Jess reckoned he’d been on the trail for close to three weeks. Loneliness was not something that had usually dogged him. He’d been on his own since he was sixteen and had learned to be content in his own company. The first couple of weeks had been hard. Every small town he’d ride into would remind him of Laramie. Every kid he saw, every old man would remind him of the family he’d left behind there.
He’d never before understood what people meant when they said their heart ached, but he now had first-hand experience. It was an ache that wouldn’t go away, a void that wouldn’t be filled. It was always present, but as the days wore on, he adjusted, he became used to it like one does with a dull toothache.
He’d decided that when he got to California and found a job, he’d write to Andy and let him know where he was. He owed him that much. Once he was settled and had a more or less permanent address, he hoped Andy would write back to him. Until then, he decided he wouldn’t stop until he reached the Pacific Ocean.
He’d never seen the Pacific. He’d seen the Atlantic once when he was in the Army. He saw the Gulf in Galveston when he visited his sister, Francie. The Pacific had always been a far off dream, one that he’d forgotten about. Now the Pacific became his goal.
He figured he was somewhere in northern Nevada. The last town he’d been in, he was told that Nevada was less than thirty miles. That had been early this morning. The next town of any size that he expected to see was Perdition, somewhere on his current trail about a hundred miles ahead. This leg of the trip was bound to be hard. He’d stocked up on dried meat, canned fruit, beans and was carrying as much water as his horse could manage. Parts of the day he’d lay low in some sheltered rocks or a grove of trees and travel in the evenings, at night and the early morning hours. He passed a few mining communities, so it wasn’t totally desolate, but if he’d seen rougher country, he couldn’t remember it.
He figured after Perdition, he’d start heading southwest toward central California. If he’d used his head when he left Wyoming, he would have headed south to begin with and then turned west, but thinking back, he couldn’t remember using his head for anything but a hat holder during that period. He grinned to himself, reaching up with a gloved hand, he rubbed the three-day stubble on his face.
He’d taken to only shaving once a week or so. He didn’t need to look good for anyone but Traveler and he was pretty sure Traveler didn’t care. He figured he’d save water and time. Change, be it a beard, or a new locale, was good for a man ever’ once in awhile and he was makin’ some powerful big changes lately. If it weren’t so danged hot, he’d think about growing his hair long too. He couldn’t bring himself to do that though. Although it was longer now than he usually wore it, it was still off his collar.
After some thought on the man-sometimes-needs-a-change subject, he thought better of the beard and hair part and planned to indulge in a shave, a bath and a haircut when he reached Perdition. He still had a little money left, not much, but enough he figured.
When he reached Perdition, his first plan, after the bath, shave and haircut, was to find out how far it was to California and where was the best place to look for work. If he had to stop in Perdition to earn a little money first, he would, but he wanted to push on if he could.
Chapter 8
Johnny guided his and Scott’s horses down the street to the Happily Everafter Hotel. Scott sat unmoving in his saddle, his hand absently rubbing his jaw. “Isn’t this a little bit above our normal standard, brother?”
Johnny swung down and looped Barranca’s lead over his head and began tying off on the wrought iron hitching post. “Yeah, well I figured we might as well make a little vacation of it. You know, have a little fun while we’re here.”
“Fun?” Scott shook his head as if to clear it. “Your usual brand of fun involves a cantina with hot food, hot women and tequila shooters.”
Johnny walked nonchalantly back to Scott’s horse. He looked up at his brother and spoke in a low voice. “I got my reasons for wanting to stay here. I’ll explain inside. C’mon.”
Scott wiped a hand across his eyes and then slipped down from his horse. “Stupid name for a hotel,” he grumbled.
Johnny took the reins from him and tied him off next to Barranca. Scott was still a little light-headed and wondered if he had heard Johnny right. He’d give him the benefit of the doubt, and wait until they got in their room.
Inside the unusually named hotel was a study in small town opulence. It wasn’t as grand as some of the hotels in San Francisco, but for a small railroad town, it was impressive. The railroad was what had put Everafter on the map. Prior to that, it was just another dusty trail town. Now the railhead brought cattlemen, buyers, fruit growers and all manner of businessmen to the town.
