Chapter 4

Joshua woke at his usual time. But not in his typical condition. He groaned and muttered that oath, many times made, seldom kept. “Never Again.” Splashing water on his face and looking at his reflection in the mirror. He tried to remember the previous evening. As his memory slowly recovered, He remembered an extended poker session with the Sheriff, Mayor, and Doctor. Pulling his wallet, he quickly counted. With a satisfied grin, He realized that he had come out ahead, $80, or $100 ahead.

Not that Joshua was worried about his finances. He had more than enough cash on hand for any personal needs. He also carried a letter of introduction and cash advance for any emergencies. But losing at poker was bothersome, like a mosquito bite. Survivable, but troublesome.

As Joshua thought about the day’s planned activities, he dressed accordingly. Today was to be a long day in the saddle and time spent in unknown environments. Besides his usual clothing, He paid particular attention to his weaponry. He repeated what he had been carrying yesterday, but today he included his firearms. On his hip, he wore a well used Navy Colt pistol. In a shoulder holster under his left arm was a Colt .36 Cal pocket police special. And he also brought his .44 heavy rimfire Henry.

Picking up his saddle, Joshua bounced up and down a couple of times, to settle his weights. Then headed to the livery stable. It was with anticipation that he looked forward to riding the palomino that He had been promised.

Arriving at the livery, Joshua was struck by the quiet. Usually, there would be sounds of animals moving around, horses neighing, and nickering to each other. Even the sound of human activity was missing.

Stepping inside, the place was empty. The stalls, Including the one used by the palomino, were empty. Walking through and out the open back doors, He found that the two corrals were also empty. There was nothing alive in the whole building. That is with one exception.

Sitting on the top rail of the corral to the left was a young man. He looked to be about 15 or 16 years old. At that age, a boy is just at the start of creating his path. This boy looked at Joshua with little concern and continued eating his apple. The most striking thing about the boy was his hair. It was as bright red as the apple he was eating. His clothing, while clean, was thin and threadbare. With more patches than cloth. Looking at Joshua, He said, “Howdy.”

Joshua, thinking over the situation, replied: “Howdy, how are things?”

“Well, Boss, I’m just sitting here eating an apple. How about you?”

“I was just wondering where Cletus was. I was going to rent one of his horses.”

“I heard bout that. Cletus took off early this morning. Rounded up all the stock and took off to the east. I don’t reckon he’ll be back anytime soon. He had the look of a wanted man, know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I do. My names Joshua, What’s yours?”

“I’m Clive, Clive Simons. But most folks call me Red. For obvious reasons.”

“It does kind of standout, doesn’t it. Tell you what, what do YOU want to be called? I can call you Red, Clive, Mr. Simons, or hey you. I’ll leave it up to you.”

The boy sat for a moment, looking at Joshua. “Tell you what Boss, it doesn’t quite matter what you call me. Just don’t call me bastard or orphan. Other than that, I think we’ll get along.”

“Got no family, Huh? I’ve known a lot of people that were the same place. It seems they came to a point in their lives when they had to decide if it mattered or not. Some got stronger for it, and others let it wear them down and rule their lives. Tell you what, In public, You’re Mr. Simon, In private, Clive. How does that sound?”

The boy sat for a long time, considering what had been said. “Boss, Joshua. That seems to be a good deal. BUT I’ll keep an eye on you. I’ve dealt with some slippery folks before. Just saying.”

“Clive, you be truthful with me, and I’ll return the compliment. Meanwhile, you got any idea why Cletus took off like he did? I mean, I can see walking away, but why take the stock with him. Most of those nags were crowbait anyway.”

“Well now, boss, That’s the thing. Cletus doesn’t look at horseflesh like most folks. He’s been buying the worst nags to come this way. He’s got a reputation among the range riders. They bring in their crowbait, and Cletus pays them ten bucks a horse. Then he butchers them down and sells them to the Indians, Mexicans, wagon trains anybody willing to pay. Usually, he brings in 3 or 4 times what he pays. Been doing it for a while.”

“But then You showed up and put the fear of GOD into him. I’ve always had a feeling that some law was after him. You must have convinced him that they were hot on his trail.”

“You know Mr. Simons. I don’t think Cletus will be coming back. I’ll bet this little enterprise he had going will be considered abandoned. How’d you like a job?”

“A JOB? Doing what? Cletus paid me a 4 bits a day to muck out the stalls. You’ll have to top that.”

“Cletus seems to have flown the coop, so to speak. But I think somebody needs to fill the gap. What I’ll offer is $20.00 a week for you to run the place until we figure out what to do.”

