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Guns and Dreamers
Chapter Two: Hard Way Out
Scott A. Gese
Chapter 2
Hard way out
It was early the following morning and Jason was up before the sun. The cloudless night was the harbinger of a biting cold morning. Having decided it was time to move on, Jason wasn’t about to lose a minute of daylight. He needed to pick up a few supplies on the way out of town. The general store was close by and he hoped it would be open early. Jason was feeling good about the day, as he had made his decision and his direction would be south to Texas. There were plenty of men heading that way. Most were on their way home after delivering their cattle. His thought was that it would be safer if he hooked up with several others, as the rumor he had been hearing was that there were desperado's in the open country waiting to rob any drover who took it upon himself to travel solo, or even with several others in a small group.
He reached the store and found it open. As he walked in he was met by a very cheerful proprietor and a warm stove. He stepped up to it and warmed his hands.
“Good morning young man. It's a bit cold out there today, isn't it? How may I help you?” the merchant asked.
“I need a few supplies,” Jason replied.
“Let me guess,” ventured the proprietor. “You just delivered your cattle and now you're ready to head back to Texas. Am I right?”
“Close enough,” replied Jason as he continued to warm his hands.
“I have men coming in here every day searching for the same things before they head out. I've taken the liberty of assembling an assortment of the most necessary supplies into one package. Take a look at this list if you like.” The proprietor handed Jason a slip of paper with a list of supplies on it.
“If you're agreeable to it,” continued the proprietor, “I'll let you have the whole lot for my special price of only five dollars. What do you say?”
Jason looked over the list and gave it short consideration. He agreed it was a fair price. Reaching into his front pocket he pulled out his money and paid the man. The proprietor handed him one of several cloth sacks filled with his supplies. As he headed for the door he stopped short and asked the proprietor, “Is there a telegraph office in town? I need to send a message to Fort Scott.”
“Yes, there is, it's just down the street to your right,” he thoughtfully replied. “Do you have kin in Fort Scott?”
“I do,” replied Jason.
“I have a brother who lives in Fort Scott, Perhaps you know of him?” inquired the proprietor. “He owns the Fort Scott Mercantile, His name is Ira.”
Surprised, Jason almost dropped his supplies when he heard the name. “Ira, yes, I know Ira,” he replied calmly. “In fact, the next time you see him, tell him the red haired kid wants to know how his head is. He'll understand.”
“His head? OK, I'll do that,” replied the puzzled proprietor.
As Jason moved toward the door he walked past a glass display case that held a couple of pistols. A mischievous grin crossed his face as he seriously thought about spitting on it as he had done at Ira's mercantile, but he passed it by thinking better of it.
Jason took the supplies back to his room and tossed them on the bed. Then he immediately headed off to the telegraph office.
As he happily headed down the boardwalk his way was suddenly blocked by the man he had knocked out the night before. Melvin stood off in the background, grinning. Jason tensed up, not knowing what to expect from the man. He was in a good mood and really didn't want this confrontation.
“You sucker punched me last night,” the man stated angrily. “I don't take kindly to that.”
“You shouldn't have been slapping around a woman. I don't take kindly to that. As far as I'm concerned, you got what you deserved.” Jason tried to end the conversation by walking around the man, but a quick side step prevented it.
Melvin calmly puffed on one of his thin cigars as he watched the carefully calculated altercation.
“Like I said kid, I don't take kindly to being sucker punched. I want a fair fight. We can do it now or we can do it...”
It was at this point Melvin stepped up and cut the man off in mid sentence. “Now listen here, son. You can have it out with Joshua here and now, or you can do it tonight. Here and now will get you nothing, but If you choose tonight, I'll pay you fifty dollars.”
“What happened to the fifty-fifty deal you offered me yesterday,” Jason retorted.
“That was yesterday, young man. Today it's fifty dollars, or as I stated, nothing if you so choose to do it now.”
Jason could see he was in a no win situation. One way or another he was going to have to fight Joshua. Melvin had seen to that. “You're an underhanded son-of-a-bitch, Melvin.”
Yes, yes I am,” Melvin replied snidely. His smile was a good indication that he liked the title.
“How much are you paying Joshua,” Jason inquired.
“The same,” Melvin replied.
Jason considered it thoughtfully before he replied. “OK, I'll do it, but under one condition.”
Melvin was extremely pleased to hear Jason's change of heart. “And what might that be?” he hastily inquired.
Jason replied forcefully. “The condition is that I'll only fight if the winner gets one hundred and the loser gets nothing. Take it or leave it.”
Joshua was confident and seemed pleased with the condition as he turned an eye toward Melvin. Melvin readily agreed. It really didn't matter to him. The fight was lined up and he would make money off it no matter how things turned out.
