provide cover. With anger and adrenaline roaring through his veins, he made his way toward the now unconscious body of the black dog.
Part 3
gambling is a principle inherent in human nature…..Edmund
Burke
Buck came to with a groan, “Oh Gawd what happened?”
“Well ya see here Buck, Miss Lulu´s husband came home early and .” JD tipped over backward laughing when the Ladies´ man bolted up right.
“JD,” Nathan warned coming toward the two men.
“He´s funnin’ ya,” Jackson squatted down next to Buck.
“What happened?” His voice seemed thickened and a touch slurred.
“Brother Buck, You started a most amazing brawl,” Josiah´s chuckling voice preceded the larger man but in no time he knelt on the other side of the Ladies´ man, “and lead our frugal gambler into a spontaneous purchase.”
At the confused, furrowed look, Nathan laughed, “Ezra bought himself a dog.”
Buck let the words settle for a moment and then smiled, “Ezra owns a
dog?”
“He gonna be ok?” Larabee stood over the small group annoyed at the turn of events. Next time he would send in Nathan and JD. What could he have possibly be thinking when he thought Buck and Ezra would be discrete? Larabee´s self directed anger and frustration grew.
“I think so,” Nathan slowly straightening up to his full height, “jist need to keep an eye on him...be best if we camp here tonight”
Larabee shook his head letting his gaze wander the rim of fire light. He
nailed the Southerner with a caustic stare. Not that he blamed Ezra for
any wrong doing just that his was the first face
Ezra caught the rebuke and slid back into the shadows.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JD already carried the bleeding wounds of miscalculating the tether´s length. A bloody torn pants leg was his reward. Vin´s arm sported three deep furrows and torn meat after moving just a hair too slow.
Nathan patched them both up not bothering to stitch the wounds. Instead, he scrubbed and wrapped them. Infection was always Nathan´s biggest fear.
Larabee contemplated the dog. It´s massive body nearly invisible within the shadows of night. Occasionally the firelight caught its eye and reflected the light in an almost demonic hue.
The gunslinger climbed to his feet and pulled his gun.
Standish watched. As did the others. Vin flexed his fingers gauging the damage done to the arm. Not bad least not yet.
“Mr. Larabee?” Ezra´s voice held a hint of surprise and ..panic? Truth be told the minute Ezra handed the dog over the fence he berated himself for falling into this mess. Where had this act of self indignation come from? The others of course they were to blame for his sudden charitable actions .and to think he paid money for the beast. Lord! What if mother were to discover his folly?
His apprehension grew when the dog came to his senses and started gnawing on the two people in their group that had a connection with the beastly world. Good Lord what had he done to himself? And paid money too .fer shame Ezra .fer shame.
“Dog needs destroyed.” The matter of fact statement had Standish floundering. His investment destroyed? Was Mr. Larabee in leagues with his mother?
“No it don´t,” JD spoke quickly in direct response to Larabee´s tone.
“JD it´s been trained to fight, It don´t know nuthin´ else,” Nathan tried to soothe the boy´s fear.
Dunne rubbed his sore leg, “It can learn, jist need to give it a chance.” He fixed the others with a steely gaze, “it ain´t never had a chance.”
Josiah ducked his head in wonderment. Young JD Dunne always the champion for the underdog.
“JD it´s all its ever done it knows no better,” Nathan rolled one of his bandages and stuffed it back into his saddle bag. “It´d be the humane thing to do.”
“Geez Nathan, you got a chance to change so did Chris. Mean you grew up
being raised a slave but you ain´t no more .and well
“
“You guys have no idea,”
“You boys got something to say?” Larabee stared at the men, keeping the dog in his peripheral vision. Since pulling his revolver the dog snarled and snapped endlessly.
“Jist sayin´ we ought to give it a chance .sides its Ezra´s dog,” JD dropped the bundle of responsibility on the one man who earned it. The one man who desperately tried to shy from it.
“You sayin´ you can train this dog Ezra?” Larabee did not hide his doubt or mocking tone. Should have sent Nathan in with Buck next time he´d keep Ezra out of the center of things.
“Ezra? heck,” Buck started pushing buttons, “I bet he couldn´t.”
“Betcha right Pard,” Tanner smiled leaning against his saddle taking comfort in the shadows, “this ain´t no spoiled horse that comes pre trained.”
The gauntlet hit the ground with a thud.
Standish felt his ire grow at the horse comment. He trained the dang beast and capitalized on all its bad habits himself. No one would take that away from him.
Josiah sighed, “Unfortunately I must agree,” Sanchez laid apologetic eyes on the gambler. The side of the fire the gambler sat on suddenly started looking more and more solitary. The dog snarled laying on its belly just to Standish´s left.
“You gentlemen really don´t think I could tame this beast?” Standish fought to contain his anger. They really think training that blasted bull headed horse was simple?
“He´s mean Ezra almost as bad tempered as
“And we all know how well you and
“Yes, well, Mrs. Travis seems to have prevailed, Though by questionable margins,” Ezra bit out again striking anywhere he could. Indeed to think he would fail at a bet.
“Yeah and she had less to work with,” JD added innocently fingering his bandage. His leg kind of burned. He never noticed all the eyes that swung toward him in shock. His leg felt hot.
Ezra narrowed his eyes and stared at the six faces that flickered in the fire light, “Let’s get this straight you all bet that I can not tame this dog.”
“In two weeks time,” Vin added feeling that Standish would drag this out forever.
“Ya have to be able to walk it through town without it biting or eating anyone ”
“On a tether,” Nathan added, no sense killing and maiming innocent townsfolk.
“And you have to be able to pat it without getting bit,” Josiah smiled a wide toothy grin.
“Gentlemen you might as well hand over your month’s wagers now.”
JD stared at Buck and mouthed, “A month?”
“Don´t worry kid ole Ez will be paying us fore the two weeks are up.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ezra shielded his eyes against the early morning sun, with his hand as he watched, somewhat disheartened, as the others rode out of camp. The dog had not ceased to stop snarling and lunging at anyone that ventured close to it. The morning had been spent dancing and parrying just to avoid the snapping jaws.
Buck, that morning, had moved like a man with a terrible hangover. Stooped shoulders and careful foot placements gave testament to the headache and rebellious stomach that had plagued him.
“Mr. Tanner a little help here,” Ezra had tried garnering the sharpshooters help.
“Sorry Ezra ain´t my headache sides the dog don´t like me,” Vin had chuckled rolling up his bed roll.
“Dog don´t like anyone,” JD had muttered fighting back a persistent headache.
The more the dog had lunged at the gambler the more the others laughed. This had only enraged the dog more and its new owner.
Getting to the stake that held the dog secured to the ground proved nearly impossible. The six had laughed as they packed up camp.
“Don´t forget, Ezra, ya gonna have to feed it too,” Vin had smiled as he tossed his saddle onto Peso.
Standish ground his teeth in frustration. Truth be told it never crossed his mind that the dog would have to eat. What does one feed a dog such as this? His eyes traveled to the smug tracker perhaps a wise cracking Texan. No probably be too tough.
JD had spiked a low grade fever in the night. Nathan did not want to waste any more time away from town. Even though Dunne balked at the healer´s over protective nature, JD had to admit he was feeling a bit low. Not as bad as Buck but certainly not his best. It, however, did not stop him from tossing out possible names for the dog. “Ya can´t jist call ´im dog Ezra he´s got ta have a name.”
This, unfortunately, started unsolicited remarks from his fellow law men. Names from Ace to Zeus .sprang forth. JD´s fiftieth suggestion had the gambler snapping his head up. “Bo, How ‘bout Bo it ain´t too bad a name.” Dunne had a hundred more ideas in case Ezra couldn´t find one on his own.
Ezra mulled the name over, Beau, no it weren´t a bad name at all.
So with mocking ‘good lucks´ and laughing farewells, the other six had mounted up and rode out of camp.
Ezra assured them he would be following shortly, not to worry.
As soon as their silhouettes disappeared from sight, he dropped to the ground and groaned.
What had he gotten himself into?
Beau snapped at him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Any sign of Ezra?” Vin leaned against the post outside the saloon. Larabee gazed down the road toward the edge of town, just as he had done all afternoon.
“Nope.” The cigar gave a near imperceptible bounce as his lips moved.
“Think we should ride out,” Tanner paused rubbing his injured arm against his torso. The bite wound no longer held the heat of infection like it had this morning. Nathan´s salt soaks seemed to have worked wonders.
“Figure I´ll give him a few more hours,”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buck lay beside Ms. Violet and fumbled for the nightstand. With a casual glance at his time piece he marked the number of hours left. Perhaps, later he would convince the others to go for a ride make sure everything was ok.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JD tossed and turned and mumbled incoherently lost in the throes of a
fever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sanchez bent another nail. With a half hearted curse he straightened the S shape bends. Again he lined up the shake. Raising the hammer to shoulder height, he paused. Blue, grey eyes drifted over the citizens meandering down below. Shadows stretched and yawned across the darkening street. Sanchez searched the outlying ground around town. He would give it a little more time maybe the others would want to go for a circuit of the area.
Part 4
The wish to appear clever often prevents one from being so…Maximes.
No.244
Standish chuckled to himself. A sharp twinge between his shoulder blades reminded him to keep all unnecessary movement to a minimum. Beau, as he had come to be called, walked quietly at the end of the lasso. At the end, but with enough slack to keep the tension off the line. Chaucer walked out, proud of his accomplishments for the day.
Yes, a successful day, if one considered the possibilities such as being maimed, killed or worse yet lose the wager.
Standish once again swiveled gently in his saddle to keep an eye on the
dog. Beau learned quickly. Quicker than most, if Ezra were a
betting man. Which of course he was . Once again the Southerner, with an
air of self satisfaction, wiped clinging dirt and dried grass from his
coat. A few tufts of grass fell from his coat collar, a successful
day indeed. Stars started to dot the sky. In a few minutes
they would be home in
The afternoon, though, not very smooth, brought him one step closer to winning this foolish wager.
Getting the dog off the stake proved quite a challenge. Nothing one Ezra P. Standish could not handle but it still posed somewhat of a hardship. Placing the lasso around the dog had proven futile. Beau had speed and flexibility that would make most yearling steers and colts bow their heads in shame. On more than a few occasions, the dog merely caught the tossed loop between clenched jaws. Then a tug of war between man and beast truly ensued.
That was not how Standish came to be covered in grassy debris. Heavens no, he had his trusty mount to thank for that.
After numerous failed attempts, though Standish would never admit they were failures it was more like a ploy to tire the dog down .but after numerous plays with the lasso the gambler realized a new direction needed taking. While dabbing his brow of copious amounts of sweat and catching his breath, he came up with his brilliant idea.
Brilliant being the operative word at least if he did say so himself and since no one was with him at the time Brilliant fit the bill.
With a stick, a few choice words, though the tone of his words matched the same tone he would use when finagling Billy Travis to run and errand for him, he had succeeded Phase 1 of said above average plan. It was the tone, not the words kids and apparently animals, listened too so with his soothing voice and not so eloquent vocabulary he had worked the end of the lariat through the iron ring that the tether had been attached too. With a long stick he had dragged the end away from the dog and fed it back through the other end of the lariat. The loop had now ensnared the ring.
Brilliant even now as he rode in the direction of town under the light of a new moon, he realized, once again, his mother raised a brilliant son. Yes indeed Brilliant.
With Chaucer saddled, he merely had to dally one end of the lariat around the saddle horn. With a confident air he had sat his saddle. The dog now sat at the end of the lariat. Nothing to it.
He had guided his horse up to the dog and to the stake that held the iron ring. The dog shied from the horse. Chaucer´s muscles had quivered and he kept his ears flat against his head. Neither horse nor dog had seemed pleased with the plan.
Ezra had been ecstatic. With a confident air, he had dismounted and under the protection of his horse undid the stake. Things were moving brilliantly .because he was indeed a genius.
Once back on his horse, however, things had slipped quickly down the genius scale to the level of, ‘What were you thinking?´
With gentle leg pressure, Standish had asked Chaucer to move out. He had reined the horse, unnecessarily, toward town. That was not where his plan hit the snag.
The rope had pulled tight. The leather collar around the dog´s thick neck had started to cinch down. Beau had held his ground.
The rope had pulled increasingly taut. With a cocky air, Standish had pivoted in his saddle and called the dog. Beau had bristled at the summons and had leaned back on his haunches.
Standish, with a glee of victory, had nudged the horse forward. With little effort, the twelve hundred pound quarter horse easily dragged the eighty pound dog forward.
Standish had not begun to worry yet nope not yet because he was brilliant. He was after all Maude Standish´s son .
Beau had reared and jumped left and right. He had jerked himself backward, had tried to run to either side but the persistent pull hauled him forward.
As stated earlier, Beau was smart ..perhaps even brilliant.
Ezra had smiled knowing he had easily won this battle. Then the unexpected had happened. Perhaps his brilliant plan had missed one vital possible scenario.
With no ability to go back, no true ability to go left or right, Beau had only one choice but to go forward.
The dog immediately realized this once he had calmed down. The rope did not hold the stiffness of a club if one followed its line.
Ezra had watched with growing apprehension as the massive black dog had started advancing up the rope. Eating his way up the rope it would seem to the suddenly ‘not so brilliant man´ in the saddle.
Tying a predator to a tow line anchored to a prey species suddenly did not herald the image of a genius.
With a flash, the dog had rushed the horse. The horse, with its superior peripheral vision, had witnessed this flank attack and had reacted. Reacted in a manner that the horse world deem as decidedly brilliant, in the human training world .not so brilliant.
With a squeal, the massive horse had tucked its hind end in and struck out at the dog. The dog had dodged the flying foot.
Standish, not positioned quite securely in his saddle, had suffered from an abrupt jolt. He had retained his grip on the saddle, but his butt was nearly the level of his shoulders. Things were not looking so ingenious at the moment.
The dog had charged again. A low dark figure with flashing teeth. Chaucer had skipped to the side pivoting on his hind legs and swinging his front legs toward the dog. With ears back and his own teeth bared, the horse had faced off the dog.
Standish hung precariously to the edge of his saddle. His right calf rested neatly in the seat of the saddle. His shoulder had bumped against the cinch.
No, not so brilliant now.
The dog had ducked under the flying hooves and skittered away. The lariat had tangled somewhat around his body and somehow managed to make a loop over and around one of Chaucer´s striking feet.
The dog dove again at the horse. Chaucer had leaped to greet it.
The massive lunge had driven Standish mercilessly into the ground. He didn´t even bounce.
The horse´s well placed iron shod foot had grazed the dog´s head, sparing it´s skull but not a concussion. The dog had hit the ground in much the same fashion as his new owner.
The rope had pulled tight around Chaucer´s foot and had yanked his one settled front foot out from underneath himself. The horse then hit the ground chest and nose first. Large clumps of dry prairie grass clung to its nostrils.
Dog and horse had stared at one another in momentary blurred and somewhat double vision. The ground work in their relationship had been drawn.
Their master was to be blamed for this.
Standish had lay curled in the dirt trying desperately to gulp in air from evacuated lungs. His eyes had watered, a moment of panic seized him, as his body screamed for air. Finally the elusive breath came and in great gasping heaves he recaptured his breath.
With a groan and a curse, he had struggled to his feet. With ringing ears and swimming vision, he had notice his horse and dog facing each other.
The bet he had to remember the wager. With a sigh, and stooped posture, he had approached the horse. Chaucer had crow hopped away from his owner and toward the dog. The dog had snarled and snapped but did not lunge at the maniacal horse.
After some threats and coercion, Standish had finally gained his spot in the saddle. With a not so confident air, he had stared at the dog. Beau had returned the gaze and waited.
With a cautious nudge, Standish had directed Chaucer toward
It never came. The dog had walked calmly just at the end of the rope, just out of reach of the flaring hooves. This crazy demented horse was not something the dog wished to battle again not now.
And so Ezra had guided the two home. The sun had stretched across the horizon and set behind some trees. As time passed and they closed the distance to town, the sore muscles and bruised bones began to register.
