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

Cafe Society
61

Oh, my goodness! Which way to go!

Paul paced worriedly back and forth across the porch of the Triple A ranch, peering toward the old Excelsior mine. Hank had taken off after he had pulled Paul down and gotten him back into the house. He could only hope he’d given Jim enough of a head start.

“Mr. Paul?” a voice called from inside the door. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

“No, Martha. Is Howard back yet?”

“No, not yet,” Martha wrung her hands. “Mr. Paul, what on earth is going on around here?”

“Nothing you need to worry about…hell!” he suddenly shouted, jumping off the porch and running down the walk. Martha gasped in shock and slammed the door.

Paul shielded his eyes against the wintry sun. There were two figures going into the Excelsior, but he couldn’t tell who they were at this distance. He could only hope it was Jim and Sammy.

Martha stamped her foot. She had had enough. This frontier life, with its foul language and rough ways, was not for her. She marched into the study, where Will Anderson was staring morosely at an old daguerrotype* of the three brothers and half-heartedly picking at a ham sandwich.

“Mr. Will, I am leaving. I am not cut out for this life. I would appreciate my wages and a ticket back to Amherst.”

Will looked at her in shock. “Martha, what are you talking about?”

“Ever since that horrid man came by with the gun, your brother has been acting mighty skittish. It’s freezing outside, but he’s out on the porch, staring out at the old mine, and just now, he swore and took off!”

Will’s jaw dropped. “It can’t be!” He jumped up, knocking over the chair. He pulled his pistol from the desk drawer and quickly checked its load.

“You lock the door and don’t let anyone in, hear?”

Martha glared. “I will do no such thing. Ever since Mr. Gus fell ill, you and your brother have been acting mighty strange. I’m not staying one more second here. I want my wages and a train ticket. Now.”

Will shook his head in exasperation. “If you won’t lock the door, you’re coming with me.” He grabbed her arm and hustled her, protesting, out of the house, grabbing their coats as they left.

*Did I spell that right?

62

About fifty yards inside the mine, Hank and the Sheriff passed a sign that read Danger! Turn back! but Hank continued toward his quarry. He had deliberately planned a winding course to ensure anyone who tried to find the right wall on their own wouldn’t be able to do so without help. Those who did would end up as lost as Tom and Becky.

Another figure had taken an interest on the pair that were headed toward the Excelsior. This one had nothing nefarious in mind, he just wanted to protect his rightful inheritance, for he was Gus’s only surviving descendant and the only other person in town who knew of his lineage was Gus himself. This man had gone up into the hills above the abandoned end of the mine and trained his Winchester toward its entrance.

Meanwhile, back in town, a well-dressed older gentleman had entered the Tumbleweed. “Whiskey, Tommy,” he ordered as he pounded a handful of coins onto the bar.

A startled Tommy spun around and fumbled with his shot glasses. “Do I know you?”

“I should hope so,” the gentleman said with a smile.

Tommy pondered for a bit. “Jake? Jake Anderson! We thought you was dead!”

“So did I, until I got word that they found oil on my property down in Texas.”

63

On second thought, Jake’s oil-rich property should be in Pennsylvania for the sake of historical accuracy.

64

I should have learned by now to save as I go along, but nooooooo. Had a post nearly completed and then hit something wrong and lost it. Grrrrrrrr.

At the sound of the knocking Caroline spoke first. “Who would have to be knocking all the way out here?” She looked down at the baby and covered herself, and the child up.

Belle slid towards the door and tried to peek out the front window, but nobody seemed to be standing on the porch. Curious, she opened to door a crack, and a figure that had been slumped down out of sight leaned, and half fell, into the room. It was a woman, shivering to beat the band in spite of her coat and gloves and scarf. Belle raised her up some.

“Lucy? Lucy Johnson?” she said in surprise “what are you doing all the way out here? Sally! Help me get her in front of the stove!”

Together they worked to warm the thoroughly chilled woman. Finally, after coffee, an extra blanket, and a warmed towel around her feet, Lucy’s teeth stopped chattering and she was able to speak. She looked around. Turning back to Belle the words began to gush out

“Mrs. Parker? Did I get the right place after all? I didn’t know anybody, and I couldn’t find the law, and I didn’t have a horse, and nobody knows me anyway, and then I got lost and…”

“Calm down Lucy, there’s time enough, just pull yourself together. Oh, maybe I should make introductions. This is the Charging Bear ranch, and that is Caroline Charging Bear, her daughter Sally, and Caroline, just what is the baby’s name anyway?”