The lobby was done in deep purple and gold. The heavy draperies were velvet, a royal shade of purple with gold braiding that brushed the highly polished floor. The settees were all upholstered in rich purple and reds and the fittings were all brass polished to a high gloss. The front desk was high and deeply carved. It was dark red, like redwood or cherry. Scott ran an appreciative hand over the polished woodwork as Johnny spoke to the desk clerk.
“We’d like a room for the night, please. Two beds.”
The clerk, far from being the haughty type typical of these kinds of hotels, was a large, friendly woman in her fifties with unnaturally blonde hair. “Sure, handsome. You in town on business?”
Johnny stole a glance over at his brother. “Nooo. We’re in town for the dentist,” he said with a grin. Whenever possible, honesty was the best policy. That did not, however, extend to his name. He signed the register as Johnny and Scott Madrid.
The woman reached a large, bejeweled hand out and slapped Johnny’s shoulder. “Ah! You mean Kate! What a doll. Don’t get the respect she deserves around here, count of her old man, but she’s a peach alright. Which one of you got a bum tooth?” Her large, heavily made up eyes darted from Johnny to Scott and back again.
Johnny smiled and gestured to his brother. “It’s my brother here. He has a wisdom tooth.”
The woman laughed out loud, an explosive laugh that caught Johnny by surprise. “Why we all got them, handsome! They don’t all act up though now do they? Lessee, sweetie.” She reached out and grabbed Scott’s face and turned it toward her. “Ah, I see you’re a bit swollen.“ She dropped her hand. “Well, no nevermind, I’ll have Obediah fix you up some nice tea and soup for supper. Have it sent up to your room, too.”
Scott raised a hand to interrupt, “No, ma’am, no need…”
“Now, don’t you fret, sweetie. I take care of my guests like they was my own babies. And you two…” she eyed them appreciatively. “Well, you two are gonna be treated like kings around here. Now I don’t want any argument from either of you.” She reached out a large hand and slapped the bell on the counter several times. An elderly liveried porter appeared as if by magic. “Now my name is Pearl and I’m the boss around here. You need anything, anything a'tall, you see me, ya hear?”
“Yes, ma’am,” both Johnny and Scott said in unison.
“Your bags, sirs?” the old fellow asked tiredly.
Johnny and Scott exchanged surprised looks. They hadn’t thought of baggage. They both handed over their saddlebags. The porter held them aloft as though they were rare leather valises from Paris.
“Uh, ma’am,” Johnny started, but stopped when Pearl shot him a warning glance. “Uh, Pearl, could you have someone take our horses to the livery? It’s the two right outside the front door.”
“You got it, honey. Consider it done.”
Johnny smiled and turned to join Scott as they sheepishly followed the porter up the wide staircase to the second floor. Johnny glanced back and met Pearl’s eyes, appreciatively watching them move up the stairs. Johnny grinned, but was uncomfortably aware of his backside.
The room was simple. Not too large, nicely furnished, but simple; an unexpected contrast to the opulence downstairs. Johnny was pleasantly surprised. The porter left the saddlebags on the luggage rack by the window, pulled back and fastened the curtains and then left quietly, bowing as he backed out the door.
Scott took the bed to the left of the door, flopping on it and putting both hands up behind his head. “This was a great idea, Johnny. Just what the doctor ordered. What’say we get cleaned up and go down to the bar? Have a few beers, play some cards?”
Johnny sat on the bed opposite and pulled his jacket off. “Oh no, brother, no drinkin’ for you. That dentist gave you some kind of drug, and believe me, I know from experience that stuff don’t mix with drinkin’. You’ll be up pukin’ your guts out all night.”
“Wait a minute!” Scott sat up, propped on his elbows. “You said we could have some beers after I went and got this tooth taken care of! You promised!”
“Well, that was before your friend the redhead doped you up. How was it, by the way?”
