KETTERLY

[Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104]

Chapter Thirty-Seven

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  The boys slammed down a double each then Ed handed John enough money to get him a room for the night.  John looked back with a question in his eyes but said nothing.

  Knowing his friend was curious, Ed said, “I’m gonna stay up with Amy tonight John.  I got her into this mess so I’m gonna watch over her.”

  John could see the torment in his friend’s eyes as he lamented over Amy getting shot but there was little he could say to make the man feel better.  Sure, she would most likely be ok but a woman getting shot was just something that men in the west didn’t let happen.  Taking the money, John headed up the street to get his room and maybe find some companionship for the night himself.

  Ed headed back to the doctor’s office where he found Doc working on the shotgun rider.  Simply nodding towards the other room, Doc kept working without missing a beat.  Ed headed through the doorway to find Amy dressed in a sleeping gown and sound asleep, snoring in fact.  Pulling up a chair, Ed sat down next to her bed and leaned over against her, crossing his arms and laying his head down on the mattress, dead tired.

  It was early, hours before dawn the next morning when Amy finally woke up to find Ed laying on the side of her bed fast asleep.  Gazing around the room cautiously while only turning her head, this room was unfamiliar since her last real bed had been at the International.  Looking down, Amy realized someone had undressed her and put her into the sleeping gown.  She was mortified.  If it had been the young cattleman sleeping at her bedside that very moment, that was twice he had seen her naked. 

  Turning her head the other direction, Amy winced as she moved her shoulder and began to remember she had been shot during the stage holdup.  Looking around at the stark walls of the room, Amy decided she must be in a doctor’s office somewhere and she was tired, bone tired.  Tired of trying to cipher it out, it was only a minute or two later before Amy drifted off back to sleep.

  By the time the doctor came in to check on Amy around six, Ed was awake and sitting in the chair next to the window where he could watch the street.  It was a habit of his to get up and take a look around so this was nothing new for the young cowboy.

  “Let’s see how our patient is doing today shall we.”

Ed simply looked on as the old grouchy sawbones listened to her lungs and heart then checked the bandage on her shoulder for bleeding and heat.  “Looking good.”

  “She gonna be able to ride by tomorrow Doc?” Ed asked with a sly smile pursing his lips.

  Doc didn’t even have a chance to answer when Amy piped up, “Darn tootin’ I’ll be ready to ride tomorrow!”

  “Uh, NO!” Doc snapped, “She’ll break that shoulder wound open and bleed to death on the trail.  You can move her down to the St. Charles Hotel but I don’t want her on a horse for at least two weeks.  She can ride the V&T in a couple of days if’n you want.  You can get to Reno then take the big train west from there if you want.”

  Once the doctor left the room, Amy spoke up again, “Ed, I can sit a horse if you want to get back onto the trail in the morning.  I won’t be the one to hold you up.  We’ll just tie me up tight so my shoulder can’t move.”

  Ed smiled but didn’t reply right away.  When he did speak, it was softly and with feeling.  “Amy, you’ve proved yourself time and time again on the trail.  You don’t have to prove anything else to me.  I was really just funnin’ with Doc ‘cause I could.  You won’t ride a horse for a while.”

  Going silent for a bit whilst he watched out the window, Amy could see Ed appeared to be deep in thought over something and being a woman, she wanted him to spit out whatever was bothering him.

  “Alright Ed, out with it,” Amy demanded.  “Something is eating away at your mind and you need to get shut of it before you bust at the seams.”

  “Let’s rent a buggy and go for a ride Amy,” offered Ed.  “Maybe we can talk a bit about what is on my mind.”

  “OK, I’m feeling like some fresh air anyway.”

  Heading to the livery, Ed was able to rent a fancy covered buggy with good springs and a two horse team for the afternoon.  Bringing it around the front of the Doctor’s office, Ed set the brake and tied the reins around the brake handle to make sure it stayed in place. 

  There was a restaurant just down the street so Ed inquired whether they could set him up with a picnic lunch for the ride.  It was an unusual request but the cook was game and wasted no time in getting some sandwiches and cobbler together for the foray.  Taking his bounty back to the buggy, Ed hid it away under the back seat out of sight.

  Heading up to Amy’s room, he was pleased to find her almost ready.  Helping her into her coat, Ed took her by the right arm and escorted her down to the buggy where John was waiting. 

  “Howdy Amy!” John said when he saw her.  “Glad to see you’re lookin’ chipper this morning.”

  “I am feeling better than yesterday John, thank-you for noticing,” Amy replied with a gleaming smile.

  “Where are you two heading?”

  Ed piped up, “Amy and I are going for a ride down by the Carson River John.  When we get back, we’re gonna decide how we are going to head home.  You up for that?”

  “Darned tootin’ I am.  This drive has been a workout for me.  I need to get back to the ranch to take a vacation,” he said with a face splitting smile.

  “Alright then, if’n you want to see to the stock for now, we’ll be back this afternoon.”

  Getting Amy settled in, Ed took his place on the left side of the seat, unwrapped the reins, then kicked the brake loose so they could be on their way.  The hard wooden wheels were noisy on the city streets but as soon as they left the downtown area, the roads were dirt and softened the sound some so the two could chat about the rustic beauty of the mountains and perfect weather they had for a mid-morning ride through the blooming desert.

  The Carson River wasn’t too terribly far from the town center so it only took about fifteen minutes for Ed to find it.  Pulling up as he reached the water, Ed looked both ways as if trying to decide which direction to go.  The trail along the river looked smoother to the west so Ed turned to follow it towards the mountains until he found a spot where the water was calm and there was a grove of trees they could sit under out of the sun.  Amy seemed a bit surprised when Ed turned the buggy towards the trees but said nothing.

  Pulling up where the horses could graze on the grass under the trees, Ed helped Amy down then set about to lay a blanket down for her to sit on.  Once she was settled, Ed went back to the buggy to pull out the picnic lunch he had gotten prepared for them.

  Amy was truly surprised when Ed brought out the wooden box with all the fixin’s for lunch and said, “So how did you manage to get this all set up Ed?  It’s like you’ve been doing some planning for a while.”

  “Not really Amy,” he replied, “I came up with this plan as I was driving back to Doc’s office.  I figured you’d be hungry so why not bring some town food with us.”

  Unpacking the food, the two young folks dug in like they hadn’t eaten in a week.  With the sandwiches down and finishing up on the custard, Ed laid back against a bare log and relaxed a bit as the white puffy clouds coasted by overhead being pushed by a light, invisible wind.  Amy tried to lean back too but her shoulder wouldn’t let her get comfortable so Ed laid his coat over the log to pad it some so she could relax too. 

  Steeling his nerves a bit just in case this conversation went sour, Ed finally spoke up, “Amy…… , I have something I want to ask you but I don’t want an answer right away.  I want you to be able to think about it as long as you want so you are sure.”

  Amy looked curious but bright lights showed clearly in her corn flower blue eyes as she replied, “OOOOO K?”

  “You and I have been through a lot in the last few weeks and some of it has not been too pleasant.  You’ve been shot, beat up, and nearly died from being frozen on the high prairie.  You’ve been long hours in the saddle with short nights and have had to sleep on rock hard ground for days on end without a single complaint.  You are at home in the big city and not on a working ranch but I would like to ask you something, even though it would mean a life of hard work and little money once everything is said and done.”

  Taking a deep breath for the most difficult part of his speech.  “Amy, I’ve fallen in love with you and I would understand it if you don’t want anything else to do with me but I am going to ask for your hand in marriage anyway.  You don’t have to answer right now, just think about it on the ride home.”

  There was a shocked look on Amy’s face when she said, “You’re kidding, right?”

  His face noticeably falling, Ed simply answered, “No, I’m not,” as he realized this had been a bad mistake to think a pretty woman such as Amy would give a rough around the edges cowhand a second look.  “No worries Amy.  You asked what was on my mind and so I told you honest.”

  Ed’s question was still settling in for Amy had no clue he felt about her like he did and was still a bit in shock after he asked her.  Seeing his face after she answered, Amy realized she too had made a mistake in the way she responded to Ed.

  “No Ed, you don’t understand.  I figured you hated me so I thought you were just joking like you do with John sometimes.  After all we’ve been through, and if you’re serious, then so am I.  I don’t need to think about it.  I would love to become your wife and I don’t care about hard work.  I just want a man who I can trust to protect and take care of me in life.”

  Now it was Ed’s turn to have a shocked look on his face as he listened to Amy’s confession.  Seeing the man was somewhat frozen in time, Amy leaned into him and kissed him full on the lips to bring him out of his trance-like state before saying, “’Sides, you’ve already seen me in my altogethers and only a husband should be able to do that.”

  “I,..I,..I,… I tried not to look Amy,” Ed stuttered.

  “That’s what Willimeena said too,” Amy replied laughing, “but still, that’s only for my husband’s eyes.”

  With a fresh start on their future, the two young people were happy but they still had to get home in one piece.  That didn’t matter for now and was the furthest thing from their minds since there was no one on their trail, for the time being at least.

  “Ready to head back to town to tell John?  He’s gonna be a bit surprised.”

  “Let’s do it,” Amy smiled as she laughed.  “This will be a surprise for everyone today.”

  Getting Amy up and into the buggy, Ed set about gathering up the picnic basket and the blanket to get it stowed away under the seat.  Minutes later, they were on their way back to town and happily chatting about this and that as they rode.  Riding down Main Street, Ed spotted John in front of the hotel sitting on a chair laid back against the wall smoking a cigar.  Pulling up in front, Ed got down then helped Amy down and to another chair.

  “Howdy John,” Ed started out.  “Let me take the buggy back to the livery and I’ll be right back.  Can you sit with Amy until then.”

  John simply smiled and nodded so Ed turned and got back into the buggy before heading off to the livery.  Amy was quiet and had the downcast look of a woman with no way to turn and knowing she left town that morning in a good humor, John was curious as to what changed.

  “Ok gal, out with it,” John demanded sharply.  “You were in a good mood this morning when you left town.”

  Amy’s eyes teared up as she began to speak.  “John, you know Ed is a by the book kinda fella and he does right by the law when he can.”

  “Yes, I know him to be a square shooter when it comes to the law and to folks.”

  “Well, he told me he has no choice in turning me over to the Sheriff over the kidnapping and attempted murder up on the high desert.  John, I’ll be going to prison for a long time once he does that and I’ll be an old woman when I get out.  I've done wrong and I’m sorry for it but he’s right for me to have to settle up with the law.”

  John was getting hot under the collar at his partner as Amy spoke of her fears and expectations of the future.  Like Ed, John had grown to care for the young woman and knew she was made of solid stock by the way she held up under all she had been through over the last few weeks.  For Ed to consider turning her in just frosted his hide and he was going to have something to say about it.

  It was about that time that Ed came around the corner of the building and stepped up on the boardwalk as he headed towards his friends.  John got up and turned towards him as if to greet him but instead, he swung a roundhouse to Ed’s left jaw and an upper cut to his chin.

  Amy shrieked as Ed stumbled backwards, landing on a chair and breaking it into pieces.  Ed’s eyes were a bit glazed over as he looked up from the rough boardwalk.  “Why did you hit me John?”

  “Because yer gonna turn that gal over to the law.”

  “What am I supposed to do John, I am sworn to testify.”

  “There’s got to be a better way Ed.  She’s learned a lot about life and herself over the last few weeks.”

  “I have to agree with you John but I only know of one way that I can’t be ordered to testify against her.”

  “Ok, so do it then!”

  “John, I would have to marry Amy since a husband can’t be forced to testify against his wife.”

  John’s mouth fell open as he realized what Ed had just told him.  This was something John had never considered, especially given the way this whole mess started out.  It wouldn’t be right for Ed to marry Amy unless he cared for her like that.  “No other way?”

  “None that I can think of.”

  John fell silent as he dropped back into the chair he had been sitting in.  He was deep in thought about the situation so didn’t notice as Ed winked at Amy while rubbing his chin.  Ed let John’s thoughts fester for several minutes before speaking again.

  “John,” Ed said as the man’s head snapped up.  “I’ll marry Amy under one condition.”  John simply looked on and waited, “I want you to stand up with me.”

  John began to smile as he looked up at his friend.  “You already asked her, didn’t you?  Well it’s about time you did something right on this trip.  I knew something was brewing between you two all along, even back to the first time you met on the train ride north to Redding.”

  Ed and Amy started rolling with laughter at John’s question so soon enough, John started laughing with them.  Ed had shaded John again but this time, it was going to turn into a good thing.

  “I’d be proud to stand up with you Ed.  When do you figure on tying the knot?”

  “That’s up to Amy,” Ed said proudly.  “I’m ready right now.  All I need is the preacher and some ice to keep my jaw from swelling up too much before the ceremony.”

  “I’ve heard there’s a quaint little church in Genoa,” Amy added.  “Is tomorrow soon enough?  I don’t want to let him get away from me.”

  A bit surprised but not shaken, Ed said, “I’ll have the buggy rented and ready for tomorrow then.  It’s gonna be about a five hour drive to get to Genoa, just so you know.”

  “I’ll be ready!” Amy said as she headed off down the street towards the millinery shop to do some shopping.

  “I’ve got to send Old Joe a telegram to let him know about the delay in getting back to the ranch,” Ed began.  “He’ll be fuming about being late getting back to work but I think the extra money I got for the herd will soften his gruff old hide just a little bit.  He might be a bit surprised by me bringing a wife home to the ranch as well since I’d been runnin’ a bit fast and loose lately.”

  “Are we going to take the train back to the republic when we get all this set in stone?” John inquired hesitantly. 

  “I know you need to get back John so I figured to send you back to Reno to get the rest of the stock and have you take the train back to Hog Town.  Old Joe will like these mountain horses and you know he wants those mules back at the ranch since good mules are so hard to come by.  Amy and I will be along in about a week.  I figure to take the stage from Genoa over Carson Pass into Stockton then we’ll ride the train to Hog Town from there.”

  “That’ll work for me.  I’ve had just about all I want of this high country for a while,” John said laughing but dead serious at the same time.

  Heading back to the livery, Ed bartered with the old man working there to get the buggy for the ride to Genoa in the morning and to have it returned to Carson City from there by John so he and Amy could catch the stage from Genoa to Ione after they were hitched legal like.  With that taken care of, he headed to the mercantile where he bought a thin gold band.

  John had little enough to do so he headed for his chair in front of the Carson House so he could watch the comings and goings of the folks in town.  Allford was still on the loose so it would pay to keep an eye out for him.  Carson City was busy for the time of day but from what he could see, there were no problems hunting the men from the republic so he relaxed a bit. 

  Ed would be back shortly and they would be able to get some supper since his stomach was starting to complain ‘cause his ribs had started rubbing against each other.

 

[Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104]

Chapter Thirty-Eight

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  Dinner that night was a quiet affair with the trio heading to the dining room of the International.  The food was good and the company even better as they chatted about the ride south in the morning and life in general.  For the first time in a month, there was nothing hanging over anyone’s head so they were able to relax for a change.

  Knowing it was going to be a long day come tomorrow, once the last bite of pie was put away, Ed and Amy headed up to their rooms while John headed to the bawdy houses for a few hours.  Being young and single, John was going to take advantage of every opportunity since there wasn’t much variety down to Bradley.

  Amy and Ed were both up early and had their saddlebags packed when John showed up.  Ed walked down to Amy’s room and knocked gently on the door to see if she was ready to go.  Hearing the rustle of her skirts, Ed waited patiently until she opened the door.

  Ed was taken aback and caught his breath as his bride to be opened the door in her new dress and fancy hat looking very much like a woman of means and fine breeding.  She was every bit as pretty as the day he met her on the train and now this gal was consenting to marry him, a raw-boned, rough around the edges, working cowboy from Bradley.

  Speechless and turning a bit crimson when Ed realized Amy knew he was staring, he tried to talk but no words would come out.  Amy, being the lady she was, simply smiled at Ed’s awkwardness and said, “Can you take my saddlebags and rifle Mr. Ketterly?”

  Breaking the ice at last, Ed stumbled forward to take the lady’s traps.  Throwing the saddlebags over his shoulder, Ed offered Amy his bad arm so he could hold the rifle in his good hand as they headed down to where John was waiting with the other saddlebags and rifles.

  “How about some breakfast?” John offered.

  “Sounds good to me,” Amy replied while Ed just beamed at the handsome woman on his arm.

  Within minutes, the trio was in the dining room at a rear table where they could pile their gear out of the way and lean their rifles up against the wall where they would be close to hand.  Soon enough there was food a plenty on the table and folks enjoying their plunder.

  Once breakfast was put away, the trio was enjoying a last cup of coffee before they hit the trail south to Genoa when three rowdies entered the saloon.  They were obviously rough around the edges and were making a nuisance out of themselves already so the two boys were on alert.  Now there is nothing wrong with men having a good time when they came to town but these fellas were looking for trouble by the way they were acting.

  Finishing up, Ed stood, picked up his saddlebags, and then his rifle while John did the same.  As she rose from her seat, Amy fingered the .32 in the secret pocket of her dress as they prepared to walk through the saloon and out to the buggy parked outside on the street.

  Trying to ignore the troublemakers in the saloon, Ed and Amy almost made it to the door when one of them, a curly-haired galloot with yellowed teeth stained with tobacco juice, torn clothing with boots run down at the heel, and who was already drunk at 6:30 in the morning, blocked their path outside.

  “Well now pretty thing.  How’s about you comin’ over and having a drink with me?”

  “Just clear the way mister,” Ed snapped.  “We aren’t looking for trouble but I’ll oblige you if’n you want.”

  The surly looking gent just looked at Ed with his gimpy arm and thin frame and laughed.  “Just who are you to stop me from having a drink with a pretty gal?  I drink with whoever I please and I’d be pleased if this pretty little thing will have a drink with me,” the man drawled as he reached for Amy’s arm.

  Ed struck faster than a rattlesnake as the barrel of his rifle came down on the man’s forearm making a sickening crunch as it broke the large bone.  The other two had started to step up to help their partner but the sound of a four-click hammer coming to full stand froze them in their tracks as they turned to see John holding the big bore Colt’s Pattern revolver at their belt lines.  Amy wasn’t standing still either for she had the baby S&W .32 in her hand as she waited for the next move.

  The man with the broken wing was moaning and groaning as he whined about his arm being broke but Ed wasn’t listening to his woes.  “The young lady is waiting for an apology mister,” he barked.

  “You had no call to break my arm!  Now I can’t work in the mines or punch cows for weeks.”

  “Yer lucky you aren’t dead, now about that apology before I decide to break the other arm?”

  The now down on his luck troublemaker just stared at Ed through bloodshot eyes for a full minute then letting his broken arm hang, he took off his hat.  “I apologize for my ungentlemanly like behavior mam.  It was rude and uncalled for and will not happen again.”