“Pleased to meet you ma’am.” “Pleased to meet you.”

“Lucy, what on earth made you pull a stunt like this, walking all the way out here in this cold?”

“Mrs. Parker, I was trying to find you, I meant to say.”

“Find me? What for? Oh, and call me Belle.”

“Well, I got a room at the hotel, like you told me too. A little room on the top floor, at the back, I didn’t want you and Mr. Parker to have to spend too much on me. Well, last night I heard voices in the hall. I don’t think they knew anybody else was up on that floor. I was curious and I cracked the door a mite to get a look at them. I recognized the one younger fellow, Sam Anderson, he’d been around the Blackhorse talking to Fred for a couple of days. Didn’t know the other guy, he was older.”

“What did they have to say?”

“For one thing, they were talking about a will. Couldn’t hear all they said though. They talked about Fred in jail, and how they couldn’t lay low at the Blackhorse. Then the older guy talked about you! He knew your name, called you a red-headed…” Here Lucy, in spite of her history, blushed “Anyway, he said that if they could ‘pull this off’, and he could get back at you at the same time, he would be satisfied.”

Belle asked what the older guy looked like, and from the description she realized it must have been the man who scowled at her during the funeral, this Jim Connor who’d been causing a ruckus in town, but whom she hadn’t actually seen since.

“Did Sam call the fellow by name? Was it Jim, Jim Connor?”

Lucy screwed up her face in concentration. “No, it was Jim alright, but Sam called him Connell, not Connor.”

Now a chill ran through Belle, and she glanced over to Caroline, who was staring back, thunderstruck. “You don’t suppose it could be? Oh my God.”

65

Jesse had just slid a tray of Bertha’s flapjacks to Fred when Bill Tidd walked in. He seemed a little disappointed to see Jesse.

“Help you?” Jesse asked.

“I was looking for the Sheriff.”

Jesse shrugged. “He left me a note to feed the prisoner and that’s all I know.”

Bill peered around the corner at the surly Fred shoveling flapjacks into his mouth. He gasped and motioned to Jesse.

“Look, son, no matter what you do, don’t leave him alone for a second.”

Jesse frowned. “He’s locked up. How much trouble can he get into?”

Bill shook his head. “I know who he is. He’s a passle of trouble. Watch out for his sister too.”

“Lucy? Why?”

“You know her?” Bill said, running a hand through his hair worriedly.

“We ran into her at the Blackhorse after the fight. She said her brother forced her into prostitution. My wife and I put her up at the Silverlode for a few days.”

“Oh, this is a fine mess. Look, son, I’m going to find this Lucy and you best lock her up too.”

“First off, you’re not my father,” Jesse said, getting angry, “so quit calling me son. Second, you’re not the sheriff. You can’t tell me to lock anyone up.”

Bill smiled ruefully. “You’re absolutely right.” He stuck out his hand. “Bill Tidd, lawyer for the Anderson estate.”

Jesse grasped it and shook it, his anger fading. “Jesse Parker. You’re a lawyer? Maybe you could help me,” he said, motioning toward his books. "I’ve been studying.

“I will be pleased as punch to help you, but right now, we got to find Lucy. She’s not as innocent and victimized as she may appear.”

66

It was just past noon when Hank and the Sheriff emerged from the abandoned end of the Excelsior, Hank was in the lead and Sheriff behind him with guns drawn but hidden. As their eyes adjusted to the harsh winter daylight, a voice ordered, “I’ll take that will. You, in the back, move over where we can see you.”

Now, Hank had yet to open his envelope so he didn’t know what the voice was talking about. “What will?” Sheriff stayed put for the moment.

Another voice demanded, “He said ‘move’, Sheriff.”

The figure who had been up in the hills had been patiently watching the three who were waiting outside the mine. He took a bead on the tallest one and put a bullet through the man’s right shoulder. Then all hell broke loose.

