Finish the Western II, or Return to Anderson's Gulch

Cafe Society
1

The first one was so much fun, I thought it was time to go back and see what’s going on in Anderson’s Gulch.

“And so, we say farewell to our number one citizen, Gus Anderson. He will be greatly missed. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…” Belle Parker tuned out Parson Gray’s voice as she wiped her eyes. The past six months since that dust-up with Boss Connell had been busy, but peaceful. Jesse had finished building their homestead near Charley Charging Bear’s place, and had started to study law. Caroline Charging Bear was due any day now with a second child, and Belle had taken to helping her out around their ranch.

Since the discovery of the uranium and phosphate in the abandoned silver mine, Anderson’s Gulch had started to prosper again. There was even talk of a new schoolmaster coming to teach, and Sally Charging Bear was looking forward to going back to school.

Belle shivered as the wind whistled through the bare branches of the trees. This winter promised to be a cold one. She had hopes of breeding horses at their ranch, but so far their entire stable consisted of her own horse, Diablo. She was planning on going up to Kansas City in the spring to hunt for some breeding mares. But for now, she was happy to keep house for Jesse, who became interested in the law after helping the Land Office sort out what Connell had stolen from her father. He wanted to be at the funeral for the founder of Anderson’s Gulch, but he had agreed to mind the jail while the Sheriff reprsented the legal community at the service. The jail was currently empty, which meant Jesse had plenty of quiet time to pore over his law books, borrowed from Judge Cotton.

The townsfolk stirred as the clods began to drop on the coffin. Belle made her way out of the cemetery, worried about Caroline. She nodded to her neighbors, with a special smile for Sheriff Wilson. She frowned as she saw a strange man scowling at her, before he was lost in the crowd.

“Who’s that, Miss Belle?” Tommy asked. He was the barkeep at the Tumbleweed Saloon, where Judge Cotton had presided over the trial of Boss Connell and his henchman. “There was no call for him to glare at you like that.”

Belle shrugged. “I’ve never seen him before, Tommy. But I can’t worry about him now. I’m going to see if I can hunt up Doc MacCaulley for Caroline. I don’t like the way her feet are swelling.” She smiled as Tommy blushed six shades of red. He mumbled something about getting back to the saloon and left. As Belle made her way toward Doc’s clinic, chatting with Zeke Clayton, the blacksmith, she failed to see the stranger watching her. He bit off the end of a cheroot and began walking back to town and the Tumbleweed Saloon.

Saloons were always a great place for gossip. And the skinny barkeep looked like he knew that redheaded bitch.

2

After checking into the newly refurbished Silverlode Hotel, the stranger sauntered down the street to the Tumbleweed Saloon, which was also looking more prosperous. Certainly it was busier, as more folks had been coming into town with new businesses being developed. The surly stranger was glad of this, he would be less conspicuous, for a while anyway. He walked up to the bar.

“Gimme the best whiskey you got” he ordered Tommy “leave the bottle too.” Tommy gladly plunked down the good stuff, especially when he saw the gold coin that was thrown out along with the order. Maybe this guy wasn’t so bad after all. Curiously, he cautioned a question.

“You new here? I thought I saw you a while ago, out to the Anderson funeral”

“Yeah, I’m new. Name’s Jim, Jim Con…nor. Say, maybe there’s something you could let me in on.”

3

“Sure,” Tommy said cautiously. This was the hombre that had been given Miss Belle the stinkeye. He nodded at Rosie, the new barmaid. She smiled at him and went to deliver a tray full of whisky shots to Slim McLeod and his poker buddies. Slim was always saying he needed to head out to Californy, but he’d been saying that for nigh on six months now, and he hadn’t yet checked out of the Silverlode.

“I saw you talkin’ to a purty redhead at the funeral. Who was she?” The stranger said, knocking back his shot.

Tommy glared at him. “She’s married,” he said, before stalking off to the other end of the bar where customers waited.

“Married,” Jim mused. “All the better.” He picked up his glass and the bottle and headed over to the table where Slim was once again raking in a pot.

“Damn you, Slim,” Paul Anderson said angrily. “You can bluff better than a whore at confession.”

“Now, now, Paul,” Slim said soothingly. “You’re just mourning your brother. Your game’s off.”

“Game, hell. I’m going over to Bertha’s for dinner while I still got some money left.” He bumped into the stranger, and gallantly, if rather drunkenly, pulled out his seat for him. “Here, take my place, stranger. Maybe you can teach Slim a lesson. Lord knows I can’t.”

Slim smiled as the new man sat down. “I hope your money’s good, pardner.”