  “Move!” Ed demanded once the man was done so they could get on their way.

John covered their backs in the saloon when Ed and Amy eased forward and through the door as they headed for the buggy as if nothing had just happened.  Helping Amy into the buggy, Ed took his place then waited for John to back through the doors to get aboard.

  Once John was aboard and seated, Ed clucked at the team then flipped the reins to get the outfit moving south out of the settlement.  John took a look behind them and noticed how two of the men had come outside to watch them head out of town.  He would have to be careful when he brought the buggy back to the livery because those men were new enemies.

  Carson City was becoming smaller with each minute they rode so the trio was starting to relax a bit after a bumpy start to their morning.  It was a little before 10:00 by then so Ed figured to get into Genoa around 12:30.  Finding the preacher and the church shouldn’t be too hard so John could start back to Carson City by 2:00 or 2:30.  It would be up to him if he wanted to camp or to come into town after dark to keep from being seen.

  After about an hour of steady travel on the road, Ed pulled over to give the horses a bit of water and some rest before heading on.  It had been pretty easy going with only a few low hills to climb so they were making good time and it was Ed’s way to take care of the stock when he could.

  Conversation was light and good natured as John broke out a flour sack with some jerky in it and a canteen of what Ed found out later was moonshine.  Passing the canteen around, they chewed on the dried meat and sipped the shine for a bit then they were off again.

  After about another hour, they could start seeing some of the buildings in Genoa and could see the bell tower of the Church on Nixon Street, nestled back amongst the many old growth trees.  Across the street, there was a field where there were at least thirty-five mule deer feeding on the rich meadow grass.  The deer must have been used to seeing strangers for they only lifted their heads and looked briefly at the new buggy in town then went back to feeding as if uninterested.

  It was 12:30 in the afternoon, right on schedule, when Ed pulled the buggy up to the front of the white washed building, full of anticipation and happy thoughts of their new beginning.  The pastor lived next door so Ed helped Amy down and took her by the arm as they walked to the man’s house to introduce themselves and to make arrangements for the service.

  A portly woman of at least fifty years old answered the door sporting a welcoming smile as she ushered the young couple into the parlor where an equally portly man in a white shirt was sitting at a table with a pen in hand and papers strewn across the dark wood.

  The man’s name was Brother William and from all outward appearances, looked to be a man who spoke the gospel eloquently but carried a .44 Bulldog on his belt to make sure the message was driven home to those who might not want to listen to his message of peace.

  Brother William was not a man to just speak a few words in front of folks so he took a solid half an hour to get to know Ed and Amy a bit before he agreed to perform the wedding service for them.  During their conversation, Ed did notice him raise an eyebrow from time to time as they talked of their first meeting and of some of the calamities they faced on the way to this junction of their lives.

  “Sounds like you two have had an interesting go at life so far,” Brother William began.  “Yet still, you have made it this far without doubting each other’s intentions so far be it from me to slow life down for you.  Amy, Martha will take you over to the church where you can freshen up while Ed and I talk a bit more.  We’ll be along in a bit.”

  Martha, it turns out, was the woman who they had first met when they knocked on the door.  She was Brother William’s sister who had come west from Philadelphia with him to start a new life on the western frontier.  She was also a woman who knew the value of a good repeating rifle during an Indian attack while crossing the plains.

  As Amy and Martha headed to the back of the church chatting and laughing like brides and their friends do, Ed and Brother William shared a glass of whisky to settle the young man’s nerves.  This was going to be a big move and Ed was justifiably nervous. 

  “This is a big step Ed but I think you are making a smart move.  Wimmin’, especially good wimmin’, on the frontier are like gold.  You both have seen your share of heartache and hard times already but never once did I hear doubt in your voices when speaking of each other.  Take this woman and keep her safe for she’ll do the same for you.”

  “I know she will Brother William and I plan on doing that exact thing.”

  “Ok then, let’s get on with the formalities!”

  As the men walked outside, John was waiting for them in the shade by the front door of the chapel.  Seeing the men walking up the four steps, John opened the door to let the others step through then followed himself.

  Inside the church, the wooden pews with use polished seats lined the spotlessly clean walkway to the alter where there was a hand rubbed pulpit and a rough hewn cross attached to the wall.  Brother William took his place in front of the cross holding his bible while Ed and John stepped to the right of the parson.  Seconds later, there was a burst of light from the rear of the chapel when the doors were both opened to Amy as she made her way slowly up the aisle to the alter.

  It was almost as if the air was sucked out of Ed’s lungs as he watched Amy make her slow walk towards him.  She was radiant, her skin glowing, her eyes bright, and her hair shimmering in the afternoon light.  As she got to them, Ed reached out to take her hand then as one, they turned to face Brother William.  John smiled as he watched on, leaning over at the last second to remind Ed to breathe.

  “Dearly beloved, we gathered here today in the sight of god to join this man and woman in holy matrimony,” were the last words Ed remembered until John nudged Ed when it came time for him to answer a very important question. 

  “Do you Ed Ketterly take this woman to be your wedded wife from this day forward, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part?”

   Ed was most emphatic as he answered, “I sure do!”

  As Brother William turned his attention to Amy, Ed was lost again in his thoughts as he couldn’t believe this was really happening.  Ed had a silly grin on his face when John offered him the ring to place onto Amy’s hand as it brought him back to reality. 

  Once he placed the simple gold band on her hand, Brother William stated, “You may kiss Mrs. Ketterly, Ed.”

  Now Ed heard that comment and wasted no time in pulling Amy in close to get that first real kiss from his new bride.  Amy responded in turn as she pressed closer to Ed as the newly formed couple began to melt into one unbreakable union.

  It didn’t look like the pair were going to come up for air anytime soon so John shook hands with Brother William as he offered him a double eagle for the church and for his time in performing the ceremony. 

  When Ed and Amy finally came up for air, John laughed as he said, “I thought I was going to have to throw a bucket of water on you two to get you apart.”

  Amy swatted at John playfully while Ed simply turned as red as a beet.  He knew John was joshing him but it still embarrassed him.

  “Alright folks, I know you want to catch the southbound stage so you have about forty-five minutes before it rolls in if it’s on time,” Brother William announced.

  Heading back to the buggy, Ed got their saddlebags and rifles as John prepared for the ride back to Carson City.  The horses were rested and watered so John said his goodbyes and congrats to the happy couple then turned the buggy north along the California Mormon Trail so he could get to Carson City just after dark.

  The newlyweds headed to the Genoa Mercantile, which also served as the stage stop, to arrange passage over Carson Pass to Stockton.  With their tickets in hand, they wandered around the small Mormon settlement as they passed time before the stage arrived. 

  According to some locals, Genoa was the oldest known settlement in Nevada Territory, although Dayton to the northeast also lays claim to that distinction, so in some ways, was a museum of sorts built by the early settlers of the district. 

  Having lived in Norte California his whole life, Ed could appreciate the intricate Victorian Era architecture and painstaking workmanship used in the buildings as opposed to the crudely built adobes on the Alvarado.

  Hearing the stage coming for at least thirty minutes, Ed and Amy headed back to the stage stop to be ready when it arrived.  As Ed watched the stage coming into town, he could see there was something wrong by the way the driver was laid over and how there was no shotgun rider in the seat next to him.

  The driver had little control over the team so Ed stepped out onto the trail and tried to get the horses attention by waving his arm and kerchief.  The leaders began to slow up some so the driver could finally get better control to bring the team to a halt.  Stepping up on the wheel, Ed set the brake then helped the driver down to the ground.

  Once on the ground, Ed could see where the man had been shot in the shoulder.  “What happened?”

  “I think it was Brent Allford,” came the reply.  “He was by himself so I’m not positive.  Once he got lead into Chet, I put the team to runnin’ then he got me.  He gave up the chase once we got closer to town when he could see a man in a buggy coming towards him.

  “Dammit!” Ed thought silently.  “If John ran into Brent Allford, he was on his own with no help coming.

 

[Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104]

Chapter Thirty-Nine

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  There was no way this driver was going to be able to take them on through Carson Pass and now the stage line needed to get another shotgun rider so they were stuck in Genoa unless someone came up with a plan.  Checking on the shotgun rider, Ed could tell right off he was dead.  He’d taken a slug at the base of the neck so he was through before he fell.

  Brother William was as close to a doctor as could be had in Genoa so Ed got the driver over to the parson’s house then got a wagon to haul the shotgun driver up to the cemetery where he started digging a grave for the man.  At least the ground was soft and the digging pretty easy so Ed finished up after about an hour. 

  All the while he was burying the man, Ed worried if John had been able to get by Brent Allford to make his way to Carson City.  There was a chance Allford would leave him alone if he didn’t get close enough to recognize him and Ed knew John could take care of himself but he still couldn’t help but worry since they would likely be heading in the same direction after Allford botched the stage robbery.

  Miles away by now, John Cransby was happy for Ed and Amy but he was tired of living out of his saddlebags and was ready to climb on the train in Carson City to get back to the ranch and to his own bed for a change.  After leaving Genoa heading north, John was pushing the team along at a slow gallop as he crossed the base of the mountains.  It was only 10-12 miles to Carson City so he could easily make it in a couple of hours at his current pace of the team held up ok.

  He had been on the trail for about a half hour when John heard the first of several gunshots as the stage was being attacked only a mile or so ahead.  John kept the buggy moving and before long, he could see a lone outlaw attacking the stage.  Getting his rifle out and a round into the chamber, John kept moving until they were maybe a quarter-mile apart when he pulled off onto a wide spot on the trail where he could step in if necessary.

  Standing up so the outlaw could see him, John fired a shot in his general direction to make sure the man knew he was ready to fight.  Seconds later, the outlaw pulled up and turned back north on the trail since the odds were no longer in his favor.  Seeing that, the stage driver pulled up next to the buggy.  John could see the man was hurt but the shotgun rider was obviously dead.  John dragged the shotgun rider off the seat and piled him onto the passenger floorboard so he could be taken into town for a proper burial. 

  “Need help with that wound friend?”

  “No, Brother William is like a doctor in town.  I can make it there and get patched up.  I sure am glad you were coming along mister.  That was Brent Allford and he’s some kinda bad hombre.  He would have gotten me for sure.  I sure thank you for the help.”

  “All right then, god’s speed to you.  Look for Ed Ketterly once you get to town and let him know what just happened.  He’s a good man to have along on a rough trail and he’s gonna be riding over Carson Pass on the stage with you.”

  “Will do.”

  Although in pain, the driver picked up the traces and urged the team back into a forced jog to get into Genoa where the stage would be safe from Allford in case he decided to hit them again.  John watched thoughtfully as the stage picked up speed and shrank in the distance.

  John stepped up into the buggy then set about to shake some Bull Durham in a rollin’ paper, licked the edge, rolled it together, then lit the cigarette.  John knew it was a filthy habit but once he had gotten started, it proved mighty hard to let go of.  There was no sign of Allford anywhere close by and if he was hightailing it back to Carson City, John didn’t want to be too close behind him when they got to town.

  After about fifteen minutes, John picked up his reins and urged the team north once again in a walk.  He was going to take his sweet time in getting to Carson City and not raise much dust so show where he was on the trail.  It was going to take an hour longer but it was less likely that anyone would notice him coming in just after dusk.

  Back in Genoa, Brother William got the driver all patched up but he had lost a lot of blood and was in no condition to drive the stage anywhere.  The man needed to get the stage to Gardnerville but in his condition, there was no way it was going to happen.

  Seeing the problem wasn’t going to fix itself, Ed told the man he would drive the stage the last ten miles to town so they could get another driver and shotgun guard.  As they got ready to go, Amy, who had been quiet during the whole ordeal, stepped up onto the wagon box so she could ride on top with Ed.

  “You’d be safer inside with that bad shoulder Amy.”

  “And you’d be out here by yourself without an extra set of eyes to watch for Allford if he comes back.  Nope, I’m gonna be up here with you in case anything else happens.  Yer stuck with me now that I have this band on my finger,” Amy said with a mischievous smile.

  Taking up the shotgun and cracking it open to check the loads, Amy clearly had her mind made up as she laid the scattergun across her lap.  Without a good argument to change her mind, Ed got the driver up and inside the stage then climbed up the other side to take the reins.  Driving a six horse team with only one good arm was going to take some work but he’d done it before so he set about to getting the stage back onto the trail.

  The horses were tired from the all out horse race so they weren’t of a mind to fight the harness as Ed popped the traces off their backs and steered the stage back onto the two track stage road.  They would be in Minden in about an hour then Gardnerville in another hour after that.  Once in Gardnerville, they would get a room for the night since it was unlikely there would be another driver and shotgun rider available until morning.

  The trail was fairly smooth and gently rolling in spots so Ed held the team to a steady jog as they made their way across the green prairie towards Minden.  With the hard packed road, the steel shoes and jingling harness of the team, and the steel rims of the wheels grinding against the rough gravel, it was too noisy to talk so Amy just leaned against Ed as they rode and smiled to her inner thoughts of the new life they were beginning.

  Watching the trail ahead and taking an occasional glance behind him, Ed was looking for trouble but tried to stay loose and relaxed as he drove.  He was still worried about John but there was little Ed could do for him even if he did run into trouble with Allford.  Whatever was going to happen was probably already over so Ed just prayed that John survived if the two men met.

  They were a bit more than halfway to Minden when Ed suddenly tensed up as he looked behind the stage.  There were two riders coming up on them fast and since he couldn’t get a good look at them, he started to worry.  Amy felt Ed’s muscles react so she was instantly alert.

  “Riders coming up from behind us Amy, get that scattergun ready just in case.  Don’t try to shoulder it because it’ll break your wound open, just pull it down tight against your hip and point with your right finger along the top of the barrels and it will get the job done.”

  Amy didn’t reply but Ed could see she wasn’t afraid as she checked the shotgun’s loads one more time before pushing more cartridges into both rifles.  Ed smiled as he realized his woman had become so much more than another helpless lass on the frontier, she had become a full fledged Valkyrie warrior with ice water running through her veins.

  Trying to act normal, Ed kept his eyes on the road and team as he stomped the passenger box to let the driver know they had company.  Amy on the other hand had the shotgun across her legs and was watching the men as they came alongside.  Ed glanced over as the first man rode up next to the stage and began to keep pace with them as they rode.

  “Where’s Curly?” the man shouted as he motioned for them to stop. 

  The second man was starting around the right side of the stage so Ed simply eased the stage over so he wouldn’t have enough road to get next to them without going out into the prairie where there were potholes and bogs where he could easily break a horse’s leg.  The man dropped back and Ed could see him behind them as he looked at the other rider next to them.

  Neither man looked familiar to Ed but he didn’t take anything at face value on this trip so he asked, “Which one was Curly?” as he slowed the stage down to a fast walk just in case he needed to get them running again if this situation turned sour.

  “The driver!” he shouted back.

  “He’s inside the coach.  He was shot by Brent Allford when he tried to rob the stage a few miles out of Genoa.  We’re taking him to Gardnerville where there’s a real doctor.  Who’s Curly to you?”

  The man didn’t answer and had eased back a bit to look into the coach, a move that made Ed just a bit more nervous.  Amy had been silent during the exchange but she kept the sawed off shotgun leveled at the man’s belly the whole time and had already eared the hammers back with both fingers on the triggers.  Amy was definitely ready for whatever was going to happen next.

  As the rider looked back towards Ed, he could see the cavernous openings of the shotgun as Amy followed his every movement.  It was clear these two men were no pilgrims and they knew they would be bucking a stacked deck if they tried anything so without another word, they peeled off and they started riding back towards Genoa.

  Sweat beads broke out on Ed’s head after the situation was over for he knew those men were up to no good.  Finally able to breathe normally again, Ed could see the tops of the buildings in Minden in the distance so he urged the team back to a slow gallop.

  Coming into Minden, Ed pulled up to the stage stop in a cloud of dust.  Stepping down, he entered to depot office to let the man there know the stage had been attacked and that one man was dead with one wounded.  He learned from the depot man that the Territorial Marshal was in Gardnerville so taking the mail bag with him, Ed stepped back aboard the stage and they were on the last leg of their journey for the day.

  The trail between Minden and Gardnerville was far busier than the last part of their journey so Ed figured they would be pretty safe all things considered.  It would be only a few miles further then they would be able to rest up some after a trying day from the git go.

  Within the hour, the two weary riders could see the outskirts of Gardnerville where they would be able to decompress after a lively day of gunfights and weddings.  As Ed pulled the stage up to the depot, there was a flurry of activity as the Marshal pushed his way through the crowd to get to the stage.

  Ed was busy getting the stage driver out of the box and into helpful hands to get him to the doctor when the tired looking Marshal walked up, naturally wanting information.  Seeing the badge, Ed said, “Marshal, my wife and I are hungry so if you don’t mind listening to my story whilst I eat, I’d be obliged to meet you over at the restaurant in a few minutes.

  The Marshal’s head snapped around to look at Amy, someone he thought initially was a young man, and then his eyes softened a bit when he noticed the fine details of her face.  “Sure can, I’ll meet you at the J.T. Basque then when you’re ready.”

  Taking the mailbag inside the depot and tossing it up onto the counter, Ed related the events of his day to the man inside then after he was assured there would be a driver and shotgun rider come early morning, he and Amy grabbed their saddlebags and rifles before heading to the Carson Valley Inn to get a room for the night. 

  Taking their traps up to their room, Amy opted for a bath first so Ed headed across the street to the restaurant where he saw the Marshal Bill Grady leaning against the bar.  Heading straight for him, Ed reached out to shake the man’s hand before ordering himself a beer. 

  “Alright Marshal Grady,” Ed began, “what all do you want to know besides what Curly already told you?  I wasn’t there for the attack on the stage so all I did was to bury the shotgun rider and get the driver to Brother William in Genoa before bringing the stage on to Gardnerville.  Now I think there were a couple more boys who were looking for a payday a few miles out of Minden but I figure they didn’t like the odds in the end.”

  “Curly said you handled those two like a pro.  He figured they knew about the attempted holdup and would only be facing a wounded man, not for two ready to scrap.  He had his sixgun on them from inside the coach had they not changed their minds.  Did you know this Allford feller?”

  Ed thought about it for a good minute before answering.  “He was working for Charlie Goodnight out of Reno.  I met him in Virginia City when he tried to rob me of our cattle proceeds.  Charlie ended up dead on a back street one late night so Allford’s boys and I had it out when they kept after me.  I tried to ride away from a fight peaceable but they weren’t having it.”

  “Sheriff in Reno wired me and said you’ve left a trail of bodies behind you.  Is that true?”

  “Yep, it’s true but none that didn’t need killin’ and none who didn’t brace me first.”