67

On second though, disregard that last sentence. With such close quarters and an unseen shooter in the hills, maybe all hell doesn’t break loose. I’ll let someone else decide that.

68

Oh, wicked post, ivylass! Of course, there goes my “hooker with a heart of gold” idea, but I have an idea of what I’ll work towards now.

As for “all hell breaking loose”, I thought that was a good cap to the post, Jeff Olsen. And in you post where Tommy says to a Jake Anderson “We thought you were dead!” I expected Jake might have one eye too, if you catch my drift.

Let me see, where to begin?

“Look” said Tidd, “that knock on the head I got has had me messed up for a while, but I do think I have my wits back now. I can tell you now that the will that Jim stole was not a real one, that’s why it’s being taken didn’t matter. But it’s past time now I got out to the Anderson spread and got this mess straightened out. I also need to get hold of Henry Poole…”

“Hank?” asked Jesse. “Why, he went with the sheriff. He came in to find Wilson and seemed real worked up.”

Bill Tidd groaned. It seemed to him he was doing a lot of that lately. “Please, take my word for it, that the Johnson’s are both no good. As a lawyer myself I know you can’t just lock someone up on suspicion, but be careful around both of them. Wait, how long ago did they get to town here?”

“Well, the Blackhorse opened not quite three months ago.”

“Before Gus died? Huh. Then maybe it’s Sam they’re in with, not Jim. Oh hell, just look out for her, I need to get out to the ranch first, I guess.” And with that Tidd walked quickly out of the office.

Over at the Tumbleweed Tommy looked at Jake “Oil! You gonna be gettin’ rich too?”

“Could be. Say, how’s things out to the old ranch these days? I haven’t exactly been in touch.”

Tommy gulped. “You didn’t know Gus is dead? They just buried him a few days ago. And someone tried to steal his will, and it looks like Paul and Will are on the outs, …”

Jake gazed at Tommy in shock. “Maybe you just better start from the beginning. Looks like this is going to be one hell of a family reunion.”

And at the Charging Bear place: “If that name means what I think it does” said Caroline “we could all be in a world of hurt. But I’d bet he’d come after you first Belle.”

Belle thought about it. “Looks like he’s probably a brother of Sutton, and now that I think about it, there does seem to be a ‘family’ resemblance.”

Lucy interrpted them. “I’m sorry that I can’t tell you more, but I was scared to open the door more.” They assured her it wasn’t her fault, then Lucy exclaimed “What a darling baby! Do you mind if I hold him a little?” The child had gone to sleep, his meal being over, so Caroline saw no harm in passing him over.

69

Caroline smiled tiredly as Lucy cooed and rocked the baby in her arms. Suddenly Lucy whipped out a bowie knife and held it to the baby’s throat. Sally screamed.

“You’re coming with me,” Lucy said to Belle, who was frozen in terror. “Now.”

“Lucy, what are you doing?” Belle asked, while Caroline struggled out of bed.

“One more move, and I’ll stick this knife clean through. I know how to use it.” Lucy warned. Caroline subsided, her eyes not leaving the baby.

“Lucy, I will go anywhere you want. Just leave the baby here,” Belle pleaded.

Lucy shook her head, her eyes wild. “No, he’s insurance to make sure you behave. We’re going to the Excelsior. Get your coat. I’ll be outside in the wagon.” She turned and left the house.

“Oh dear God,” Caroline cried. “Sally, get your coat and go find your Pa.”

“Caroline, what are you doing?”

“As long as you’re with her, I know my baby will be safe. Go!” Caroline pushed Belle toward the door. “We’ll get Charlie as quick as we can.”

“Jesse! Jesse’s at the jail!”

Caroline nodded. “We’ll get him too. Now go!”

Belle shut the door behind her and climbed into the wagon. Lucy was smiling down at the baby, who was sleeping peacefully.

“Drive, you redheaded bitch,” she said softly. Belle picked up the reins and snapped them on Diablo’s back. She glanced quickly behind her and saw Sally running toward the barn. She must be going to saddle up one of the ranch’s geldings. Belle slowed down the wagon as much as she dared, to give Sally a chance to get help.

70

Baker, can we get one of your recaps? If I remember correctly:

Jesse and Bill are at the jail.

