HD novella

[goinbroke2]

GB accepted yet another glass of shine and felt a serious case of "drop-ass" coming on. If he didn't get up and get something going, he was on his ass to stay. Turned out Mrs Morrison was increasingly interesting, full of stories and historical facts about pretty much everything. But after the 5th or 25th story, GB had to get moving. He got up with Clay and went over the load Clay had previously made as it was still weeks away before the new site would be up and running. He was getting a strong hankerin to head home and was thinking of an exit strategy.

Pagosa Springs had a population of a little less than 1500 people, but with this big horse race coming up, the town had ballooned to over 3000. There was a "tent city" made up between Apache St and 10th street and there were card games and bare knuckle fights going almost 24hr's a day. The sheriff called in a back up from Durango, order had to be preserved. There were 24 deputies now, patrolling in pairs, four per shift, three 8hr shifts a day. At any one time there was a sheriff and four deputies patrolling the town and mostly the tent city. 7th street was the cut off point were outsiders weren't allowed past as the womenfolk were scared. The biggest industry in the area was lumber with ranching a close second so payday was especially wild and wooly with all the extra cash flowing into the town at that time. The whole town was waiting on this dang horserace to get done with so everybody would leave, problem was, nobody could find the one who was setting up the race in the first place! Rumors ran rampant about him getting caught up in various affairs, each one being crazier than the last. The whole idea of him getting a pile of money and then running before the race was a silly one as nobody had handed anybody cash yet. The town was getting wound tighter than a ducks arse, and that's waterproof.

He idled into town on highway 160 and looking left over his shoulder at the San Juan river he could see disaster in the making in the form of a tent. Not only was there people traipsing everywhere, but there was garbage piling up. There was paper blowing in the wind, clothing and whatever just left to the elements. Stopping in front of the hotel there were four guys out front arguing about something, GB ignored them and walked around. He gathered all his belongings, paid his bills and threw his stuff in his truck. He saw Janitor sitting in a window watching him, they held a stare for maybe 10 seconds but it seemed an eternity. He gave a curt nod which was returned then backed out, watching for the crowds of people milling around everywhere. He had just put it in gear when he heard a rifle shot, the crowd froze and the hotel owner was standing on the steps with a shotgun pointed in the air. "hold on you sorry son of a gun, you ain't leavin jus' yet" he yelled. He looked ahead and the sheriff filled the windshield. "get out of the truck mister" he said. GB shut the truck off and stepped out." what's going on sheriff"? he asked "Dunno, but we're about to find out ain't we"
The owner showed the sheriff the queer money GB had paid him for the room and demanded payment. Before the sheriff even had a chance to open his mouth GB had his wallet out "those cheating bastards" he yelled, I won that money fair and square last night and they paid me in queer?" Putting the two $10.00's side by side it was obvious which was fake if you knew what to look for. GB didn't, but the owner did and pointed it out. After digging through his wallet GB had another $191.00 in queer. the sheriff grabbed it and pulling a match asked the owner "he square with you now?" "Suppose so" was the reply. The sheriff lit the match and put it to the queer. Those walking by, not knowing what was going on got to whispering and pointing. "Hard way to learn boy, couple hundred ain't easy to come by" the sheriff said then turned on his heel and walked away, dropping the still burning bills on the dusty street.

GB got in the truck and headed for Muckalee creek, one last thing to do. "Pagosa" he thought to himself, that was a Ute term meaning "boiling water" Damn straight he thought, the whole damn town is boiling. He stopped at "Nadines Livery" on the outskirts of Muckalee Creek and rented a horse. See if this one was any better than gluebag he thought. Loaded up he headed for Sara's, had to talk to her and Corene and say good bye. He came to help, but the place had turned to a powder keg waiting for the race.

"Hullloooo the house" GB called as he entered Sara's meadow. He saw her come around from behind the barn with a rifle in the crook of her arm. "You know, if you're gonna carry a weapon at all times, a pistol is a might bit more flexible right?"
Sara gave a short laugh "what do you want GB?" Hmm thought GB, a little terse, whatever. "Just wondering if you've seen Flat or TB around, or Brock for that matter. The town is waiting for this damn race which ain't appear to be happening and I'm down to $700 or so....so, I'm heading home." Sara looked at him for a second "ok". "aaaannnnddd" GB drew out, seen anybody around?" "Corene is back at her place and I ain't seen nobody in a few days now, can't really help ya"
"Alright, well, it was really nice to meet you Miss Sara" GB said with a wink. Turning his horse he called over his shoulder "say good bye to Corene for me will ya".
"See ya 'round GB" she called after him. She shook her head, what a strange fella, heart of gold and a head of rocks" She laughed at her own joke then added "and maybe a bit brash". Smiling she turned and walked back into the barn to finish skinning the deer she had hung.