  The Marshal was silent for a few minutes then said suddenly, “Well, I guess that’s all I need from you then.  Your story and Curly’s sound the same and I know of that Allford fella from up north.  He’s a bad’n and you’ll likely have an enemy if you ride this way again.  Those other two, I’d watch for them close.  If they think you have money, they’ll make another try for it.”

  Finishing his beer, Ed said, “So long Marshal.  I’ll be out of your county come morning and on my way home.  My money was shipped in the strongbox so they shouldn’t bother me for something I don’t have.”

  Marshal Grady watched Ed leave out the front door as he headed back towards the hotel.  There was a mercantile just a few doors down so Ed changed course and made his way inside where he bought a new pair of britches and a shirt so he could take his new bride to supper in something more presentable than range clothes.

  Taking his package, Ed headed back to the hotel once again and straight into the bath house to wash the trail dust off so he could get into his new duds.  There wasn’t much he could do for his boots and hat besides brush them off some but at least he looked and smelled a whole bunch better than he did an hour before.

  Taking the stairs to their room, Ed knocked gently before opening the door to warn Amy someone was coming in rather than to just barge in like a buffalo charging through a brush pile.  Standing near the window, Amy was wearing a colorful hat and a yellow dress with white lace trim in all the right places she bought while Ed was meeting with Marshal Grady.  Amy was positively glowing and Ed was busting in pride as he gazed upon his bride of several hours now.

  “Well hello there Mrs. Ketterly!” Ed said playfully.

  “Hello Mr. Ketterly,” Amy replied with a shy smile.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Starved as a matter of fact,” she said.

  “Then take my arm and I’ll escort you to our first official supper as husband and wife.”

  Thrusting his chest out with the pride of a new husband, Ed escorted Amy down the stairs and across the street to the J.T. Basque where they walked into the dining room opposite of the saloon.  As they passed through the foyer, Ed could see Marshal Grady was still at the bar.  He appeared to have been drinking the whole time and had a worried look on his face.

  The way the Marshal looked concerned Ed some but he wasn’t going to let that bother his night out with his new bride.  Not a man to take chances as was his way, Ed found a table against the rear wall where he could see the rest of the room.  Amy noticed how he positioned his chair to have his good hand free and how he had her sitting out of the line of fire just in case of trouble.

  In less than a minute, the waitress, a young, perky, and buxom Mexican gal with dark hair and darting eyes was at the table with coffee and a plate of some sort of sweet bread rolls.  Her name, as they soon discovered, was Carmelita Resendez-Lopez from a small village outside of Monterey, Mexico, a young woman who had traveled north with her father on his way to the Comstock Lode.

  Witty and one to talk with her hands, Carmelita soon had Amy getting a little jealous with her flirtatious manners and by the way she wanted to have her hands on Ed’s but as fast as she came, she was off in a whirl of pleated skirts and chatter to the other customers. 

  This was the second time the ugly head of jealousy raised up to sit on her shoulder and Amy realized it was something she needed to get a hold of before it got out of hand.  She had to learn to trust her husband to be faithful to her so she would learn to ignore the jealous feelings.

  Sampling the bread, the newlyweds were reliving the day so far as Carmelita brought plates of spuds, greens, and beef in the style of the Basque.  Eating suddenly got a lot more serious as they realized just how hungry they both were.  Ed ate like any young man with a hollow leg while Amy ate slower and more delicately like a woman tends to do but it still didn’t take long to empty her plate. 

  It was almost as if Carmelita knew the first courses were done for she appeared at almost the precise moment they took their last bite with fresh apple pie, some sort of custard, and more coffee for desert.  Already full, neither one was going to pass up on sweets so they both dug deep down for more room so they could dig into the desert.  When they got on the stage in the morning, they might not have a good meal until they got to Stockton so they were going to take full advantage of this one.

  Stuffed to the gills, Ed paid for their meal then the young couple decided to take a walk along the streets of Gardnerville to get everything to settle from supper.  As they left the restaurant, Ed noticed Marshal Grady was no longer at the bar but thought little more of it at the time.

  Stepping outside, the weather was clear and cool so was perfect for a short walk.  There were others out on the streets and busy with their daily routines so no one noticed the pair as they walked arm in arm along the boardwalk as the afternoon sun headed west to hide behind the might Sierra Nevada mountain range.

  Before they knew it, dusk was upon them so it was time to turn back to the hotel for the evening.  Making their way back, Ed could see the men lighting the street lamps and how the personality of the people began to change from the typical townies to the people of the night.  Even the day sounds of conversation and horse movement were replaced with the gaiety and party sounds coming out of the saloons or the wild laughter coming from the bawdy houses on the back streets of town.

  Turning into the Carson Hotel, they finally made their way up the staircase to their room where the night was just about to begin.  Neither was inexperienced in desires of the opposite sex but this time was going to be different.  This was the start of a new lifetime together where they wanted to please and care for the other in ways neither had ever chosen to do before.

  Stopping in front of their room, Ed fumbled with the key until Amy took it away from him to unlock the door.  Pushing it open with his foot, Ed picked Amy up, careful not to put pressure on her injured shoulder, and carried her across the threshold for their first night together.  As he stepped inside, Ed kicked the door shut as he kissed his bride for what seemed like forever. 

  Taking only enough time to lock the door, they were soon intertwined in a lover’s embrace that would last nearly all night long.  Falling asleep in each other’s arms late that evening, they were happy as they had ever been.  Come morning, life would start anew since they would be back in the dusty stage heading over the Sierras and to their new life on the Alvarado.

 

[Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104]

Chapter Forty

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  It was nearly 5:00 in the morning when Ed’s eyes popped open.  Was it something he dreamed last night or was he really married to Amy?  About then, Amy shifted next to him and Ed realized it was no dream and he was now a married man with responsibilities.  While there were those who might be frightened by the prospect of having to take care of another human being, Ed had no regrets at all and was ready for the new chapter of his life.

   Easing out of bed, Ed washed his face, shaved, and got dressed for the day by the light of a lamp turned low.  As he tucked his shirt into his britches, Ed looked over at Amy only to see two cornflower blues eyes watching his every move.  Stepping over to his bride, Ed said, “Good morning Mrs. Ketterly.  Are you ready for a new day?”

  Amy simply smiled back as she slid out of bed for the morning embrace they would share for the next fifty plus years.  Changing her dressing and getting her clothes on for the day didn’t take long, although having only one good shoulder was a challenge as Amy decided to put her trail clothes on for the ride. 

  Considering everything else that had happened on this trip, Amy knew she needed to be ready for trouble even if there was none.  Once dressed and ready, Ed helped Amy buckle on her gunbelt, grabbed her rifle, took up their saddlebags to throw over his shoulder, then opened the door to head downstairs to eat.

  The Carson had a small kitchen and dining room so they had a breakfast of flapjacks, eggs, and bacon before heading over to the Overland Stage Depot to get started on their day.  Surprisingly, Curly was on the box with Marshal Grady next to him riding shotgun.  It was unusual for a Marshal to be riding shotgun unless there was a large amount of money on board to guard so that meant there could be trouble,…….. again.

  Telling Amy what she may have to face if they rode the stage, Ed asked, “We can take the stage tomorrow if you want to skip this one?”

  Looking up with the defiant look of a Valkyrie, Amy replied, “Ed, I’ve come to discover that when I ride with you, there’s trouble usually following close behind.  That being said, whether it’s today or tomorrow, it’s gonna find us.  I told you I would carry my share of the load and if that means fighting everyday to get where we need to be, then so be it.”

  “You’ll do,” Ed said as he kissed his bride before helping her into the stage box, “You’ll do.” 

  “Mornin’ folks,” Curly announced.

  “Glad to see you’re up and about Curly,” Ed replied.  “I figured we’d have a new driver today so you could rest that shoulder up some.”

  “This company doesn’t give a man any downtime if he can still do the work son.  Brother William did a good job so I’m ready to go back on the trail.  We do have a new shotgun guard with us though.”

  “Howdy Marshal Grady,” Ed said as he turned his attention onto the serious lawman.  “Expecting a bit of trouble on this trip?”

  “Ed,” Marshal Grady began with a scowl.  “You’ve made quite a name for yourself ever since you arrived in Reno.  I’ve been given orders to get you to the Republic and out of Nevada as quickly as I can.  If that means trailing you across a horse’s back or riding shotgun, I’ve a job to get done so I can get back to investigating Brent Allford and the murder of Curly’s shotgun guard.”

  “Fair enough Marshal.  We’ll be keeping our rifles inside just in case they are needed.”

  Ed thought he could detect a change in the man when he told him they were keeping extra rifles inside but he wasn’t quite sure what that meant.  Amy had stored her Colt in the saddlebags since there were so many passengers but it was close to hand too just in case.

  Climbing inside and sitting down next to Amy, Ed looked around at the other three passengers across from them.  There was a gal who looked like she had been rode hard and put up wet in the stables, a man that was definitely a dandy who couldn’t let go of the valise he was carrying, and another man with eyes much like a Mojave Green, a man who looked cold and emotionless as he smoked a used up cigar.

  Curly hollered out “Last Call” just as the door opened once again for two more passengers.  There was one woman, a matronly looking type in a black dress with her hair pulled up into a peanut on her head, and a younger boy who was maybe 10-12 years old dressed in the usual city clothes.  The woman sat next to Amy while the boy sat on the floor rather than on top with the other men.

  It was some ninety miles to Jackson in California Territory and another forty-five miles or so to Stockton where they would pick up the train once again so this wasn’t going to be a leisurely ride crammed tight like they were at the moment.

  It was going to take almost two full days to make the trip if there were no problems and they stayed rolling the entire time.  If there were overnight stops, which was likely with only one man driving, then it would be at least three days of dusty travel before they would get to the train to begin the last leg of their journey.

  With everyone settled in as best they could, Curly cracked the whip and the coach lurched into movement as they made their way down Main Street then peeled off on the trail west out of town so they could catch the California Mormon Trail near the base of the mountains. 

  Once on the Mormon Trail, they would head for Fredericksburg, about 10 miles away.  There would only be a mail drop at Fredericksburg then they would start up the mountain to Sorenson’s Stage stop where they would change teams and have a midday meal.

  It was flat and easy going on the first leg of the trip so Curly let the team have its head as they moved along at a brisk pace in the cool air of the morning.  As they started to climb the Kit Carson Trail, it would be a different story altogether because they would be cresting the pass at 8659’ with thin air, steep and winding roads, and sharp 1000’ drop offs where a rider or wagon coming off the trail meant a quick ride to an absolute and certain death.

   Other than Ed describing the Alvarado Ranch to Amy, there was little enough talk inside the coach.  The passengers mostly just introduced themselves to each other since they would be spending the next few days with one another and should at least know their first names.

  The lady next to Amy seemed pretty stuffy and acted as if she might think she’s a bit better than everyone else having come from New York City.  Still, she offered her name as Persephone LaBeau with her son Franc.  She was heading west to the Presidio in Monterey to meet up with her husband who worked there as a military liaison.

  The other woman was more reluctant to talk and didn’t even want to reveal her face since the bruises were starting to show from where she was beaten severely only a few hours before.  Come to find out, she was leaving town after sticking an 11” Bowie into the heart of a man who couldn’t hold his liquor.  It was the judge’s decision she could leave town or face charges of murder.  Her name, if she was to be believed, was Trixie McFarland.

  The dandy was defiant when asked for his name which raised an alarm with Ed.  There was no reason to get defensive over someone asking his name so Ed simply started calling him Nobody and as far as everyone was concerned, was heading nowhere.

  The sour-faced man growled more than he talked but he finally claimed his name was Thomas Sutherland, a businessman out of Georgia.  He was heading to California to establish a west coast office in the port city of Stockton where his company would receive hard rock gold mining supplies by ship from the east. 

  Ed and Amy told of their names and that they were newlyweds on their way home to the Alvarado Ranch in California Territory.  With the formalities out of the way, everyone settled back and tried to get a bit more comfortable for it was going to be a long ride to get over the mountain.

  Taking his time in thinking over what he had learned from the other passengers, Ed tried to decide who was lying and who was telling the truth.  Trixie had clearly seen the rough side of life and it hadn’t been all that good for her in the end so there was no reason he could think of why she should lie to them at this point.  She was heading west for a new life where she would likely never see any of them ever again.

  Persephone LaBeau was another story altogether.  She was acting as if she carried some past status from New York City but a closer look at her clothing, a little frayed on the edges and worn thin in spots, said she may have come from a more humble station in life.  The boy Franc might be her son but in watching how they interacted, Ed was suspicious about that relationship too.

  Mr. Nobody was a given that something was amiss.  He got too defensive too fast and was far too secretive for his own good.  Looking him over closely, Ed knew he wasn’t carrying a full-sized revolver since he looked more like a derringer kind of guy or a man who carried a small caliber woman’s pocket pistol.  This man had a secret but what it was might be anyone’s guess.

  Last but certainly not least was Thomas Sutherland.  He claimed to be from Georgia but his accent gave him away as being from the Carolina’s or possibly even further north.  Looking him over carefully, Ed could see he not only carried a belt gun but he was also sporting a shoulder holster, Doc Holiday style.  Even young as he was, Ed knew no real business man carried so much hardware in modern times, even on the frontier.

  One other worry Ed was considering was Marshal Grady.  While it wasn’t unheard of for a Marshal to ride shotgun, it was highly unusual for one to cross state lines in the process unless it was on a special assignment.  Was there more to this stage trip than met the eye? 

  There was a strong box up in the boot but there was no mention of it during his interview with Marshal Grady nor did Curly say anything about it during the time he was hurt.  There were mysteries here Ed needed to ponder on but for now, everything was on schedule and running pretty smoothly so Ed tried to set aside some of his thoughts to relax a bit. 

  Amy was asleep at his side with the woman next to her grunting and groaning with every bump in the road.  That was going to get real old real soon on this trail but Ed tried his best to ignore her if he could.  Looking out the window, Ed could see rooftops in the distance.  Looking at his watch, Ed noticed they had been on the trail for nearly two hours so that must be Fredericksburg they were rolling into for the mail drop.

  Ed could hear Curly barking at the team as they rolled through the small settlement to the makeshift depot.  As they slowed to a stop, Marshal Grady leaned over and told everyone they had ten minutes to stretch if they wanted to.  Amy was ready to stretch her legs as was Ed so they were the first to step off.

  Fredericksburg was little more than a wide spot in the road where the company maintained a stop with extra horses.  They would add an extra team of horses to the stage for the long climb ahead of them.  Four horses worked well enough on the flats but they needed to have at least six or eight as they started the climb up the pass.

  There was flurry of activity as harness was added to the teams and two more horses were brought over and hooked into the traces.  Ed and Amy watched on as they walked a short distance away from the stage where Curly was getting a drink of water.

  “Anything in the strong box I should worry about Curly?”

  Curly kinda froze in place as he was swallowing which caused him to cough violently as he realized what he had done.  “Why do you ask Ed?” Curly answered once the coughing spell was over.

  “Just a feeling Curly.  Amy and I want to be ready if I need to be ‘cause I have a bit of money in there too.  Marshal Grady looks to be some nervous and that makes me nervous.”

  “All I can tell you Ed is this,” Curly said as he leaned a bit closer, “keep your rifle handy and your eyes open.  None of the other drivers or shotgun guards would take this load even though they’re paying double wages.”

  Nodding to the man in recognition of his warning, Ed looked back at the stage as he considered his next move.  Inside the coach were the dandy and the other man Ed didn’t trust as far as he could throw him.  The smart move might be to ride on top of the stage where he could do the most good in a fight but that would mean leaving Amy inside with that two-gun toting snake.

   “Board!” Curly called as he dragged himself up onto the box with Marshal Grady.

Ed opened the door for Amy then followed her inside where the others were already settled in, albeit on the opposite side.  Not wanting to make anything of it, Ed sat down next to Amy, shifting his gun to where he could get at it easily enough then leaned the two rifles between his legs out of the way.

  He was in a really bad spot and he knew it but Ed didn’t want to let on to any of the others he was worried.  If they were attacked from the rear, Ed would have to turn his back to Sutherland to engage the outlaws, something he surely didn’t want to do with such a man behind him.  Taking up Amy’s hand in his, Ed pointed to his eyes then drew an arrow towards Sutherland then made like he was shooting an imaginary gun.

  Amy was perfect when she laughed and said, “Don’t you be silly Ed.  That’s for when we get home.”

  Smiling and laughing himself, Ed said, “I thought it was worth a try.”

  Acting like he was just watching out the window at the passing landscape, Ed kept a discreet eye on his man Sutherland to see if there was anything in his body language to telegraph danger.  In the meantime, Amy had engaged Trixie in light conversation about where she was heading and what she planned on doing there.

Persephone LaBeau twisted her face into an ugly frown as the two younger wimmin’ engaged in light conversation.  Before long, the old biddy made her displeasure known about how a woman like Trixie shouldn’t be allowed to ride with regular folks like her and Franc.

  Amy’s hackles went up like gilded knives in seconds as she turned and popped off.  “How dare you judge anyone you old bag?  You easily could have had circumstances in your life of privilege where you might have led a whole different existence.  This woman is a person, one of us, and someone who has done nothing to you.  You best back off or you might regret it.”

  “It’s alright Amy,” Trixie said sullenly, “I’m used to it.”

  “Bullshit!’ Amy barked.  “She has no right to talk down to anyone from her high horse.  In fact, I’d rather you sat next to me than this old biddie.”

  “Why I never,” Persephone declared.

  “You have now,” Amy snapped, “and you better get to switching places right now before I rip the hair from your prune-faced old head.”

  Ed was watching on and staying out of the fray for he had heard about those times when a woman would let go of their emotions and thoughts with the closest lightening rod being her husband.  He would certainly get the opportunity to take the brunt of Amy’s wrath in the future but at least for today, it was directed at Persephone LaBeau where it belonged.

  Switching positions in a moving stage is no easy feat but Persephone managed to move before Amy went to town on her beehive hair do.  As soon as they switched places, she and Trixie went on with their conversation like nothing had happened.  Course Persephone kept her twisted frown pasted across her face but she said nothing else.

  It was like Amy and Trixie had known each other for their entire lives and come to find out, they had crossed paths when Amy was in Sacramento for a short time but that was before Trixie got forced into the trades of the flesh and horizontal pleasures.

  The gals chatted away non-stop as the temperatures warmed up the inside of the coach.  As they talked, Ed started getting sleepy so he leaned against the corner of the box and dozed off for a bit since Amy was awake and watching Sutherland. 

  The road had begun to get steeper the further they rode into the mountains and now the horses were slowing down on every grade as the road wound deeper into the Sierras.  Ed had been asleep for nearly an hour when the stage came into view of Sorenson’s Trading Post so Amy gently nudged him to wake him up for the stop. 