Jason was unhappy with this turn of events. He was packed and ready to leave, but now it would have to wait until tomorrow. Another hundred dollars in his pocket would be a welcome consolation, or so he thought.
Melvin spoke up. “Be at the tent on the North edge of town at 7:00 tonight.”
“Don't back out on me,” added Joshua. “I'm gonna beat your ass bloody.” He stepped aside and let Jason pass.
The altercation had flustered Jason so much he almost forgot he was heading to the telegraph office. He quickly put it behind him and continued on.
He got to the telegraph office just as Hap was stepping out. “Good morning, Hap,” greeted Jason with a smile. “I thought you might be out of town by now?”
“Not yet,” he replied as he sat himself down in an empty chair by the door. He pulled out a match and struck it against his boot, then used it to light the quirly he held in the corner of his mouth. “Cal is still on the fence about helping me on this one. I may have to go it alone.”
“My offer still stands to go with you,” offered Jason.
“Like I said last night, I need an experienced man with me, not some greenhorn kid. I don't want either one of us getting killed, and believe me, Stewart Clayton would be just the man to do it. Cal will come around. I only hope he does it sooner that later.”
“Maybe he's waiting for the reward money to grow,” offered Jason.
“No, he's just getting soft on me. I guess it's time to go put a burr under his blanket.” Hap took one last drag and flicked the smoke into the road, stood up and wandered off to have another talk with Cal.
Jason shrugged, and crossed the threshold into the telegraph office.
“Good morning, young man,” greeted the woman behind the counter as Jason stepped up to it. “What can I do for you today?”
Behind the counter, Jason could see a middle-aged man writing as the ticker frantically clicked off it's message. “I never will understand how all that clicking can be saying something understandable,” remarked Jason.
“It's one of the miracles of our modern age,” the woman replied as she stood ready with pencil in hand. Where would you like to send your message,” she inquired.
“I'd like to send it to Fort Scott, to a Ms. Sarah McKinney.”
“And what would you like it to say?” she asked.
“Say, I'm fine, sorry I won't make your wedding. Heading to Texas. I'll be back, I promise, Jason.”
“That's it?” she questioned.
“Yep, that's it,” replied Jason.
“That'll be thirty cents please.”
Jason paid the woman and walked out of the office. He sat down in the empty chair by the door. He had nothing to do until later that evening. The cold morning air was beginning to lose its edge and the sun radiating off the side of the building felt good. He was enjoying the moment when Hap and Cal rode by. They reined in their horses when they spied Jason lounging on the porch of the telegraph office.
“Is it true you're going to fight Joshua tonight?” asked Hap.
“I guess that's the plan,” replied Jason. “Don't really want to, but he didn't leave me much choice.”
“I've seen him fight. He has a mean left jab. You'd do well to steer clear of it if you can,” advised Hap.
“Thanks for the advise, Hap. I appreciate it. On Stewart Clayton's trail are you?” questioned Jason.
“Yep, we've come to terms,” replied Cal. “Hap got word this morning that he was seen heading toward Fort Scott. We've got some hard ridin' to do if we expect to catch up to him any time soon. One more word of advise. If you win, get out of town before that promoter signs you up for another. He has a silver tongue, that one.”
They turned their horses and galloped toward the edge of town.
****
Seven o'clock came way too soon. Jason showed up at the tent to find Melvin impatiently waiting at the flap with his pocket watch in hand. “It's about time,” he pointed to his watch for emphasis. “I thought you might have skipped town on me. I have fifty betting men in here just itching to see someone get the tar beat out of them. Don't let me down and win this fight now. I'll make more if you lose, get my drift.”
“I get your drift,” replied Jason as he faced Melvin. “I don't trust you to pay me if I win so I want my hundred dollars now.”
Melvin laughed in Jason's face. “Do you take me for a fool, Boy? I'll pay you if you win, and I hope to hell you don't.”
“You'll pay me now or I don't go in,” insisted Jason. “If Joshua wins, you can take your money back easily enough. Remember, you have fifty betting men in there. It would be a shame to disappoint them, now wouldn't it?”
Melvin considered the situation before relenting. “You're a real son-of-a-bitch, you know that.”
“Takes one to know one,” replied Jason.
Melvin scoffed at the comment as he counted out one hundred dollars and handed it to Jason. Jason took the money and jammed it deep into his front pocket, then walked into the tent.
Melvin walked behind him with his hands on his shoulders as he steered him through the crowd of anxious men, and a few women as well. The tent was hot and hung heavy with smoke. Joshua was already in the ring. For some reason, Jason thought, the man looked a lot bigger than he had when they were together in the street.
Once in the ring, Jason removed his hat and shirt. He could hear the crowd remarking about his red hair. There were a few side bets taking place after they got a good look at him.