[ga flatwoods]

As of this moment, I volunter to write the afterward when all this finally wraps up.
Ga Flatwoods

[ga flatwoods]

It was a long cold night. Flatwoods wrapped tight in his blanket as he sat watching the fire. Silently, he said a prayer for these three boys killed that lay deader than nails for no good reason. After he had gotten the fire kicked back up, he had taken the time to cover them where they fell, and to close their eyes. They died scared and without prior knowledge as what was about to happen to them. This was a truly despicable act. He had read the sign, he knew what happened. They were come up upon by the ones that left out the back. The ones chasing them did not know whom they were chasing but only that they were in pursuit. The one with the limp and the other two forced the Bondurant boys to stand between them and the posse. The shooting started from behind them and toward the posse which made the posse think they were the ones doing the shooting. The return fire was instant and lethal, and sustained much longer than needed. In this turmoil the three crept away with the blood of three innocent men on their hands. They would not be hard to track and Flatwoods would bid his time. He would take up the search in the morning.
Funny how staring into a fire seems almost primal. Outside of the loving arms of his wife who would be softly stroking his hair, there was nothing in this world more peaceful or hypnotic, often leading to sleep or deep, deep thought, than a fire when given the opportunity to gaze into its depth at length and in the silence, or turbulence, of ones own thoughts. Tonight, Flatwoods thought of long nights at the still site with his dad and uncles, fishing and hunting trips taken through the years, the meeting and courting of his wife, their marriage and honeymoon, the birth and death of his children, his adventures both here and abroad for country and personal retribution, those he let live, and those who fell around him and by him. He pondered his life and the true value of all he had done, or didn't do. He had been the man he felt he was required to be but was he the man he could have been? He decided that in the end, none are the people that they could have been as all are mortal and in that a common flaw. Along with words he had for those Bondurant Boys, he asked for God's grace and forgiveness for his own self. He had not always lived a life of a deacon, nor did he want to, but he had always been a man recognizing the feebleness of the human creature and by that means a God fearing man. Along with these thoughts and the randomness of them all, he would take a good pull of the whiskey he had grasped by the neck and slung between both legs while his forearms sat on each thigh. Deeper into the fire and further into the bottle, he heard his Mama calling out to him as a child so long ago. She wanted him to come in but he was hard into play and really didn't want to go in so he hid from her. She was calling to him now but again, he wasn't ready he thought "to much to do." Off in the distance, he heard the songs of the Creek Indians that once ran the shores of the Muckalee, danced around the fires, and had knowledge of things most white men would ever know. Flatwoods had the Creek in his blood, had known some of the old timers and been fortunate enough to have Indian friends that he would spend much time with in childhood. He understood more than most.
Somewhere deep into the night, beyond the bottle, and in a far more mystical place than the depth of the fire seemed capable of delivering a man, the body of the man leaned over against the ruined still, shrugged the blanket up tight, lowered his head and closed his eyes. A single tear fought its way out of his eyelid and ran down his cheek. A hero tear it was- the first to escape in many, many, years. As it fell into the sand, Flatwoods fell into a deep sleep.

[corene1]