  Everyone was getting excited about getting to Sorenson’s in Hope Valley because after being on the trail for five hours, this was going to be their first meal stop of the trip and they were getting hungry.  

  Curly pulled up in front of the Way Station as the Sorenson boys jumped into unhooking the team from the coach.  All the passengers filed out of the coach with some heading for the outhouse and others just stretching to get the kinks worked out before heading inside where the Widow Sorenson had heaping plates of food ready for the passengers as they sat down.

  Curly wasn’t much help in switching out the teams with his bad shoulder but he still watched on to make sure the new horses were hooked into their harness like they should be.  Marshal Grady stayed outside at first too and had Hans Sorenson off to the side in a deep conversation, a conversation that no one else could hear.

  Ed was watching the Marshal from the porch of the Way Station and could tell by his expression Hans was giving him news he really didn’t want to hear.  As he approached the Station, Ed asked, “Bad news Marshal?”

  Marshal Grady didn’t answer and tried to push his way past Ed to dismiss him but that wasn’t going to happen today as Ed reached out and grabbed the man’s arm.  Marshal Grady’s head snapped around with his eyes locking onto Ed’s with a hateful look before looking down at his arm then back into Ed’s eyes.

  “Back off Ed!” Marshal Grady barked. 

  Holding a steady gaze, Ed didn’t move for a good minute.  Easing his grip on the Marshal’s arm, Ed responded in a low but deadly serious tone.  “Marshal, I may be young but I know when there’s trouble and it’s written all over your face.  Now you can try to handle it all by yourself or you can have a couple of good rifles to back you up.  Your choice to make right now.”

  “Let’s go talk to Curly.”

Stepping off the porch, the two men made their way to where Curly was smoking the stub of a cigar.  Before long the men were in deep conversation about what they were to expect as they continued on their way west.

  “Curly,” Grady started out, “you probably talked to the Sorenson boys and already know this.  There’s been at least six men riding light that came by the Station not more than an hour ago.  I don’t know if it’s trouble or not but I think we’d better play it safe.”

  “That’s what they told me too.  The boys figured the men were strangers to this trail by the way they were asking questions but I don’t believe that was it at’all.”

  “So what are we carrying that someone would want Marshal?” Ed asked.

  The question drew an instant reaction from Grady as his face twisted into the image of a man who was worried.  “$10,000 in gold and a dandy who is greener than Kentucky bluegrass who’s daddy is a State Senator.”

  “What do you know about Sutherland?  He says he’s a businessman out of Georgia.  I think he’s from further north in the Carolina’s and not at all what he says he is considering he carries a hideout in a shoulder holster along with his belt gun,” Ed related.

  Curly spoke up about then, “And that man is watching everything you do Marshal.”

  “Dammit!” is all the Marshal could say.  After a fashion, he began again, “None of this may mean anything at all but we best all be on alert until we get to Stockton since we don’t know if or how many folks know of this shipment.  Most of the gold goes by way of the rails these days but for some reason, the mine owners wanted this one to go by stage.”

  “Give this some thought for just a minute Marshal.  Maybe someone at the mine wants this shipment to get into the right hands as a payoff so they sent it via stage with the plans for a hold up.  It does sound like it’s going to be a long night Marshal,” Ed replied.  “Let’s go eat ‘cause I’m hungry enough to eat the north end of a southbound polecat.  We’ll deal with the rest of this mess later when it’s time to roll out onto the trail.”

 

[Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104]

Chapter Forty-One

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  Supper was the standard Way Station fare with slabs of beef, plenty of beans, fresh baked bread, and gallons of coffee with rhubarb cobbler as desert.  It wasn’t long before folks were filled up and it was Thomas Sutherland who was the first to get up and go outside while everyone else chose to let their food settle a bit before Curly called them to board.

  Ed and Amy went outside next with the rest following along seconds later.  The first thing Ed noticed was Sutherland was over near the front of the stage and acted almost guilty that he was seen there.  Ed acted like he hadn’t noticed but he made sure Curly knew to take a good walk around the coach before they headed off to the next stop up on the mountain.

  Helping the wimmin’ into the stage, Ed stayed outside as he watched Curly make his rounds as the other passengers got loaded inside.  As the man looked under the front of the coach, he motioned for Ed to come over.  Pointing to the drawbar, Ed could see the locking pin had been removed and was lying on the ground as if it had just fallen off.  Ed knew better than this being an accident for the Sorenson boys would have noticed it as they backed up the first set of horses.

  Grimacing, Ed crawled under the coach and re-installed the pin without a word while Curly checked the rest of the harness and running gear.  At least they knew one thing for certain, Sutherland was trying to sabotage the stage and clearly wasn’t who he said he was.  It was also clear that they needed to watch him a whole lot closer.

  With all that they knew so far, Ed figured it was time to ride on top of the coach with the other two men to have an extra set of eyes while it was still light.  Ed already warned Amy about Sutherland so she parked herself in the opposite corner away from him so she could keep an eye out and had her Smith and Wesson in her pocket close to hand just in case it was needed 

  Amy had dressed in her riding clothes for the long trip while the other two wimmin’ were wearing dresses.  She wanted to be comfortable and with the problems they might be facing, she would be able to move fast if need be, even though her shoulder would slow her down some.  Amy was sure her masculine dress drew disdain from Persephone but she really didn’t care at that point.  The woman had already made an enemy of her with her pompous treatment of Trixie.

  Trixie sat next to Amy then Persephone’s son on the far side off the floor for a while since Ed was on top of the coach.  Amy couldn’t help but notice how Sutherland’s eyes followed Ed as he climbed up onto the top of the coach but then turned away quickly as soon as he noticed Amy watching him.  This man was up to no good and was acting guilty as sin. 

  Amy knew there was danger in this man as she fondled her Smith and Wesson like an old and dear friend.  Amy watched him even closer as the stage pulled out and started up the road to their next Way Station some ten or twelve miles further up the mountain.

  They were in Hope Valley so the going was still pretty easy on the team as they passed through Pickett’s Junction on the Carson River then into the tiny settlement of Hope Valley proper where there was to be a quick team change.  They wouldn’t even be offloading this time since there was no time to waste.

  Thomas Sutherland had been dozing, or pretending to at least, as they crossed Hope Valley but he seemed much more alert as the horses were being changed out in Hope Valley.  Where he was distant and morose only a couple of hours earlier, he was watching out the windows as if looking for a landmark or someone in particular.

  Amy knew something was about to happen when she saw Sutherland remove the thong on his belt gun and loosen it in its holster then reach inside his jacket to do the same with the shoulder holster.  She and Ed had worked out a signal if she saw anything suspicious so taking the quirt she had brought inside with her at Sorenson’s, Amy reached outside and slapped the side of the coach three times to alert him.

  Ed heard the signal then grabbed the quirt for just a second so Amy knew he got the message before letting it go.  Looking around quickly to assess the spot they were in, Ed saw nothing right away. 

  Leaning over to Marshal Grady, Ed said quietly, “Get ready Marshal.  Something is going to happen real soon.  Sutherland is getting nervous in the coach.”

  With the new team hooked up and Curly back up on the box, it was time to get back on the trail so they could make the next fourteen miles.  Considering the steep trail ahead, Curly was going to have to go easy on the team and it was going to take over four hours, which was going to mean coming into the station after dark.

  The first part of the mountain trail was still flat but it didn’t take long before they started to climb.  The horses were working hard and it was slow going but Curly kept them moving ahead steadily for the first three mile uphill pull but the coach wasn’t moving with much speed at all.  In fact, Ed figured he could almost walk faster than the coach in places.

  The stage was almost to the top of the hill where Curly planned on giving them a rest when the sound of gunfire pierced the otherwise silence of the mountains.  Ed had been lying down amongst the luggage to make it look like there was only the driver and shotgun guard on top and was laying so he was looking back at the trail when four riders came up onto the trail from behind them.

  They already had their guns out and wore bandanas over their faces so Ed knew this wasn’t anything but a holdup.  “Marshal Grady, they’re behind us!” Ed hollered as he drew a bead on the first man.  With his sights lined up, Ed squeezed the trigger sending hot lead square into the man’s chest, his hands flying into the air suddenly as he fell over the horse’s rump and onto the ground, rolling quickly to a stop.

  The other three riders spread out as Marshal Grady fired his Greener over the top but he was too far away to do more than pepper the riders a bit.  He reloaded the scattergun in case they got close then picked up Curly’s rifle to get back into the fight.  Ed was still suspicious of the man so he paid attention to where the muzzles of the long guns were being pointed.

  Inside the coach, Amy was all eyes as Thomas Sutherland pulled his sidearm and looked out the window.  The dandy, Persephone, and the boy were terrified, as was expected, and frozen in place but Trixie was solid as she drew a small derringer out of her clutch. 

  Amy still hadn’t shown her hand and pretended to be unarmed with her Peacemaker hidden in her saddlebags.  It appeared Sutherland could see the rifle fire off the top of the coach was too effective for the outlaws so he began to point his revolver up into the ceiling of the coach and had started cocking the hammer when Amy’s Smith and Wesson came out and punched a hole in the man’s coat just below the third button from the top.

  Persephone shrieked and the dandy passed out at the sound of gunfire inside the coach while the boy shrank into the corner.  Sutherland wasn’t out of the fight yet for the .32 used a light bullet and it took more than one usually to finish an adult man off.  As Amy cocked her little pocket pistol, Trixie fired a round off from her .41 Remington derringer to finish the job.  Grabbing Sutherland’s Colt before it hit the floor, Amy got ready for more action if Ed needed her. 

  Ed heard the gunfire and the shrieking from inside the coach so after he dispatched one more of the outlaws behind them causing the other two to pull up, he raised up off the roof as if he were going to lean over to look into the coach.  That’s when Marshal Grady’s true colors reared their ugly head.  “Hold it right there Ketterly!”

  Ed slowly turned his head towards the seat and wasn’t happy to see Marshal Grady holding his Greener towards his belly.  “So, Marshalin’ must not pay enough for you these days Grady?”

  Marshal Grady was a sour man normally but he was downright ugly as he faced Ed down.  “I’ve been wearing this badge for fifteen years and have got nothing to show for it.  It’s time I got something more for my efforts.”

  “I thought one of those riders was on a horse that looked familiar.  One of the riders who tried to take the stage once we left Genoa if’n I’m thinking right.”

  “Yer a smart one alright Ketterly but that’s ok, I’m gonna take care of all of you then take off for back east where I can live without a lot of questions.”

  He was in a tight spot and Ed knew it.  There was no way he could turn and fire before Grady cut him in two with the Greener.  To add to the problem, Ed could see that the other two outlaws were still following but had fallen back out of rifle range while Grady ordered Curly to get the stage stopped.

  Looking out the side window, Amy could see shadows against the bank that showed Marshal Grady pointing his shotgun at Ed and not behind them like he should have been.  That explained a lot and bein’s Sutherland was part of the holdup plan, it stood to reason Grady could be too.  Amy needed to do something to help Ed but she didn’t quite know what that something was yet. 

  Leaning out through the right door window, Amy got a quick look to see where Marshal Grady was at on the box.  Seeing Grady was still on the right side of the coach and facing across the coach to where Ed was sitting, Amy ducked back in and cocked the big bore sixgun. 

  The big revolver was going to be a lot for Amy to handle one-handed but she really had no better choice unless she was to take a guess and shoot through the box to surprise him if nothing else.  That would be a long shot and Ed would have to be in a position to take advantage of the surprise attack so Amy discarded it for an eyes’ on plan.

  The door of the coach opened forward so Amy was going to push through the window then have Trixie pop the door open while holding onto to her waist to keep her from falling out if it went too far.  Letting Trixie in on her plan, Amy got positioned and slid into the window past her shoulders to her lower back so her good arm was free.

  Once Trixie had her waist, she opened the door to let Amy swing free of the box to where she could see Grady.  Marshal Grady didn’t notice Amy at first but when he did, he started to swing the Greener, only to be met with an explosion as the big bore revolver discharged. 

  There was no time to even flinch as the slug tore through the top of Grady’s left arm and into his shoulder.  Ed was watching for his chance too so when Grady started to turn left, Ed rolled and fired a shot from the hip, the slug hitting the man low down on the right side.

  Grady toppled off the side of the stage so Ed instinctively turned back and started lobbing rounds at the two men following, albeit at a considerable distance by now.  Seeing Grady topple off the stage, it didn’t take much more effort to get them to give up their attack as they stopped at his body.  Grady might not have been dead yet but he was through either way.

  Ed climbed up to where Curly was coaxing the team along.  “How are you doin’ Curly?”

  Curly looked over at Ed with a smile stretching wide across his face.  “That’s the second time in two days you’ve saved my hide Ed.  I’m real grateful to you and to answer your question, I’m doing great now, at least as long as we don’t have anymore trouble between here and the next stop.  That’s still a good twelve miles or so with nearly half of it using lanterns on the coach.  This is my night team though so I usually give them their heads with a loose rein.  They’ll bring us in without a problem.”

  “Alright then, I’ll trust you to the driving then while I ease down and check the passengers out.”

  “I’ll pull up so you can get down easier then.”

  Reloading his rifle, Ed set it down then crawled over the top to where he could stand on the step in front of the door to check on Amy and the rest.  As he got to where he could see inside, Trixie was wiping Persephone’s face with a wet cloth while Amy was trying to get the Dandy woke up.  Sutherland was clearly dead but everyone else was gonna make it fine.

  Ed looked in and smiled, “You gals seemed to have taken care of things here.”

Amy smiled and said, “No one shoots at my husband if I have anything to say about it.  I took the first shot then Trixie took the second with her derringer and that was the end of his part in this operation.”

  “Well, let me get him out of here and onto the back of the coach so you can have more room,” Ed said as he opened the door and dragged the man out.  With a little help from the boy, Ed got him tied down to the back where he wouldn’t drain out onto any luggage or goods stored there.

  Once they were all loaded again, Curly urged the horses back into a forced jog as they started winding downhill.  He wanted to get as far away as they could while there was still some light to push the team by. 

  Within the hour, the shadows were long so after another short uphill, Curly pulled over so they could light the two lamps on the front corners of the coach.  It wasn’t much light but given the lamps were built with shiny reflectors in the back, it forced what light there was towards the horses to help them a bit.

  Soon they were back on the trail and making good time, all things considered.  The team had slowed some to stay on the trail but it was better to let them pick their way than to run off a 1000’ cliff.  It was maybe an hour and a half after sundown when the lights of the next way station could be seen in the distance.  This station was set up for guests and was where they were going to stay the night.

  While it would have been nice to keep going, the trail leading higher into the mountains could still be icy late at night and they could all use a good rest after the day they had with the attempted robbery.  Besides, with a wounded driver, no shotgun guard, and no relief for either, it was time to stop.

  Curly pulled the stage up to the station easy then got down pointing the guests in the right direction for some food and a bed.  Ed was there too to help the wimmin’ down.  The dandy was as pasty white as a ghost but he still held his valise clutched tight to his chest so Ed paid little mind to him.  With the station man and Curly seeing to the stock and unloading the body to be buried, the rest of the passengers went into the building to relax and fill their bellies with hot food.

 

[Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104]

Chapter Forty-Two

_____________________________

 

  Red Lake Station was run by a woman named Claire MacDonald and her two teenage boys, Rory and Robert, the get of solid first generation American-Irish stock.  They were efficient, hard working, and had the reputation for keeping one of the nicest way stations of any line.

  The dining room was spotless, warm, and well kept with handmade furniture that was solid and comfortable.  To one side, Claire worked over a good-sized wood cook stove with several pans and pots heating up at the same time.  Once everyone had their turn in the washroom in back and had found a place to sit down, Claire began serving up several heaping bowls of hot food that looked as good as it smelled.

  It had been a long day and everyone was hungry so it didn’t take long for the chatter to stop and the sounds of food being enjoyed as it was put away filled the room.  Claire wasted no time in clearing the empty bowls from the table and replacing them with pie and custard for desert then sat back to watch everyone enjoy her efforts.

  Everyone at the table ate with a good appetite except for the dandy, whose name was Jeffery F. Miller the wimmin’ finally learned.  Apparently he had been living in the east and had only journeyed west to settle his father’s, John Franklin Miller, estate in California after he died in office while in Washington in March 1886.

  During the attempted stage robbery, Jeffery showed the mettle he was made of when he fainted straight away when Amy opened fire on Sutherland.  This was a person who was used to hiring his work, dirty or clean, done for him so he wouldn’t get his hands soiled amongst the common folks out west.

  The sudden violence on the stage proved to be much more than the man had ever experienced before and because it was dealt through the hand of wimmin’, a supposedly gentile being of today’s upper crust society where he came from, he was appalled and was barely able to sit at the same table with those violent beings.

  It probably didn’t help Jeffery’s pride that while there was a life or death fight going on, he fainted like a little girl as he was being protected by wimmin’.  Unable to contain himself any longer, Jeffery got up and said, “I can’t eat and act normal after all that killing.”

  “Then go outside!” Ed snapped.  “We don’t need you here stinking up the room with that yella coward’s stripe runnin’ down yer back.”

  Amy looked at Ed as if to tell him he had been too harsh on the young city dude but held her tongue as she considered the situation.  They had both been born to the west and had learned much through hard times and hard work.  Jeffery was raised in the city with a silver spoon in his mouth and it had pretty much turned him into a sissy in the end.  He too was a product of his upbringing and couldn’t help being a coward after being raised by the domestic help.

  Now Persephone LaBeau had been all high and mighty with Trixie earlier in the trip but she had come to realize that the woman with the checkered past had helped save her life and cared for her while she was in shock after the gunfight was over.  She was just someone who had come up through life from more meager beginnings but had a truly good soul deep down.

  With supper put away, Claire brought out some cigars for the men if they imbibed and offered the ladies all some tea in her sitting room.  Ed and Curly partook of the cigars then stepped outside to keep from offending the ladies with the smoke.  The boy stayed with his mother while no one knew what happened to Jeffery.

  The sky was clear and full of stars as the two men enjoyed their cigars and the night sounds of the mountains.  After a fashion, Ed asked Curly what they could expect on the trail come tomorrow. 

  Like all men who spend most of their time alone in the mountains, Curly liked to talk when he had the chance so he started yarnin’ of the trail and all the different stories there was to tell about runaways, robberies and such exciting things he had heard about.  At the end of his storytelling, Curly told Ed they should be able to get to Jackson by nightfall the following day unless there was another robbery attempt on the stage.

  Once in Jackson, the passengers would be switched to a different coach and taken straight through to Stockton, which was another 30 miles or so into the great valley.  From there, most would get on the train to head north or south as their needs dictated.

  “Well,” Curly said as he yawned, “We’ll need to be up early tomorrow if we want to make Jackson by evening so I’m headed off to bed.”  Ed simply nodded to the man in agreement and headed off to find a bunk of his own. 