Dog and horse kept their animosity to themselves. Ezra enjoyed the peace. Relished in the fact that he now had taught Beau to lead. The money was all but in his pocket.
Yes, brilliant indeed. A wicked dimpled grin cut Standish´s face. Yes, brilliant, if he could be so bold. And he could.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He squinted his eyes and watched as the dark silhouette of horse and rider slowly separated itself from the dark shadows of night.
Buck laughed at the sight coming down the street at them.
“He´s got the damn dog with him,” Tanner´s awed voice held a hint of humor.
“Didn´t think he´d be able to do it,” Buck agreed.
“Got ‘imself a wager to win,”
Ezra rode close to the saloon but kept his distance from the occupants of the boardwalk. He could not be sure he had removed all debris from his person and he could not guarantee that Beau would not try and make a meal of someone. Surely they were deserving but one had to think of the dog. “Gentlemen.” A grin split his features. Oh yes, he could practically smell the cash rolling in
“Ezra,”
“Josiah and me set up a place for him,” Tanner indicated to the snarling dog at the far end of the lariat. Chaucer snapped out a hind foot just as a reminder to the dog. Ezra ignored the actions of both animals having become quite used to their immense sense of personal space.
“Out behind the saloon,” Vin watched the interactions of the two animals. Dang they don´t even like each other figures
“Thank you gentlemen,” Standish tipped his hat to the others and directed his horse down the ally. Hopefully with Chaucer´s help or interference he would get the dog secured to its tether.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ezra entered the saloon trying to hide his stiff gait. His shoulders and hip hurt. The spot between his shoulder blades twinged and muscles seemed to tighten on their own. Falling off ones horse onto hard autumn ground did not do one any favors. All he needed was a little something to relax the muscles. The bath house was closed so Medicinal Brandy was all he had at his disposal.
With an air of confidence and nonchalance, he coursed across the room to the bar. In a few minutes he joined a game of chance on the raised dais.
If he could avoid the scrutiny of his companions he just might make it through this night unscathed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Ezra sure is packing away the brandy tonight,” JD wiped his brow still feeling tired out from the little bout of fever. A cool breeze whipped in from the saloon doors.
“Yup,” Vin nursed his beer and hid a smile. Standish did a pretty good job hiding his aches. But his smooth gait sure had a hitch in his ‘git along´. The others hadn´t seemed to notice. Tanner kept the secret to himself. Dang horse of his probably threw him.
“No hammering before the sun rise,”
Josiah and Nathan nodded their consent. Watching Ezra try and con the dog would be entertainment enough.
Buck leaned back in his chair and twirled his mustache, “Wonder how he got the dog on the rope?”
No one had an answer.
Part 5
Everywhere in life, the true question is not what we gain,
but what we do…Carlyle
The early morning sun, in a spontaneous act of annoyance, shone brilliantly in through the second story window of the saloon. The lone occupant of the room moaned and rolled over pulling a thin sheet over his head. The sun persisted. Light penetrated closed lids and heated the room to an unbearable degree. With a muttered curse and profound but useless gestures toward nature herself and the ungodly hour of the day, the body dragged itself into a sitting position. The remnants of too much whiskey hammered the skull and neck. Stomach juices tossed and boiled the remains of a partially digested dinner like a ship caught in rough seas. Another moan echoed around the room. A pair of shaky white hands clasped the temples and ignored the sweat that seemed permanent since the beginning of Summer.
Misery had found a shelter .
Ezra clawed to his feet and swayed. He staggered forward a bit and kicked the heel end of a stray boot. A foul curse flew forth. The venom and strength of the voice seemed too much for sensitive ears and a touchy constitution. Another pitiful moan escaped. Dear Lord.
With a lack of vigor, with no prospects of escaping his self induced misery any time soon, the gambler began the daunting task of getting dressed. Muscles twinge and pulled reminding him of his sudden, rude encounter with the Earth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vin pushed his slouched hat off his forehead. A grin creased his face, “Howdy Ezra, yer up early this morning.” The Tracker didn´t bother to stifle a chuckle. The sunrise had been particularly pretty this morning. It promised to be another hot day Indian summers. The tracker kept his eye on the not so quiet sufferings of the gambler beside him but listened to the approach of Larabee.
“You best check on yer dog Ezra,” The command in Larabee´s voice did not penetrate through the whiskey induced Hell that engulfed Standish.
“Not my dog Mr. Larabee,” Standish whispered out. Lord his teeth ached.
“You took responsibility for him you best live up to it,” Anger laced the words.
Standish heard an order and bristled, “I´ll git to it when I can.” Good Lord how much Brandy had he indulge in last night surely this would be the last time he succumbed to such over indulgences.
The gunslinger raised his lip in a snarl. The dog meant nothing to him. They should have destroyed it that first night. Damn this man and his wagering.
“Ya best git to it now before you lose all yer money .and them fools kill
it,”
The prospect of losing wages moved the gambler. Red injected eyes snapped up at the gunslinger trying to finagle the truth of the matter. Larabee spoke what he believed to be accurate.
Standish eyed Tanner and then hurried down the boardwalk. His foot falls quickened from a fast walk to a jog. He rounded the corner of the saloon into the alley. His eyes darkened with what he saw. He slowed his steps deliberately and casually marched down the shadowy narrow lane between buildings.
Josiah stood on the steps of his church and watched the threesome. His
concern grew when Standish disappeared down the ally out of sight. The
preacher trotted across main street and followed
Ezra grabbed the pick handle leaning next to the rear exit of the saloon. A little safety measure he kept there in case a disgruntled card loser decided to ambush him on the way to the Privy.
Three men taunted the dog. The cur snarled and snapped at the end of his tether. Hackles stood on end from neck to shoulders down the back and toward the hip. The tail hung straight out with a slight crook. With teeth bared and a deep growl, the dog lunged. The tether Vin and Josiah had constructed held true.
Standish leaned on the pick handle like a cane, “ I would ask you gentlemen to leave the beast be.” The smooth tones of his Southern heritage rang soft and thick. Anger flashed through green eyes though his posture portrayed one of no concern. Though a dimpled smile graced his lips a strong warning held the air.
The men turned, appraised the gambler and dismissed the dandy. One of the men picked up a rock to hurl at the tethered dog.
“I would not advise that,” Ezra held the man´s eyes. The brutality of men, though familiar, continued to surprise him.
“Go away Mister or we´ll feed ya to the dog,” The rock wielding man held the maliciousness of a bully and the cowardly intentions of one as well.
With his eyes on the Southerner, the man cocked his arm to hurl the rock at the dog.
Josiah held Vin back and shook his head.
That morning standing in the shadows of the ally, Vin Tanner once again came to respect the speed and contrary sense of obligation that wavered and swelled within the gambler.
Josiah finally saw a spark of responsibility within a man who wanted none a sense of duty for what was right and wrong acceptable and unacceptable. Standish acted because he perceived something to be unfair.
Ezra didn´t understand why he reacted as he did .he blamed it on the malingering effects of alcohol, on the smell of the foul men before him .blamed it on the sun and the early hour .he claimed his actions stemmed from anything but a growing conscience. A conscience would be the death of him .an inner voice with ethics and morals like that of Mr. Jackson, or Mr. Dunne or even Mr. Sanchez would destroy his way of life. A way of life he enjoyed and flaunted.
He acted to protect his investment, to keep the wager alive and hence improve his chance of winning. Winning, of course, was everything and any means to a gainful end must be employed.
Ezra struck for any number reasons but certainly not because of some misguided sense of right and wrong.
The three men who taunted the dog did not care what reason dictated the sudden brutality that befell them. Their only concern lay in escaping the blue coated wraith that rained upon them with a club.
The rock wielding man had hauled his arm back, cocked it to whip the rock at the tied dog that defied him. His arm never shot forward instead a well sanded, shiny, carefully kept pick handle smashed his forearm. Bones snapped like kindling. A frightful wail, the searing cry only associated with dire injuries, curled through the area. The other two men turned and faced their attacker. One made a move toward the southern aggressor.
Standish wheeled the stick as if it were an extension of himself. The gambler completed the arc, passing though the forearm swinging the wood upward to smash the underside of the jaw of the furthest man. Blood, teeth and spittle sprayed into the air as the man arched away from the blow. His feet left the ground as he flew backward.
The third man reached for his gun.
Larabee, a mere shadow in the background, laid his hand on the butt of his revolver. Josiah put a restraining hand over his and shook his head.
Ezra needed no help with the physical aspects of his actions.
Standish spotted the movement and simply swung the club back down in a figure eight pattern. The pick handle landed with a solid crack to the collar bone area. The man fell to his knees like a repentant sinner before an angry deity. The gambler finished the figure eight motion by bringing it down and across the man´s shoulder knocking him to the ground.
In just a few seconds, three men lay sprawled on the dirt cradling broken bones and battered muscles. Cries of protest and unholy curses filled the area.
The cur stood at the end of its tether and eyed the man wielding the stick. It stood its ground. When the stick was raised again the dog raised its lip but no sound escape.
Vin watched the captured animal. Through those few seconds the untrusting, deviant brown eyes never left the gambler.
The dog had watched the actions of the man, almost seemed to understand them.
Tanner realized he had lost the wager .maybe not today nor tomorrow but in this simple act of protection Standish built a bridge. All the gambler had to do was recognize it and venture across it.
Another month´s wagers lost to the conman .damn.
Tanner slid his eyes toward Larabee. The gunman grimaced. He had witnessed the same thing. Son of a Bitch.
“Brother Ezra do you need some help?” Josiah´s voice startled the gambler. Standish whirled around bringing the ax handle up to guard. The dog bared it´s teeth.
“Whoa Ezra .jist us pard´,” Tanner stepped forth. Amusement shone in his eyes, “You handle an ax handle pretty good pard´.”
“Yes well,” Standish shrugged unwilling to articulate any reasons.
“Wouldn´t it have been easier to just shoot the bastards?” Humor almost laced Larabee´s words.
“The loud report of gun fire at such an early hour seemed unjustified and rude.”
“Got yourself a hell of a headache don´t you brother?” Josiah hauled a battered man to his feet.
Ezra smiled sheepishly, “Yes, and there is that.” The gambler watched as the three men hauled the strangers back down the ally. Movement at the corner of his eye garnered his attention. Standish sighed in a weary fashion. He had a wager to win. The foolishness of the bet suddenly hit home. What had overcome him to take on such a bet? Even with six to one odds the meager earnings of his fellow peacekeepers would not cover the effort he would be forced to put forth. Perhaps with a little finagling and some friendly gestures he could pat the dog and parade it through town and be rid of the beast before the week was up. Yes, if he started now he would be finished sooner.
“Well it seems I have worked up an appetite how ‘bout you?”
The dog growled in response to the voice but exposed no teeth.
“Yes well there is something we must do about your deplorable lack of manners.” Standish spoke casually as he pulled on a crate and dragged it just out of reach of the dog. With a sigh, he sat on the wood box and fished through his pocket for the folded napkin full of biscuits.
“How about we win this wager then go our separate ways?” The gambler unfolded the cloth and broke off a section of floured biscuit. He tossed it to the dog.
The dog shied from it. Ezra seemingly ignored the dog and broke off a piece for himself. His stomach churned and revolted.
The big black sniffed the food, never taking his eyes from the man that just sat outside his reach. Deeming the food safe but the motivation behind the actions suspect the dog quickly snatched the morsel up and swallowed it whole.
Ezra watched and was careful to hide his smile.
part 6
The worst solitude is to have no true friendships…..Francis
Bacon
The two weeks came quicker than most would have thought possible. It came before fourteen days actually passed.
Trouble had started brewing within the boundaries of
The town grew tense. Wary eyes traveled and searched dark shadows. People saw their neighbors in an accusing light. Strangers had lost their welcome.
Ezra clicked his pocket watched closed and sighed. Where was Mr. Wilmington? Tonight he and Buck had the grave yard shift. Patrons still crowded between the walls of the saloon, the late hour had Ezra seething. People were shy about leaving the relative safety of the lighted saloon. As a direct result they imbibed in more whiskey, lost their inhibitions and thought themselves overtly bright and skilled. It all easily translated to a potentially, wonderfully, successful night at the tables .So, where was one Ezra P. Standish, gambler extraordinaire ..outside waiting on Mr. Wilmington.
Standish sighed. The clink of glasses the sound of slurred voices, pulled at his moral fiber. By all rights it was his duty to relieve them of their cash. It was his job, the very reason he had been put on this Earth. Good Lord why was he standing out here?
Voices rang over the sound of scraping chairs and boots. The sound of a cards being shuffled by unskilled hands called him like a siren.
Ezra checked his watch again. Ten minutes. Buck was ten minutes late. Mr. Wilmington could not still be with the formidable Ms. Sherry? Could he? Well, Ms. Sherry did have a certain amount of endurance.
It stood to reason that if Mr. Wilmington found solace fulfilling his weakness .why couldn´t Ezra?
With a predatory smile Standish surveyed the lighted room and sauntered into the saloon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buck trotted down the board walk ..Just a few minutes late. Not too late. Hell Ezra was probably still cheating folks out of their money.
He never heard the footsteps. Never even thought to be wary of the dark ally. Never even entered his mind .until the blow landed.
Something crashed down just at the base of his neck. It drove him to his knees. A brutal kick connected with his ribs and sent him careening to his side. Something smashed into his cheek. He never had a chance to get his bearings, to catch his breath or make a sound.
Two sets of hands dragged him into the ally.
Unfortunately, it brought about a more vigorous attack from his unseen assailants. He heard them chuckle at his groans. Could just make out their mocking tones as bright lights and sharp burning spears of pain lanced his body.
Somewhere in the darkness he thought he heard a growl.
Then all went black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Ezra what the hell do you think yer doin´?” Larabee leaned low over the gambler´s shoulder. His hot whiskey laden breath brushed Standish´s neck.
Standish leaned slightly away from the looming gunslinger. In answer to the question, the gambler simply held up his cards. Gambling .
“Don´t you and Buck have patrol?” The sarcasm gave an indicator to the level of inebriation in Larabee. He got satiric just before he got murderous.
“Why, yes we do,” Ezra had learned enough about
Ezra no sooner stood up with Larabee giving little quarter, when JD came
bursting through the batwing doors. “Nathan! come quick! It´s
Buck!” Dunne was already heading back out the doors with
The others followed in short order.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ezra rounded the corner before
“Josiah,” Nathan glanced quickly over his shoulder. His eyes skimmed over Standish dismissing the conman, “I need yer help.”
Ezra moved to step forward but Sanchez dismissed him with an abrupt shove. Standish staggered back a step. The force of the physical contact paled miserably to the unspoken implications.
Vin searched deeper into the ally hoping to find any clue as to who the assailants were and where they might have disappeared too. The tracker stopped at the massive dog tracks.
Larabee rounded the corner and spied his oldest friend. His fury
burned blindly. “You son of a bitch!”
The gambler tried to move away from the fury before him. Larabee shoved him back. “Ya can´t do anythin´ without screwing it up.” The angry thickening of words were the only hallmark to the gunslinger´s whiskey influenced mind.
Ezra stood his ground defiantly. He would not argue tonight. The caustic stare from Nathan, the reaction from Josiah and now this .no one was listening and he sure as hell didn´t feel like trying to prove anything. Standish squared his shoulders. He would not cower before anyone nor waste his breath.
Beside Larabee had the right of it. He was a screw up…an untrustworthy lying cheat. They all knew it when they first met, included him into their little niche because of what he appeared to be…it was time they all realized that he was exactly what they originally wanted…A cheat. The years together had not changed anything…only made them more comfortable with one another unless unrest befell the group. Then his less than stellar ways became a brand that differentiated him from the rest. His profession branded him and he wore the colors and marks with pride. A professional gambler and conman was not a livelihood most could excel at and live to a healthy old age. Ezra Standish had every intention of being an old successful cardsharp.