Corene had left Sara's cabin for a bit to go home and get a few things from her on cabin to bring back up the mountain to Sarah's cabin. They had really hit it off well and liked having each other for company, they had both lived alone for so long they had forgotten what it was like to have someone around that cared. As she traveled down the mountain she was pretty much un aware of all the carnage that had been going on in Pagosa Springs, it was like she and Sarah had their own private world separated from all the problems down in town. She noticed that someone was setting up a pretty good sized still as she got into the smaller hills close to town Probably someone thinking they were going to strike it rich selling it to the feds, She didn't trust them one bit especially Jed, he would sell his own mother to cover his butt. She paid it no never mind as she was heading over to TB's to check on the up on his progress with the upcoming race. As she neared TB's house she saw him out working his field trying to catch up on chores that had been sidetracked during all the commotion. She gave him a wave as she crossed into his field and a big hug when she got over to him. Where you been hiding at girl, while wiping the sweat from his brow, haven't seen you in quite a while. Flatwoods told me you two stayed up at the cabin in the Skodies when he brought them fellers down to town. Yep we did, figured there were enough folks down here so we were waiting til we were needed to help with this mess. You have no idea how big a mess there is down her now girl, Feds everywhere , and the mob is shooting everything in sight. Been 2 big gunfights so far, a bunch of folks dead and some missing or hiding , Now there are all these folks here for the race don't know who you can trust and who you can't. Well I am just coming to get a few things from my cabin and will head back to the Skodies tomorrow morning. Good to see you again and you know you are welcome any time if you need some good quiet country to clear you mind in. Hey Corene! I have an old mule if you need to pack some of your belongings on for the trip up the mountain. That will give me an excuse to come up there and visit. Thanks, TB I think I will take you up on that. He's in the stall by the barn you know where the pack saddles are, make yourself at home.
It was early dawn when Corene got up , it had been a lonely night as she had gotten used to having someone else in the bed with her. She packed the old mule and headed out at gray light. The old mule wasn't fast but he was stable and sure footed , and she could bring all her needed belongings in one trip. They day was cool and clear with a touch of breeze and her mind was wandering over the trees and the mountains. The miles flew by and in no time it seemed she was cresting the ridge that over looked the cabin. The sun was getting low as she approached the cabin, Sarah was on the front porch sweeping when she saw Corene coming over the hill. She dropped the broom and headed her way giving her a wonderful warm hug and whispered I sure did miss you last night . As they turned and headed towards the cabin porch Sarah lurched violently and fell to the ground then a second later Corene heard the rifle shot. She grabbed up Sarah and made a run for the cabin as she was running through the door she felt the impact of the bullet into her side and slammed her to the floor. Her mind was racing a million miles an hour and in total confusion. Who would be shooting at them and why , what to do . She looked at Sarah and knew she was already dead and it wouldn't be long before she was also , her legs were useless and she was bleeding out quickly. All she could do was drag her self over to the table and try and get her pistol. She was getting cold and her eyes were slowly losing focus when she saw the outline of a man and a woman in the doorway, there to finish the job she guessed . The last thing she would see in this life was his face , she strained to keep focused and she finally saw him just before she passed. She could barely speak. Jed , you son of a bitch, as her eyes closed..
It was early morning and TB heard his old dog going crazy , he knew something was wrong . He threw on his hat and shirt and ran out to the front of the cabin to see what was making his dog so riled up. His eyes cleared a bit and there was his old mule standing at the barn still packed up with Corene's belongings.

[ga flatwoods]

Damn! Just Damn!

[Bigbob]

You know when your favorite charecter gets killed off on your favorite show...... That's how I feel now. Damn you Jed !!!

[goinbroke2]

All I can say is, they want to hope GB never finds out they killed the girls in cold blood, he had a soft spot in his heart for them. Damn shame, they'll be sorely missed by all who knew them.


With the horse returned to the stable GB stowed his gear in the truck and headed back towards Pagosa Springs where he would drive through on the 160 and keep going. On the outskirts of the town he could feel the smell of fear in the air, and everybody seemed to have a nervous twitch constantly looking around or over their back. Man, GB thought, this place has gone to hell in a damn short time. A slight change in plans, he cruised down 8th street and turned onto Navajo and noticed all the shutters were closed and even the clotheslines were empty. He circled around by going back up 7th and turning right onto Durango and pulled up short. Where Durango and 6th intersected, the San Juan river flowed by but there was a crowd milling around blocking the view. As he got closer he could here yelling and see people milling around. Through all the splashing and mud flinging it appeared there was an all out brawl in progress, but to see the crowd exchanging cash and shouting encouragement GB knew it was yet another form of competition and betting to make someone rich. Wouldn’t do him any good, that’s for sure he thought as he slowly pulled away. He took 6th all the way to Florida street then again circled back, finally ready to shed the town and head home to where he belonged. You can never go home they say, even if home wasn’t much in the first place. He never had anybody to “stop by and see after all these years” as anybody he knew was either dead from old age or moved away looking for work or just plain dead from the life. It was a beautiful place but there was nothing really here for him anymore. Well, this is it I guess, he thought and pulled onto the highway.