Jim tossed out some gold coins, and Slim’s right eyebrow edged up a notch. “Good enough. Let’s deal.”

4

As Slim shuffled and Paul was getting ready to leave, an extrodinarily tall gentleman strode through the batwing doors. Tommy exclaimed “Holy Toledo!” at the sight and dropped the shot glass he was cleaning. He had heard Gus talk about this man but didn’t really believe he existed until now.

5

Nice to see you, Jeff!

Belle stepped into Doc MacCaulley’s incredibly clean clinic. Although he was an older gentleman, he had some newfangled ideas about cleanliness and germs. He had even used some technique called “fingerprinting” to prove Boss Connell had murdered Jim Conroy with an overdose of laudanum.

“Afternoon, Miss Belle,” Doc said, finishing up a bandage on a young man’s arm. “Won’t be just a second.”

“Do you need any help, Doc?” Belle asked, stepping closer and smiling at the young man.

“Nope, almost done. Miss Belle, this is Will Santini*, our new schoolmaster. Mr. Santini, this is Belle Parker.”

“Please to meet you, ma’am,” Will said. He was tall, tanned, and had a lovely voice.

“How did you hurt yourself?” Belle asked.

“My horse threw a shoe and stumbled, and I fell off and cut my arm. Say, is there a blacksmith around here? Daisy’s been a good horse, and I want to get her shoe fixed quickly.”

“Zeke Clayton can help you there,” Belle said, her ears pricking up at the name of the horse. “What breed is your Daisy?”

Will smiled in thanks at the doctor and rolled his shirt sleeve down carefully over his bandage. “She’s a full-blood Arabian. I know, pretty fancy for out here, but I fell in love with her when I was tutoring in Kentucky, and asked to get her as payment instead of cash.”

Belle filed that knowledge away for now and turned to Doc. “When you get some time, can you come see Caroline Charging Bear? Her ankles are swollen again so’s she can barely walk.”

Doc winced. “Tarnation, I thought we had that licked. I’ll leave here as soon as I’ve cleaned up.”

“Thanks again, Doc,” Will said. “Do you have any children, Miss Belle?”

“No, Mr. Santini. My Jesse and I have been married for less than a year. But Caroline has a girl, Sally, and she’ll be hopping glad to come to your school. When will you start teaching?”

“I’m up at the Silverlode until they can get the schoolhouse reopened and cleaned up, then I’ll move into the room at the back. I plan on starting a week from Monday.”

“I’ll let Sally know. Nice to meet you, Mr. Santini. I’ll see you later, Doc. Thanks.”
Belle left the clinic and headed toward the jail. She wanted to see if Jesse was ready to come home, and maybe, if the Sheriff was there, mention that stranger at the funeral who seemed to have taken an instant disliking to her.

6

*Will Santini…Will posted in the first Anderson’s Gulch thread, but he is unable to participate in this thread because he is serving his country in Iraq. In his honor, we decided to name a character after him.

7

There was seven and a half feet between the floor and the top of Bill Tidd’s hat, which he had removed upon entering the saloon lest it be knocked off in the process. He had close cropped salt & pepper hair, a neatly trimmed full beard, wore a business suit and carried a walking stick. All eyes were on him as he laid a hand on Paul’s shoulder. “I came as soon as I could. My condolences.”

“Thanks. It will be a few days before the rest of the family comes, do you have a place to stay?”

“I have a room in the hotel, yes.” Tidd removed his hand from Paul’s shoulder and turned toward Slim. “Meanwhile, it looks like I’m just in time for a poker game. You boys mind if a lawyer sits in?”

8

As Belle had entered the clinic she hadn’t paid attention to the horse tied up out front, but she did give it a look as she left for the jail. The mare was favoring the one hoof that had thrown the shoe, but she still looked fresher than expected. Bit on the small side, Belle thought, but a lovely chestnut color. Hmmm.

By the time she arrived at the jail Sheriff Wilson was back as well, speaking with Jesse, who seemed about ready to leave. Belle caught the tail end of their talk.

“No one in here now” said Jesse, “but I expect that could change with the weekend coming up. All the newcomers out to the camps will be in town losing their pay”

“Yep” replied the sheriff, “I bet most of the trouble will come from the Blackhorse again. That damn Fred Johnson is at the bottom of a lot of the stuff going on now, and those girls of his know how to roll a guy better than… oh, hello Belle! Good to see you!”

She grinned back at the embarassed Wilson. “Afraid of talking dirty in front of a lady, Sheriff? I may have to dress like one nowadays, but don’t forget the past so soon!”