Sometimes, however, he wished he could step outside his boundaries. He occasionally wished he could see the world through JD´s enthusiastic trusting eyes, or Buck´s carefree attitude. Wouldn´t it be nice if someone called on him in times of trouble like they did Nathan or Josiah. Just once wouldn´t it be nice to be the kind hearted, caring, enthusiastic soul that everyone seemed to admire. Of course, the others were always broke. A kind heart did not feed an empty stomach. A giving soul did not keep a roof over one´s head.
Wouldn´t it be nice if just once he did something that would be worthy of his compatriots notice?
Ezra should have been there to protect Buck. He knew it. This never should have happened. The very inclination that the others were justified in their accusations only served to infuriate Standish himself. To hell with this. Ezra stood his ground. He would not shy from what they always knew him to be… a simple gambler.
Vin watched. Damn him and his southern pride. Back down Ezra ya dumb ass jist back down. The tracker watched as Larabee bristled at the gambler that still stood before him bruised and bleeding but not cowering. Not seeking forgiveness.
Everything stopped.
Larabee, Vin and JD pulled their guns. Ezra recognized the sound. He had been listening to that growl for the past ten days. He had come to recognize the differences in pitch and meaning to the growls. Though each had a spine tingling effect, not all were meant as aggressive.
This one did. Beau sat somewhere in the shadows.
“Ezra yer dog tied up?” Vin asked quietly.
Ezra dabbed blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, “He was earlier this evening.”
“Vin you see that black son of a bitch .shoot it,” Larabee let his
heated gaze linger on Standish.
“
“Do you need a hand Mr. Jackson?” Ezra´s pronunciations were lisped by the swelling lips and cuts.
“No,” The curtness of the words landed as efficiently as one of Larabee´s punches.
“JD,”
Vin stood in the ally watching the others leave. He hung back in the shadows with his mare´s leg down by his leg. Curiosity got the better of him and he sank against the far wall and watched the gambler.
Ezra gingerly bent down on one knee and gently called the dog. >From the shadows, the dog slipped soundlessly across the dirt ally way to the gambler. In the dim light cast by the saloon, Vin caught a glimpse of the black dusty dog. Since being under care of the Southerner, the dog had put just enough meat on its bones to fill it out properly. Beau was a force of nature to behold.
The tracker watched as two strays revealed a sense of acceptance between themselves. Social creatures spurned by society for what they were raised to be…somehow it didn´t seem fair.
“I hope Mr. Tanner you do not intend on shooting this dog,” Ezra´s wary voice floated with a hint of anger.
“I ain´t gonna shoot yer dog Ezra,” Vin pushed himself off the wall. Hurt and some what disappointed that Ezra would think he would kill the dog. The tracker approached the two straying only briefly into the light. The dog immediately started snarling. Tanner kept his distance. “Hell, I´m thinkin´ it saved Buck´s life,” The chuckle in his voice offered a simple peace offering.
Standish nodded silently and slowly pushed himself up right. Beau kept himself firmly between tracker and gambler.
“But it might be best to keep low fer the next few days til things cool down.” Tanner watched the interaction between conman and dog and wondered who was conning who more. Standish or the dog? Ezra would no more get rid of that dog than the dog would run away. They created their own invisible chains. Vin couldn´t help think both found an unlikely alliance. They needed it…deserved it.
“I will not hide,” Standish´s voice held the sound of bitter
resentment. He fouled up. Buck got hurt. No denying it but he would
be damned if he would openly admit it. Circumstances dictated the
results. A sequence of events led to this unfortunate incident. Mr.
Larabee should have known not to have him do patrol tonight. A gambler by
trade, since being weaned from milk and yet Mr. Larabee ignores it Wonder
how diligent and forthcoming Mr. Jackson would be if Mr. Larabee made him sit
at the jail and pull his shift while a woman cried out with a difficult
labor. Ahh Hell Mr.
Vin couldn´t read the expression on the gambler´s face. The tracker merely nodded and left.
Standish patted the dog one last time before walking down the ally toward the back of the saloon.
The dog followed quietly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sun rose in the Eastern sky with no care for the turmoil that plagued the people below it. With a colorful display of reds, pinks and the occasional purple, the sun rose in the horizon to start another day.
For some, the day had already started.
Nathan Jackson stood rolling the last of his newly cleaned bandages. Buck rested in an artificially induced sleep. Soft snores fluttered by swollen tissue.
Josiah sat on the roof of his church and rearranged a few piles of wood shakes, not really taking much care in his work. The smell of rotten eggs still lingered. A brief smile quirked the corners of his mouth at the memory. It faded quickly. He sat heavily on the slanted roof of the church and watched.
Down below on the boardwalk, before the saloon, sat Vin. He slouched with one boot heel resting on the toe of the other boot. He sat arms folded and hat pulled low.
>From his perch, Josiah though the tracker to be sleeping. Sanchez smiled again when he spied the tracker stretch out a lazy hand and accept the coffee mug Larabee walked from the saloon holding.
The smile again faded quickly when Standish appeared at the batwing doors. No one had seen him since the ally last night but none were inclined to search him out.
Blood still ran hot with the foul play that had befallen Buck.
Sanchez shook his head. He had really thought Standish would fall in with the rest. The preacher had truly thought that under that thick gambler´s façade rested a responsible human being. The image of Buck´s bruised face, cracked ribs and swollen eyes hammered home the belief that Standish was just as he appeared. A con, a cheat and a gambler. A disappointment.
They couldn´t trust him to do his job unless they shoved him from behind. Such a shame.
Josiah watched as Larabee whirled on the blue coated gambler. Sanchez could not hear the words but he watched the body language. Larabee leaned forward, aggressive. He barely moved.
Standish stood shoulders square and the ever present grin on his face.
His “I don´t give a damn´ dimpled smile. The preacher shook his head. The smile normally meant just the opposite. The wearer, however, would not seek atonement from anyone. You belittled the man and he either gave the impression of ignoring you or wore it like a badge. He gave no satisfaction in punishing him publicly or privately.
Where do you learn to defend yourself like that? Josiah´s heart felt heavy.
Sanchez shook his head saddened at the outcome. The preacher´s eyes fell to the tracker. Vin seemed not to listen or care at the one sided argument beside him.
Sanchez frowned at the apparent lack of rebuttal from Standish. Perhaps the southerner was learning the wisdom of silence.
Finally, Standish tipped his hat and sauntered by the gunslinger. Josiah couldn´t help but think Ezra purposely turned his back on Larabee. The gambler played the bet that the gunslinger would not shoot a man in the back. Would not attack from behind ..
Josiah picked up his hammer, still keeping his eye on the retreating form heading toward the livery. Ezra had early patrol. At least he had the sense enough to do his job this morning.
Sanchez started hammering shakes.
He had positioned and nailed in five shingles by the time Standish walked his horse from the livery. Josiah sat back with his knees bent. He dangled his hands over his shins as he watched the gambler trot out of town. Ezra became the exception to the rule this day. He rode on patrol alone. No back up. Josiah wondered, for just a flash of time, if Ezra would be back. The thought left a piercing twang of loss in his gut.
Sanchez found his gaze redirected to a black shape loping after horse and rider. The dog. The damn dog. Josiah chuckled. Who ever would have thought. Standish had a partner for this morning´s patrol.
The preacher suddenly held his breath as he watched Larabee lay his hand on his revolver. The gunslinger trailed the dog with his eyes. Sanchez released the breath when Vin quietly came to stand beside the gunslinger.
Josiah watched the two men exchange words and saw the contemplative look
Larabee gave the trio of retreating forms.
The preacher let loose with a hearty laugh.
Part 7
Buck rested heavily against the head board. Blankets rested at
his waist and a half eaten breakfast still sat on a tray which rested on a
small end table near the bed.
“You remember who did this?” Larabee stood hipshot his arms
folded. JD sat on Nathan´s desk.
“Nah,” Buck poked a finger at the swollen tissue around his left eye.
“Knock it off Buck or I´ll strap that hand to yer chest,” Nathan rubbed his face tiredly.
Buck sighed when he heard the question. Dang what did Ezra tell them? Shit where is that fluke of nature anyhow?
“What Ezra tell ya?”
“He ain´t said shit,” It was the disgust in JD´s voice that suddenly had Buck´s stomach rolling in worry.
“What´s going on?”
“You remember what happened?” Josiah tried again. Buck´s reaction caused his gut to sink to his knees.
A lecherous leer would have graced his face if it weren´t so swollen, but it was, so instead he just managed to split already tender lips. “Well I spent some time with Ms. Sherry ” The singsong tone of his voice had the others groaning.
“well ya´ll know how quickly she gets her wind,” Buck didn´t bother
waiting for any response, “Anyways, I was runnin´ about ten, fifteen minutes late,”
Wilmington redirected his blurry gaze to Larabee, “sorry
Larabee turned and faced Buck and then switched his gaze to the far wall,
“Yeah I know.”
“Then next thing I know someone jumps me .and then I hear a dog growling and then nuthin´,” Buck rubbed at his ribs. He tried to see why the room got so quiet. “Why what´s goin´ on? .the dog was Ezra´s weren´t it that ill tempered devil saved my hide didn´t it?” Dang if it don´t pay to have that back sassin´ gambler around
Vin pushed himself off the wall, “Yup.” He slid out of the room and onto the porch. A fresh autumn breeze brushed his face. His gaze played across town searching. He found the gambler, leaning in a chair before the jail, heels resting on the hitch rail. Cards flew from hand to hand. The dog lay quietly beside the chair.
Tanner heard the clinic door open and peered over his shoulder.
Larabee then Josiah and finally JD filed out of the small dark room.
“You see him?”
“Yeah he´s over at the jail.”
All eyes traveled down the street to the empty chair in front of the sheriff´s office.
“No he ain´t,” JD sat down with a sigh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Standish slid out of town early for the evening patrol. The dog at his heels.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Four days passed. Day number fourteen hit quietly, subtly. Buck had liberated himself from Nathan´s clutches by the end of the first day. The dark maroon bruises had become yellow. His eyes opened but the sclera´s were bright red. He looked ghoulish.
The women loved it. He blossomed under the attention.
Josiah and Nathan sat at a saloon table nursing beers. For four days they had made repairs on the church roof and for those four days they had watched as Standish and the dog circumvented the others with polite gestures and an easy smile.
All hoped he did not try and play it. JD whirled through the doors and sidled up to the bar. “Hey Inez .can I have a beer?”
“Sure you may,” She paused before filling the glass and peered at the young man, “do you have any money to pay for this senor?”
JD balked and nodded, “Course I do Inez,” With a flourish Dunne smashed a coin on the bar top.
The doors swung open and shut. Inez gazed at the new comer, the mid morning light silhouetted the features but she recognized the build. A sad smile laced her lips. Senor Standish had become but a ghost amongst the others and only truly appeared at night, engrossed in card games. He bandaged his wounds with an easy smile.
“I hope Mr. Dunne you are not spending my winnings,” Ezra´s southern voice held a tinge of levity but no humor graced his black eye.
JD paused and turned around, “Uh .no Ezra,” Dunne picked up his coins, his eyes fallen to his hands. “Jist I forgot is all.”
“Yes well,” Ezra smacked his hands together and rubbed them, “two weeks has passed and the dog is tame .my money gentlemen.” The dimple smile wrinkled yellowing bruises and pushed on the small cuts of the left cheek. He would not walk away from what he rightfully earned. The money was rightfully his.
Ezra with a confident step crossed the distance. It was the closet he had been to the others since the attack on Buck. He did not hide from them. He always graced his gaming table at night. The dog a constant presence at his side.
“I can´t pay ya yet,” Vin shrugged his shoulders. He had spent his money on lumber for Ms. Nettie´s place.
“Sorry pard´ drank the last of my money last night,” Buck´s voice held humor but concerned eyes glanced at Standish. Dang in the light his bruises look almost as bad as mine.
“Yes, why aren´t I surprised,” Ezra gathered his winning´s and stared at Nathan, “Mr. Jackson?”
“Ain´t got nuthin´ on me,” Nathan´s angry words held self disgust. He never wanted to owe anyone. Damn. Standish dismissed the hot tone, their opinions mattered little. The feel of cash was a consistent and familiar sensation. Friendship and teamwork did not live up to the folklore one read it books. Its loss stung and the sensation when positive warmed his soul but the loss and lulls in said relations chilled and ached his heart. He would not fall prey again.
“Yes well gentlemen I hope you honor your debts,” Ezra smiled his thanks and turned to leave. He wished his heart did not beat so ferociously when he came in close contact with these men. Wished his palms did not sweat with tension and unease. Somehow he had to control his apprehension and fear. Had to stop being concerned about how they thought of him. He lived close to thirty years without knowing their opinions he should be able to manage another thirty.
“Why don´t cha let us try and win some of our money back?” Vin kicked out a chair before anyone else could.
Ezra contemplated the chair for just a moment. A pause short enough that a stranger would not have detected the hesitation but long enough for the others to notice. With a side tip of his head, Standish consented and sat down pulling out a deck of cards. For the first time in a short week, Standish sat within striking distance of them.
Being angry did not line ones pockets with cash.
He shuffled the deck once and then whistled. Beau trotted in and lay down.
After a few hands, tension trickled from the table. The seven men fell into easy company and enjoyed the rest of game.
Beau lay next to the gambler, but it was the sheriff who kept patting the dog.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JD gazed up as a shadow fell over him. The young sheriff put down his dime store novel and squinted up at the form above him.
“Oh, hey, Josiah.” Dunne sat up slightly and let all four legs of his chair hit the board walk, “ya done workin´ on the church for today?”
“Yup,” Sanchez took the empty chair beside the boy and propped his feet up on the hitch rail, “ain´t quite cool enough for working that hard.” A silence fell between them.
Dunne nodded and surveyed the rest of main street. He hated the silence. The quiet always felt uncomfortable, even with friends. Ya should be talking to one another and telling jokes but he ain´t heard no jokes recently.
His eyes fell on the gambler. Standish headed for the saloon with Bo right on his heels.
“Bo and Ezra sure do git along real well, don´t they,” JD followed the two, turning his head slightly.
Josiah followed the boy´s gaze. The preacher wondered if the gambler ever realized what he truly won with that bet so many weeks ago? Probably not. For all his education, and knowledge Ezra still measured things against the worth of a dollar.
“Yup they do.”
“Ya ever wonder why?” Dunne had tried and tried to get Bo to play fetch. Dang dog would just stare at him or yawn. Heck JD even fetched the sticks to show him how to do it dang if he didn´t get tired having to go after all the sticks he threw for the dog. Buck and Vin laughed at him the whole time He then took Bo fishin´, with Ezra´s permission of course, Ezra didn´t care. Anyways, he takes Bo fishin´ and the dang dog dove in after the fish, then Bo ate every fish he and Casey caught. So course no one believed they really went fishin´. That was awful hard to explain to Ms. Nettie.
It ain´t like Ezra makes a big point to pat the dog or play with it.
Most Ezra does is ruffle its ears or lays his hand on its head or something
must be enough though Cuz no matter what Bo is doing no matter which kid is
playin´ with him the minute Ezra shows up on the board walk that dog is right
there at his side. Seems everyone likes Bo too well ‘cept Chaucer
“I mean Ezra don´t strike me as a dog person,” JD pulled his thoughts back.
Josiah contemplated the question, “Beau doesn´t really care, fact is that
dog don´t care what Ezra does for livin´ don´t care if he cheats at cards, or
dresses fancy .Only thing that dog cares about is pleasing him.” Somehow
Beau brought Standish´s heart closer to the surface just like kids. Ezra
needs that dog, just like Buck needs you ..like
“Gives him balance.”
JD furrowed his brow at Sanchez´s last statement but let it go. Ezra already had great balance and Bo could climb ladders. JD nearly chuckled out loud. Bo had climbed the church ladder and chewed on Josiah´s shakes while Sanchez straightened bent nails. Boy, Josiah had been mad about that dang near Old Testament kind of mad. Vin had laughed and pointed out that Nathan and Josiah kept trying to pull stuff on Ezra it only seem fair that Bo help Ezra out. Two on Two now. Fair play. JD couldn´t see exactly how it was real fair. Bo wouldn´t let anyone near Ezra when the gambler were sleeping. Not that that was a problem.