Charley is out near the Anderson ranch, looking for his cattle.

Willl and Martha are headed toward the mine, chasing after Paul, who took off.

Hank and the Sheriff are emerging from the mine, where an unknown (Jim? Sam?) has shot “the tallest figure.”

I don’t think we know where Slim and Mr. Santini are.

Lucy has kidnapped the baby and taken Belle as hostage, and they are now also headed out to the Excelsior.

A new Anderson brother, Jake, has shown up.

We’re getting close!!

71

Actually I think you did a pretty good recap ivylass, but I’ll look it over and put one out this evening.

72

Okay, I’ll keep it in.

As Hank’s and the Sheriff’s eyes adjusted to the daylight, they spotted three men wearing bandannas over their mouths. The shot from the hills gave Sheriff the break he needed, he moved out from behind Hank and started shooting while he worked his way back inside the mine entrance for cover. Hank, his aim not so good with just one eye, pulled a Remington shotgun from under his duster and also ducked back inside the mine.

Of the three who ambushed them, one turned sideways from the force of the bullet striking his shoulder. “I’ve been hit!” he exclaimed as he dove for cover. “Sam!” shouted another, also diving for cover. The third ducked behind a nearby tree and returned Sheriff’s fire. Then there came some splintering of wood and someone exclaimed, “Look out!” but it was too late. The third man glanced up in time to see a large branch fall on him, shot off by whoever was in the hills.

Sheriff, having put two and two together, stopped shooting. “Paul,” he ordered, “I suggest you put your hands up and come out before our friend up there puts a bullet through your head.”

73

It’s a surprise but I have given some clues. :wink:

74

Okay, ivylass, I think I have this recap done sooner than I thought I would.

Jesse Parker: at the jail, probably worried about his wife.

Fred Johnson: a prisoner in the jail, said by Bill Tidd to be dangerous. But, as Jesse said, he’s locked up, how much trouble can he be?

Bill Tidd: Lawyer for Gus Anderson and the estate, has left the jail, and had spoken his intention of heading to the Anderson ranch.

Charley: Out looking for missing cattle, could be returning home any time. Presumed to have no knowledge of what’s going on at the mine, but his place abuts that of the Anderson’s. What will be his reaction when he learns of his family’s dilemma?

Lucy Johnson: sister to Fred, has kidnapped and threatened Caroline’s baby, and Belle as well. Last seen headed to the mine, so if she knew to go there she must be in on a fairly involved plot.

Belle Parker: hostage of Lucy’s, driving the wagon. How soon is she going to realize Lucy must not have actually walked all the way from town. And if she didn’t, how did she get to the Charging Bear place.

Caroline and Sally Charging Bear: Caroline has given birth in the last week, she is remaining in her home, after sending Sally, her teenage daughter, to look for her father Charley. Will Sally find him, or will he return home first?

Will Santini and Slim McLeod: Whereabouts not stated, but the have to be involved in the story climax somehow, don’t they?

Jake “We thought you were dead” Anderson: Currently at the Tumbleweed Saloon talking to Tommy the bartender. He has arrive in town after an absence of(presumably) many years. Did not know Gus Anderson had died. And just how is he related to the rest of the Anderson clan?

Tommy the bartender: See above

Will Anderson and Martha Tuttle: Also heading for the mine, having taken off after

Paul Anderson: Who saw two figures emerge from the mine, with three others approaching (from town?) and took off in that direction:

Unknown figure above the mine: Said to be a descendant of Gus Anderson, motives not entirely known, has shot the tallest of the three figures approaching the mine

Sheriff Wilson and Hank Poole: Hank was a bosom buddy of Gus Anderson, who entrusted him with a will/document that Hank has hidden in an old entrance of the Excelsior mine. As the two men emerge they are confronted by three men. They haven’t actually been named but I would guess that two of them are the following.

Jim Connell/aka Connor: A mean son of a gun out for revenge for his dead brother Sutton Connell, done in during the action of the first story. Since Belle ParkerneeKasson, had a major hand in that, Connell particularly nurses a grudge against her.

