Chapter 6

About four thirty AM I made myself wake up, dragged on my clothes and slipped out of the wagon. I'd told Helen what I planned before I went to sleep the night before. She'd have to explain things to everyone else.

After catching and saddling Red I forked him and headed for Independence. It was a pisser to leave without even taking time for a cup of coffee, but I wanted to be waiting for Tom Dodson when he opened the doors. I knew damned well I'd have to hand over all we'd saved on the Greeners, and more, when I paid for the pepper boxes.

I thought it just might be worth it when I saw he was already open, or at least someone was. Tom wasn't in the place yet but one of the clerks was ready for business. He came over to help me right away. He seemed to be in a hell of a lot better mood than I'd have been in his place.

"What can I do for you this morning?" he asked.

"I'm leaving with Jack Jenkins' train this morning and last night I decided I'd get a pepper box pistol for all the women in my bunch. I saw some when I was in here yesterday but didn't think about buying them."

"We just got those in last week. They have six barrels and seem to be quality weapons. Would you like to see one?" he asked.

"No, I'd like to see six, wrapped up and ready to go."

"Oh, we only have eight and six would put us short," he said.

"Well if you only have eight I'll take 'em all."

"That'll mean we're out completely," he said, sounding more and more like a fool as he went.

"What's Tom Dodson running here then? Is this a store or a damned museum? I thought he bought this stuff to sell," I said.

"Oh! That's right sir, do you need any lead or powder for them?" he asked, and I figured Tom had given him a going over about saying similar stupid things before.

"No, but we need some caps if they need special small ones."

"No sir, they use a normal pistol cap and of course all of them come with a bullet mould."

"Good then. Tell me how much I owe and get 'em wrapped up. I ain't got time to gab, I got a wagon train to catch."

There was no way in hell he could wrap them up fast enough to suit me, but then again nobody could have. I didn't have a gripe coming about him being slow though. I was the dumbass that didn't think of them when I was in town yesterday.

The pistols were twenty dollars each and I had eight double eagles stacked on the counter before he was half done. I was happy enough when he handed the package over though.

Red made good time trotting back to the wagons and I was only a couple of minutes late for breakfast. There was a crowd around the table now but they'd left room for me. After we finished I showed all the women what I'd been to town for, and handed out a pistol to each.

Helen, Mary, and Honey said they didn't want them, but I nipped any arguments in the bud.

"I didn't get up before breakfast and race into town because I thought you wanted a pistol. I did it because I wanted you to have one. No arguments about it, you get a pistol and you'll learn to load and fire it or I'll spank your asses every night until you do."

"I'll be glad to have one. I already know how to load and shoot it, and I don't want my skinny ass spanked either," Nadine said, and when she did Charlie and Jimmy just howled and I couldn't help but join in.

"I'll even teach the other women how to use 'em," she said.

"But how will we carry them?" Helen asked.

"Don't worry. I have a few hides and we can cut out and sew some holsters. I can show you how to make a short strap to hold it over beside your knee if you're wearing a dress and we can make belts for when we're wearing pants, which will be most of the time if you've got any sense. Traveling in a wagon train ain't no place for Sunday go to meetin' clothes," Nadine said.

"There, see, you'll get used to it. You'll probably even thank me the first time you have to shoot an Indian," I said, but none of them looked happy about it, except Nadine.

Jim, Charlie, and Jimmy headed toward the mules then to get started hitching the teams. I started off with them but Charlie told me to go back to the wagons and guard the coffee pot.

"You'll make us look like we can't do this ourselves, and we damned sure can," he said, so I went back for more coffee and kept out of their way.

Jack Jenkins was approaching as I got back and I offered him a cup too. While we were sipping he asked where I'd gone in such a hurry before sunup.

"In the middle of the night I woke up and remembered seeing a bunch of pepper box pistols in one of Tom Dodson's display cases. I decided to ride back to town early and buy one for every woman with me. There were eight in the store and I bought them all."

"That's one of the smartest things I've heard of from a man getting his first taste of going west. Can any of them shoot?"

"Nadine says she can, but I don't think any of the others are up to it, yet. I warned them I'd tan their asses if they didn't learn fast," I said, and I'll admit I was bragging a little.

"Nadine can teach 'em, if she will," he said.

"She volunteered to do it. She said she didn't want her ass tanned," I told him, and he laughed too.

"That's Nadine. Sounds just like her anyway. You got a bargain when you hired Charlie, cause she's worth as much as he is, especially in a gunfight. You got two for the price of one," Jack said.

"She may think I did, cause I haven't told her I'm payin' her the same as I'm payin' Charlie yet. I ain't like Bill was. I don't try to get free work outa folks. I know some people might but I ain't one of 'em."

"You're right about that too. To my way of thinkin' anyway. I guess that's why I ain't rich. Come to think of it, if I had to act like a rich man to be rich I'd just as soon stay poor.

"I guess I'd better finish my walkin' around and checkin'. It makes the others work harder to get hitched up. They'll get better as we go, but I like to make 'em think I'm keeping an eye on 'em for the first few days. Thanks for the coffee," he said, and then went about his business.

After he was gone I looked around for Helen and didn't see her or any of the women anywhere. I noticed the table and everything else, except the coffee pot, had already been put away, and I wondered where the women had gone. Just then Nadine hopped out of their wagon wearing buckskins and sure enough she had her pepperbox in a holster. I knew good and well she hadn't had time to make a belt and holster for it already.

"This'un don't fit it just right, but it'll do til I can make one tonight. I thank you kindly for the loan of the gun," she said.

"I didn't loan it to you, it's yours now. I hope you don't even need it, but it'll be handy if you do. I didn't talk to you about pay, but Jack Jenkins told me you were worth as much as Charlie. Will sixty a month and found suit you too?"

"You don't need to pay me. I come along with Charlie and if'n you do pay me I'll just give the money to him anyway," she said.