JD did laugh out loud. Josiah raised his eyebrows in question. “Remember when Buck and me tossed them firecrackers in Ezra´s room when he was late for patrol?”
Sanchez let a hearty barrel laugh out. Standish had flown to the window in his night shirt brandishing his Remington. “Poetic justice my friend poetic justice.”
“Yeah up until he lit that wrapper full of dog poop and left it at my door,” JD found no humor in that at two in the morning.
Sanchez tried to respectfully stifle his chuckle. He failed.
Dunne let his eyes fall back to the gambler and dog.
“Ya ever wonder what would happen if somethin´ happened to Bo?” JD´s quiet voice tapered off as hazel eyes found Josiah. “I mean like if he got killed or somethin´?”
Sanchez didn´t return the gaze. Instead, he watched as the gambler entered the saloon. The dog, however, tested the air and then headed out of town, toward the Potter children and Billy, playing in the field.
“Hope to God son we don´t find out too soon,” Sanchez watched as the black dog loped down the street. Small plumes of dust scattered in its wake. Mr. Fairchild had to jump out of the way or be run down.
Josiah slowly climbed to his feet.
The nature of the run had changed. This was no easy lope.
~~~~~~~~~~
Mr. Fairchild noticed it too.
“He´s after the children!” Mr. Fairchild´s panicked voice pulled
“My God! he´s after the children!,” The panicked voiced reached a near hysterical frequency.
The tired duty of rising to one´s feet suddenly disappeared from the three law men as they rushed from the saloon.
Mr. Fairchild saw them and latched onto Larabee´s arm in desperation. The man´s terror overriding his commonsense, “You´ve got to do something! shoot it! The children!”
The three, as one, stared down the board walk to the edge of town. In the wild grass field bordering the town played three children. The tall grasses came to shoulder height, only the sandy blonde and dark brown hair give any clue as to where the children frolicked.
Vin hefted his rifle.
Josiah and JD started running down the street. Buck was a few yards ahead of them still pulling on his shirt.
What snared the attention of the men what had them sprinting toward the edge of town was the black shadow stretching over the land. The enormous black dog bore down on the children with hackles raised and lips curled back. Its intentions frightfully clear. The dog ran flat out with the intention of attacking.
Part 8
“Do something!” Mr. Fairchild nearly shrieked. Mary Travis and Gloria Potter with skirts raised in clenched fists, ran down the boardwalk trying desperately to close the distance to their children. They would never make it.
Vin raised his gun to his shoulder. He never once looked to Standish nor Larabee. Tanner hesitated only a moment. He closed both eyes and then opened them clearing his sight. Focusing. Only the dog existed. No one else. The world around him ceased to exist. He never heard Buck or JD trot up behind him.
Vin took a breath and released part of it. He aimed slightly before the dog´s left shoulder. The dog would run into the bullet. It would charge to its own death.
Vin slowly squeezed the trigger.
Suddenly the barrel of gun was knocked upward. The barrel harshly redirected toward the sky. The blast of the rifle rang with ear shattering intensity. The sharpshooter wrestled angrily for control of his gun.
“Hold it Vin,”
Tanner swung his gaze wildly at Wilmington. What the hell was the man doing? There was no choice in the matter.
“Oh my God look,” Mary´s whispered exclamation had everyone watching the field.
The three children played quietly. The oldest Potter child finally saw the charging black dog nearly up on them. In an act of bravery that most kids would never think twice about but would have adults marveling, the oldest girl pulled the two younger children to her side and shielded them from the perceived threat.
With a whimpered cry, she shut her eyes and hunched her body over the two smaller children waiting for the inevitable impact.
It never came.
The dog sailed over the three children. It flew over their huddled forms, its lean body stretched out , defining ribs, sinew and muscle.
“Good Lord,” Ezra muttered in disbelief. He stepped off the board walk and started jogging.
As a force, the adults started running for the field.
The dog clashed midair with a yellow tawny body. The two animals exploded upward in an eruption of teeth and snarls.
The mountain lion recovered first. It tried to by pass the black fury that had hit it head on. The black dog sprang back at the cat keeping itself as a barrier between the children.
A terrifying fight for survival ensued. A terrible, unequal battle. Natural dexterity and strength against domesticated brutality. Both creatures a product of their environment.
Nature protects her children well. The mountain lion fought with its five natural weapons. Claws and teeth slashed the air. With ears pulled down and to the side and teeth bared, the Cat used its superior strength and speed against the domesticated dog. With no humans to protect it having to survive on its ability to hunt and find game the cat used its finely honed skill to strike at the dog.
Though Beau had been graced with speed and strength both, he was not of the wild world. Though he had suffered the brutality of man and had thrived, he lacked the sinewy tensile strength of a wild creature. Domestication had taken that edge from him. In his world, his environment, the dog would prevail time and time again but against a wild predator the fight for life would not be easily won. Domestication had taken the edge from him and his fathers .generations of depending on man had stripped him of the wild strength of his cousins.
The dog fought on using his only weapon. His teeth slashed and tore as viciously as the cat. He swung and arched his body without conscious thought to avoid the arching cut of claws.
The cat had the advantage and used it. With a solid slap to the head, it knocked the dog to the side. Beau hit the ground with a resounding thump. With the wind flushed from his lungs, the dog struggled to its feet. It lunged back at the cat. His muscles weakened and stunned from the lack of oxygen.
The lunge never finished.
With a howl of rage, something slammed into the side of him and rolled him out of the way of the cat.
A rifle report snapped the air.
The cat screamed. A blood curdling sound of a dying animal. Another shot rendered the field silent.
Beau struggled to his feet but something trapped him. The dog flung his body left and right teeth snapping in empty air.
Voices, panicked human voices suddenly surrounded him. Crying and soothing words.
Then his voice penetrated. The soothing tones that distinguished his person from the others. The voice whispered in his ear with urgency and reassurance. The dog quit struggling. The arms trapping it loosened.
Beau quickly gained his feet and stared at the faces around him.
Vin held the smoking rifle over his shoulder.
The dog turned his attention and stared at his master. His tail thumped in anticipation of praise.
“Don´t you give me that look,” Standish gained his feet and wiped clinging prairie grass from his clothes.
The dog wagged its tail again sitting on its haunches ignoring the tone.
“Don´t you even try it,” The southern words hissed out in anger.
Buck and JD knelt beside the cat but stared at the gambler.
Ezra continued speaking to the dogs, “What were you thinking? .did it ever occur to you to just bark? Perhaps garner the attention of others? What is this misguided sense of duty of yours?”
Standish stood over the dog in a scolding manner. My God I sound like Mother
JD elbowed Buck, “Ya think Ezra´s finally lost his marbles?”
Buck raised his eyebrows, “I don´t know kid looks that way.” Wilmington straightened up and gave the cat a reassuring kick. The body thumbed and moved bonelessly under the force. They would have to get a wagon to get it back to town Dang Vin´s a hell of a shot.
Mary had scooped Billy up into her arms. The young boy quickly
rebounded from the potential confrontation and spoke softly to
Mary widened her eyes while
“Hey Ezra,” Vin sidled up next to the gambler and dog. With slow movements, he laid a thankful hand on the dog´s broad head. Though the dog appreciated the gesture it was not from the right person.
“What is it Mr. Tanner?” Ezra wiped dirt from his coat sleeve. His heart hammered in his chest. What if he had not been fast enough? What if Buck had not spotted the mountain lion with in the tall grass? .What if, God forbid, Mr. Tanner had missed the shot?
“Nice tackle,” Vin smiled and turned away he paused looking over his shoulder. His blue eyes twinkled with a mischief, “ Think Mrs. Potter might be able to sew up that big ole tear in yer coat?” The tracker walked away as another foul lecture sprang forth.
Beau tilted his head left and right then laid down in the tall autumn grass. He would wait for his praise.
Josiah stood back and watched. He raised his eyes to the sky and whispered a thank you. Sanchez then followed the crowd back to town leaving the gambler and dog to follow.
On the way back to town Standish dropped a casual hand to Beau´s head and scratched the base of his ear. The dog leaned into it and learned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few nights passed with no more attacks on the citizens of the town. Its citizens felt a slight reprieve and their fear and diligence lessened. The seven lawmen, however, still covered the town in pairs checking every dark corner, watching every unknown person with wary eyes.
No moon graced the sky this night. Stars remained hidden under a heavy cloud cover. The night seemed almost thickened by the heavy darkness.
Mary glanced nervously over her shoulder. The hairs on the back of her neck rose with fright. A sixth sense screamed a silent warning. Blue eyes dilated with fear and the lack of light. The moonless night offered very little light. With a twisted knot in her stomach and rising goose bumps on her flesh, the newspaper woman gathered her skirts and quickened her pace down the board walk. Her heels rang hollowly against the warped boards.
The sixth sense, nearly a wailing cry within her, warned her of danger. With an instinct not easily subdued in those even civilized, the body and spirit knew when it was threatened.
Mary Travis, without seeing any danger, knew her life was in peril.
Her ears roared with terror.
Then a black shape melted out of the shadows beside her. With a gasp and startled yelp, the newspaper editor shut her eyes and swallowed her terror.
Beau. The black dog leaned against her leg. She scratched the base of his ear as her heart slowed its racing. “You scared me half to death,” Her whispered words sounded loudly in the quiet deserted street. Her anger at the dog wavered somewhere lost in her immense relief.
With a sigh and renewed sense of security, Mary continued down the board walk with the dog at her side. As she came to the darkened ally on her right, she paused. The little voice at the back of her mind started whispering again. With a flash of panic, she quickened her pace.
The dog matched her pace. With heightened vision and smell, the dog peered down the ally and snarled a warning. The sound came deep from within his chest. What little light that lit the area, caught his eye and reflected it. With a flash of bone white teeth and a glint of merciless ferocity the dog warned the would be attackers away.
Two men flattened themselves against the wall of the grange hall. The woman was almost theirs for the taking. With hearts in their throats and fear the dog would somehow know to come after them. They inched their way down the alley to their waiting horses. There would be easier targets elsewhere.
Larabee didn´t bother holstering his weapon. He and Vin waited in the shadows and circled around the grange hall with every intention of schooling the two in lessons of law. The two would be attackers would have gotten off easy if left to the dog.
Later that night
Part 9
“Have they come back yet?” Nathan leaned hipshot against the railing before the saloon glass window. The healer wiped his brow with the back of his hand. New calluses formed and hardened over old ones. The palms of his hands were as course as the wood shakes he nailed to the roof of the church.
Buck gazed down the street with apprehension. He nursed a beer, trying to find humor and levity in a situation that seemed devoid of any such feelings.
Something was wrong.
They all felt it.
They all knew it.
None of them wanted to act first...in fear of over reacting. Heck Vin and Ezra had only gone on patrol albeit an all day patrol but still they should have been back by now.
Even JD contained his raging doubt with barely controlled anxiety. The sheriff shifted from foot to foot. He kicked a heel back and forth scuffing the board walk with just enough gritty friction that it grated on tense nerves.
Larabee simmered. His fingers itched just to react. He needed to do something. He feared no man but something held him back. Deep down in his heart, he knew there was trouble.
Knowing he could be wrong, mostly likely making a mistake,
The sun hung low in the afternoon sky. The pale blue beauty of an autumn day was lost on the others. None noticed the cool breeze or the slight nip in the wind. No one paid any heed to the children that ran across main street only to disappear down an ally.
The five sat busying their hands, trying hard to pretend that they were not anxious, doing everything they could think of to keep their eyes wondering to the edge of town.
With anxious anticipation that they knew they should meet head on, the five waited.
They did not have to wait long.
The lone horse trotted into town dragging its reins. With nostrils flared and white lather wringing its neck, Peso spooked into town with stirrups flapping.
“Damn,” Buck pushed off the railing. JD ran to the prancing horse slowing his pace as he calmly reached for the reins. One was shorter than the other. The bridle had come half off. Peso must have stepped on his reins in his haste to flee something.
“Nathan?” JD´s nervous tone tinged the fear that laced his question. Blood adorned the fender of the saddle.
Nathan sighed. He did not need to tell the others that the amount of blood that covered the lower half of the saddle looked bad. Who ever lost this, lost a lot of blood.
“JD leave Peso with
Practiced hands had already checked weapons, but out of habit they ran through their weapons again. Saddles where thrown on to the backs of jittery horses. The energy was electric. The animals pranced back and forth. They blew and stomped their feet. The smell of blood, the slight breeze and the cool of the day heightened senses and energized spirits. The horses wanted to run.
Nathan patted his gelding. Ezra was wrong. There was a difference between how he used his horse and how others used the fighting dogs. Dang Gambler…what had he gotten himself into now? What had he and Vin fallen into?
With a worried sigh, the Healer swung himself into the saddle.
In no time, the five blew from the livery. The citizens of
The lawmen disappeared from sight heading in the direction the tracker and gambler had disappeared.
The quiet citizens watched with apprehension. Some even wondered why Larabee kept Standish around. Dang Conman sometimes caused more trouble than his worth when it came to scuffles between the seven.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Still the Gambler was more of a hassle than he was worth at times. Weren´t
they all? Between his gambling, silver tongue cons, and practical jokes,
the southern gentleman had no more manners than the rest of them. He just hid
his orneriness under the clothes and mannerisms of a pseudo-gentleman.
Maybe that´s what
Tanner was his own man, Larabee knew this. Vin made his own decisions but the fool had more loyalty than common sense. Vin would go along with a scam just to ensure Standish came back alive…..and probably just to foil the plans.
Larabee´s slight levity faded when his attention was drawn to a side field.
The horses blew and muscles quivered. JD´s young bay let out a plaintive whinny. Another horse just in the distance answered it.
It was in the clearing that they found their first hint of trouble. Through the shady patches created by over hanging deciduous trees, amongst the slightly wavering summer grasses, they spotted a horse.
Chaucer stood in the field. The horse pranced and bowed its neck at something just a few feet from him. The tall grass hid the object of his attention.
The others quickly closed the distance. Chaucer swiveled his head and saw the approaching herd. The horse whinnied again. A plaintive sound…almost worried if one could make such a claim. JD´s little gelding answered in kind. Dunne´s heart lurched to his throat. Chaucer sounded scared. The young Sheriff urged his horse ahead.
“God help us,” Sanchez whispered quietly to himself. There a few feet from the horse, laying face down in the grass, was the gambler. The dog stood over him. His hackles raised and teeth bared.
“Ezra?” JD called out sliding from his saddle even before his small gelding came to a halt.
The dog lunged at him but returned quickly to his fallen owner.
Meadow grass stuck to the congealing blood that caked the gambler´s exposed face. His arms were flung before him...his gun just within fingers reach.
The dog acted only as he knew how. He charged those that tried to get close to his territory. It protected its master forfeiting its life if necessary. Larabee ignored it.
“Buck yer with me,”
JD raised his head as if to argue but held his tongue...
“Nathan see what you can do for him,”
JD galloped his little Bay back to town.
Sanchez nodded with eyes closed. The dog lunged again.
Part 10
Larabee followed the bent grass. The shiny roughened sides of the autumn weeds clearly defined the path Tanner or his horse took. They found the discarded mare´s leg only a few feet from the gambler. Bloody hand prints marred its stock.
Wilmington watched wondering if they would lose three friends today.
As Buck and
Wilmington took a furtive glance at his oldest friend.
Buck nodded in agreement. Somehow it did not make his heart beat any slower. Wilmington leaned forward in his saddle and squinted into the area just under the trees.
Amongst the shadows, within the over hanging canopy of stretching pined limbs lay shapes that did not belong.
“
Both men spurred their horses into a gallop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Easy now boy, we ain´t gonna hurt ‘im,” Nathan stretched out a hand palm up trying to entice the dog away from the gambler. Jackson witnessed the slow even rise and fall of the gambler´s breathing. He´s still a live…Thank God.