Sam Anderson: Recently arrived back in Anderson’s Gulch, a son of Paul Anderson.
Gambler. Slim McLeod noted he looked flashy, but with a fellow gambler’s eye for detail noticed little things about him that indicates he may be down on his luck. Sam’s father Paul wants money to get rid of him for good, and figures if he can buy him off, plus not reveal a secret Sam would prefer not to have revealed, that he won’t have to deal with him anymore.

If Connell and Sam are two of the three figures, who is the other? The one that has been shot is said to be the tallest of the three. Bill Tidd is very tall, but he probably(I don’t say hasn’t) has not had time to get that far from town.

75

“Make that nag go faster,” Lucy growled, gently rocking the baby, who was beginning to cry.

Belle barely tapped the reins on Diablo’s rear. “He’s getting cold.”

“What?” Lucy asked, distracted by the baby.

“The baby is getting cold. You grabbed him wearing nothing but a blanket. He’s going to freeze out here.”

“Then I suggest you make this horse move faster.”

“Don’t be such an ass, Lucy,” Belle snapped. “Give me your coat.”

“You think I’m stupid? You take off yours.”

Belle laid down the reins and shrugged off her coat and gave it to Lucy, who awkwardly wrapped it around the baby.

“He’s only a week old. He’s getting hungry too.”

“You shut up!” Lucy yelled frantically. “Get to the mine.”

Belle saw Sally gallop past her, but with the baby crying, Lucy couldn’t hear the pounding of the hooves. Belle knew Diablo couldn’t go as fast pulling a wagon, so she had no problem now slapping the reins harder. Diablo jumped and began running at a trot, the wagon jostling over the rough path.

76

This is odd. Based on the times, when I posted my recap I should have seen Jeff Olsen’s post. But I sure don’t remember it. Granted, the two were only seventeen minutes apart, but that’s enough time that I should have caught it. Oh Well, that won’t change what I was going to write here, too much at least.

Luckily the only horse Sally had available had been small, not much bigger than a pony, so it was light enough, and there was enough snow, that the sound of it’s hooves had been muffled. Sally had been of two minds when she saw she would overtake the wagon. But her initial impulse to try and pound that awful woman into a pulp had been overcome by the common sense that Lucy could hurt the baby faster than she could…could…kill Lucy.And it almost seemed like Belle had read her mind, because she was obviously distracting Lucy.

Sally took advantage of this by taking what cover she could behind the snowdrifted scrub to the side of the road track. Still, her heart was in her throat as she passed, but it gradually sank back to it’s accustomed place as she realized she’d done it!

Now her eyes were frantically scanning the landscape, looking for a sign of her father. The glare off the whiteness of the snow made her squint as she rode along, and as she passed the fork that led back and around to the Parker place, and onward to the Anderson’s, she began to despair. Should she turn back, or go back into town for more help? Caroline had said they would get Jesse Parker too.

Knowing, in spite of her youthful bravado, that there was little she could do on her own, she turned towards the town. After going another mile or so she saw, up ahead, two men riding in her direction, and hoping one was her father she kicked her own mount to go faster. But even before they met up her hopes were dashed. One was that gambler, what was his name? Slim, that’s it. The other man, who was astride a horse not much bigger than her own, she didn’t know at all.

“Oh please, we need help!” she gasped “This woman came and stole my baby brother!”

Both of the men stiffened at her words, and Slim said to Will “I guess Jesse was right after all, listening to that addlepated lawyer. Looks like you are going to help me practise a little justice, before you help kids practise the three R’s.”

77

Even with all the folks charging around the landscape Charley missed seeing or hearing any of the activity. But he’d found both of the missing cattle, dead, damn it!, and chewed on by something, even before the vultures go to them. He was pretty sore about losing stock, but, as he rode into the yard in front of the barn, at least it wasn’t two legged thieves.

As he put his own mount up Charley noticed the small gelding was not in it’s stall.
Their own wagon was in the barn however. Now what had possessed Sally to ride off and leave her mother alone, at a time like this? He let himself into the house by the back door, and was chilled to hear his wife’s voice.

“Who is that? You show yourself! I have a pistol, and I can use it!”

Charley had the sense to holler back before he went further. “Caroline, it’s me! What in tarnation are you yelling about?”

Her reply was more of a scream, and it’s jumbled words brought him rushing to her. “Our son! She stole our son! Is Sally with you?”