  Finding Amy inside, Ed learned there were two sleeping rooms and no accommodations for newlyweds so they would have to make do sleeping apart for the night.  The wimmin’ all had single beds that were fitted with pretty quilts and feather mattresses but the men found their accommodations a bit more stark.  The beds were in the form of bunkhouse tiered beds, the mattresses were thin and lumpy but the bedding was clean and warm.

  As Ed sat down on a chair by the window to remove his boots, he realized how tired he really was.  It was barely 8:30 in the evening and he was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.  There would be no dreams for him this night, he hoped anyway, for he would be up early to be ready for a new day.

  Sleep came quickly to Ed but so did the dreams, un-connected yet vividly familiar so when he woke up at 4:30 in the morning as was his custom, he was almost as tired as when he first laid down.  No matter though, he needed to get up and get busy cleaning his rifle just in case it was needed again.

  Claire was up and at her stove as Ed figured she would be so he just smiled as he headed outside to the outhouse.  Coming back in, Ed set about to clean his rifle and oil all the moving parts before wiping it down to put away.

  By the time Ed was finished with his cleaning, Curly had come in from outside after checking the coach over and the others had started peeking out from their rooms.  Jeffery stayed to himself in his room until Claire started serving up the eggs, bacon, flapjacks, and a huge pot of black coffee.

  Jeffery had become morose and almost totally detached from the rest of the group but he had no choice but to ride with the heathenish feminine killers if he wanted to get to California so when it came time to load, he went along like a whipped dog.

  Curly took his place on the box right at 6:00, along with Ed as the new shotgun rider.  Once everyone got loaded on, off they went in a cloud of dust with the sound of the cracking bull whip and the songlike cursing as Curly encouraged his team to pick up speed in a most crude manner wafted through the thin air.

  The summit was maybe two hours away where there would be alpine lakes and tall trees with the fresh scent of pine pitch in the air as they rode.  The air was thin at over 8000’ but the horses used at the higher elevations were bred for working in the mountains having large barrels and big lungs to draw in the oxygen they needed.

  Looking around at the steep drop offs and vertical cliffs, Ed was almost mesmerized by the vastness of the mountain vistas as they rolled along.  It was only when Curly hit a rut in the road that almost shook Ed out of his seat that he came back to the reality of where they were and the potential for problems still ahead.

  Kirkwood Station was to be their next stop on the summit where there would be a team change.  They would still run a six-horse team since they were in thin air but they could make more miles between stations since they would be losing elevation fairly quickly from this stop.

  Even though it was still early, everyone unloaded off the stage and went inside for an early meal, considering they would be on a twenty-two mile leg once they left Kirkwood Station. This was going to be the last food stop for close to five hours so they needed to take advantage of that. 

  The station was run by a pleasant sort of chap by the name of Henry Cabbot and his wife, Regina.  She was efficient and a good cook but she sorely lacked in personality as she fussed around the guests with a frown twisted across her face, saying nothing to break the silence as she worked.  Once Henry and Curly had the team changed out, they came in noisy as a hurricane for their food so it didn’t matter how quiet Regina had been only a few minutes earlier.

  Once done with the meal, everyone loaded up so Curly could get the stage back onto the trail and over the summit.  Amy was busy chatting with Persephone and Trixie while Jeffery looked down at the floor, still in his own introverted world of silence and cradling his bag as if it was a newborn baby.   

  On top, Ed listened as Curly talked to the team and looked out over the pristine high mountain lakes they were riding by.  In another time, Ed and Amy might come back here so they could camp alongside one of these high country lakes, maybe Caples Lake, and fish for Golden Trout for supper as they would enjoy the high mountain beauty and solitude.

  The trail twisted and turned as they rode amongst the pines where alpine lakes were nested in any little sink.  It was serene and it seemed like there was no reason to worry about anything, life was at last good, for now, that is until a bank of clouds rolled in from out of nowhere.  In the distance, Ed could see the lightening but it was too far away for the thunder to follow it just yet.

  It was a bit over nine miles to Tragedy Spring and another thirteen to get to Omo Ranch Station where they would get their next team so they were looking at five or six hours until the next stop.  As they rode, the lightening was steadily moving closer as the clouds closed in around the coach.  To top it off, it had started to rain ever so slightly as the temperature dropped. 

  If it kept up, they were going to be dealing with freezing rain and possibly even snow flurries to make the trail more treacherous.  Ed thought back to his night in the high desert and a chill ran up his spine.  Since it was going to be a miserable ride from now on, Ed unrolled his slicker and shouldered into it before taking the traces from Curly so he could do the same. 

  Trying to change the subject so Ed wouldn’t worry as much, Curly related that if they could get to Omo Ranch Station, they could decide if they wanted to chance the twenty-six miles to Pine Grove where they were scheduled to change teams once again.  From Pine Grove, they still had another ten miles to go to get to Jackson where they were scheduled to spend the night after traveling over sixty miles in one long day.

  Inside the coach, Persephone LaBeau had become more talkative after the other two wimmin’ came to her aid when they were attacked and shared how she never wanted to come west in the first place but she was bound to come to her husband when he got settled in Monterey.  The west was simply too uncivilized for a gentile woman who had lived in eastern cities her whole life.

  Amy listened to what the woman had to say before relating that Monterey was more gentile than other cities in the west so it was going to get better for her and her son.  Trixie added that she was going to be fairly close to San Francisco where she would find all the cultural things she was used to back east where she came from.  Sure there were the docks and back streets where crime happened and lust was sold but had she looked, it was there in New York where she had come from as well.

  Early on, Persephone looked at Trixie with a particular disdain for what she thought Trixie was and what she stood for but somehow during the stage attack, Trixie had shown her that she was simply the product of what a woman had to do to survive in a hostile land when there were no other choices. 

  “So Trixie,” Persephone began, “please don’t take this wrong but is Trixie your given name?”

  Trixie was a bit taken back and started to become defensive at the question but decided to see where Persephone was going to go with the subject.  “No, it’s a stage name I picked up while back.  My given name is Annabelle.  I didn’t want to shame my real name by shortening it so I decided to be called Trixie instead when I couldn’t find any other kind of job to support myself.”

  “I see,” Persephone replied softly.  “You speak well for yourself, so have you schooling?  The reason I ask is Franc needs a tutor to help get back on track with his schooling.  Perhaps it would be something you might be interested in while you search for more respectable employment once we get out there.”

  Amy’s hackles went up the instant Persephone passed judgment on her new friend so was ready to jump down the older woman’s throat but Trixie laid a hand on her arm to settle her back down while she dealt with Persephone in her own special way.

  “First, in answer to your question, yes I have a real education from one of the finest finishing schools in New Orleans.  Second, I was left in Reno a widow when my husband was murdered by a man named Harlan Billingsly over a card game where my husband called Billingsly a bottom dealing louse.  Third, just because I had to work in a dance hall to feed myself doesn’t mean I wasn’t respectable.  The man I killed beat me and tried to force himself on me while he was drunk.  I used his knife on him before he could use it on me.  No man will ever do that to me no matter what I do to survive or where I lay my head.  I may look like the wimmin’ you’ve seen or known who have no respect for themselves but I am not one of them no matter how I am dressed.”

  Persephone was shocked to say the least as Trixie laid out the stone cold facts of reality to her.  It took the woman a while to answer but finally, she did, “I’m sorry Annabelle, I have misjudged you.  I didn’t know the circumstances that brought you to this life were so dire.  My offer still stands if you’re interested though.”

  “You should take it Annabelle,” Amy piped up at last.  “This is a chance for you to change your life back to what it was before and break away from the past.  At least think about it and give Mrs. LaBeau an answer later on.”

  Outside on the box, the wimmin’ could hear Curly barking at the team as they came into Omo Station.  They would get a fresh team and take a thirty minute break for a meal.  The next leg would be twenty-six miles to get to Pine Grove so they either ate now or they would be mighty hungry before they got the chance again.  Course when they looked out the window past the curtain, the wimmin’ could see everything was dripping from a recent shower.

  As the coach rolled up to the station, it was all business as everyone unloaded to stretch, hit the outhouse, and partake of the meal inside.  Omo Station was some different than the others along the trail as this one was a stage stop where even the cook was a man.  The dining area wasn’t decorated by the hand of a woman but instead was cold, stark, and bland with no personality.

  Even the man cooking was a miserable looking sort who was unkempt and smelled of an unwashed body made worse when he came close to set the plates of food on the table, reaching over the passengers as he did. 

  The putrid smell was almost enough to make the wimmin’ gag when they first came into the room but they were hungry enough to ignore it as they ate quickly.  Holding their breath as the man came close so they wouldn’t lose their meal, everyone ate quickly before he had the chance to come around again.

  No longer wanting to rest inside, the wimmin’ and Franc headed back outside where they could get some fresh air again while Jeffery Miller stayed inside with Ed and Curly as they finished their meals.  Looking around them, Ed and Curly never gave a second thought to waiting the storm out where they were.  They’d take their chances on the wet trail rather than subject the wimmin’ to more stink from these men.  The man Miller continued with his morose attitude and didn’t engage in any conversation with the passengers, even if asked a question.

  Ed had noticed the man had gone from a defiant, mostly arrogant individual to a man with an ugly undertone, someone who likely had a dark secret that was itching to come springing out at them.  One thing Ed did notice this time around was there was a bulge underneath his coat that wasn’t there earlier in the ride.  The one thing that didn’t change was the satchel Jeffery held close the entire time he had been with them.

  Not that it was any of his business, Ed began to wonder what his secret was and what was so important in the satchel.  As Jeffery got up to walk outside, Ed simply turned slightly as he put his foot out.  Jeffery hadn’t been paying attention so promptly tripped over Ed’s foot and hit the floor hard, his satchel flying across the room, hitting the wall by the door.

  Jeffery got up off the floor cussing a blue streak and focusing his anger on Ed for his clumsiness when he saw the satchel had broken open to allow the contents to be strewn all over the floor.  Scrambling over to gather up what appeared to be thousands of dollars, the man was in a panic for his secret was out.  It was only the two of them in the room by now so at least there were none of the station men to be tempted by the lust for money.

  “See what you’ve done you clumsy oaf!” Jeffery screamed at Ed.  “Now everyone will know and I will be in danger of being robbed like a peasant.”

  Ed was calm as can be as he replied, “And no one noticed you weren’t letting that bag out of your grip on this whole trip.  Come to think about it, maybe you’re the reason the stage was attacked.  Marshal Grady might have known you were carrying that kind of loot and decided he was going to make a run at getting it for himself.  So what’s the real reason you’re traveling west Jeff?  I doubt you needed all that to settle your pa’s estate.”

  “It’s none of your business where I got the money or what I plan to do with it Dammit!  You just better keep your mouth shut about this or else.”

  “Right you are but if we get attacked again, I might just turn you over to them so they will let us on about our business in getting home.  By the way Jeffery, I don’t take kindly to being threatened by a dandy,” Ed stated matter o’factly.  “Just so you know, I’ve killed for less.”

  The look on Jeffery’s face was priceless as the blood drained away from the pompous man’s face.  He had let his mouth box him into a corner against a man who had already shown his mettle when it came to killin’.

  “Board!” Curly hollered from outside the building breaking up the meeting inside.

With nothing left to say between the two men, Ed followed Jeffery outside since he did not trust the man at all to be behind him and watched him get into coach.  Once on the porch, Ed drew Amy off to the side and told her of what he discovered about Jeffery Miller so she could keep an eye on him just in case then helped her into the coach where she took her usual spot next to Trixie.

  Everyone had just gotten settled in as Curly popped the reins and started barking at the new team to get them moving back onto the trail to Pine Grove Station.  This was to be the longest leg of the journey yet, probably at least five hours, and one that, if they were lucky, would get them to the station before dark. 

  Once in Pine Grove, there would be a quick team change back to four horses and they would be heading the last ten miles into Jackson by lantern light where they would spend the night before the last day of travel. 

  The sleet was intermittent and occasionally heavy at times but the mountain horses were used to the thin air and slippery footing since it usually took much more of a storm to stop the stage from making its trip to Jackson, even during the winter.  Curly normally didn’t carry passengers when there was snow so this was going to be a cakewalk, …….. he hoped at least.

 

[Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104]

Chapter Forty-Three

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  Far to the north, John made it to Carson City with no sign of Allford anywhere along the trail and had gotten the buggy turned into the livery.  Wasting no time, he collected his horse and the other riding/pack stock they had stabled there and got them ready for the train ride north to Reno.  Once ready and knowing it would be a long night riding the rails, John went over to the J.T. Basque for a big meal before hitting the road north.

  Finding an empty table, John was sitting off to one side of the dining room as Brent Allford made his way to the bar, ordering a bottle and one glass as he arrived.  It was unlikely Allford recognized John from out on the trail but there was no doubt he would remember him from the drive to Virginia City so he had to decide whether to deal with him here or sneak out the back door and head for the depot before Allford discovered him in town.

  Figuring at last to take the low road, John stood up to slip out the back door before the waitress took his order.  John had never been compared to a careful man so when he stood and knocked the chair down behind him, the situation was decided for him as Allford turned and saw him standing there.

  John knew the outlaw was fast with a gun but he was no slouch with one either so when Allford turned to brace him, he was ready.  John saw Allford start his move and knew right away he was slow, too slow but as fate would have it, Allford’s first shot went wide as John’s gun came up level.  Realizing he had only one chance, John took the extra fraction of a second to align his sights before pressing the trigger.

  The big bore Colt finally bucked in his hand as lead and smoke exploded out of the end of the well-used handgun.  Across the room from him, Allford was unbelievingly fast so had already lined up for a second shot and was cocking the hammer back as John’s slug took him in the wind.  The shock of surprise showed clearly on Allford’s face that the man he thought was a two-bit thirty dollar a month cowboy had gotten lead into him.

  Suddenly Allford’s gun became impossible to lift level as he tried again for another shot at John.  Instead, the next shot went into the floor near his foot as Allford kept staring at his gun with a puzzled look on his face, wondering why he couldn’t lift it. 

  John didn’t fire any more rounds, instead, he punched the expended case out and reloaded his gun so he could put it away since Allford was no longer a threat to him.  Once his Colt was holstered, John walked forward to look Allford in the eyes as he wobbled on his feet, finding it increasingly difficult to see in front of him. 

  “Was it worth it Allford?” is all John asked.

  The man could no longer hear or see as his knees collapsed and dropping to the floor, the rest of his body fell forward onto his face.  John looked on for a moment then asked the bartender, “You saw him brace me and that this was a fair fight where he shot first right?”

  “I sure did mister,” the slightly balding man stuttered.  “I haven’t seen a man that cool when facing Allford ever before.  I thought you were a goner for sure.”

John didn’t reply to the man’s statements other than to say, “Just as long as you tell it square when the law gets here.  I’ve got stock to move north and won’t be around when the Marshal gets back.”

  “Oh you haven’t heard then, Marshal Grady was killed during a stage robbery.  Seems he was getting tired and wanted to retire on company money.”

Dead serious, John asked, “anyone else hurt?” 

  “Naw, just most of the men he rode with.  Everyone on the stage made it through.  Well, I take that back, one of the passengers was in cahoots with Grady.  That little gal with the short hair and the saloon girl shot him.”

  “Glad to hear that, I have friends on that stage.”

  John headed back to the livery to pickup his stock since the gunfight ruined his appetite for the evening and the attempted stage robbery had put him into a particularly miserable mood.  There was no sense staying in town for hours waiting for the train when he could stay busy by getting the riding stock saddled up and ready for the trail so they could start the journey home now. 

  John only had the three horses in Carson City with the mules and the other mountain horses waiting for him in Reno.  If he pushed the animals hard on the night trail, switching between the three animals every hour, he could be in Reno by early morning in time for the westbound smoker.  Once there, he would get them loaded onto one car for the ride home.

  Having already paid the livery man, John tightened the cinches on all three animals so he could switch horses all night to make better time.  Swinging onto his horse first, John tied the leads to his saddle horn and turned down the street that led him out of town and away from the sins of Carson City. 

  Allowing his horse a loose rein, John sat back as his horse followed the main road north towards Reno at a steady canter.  This horse was one of the best he had ever ridden on a night trail so he did not worry about getting off the track as he rode into the darkness, nudging the animal into a forced jog.  By the time he would need to switch horses, the moon would be up and they could spend some time galloping since he and all the horses could see the white blaze of the well used road.

  Travel along the night trail was uneventful and as the morning sun began to chin itself on the eastern mountains, John could see the outskirts of the city.  John was tired as he rode up to the depot but he still had work to do before he could rest.  The other stock was at the livery so he had to book passage for them and get all the animals loaded before he could buy a meal and bed down with the stock for the ride over Donner Summit. 

  Once the stock was finally loaded, John still had about two hours to kill before the train from the east would show up, that is if it was on time.  With time on his hands, John headed to Virginia’s Boarding House where he knew he could get a decent meal without being interrupted by someone with a grudge against Ed.  After an hour, John’s belly was smiling so he figured to go and get into the stock car with his animals to get some shuteye after a long night on the trail.

  Asleep almost before his head laid back against his saddle, John was lost to his dreams until the train slammed into the stockcar to hook it up in line to begin the trip west.  Before long, John’s car was moving along with the slow melody of the iron wheels slapping the rail joints lulling the tired rider back to sleep.

  It was slow going as the train labored up more than 8000’ feet to the summit then the train started to pickup speed as it broke over the crest and started down the other side to Truckee where they would pull two engines off the string since they wouldn’t need them any longer. 

  John didn’t know if he dreamed it while they traveled or if it was just an epiphany but he was going to change his plans.  Once in Sacramento, John was going to head south to Stockton like he had planned but instead of riding to Hogtown with the stock, he was going to get off and wait to surprise Ed and Amy so they could ride the rest of the way together. 

  John figured, what could possibly go wrong?  He wasn’t known in Stockton or really much of anywhere outside of Bradley or Hogtown so he would just be another stranger passing through on his way to somewhere else.  Happy with his new plan, John went back to sleep where he would remain until the train hit the switch yard in Sacramento where there was the usual banging and lurching of cars as they were hooked and unhooked to be sent north, south, or back east again.

  Being fully awake by now, John watched on as the dance between the engines and train cars began in earnest as the lot workers ran from one car string to the next as they moved freight cars around like cards in a huge shuffling game.  John wondered how they ever got the right cars to the right places for it looked to be a huge puzzle for him from where he was standing.

  No matter what, after a couple hours of shuffling, John’s car was back on the move and heading south just like it was supposed to be.  Other than to make a few quick stops for passengers, the next major stop would be in Stockton in about three hours where John would get off to send Old Joe a wire that he should be expecting the extra pack stock and saddle horses in Hogtown by midday tomorrow.    John also asked for Joe to leave three horses with their tack there for them to ride home when the trio landed in Hogtown a day or two later.