The dog snapped and lunged snarling all the while. Its broad feet remained planted on either side of Its master.
“Dang it Josiah this ain´t gonna work,”
Sanchez nodded not willing to argue but unwilling to pull his gun. Loyalty such as this should not be rewarded with a bullet.
The preacher gazed at the fallen man. So much blood. Good God his whole face seemed bathed in thick layers of congealing blood.
Josiah scrutinized the dog. Beau returned the gaze swiveling his eyes from healer to preacher.
Sanchez suddenly sat up. The dog lunged again. Both men back pedaled.
“I´ve got a plan”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Larabee jumped from the Black as it stuttered to a stop. The heavy stench of blood filled the air. The horse never stopped moving and shied from the area once his rider left the stirrups. The big gelding trotted between the trees distancing himself from the carnage. It would no travel far, it had been trained better than most…but instinct for survival would not be ignored. The horse sought relative safety from the pervading stench of death.
Buck jumped from his Grey but held the reins. He wrestled with his saddle bags. The big Grey snorted and tossed his head. The overbearing feel of terror urged it to run.
The rider lay a few feet away. The man lay flat on his back staring sightlessly up at the canopy of trees. Flies walked over unmoving lips. Dirt and debris sat undisturbed on drying corneas. The elbow like bend in the neck gave a clear indicator as to how the man died.
No animal had gnawed his flesh.
The Buckskin clad back faced Larabee. The body lay on its side curled into a fetal position.
“Buck,” The gunslinger´s quiet exclamation wasn´t necessary. Wilmington flanked Larabee. Buck´s eyes skittered in and around the trees tying to catch a glimpse of whatever dragged down the horse and rider.
“I´m here pard´,” Buck´s whispered voice floated as quietly as the
fall breeze. He shut his eyes for a fraction of a second before following
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You call this a plan?” Nathan blinked sweat out of his eyes as he crouched ready to move.
“Better than nothing,” Sanchez took a deep breath, shooting the dog would be a last resort. They had to try something else first. The preacher cracked his knuckles and nodded.
Time to act.
With agility and speed not normally seen in someone of his age or build, Josiah darted in slapped the dog on the rump.
Beau had missed the big man´s movements because it kept its wary eyes on the healer. Nathan had edged just within striking range, in an attempt to give Josiah the best chance.
The sudden unseen contact had the dog whirling around mid air. In a blaze of fury, the dog charged the preacher.
Nathan lunged for the gambler.
Josiah leaped back raising his hands keeping them from the snapping jaws. This was not one of his better plans.
Jackson hauled the gambler closer to the horses...Chaucer in particular.
“Bo!” Jackson holler saved both the dog and the preacher a violent end. The black cur spun mid air and landed without the coppery taste of blood.
Seeing that his master had been dragged from his protection, the dog charged the healer.
Chaucer merely flattened his ears and faced the dog. It slowed and distracted Beau enough for Josiah to land a lariat´s noose around its neck.
Sanchez suddenly found himself in a position much like Ezra had that very first morning with Beau so long ago.
Shit.
The chase was on…Nathan would have laughed it the situation had not been so serious.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rage built like an ocean wave heading for shore.
Larabee lightened his hold…and then he felt it…sensed it almost. A bump a small bump nudged callused, dirt stained finger tips. A pregnant pause and then another bump.
A pulse…It was a pulse.
“He´s alive Buck,” Larabee kept his eyes rooted on the pale unconscious man before him. He did not need Buck to witness his fear and stark pain. Wilmington had already been through enough with him.
Together the two lawmen rolled the bounty hunter onto his back. The wound had suddenly become obvious. Slack, dirty, tied hands had tried to stem the bleeding to no avail.
Blood pooled and flowed slowly from the lower thigh. A dark saturated ring had encompassed the tan pants leg.
Entry and exit wounds staggered slightly in height marring the Tracker´s lower thigh.
He was slowly bleeding to death.
Buck hastily untied his bandana and cinched it down above the wound creating
a tourniquet.
The two men worked in tandem. Neither spoke. Their hands never interfered with one another, they never bumped or redirected the other. They worked as a team. Worked as if they had known each other since birth.
In the face of death, Buck felt the rekindling of a friendship that had grown old and stale.
Tanner was a catalyst.
There amongst orange discarded pine needles, laying on hard packed dirt of autumn, a simple bounty hunter wavered precariously between life and death.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JD urged the mules off the rode and through the meadow. He paused when he noticed Josiah sitting in a tree holding the end of a lariat. Dunne´s confusion disappeared when he noticed the dog leaping and growling trying to reach the man that held the rope.
Nathan worked unfazed and unconcerned. He had bigger worries on his hands.
Dunne pulled the flatbed to a stop next to Chaucer and set the brake. The young sheriff jumped down and jogged to the healer.
“Nathan?”
“He´s alive JD…bullet glanced his thick head…probably safest place to shoot him,” The giddy humor acted as a contagion.
“What about Josiah?”
Nathan didn´t bother looking up, “We´ll have to wait an see.” The healer placed a folded square bandage over the friction burned wound.
JD nodded accepting the peculiarities of his elders as something that came with age. “The others?”
His answer revealed itself when Buck came charging across the meadow. The big grey horse stretched into its gallop.
Nathan let his hands pause. Wilmington´s body language did not look good. Vin had to be alive but must be in serious shape.
“JD keep Ezra on his side and then go help Josiah,” Nathan stood up and wiped his blood stained hands on his pants.
Dunne didn´t question
Nathan tossed his bags in the back of the buckboard and jumped to the drivers seat.
He managed only a few yards before Buck crow hopped to a stop beside him.
“Vin´s hurt bad,” The ladies´ man´s eyes fell to the prone gambler and JD. “Ezra?”
“He´s ok for now…let´s git to Vin,”
Buck wheeled his big Grey around and headed back to
Sanchez was indeed a strange bird.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where are you Buck? Come on…where´s Nathan?
His heart hammered in his chest. He let his gaze rove around the area. What the hell dragged that horse down? Talk about dumb luck.
“Ezra?” The weak Texan drawl sounded like a clap of thunder.
Larabee swung his gaze to Tanner´s face.
“Easy Vin ya gonna be alright…Nathan´s comin´,” Larabee shifted his weight. It translated down his extended arms through his palms and into the wound.
Vin hissed in pain.
“Ezra…He shot Ezra…never saw it comin” Vin´s struggles consisted mostly of rolling his head side to side.
“Ezra´s fine. Jist hold on”
The rattle of wood against a metal frame seared the area. A few seconds passed and suddenly Buck and Nathan exploded into view.
Larabee took a relieved breath. Nathan would have this under control.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jackson registered the amount of blood lost, he felt the rapid thready pulse, the cold clammy skin…and wished he knew more than he did…wished he attended a structured school.
The thoughts flashed through his mind quickly and then disappeared. He had a job to do and no one out here had his experience.
He would be nauseous and scared after he got the others safely back to town…not before.
He recognized the man. The gunslinger knelt down beside the corpse and
swiped flies from the bluish face. Memories started climbing to the
surface. Last night…last night this man had gambled with Standish and
lost…lost badly. At the time
Had the loser waited in ambush for the two riders? Had he wanted revenge for losing? Larabee´s anger stirred into a maelstrom. Why take Vin hostage? The bounty? Did he recognize Vin during the ambush?
All this over a game of cards?
Larabee´s dark musings were interrupted by Buck´s soft holler, “
Together the three men gently laid the grayish pale tracker in the back of the wagon. They rested him on spread saddle blankets trying to trap heat and offer some comfort against the buckboard´s plank bed.
Buck draped the over coat he kept tied to his saddle over Tanner.
JD spoke softly to Bo. He treated the dog as he would have wanted to be treated. The young sheriff did not understand why others found that such a difficult concept. Though a dog, Bo still had the fears and aggressions that possessed other animals. It took some doing but after a few minutes of plain talking, JD managed to get the end of the rope from Josiah.
The large preacher smiled ,somewhat sheepishly, from his perch in the tree but his relief was plain to see.
Bo gave Sanchez one last growl before following the dark haired youngster back to his charge.
JD´s horse gave the dog no mind. Bo must have figured all horses to be like Chaucer, or so Dunne figured. The dog kept a discrete distance.
The trio quickly made their way back to the lone gambler who lay in the middle of a meadow curled on his side.
The sound of the approaching wagon had JD peering over his shoulder. The mules moved slowly, picking their way across the field. A much different pace than when they had first traversed it when going to Vin.
Dunne smiled. Vin had to still be alive.
>From his perch on the wagon´s driver´s seat, Larabee found his gaze settling on Sanchez.
“Why´s Josiah sitting in a tree?”
Nathan followed their leader´s gaze and returned Josiah´s exuberant wave, “Was part of his plan.”
Larabee no longer tried to discern the reasons behind his men´s eccentricities.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The wagon swayed and bounced across the meadow. The mules leaned into their harnesses, hauled on the hitch and heaved the buckboard up onto the road.
The buckboard lurched listing dangerously toward one side and then the other.
The occupants of the wagon were jarred left than right. They slid backward and then bent forward.
Nathan held a steadying hand to Vin´s blanketed shoulder. The
healer kept the tracker´s shoulder flush to the wagon bed while the lanky man´s
legs were raised on two discarded saddles. They needed to help get blood
to the heart, or so Nathan had been told.
Josiah encircled the gambler´s shoulder´s, neck and head in his arms.
They had to keep Ezra slightly elevated. Nathan wasn´t sure of the
logic behind the order but knew that most of the successful head wound
recoveries slept with their shoulders above the level of their
waists.
Josiah kept his eyes on the blood stained face. Standish seemed deathly pale, nearly as pale as Tanner. The preacher shifted his legs trying to relieve a cramp. The movement jarred the gambler. “Easy Brother,” Sanchez´s deep voice rolled with the harsh creak of the wagon. He never expected Standish to hear him. To his shock and wonderment, the gambler´s eyes peeled apart and unrolled. “Ezra?” Josiah leaned over and closer to the young man within his grasp, “Ezra? You with us son?”
Standish´s eyes merely rolled back and fluttered closed.
Josiah looked across to Nathan.
The healer merely shrugged. It had to be a good sign.
The wagon rolled quickly down the road. The riders were cast in alternating hues of shadows as they traveled under over hanging trees. A breeze tickled the air.
Larabee urged the mules toward
The horses ponied quietly behind the wagon. The tension was fraught with potential impatience.
The sun set without notice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nathan´s small clinic seemed almost to burst at the seams with people.
Vin´s leg had started seeping again through the bandages.
Josiah lent his impressive strength and weight to the wound in Vin´s leg once they got the tracker into a bed.
The tracker moaned only slightly at the abuse.
Buck and JD eased the gambler into the cot. They stripped him of his clothes. Occasionally Ezra´s eyes would open. He stared blankly at nothing as both Buck and JD tried to cajole some response from him. Each time Standish´s eyes merely closed.
Buck and JD´s disappointment kept itself in check in the face of their tasks.
Things were as clear as mud. A bounty hunter? Did he work alone or did some one still sit and wait?.and what the hell dragged down that horse? Did a predator stalk just outside of town? Other than the two legged kind?
Larabee´s eyes fell to the dog. Beau returned the stare.
The lack of answers hung heavy on shoulders. The others busied themselves, in the dim light afforded by kerosene lamps. There was not enough room for all of them. None were willing to leave.
Larabee folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the door. His piercing green gaze traveled from Tanner´s bed to Standish´s cot. Worry ate at his gut.
Nathan finally straightened from Vin´s bed, cracking his back. He stared at each and everyone of them. He found their eyes as they reflected behind shadows created by the flickering lamps. Silhouettes mostly, just forms hiding from the light of truth.
Nathan´s gaze finally landed on Larabee and stayed, “Done all we can for him…his foot´s still warm…and he´s got a pulse…jist got to wait ‘n´ see.”
The others nodded as sighs escaped. Dark outlines shifted within the background. Amazing how this small room could disguise so many when needed.
Buck and JD peeled away from the cot allowing Nathan room to work on Standish. Josiah cleaned the basin and started boiling more water.
With nothing more to do Buck left the room. Someone needed to keep
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laying quietly in the corner, a shadow within a shadow, lay Beau.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buck sipped his whiskey quietly.
As JD drew closer Buck silently shook his head ‘No´.
JD ignored Buck and pulled out a seat. The youngest sat quietly and looked imploringly up at his mentor.
“They´re gonna be alright Buck, ain´t no reason to worry none,” JD´s confidence seemed to wilt within the young tones.
“I know they are kid” Wilmington´s smile lifted the ends of his mustache, “Good ole Devil ain´t gonna want that pair at his gate at the same time…and I think St. Peter…jist ain´t ready to deal with ´em yet.”
“Whatta ya think happened out there?” Dunne searched the two men for
answers.
Almost lost two friends, should have seen it coming.
Buck´s voice broke the silence, “I think we´re gonna have to wait ‘til they wake up some.”
Kid ain´t to blame for this…leave ‘im alone. Ain´t no one to blame not even yerself.
Inez wiped down the bar top and watched the three men at the corner
table. JD suddenly seemed too small, too young to be sitting
amongst such men. Though, senors Larabee and
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nathan rubbed his face and leaned back in the rocker. He stretched his legs out, the muscles quivering with the need to loosen cramps. A chill settled in his bones. A coldness born of overtiredness. An early morning sun caste new light into the small room. Shadows retreated with the promise of returning.
The healer sat forward again, tipping the chair on its rungs. With an exhausted sigh, he heaved himself to his feet.
Time to start a new day. It seemed as if time ran together in one giant blur, differentiated only by the unexplainable rise and fall of fevers.
He checked both men.
Vin´s fever had dipped some with the rising of the sun. The
tracker lay curled on his side, his leg kept as close to his chest as
possible. Laudanum only dulled the pain. The thick medicine did not
extinguish it completely.
Standish had managed to shift and move occasionally through the night. He slowly climbed from the heavy clutches of unconsciousness. Nathan had carefully placed a second and then a third blanket over the restless man. Ezra understood cold, had faced it, dealt with it, and did not like it. The healer did his best to accommodate his friend.
The dog had remained motionless at the foot of the Gambler´s cot all night. Now, in the light of a weak morning sun, Bo lifted his head and rumbled a soft growl.
Nathan smiled half heartily to himself. One of the others must be climbing the stairs. Funny, how the growl to the untrained ear sounded horrific but to one accustomed to it learned the various meanings behind such sounds.
In a few seconds, heavy foot falls rang across the small porch. The door swung open with blast of crisp morning air swooping in on its heels. It revitalized the stagnant air of the room.
“How they are they doing, Brother?” Josiah´s deep voice rang through the room. Even with his voice kept soft he still herald a commanding sound. Nathan couldn´t help but think Josiah would have made a formidable presence behind the pulpit.
“Doin´ better,”
Sanchez stared down at Vin, “How you feeling brother?”
Nathan swung around at the question. Josiah chuckled slightly at Jackson´s surprised look. Must not have known Vin was awake. The preacher took stock of the bounty hunters expression and realized Vin might not truly be with them.
Nathan hurried to the side of the bed. He watched the dazed blue eyes blink and fight to focus. He noted the confused look and quiet determination. The healer turned his attention back to the wound.
“Vin?”
The tracker hissed at the touch and tried to pull his leg away.
“Easy Vin, Nathan´s got to check,” Josiah´s rumbling tone eased some of the tension. Yep he´s awake.
“Yer lucky Vin,” Nathan flipped the blankets back down and smiled at the bounty hunter, “ain´t seen many men lose that much blood and live.”
Tanner´s blue eyes flittered from man to man. His head hurt and his stomach churned with unrest. He felt dizzy and light headed even though he lay on his back. Images flashed through his mind with painful speed and clarity.
“Ezra?” His voice croaked harshly but the urgency and fear carried true.
“He´s gonna be ok Vin,” Nathan reassured. The healers gaze fell to the quiet man laying in the cot across the small room. Bo had moved. He lay curled on the floor at the head of the bed. Nathan would have to remember to lay a blanket down for the dog.