Melvin stepped into the ring and motioned to the crowd to quiet down so he could speak. Once he had their attention he introduced the two fighters and reminded them this was a gentleman's fight. No kicking, biting or spitting on the opponent. They would fight until one man could no longer get up.
Once the rules were stated and they both agreed, he let the two have at it.
Joshua wanted retribution and he came out swinging. Jason, having warded off many a blow from his abusive stepfather easily defended himself. A minute into the fight the crowd was growing restless. Joshua was throwing all the punches and Jason had yet to throw one.
Melvin stood next to Jason and began to yell, “Come on boy, mix it up. The crowd is against you.”
Jason could care less about the crowd. He took a step back while Joshua caught his breath. Joshua came back at him with a couple of those left jabs Hap had warned him about. In an instant, something deep inside Jason snapped. He no longer saw Joshua throwing punches, he saw his stepfather, Jim. And the urge to kill overtook him. Jason let loose with several body blows that took Joshua by surprise and backed him up several feet. When Joshua came back at him with a strong left, Jason saw his opening. He moved his head back out of reach and when Joshua's hand went past his face Jason let loose with a devastating right hook to the side of Joshua's head. It was placed so well, you could hear the jawbone shatter above the din of the crowd. Once again, Jason's right hand had taken Joshua down and put him out cold.
The roar of the crowd could be heard all the way into town. Melvin was indeed not happy with the results and he let Jason know it. But even before Jason had a chance to pick up his shirt and hat, Melvin was trying to sign him up to a contract. Jason wanted no part of it. He didn't mind a good fight, especially when it paid well, but he didn't want to make a living out of it.
Jason went back to town and walked into the Customs House for a cold beer. As he entered the room, several of the men who had been at the fight cheered him and thanked him for winning their bets for them. They even paid for his beer. As he stood at the bar the girl who he had protected the other night from the hand of Joshua came up beside him and held out twenty-five dollars.
“What's this?” he asked
“I took bets that you would win, and you did. This is to show my appreciation for what you did for me the other night.”
Jason looked at her closely. She was pretty. Older than him, probably in her twenties. He took her hand and folded her long fingers back around the money. “It's a nice gesture ma'am,” he replied, “But you won it. I think you should keep it.”
She smiled, put the money in a safe pocket on her dress, then without a word, she took Jason by the hand and led him up the stairs.
****
The following morning Jason woke up in his own bed. Even though he had wanted to be out of town by now, yesterday had proved itself to be quite profitable in more ways than one. Now he was more serious than ever about heading south toward Texas. He already had his supplies. All he needed to do was hook up with a few other men who were heading south after delivering their cattle. Right now, breakfast was on his mind. He had eaten light yesterday and now he was hungry. There was a small cafe across the street called the Blue Bell. It looked like a nice place, so he thought he'd give it a try.
As soon as Jason stepped through the door of the Blue Bell, he was cheerfully greeted by a middle-aged man who was busily cooking over the stove. He raised his spatula in greeting as he turned the hotcakes in front of him. “Good morning, sir. Have a seat. My wife will be with you shortly. She had to step out back for a minute. Coffee runs right through the woman.”
Jason grinned and acknowledged the gesture with one of his own in return. The place was bright and cheery. Each table was covered with a blue-checkered cloth and had a small vase of fresh flowers on it. Several tables had customers. What they were eating looked good and the smell coming from the cooking area was confirmation enough that it would taste as good as it looked.
Jason stepped over to the counter to sit, just as the cook’s wife walked in from out back. “Good morning, young man,” she greeted as she dried her wet hands on the apron she just put on. She poured him a generous cup of hot coffee without so much as asking if he wanted it.
“Coffee's on the house,” she stated as she laid a menu on the counter. “What can I get you?”
Jason didn't need the menu. He knew exactly what he wanted. “Hot cakes, a couple eggs and some bacon,” he replied. “And thanks for the coffee.”
“You're welcome. Did you get that, dear?” she asked her husband who was at the stove close by.
He repeated the order. “Hot cakes, eggs and bacon. Got it.”
Jason was enjoying a bit of small talk when Melvin came through the door and sat down beside him. He rudely cut off the waitress in mid sentence. “Excuse me, ma'am, but I have some important business to discuss with this young man.”
The cook looked up from his work with a suspicious eye. He didn't like the tone or the rude comment used on his wife, but he knew she could hold her own, so didn't make any moves toward Melvin.
The waitress let it go. It was just small talk.
Melvin pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil from his pocket and laid it on the counter in front of Jason. “I happened to see you step in here son, and I'm glad I did. This is your lucky day. I know you were not in a, shall we say 'receptive' mood to talk business last night. I'm sure you've had plenty of time to reconsider your hasty reply. I've taken the liberty of drawing up a formal agreement that is sure to make you a wealthy man. All you need to do is sign your name here on the bottom. If you don't know how to write, any hen scratching will suffice.”