  It was time for John to get busy as he loaded his saddlebags with the extra ammunition and a packet of grub just in case.  He looked over his rifle then ran an oiled patch through it just because before proceeding to clean his Colt since he had used it on Allford.

  The train stopped in Elk Grove, Collierville, and Lodi while John worked his gear over and soon it was Stockton that was on the horizon.  John was ready to get home but one more day in town wouldn’t be too long for him to wait for Ed and his bride.  They left on this job together so it stood to reason they should ride back to the Alvarado Ranch together as s team.  ‘Sides, John wanted to see old Joe’s face when he met Amy.

  The switch yard in Stockton seemed even busier than the one in Sacramento for Stockton had a sea port where goods were being shipped in and out at a feverish pace.  John had only been through Stockton a few times before, never stopping long for much more than a meal but this time, he was going to go to the docks to watch how they load and unload those large ocean going vessels. 

  Once the train ground to a halt, John went to the Depot Office to let them know there would be someone else at Hogtown to take possession of the stock he was shipping south.  Should no one be there right away, the stock was to be taken to the livery stable near San Lorenzo where they were to be boarded until someone from the Alvarado got there to pick them up or until he and the others arrived in a couple of days.

  Once the paperwork was done, John took a taxi ride to the docks where he watched in awe as men worked like ants moving large mountains of goods to waiting wagons for shipment to towns or to be loaded onto railcars to be sent to more distant places where the rails were much faster than a train of heavy wagons. 

  The men working the docks appeared to be a rough lot by the way they talked, acted, and dressed.  John wasn’t new to the hard side of life but this place was something different altogether.  A man’s life meant little on the docks where to be shanghaied onto ships heading to the orient was common and bodies left rotting in dark alleys was more than a usual occurrence.

  Some distance away as he watched the flurry of activity on the docks, John saw four men in an argument over something he couldn’t quite make out.  The voices got louder as time went on then there was a flurry of movement as three of the men seemed to attack one.  It was vicious and swift as knives were drawn, cutting deep into soft flesh, then the man collapsed as dark stains began to spread across his clothes.

  One of the attackers noticed John watching on and pointed him out to the others as they dragged the body behind a stack of crates in a side alley where there was a pile of garbage.  As they dropped the body next to a stack of empty boxes, the three men came out and headed in the direction where John was standing.

  He had seen what had happened and could be a witness so rather than get directly involved, John turned and headed back into town where he would try to get swallowed up in the crowds where he might not be found.  It was a good plan but since John didn’t know the shortcuts to anywhere, it wasn’t long before he was facing the men from the docks as they backed him into a corner with no way to escape.

  “Howdy boys,” John began to see where they planned on going.  “What can I do for you?”  John asked, already knowing the answer.

  The three men John was facing were a tough looking lot who wore the heavy canvas clothing common for longshoremen on the docks.  This time though, their heavy coats and boots were covered in the blood of the man they murdered. 

  None of the men were bigger than John but it was three to one odds in their favor and they were less than twenty feet away from him, more than close enough to rat pack him before he could react.  John did have the advantage in that he had a rifle and his sidearm to try to thin them out before they could get to him.

  The man in the middle took one step forward as John brought the muzzle of his rifle to bear at his belly, stopping him in his tracks as the cowhand levered a round into the chamber.  The man was as unkempt and as disgusting an individual as any mountain man John had ever seen.  The long, stringy, greasy hair, bloodshot and yellowed eyes like a snake, broken and brownish yellowed teeth stained from years of tobacco juice showed the hard years of life as a longshoreman. 

  His hands showed the calluses of years of hard work with swollen knuckles, most likely broken in dozens of street brawls.  With bright red hair and ruddy skin, this man was obviously Irish and yep, there was no doubt this man was a full-blown day scrapper.

  “Seems you been sticking your nose into other folks business friend and we don’t much care for strangers bein’ nosey in these parts, especially cowboys.”

  John tried to play dumb but didn’t expect it to work too well.  “I don’t know what yer talking about partner.  I just got into town and am waiting for a friend.  I have no other business here and will be leaving in a day or two.”

  “Bullcrap!” the man barked.  “I saw you up on that bridge watching us take care of dumping some trash.”

  “Oh that, none of my business as far as I am concerned.”

  “Until you go to the law.  We’re figure to make sure you don’t do that.”

  “You sure you want to die today?  Cause you’re going to die before anything else happens.”

  Not wanting to get into trouble with the law in having to explain why he had just gotten into town and was leaving bodies for the Marshal to clean up, John knew he needed to act swiftly and decisively to take the upper hand away from these men.  The center man had paused his verbal assault ever so slightly so without hesitation, John went on the offensive in a rush.

  Bolting forward without warning, John took four long steps and used the stock on his rifle to crack the man in front on the point of the jaw, dropping him like a rock into a well.  Spinning to his left, John took a glancing punch to his right cheek as he jammed the rifle barrel into the man’s gut knocking the air out of him. 

  Turning back to the last man, John felt a sharp pain to his ribcage as the man slashed out at him with a long bladed knife similar to the Bowie he himself carried.  The odds were even now and even though John could have just shot the man, a cruel smile worked its way across his lips as he slid his Bowie out of its sheath and rested the rifle on a box close to him.

  The other man had drawn first blood so there were no holds barred from here on.  The men circled each other for what seemed like minutes but it was likely only seconds before John launched towards the other man.  Knowing he had gotten careless, John not only got tagged with a fist in the eye, he had taken another cut to his chest. 

  More careful this time, John waited like a cat ready to pounce on a mouse.  This strategy worked out better as the longshoreman made his first mistake, one that he would soon regret.  John caught the man coming in with a left jab to his throat causing him to gag and a wide right-handed swing across his stomach with his razor sharp Bowie just above his beltline, opening up his gut like a slaughtered pig.

  Behind him, one of the others had gotten to John’s rifle and was trying to bring it to bear on the young cattleman so instinctively, John threw the Bowie, straight and true, sinking into the man’s shoulder causing him to drop the rifle when he tried to pull the knife out.

  Walking up to the injured man, John pulled his sidearm and pressed the muzzle against his forehead, freezing him in place.  Grabbing the Bowie with his offhand, John jerked it free then pushed the gun barrel hard enough against the longshoreman’s head to cause him to fall over backwards, landing hard on his back with a grunt. 

  Wiping the Bowie’s blade on the man’s pant leg, John put it away, picked up his rifle and then, after taking a quick look at the carnage, turned and continued his walk into town where he was ready for a drink, or maybe two, and to find a bed for the night. 

  Stockton had been downright exciting for John already and he wanted a rest.  Tomorrow, he would have to go shopping for a new shirt too since the one he was wearing was ruined from the knife fight.  Much more excitement like he already had and John would be worn out before Ed and Amy finally got there.

 

[Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104]

Chapter Forty-Four

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  The trail to Pine Grove Station was fairly smooth but had become muddy with the passing storm.  Along with the mud, small ribbons of water were cutting the ruts deeper so the wheels lurched sideways every time there was a rock in the trail to change the rut’s course.

  Trying to get back on schedule, Curly pushed the team steadily through the Sierras trying to make time where he could but it was getting colder by the minute and the rain was turning to wet snow and sleet.  Curly was a man used to the mountain winters so he asked Ed to pull a heavy canvas sheet out from under the seat they could use to cover their legs to cut the wind to stay a bit warmer.

  Having been on the road for several hours now, no one was talking since everyone inside the coach were getting tired and mostly dozing, especially since they had eaten just before they rode out onto the latest leg of their journey west.  The curtains had all been pulled down to keep the rain out and everyone had bundled up against the cold as best they could.

  On top, Ed and Curly were busy watching the road ahead for neither knew what could be lying around the next bend and being inattentive could mean a wreck in the making.  Ed was deep in thought as to the whole Jeffery Miller affair.  He was far too secretive and was carrying too much money for a pilgrim on the frontier.  It was really none of his business but if it put Amy in danger, Ed was going to make it his business.

  While starting out as a mountain shower, the rain had gotten heavier in the last hour so it getting just a bit miserable on top the coach.  It was almost like a gray curtain had been pulled down in front of the men as the horses plodded on through the mud. 

  The ride into Pine Grove Station was long and arduous but after five hours on the trail, the outskirts of the small oasis was beginning to show in the distance.  The rain had finally stopped by now with the cloud cover giving way to scattered sunshine so at least something was going in their favor for a change. 

  Being in the forest, even though still somewhat early in the afternoon, shadows were already becoming long so once the stage stopped at the Station, the passengers were told to make quick work of it for they needed to get back onto the road while there was still some light.

  The hostlers were moving quickly since they knew Curly had no time to waste if he was to have any light left to see the trail until they get below the tree line where there would be a bit more light to travel by as the sun is going down.  It was ten miles from Pine Grove Station to Jackson so it would take pretty close to two hours when there was really only thirty minutes of light left.

  Just as soon as the last horse was hooked into harness, Curly yelled, “Board!” with all the passengers, save one, hurrying back to the coach.  Jeffery was missing and no one knew where he had gotten off to.  Making a quick look in the outhouse and the station, Ed couldn’t find him either so Curly simply chose to move on without him.  He could stay at the Station overnight or he could walk to Jackson, it didn’t much matter ‘cause Curly had a schedule to keep.

  With only ten miles to go, Curly urged the team into a steady gallop as they rolled out of Pine Grove towards the lower elevations.  Trusting his team, Curly let them run since he could still see a light band of the road in front of them.  Once he couldn’t see it anymore, he would rein the team in some but still let them pick their way along.  It was getting dark so Curly pulled up just long enough to get the hanging lanterns lit then they were off again.

  The fact that Jeffery didn’t continue the ride to Jackson didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings any for he had been a miserable sort to deal with from the beginning of the trip starting in Gardnerville.  It was no great loss to anyone that he chose to stay in Pine Grove.  Still, Ed was curious about why he was carrying all that money.

  The ride down the mountain went quickly as all the passengers were ready for a hot meal and a soft bed for the night.  They had been on the trail for nearly twelve hours across a rough and twisting trail that wears a body down more quickly than other kinds of travel.  Add the miserable rain to the equation and it was understandable as to the fatigue felt by the passengers.

  With the lights of Jackson coming into view, everyone was getting excited to get out of that coach for a few hours to get the kinks out.  As soon as Curly pulled up in front of the National Hotel where they would be spending the night, Ed almost leaped off the stage to get the stage door opened to help the gals off as any real gentleman should. 

  Franc was out first then Ed helped Trixie, Persephone, and last but certainly not least, Amy.  Taking their rifles and saddlebags with them, Ed and Amy headed inside where they could smell the aroma of the attached steakhouse as they cooked large slabs of beef for the patrons of the National.

  The rooms had already been reserved so the newlyweds went upstairs to find they had a room that overlooked Main Street.  As Ed looked out to check out the view, he could see Curly talking to a man who wore what appeared to be a United States Deputy Marshal’s badge.  Rubbing the stubble on his chin, all Ed could think was hmmmm.

  Amy got out of her riding clothes and into her frillys after getting cleaned up while Ed washed up and put on a clean shirt.  The room itself was clean and well kept with fancy curtains and silk sheets, something Ed had never seen before while riding the sheep camp circuit.

  The restaurant downstairs was reputed to be a fancy place called Stanley’s but was well known in the region for good fare at a decent price.  They wouldn’t be dressed to the nine’s for supper but at least they would be presentable when they walked through the door to eat.

  As they made their way down the staircase, Ed saw Curly walk in through the front door as if he was looking for someone.  Looking up and seeing Ed, the tired driver headed straight for him.  Seeing Amy on Ed’s arm, Curly slowed down a bit but still came forward.  “Might I have a word Ed, …………….. alone?”

  “You surely can have a word with me Curly,” Ed replied with a smile, “only feel free to talk in front of Amy.  I’d be telling her what we talked about later anyway, unless it has to do with lewd wimmin’ and the like.”

  “Ok then, I don’t know if you saw him but there’s a United States Deputy Marshal in town looking for a man who embezzled over thirty thousand dollars from a mine in Telluride, Colorado.  He’s thought to have been heading west under an assumed name.  The description is such that it resembles our passenger Jeffery Miller, the supposed son of a Senator in Washington.

  Ed worried his whiskers a bit more as the whole thing started coming together.  “Curly, it’s him alright.  I tripped him last night at supper to see what was in that case he’s been carrying so tight.  It hit the wall and opened up.  It was full of cash, a lot of cash.  He wouldn’t tell me why he was carrying so much money but this new information sure fits the story to hand.  What’d ya tell the Marshal?”

  “I told him the truth.  A man fitting his description got off the stage at Pine Grove Station and didn’t get back on.  He was going to ride up yonder to see if he could locate him if he was still there.”

  “That boy is carrying a sidearm now Curly, probably Sutherland’s Colt.  I hope that Marshal is careful.”

  “Me too because I think Jeffery, or whatever his name is, has started getting desperate and will probably shoot first if he sees a badge.  Not our problem anymore.  I’m hungry.  Isn’t it time to eat?”

  Like always, Ed asked for a table in the back so following a young woman in a starched dress, they made their way to the corner where Ed could watch the door.  Once Ed got Amy seated, the hostess was off to her next customer while another woman dressed like a waitress came over with a pot of coffee and two cups.    “What can I get you folks this evening?”

  “I’ll take a quarter of a beef with tators and greens to start with then maybe a whole pie for desert.  How about you Amy?” Ed asked with a smile.

  “I’ll have anything that’s good only a bit less than my husband is having, a ladies portion if you will.”

  “Will do Hon,” the waitress said as she winked at Ed and headed back for the kitchen.

  With his head on a swivel, Ed tried to get a good look at the other folks in the room, as was another of his habits, before he could settle down to enjoy supper with his bride.  With no one looking out of place or like trouble, Ed finally could let his guard down enough to concentrate on his very pretty bride of three whole days.

  Having supper in the fancy dinner house was almost like being in real civilization so Amy was at home at last after so many weeks on the rough trail of a frontiersman.  She had been forced to sleep on the cold, hard ground, beaten, left for dead, shot, spent too many hours on the back of a sweaty horse, held up at gunpoint, and almost murdered.  For the moment, it was at last mostly peaceful for her and she was going to savor every last minute while it lasted.

  While they waited for their supper, Amy quizzed Ed about the Alvarado Ranch and what was in store for them once they made it to the ranch.  Was there a home already built for them?  Would Old Joe like her?  Would he be mad that they had gotten married on the trail instead of the big shindig at the mission? 

  Amy had a lot of questions so one at the time, Ed went through each one to set her mind at ease since he could understand her apprehension of the unknown once he got her home.  Old Joe would be pleased, Ed figured anyway, because having a wife at home would mean he wouldn’t be running off to Bradley to see the doves that lived there and would be on time to work every morning.

  Marie, well she was an old battle axe anyway.  Ed didn’t much care what she thought about his choices anyway.  Margaret would be jealous of Amy because she was thin and pretty so they wouldn’t be staying at the home ranch long.  They would likely move over to the Jolon Valley where there was a small cabin that would be just right with a little work and a few nails.

  Soon enough, the waitress was back so the talking came to an end abruptly.  Ed was starving so he wasted no time as he dug into the heaping pile of beef, tators, and greens like he hadn’t eaten in a month.  Amy took her time to enjoy her food and to eat with the manners of a lady so she took small bites to chew more daintily than her husband’s wild dog manners.

  It took him a while but Ed was able to put away the mounds of food and a solid quarter of an apple pie before calling a truce with the kitchen staff.  They had won and he was full, his belly smiling as he rubbed it.  Amy had been full for quite a while so just sat and enjoyed her coffee as she watched her man eat. 

  Ed paid for their meal then took Amy by the arm and headed outside to take a walk around town so their food would have a chance to settle before they headed upstairs.  They had to be up early so they were going to go to bed early but it was unlikely they would be getting to sleep much before the early morning hours.

  The newlyweds were taking their time in walking around the town with only the moonlight and the street lamps to light their way.  There was a chance someone might try to bother them but being they were passengers on the stage, none of the local toughs wanted the trouble that would come to them if they cut into the lines profits.

  It was on their way back to the National that Ed thought he saw someone riding into town that he recognized.  It was only a fleeting shadow he had seen but the silhouette looked eerily familiar to him for some reason.  It was only when the man walked past a streetlight later that Ed knew who it was, Jeffery Miller and he still had the valise.  Well, Ed thought, things just got a bit more complicated, especially since they didn’t know if Jeffery killed the Marshal or if they just passed in the night.  Either way, he and Amy were going to get a good night’s sleep and they could worry about Jeffery in the morning.

 

[Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104]

Chapter Forty-Five

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  Amy and Ed finished their walk and headed off to their room for the night as they discussed the next day’s ride.  It was forty-seven miles from Jackson to Stockton with stops in Bed-Bug and in Lockeford before arriving in Stockton where they would catch the train southwest to the Santa Clara Valley then south to Hogtown where they would pick up their horses for the twenty-five mile ride to the Alvarado Ranch north of Bradley.  Unlike the ride over Carson Pass, they should be in Stockton by late afternoon.

  Turning into the National, Ed saw Curly over to the bar so he asked Amy to wait by the staircase while he walked over to see the man.  “Jeffery is in town Curly,” Ed whispered so no one else could hear.

  “I saw him already Ed.  Hopefully he keeps riding.  I wired Pine Grove Station to let the Marshal know.  They said he hasn’t made it there yet.  I have a bad feeling about his bein’ missing,” Curly whispered back.

  “Alrighty then, we’ll see you at breakfast bright and early in the morning Curly,” Ed said loud enough to make folks around think he was talking about the ride in the morning instead of worrying folks about a possible murderer and thief in their midst.  Taking Amy’s arm, Ed escorted her upstairs and to their room for the night wasn’t quite over for them yet. 

  It seemed like Ed had just gone to sleep when his eyes opened to the graying dawn of the last day on the dusty stage coach.  Smiling to himself, Ed remembered back to the evening before when he and Amy used each other as nature intended.  Today would be some different since he wouldn’t have to ride shotgun any longer.  Getting up and into his clothes, Ed went through his usual routine of checking his guns over, unloading and reloading them before doing the same with Amy’s.

  Not making a sound, Amy watched on at how Ed took meticulous care of his tools, which included checking the stitching on the saddlebags to make sure nothing could fall out while riding, all the while realizing that the methodical care he employed now would spill over to other aspects of their new life. 

  Finally sliding out of bed to set her feet onto the floor, Amy stretched her arms up and out while yawning to get the juices flowing for the new day.  The thin nightshirt covered little so seeing his bride like that certainly got Ed’s blood to boiling as he picked her up to embrace her like it was going to be the last time ever.