Tanner watched disheartened as
Josiah noticed the tired but wary glance, “Can you tell us what happened?”
The bounty hunter let out a careful sigh. Could he tell them what happened? Could he remember that another bounty hunter came looking for Five hundred dollars and in turn nearly killed a friend? Could he recall the way Ezra´s head snapped around a fraction of a second after the report of a rifle. Did he see the way Standish had been flung from his saddle like rag doll with blood already pooling down his face. Or the hammering intense burn as a bullet seared through his own leg? The sick feeling knowing that he was bleeding to death and could do nothing stop it. Would he ever forget the wrenching sensation of being forced to leave behind a friend hurt and protected only by an enraged dog.
Vin wondered if the memories would ever fade.
Tanner nodded at the two men staring down at him. Yeah, he remembered.
Part 11
Ezra had always pleaded innocent to the dog´s mischievous behavior. He weren´t fool ‘in anyone funny thing was .JD figured Ezra knew it too.
Dunne sighed and leaned back against front wall of the clinic. Poor Vin. Beatin´ himself up over nuthin´. Ain´t his fault some greedy lowlife came gunnin´ for him. Ain´t his fault at all. They all told him that but he just kept starin´ at Ezra sleeping heavy like under some blankets. JD guessed Vin wouldn´t feel good about hisself until Ezra woke up and cheated him at cards.
Dunne´s eyes traveled to his best friend.
Buck stood against the porch railing. JD could tell he were mad about
something. Just couldn´t pin it down yet. Buck had no reason to be mad at
Lately, the others had left the dog to do the watching out for Standish. They didn´t mind. It kept them from having to play go between for him and Larabee and even Nathan.
JD wondered if Nathan still checked his horse three times a day just to make sure it was content in his stall. Ezra and Buck had had a running bet going for awhile even Josiah was in on it. Dunne had bowed out didn´t seem right to bet behind Nathan´s back. Those two had no principles...Josiah well, he was too old and wise to contradict. Besides sometimes Josiah could act as contrary as the rest of them especially with drinking.
JD couldn´t figure out why Buck seemed so riled. The big man stood with a white knuckle grip on the railing his eyes searching town. JD could see the muscles in Buck´s jaw knot and relax.
The bounty hunter, dead back in the woods, worked with accomplices. More than a few it seemed, from what Vin had just told them.
JD shook his head. Vin had no right to be putting blame on his own shoulders for what had happened.
The way Vin told it, him and Ezra got themselves ambushed. Vin had no idea something was wrong. He should have though, or so he said, cuz Bo had been snarling and fussing for a few minutes before things went awry. Ezra had watched the dog concerned at first but Chaucer had been spirited and had been kicking out at the dog all during the ride.
Ezra had written Bo´s foul mood off to the horse.
Vin said looking back he should have known should have known someone hid in the woods with a gun. Should have listened.
Dunne couldn´t figure it listen .to who? A dog?
Anyhow, Vin then said, a shot rang out and next thing he knows Ezra gits thrown from his saddle.
JD would never forget the look on Vin´s face at this point in the story. Vin looked scared angry and down right sick all at the same time.
Vin said he then pulled his mare´s leg but a second shot rung out. He dropped his gun when his thigh nearly exploded with pain. He didn´t actually say ‘exploded´ but JD had been shot before and that´s what it felt like to him .a big chunk of meat and tissue just explode from your body. Hurts like hell .don´t let anyone tell ya different.
Then a few riders came into the clearing. Three had gone over to check Ezra but Bo wouldn´t let them near him. Dang dog were part devil, from the way Vin tells it. They were gonna shoot him but the ring leader told them to quit screwing with the dog and help him.
That´s when Vin´s hands got tied.
JD realized Vin never mentioned about all the bleeding his leg had done .never even made a hint towards it instead he just said how still and crumpled Ezra lay in the grass .how Bo just stood over him shielding him from the others.
Then they rode out.
Vin gave
They rode out. Most of the ambushers headed North. Vin got
ponied behind the leader heading for the Southwest. There had been talk
of Tascosa and the bank in
Vin had said that´s what the ambushers said. JD had felt his heart
lurch when Vin repeated that tidbit.
Anyhow the ambushers had split up, or so Vin had said. The one ponying Vin headed off alone. Vin said he tried to keep his eyes on Ezra but could feel himself getting dizzy. That was when he noticed Bo.
The crazy dog had just sat and waited. Sat right next to Ezra and waited. Vin couldn´t figure out what the dog was doing .kind of thought the dog would stay by Ezra´s side until help came but that ain´t what it did.
Not at all.
It waited alright. Vin had paused in the story and glanced at the dog curled by the head of Ezra´s bed. He gave the dog a wary glance. JD couldn´t quite figure it out admiration and perhaps a tinge of fear.
Vin pulled himself back to the story when Josiah cleared his throat.
The dog waited until the other three ambushers had disappeared to the North. Hell the dang dog even sat a little longer as if to be sure.
‘Be sure of what´ that ‘s what they all wanted to ask .
But Vin continued the story .
With the others gone from sight Bo acted. He stood up sniffed Ezra´s face one time and then started out after the one captor.
Vin had paused again and again stared at the dog that lay peacefully by his master´s bed. It seemed as if he tried to connect the two different personas.
Bo had come in low and fast. Hugged the ground like shifting shadow. Peso had started getting nervous as did the Palomino. Both horses started shying and prancing. Vin admitted to having a hard time keeping his seat. Being so dizzy an all. JD could appreciate that all right.
The captor was too busy fighting his horse and the pony line. He never saw the dog.
Vin did. From the look on his face, JD figured, Vin had to have been both scared and awed.
The dog hit the Palomino from the side. Jumped up and tried for the juggler. The horse had screamed. It had twisted around and struck out with a hind foot. That was when Bo latched onto the hamstring.
Ain´t no way a single dog could tear a hamstring on its own just standing still .but with the horse kicking and bucking and running frantically toward the woods just trying to shake the dog loose well all that momentum, plus the jerky change in angles and the added weight well the hamstring tore. Completely through.
Dang hind leg had just straightened right out like a human´s leg useless on a horse. Can´t bear no weight joints bend differently with no hamstring attached. The lower half of the leg just swung in a circle like the second hand on Ezra´s pocket watch.
Peso had had enough. Horse pulled itself free and bolted. Dog didn´t give no care about Vin or his horse.
Vin said the dang ambusher made the mistake of going for his gun. The black devil of a dog jumped up and latched onto the horse´s flank. Tore it clean through. The horse screamed again and threw itself at the dog.
The rider had fallen somewhere in there under the feet of his own horse.
Vin said that was all he remembered. One moment Bo was tearing strips of flesh from the horse and the next he woke up in Nathan´s clinic.
The others had all turned and stared at Bo at that point. The dog just stared back at them, then yawned and lay over on his side, like he ain´t got a care in the world.
Then Vin yawned and Nathan hustled them out of the clinic.
That´s how they came to be standing out here in the sun.
Josiah had disappeared to the church roof. The echo of his hammer was some how soothing. JD liked the sound.
Dunne kept his eyes on Buck.
JD´s musing were cut short cut when Buck spoke. He turned around and
stared at
“JD go take Beau out. He needs a walk,”
JD stood up to comply. It would be good for Bo to get out. Sides he should get a steak or something for saving Vin like he did.
As Dunne headed in through the door, Buck´s voice stopped him again, “And JD put him on tether when you take him out.”
A leash? Put Bo on the end of a leash? He ain´t been on one since those first two weeks way back when. Why now?
Dunne paused for just a bit but
Part 12
I do perceive here a divided duty...Shakespeare,
Othello
Larabee matched Wilmington´s gaze. Buck still leaned against the
porch railing resting his hands behind himself as faced
Buck listened to the clop of JD´s boot heels and the soft click of
nails. The two descended the stairs and started down the board
walk.
“He´s got to be destroyed, you know,” Buck´s soft statement hung heavy in the air. His conviction only as strong as those who would or wouldn´t back him.
“Yup,” Larabee kept his gaze on the man in front of him. He had
known
Buck continued on, rationalizing his thoughts out loud, “He pulled down a
Gawd damn horse, Geezus
Buck could only see blood. What if it ever turned on Ezra? They conned Standish into this...into taking the dog on...and now what? They kill his dog while he sleeps? Ezra might have been right...maybe he should only trust in his cards and wit.
Larabee held his tongue. You should have known it would lead to this...
Buck saw no comfort or support from his friend. Nothing to indicate that Larabee supported him or rebuked him. Nothing.
“Damn it
If he were hoping to get a reaction from
“Damn it
“You boy´s got yourself into this mess....I suggest you figure a way out of it,” Larabee turned his gaze over main street. JD and the dog headed toward the Clarion.
Billy ran out to meet them rushing the dog.
Buck followed
Travis hit the dirt on his knees and slid into Beau wrapping his arms tightly around the dog´s massive neck. Beau stood quietly and withstood the close proximity of the child. His tail dropped.
“JD!!!” Buck´s deep voice rang with a warning.
Dunne swung around and gazed up at his friend. The young sheriff could hear the anger and fear in the voice. What was wrong with Buck? Hell, what was wrong with the others...even Josiah?
Instead of thanking Bo, they were looking at the dog as if he were the one who had shot Vin and Ezra.
“Gawd damn kid,” Wilmington´s mutter fell harshly toward Larabee. Didn´t the Kid have any sense? Too much trust...JD just had too much trust.
Disgusted, Buck pushed from the railing and headed down the stairs. Someone had to take care of the dog. Better do it while Ezra was still out of it and while everyone else understood why it had to be done. Do it while he had his resolve.
Larabee stood with hands braced on the porch railing. He followed
Young Travis missed the silent angry, communication between the two men and suddenly was pulling on JD´s hand. Buck would never come right out and say what he planned ...not in front of the Billy.
Dunne would be ingenious enough to know what
With great reluctance and a backward glance at Buck, JD allowed Billy to pull him toward the Clarion.
Buck grasped the end of the leash and trudged down main street. Beau
stutter stepped a few paces wrestling with the simple rope leash. The dog
did not like the change in atmosphere.
Beau trusted this man simply because his man did.
Buck stopped by the sheriff´s office and disappeared inside for just a brief moment. He returned with a rifle clutched low in his hand.
Together Buck and Beau walked down the boardwalk and out of town.
Damn Buck....your road is never easy.
Larabee felt his anger rise.
Josiah threw his hammer and struck out at a stack of wood shingles. The first few broke. My God what have we done?
JD stood in the window of the Clarion. He tried to ignore Billy´s incessant questions. The sheriff´s anger afforded him no patience for the little boy at his hip.
With sudden righteous resolve, Dunne skittered past Billy and rushed out the Clarion door. This was not right, not fair. Bo didn´t do anything wrong.
JD hit the boardwalk running.....and ran right into Josiah.
The large preacher knew this was coming. Had seen it the minute Buck headed out of town with dog and rifle. Though he didn´t feel it right, he could not find a way to disagree with it. There would be wounded souls that would need mending before this day was through. The most sensitive and the most wounded carried out this blackest deed of betrayal.
With a sense of foresight and with the hopes of keeping Buck´s job easier, Josiah made his way down to the Clarion just in time to intercept an enraged JD Dunne.
The boy had a greater sense of right and wrong than any of them. He perceived the world in black and white. Law and lawless... loyal and unloyal... faithful and unfaithful. He did not see the circumstances, he was not jaded enough to see the possibilities of dire miscalculations. Benefit of the doubt did not survive in later life. Actions spoke truer than intent. Ability and potential ability had to be watched with a wary eye.
With strong arms, heavy determination to protect Buck, and questionable sense of right and wrong, Josiah Sanchez intercepted the boy sheriff.
JD hollered and yelled. He threw punches and swore. Unfallen tears of anger sprang forth as a descriptive litany of Josiah´s heritage flew forth from lips that had never spoke such harsh words. Grief and pain were something JD was quite familiar with...they all were.
Josiah held on....Buck didn´t deserve this.
No man should be left to defend others so absolutely....so absolutely alone.
Buck shouldn´t have had to do it alone....someone should´ve have helped him. Damn it he liked the dog too...hell he loved Ezra as a brother.... Dear God someone help Buck.
With his arms wrapped around JD´s waist, ignoring the young man´s persistent struggles and caustic accusations, Josiah Sanchez half carried, half dragged his youngest most impressionable friend to the saloon. In time, maybe JD would learn just what a sacrifice Buck was committing. Josiah hoped some day JD would forgive Buck and see the undying dedication the man had for his friends and town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vin Tanner lay in the bed. He listened to the sounds of JD´s anguished voice as it floated in around the closed door. The bounty hunter cast his gaze on Nathan. The healer averted his eyes and only shook his head.
Neither man saw any other way....both turned and lay their gaze on the man sleeping oblivious to the destruction of the one thing that loved him unconditionally.
Vin clenched his jaw. His fault really. If the damn bounty hunters had just come a different day....just attacked when Ezra and Beau were not around. His fault. Tanner draped an arm over his eyes. With a mournful breath he sighed.
Nathan rolled bandages and placed them in the clean wash basin. His heart hammered in his chest. Dear God let Larabee have gone with Buck...don´t let him do this alone. The healer finally dragged a chair over to Standish´s cot and sat beside him. He placed his chair in the spot which Bo had laid loyally lay for the past day and a half.
Loyalty and protection...a bullet for his reward. They had no choice really...God help Buck.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buck took a steadying breath and walked a few paces from the dog. He turned to find Beau at his heel.
The Ladies´ man choked out a chuckle. “Stay boy.” With a simple pat on the dog´s grizzled head, the gunslinger walked off a few more paces. He turned and faced the black dog.
Beau lay down in the grass. He rested his monstrous head and jowls on his crossed front feet. The dog lay still and followed Wilmington´s actions with large, sorrowful, brown eyes.
Buck started to raise the rifle. For the first time in a life time the rifle seemed too heavy in his hands. The match didn´t fit, the union seemed false. For so long, he had carried a rifle it had always seemed apart of him...until now. Now, it felt like a grotesque scar to be hidden from sight.
With a pounding heart, the large man raised the rifle slowly to his shoulder.
He stared at the dog. He didn´t see Beau, however, instead he saw the
times Ezra climbed down the saloon steps with a stiff neck because the
‘bedeviled dog´ stole the gambler´s pillow while he had slept. Buck
recalled all the times on the trail when Beau would make himself at home in
Standish´s bed roll before Ezra even finished laying it out....Buck remembered
the instance when
How many times had the damn dog given them company when no one else seemed to pick up on their internal strife´s?
Reward Beau with violence....how could it be the right thing to do when it felt so wrong...such a vile betrayal?
Buck squeezed his eyes closed and raised the rifle to his shoulder. It was just a dog...a dangerous potentially murderous dog.
With the sun high in the fall sky, with a soft breeze whispering through the tall golden grass, Buck Wilmington raised the rifle to his shoulder.
He had a duty to the town.
Part 12b
Vin dreaded every movement. He watched praying Ezra would quit moving around and just settle back down. The tracker gazed across the dusk lit room. Long shadows of early evening darkened the room to dull shades of grey.
His prayers went unanswered. No surprise for one Vin Tanner.
His only hope would be that Ezra would still flounder in that hazy land of semi consciousness. It seemed the gambler could not hold onto a thought. His memory only lasted as long as the sentence he listened too. Vin couldn´t count how many times Nathan had retold the story of how Ezra got his head wound.
Standish for his part had listened wide eyed and normally drifted off before the story was completed. He had not realized the dog was missing. He had not uttered much in the way about the dog but then again his speech had been so befuddled and confused and drenched in a thick drawl he could have been asking about the dog but no one knew it. With each consecutive waking moment the conman had become more and more lucid.
Just as well, until now.
Buck would have been back by now. He would have done the deed. It had been hours since he had lead Bo out of town. Vin had struggled to get out of bed but vertigo slammed him backwards into his pillow. He had even passed out for a short while. He woke to a pounding headache and a quiet room. Nathan had slipped off some where.
