Chapter 10

Something did, it started at once. I heard a substantial whining from back near my truck and trailer. I looked that way and a section of the dirt floor was lowering itself with my truck and trailer on it. I watched the whole cycle and as the high point of my truck, the CB antenna as a matter of fact, descended below floor level, another section that looked exactly like empty dirt floor slid into place. When the moving was done with, the barn's dirt floor looked as if nothing had ever been in that large section, like my truck and trailer had never been there.

The other two buttons in the box were labeled "Up" and "Down" and when I pressed "Down" a small two man sized elevator came up out of the floor, waited until I entered and then sank back beneath it, coming to rest in what seemed a basement for the barn. My truck and trailer were there and the rest of the basement, which was as large or larger than the barn, was empty.

There were up and down buttons in the small elevator too, and when I pressed up it returned me to the main floor and then hid itself again when I stepped out.

I closed the wooden door on the control box that I'd thought was surface mounted on one of the barn's main supports. Wrong again, the whole box slid back into the beam and when it was done I couldn't even see a line around the outside of the small door. It looked as if the beam was completely solid.

By now I was hoping to escape the Christopher's Mansion without any more surprises. All of them had been worthwhile but I was near the end of my twine for today. I mounted Boots and headed back toward the gate. I didn't even bother to lock it behind me.

As I was leaving, I noticed that my saddlebags were sagging badly to the side I'd put the new gold ingots in. I had to dismount and transfer half of them to the other side. I remounted and headed directly to the Mayor's house then.

After he let me in I didn't stall around.

"Sir, what is the price for the Christopher's place?"

"Originally it was ten thousand dollars, but lately she sent word that she would accept half that since there'd been no interest," he said.

"Nonsense. I'll gladly pay the full ten thousand, and when you send her the money please tell her that I'll double that amount if all the contents are included," I said.

"All the contents are included already, the horses and mules also," he said.

"I didn't see any horses or mules," I said.

"They are at the Colonel's ranch. He's keeping them for her since they have to be fed and tended to. There are two Morgans for the buckboard, four for the carriage and ten large Missouri mules for the wagon," he said.

"Even better," I said.

I'd brought my saddlebags in with me, and the Mayor went nearly bug eyed when I counted out ten thousand dollars worth of ingots from each side to pay for the place.

It's usually difficult to stun even a small town politician speechless but I'd done the job. The Mayor finally came to his senses and made a receipt. I was feeling magnanimous by now and I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

"I realize that this is a big responsibility for you, so I want you to know that I don't hold you responsible for the delivery to Mrs Christopher. I expect that you will do your best, but if something untoward does happen, robbers or such, I will be ultimately responsible. If someone steals this gold I'll simply hunt them down and kill them and then make other arrangements to get it to its rightful owner," I told him, but I had the strangest feeling that nothing at all would go wrong.

After some idle chitchat I left the Mayor and after putting Boots away I went directly to Marjorie Carlson's shop and home. Jimmy was playing around near the front door and I started to send him to see Mary about some candy she needed to give him, but I didn't really have time for an afternoon of slap and tickle.

"Hello, Jimmy, is your mother in?" I asked.

"Yes sir, Mr Jefferson, she's sewing I think," he said.

"Very good," I said, knocking on the door.

Marjorie opened it right away and invited me inside.

"Are you working on my shirts?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact I am," she said, and then came close for a kiss when I pulled her to me.

"Might as well stop for now, I've run into a much larger project for you. I bought the Christopher place and there are closets filled with clothes that will no doubt need some work to fit me," I said.

"Maybe not much, Mr Christopher was a big man, probably near your size," she said.

"Be that as it may, I'll never fit into any of those dresses until they've been altered," I said, trying not to laugh.

"Oh, you," she said, after a minute to think, and then she laughed.

"What do you really want done with the things?" she asked.

"First, I'll need some idea of what can be done with them. I don't know how far they can be changed from what they are and I don't have any idea of what size Mrs Christopher was. Ideally I'd like to make sure you, Mary, and Mrs Clancy and her twins get all the use you can out of what there is. I'd like for you to have the rest to sell or use as you see fit.

"Of course you and Jimmy will have to move in with me, since it would be too much trouble to move them all here so you could deal with them. Besides, there simply isn't room for them in your shop or even in your whole house.

"Also, I'd feel much better if you were living close to me. It would be so much easier for me to visit," I said, patting her lovely ass.

"Funny, I'd never considered being a kept woman before and now I like the sound of it," she said.

"Don't think of yourself as a kept woman. You're a dear friend that I want to keep close. I shan't be keeping tabs on you and if you find a man you want to keep for your own I won't stand in your way in the least."

"Don't be silly," she said, pressing herself against me, "Now that you've done it to me right, where will I find a man that can compare? I dare say I couldn't keep up with the pace if I had to handle you by myself. I think I'll like life as a kept woman just fine, no matter what the Pastor might have to say about it."

"The Pastor will find himself in heaven sooner than expected if he doesn't remember the Golden Rule, and I don't mean the one most people quote. I'm speaking about Judge not, lest ye be shot by the one you piss off with me doing the shooting," I said.

"Oh my. In fact Parson Brown has always been a practical man for a preacher. I'm sure you can come to an understanding if you talk it out," she said, and then reached down to give my dick a little squeeze.

"Especially when he realizes my enthusiasm for the situation," I said, kissing her again.

"I think you and Jimmy should start packing your things, at least enough to last for a night or two. I'll want us to move as soon as I get my teams from the colonel."

I left and went back over to the store where I found Mary and Lilly out front.

"How is Mrs Clancy?" I asked, when I came in.

"Mother seems much improved. She only took half a spoon of the medicine after lunch and she's been able to get up to use the privy," Lilly said, and then squeaked and blushed for what she'd told me.

"Wonderful. If she feels well enough, maybe we can move out to our new house tomorrow," I said.

"Our new house?" Lilly asked, mouth gaping.

"Of course, we can't very well keep you all staying in Silas's bunkhouse. He'll need it for others any time now. I was able to scrape together enough money to buy us a little shack not far from town. The guy told me the roof didn't leak all that much," I said.