  Taking only a few minutes to enjoy their morning embrace, Amy was soon back into her riding clothes and they were on their way downstairs to Stanley’s for a hot breakfast and some coffee.  Persephone, Franc, and Trixie were already there at the big table so Ed and Amy joined them straight away.

  “Morning all,” Amy announced.  “It’s the start of a glorious new day, isn’t it?

Persephone smiled as she remembered back to a time many years earlier when she was a newlywed who looked at each day with fresh eyes and the anticipation she was going to conquer the world one day at a time.  Time had tempered her urge to challenge the world these days but it pleased her that Amy seemed so alive and happy as their new life began to take shape.

  Trixie was all smiles and seemed to be bursting at the seams to make an announcement to the group.  There was something else about the woman that stood out, she was dressed in different clothes.  Gone were the provocative dresses of a saloon girl and instead she had on an intricately detailed Victorian traveling gown worn by the proper ladies of society.

  Amy noticed the dress almost instantly as she looked towards her friend.  “So you took the new job Annabelle?” Amy asked with a huge smile.

  “YES!” she said, wanting to scream it out to all who could hear her voice.  The two wimmin’ naturally hugged and did their little happy dance before taking their places around the table.

  “Mr. LeBeau is going to be very pleased to have such a skilled tutor for Franc as well.  I’m sure he will be a big help in getting Annabelle more clients and/or a better position in the community when she is ready to move on once Franc no longer needs her,” Persephone added.

  The waitress had arrived by now and was filling everyone’s cups with scalding hot coffee as another woman arrived with plates of eggs, fresh baked bread, bacon, ham, jelly, and churned butter.  Ed was sitting at the head of the table so he started dishing it up and passing plates around the table like a gracious host.

  Chatter was light and lively as the group of recent strangers came together like old friends, that is until Jeffery Miller showed up and sat down with the rest.  The mood changed as quickly as if someone threw a bucket of water on the group.  No one cared for the man and now that he is a suspect in a crime, Curly, Ed, and Amy would most certainly have to be on their guard the rest of the way into Stockton.

  It was all about eating now so everyone dug in and made the most of their time at the table.  Wasting no more time, Ed and Amy were two of the first to get up and head outside where the stage was waiting with Curly and the new shotgun guard.  The man wasn’t someone Ed expected to be a company man because he looked more like a Pinkerton detective with his Derby, fancy suit and shiny shoes than the usual shotgun rider.

  It turned out the man’s name was Horace Tenpenny, a man who needed passage to San Francisco, the only man the company was able to hire to ride shotgun on this particular trip.  He didn’t carry a belt gun, Ed could see that right off, and didn’t even look to be wearing a shoulder holster.  At best, if he had a handgun at all, it would be a lady’s size small caliber piece.  Even the way Horace carried the Greener double gun showed the man wasn’t at home with weapons. 

  Curly saw Ed giving the man the once over so just rolled his eyes when their gaze met.  It seemed there was nothing on this ride that was going to go easy for Ed but that was the way life tended to be so he just rolled with the punches as it were.

  It was almost 7:00 in the morning when the rest of the passengers came out of the National and started boarding the stage for the day’s journey to Stockton.  Helping the ladies into the stage first, Ed let Franc in then Jeffery before he climbed up himself to settle in next to his bride.  Not comfortable at all with Jeffery in the coach, Ed made sure to position himself within an arm’s length of him just in case anything got sketchy along the way.  If they were lucky, they would hit Stockton unmolested by late afternoon and they would be rid of him, once and for all.

  The gals were chatting like gals do while Ed watched out the window as they wound down the hill to the turnoff to Bed-Bug for the five-mile trot into the small town.  Unlike Jackson, the population of Bed-Bug was a little rough around the edges for there was a reformatory for juveniles up on the hill called the Castle, at least a hundred Chinese with their opium dens and celestial alleys, six saloons, and Camp Jackson with its rowdy soldiers close by to liven things up every time the payroll made it into the camp on time.

  Being a short stop, the passengers got out and just stretched on the boardwalk as the mailbags and other shipments were loaded onto the stage.  Ed was loafing near the alley when Jeffery came up to him and tried to engage in small talk.  This was something new and Ed was suspicious for Jeffery hadn’t been friendly with anyone.

  “So, Ed, I understand you are from the coast south of Monterey,” Jeffery began.  “I will be heading south to Los Angeles once I get my father’s estate settled in San Francisco.  I’m not returning to Washington.”

  “Oh really?” Ed replied to see if he could bait the man.

  “Yes, I’ve seen a lot of country out here where a man could build a new life for himself if he has the right connections and a little money.”

  “That’s true,” Ed remarked with a slight pause, “if the money was earned legal.  I’ve been hearing rumors a man with your description embezzled better than $30,000 dollars from a mine in Colorado.  There was a United States Marshal looking to talk to you about it just last night Jeffery.  The Marshal hasn’t been seen since.  Seems almighty convenient he is missing and you show up here.”

  If looks could kill, Ed would have been fried to a crisp as Jeffery turned his hateful eyes on the young cattleman.  Ed had struck a nerve and he knew it but it wasn’t until he saw the glint of cold steel that Ed realized how dangerous this man had become. 

  The one thing Jeffery wasn’t prepared for was a wisp of a gal with nerves of steel who had slipped up behind him and screwed a Smith and Wesson 1 ½ into his ear as she hissed, “No one stabs my husband.  Drop it or die, I don’t care which one you choose but do it now?”  Amy didn’t have to raise her voice for it hissed from her throat like a Damascus blade slipping from a scabbard.

  “You’re just a girl, you don’t have the stomach for ……..” Jeffery clamored as he heard the hammer click as it was coming to full stand.

  “Bet your life on me acting like a woman if you dare Jeffery.  I don’t much care either way but you will not stab my husband and live to tell the story.”

  The dagger Jeffery had been holding slipped from his fingers and clattered against the boardwalk as Amy pushed Jeffery’s head towards the wall of the building.  Stepping back once he could go no further, Amy barked, “Git and stay gone!  We don’t need any more of your foolishness on this ride.”

  Jeffery wasted no time in jumping off the boardwalk and running down the alley to get away from what he discovered, the hard way, was a she devil when she got mad.  Amy slid her S&W back into the small of her back and turned to Ed acting like nothing had happened.  “Looks like Curly is ready for us Ed,” Amy declared with a mischievous grin curling the edges of her mouth.

  Persephone, Franc, and Annabelle had seen the whole incident as it began to unfold in front of them so had backed up a few steps since it wasn’t going to turn out good for Jeffery.  They had all seen Ed and Amy mad before and it always ended up with someone else getting the short end of the stick. 

  The easterners had heard the west was wild and killings rampant but until Persephone and Franc had gotten on this last stage west, it was turning out to be just another rough and dirty ride with people who smelled of body odor and stale whisky.  Seeing that these westerners didn’t wait for the law was foreign to the gentile folks from back east but if they hadn’t, many, if not all, of them would be dead.

  The stage was finally loaded and Curly was barking at the new team as he coaxed them out of Bed-Bug and down the last few grades into the great San Joaquin Valley below.  It was going to be a three and a half hour run to Lockeford through mostly low rolling hills and flatlands where they would be stopping for the midday meal so there was nothing to be done except lean back and relax.

  It seemed like the miles were just flying by as the stage rolled through the green pastures and valley oaks standing majestically against the vast plain.  There were cattle by the hundreds grazing, colorful pheasants exploding out of the coulees, and curious antelope watching as the stage thundered by.

  Conversation inside the coach was light and steady with the air of anticipation of the start of new beginnings and of experiencing new places.  With the ladies chatting about this and that, Ed simply sat back and listened as was his way when in groups of folks.  He spent much of his time picking out little habits folks used when conversing or when there were difficult subjects broached that created nervous situations.

  The time passed like it was only minutes instead of hours then the outskirts of Lockeford Station in the distance started coming into view.  Lockeford was little more than a wide spot on the trail instead of a town located near the low water ford on the Mokelumne River, a settlement that sprang up near the Locke Ranch. 

  The many businesses in town supplied the varied needs of the ranch while the ranch provided protection against marauding bands of outlaws made up of men who chose not to work in the mines or those who failed in other business ventures.  Close to the mines in Bed-Bug, it wasn’t all that unusual for miners to traveling through the town on their way to make a fortune deep underground in the Kennedy or Argonaut.

  The problems that usually surfaced in town were usually when the cowhands found vagrant miners loafing about the saloons when they should have kept moving.  It was always worse when one or the other, or both, had been into the watered down whisky bottle to loosen their tongues more than normal.

  Curly pulled the stage onto Main Street and wheeled up in front of the combination Stage Depot/Telegraph Office/Freight Office in a cloud of dust.  There was a restaurant right down the street called Coyote’s that served primarily Mexican fare so the passengers, escorted by Ed and Franc, headed there straight away since they were starting to get real hungry.

   Opening the door for the ladies, Ed waited patiently while they all filed inside where it was cool and the smells coming from the kitchen inviting.  To their dismay though, Jeffery was sitting off to the side glaring at the troupe as they found a table large enough for all of them.  It was suddenly too busy for the morose man so he got up, left a few dollars on the table, and slunk out the door like the cowardly skunk that he was.

  The stop for lunch was scheduled to be no more than thirty minutes long so it was eating fast and furious so as to be ready for the last leg of their trip on the stage.  Stockton was close to twenty miles away still and would be where they would all get onto the train to San Francisco.  Once at the bay, Amy and the boys would catch the southbound to Hog Town. 

  It would take another four hours, maybe a bit less, then the rough riding cushions of the Overland Stage would be traded for the much smoother and faster moving smoker that could run all night.  If everything worked out right, they could be in Hog Town by early morning and at the Alvarado with a home cooked meal by noon.

  Ushering the rest of the passengers outside, Curly headed to his spot next to the stage to get everyone loaded.  Jeffery was back but he was sitting on top of the coach and wasn’t being allowed inside with the rest for the remainder of the ride to Stockton.  Minutes later, they were thundering down the road heading for Stockton, or what the locals called Mudville in those early days.

 

[Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104]

Chapter Forty-Six

___________________________

 

  No one was happy Jeffery was back on the stage for with him seemed to come poor attitudes, bad luck, and death.  At least they were on the last leg of their stagecoach journey and traveling through mostly open country where trouble could be spotted some distance away.  Hopefully, they wouldn’t get surprised like when traveling the crooked trails through the Sierras where there was little time to react to a bushwhacker.

  With full stomachs and with the late spring sun warming their bodies, almost everyone was lulled to sleep by the rocking of the coach as it rolled steadily along.  Ed stayed awake for he could only imagine what kind of problems they would have with Jeffery riding up top considering the black cloud that seemed to hang over him.

  As he watched the low-lying grasslands and Valley Oaks rush by, Ed could see why folks liked this country for raising cattle and for farming alike.  The soil was deep and rich, which produced tall grasses full of the nutrients cattle needed to put weight on quickly.  This was a hunter’s paradise too with deer, ducks, and pheasants seemingly everywhere he looked.

  There was water a plenty and ample trees from which to build sturdy homes, not unlike the Alvarado Ranch in many ways but it lacked the hills which Ed loved to ride and hunt blacktail deer or Valley Quail.  Ed had also heard of the Tule Fog where the fog got so thick, a body couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of his horse’s head and at times wouldn’t see the sun for days at a time.  This was good land alright but Ed longed for the hills and the valleys of his home across the Salinas River.

  It was nearly 4:00 in the afternoon when Curly pulled up at the edge of Stockton.  Ed thought it strange but when he saw Jeffery climb down off the box, he understood.  Seeing him holding the Colt’s Pattern revolver on Curly and the shotgun guard angered Ed to the core but it was probably a good thing to get the man away from the coach than to keep him in their midst. 

  Once Jeffery was on the ground with his valise, he put his gun away while Curly urged the horses back into movement down Main Street where they headed for the final stop.  Looking at the street as they rolled, Ed was surprised to see a familiar and welcome face standing on the boardwalk in front of the depot.  John Cransby had gotten off the train early and was likely going to ride to Hog Town with them.

  “John’s here Amy,” Ed said with a huge smile gracing his lips.  “He just couldn’t stand to head back to the ranch without us.”  Amy looked out the stage window as Curly pulled up next to the man and smiled shyly to herself.  This was Ed’s best friend and it would be good to get to know him better since they weren’t on the run and could take a little more time if they wanted to.

  Ed got off the stage first so he could help each of the ladies down.  John stayed back so Ed could take care of each one then.  As Ed helped Amy down, he walked up to them with a big smile on his face.  That smile didn’t last for long as gunfire erupted down the street.  John spun on his heel, pushing Ed and Amy back against the coach as he drew his sidearm, looking for the trouble as he did.

  Down the street, John could see a man running towards them as he was looking over his shoulder and trying to fire back at someone chasing him.  The man looked familiar to John in a way but Ed knew exactly who the man was.  It was Jeffery Miller and he was being chased by what looked to be two lawmen.

  There were errant slugs flying by so Ed lifted Amy back into the coach and told her to lie down on the floor while he kept an eye on the gunfight working its way down the street towards them.  Behind him, there was a thud and a grunt as John took a slug to the meaty part of his right thigh.  He didn’t go down and John was hurt but he wasn’t about to let it stop him.

  Not that John had to get involved but he was mad to the core that he got shot without ever being invited to join into the battle.  Stepping out where he could see some better to put an end to it, John was about to squeeze off his shot when Jeffery took two slugs from one Marshal what was still standing and another who was down on the ground still firing his sidearm.

  With Miller on the ground, Ed walked over to see if the man was still alive.  Once he got closer, Ed could tell the man was gone, his sightless eyes staring towards the bright blue sky above.  The wounded Marshal was being helped to his feet by two townies as the other lawman walked up to where Ed was standing.

Looking up as the man approached, Ed said, “So we finally get to lose this troublemaker?”

  “All that and more,” the Marshal said.  “This hombre embezzled big money in Colorado, kidnapped a pregnant woman in New Mexico to get him out of town, and has murdered a Marshal here in the Republic.  They found his body yesterday so wired us that he was coming through Stockton on his way to a ship in San Francisco to leave the country for South America.”

  “Well, he sure won’t get any further than Boot Hill on this ride,” Ed replied as he turned to get John to the local sawbones to get his leg looked at.

Amy had already tied a wild rag around John’s leg so when Ed got to him, it wasn’t too big a deal to help him the few doors down to where the local doctor had an office.  Getting John upstairs, Doc took one look at him and had him lay down on his table so he could cut his pants away enough to clean the wound. 

  The bullet had gone clear through John’s leg so Doc got his bottle of carbolic and started pouring it into the hole in his leg.  As the elixir began to work, John nearly levitated off the table, roaring in pain while the carbolic burned and sizzled as it disinfected the wound.  Doc didn’t miss a beat as he picked up his bottle of local hooch and took a drink while John squirmed and swore a blue streak about Doc being from a long line of butcher’s.

  It took a few minutes for the carbolic to quit foaming and when it did, Doc commenced to wiping the excess blood and carbolic off John’s leg so he could bandage it properly.  There were no broken bones or damaged arteries so it was a simply matter of packing the wound with a disinfectant poultice then wrapping it with clean linen to keep the dirt and germs out.  With John patched up, it was time to get to the train where John had already made arrangements for passage south to Hog Town where they would pick up their horses to ride to the ranch. 

  “How much do I owe you for patchin’ up my partner Doc?” Ed asked.

  “No worries cowboy.  The Marshals have already come by and taken care of the bill since it was one of their bullets that tagged your partner.  They also left John a new pair of pants since his weren’t in any kind of shape anymore.”

  “Thanks Doc, I’ll get him out of your hair then.”

  John was going to be hurting something awful in a few hours so Ed made a short detour to pickup a bottle of Everclear, not more than thirty days old, to help him sleep through the night as the train rolled south to their next stop only twenty-five miles from home. 

  Since they were traveling light, two saddlebags and two rifles, there was no baggage to check so the trio made their way to the first passenger car where Ed helped John up the steep stairs and into the car.  There were several other passengers already seated in the car, including Persephone, Franc, and Annabelle, but John was able to find a seat next to a window where he could stretch out and watch the miles fall behind.

  The seat behind John was open too so Amy took her spot while Ed sat down next to her, stuffing the saddlebags under the seat and leaning the rifles up against the sidewall next to them.  It was unlikely they would need the rifles during the night but nothing on this trip had been a given and Ed wasn’t planning on taking any chances now.

  Outside the Conductor yelled “BOARD!” then waved down towards the engineer that it was time to move out.  Seconds later, the cars all slammed against the couplers as they lurched and banged as they started to roll down the line heading south. 

  From Stockton, they would head due south over the San Joaquin River then turn west towards San Francisco where the train would stop to switch out passengers.  Persephone and the others would be traveling to Monterey so they would be staying along for a bit then it would be Ed, Amy, and John continuing on as they made their way through the night to Hog Town.

   After San Francisco, the train would be heading due south through Coyote Valley where there was a band of cattle rustlers and malcontents who had little regard for life or someone else’s property.  If they were able to get past Coyote Valley without a fight, it was going to be pretty smooth running past all the smaller towns along the El Camino Real through Salinas, Soledad, and finally Hog Town where their horses waited patiently for them.

  The steady clickity-clack of the rail joints against the iron wheels of the cars became a sort of melody as it lulled Amy to sleep as she leaned against Ed’s shoulder.  John had been out for a while since Ed gave him the Everclear to ease the pain in his leg and now even Ed was losing his battle to stay awake much longer than it took to make the short stop in San Francisco.  By the time the lights of the city were fading behind them, Ed too was asleep.

   From San Francisco, it was going to be a pretty easy ride south on the Southern Pacific Railroad but since there were several stops along the way to pick up freight and passengers heading to Los Angeles, it would take much of the night to get to Hog Town where they would be back in familiar territory to pick up their riding stock.

  Even though Ed was bone tired, it seemed like he only slept a few minutes at a time.  Every time the train slowed down for another stop, he would naturally wake up as soon as the couplers started slamming together as the brakes came on then would drift off again once the train was back underway. 

  The San Jose stop did little to raise anyone’s eyebrows but as the train made its way through Coyote Valley, something didn’t sit right with Amy so she was on high alert while Ed slept soundly at her side, propped into the corner.  Reaching past Ed, Amy lifted her rifle over the sleeping man to have it close to hand just in case.

  It wasn’t but a few minutes later when the end door slammed open while a tallish man with a yellow bandana covering his face stepped through carrying a double barreled sawed off shotgun.  Amy knew what the man wanted right away and could have just handed over her money and jewelry easy enough but knew Ed would wake up wanting to fight.