Jason had no desire to talk with Melvin and even less desire to fight for him. Without a word, he picked up the paper and tore it in half, grabbed up the pencil, broke off the tip and snapped it in two. He then shoved all the pieces back toward Melvin. The couple behind the counter were grinning almost to the point of laughter, but they contained themselves.
Melvin's eyes widened as he watched Jason. “This is a big mistake young man, a big mistake. We would have made a lot of money, you and I. Do you hear me, a lot of money!” Melvin got up and turned toward the door. He left as quickly as he had come in.
“What the hell was that all about?” asked the cook.
“That bastard...” Jason caught himself. “Sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to curse in front of you. That scoundrel wanted to use me to make himself a lot of money. I may be young in age, but I'm no fool to the ways of cheats and scoundrels. Besides, I'm leaving this morning for Texas.”
The cook set a plate of hot food in front of Jason. “The morning's running long. You better eat up.”
Jason took the cooks advice and did just that. The food was delicious.
As he ate, a couple of men came in and sat at the counter next to Jason. They looked a bit older than him and by their appearance he figured they were drovers that had recently come off the trail. The two men ordered breakfast and talked among themselves. Jason listened in and from what he gathered, these two men were about to leave town.
Jason lingered with his food as the two men ate heartily. When they had about finished he struck up a conversation with them.
“I couldn't help overhearing some of your conversation. Are the two of you planning to head out of town today?”
“Yes, in fact we are,” replied one of the men.
“Where to?” inquired Jason.
“We're heading back to the Square D, close to Dallas, Texas. Why the questions?”
Jason could sense the tone of the conversation was beginning to become more guarded so he quickly introduced himself. “I'm sorry for the questions. My name is Jason, Jason McKinney.” He extended his hand in friendship, which both drovers accepted.
Jason continued. “I'm planning to leave town today myself and it just so happens I'm going your direction. I've heard the trail can be pretty dangerous.”
“How so?” inquired one of the drovers.
“In that there are robbers on the lookout for drovers heading south. They know they've just been paid and are looking for easy targets. I've heard it's better to travel with a few others,” Jason replied.
“We've heard that ourselves and were planning to hitch up with a couple others before we left town. You're welcome to come with us if you like. My name's Teddy and this here's Bret.” Teddy pointed to his partner and they all shook hands in agreement that they would head south together. They settled up their bill as they got up to leave.
“What outfit did you come up here with?” asked Bret.
“I'm from here,” replied Jason as he put on his hat. “I'm looking to see some of this country. I thought I'd start with finding out where all these cows are coming from.”
Bret had to chuckle at that. “Some of the boys who come up here want to stay, and you, you want to head to Texas. Well there's plenty to see between here and there and we'll be happy to show it to you. Won't we, Teddy?”
“Every last mile of it,” replied Teddy. “We have to grab the rest of our gear before we head out. It's at the livery.”
“Perfect,” replied Jason. “My horse is there, but my gear is at the boarding house where I'm staying. I'll meet you at the livery in say thirty minutes?”
“We'll be there,” they both replied.
Jason headed for the boarding house to grab his gear. “Finally,” he thought. “I wasn't sure if I was going to make it out today or not.”
As Jason reached the livery Teddy and Bret were waiting, along with two other riders. “Hey, Jason. Looks like we picked up two more. This here is Owen and the skinny one here is Pat. They're both part of our outfit. I guess they had a change of heart about staying on.”
Owen was a big man. Clean shaven except for a thick salt and pepper mustache. His eyes were very intense and looked like they could stare a hole right through a man. He touched the brim of his hat and gave a slight nod of his head “Pleased to meet you,” he stated.
Pat, on the other hand was much smaller, almost petite in size with a much lighter complexion. Jason thought he looked rather feminine in an odd sort of way. When Pat held out a hand in friendship and began to speak his thoughts were confirmed.
“How do you do there, Jason. My name is Patricia. Pat for short. I love the color of your hair.”
Jason accepted the handshake. Pat held his a bit longer than what would be considered normal. She gave him a wide smile as she slowly slipped her hand from his. Jason noticed her hair tucked under her hat. It was red.
“I think Pat here is more a boy than a girl,” teased Bret. “I think her father would have rather had a boy. He raised her like one. He owns the cattle we delivered. I think that's the only reason she tagged along.”
“Hey, that's not fair! I held my own,” boasted Pat.
“Yes you did, and then some,” agreed Bret with a smile.
“We could sit here and gab all day, but we need to get going,” interjected Owen with an air of authority. Looking down at Jason, he remarked. “Have you got a horse, or are you walking?”
“I have a horse,” replied Jason. “Let me grab it.”
Jason went in, settled up his bill and saddled his horse. When he returned, they were off.
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