Scott flopped back down. “I don’t really remember a lot. She gave me something to drink, told me it would keep it from hurting too much. Well, it did hurt, a lot, but you know, with whatever she gave me, I just didn’t care too much.” He smiled, remembering the experience like one remembers their first beer buzz.
Johnny reached in his pocket and pulled out the little brown bottle and set it on the bedside table. “Well, she gave me some more for you tonight. I have a feeling that tooth is gonna rear up again before this is all over with.”
Scott sighed, a resigned sigh. This wasn’t turning out like he had expected and with Mister Nursemaid over there, it wasn’t bound to get any better.
Chapter 9
Perdition was not a whole lot more than a wide place in the road. It had a livery, a saloon and a few of the other establishments typical of any small town, but nothing more to recommend it. Its one claim to fame was that it was the last chance for civilization before you crossed into California. To hear the locals tell it, after that, you were destined for corruption and avarice, never to return to decent folk.
Jess chuckled to himself as he listened to the preacher outside the saloon talking up Perdition and talking down the evils that lay to the west. He decided the bath could wait. He was dry. He’d filled up on water, but was thirsty for something else. He tipped his dusty black hat as he made a wide circle around the preacher and his female accomplice. He pushed the swinging doors to the saloon, and found himself in a dim and dusty room. It was as if the proprietor had given up all pretense of trying to clean up the dust that perpetually blew in off the street.
Glancing around as his eyes adjusted to the dimness, Jess noticed two men playing cards in the corner, and a bartender wiping down the dusty bar. Jess strode over to the bartender, took his hat off and set it on the bar, and said, “Whiskey,” as he tossed down two bits.
The tender pulled out a clean glass from beneath the bar and poured a dark amber liquid. Jess nodded and took a cautious sip. It was strong, the real thing. He swigged back the whole shot and set the glass back on the bar.
“Name’s Al,” the bartender said as he poured another one and gave Jess his change. “This one’s on the house. You stayin’ in Perdition long?”
Jess lifted the glass, toasted the bartender and took a sip. This one he would savor. “Don’t know yet. Need some information first.”
“Such as?”
“How far is it to the next town over the California line?”
Al rubbed his double chin, “Oh, ‘bout a hunnert mile as the crow flies.”
“Know where the best place to start lookin’ for work is?”
“What kinda work you lookin’ for?”
Jess brushed the dust off his pants, “Oh, ‘bout anything- drovin’, ranchin’…”
“Well, if you’re determined to go to California, you’ll find some big spreads around Stockton and the San Joaquin. That’s big cattle country around there.” He emphasized the word big with a vague wave of both hands.
Jess absorbed the information. Another hundred miles. He figured he’d better rest up here a day or two. Traveler had come a long way and was holding up well, but he deserved a break.
Al interrupted his thoughts. “If you’re lookin’ for work in California, ya might want to talk to those two fellas over there. They’re headed that way too.”
Jess took another sip as he turned around to look at the two men at the corner table. They were both blond with long, stringy hair. The resemblance led Jess to believe they must be brothers. He turned back to the bartender. “Much obliged.”
Taking his glass, he walked over to the table. Both of the men looked up at him, one of them stared. Jess was used to being stared at. Back in the panhandle, his reputation had often-times preceded him and people tended to watch him closely when he rode into a new town, but no one should know him out here.
“Mind if I sit in?”
After a moment the one who wasn’t staring open-mouthed pushed a chair out with his foot. “Help yourself.” The quiet one closed his mouth, but still did not speak. Finally, the other one did.
“Names Bo Tripp. This here’s my cousin, Ed.”
“Does Ed talk?”
Bo laughed, a hearty, throaty laugh. “Yeah, yeah. He’s just don’t talk much is all. We both recognized you right off the bat. He just don’t hide it well is all.”
“Recognized me? Do I know you?”
“Naw, I don’t reckon you do. We saw you in a fight down in…” he paused and looked over to Ed. “Where was it, Ed? Abilene? Laredo?” Ed shrugged. “Well, anyway, fastest we ever did see.”
Jess shifted uncomfortably.
“Now, didn’t mean to make you squirrelly. We admire your talents is all.” Bo began shuffling cards. “What’s your game, Mister Harper?”