  At first, the train robber seemed to gain the upper hand by having the element of surprise on his side but Amy had a little surprise of her own planned.  As the man’s mouth opened to spout out his demands, Amy stood up from her seat, took careful aim, and sent a heavy slug into the man’s brain to speed him on his way to his maker without a second thought.

  Both John and Ed came wide awake with a sixgun in hand to the sound of Amy’s gunshot.  The car was full of white gunsmoke and there was a dead man half inside the car and half through the door.  Ed was down the aisle in just seconds as he checked to see if the man was still alive.  Pulling off his bandana, Ed stepped back, realizing he knew who this man was.

  Willie Benton was a local man who had a little place in Pine Canyon just west of Hog Town on the trail to the Mission San Antonio de Padua.  Knowing the price of cattle was down, and with almost no calf crop with Foothill Disease aborting most of the calves out of the first year heifers hurting the man’s finances, Willie was like many of the other small ranchers who were only one bad rain year away from bankruptcy.  Ed knew Willie was having a tough go of it but he hadn’t realized his situation had gotten so dire he had to resort to this. 

  Taking to robbing trains to keep his ranch afloat meant things had gotten so desperate that Willie must have figured there was no other way out.  Now Willie was dead and there would be disgrace brought to his family because of what he done. 

  Turning around to the rest of the passengers, Ed asked, “Did this man make any demands or point his shotgun at anyone in this car?”  The folks in the car looked around at each other then slowly shook their heads no.

  “So he just showed up carrying a shotgun with his face covered with a bandana?”  The passengers looked at each other then collectively shook their heads yes.

  “OK then, no crime has been committed.  “I’ll take him back to his family and report this to the law in Hog Town.”

  The stockcar was just behind the passenger car so Ed grabbed Willie by the collar and dragged him across the platform and into the car where there was a single horse in a stall at the other end of the car.  Finding an old saddle blanket, Ed covered the man’s body then headed back to the passenger car and to Amy. 

  Sitting down next to his bride, Ed just smiled and kissed her on the cheek before propping himself back into the corner to go back to sleep.  Amy’s mouth was left hanging wide open as she turned to look at John for an answer.  John simply just grinned and shrugged his shoulders for even though he and Ed had ridden the river together many a time, the man was still full of surprises.

 

[Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104]

Chapter Forty-Seven

________________________________

 

  As if nothing had happened after the stop in Coyote Valley, the train chugged steadily through the night as it made it to the next stop in Watsonville to let off Persephone, Franc, and Annabelle so they could rent a buggy to get them to Monterey and to their new life together.  Once back under steam, the train would stop in Salinas, Chular, Soledad, and finally in Hog Town where they would saddle up for the final leg home.

  Ed stayed asleep until after they passed through Soledad when he finally sat up and looked around.  Most everyone else in the car was asleep but Amy was awake, her cornflower blue eyes solidly on him as she wondered what was going on in his mind.  This man had been a mystery to her from the beginning so it shouldn’t surprise her that he was still that way.

  “It’ll be alright Amy,” Ed began quietly, his voice barely over a whisper.  “Willie’s family doesn’t need the shame his actions would bring them so I’ll make it square with the Marshal in Hog Town then take him home to be buried with the rest of his family.”  Amy seemed to be relieved at Ed’s answer and started to relax a bit, finally falling asleep for the hour long ride to Hog Town. 

  John wouldn’t be able to ride with much ease so Ed figured to rent a buggy in Hogtown to get him back to the ranch so he wouldn’t be in as much pain on the last leg of their journey.  Not that she would have complained a bit, it would also make for a much smoother ride for Amy.  She had many, many miles behind her on the back of a horse this trip so deserved the break.

  Getting up, Ed headed towards the engine to find the conductor to make arrangements to hold the train long enough to get Willie out of the stock car so he could be taken to the undertaker’s parlor to be fitted for a pine box.  It was little enough he could do for the man who had tried to make a go out of a good little ranch.

  Once he had made his arrangements with the conductor, Ed headed back to the passenger car where John was awake.  He’d been into the Everclear again, it was as plain as day in his eyes, so he must have been feeling the pain of the gunshot wound.  All the more reason for the buggy Ed had planned on renting.  There was no sense in letting the man fall off his horse drunk and break the other leg.

  Finding his seat once again, Ed closed his eyes for what he figured would only be a few minutes.  He must have fallen asleep because he soon found himself staring into the eyes of the White Wolf, who just happened to be sitting directly in the middle of the road.  It appeared odd to Ed that the White Wolf would be anywhere close to Hog Town, or any other town as far as that was concerned, for it hadn’t occurred to him he was living through a vision.

  The White Wolf did not move, just sat in the road and looked directly into Ed’s eyes.  What was he trying to tell Ed?  Or was this his way of saying so long until Ed headed back north someday?  Somehow Ed knew that the wolf was not there to warn him of more danger but instead that it was time for him to go home for a spell.

  The wolf finally stood so Ed raised his good arm to wave at the majestic animal as he lifted his muzzle towards the heavens to let out a long howl.  Once finished, the wolf looked back at Ed then turned and headed north.  As Ed watched on, the wolf’s image began to fade to a thin mist before finally disappearing altogether.

  With Ed watching the wolf disappear, the train lurched a bit as the brakes came on to slow the heavy machine down as it was rolling into Hog Town at long last.  Everyone was awake in the car for there were several folks who were getting off in Hog Town to travel to Fort Hunter Liggett off Jolon Road.  Looking over at Amy, Ed saw a curious look on her face.

  “What were you dreaming?  You had a strange look on your face and waved at someone or something.”

  Smiling, Ed said nonchalantly, “Oh it was just the White Wolf saying so long before he headed back to the Modocs and the tribes up north.”

  “What?” Amy asked, not knowing the full story behind the mystic animal that had appeared several times during their trip south.

  “I’ll tell you all about it when we get home Amy, it’s going to be a long story,” Ed replied.  “Right now we have a lot of work to do to get John home.”

  Getting John and Amy off the train was Ed’s first order of business then he would have to get Willie’s body taken down to the funeral parlor.  As the train belched steam away from the boardwalk to blow off some pressure, Ed went to John and got him up on his makeshift crutch so they could exit.  With Amy following behind with the rifles and saddlebags, Ed headed for the rear door.

  Taking a look out to see who was loitering on the platform, as was his habit, Ed saw no one who looked to be a danger to them so he helped John outside then climbed down so he could catch the man in case he slipped on the steps.  Once John was down, Ed helped Amy down and to a bench in the shade of the depot.

  Heading straight away for the stockcar, Ed slid the door open and crawled in.  Pulling the blanket off the dead man, Ed pulled him to the door where he saw the brakeman and the conductor with a litter of sorts getting ready to help him get Willie unloaded and onto the platform with the rest of the freight.

  It wasn’t long before Deputy Marshal Henry Clotcher was summoned along with the undertaker.  Knowing the man pretty well after riding with him off and on for a few years, Ed pulled him off to the side to relate the story of the botched train robbery and that the man was shot by a party unknown to the rest passengers and himself as he was asleep when it happened. 

  Ed could have told the man it was Amy who shot Willie but she didn’t need to be put in front of a judge for an inquest.  She did the right thing and that was to be the end of the story.  Deputy Clotcher was a bit suspicious of Ed’s story but already knew Willie had taken to the outlaw trail up north of the county line so just shook the man’s hand and went off to make his report to the circuit judge who happened to be in town.

  The next thing that needed to happen was to get some breakfast into all of them before they took out for the Alvarado.  The Wildhorse Cafe was the closest place to the depot so Ed located a hack who would take them to Wildhorse for breakfast.  Once he returned, Ed helped John and Amy into the rig and they were off for some food. 

  Getting everyone out of the hack at Wildhorse, the trio headed inside and sat down.  Ed knew there was no need to order for the waitress was a gal by the name of Flora Gonzalez, a local gal who was married to a ranch hand in Bitterwater Canyon named Alberto.  Flora was a feisty gal who knew her customers and knew what they wanted to eat, whether they had decided for themselves or not.

  Both Ed and John got heaping plates of Huevos Rancheros, Chorizo Hash, and Chilaquiles while Flora brought Amy fresh made tortillas covered with frijoles, fried eggs topped with red sauce, peas, ham and cheese.  Pouring everyone’s cups full of steaming hot coffee, Flora was off again to care for her other customers.

  Amy had never experienced such a take charge waitress before but since Ed and John said nothing about it, she figured to go along with the others, especially when she saw what was set down in front of her.  The smells were to die for and she was hungry.

  Ed wasted no time in getting his meal down so while John and Amy worked on theirs, he went outside and over to the livery to rent a buggy and to see about the riding stock that should have arrived a day or two before. 

  The livery man was known to the locals as Shorty and was a man who walked with a pronounced limp.  Even though he had a bad leg, Shorty was a hand with animals and never let his bad leg slow him down.

  Shorty had seen how Ed had to help John into the Wildhorse so had already pulled out a buggy and was wiping it down.  Not knowing if Ed’s horses would take to the harness, Shorty waited before trying to hitch them up soes they wouldn’t tear up his buggy if they decided to be frisky and wanted to act up some. 

  As Ed turned into the livery yard, he could see that Shorty was on the ball already so he walked up with his hand outstretched.  “So you already know I have a cripple to get home?” Ed said with a laugh.

  “Yup, saw old John gimpin’ around like a ninety year old as you went to the Wildhorse.  This buggy will get him back to the ranch in pretty fair shape since it’s got the fancy springs under the seats.  While any of my horses take to the harness.  I wanted to ask in case you wanted to use your own stock.”

  “Those two bay mountain horses are steady and I think they will stand for it Shorty.  Those two mustangs John and I ride would act a fool so they’re out for sure.  I’ll have my wife drive the buggy and I’ll lead the rest of the stock behind them.”

  “Your wife!” Shorty roared, “I didn’t know you’d gotten hitched or were even sparkin’ anyone.”

  “Came on all of a sudden Shorty.  It’s a long story for a different time.  Can you bring the buggy over to the Wildhorse when you are hitched up?”

  “Surely can.  That way I can meet this gal of yorn.”

  Heading back to the Wildhorse, Ed walked inside to find Amy and John finished with their food and just chatting.  Finding his spot, Ed sat down calmly and poured his cup full of coffee while they waited for Shorty.

  “Got a buggy to take you to the ranch John.  I figure Amy can drive it whilst you lay in the back seat and rest.”

  “I can ride Dammit!  I ain’t no cripple!” John barked, immediately regretting his choice of words.  “You know what I mean Ed,” John added as he tried to get out of the hole he had dug himself into.

  “Never said you were but I don’t want you busting that leg open again either.  I’m not up to doctorin’ gunshot wounds today.  ‘Sides, I’m sure Amy wouldn’t mind riding on the cushions instead of hard saddle leather,” Ed continued as he turned towards Amy.

  “I’d be happy to drive you John,” Amy said as she winked at the man.  “We can finish our conversation about what a contrary man I married and how it will be to tame him down enough to get him into harness.”

  It was clear that each one of the men had to put up a show for the other as they all knew it was the smartest decision for the wounded man.  And Amy, other than the short stage and train ride, had been in saddle leather for weeks so she wasn’t opposed to the idea at all.

  Looking through the window, Ed could see that Shorty had the buggy out front so he peeled off some bills to leave on the table then helped John up so he could limp on outside.  There was no way he could get into the buggy without help so Shorty helped steady him as he fought up the steps, kinda falling into the back seat once he got in.

  Ed helped Amy into the front seat then stepped up onto the other side.  Taking the reins in his good hand, Ed flicked them across the bay’s behinds to get them to moving as they headed back to the livery where Ed’s mustang was saddled.  Old Joe hadn’t made it north to pick up the other stock so Ed had the mules and the other horses daisy chained together on a long lead so they were ready to go.

  Handing over the reins to Amy, Ed kissed her on the cheek then stepped off the buggy to pay Shorty for his services before checking the cinch on his mustang.  It wasn’t so much that Ed didn’t trust Shorty, he knew the mustang had attitude and had a habit of holding his breath so always made a habit out of checking the cinch before he got ready to ride everyday.

  Amy led the cavalcade south away from Wildhorse as they rode towards the Salinas.  There was a lot of water this time of year so they would have to cross the old wooden trestle bridge instead of the new low water crossing just a few miles out of town.  Once on the other side, they would follow the river as it meandered down the middle of the valley.

  Following behind the buggy with the string, Ed had his hands full for the first few miles since none of the stock had been worked for several days and were full of unbridled energy from being in the corral. 

  Once the kinks were worked out of the cavvy, they followed along pretty smoothly allowing Ed to relax just a bit as they rode.  It was about a four or five hour ride to the Alvarado but it seemed like they were covering ground more quickly than on a normal day.

  They were two hours into the drive to the Alvarado when Amy started to get nervous about what was going to happen once they got to the ranch.  She’d heard all the stories about how crotchety Old Joe could be and what an old hide Marie was so didn’t quite know how her arrival was going to go over.

  John could tell when Amy became quiet and figured it was because they were closing in on the ranch and a new unknown for her so he simply offered up a statement, “Don’t worry about Old Joe and Marie Amy.  They’re gonna take to you like a new calf.”

  Amy tried to smile the concern away and John’s remarks did help but it was still a bit scary.  Either way, there was no turning back now.  She had faced worse danger before this already so shrugging it off, it was full speed ahead. 

  The miles seemed to fly by and before anyone knew it, the trail leading up to the Adobe ranch house on the Alvarado came into view.  It was only another fifteen minutes and Amy was pulling up to the front of the ranch yard with several vaqueros coming out of the bunkhouse to take care of the stock as Ed rode in behind.

  Old Joe had come out of the house and was helping Amy down off the buggy while two other men helped John out and over to the bunkhouse where he could sit or lay down if he wanted to.  Old Joe was all smiles as he welcomed the new bride to the ranch but Marie, being the old prude that she was, had an ugly frown twisted across her heavily wrinkled face since Amy was a whole bunch prettier than her daughter Margarita.

  Taking Amy inside so she could freshen up, Ed led her down the long dark hallway to his room where they would spend their first night home.  Outside, there was a flurry of activity as several of the sheep herders tended to an open pit barbeque where there was a half a beef cooking. 

  Under the grapevine covered arbor, several tables were placed end to end and colorful table cloths were spread out to cover the rough surface of the sun drenched wood as ladies appeared from nowhere to start placing plates and utensils out for a big party. 

  Inside the cool adobe, neither Ed nor Amy knew Old Joe had organized a chivaree for the newlyweds, even though it wasn’t their wedding night.  Soon there were countless buggy’s rolling up to the house as the neighbors and close friends began to show up.  When Ed escorted Amy back out to the front of the adobe, they were surprised to find all the people who had gathered in the yard under the massive valley oaks in the shade. 

  “SURPRISE!” everyone shouted in almost a practiced chorus of uplifting voices.

The party was like most out west on the frontier.  It was an excuse for everyone to get dressed up and to go someplace where there would be plenty of good food, dancing, along with lots of friends who rarely got the opportunity to get together to visit and catch up on things.

  There were announcements and tributes for the new couple but there was one that meant much to Ed.  Old Joe stepped up in front of the crowd and barked in his usual manner, “Shar Up Yer Faces!”  After all the talking and laughter died down, Old Joe spoke his piece.

  “This young man Ed has proven himself to be a good man and now he has brought his young bride home to spread his get throughout the valley.  I am very proud of him so to make his home, I am giving him 540 acres along Jolon Creek to get his new family started.  It was more than I had to get started and I expect him to do well with it.  Lift your glass to the newest rancher to settle in the Jolon Valley.”

  Ed was naturally taken aback when he heard what Old Joe had to say for he wasn’t generally a talkative man.  He was also truly shocked when Old Joe stated he was proud of Ed because the old man was usually gruff and critical of his work whether on the ranch or elsewhere.  There were other testimonials of course but Ed would always remember the one Old Joe gave him that night.

  All the while the party was going on, Ed noticed the twisted frown on Marie’s face like she had just bitten into a batch of sour grapes while everyone else was having a good time.  It wouldn’t dampen his celebration though, Marie was an old hag and that was all there was to it.  This was a night of happiness for the new couple and Marie could take her pity party somewhere else.

  Once everyone was done with the toasts, Ed and Amy danced and partook of the spirits until late in the evening before they were both too tired to do anything more.  In the wee hours of the late evening, Ed and Amy made their way to the back bedroom where they would spend their first night on the home ranch.

  Lying awake until late that night, Ed was happy, as happy as he had ever been in his short life on the Alvarado.  Old Joe had taken to Amy just like Ed thought he would and had surprised them with a small ranch to start building their own dynasty.  He could only imagine the life they would lead or the things they would experience as time went on.  Somewhere along with the half conscious dreams, Ed fell asleep for the day had finally caught up to him.

 

 

  

EPILOGUE

______­___________

 

  Sitting his horse as he looked out over the broad expanse of the Alvarado, Ed could see how the herd of Black/White faced cattle, mixed with Hereford and Charolais beef, had grown over the years.  Down by the ranch house was the small Brangus herd he worked so hard to develop.  It was the sweat and hard work with a lifetime of dedication that had gotten them to this place.

  To the west of the herd, Ed could see two of his sons as they crested the far ridge to begin pushing the cattle towards the corrals where they would be sorted, doctored, and some separated to get shipped to market. 

  It pleased Ed to see his sons working the range and to know he had his life partner Amy by his side as the future unfolded but something was beginning to cloud his view of the operation and was shaking his arm.

  “ED! ……….. ED!” Amy said louder each time as she tried shaking her husband of many years awake.  After a few more shakes, the aging cattleman’s eyes came open to the bright face of his bride.

  “What is it Amy?” Ed clamored as he tried to get up quickly from the low chair.

  “No emergency Ed, just sit there and wake up,” Amy said gently.  “It’s almost time for supper so I needed to wake you up.  By the way, you were snoring like the southbound smoker but had a huge grin pasted across your face.  What were you dreaming about?”

  Ed thought back to the dream he was having when Amy woke him up.  He smiled again as the details began to become more clear.  “Ohhhhh, it wasn’t anything much.  I was just remembering back to when I first met you and those first few months we were together.”

  Amy’s face took on a serious look as she too remembered how hard that first few months of their lives together were.  If things had turned out different like was planned, who knows where she would have ended up or if she would have ever been happy.

  Ed could see the worry on his beautiful wife’s face and knew she was thinking back to those early days after they first met.  Most likely Amy felt guilty for many of the things that happened to him because of her own hatred at the time.  It was time to set things right once again.

  “Don’t fret Amy,” Ed continued with a smile.  “I’d do it all over again without complaint.”

  Amy simply smiled and said, “I would to Ed, a hundred times over again.” 

  Working himself up onto his feet, Ed wrapped his good arm around Amy’s shoulders, kissed her on the cheek, and headed inside for supper.