It took Charley some time to calm his wife. Caroline was not the hysterical type, but the powerful fear of a mother for her child had her in knots. By the time her husband had the details out of her Caroline was calmer, and beginning to be sleepy.

Charley himself was like ice. Caroline watched, puzzled, as her husband went back outside and seemed to dig into the snow. He came back with a few crumbled, messy clots of dirt, that he streaked back along his cheekbones.
“Honey” she asked “what are you doing?”

“Something I saw a very old man do, once, a long time ago.”

“Who was he?”

“My great-grandfather.”

78

Jake waved his hand at Tommy. “No more for me,” he said. “I got to head out to the ranch.” He pulled his coat on just as Jesse and Mr. Santini burst into the saloon.

“We need every able bodied man now!” Jesse hollered. “The Charging Bears’ new baby has been kidnapped!”

A low, angry buzz began, as men began pushing back chairs and grabbing their holsters. Jesse raised his hands for quiet.

“Little Sally here says it was Lucy Johnson who took the baby,”

“And she’s got Miss Belle too!” Sally piped up. Jesse jerked back.

“You didn’t tell me that!” he chided her.

“You didn’t give me a chance!” Sally shot back. “You took off for the Tumbleweed before I could tell you.”

“That’s enough,” Jake said. “Let’s go.”

“Organize yourselves into three man teams and start fanning out from the middle of the town,” Jesse said, grabbing Sally and Mr. Santini and rushing back outside.

Tommy nodded to Rosie. She smiled back at him. “I’ll keep an eye on things here. Go.”

In seconds the Tumbleweed was deserted. Rosie vowed to turn away any customers who might wander in, to send them out on the search.

79

His boy! thought Charley, as he left his house. His boy was in danger! But where would he have been taken? There was only one way a wagon could leave, and that track on their place took them in the direction of town. As Charley kicked his horse along he could see the tracks in the snow where wheels had been. But as the marks reached the main trail into town, they turned away, back in the direction that would lead to the Parkers, and beyond that to the Anderson’s AAA. He could see that there had been some coming and going from twon, but it looked like horse tracks.

So Charley figured Sally had gone in the direction of town, for more help there. That was good, now he could follow where the wagon had gone.

His heart was like a stone in his chest, and his eyes were flintly, as he urged his horse to greater speed along the trail…The cold air was still as he scouted along, and noted when the turnoff towards the Parkers had been passed. Up ahead would lay the AA and the Excelsior min, and he was dismayed to see that the wagon must have take the mine turnoff. Damn! It was no place for a baby, especially such a young one. Charley thought long and homicidal thought about those wyou would harm his kin, but those broke off as he topped a slight ridge and saw, some distance ahead, a wagon with two passengers. It was not moving though, and one figure(Belle, by the red hair) was leaning over the side of the wagon.

Lucy barked at Belle “What are you trying to do, stall me?”

Belle thought miserably she had been over her stomach fluttering. But no, it had to start again now. Then her eyes widened in surprise as they met another pair, dark brown, off the side of the road in another pile of drifted brush like that that had sheltered Sally. She’d seen that dark face once before, about a week earlier.

80

Jesse, Sally, and Mr. Santini rushed to the Silverlode’s stables, where Mr. Santini hitched Daisy to a wagon and headed out to the street.

“Wait,” Jesse yelled. “Where do we go?”

The three looked at each other in dismay. Sally’s face puckered, but she bit down on her bottom lip furiously to keep from crying.

“Ho, there, Parker,” a voice called. “What’s going on?”

“Charley and Caroline’s baby has been kidnapped, Zeke,” Jesse said, smiling a quick greeting at the blacksmith. “We’ve got the whole town looking, but we don’t quite know where to go ourselves.”

“Tell you what,” Zeke said. “I have to go out the the Triple A anyway to reshoe their horses. Give me a ride, and we’ll look along the way. If we don’t find anything, we can get Paul and Will to help us look.”

“As long as you’re heading out to the Triple A, mind if I come along?” A man said, striding up to the wagon. Sally gasped.

“Mr. Jake! When did you come back?”

“Just today, little Sal. My goodness, but you’ve grown!” Jake helped Zeke load his tools into the wagon, then they set out for the Anderson Ranch.