The bounty hunter now watched with apprehension as Ezra´s eyes blinked open. Tanner held his breath as he watched the gambler´s green eyes circle the room and then land on him.
Vin cursed. Ezra knew where he was. His mind was back on track.
Tanner returned the gaze and simply muttered, “I´m so sorry Ezra....I...” Vin fumbled for words that would explain why Buck weren´t to blame...why it was his, Vin´s fault, that Beau was gone.
Instead, Ezra, as was his custom, started speaking, “There is nothing to be apologizing for...you did not pull the trigger...you did not ask those men to hunt you down...and if you were not there, perhaps they would have destroyed Beau and myself as well.”
Ezra noticed the flinch at the mention of the dog´s name. It was then the gambler noticed the dog was missing.
“Beau...he did survive our little encounter did he not?” Ezra could not be sure but he thought he had seen the dog by his side a few times. His memory was confused and hazy at best but the image of the dog seemed clear.
The bounty hunter paused. Good Gawd does he lie? Does he lie and save Buck the confrontation that was sure to happen? It would happen eventually. The perpetuation of a lie when so many knew the truth would not last very long. In the end, the pain they had tried to save those involved, would only increase and burn even more.
Ezra deserved better than a lie. Tanner wouldn´t fall into the false security of such foolishness. He would explain the truth. Truth with sensitivity...because without sensitivity honesty could be brutal.
“Beau? well ya see Ezra...Beau made it through just find...fact is he saved you and my lives...” Vin´s voice faltered. This was not making it any easier.
Ezra smiled and rubbed at his head, “There has got to be a way to make a profit from his noble deeds,” The pride he felt for the dog manifested itself in schemes for success. Maude had taught him that way as well. Win a card game and thus include him in a more profitable scam later on. Do well and be allowed to accompany her. Beau presented an endless supply of cons. The dog was easy to teach and so willing to please.
“Well ya see, he dragged down a horse....nearly tore the leg off the poor beast....got the rider killed,” Vin´s hesitant nearly frightened tone sent warning bells ringing in Ezra´s already ringing ears.
“What are you saying Mr. Tanner?” Accusation laced his words.
“He´s strong Ezra...and ain´t no telling how he´s gonna react in a given situation,” Vin rubbed at his leg. He spoke again interrupting the conman, “Mean ya can never be too sure when it comes to Billy or the Potter kids...or anyone for that matter....”
Ezra stopped listening. The words hardly made any sense. It was the body language, the fear and pain in Mr. Tanner´s eyes and voice. My God what have they done?
“What are you alluring too, Mr. Tanner?” True anger flooded the voice.
“It weren´t Buck´s fault,” Vin continued, just git it over with, git the truth out and deal with the pieces later.
Standish stared at the man across the room from him. His mind whirled. Anger and betrayal sprang forth nearly cutting his breath short.
Ezra tried to sit up. Dizziness hit him like a brick wall. He fell back with a gasp. Pain erupted through his skull. It hardly registered with the sharp ache that scoured his heart.
“You Bastards....” Standish rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself to his knees. His ears rang as blood rushed through his system. With blind determination, he found a pair of discarded pants and fumbled into them.
He did not hear Vin´s pleas...He did not acknowledge Tanner as he pushed his way past the unsteady tracker and stumbled for the door. He never looked over his shoulder as the bounty hunter fell over the bed to crash to the floor on the other side.
Vin scrambled to his feet. He heard the clinic door slam close. Lightheaded and nauseous Tanner crawled to his feet and made to follow the gambler.
Someone protect Buck.
Vin heard rather than saw the gambler trip and stumbled down the clinic steps. Vin reached the steps but found Standish had already gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JD sat with Nathan, Buck and Josiah.
At another table, ensnared in his own dark corner, sat Larabee. He
glared at the world warning everyone to stay away. The lives of his men
were their own but when they hurt and fell, he felt himself go down with
them. Exactly why he had left Buck so long ago after the loss of Sarah
and Adam.
JD knew solitude was no more the answer to problems in general than reaching for a bottle of rotgut. With some persuasion and cajoling, JD convinced the three older men to go to Larabee´s table.
With hard won patience, Larabee withstood the company.
No words were exchanged.
Buck staggered to his feet and threaded his way to the bar. Though a smile adorned his face it held no carefree levity. The forced smile benefited only those that did not know the ladies man. Even the working the girls tried to offer condolences but he politely shrugged them off.
None of the four gazed up when the bat wing doors were shoved aside.
JD and Nathan held their breaths as Buck weaved and stuttered his way through the smoke and haze between chairs and people and back toward their table.
Movement by the outside doors drew their attention.
“Oh no,” JD´s young voice seemed to pull the four men to their feet as one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ezra stormed through the saloon doors in an unsteady gait. The world listed left and right. Through fuzzy shifting vision, he laid eyes on the target of his anger.
With determination that matched his sense of unbalance, the gambler tripped and wove his way through the crowd. Patrons backed out of his way...strangers were pulled from the impending trouble, by regulars. This was not an argument anyone wanted any part in....
“You sonofa bitch,” The words tumbled and fell over each other, the thick Johnny reb accent dropped any sense of pronunciation but the maliciousness was clear.
Standish drew back a bare arm.
Buck turned his head at the sound of gibberish...just in time to catch a right cross to the jaw.
Both men fell. Buck stumbled backward into a table. His whiskey soaked sense of balance offered no help.
Ezra toppled forward following the path of his right cross. He
stumbled into the falling
The table behind both men up ended sending them crashing to the floor amongst cards, coins, beer and whiskey.
JD started to rush to them, wanted to separate them before anything was said or done that could not be taken back...
Josiah forced him still. The preacher swayed precariously back and forth on his feet. JD inadvertently played the role of a crutch.
“You faithless Sonofa bitch...” Standish tried to recapture his balance enough to throw a second punch. Whiskey and cards stuck to his arms and chest. The bandage around his head slid over one eye.
Vin limped and dragged himself to the batwing doors just in time to witness the two men go down.
He slid through the doors and made his way toward
The citizens of the saloon kept wary eyes on
Buck didn´t bother trying to defend himself, didn´t bother trying to explain himself. He simply waited for the next blow...waited for the anger that should be directed toward him.
Ezra didn´t see anything but the object of his disgust, the source of the betrayal that seared his soul.
He cocked his arm back, tightened his fist and thought only of destroying the person sliding in and out of focus before him.
He never had a chance to land the blow.
A large black object suddenly slid under his arm. A thick coat pushed against his chest nearly knocking Standish sideways. Something licked his face.
Shocked and with undue disgust, Standish shoved the black invader away. The intruder had no intentions of leaving.
The room fell silent.
In the heavy expectation that engulfed the barroom, Standish suddenly realized Beau leaned on him. Stood between himself and Mr. Wilmington.
The dog...the dog.....It licked the spilled whiskey from Standish´s shoulder.
Ezra dropped his fisted hand on Beau´s head. Confused green eyes
stared over the dog´s back and landed on the watered, alcohol induced nystagmus
stare of
“I couldn´t do it Ezra....jist couldn’t bring myself to do it....” The softly whispered words held more pain than the eyes. The normally jovial face twisted into a sad countenance of a friend seeking forgiveness for a transgression he thought nearly mortal.
Ezra leaned into the dog. Rested his arms around Beau and lay his face on the dog´s neck. His explanation later would be that he was simply too dizzy to support himself. The dimpled smile, full of shame and relief , said otherwise.
“Thank you....” Standish took a steadying breath and leaned heavily against the dog. Beau bore it quietly and continued to lap up whiskey and beer.
Ezra stretched a hand out to
Standish didn´t bother gazing upward at the hand that rested on his shoulder. He was just too damn sick.
“Keep ´im on a leash Ezra,” Larabee´s words marked a compromise. Standish nodded not even trying to finagle an excuse to ignore the directive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three weeks passed with relative quiet. The weather turned cooler and the days shorter.
Vin had recovered enough that he could almost make it through a whole day without falling a sleep. His limp though pronounced did not keep him from the saddle.
Standish too had recovered enough to convene at his normal spot at the gaming tables. The dizzy spells and severe headaches had diminished. He no longer slept like the dead, unresponsive and unmoving. In those times Beau had hovered close by his master.
Beau, himself, seemed to have thrived those recovering weeks. He spent his time divided between the gambler and the others. Most noticeably Buck and JD. The Sheriff solicited the dog´s attention but Buck never did.
Three weeks and no more had been said about the incident with the bounty hunters and potential bank robbers. Perhaps they fled when they saw the death in the woods surrounding the field. Who knew?
On this dark fall morning a cold wind blew off the prairie. Heavy laden clouds promised a storm. The question remained would it be rain or snow.
Ezra sat at a saloon table flipping cards. A low-grade headache kept him in doors. Beau beside his chair.
“ ‘Ey Ezra,” Vin pulled out the chair opposite of the gambler. He sat heavily. The moisture in the air played havoc with his wound. It ached terribly. As was his habit, the tracker tossed the dog a bit of jerky. Tanner´s aim was good enough that the dog did not have to move to catch it and Beau´s reflexes and eye coordination was enough that he did not have to raise his head.
“Mr. Tanner,” Standish rubbed at the base of his neck. His ears seemed to be ringing as well. Mr. Jackson had said the headaches would diminish in time. How much time did he want?
Buck joined them carrying three beers and his ever present grin, “Howdy Boys.”
“Mr. Wilmington.”
“Buck.”
“Ey Ezra....Don´t
“So it would seem,” Ezra had ceased reminding everyone that it was not his dog. It was about as successful as reminding Josiah he was not the preacher´s son.
“Don´t you think you should?” Tanner kept his eyes on his mug of beer
but knew
“I don´t see why it is necessary at this stage in time,” Gawd his head hurt. Felt like someone stuffed his ears with wool. Perhaps a small mid day siesta would help.
“Well he is prone to violence....”
“As is Mr. Larabee.....and I don´t see you gentlemen keeping him on a short tether...though at times I think it would be prudent.” Standish rubbed at the side of his head.
Buck and Vin shared amused glances, “Ya know pard´ its not like
“That remains to be seen,” Standish returned tiredly...perhaps he would excuse himself and go lay down.
Ezra pushed his chair back from the table and stood, “If you’ll excuse me gentlemen,” he turned and stepped right into Larabee.
Buck and Vin smiled and chuckled.
“Ezra, I thought you agreed to keep the dog on a leash,”
“Yes, well he ate the last few,” Ezra side stepped the gunslinger and started for the stairs, “and about the last comm...”
“Forget it Ezra,” Larabee took the gambler´s seat, “no sense chewing on people if ya can shoot ´em,” the dark gunslinger hit Buck and Vin with a poignant stare.
The two men stopped laughing.
Standish tipped his hat and with the help of the railing headed up the stairs. Beau followed quietly beside him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Outside of town resting within the safety of group of trees, bank robbers
planned and schemed. With in the week they would hit
In a week, all would be in place. The new leader of the group smiled with anticipation.
‘Like licking butter off a knife.....´
Part 13
The Awful Beauty of
Self-Sacrifice Whittier, Amy Wentworth, l .16
“Ezra!” Standish snapped off one more shot before redirecting his attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Highway man he had shot at duck safely behind a water trough. An ungentlemanly curse whispered between dusty lips .
The gambler, however, turned his eyes on Mr. Wilmington. The Lady´s man was waving vigorously to get his attention. Ezra squinted furrowing his brow, trying to make sense of the frantic motions of his fellow law man who lay somewhat pinned down under an over turned wagon.
The man seemed to be caught in a bout of ‘The Fits.´
“Ezra! JD.....look at JD!” The word were drowned by the constant
barrage of gunfire. The sharp crack of Vin´s rifle rang from the top of
the mercantile. Another wanna be bank robber ducked and rolled under a
board walk finding a slight reprieve.
Josiah squatted hunched behind the water trough just in front of the saloon. He shared this small cover of protection with the gambler.
Ezra watched Buck´s frantic pointing for a fraction of second longer. The gambler suddenly understood the dilemma.
JD.
The gambler snuck a look over the top of the trough. JD knelt pinned behind a water barrel and support post, his back to a stack of crates only a few yards away. It was the silhouette of movement that caught the gambler´s attention.
A killer had the drop on JD.
Ezra, in a flash of panic, stood up and hollered JD´s name. His voice deepened with his desperation. His chest expanded and constricted rapidly as he spoke the two letters with a hint of horror.
JD never heard a thing. Dunne brushed long wavy bangs out of his way as he squeezed off a few more shots in the opposite direction.
A shot rang out and Ezra´s hat sailed off his head as if caught in a maelstrom.
The gambler instinctively dropped behind the trough. He raised his hand to shoot and again screamed JD´s name.
The young man still concentrated on the few armed gun men seeking shelter by the Mercantile.
Another shot, dangerously close to the gambler´s face, had him diving flat on his stomach behind the trough. His booted feet knocked Josiah in the thigh.
The large preacher redirected the offending soles out of his way. “You hit brother?”
Ezra didn´t answer. His heart beat at a furious clip. For the first time in a long while, true panic and fear bubbled and boiled. Oh Gawd JD...Oh Gawd JD.
Then he saw it. Ezra´s eyes, out of habit or maybe because of their bond or just by luck, fell on Beau. The black dog lay as if unconcerned about the foolishness of men. The dog kept out of sight and behind JD, resting calmly in the shadow of a door stoop.
Without giving any thought to his actions. With only seeing a solution. Ezra stood up and hollered, “Beau!...Here Beau!”
Buck hesitated in his firing. ‘What the hell is he doing?! Git JD ya dang fool!´
Josiah turned and watched the gambler as if he had lost his mind...Calling the dog now?
The dog, with its keener hearing...with its unselfish loyalty and blind faith, stood.
“Beau!!! Come Beau!!” The command turned sharp, demanding.
The words had only just left his lips. The sound had not even traveled to the dog. But the dog understood the body language. The dog perhaps felt the fear or the apprehension in his protector.
Without cause or caution, the large black dog jumped to his feet and leaped toward his owner .
Leaped, just as his owner had predicted he would....just as his owner had known he would.... as his owner had hoped he would.....
The dog leaped. 86 pounds of flesh, blood and bone dove into the air with the simple purpose of going to the aid of his owner. With faith unmatched by most things in a world full of treachery, the dog acted.
It soared into the air oblivious and uncaring of the bullets that flew around it. It left the ground unconcerned for the danger that existed in the chaotic gun battle.
With trust and unquestioning allegiance, Beau acted exactly as his owner had predicted.
The gunman behind JD had his shot. He squeezed the trigger just as a black shadow passed between his gun and the boy sheriff.
JD never heard the shot....or maybe he did but figured it was directed at someone else. He never knew someone snuck up behind him with the intention of shooting him in the back. He never knew his life had come up forfeit....he didn´t know until a large body crashed into him and knocked him forward slightly.
Buck stared, his mouth gaped open. My God.
Josiah blinked but was unable to turn away from the sight.
Ezra let his gun hand fall to his side.
Vin stared down the long barrel of his rifle and squeezed the trigger. He took a head shot. The target trying to back shoot JD exploded like a melon.
JD stared at the body of the dog lying partly on his legs. He never felt the misshapen bullet that embedded itself in the meat of his upper chest.
“Ezra git down!” Josiah snapped back when a bullet dug a gouge out of the water trough. Splinters flew into the air.
Buck quickly fell back undercover firing all the while.
Standish stood his ground staring at the black body partially covering JD´s lower legs.
“Ezra git down!” Josiah scrambled over and tried to pull the conman down. He yanked on the sleeve. Standish´s shoulder dipped but nothing else. Instead, green eyes remained rooted at the spot where JD sat cradling the head and chest of Beau.
“Damn it Ezra git down!” Josiah tackled the younger man dragging him back behind the cover of the trough.
With one hand on the gambler´s shirt and vest effectively pinning the gambler down, the preacher returned to firing on the bank robbers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JD looked up when he noticed the gun fire had died down. He held Beau partly on his lap. With shaky hands, he patted the dog´s black coat in long soothing strokes. “Easy Bo ya gonna be alright,” Dunne knew he lied. Somewhere in his mind he recognized the lie...understood he spoke false hope to something that didn´t understand words, only tone. JD tried to keep his voice reassuring.