“Stud is fine, and you can call me Jess. Mister Harper was my daddy.”
Bo dealt out the cards and then sat back, examining his hand.
Jess silently laid some cards down and signaled for some more. “I hear you fellas are headed for California.”
“Yup, that’s right. Got us a job waiting for us.” Suddenly his eyes went wide and he looked over at his cousin who was looking wide-eyed back at him. “Say! You outta come with us. It’s right up your alley. This fella’s hirin’ guns. Gonna be some big to-do with a coupla rich land owners.”
“A range war?”
“I dunno, sounds like it. We just got a wire to come if we want work. Some fella named Brubaker’s doing the hirin’.”
Jess shook his head. “No, I’m not lookin’ for that kind of work. Want to get something a bit more…steady.” Jess had already thought about going back to his former profession. He’d do it if he had to. No real reason not to, but he just wanted to get something that he could build a nest-egg on before moving on. He figured Laramie had rubbed off on him some after all.
Bo’s head bobbed up and down. “Sure, sure. Well, wish you’d come anyway. We’d like the company. Ed here ain’t much for conversation.” He gave his cousin a friendly punch on the arm.
“I’m gonna rest up here for a coupla days, then move on.”
Bo leaned in, bringing his voice down a notch. “I were you, I’d get out o’ here pronto. This ain’t a friendly place to strangers. Me an Ed was leavin’ first thing in the mornin’.”
Surprised, Jess glanced over at Al the bartender.
“Oh, Al, he’s alright. It’s the others. This here town is a hotbed of bible thumpers. They’ll follow you up an’ down the street preachin’ at ya. I heard they once tarred and feathered a school teacher and run her an’ her little boy out of town for her teachin’ Huck Finn,” Bo laughed and snorted.
“Huck Finn?”
Bo nodded. “You read it? Pure sedition they say.” He winked and set back in his seat.
Jess’ skin began to crawl; not able to put a finger on his unease, but he didn’t like the Tripps. Something was wrong. Jess forced a tired smile. They finished their hand when Jess folded and lost a dollar. He yawned and stood up. “I’m goin’ to get me a bath and a shave. You know where the bathhouse is?”
“Right out the door and around the corner.”
“Thanks.” Jess settled his hat on his head, picked up his gloves and left, not wanting to turn his back, and not knowing why, but having no choice.
Fifteen minutes later, Jess was neck deep in a hot bath with a board across the tub holding the shaving stuff for when he got around to it. He sighed deeply, wondering if he’d get around to it anytime soon. He was so comfortable, he didn’t want to move. Maybe he would go ahead and leave tomorrow. There didn’t seem to be anything around this town to keep him here. He’d go give Traveler a goin’ over later and see if he was up to it.
He must have dozed of. It was the coolness of the water that woke him up. His fingertips were white and wrinkled and the water had chilled him. “Mac!” Jess shouted for the bathhouse attendant.
A small wiry man with equally wiry gray hair hustled in nervously. “Yes, Mister Harper? You wanted something?”
“Yeah, I…” Jess eyed him curiously. “Hey, I don’t remember telling you my name.”
Mac flitted over to the tub and dipped his hand in. “Oh my, you’re all cold. I’ll be right back with more hot water.” With that, he turned and hurried out.
“Hey! Wait!” Jess shook his head. Those two cousins must’ve…
Almost immediately Mac was back with two buckets of fresh water. Jess eyed him warily as Mac bent and pulled a plug at the bottom of the tub to let some of the cold water out into the drainage ditch that ran under the wall and out to the alley. “What’d those two tell you about me?”
“Oh, well…nothin’ much.” Mac seemed breathless and excited. “Just that you’re Jess Harper from Texas and you’re…” he hesitated, glancing up at Jess.
“I’m what?” Jess was getting irritated.
“Well, that you’re uh…a gunfighter.” He said it with reverence, awe and not a little fear.