9

“Hello, love,” Belle said as she walked into the jail. Jesse looked up from his books and smiled. He rose to give her a kiss.

“How was the funeral?”

“Very nice. Almost the whole town turned out. I stopped off at Doc’s to ask him to see Caroline. Are you ready to come home?”

“Sheriff went to get things started for the new schoolmaster. They need to get the schoolhouse swept out and repainted. He shouldn’t be much longer.”

“I met the new man over at Doc’s. He took a tumble from his horse and cut his arm. He seems very nice, named Will Santini. Sally will be so excited to go back to school.”

Jesse stretched his back and rubbed his eyes. “I’m about done with studying. Why don’t you stop off and see Caroline, and I’ll meet you at home.”

“Fried chicken okay for dinner?”

Jesse kissed her. “Perfect.” He looked closely at Belle. “Anything wrong?”

Belle shifted her feet. “Well, it’s rather silly, but I was hoping Sheriff was here. Some stranger was at Gus’s funeral, and he gave me the oddest look, like he hated me.”

“You don’t know him?”

Belle shook her head. “I’ve never seen him before.”

“Okay, you stay here with me until Sheriff comes back. Doc is headed over to Charging Bear Ranch anyway, so Caroline will be seen to.”

“Jesse, don’t be silly,” Belle started, then subsided as Jesse stared at her.

“With as much trouble as we’ve had with powerful people, I’m not going to shrug this off.”

10

Damn! Simulpost.

Okay, Baker, you got in first, so we’ll go your way.

11

ivylass, you could still take most of your post and use it, the supper part anyway, and just have Belle talk directly to the sheriff about her concerns.

12

“Actually, I’m glad you’re here, Sheriff. Everything set up at the school for Mr. Santini?”

The Sheriff’s eyes twinkled. “For all that Anderson’s Gulch is growing like a wildfire, word sure gets around quick. I got the Hastings up there tomorrow to paint and clean up. They’ll stock up the teacher’s quarters from their store.”

“Sheriff, there was a strange man at the funeral. He gave me the chills. He just glared at me, then I lost him in the crowd. You haven’t heard anything, have you?”

Sheriff sighed. “I wish I could help, Miss Belle, but there’s so many new folk in town I can’t keep track of them all. I came here to retire, but the Gulch is getting a might too busy for me.”

“You’re not going to leave, are you?” Jesse asked. Before the Sheriff could answer the door burst open.

13

For anyone reading this thread, authorship is open to all who enjoy this type of collaboration. But it would help to read the previous story, as we are trying to keep storyline and character mistakes to a minimum.

“Belle! Belle!” shouted Sally Charging Bear, as she came barreling in the door. “Mom needs you! She’s awful sick!”

Belle, alarmed by the wild-eyed look on the skinny teenager(who’d been growing like a weed in the past half year), looked to Jesse and said "I just talked to the doctor about her, but I’d better go out. Try and find Charley, I don’t want to waste time.

Belle and Sally picked up Diablo, Belle’s horse, from the livery stable. Although it was awkward Belled decided not to waste time changing into her usual riding gear, but got astride her mount while still in the dress she’d worn to the funeral. It hiked up a scandalous amount, almost to her knees, but helping a friend was more important than appearances she figured. The two women, the older and the younger, went flying off into a cold wind that seemed to have picked up quickly, and they were vaguely aware of a flake or two of snow that was sprialing downward.

14

Jim Connor shook his head as Slim shuffled the deck. The lawyer sat down, threw some coins on the table, and nodded at Rosie, who came over quickly.

“Three whiskeys, please,” Bill said, as Slim shook his head.

“None for me, my good man. I’ll just have some more of that black tar concotion they call coffee.”

“Not a drinking man?” Bill said with a grin.

“Never had a taste for it,” Slim lied, dealing out the cards with great skill. He looked up as Tommy brought over the drinks personally.

“Bill Tidd! How the hell did you ever manage to get your way back here?” Tommy asked.

15

Belle and Sally were nearly to the ranch before Sally had calmed down enough to explain what was happening with Caroline, Sally’s mother.

“She’s been sick all day, can’t keep anything down” said the worried Sally. “She’d wanted to go to the funeral but Pa said she couldn’t, and I stayed home to take care of her. I found you first, Pa’s in town somewhere. Then she started sweating and her back hurts bad.”

“Does the pain come and go?” asked Belle. “Maybe she’s getting ready to have the baby.”

As Belle and Sally came up to the ranch house they dismounted and Sally took the horses, while Belle hurried inside, wondering what she would find.