Dunne stroked the black coat. He kept his hands away from the small hole that had penetrated the ribs. He ignored the small spot of matted black hair or the slight swelling that surrounded it. JD ignored the ragged opened mouth gasps of breath....He refused to see the bluish tongue rolling out between well used white teeth and greying gums. He didn´t acknowledge the tacky strings of saliva that strung from the rapidly failing body.
JD ignored all of it. Instead he patted the dog. He spoke softly to it with slowly slipping composure. He clung desperately to the dog trying to convince himself the dog would not die.
He knew it would....the small voice of conscience within him spoke the truth. The voice soft at first spoke louder as his mind warred with what was best for him. The truth.
Between the increasingly labored breath, the frantic panicked beat of a failing heart, Beau´s life raced on....It hammered with the desperation of a dying fighter.
JD never looked up...he never faced the men that slowly surrounded him. He never even acknowledged his own labored breathing or frantically beating heart....he never recognized his own dizziness.
Nothing registered accept the dulling strange unexplainable changes of the dog in his arms.
“Don´t Bo....don´t do this...” Tears finally rolled over lower lids. Tears hung suspended over lashes. They clung desperately as if clinging to hope. With a ragged breath that shook JD´s trembling body, the tears fell. They cut quickly and quietly through dirt and grime. They traveled over cheeks and down the chin to fall aimlessly to the black furred dog.
“Let ‘im go JD,” Josiah´s voice.
JD finally looked up. The bodies stood in a half circle around him. He searched the faces. The men directed their eyes not to him but to the dog.
The harsh agonal breathing tore through the small area.
Dunne´s eyes swept from Josiah´s soft features up to
“Oh God,” The healer stood for a moment unmoving.
The dog´s desperate wheezing breath gurgled. The lower jaw worked to swallow air....searching vainly for any kind of relief. Glazed brown eyes ceased to see anything.
JD looked up to Buck again.
Wilmington´s eyes broke from the dog and found Standish.
Ezra hung back from all of them. He took half a step forward but stopped. He turned his back on them. Turned his back to walk away...to leave it behind...to escape what had happened.
But a set of eyes had seen him.
Front claws weakly scrapped the dirt. Pebbles scratched and clinked against one another heralding the effort the dog made to fulfill the command. Grains of dirt were pushed away as small furrows were carved desperately in the dry mire of main street.
The tongue curled once and a small whimper rolled forth.
Ezra stopped. He squared his shoulder´s as if someone had plunged a knife high in his back.
With slow methodical steps, he made his way back to JD...made his way back to the dog.
Vin and Buck stepped aside. They dare not touch him. They sought to comfort no one not even themselves.
The gambler knelt down in the dirt...careless of the dried manure that had worked itself into the soil. Unconcerned of the damage he did to his laundry or his image. A surprisingly steady hand reached out with manicured finely kept fingers and caressed the side of the dog´s head.
Perhaps Beau felt the touch....perhaps he recognized his owner had finally reached him...perhaps he even realized the gambler knelt beside him. Whatever the reason, whatever the driving force behind the actions, whether it be physiologic, neurologic or perhaps it was the strength of their bond...their friendship and loyalty....
The dog leaned into the hand. It lifted one massive paw and rested it on the plumb colored coat and gave one last agonal breath.
Then the fight drained from it. The ribs collapsed for the last time pushing out the residual air left in blood filled lungs. Muscles no longer strained and the eyes no longer had their light.
In a fraction of moment the fine line between life and death had been crossed.
Ezra kept his hand on the dog´s head for just a moment, no longer....and started to stand up.
“Gawd Ezra I´m so sorry,” JD´s words streamed out with the same quiet intensity as his tears.
Ezra shook his head, “Nothing to be sorry for Mr. Dunne,” the whispered words fought for composure. The gambler regained his feet and threaded his way through his fellow lawmen toward the livery.
Part 14
Now Cracks a Noble Heart .Good-night, sweet prince.
Shakespeare, Hamlet Act V, sc. 2
Nathan did his best to examine the wound in JD´s chest. Dunne no longer clutched the dog but Beau´s massive head rested across his legs. He leaned back against a support post. The over hanging roof offered no protection from the autumn sun. The warmth, however, was welcomed.
Buck held JD´s shirt back off the wound. The blood slowly oozed from the jagged hole.
“Buck lets set ´im up some.” Together Buck and Nathan leaned JD forward. The young man hissed at the movement but swallowed his discomfort when his eyes once again fell to the dog. An unwelcome but familiar ache glowed with renewed vigor.
JD groaned.
“We´re almost done JD,” Nathan mistook the sound of agony. Though both pains nearly manifested in a physical manner, the most prominent spilled no blood.
Josiah made his way back to the trio when Standish exited the livery with Chaucer. The large gelding, excited by the earlier bout of gunfire, danced and fought the rein. Standish seemingly ignored it.
The large man made his way between Buck and Nathan. With a sorrowful look and a tight smile for JD, the large man gathered up the body of the dog.
Nathan´s eyes lingered only for a few seconds before skipping to the man sitting atop the horse.
They watched out of concern and a fiendishly hard sense of macabre curiosity.
Chaucer danced and pawed the ground. He shied twice when Josiah attempted to heft the body up over the front of the saddle. Ezra reined the horse trying to keep it still.
On the third attempt Chaucer side stepped away from the preacher...Ezra cuffed the horse sharply just below the ear, knocking the big chestnut head to the side. Acid words bit out harshly in reprimand.
Nathan recognized the angry biting sounds of wounded grief.
Chaucer stood still as Josiah laid the dog in front of the saddle. He spoke a few words to the gambler resting a steadying hand on Standish´s lower leg. Nathan silently wondered who sought more comfort now....Josiah or Ezra.
Vin slid from the livery calling Ezra´s name. After a few steps Standish stopped and gazed over his shoulder. Tanner quietly closed the distance and handed the gambler a shovel.
Nathan nodded in understanding. Ezra wouldn´t be able to dig the grave without the shovel.
Grief sometimes took the daily use of commonsense and destroyed it for a time.
“Come on JD let´s git ya up stairs,” Buck gingerly hauled JD to his
feet.
He gave his full attention to JD when the young sheriff sagged in his gasp,
“Nathan,” Buck´s worried gasp had
The three men moved as one toward the clinic.
Vin watched the retreating figure of horse and rider. The dark shadow of the dog hung like obscene saddle bags from this distance. Tanner stood with arms down, his back to town.
Josiah helped Silace gather up the bodies of the outlaws. They lay where they had fallen, in drying pools of blood. Dust and dirt floated in the congealing liquid. It appeared to be Nature´s attempt to integrate or cover up the scars left by the intrusions of others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The small clinic seemed darker. The air heavier.
Nathan wrapped JD´s chest and shoulder. He and Buck had scrubbed
any signs of blood stains away from the skin. The bullet wound had been
left open to close on its own. The fear of abscesses kept
The cone shape head of the bullet had been blunted and sheared. Its
soft side had been forced back like a banana peel with multiple flaps.
Bone had created most of the distortion...Bone...solid bone. Perhaps a
vertebrae or maybe even the thin bone of a rib.
The dog saved JD. Nathan thought the miracle lay in the dog .better yet the man who directed the dog. Ezra you unselfish bastard Jackson closed his eyes .why must good deeds be so painful?
Nathan stepped back out of the way and leaned against his desk. He held the small sharp bullet within his finger tips. He rolled it unconsciously as he watched Buck.
Was it a prayer...Was Buck looking for help from the great beyond...perhaps asking forgiveness or making amends...or maybe he was offering up a simple thank you? Nathan had learned to accept all religions he encountered it offered an anchor to those drowning in loss.
Buck Wilmington had been spared the grief and daggers of loss that now speared Ezra.
In that narrow escape, Buck twisted and dangled in the cross winds of thankfulness and guilt.
Josiah crossed the street heading toward the clinic. Vin and
Nathan shut his eyes closing out the brightness of the day. Voices and laughter rang up the street. It sounded so out of place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sun struggled to keep its hold on the land. It seemed to waver and flutter with exertion just on the horizon. The land for a passage of time found itself cast in the strange orange glow of an autumn sunset.
The saloon rang with the beginnings of a loud Thursday night crowd. Five peacekeepers sat nursing beers.
Buck leaned back in his chair fingering the sweat that ran down the side of his glass. JD had woken up. He had smiled at Buck and started to tease his large friend about the mothering routine...but cut it off short when memory slammed back home. The intrusion had been abrupt and rude. All humor had escaped the sheriff.
Buck had stayed until JD drifted back to sleep.
“He back yet?” Nathan rolled his glass on its bottom rim. He didn´t pick his eyes up to meet the others. Somehow he felt like a failure. Unfounded, untrue but the feeling persisted. Embarrassed by his inability to bring back the dead.
“Nope,”
“I´ll go check on him,” Josiah began to push himself from the table. Buck quickly mimicked the action.
“No,” Larabee´s soft word landed with the sound of a command with a ring of askance. The others paused and stared at him. “I´ll go,” In fluid motion much like Mercury in a tube, the gunman gained his feet.
The others watched. “
“I´ll go Buck,” Larabee caught and held Wilmington´s eye. For a
moment fury seared across the hazel eyes.
The four peacekeepers watched as Larabee wove his way across the saloon. The jingle of spurs pitched higher than the deep voices of surrounding patrons. Towns people watched him with covert eyes. An air of unforgiving danger seemed to pulse from his very person.
The dark gunslinger stopped at the bar and asked for something. Inez nodded, reached under the bar and handed him a bottle of her finest. Dark brown eyes lingered on the retreating duster. Soft words quietly passed rosy lips. Inez asked a favor of her God. Protect these men protect them from each other tonight.
Wavering in between shadow and waning daylight Larabee melted from the room and out the batwing doors.
The halves thumbed together in a slow ominous sound. Wind spiraled dirt at the entrance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The chestnut gelding stood quietly. The frisky devil may care attitude that mimicked its rider in most times had disappeared.
Larabee searched the immediate area until his gaze fell to his missing man. The tall meadow grass hid Standish from a casual glance. The grey shadows of dusk dimmed his outlines.
Long slow strides took
It happened to be just over Vin´s favorite fishing spot. What a fight that had brought on....not a knock down drag out fight...but more of a dirty tricks campaign. Somehow Standish had made a profit off the clash.
Larabee kept his eyes straight ahead. He kept his gaze on the horizon watching the subtle changes in colors that painted the sky. He kept his eyes forward, unprying, in an attempt to keep grief private.
Silence hung heavy in the air. The sound of a grazing horse rumbled in the background. Chaucer stood quietly uninterested in eating.
Larabee sat forward knees bent. He popped the cork off the bottle and took a swig. The bottle was even shaped differently than Red Eye Whiskey. The smooth flavor, the sweetness that hallmarked the specialty of this bottle, was drowned in the grief.
Standish did not ask for company he did not beg for understanding.
Larabee clenched his teeth and took another pull.
The trees down the slope had lost their natural hues and became dark silhouetted shadows. The sky had lost its vibrant colors and dimmed to a slate grey.
Larabee proffered the bottle to Standish without turning his head.
He respected the privacy and solitude that the other man escaped too.
“I apologize,” The whispered southern words dripped with shame. Why was this man here? Of all people, why him?
It took
Standish gulped a drink from the bottle.
“For what?” Larabee took the bottle back and studied the label.
The sound of crickets filled the pregnant pause. Clouds had darkened but held a ring of light around their edges. A soft breeze wisped across the grass bending it just enough to expose its lighter side.
“It´s just a dog,”
Was this why Standish sat alone in the dark next to a freshly dug grave..a grave
he dug alone? Because it was just a dog? A dumb dog and therefore did not
deserve the pain and grief its death inflicted? Was Ezra ashamed that he
grieved so, for the loss of a simple dog? How would
A simple, dumb animal that had stuck by Standish´s side loyally for the last 8 months. An ignorant beast that had believed the sun rose and set on a southern gambler that at one time would have sold his own soul for a profit. A vile, cantankerous, slobbering, ill mannered beast that followed the gambler like a lost puppy. Just a simple dog that only wanted to impress his adopted owner....a dog so dedicated it followed commands and orders out of a belief that its owner acted in its best interest.
It was only a dog.
“It´s because its only a dog,” Larabee kept his gaze on the horizon. At the point of contact, sky and land seemed bathed in blackness.
Ezra shook his head. He dropped his forehead to his forearms hiding his grief.
“The pain´s not the same Ezra, not even comparable.....,”
They sat in silence.
Larabee would not belittle Standish.
Back in the shadows, under the over hanging canopy of the great Oak, stood
Josiah and Buck. They clung to the dark recesses of the tree and watched
the two silhouettes that sat at the edge of the knoll. Two dark
backs facing a sunset. Occasionally a bottle was passed between
The grey sky became night. Stars revealed themselves slowly and the wind died down.
The bottle emptied as the moon faded in and out behind clouds.
After a bit of time Standish lay back on the grass, his coat missing, his cravat balled up by the shovel and his vest stuffed haphazardly in saddle bags. He draped a dirt stained sleeve over his eyes.
A few moments passed before
Josiah and Buck faded into the night.
The end.
Though I´m dead my soul shall love thee still. James Hammond, Elegies.No.xiii.
Epilogue:
The seven rode across the rolling prairie in a slow trot. The early
morning sun just crested the trees at their backs. As the sun rose,
higher Standish´s complaints about early morning travel increased in volume and
content.
Vin seemed to read his thoughts, “It´s the Judge´s fault, he shoulda gave us more warning we coulda left yesterday.”
The Judge had requested their presence at Eagle Bend a show of Lawfulness. The others understood what he meant. Travis thought there would be trouble at the up coming trial and he wanted seven guns to keep the peace. The twisted logic made perfect sense.
Larabee lead the other six up over a small knoll. A large gnarled Oak
Tree sat at the top like a warden to all the area.
The scenery would have been peaceful except for the endless prattle of useless Southern tinged complaints.
The other six gathered around Larabee to spell the horses. The soliloquy of malcontent fizzled into silence.
Standish reined Chaucer over the grave he had dug so many months ago. The ache had dulled considerably. He no longer had the constant sharp sting of grief and his comrades no longer had to avoid the subject of the dog.
Chaucer rubbed his nose against the rickety fence. It swayed dangerously.
The others slowly walked their horses a little closer but maintained some distance. JD had no such restrictions and instead rode his little bay up next to Chaucer.
“Casey the others made the fence it ain´t much but... ” Dunne wanted desperately to explain that Casey and he and the others, Billy and Mrs. Potter´s kids, wanted to do something. Bo had been their friend too. He had meant something to the town´s youngest and they needed to express their grief and solidarity to the gambler. Ask the kids and they would have just said they missed Bo too and that they wished Mr. Standish would go back to smiling like he used too.
JD never got a chance to utter a defense. Looking at the falling down fence and the scribbled name, he felt his face blush with foolish embarrassment. Their efforts had not withstood even one season. The cross Casey and Billy fashioned leaned to the side barely keeping itself upright.
Dang Ezra´s gonna think they trashed the grave. He´s gonna think we ruined everything....Hell even the flowers are dead, too dang cold to keep any type of flowers alive but heck they should´ve probably thrown them out. But they ain´t been back in weeks…..too cold.
“Geez Ezra I didn´t think it looked so ba....”
Ezra silenced the young sheriff with a subtle shake of his head. A dimpled grin widened on his face as he read the hand painted inscription on the not so quite horizontal board of the cross. It simply read….. “Bo”
Ezra´s smile turned into a chuckle, “Its perfect Mr. Dunne....truly perfect.” Standish held out his hand in thanks. JD latched onto it, grinning with pride. Maybe it don´t look too bad after all.
A faithful friend is the medicine of life…..Apocrypha: Ecclesiasticus,
The end.....(again).