Jess settled back in the water as Mac poured the hot water in. “Well, don’t believe everything you hear, Mac. I’m just a drifter, driftin’ through town. I’ll be gone in the mornin’.” Jess hadn’t made up his mind until that very moment, but he was sure it was the right decision.
In his experience, when people found out about his reputation as a gunfighter, they either ran from him, fawned over him, or challenged him. He was in the mood for none of it. The past few months had changed him. He admitted it and something made him unwilling to sink back into that life; at least unless nothing else presented itself.
Mac finished with the bath water. Jess had sunk back and closed his eyes again which Mac wisely took as a signal that he wanted to be left alone. Jess’ thoughts drifted back to Andy. He wondered how Andy was comin’ with that extra job at Mister Barton’s store. And wondered if Slim had hired another hand yet. He couldn’t make a go of that place without help. Andy wasn’t ready to be a full-fledged partner yet. It’d be a few years before he would put in a full load of work, if then.
Jess had often thought that Andy was bound for better things. He wondered if ranch life was really for him. He had a yearning to see the world and be out in it. Any place outside of Laramie would be fine with him. Jess smiled at the memory of their first meeting. Andy was ready to up and take off with him that first day, so fed up was he with the little world he was growing up in. He’d settled down after Jess agreed to stay, but the wandering eye was always there.
The boy read books that took him to the places he couldn’t go himself. Jess hoped that one day he’d break away and see those places. He never said nothin’ to Slim of course. Slim had dreams of him and his brother working side by side, building the ranch into something they could both be proud of and pass on to their children. Slim was blind to the boy’s ambitions.
Well, there was time. Jess hoped that one or the other of them would realize their dreams. It was pretty clear that both of them couldn’t. Jess shook his head as if to shake out all thoughts of Slim and Andy. They were part of his past now. Slim didn’t want to have anything to do with him. He had to move on and not look back.
After shaving and rinsing off, Jess got dressed again and headed over to the only hotel in town. The preacher and his woman who had apparently been laying in wait for him followed him. They didn’t say anything. They sang. “Shall we gather at the riverrrrrr, the beaut-ti-ful the beaut-ti-full riverrrrrrrr.” Jess didn’t know how much more of this he could take. As much as he was looking forward to a real bed instead of a bedroll, he wasn’t sure if it was worth it.
Once “Shall We Gather at the River” was finished, they started in on “One Wide River”. ‘We’re on a water theme here’, Jess thought. He grabbed a wooden post and swung up the big step to the boardwalk in front of the hotel and strode inside, closing the door pointedly in the face of his pursuers.
The rotund bespeckled man behind the counter was waiting for him. Jess ignored the look of disdain and tossed a dollar on the counter. “Like a room for the night.”
“Sorry, Mister…um, sorry sir, we’re all full up.”
“I see.” Jess’ eyes squinted to slits, appraising the man with his best intimidating ‘gunfighter’s’ stare. “Are you quite sure about that?” His voice, naturally low and gravelly, was more so now. He could turn it on and off. It was a gift, he chuckled to himself.
“Uh, uh,” stuttered the man. “Yes, sir, I’m quite sure,” his beady eyes darting around as if to check for backup.
Jess was too tired to argue, and the last thing he wanted to do was get throwed in jail tonight. A year ago it would have taken a lot less to provoke a full blown display of the Harper temper. Today, he accepted the wishes of the town with resignation. He decided to be polite; a notion that only a year ago, he would rather have eaten bugs than be, to a twerp like this.
He reached up and tipped his hat. “Well, sir, I sure do thank you for your hospitality.” He grabbed his dollar and backed out, not turning his back on the counter until he had reached the door.
Stepping once again out onto the boardwalk, his carolers were gone. Thank goodness. One more hymn and he might have had to start throwing lead around. Jess removed his hat and ran a hand through his still-damp hair. He looked up and down the street and made his decision.
Stepping briskly into the street, he headed for the livery stable. If this town didn’t want the likes of him, he wasn’t going to force himself on them. Not much of a town anyway. Not worth the effort he told himself. He’d have just enough time to get a few miles out of town and find a nice cozy campsite before it got dark. Then tomorrow, it was off to California.