The boy sat there with his jaw down. “$20 a week, goddamn mister, I’ll be the richest man in town in no time.”

“Whoa, hold on Clive. This is only till the new owner shows up. You’ll have to deal with him when he shows up.”

Clive Simons regarded his potential new employer, “If you say so, boss. But I’ve got a feeling you’re one of the folks that take advantage of things that drop into your lap. If you want me to run this livery til an owner shows up at $20 a week, Deal.”

“OK, Mr. Simons, We have a deal.” Looking the boy up and down. “In the meanwhile, we need to get you some new clothes. I can’t have my people looking ragtag and worked out. Let’s head out to the dry good store and get you some new clothes.”

“That might not be a good idea, Boss. Last time I was in the dry goods, the skinflint that runs the place took a switch to me. Told me never to come back.”

“And why did he do that?”

“Well, I went in to get breakfast. He was busy with one of the hoity-toity ladies. So, I put my nickel on the counter and then started looking for a decent apple in the barrel. You know, the good ones are lower down.”

“Next thing I know, this lady whispers about why Albert should he let tramps and rag-a-muffins into his shop. He pops his cork and starts yelling at me to get out, calling me a thief, and then he pulled out this willow switch and started swinging. Well, I got the hell out of there as quick as I could. Later, he called me back and told me I had to wait outside the back door from now on.”

Joshua sat for a moment and considered the situation. Smiling at Clive, he said. “Mr. Simon, You are my employee, And My employees do NOT use the back door. Come with me. We are going to gild the lily in his own den. And if we get lucky, there might even be one of those ladies there. But, the first stop is the Sheriff’s office. He needs to know that Cletus has flown the coop, Abandoning his livery stable.”

With his new friend in tow, Joshua headed towards the Sheriff’s office. He wasn’t quite sure he could wrangle it, but if he played his cards right, A prophetic term, he could be the new owner of the Wilkins Livery Stable.

As they came up to the jail’s door, He could hear a strident female voice inside. Looking into the window, He recognized the older woman that had been on the stage when he had come to Wilkins. Stepping into the jail, both of the occupants fell silent. The sheriff was seated at his desk. A look of harassment on his face. The woman stood in front of him, arms akimbo and fists on her hips.

Both the Sheriff and the woman stared at Joshua. Holding his hands up in surrender, he said. “Please continue. My business isn’t life-threatening and can wait.” As the woman turned back to the Sheriff, Joshua stepped up to the coffee pot on the Franklin stove and poured himself a cup of coffee. Looking over to Clive, the boy shook his head. Taking a sip of the bitter brew, Joshua realized that this might not have been a good idea. Joshua was going to have to teach Pete how to brew coffee. Taking seats in the courtroom area, they turned to watch.

With an air of false enthusiasm, The Sheriff addressed the lady, “OK, Lady, why don’t you tell me about it.”

“WELL, I arrived here yesterday from back east for a job in this backwater nothing town as lady instructor in poise and deportment for the Jackson family. While I was resting, recuperating from the trail, my maidservant took my luggage and purse. The clerk at the hotel informs me that she left, with all my luggage on the westbound stage last night. I had $500.00 in that purse. She also took the letter of introduction to the Jackson Family.”

“Damn, Lady, I’m sorry about that. As soon as I can, I’ll get a wire sent to the Sheriff in Virginia City. That was the only stage that left last night. Hopefully, he’ll be able to catch up with her.”

“I’m confused Sheriff, aren’t you going to ride out and bring her back? I told you she has all of my wardrobe. Other than these clothes I have nothing to wear. Also, how are the Jackson ‘s going to be able to verify my position and bona fide’s? I am to be the instructress for their children.”

“Ma’am, I don’t think you have quite got a grasp on the situation. The reason that the stage to Virginia City leaves at night is because they are crossing the desert. There are a couple of relief stations on the route. They change horses at those stations. Halfway across, they’ll stop during the day. Nobody, with any sense, tries to cross that desert in the day. when the sun sets, they start again.”

“Now, even if I had the authority to chase after that stage, which I don’t, I wouldn’t do it. First, because there isn’t anybody to keep an eye on things around here if I’m gone. Second, there is no way in hell I could catch up to that stage before they got to Virginia City. In fact, a rider, with water, food, and a couple of remounts, would likely get into Virginia City 2 days after the stage.”

“BUT what we can do is calm down and gather our thoughts. Then with an accurate report of the events. Including a description of the thief, I can send a telegraph to the Sheriff in Virginia City, and he can detain her. So, given that, are you going to calm down?” The Sheriff looked at the lady with the question in his eyes? When she didn’t respond, he continued.