16

There was a blood-curdling scream as Belle rushed in. Belle heaved a big sigh of relief as she saw Doc, his sleeves rolled up past his elbows, leaning between Caroline’s bent knees.

“Sally came for me,” Belle said. “You must have passed each other.”

“Go wash your hands with hot soapy water,” Doc said distractedly. Caroline bit down on a piece of wood and squirmed in agony.

Belle quickly doused her hands in the water from the kettle, scrubbed with the lye soap, and hurried back, wiping her hands on a dishrag. Doc patted Caroline’s shoulder and pulled Belle back from the bed.

“She’s got eclampsia, and the baby is breech and won’t turn. I may have to cut in to get it out,” Doc said, running a hand through his thinning white hair.

Belle stared in horror at Caroline, who was gasping for breath. “Did she had this bad a time with Sally?”

Doc shook his head. “She had some swelling, but Sally was a fairly quick delivery for a first baby, only fourteen hours.” They both jumped as the door slammed and Sally rushed in.

“Snow’s starting to come down hard, and the wind’s picked up,” Sally said, throwing her coat on a chair. “How’s Ma?”

Doc looked at Belle. "Where’s your Pa?’

“He left me,” Caroline moaned. “Bastard heard me screaming and took off.”

Belle sat down on the bed and took Caroline’s hand. “Don’t be silly. He went for help.”

“No, he didn’t,” Sally said, her eyes starting to fill with tears. “He sent me for Doc, and said something about going home. What’s wrong? Where’s Pa? Why isn’t the baby coming?”

Caroline shrieked again.

17

Charlie Charging Bear road north through sagebrush and on dustry trails to the village of Solace. He hadn’t been there much since he was a boy but if there was anywhere he’d consider home other than the Gulch, it was Solace. It was around midnight when he arrived at a stone house near the center of the village. Charlie dismounted, bounded across the porch, and pounded on the door. “Mose! Moses Doubletree!”

A light went on in an upstairs window and a sleepy voice called out, “What? Someone sick?”

“It’s Caroline, Mose!”

“Charlie?!” Mose ran downstairs, nearly tripped over a rug, and let Charlie in.

18

“I got a telegram from Paul that his brother had died. I’ve got Gus’s will, so I came here as soon as I could,” Bill said, neatly bolting his shot of whiskey.

“Really?” Tommy said. “You got his will?”

Bill nodded. “Right here,” he said, indicating the inside pocket of his duster coat.

Unseen by anyone, Jim Connor smiled. “Another round on me,” he said, throwing some coins on Tommy’s tray. Slim frowned. He was getting a very odd feeling from this Jim, and as a man who made a living at poker, he was quite used to trusting his senses.

“When do you read it?” Tommy said.

“I have to notify a few folk, and I hope to get everything settled within the month.”

“Hey, I said, another round!” Jim yelled. Tommy jumped, nodded in apology, and rushed off.

Bill frowned. Suddenly poker didn’t seem so fun anymore.

19

After another few hands of poker Slim noticed that Jim was making sure that Bill Tidd always had a drink at his elbow. He offered to the others at the table as well, but they weren’t knocking it back the same way. Still, Tidd didn’t seem to be playing any worse. Maybe he was just such a big guy that it took more to affect him.

Finally the players took a short break, and noticed, from some other customers arriving at the saloon, that snow was starting to come down, and it was getting darker outside. They sat down for a couple more hands but then Connor yawned ostentatiously, stretched his arms, and said “I’m done for now. Think I’ll get back to the hotel before the weather gets any worse.” He looked keenly at Bill Tidd, who finally seemed to be showing the booze, and asked “You want to walk with me?” The big lawyer slowly nodded, without speaking, and shoved himself away from the table. The two men exited the Tumbleweed, with Slim’s narrowed eyes following them, a thoughtful frown on his face.

20

Tommy banged a skillet on the bar, the signal that he was getting ready to close. Slim quickly pocketed his winnings and hurried out into the worsening snow. With the howling wind, this promised to be one of the worst storms of the year.

He hurried to the Silverlode, wanting to get to the hotel while he could still see his hand in front of his face. He had a nagging sense of unease about Bill and that man Jim, but until the snow let up, he didn’t know what exactly he could do about it.

Just as he reached the porch of the Silverlode, his boot struck something lying on the snow. He heard a groan, and bent down.

“Damn!” He exclaimed. Bill Tidd was lying in the snow, his duster coat half off, and a nasty bleeding lump on his head. Slim hauled him up and dragged him inside, noticing with chagrin that Bill’s inside coat pocket was ripped away.

Gus Anderson’s will was gone.