He shifted to second and heard a pop as the truck settled down in the rear. “DAMN” cursed GB “Rear right is flat”. Examining the rear right he saw the problem, an empty casing from a 45 had punctured the tire and blew the tube. “Rim fire, not a center fire” he mused “at least I didn’t run over my own brass”. That was another problem, with all the shootouts and general gun play going on there was empty casing strewn about the town as well. The tire was cut bad enough it would have to be replaced with the tube so he just turned the truck around and slowly drove to the garage. He left the truck at the garage and decided to walk to Jimbo’s and have some dinner. Might as well leave on a full stomach as an empty one he figgered. The plate was rounded high and the staff was friendly..well, mostly…and the food was excellent. On his second beer he saw the sheriff out the window putting up flyers. Soon enough he heard the sheriff was letting everybody know there was a new bylaw in town, no loitering/vegrants/gambling except in legal gambling houses. Basically letting all know he was about to clean up the town. They had 24hr’s to “pick up their shit and get out of Pagosa Springs” it said. Well good for him…and Pagosa Spring he added.

There was talk around Pagosa Springs the last few days of a brand new hotel that opened in Las Vegas 600 miles or so west called Moulin Rouge. Another was “The Dunes” which also opened in the last couple of weeks, and both were into all kinds of betting which might even include horses or so the theory went. The flyer just might be the prompting the crowd needed to move on and let the town heal. Regardless, GB was full and laying back in the chair waiting for the tire to be replaced so he could carry on home to Mama. He woke with a snort then pushing the brim of his hat up realized he had fallen asleep. He dropped his boots to the floor and looked up and straight into the eyes of Janitor who was across the room and had obviously been sitting and waiting for him. “How ya doin Janitor” GB asked as he walked over to him. “you got them all did ya, didn’t see that coming” janitor answered. GB kept a poker face as he wasn’t sure what he was talking about. “What do you want” GB asked simply. “I thought we was good, but if you got a beef with me too I wanna know, it’s only right. I know you’ve been watching me.” GB pulled a chair over and sat down across from him. “have you even had the thought in your head about going back up in the skodies?” he asked him. “Hell no” was Janitors reply “Then we got no issues” He stood up and pushed the chair back “hold on now” Janitor grumbled “you just can’t walk away and pretend nothing happened, I want answers damn it” GB straightened his right arm and the pistol dropped into his palm, “I can give you an answer if you’re looking for it old man”. Janitor didn’t even bat an eye “pop me with that little peashooter and I’ll jam it up your ass kid”. They stared for a moment then GB spoke “ask me plain what you want to know”. Janitor paused then grumbled lowly “Carl, Larry and Moe are all missing and presumed dead, Wushurichard was killed in the shootout and Tater is laid up with a bullet in him and you prance around town like you got the world by the tail. I’ve been watching you, driving around, checking on everybody, making sure things go your way.” “yeah, so” GB said. “So, I wanna know if I’m in your sights as well, if your gonna do it, then do it damn it!”

Well this was a different perspective GB thought, I was “prancing” around town? GB didn’t know about Wushurichard and Tater. “If you’re so concerned, why didn’t you just leave town” he asked. “Figured you’d pole axe me before I hit the out skirts” Janitor replied “humph” GB snorted “don’t you think you’d be dead already if I wanted you dead? Speaking of which, you said Larry , Moe and CARL are missing?” Janitor shifted in his seat and cocked his head a bit “Carl was put in charge but thought Enrico was known and feared, plus he looked up to him and wanted to emulate him so just before we got here he made us start calling him Enrico. Carl doesn’t even look…anyway, his name was Carl and he’s missing along with the other two.”
GB sat and thought, “So you can get shine to the real Enrico in Chicago?” Janitor was slow to respond, “yeah, I could.” “Have you talked to Enrico or anybody from Chicago lately?” Janitor was thinking hard about his answers and trying to process the info he was being given. “Not lately” he finally replied. “How are you getting back to Chicago Janitor?” “Carl’s Packard I would suppose, if they ever show up.”

“OK, here’s the plan” GB started “you wait two weeks and then start looking for a man on a horse over by the water tower, he’ll have a red dickie around his neck and a name of Clay. That man will provide you with lots of shine to take back to Chi-town, you just give him the cash he asks for. If you don’t have enough, there’s a western union in town. Oh, and something else, it better not be queer either. That man gets any funny money and there will be hell to pay, any questions?” “How much am I getting and how will I get it to Chicago?” Janitor asked
“Why the train of course” GB said with a grin “I gotta go.”

[HDNB]

Phil was chugging up a hill just outside of Chicago with Halfbaked taking up the rear in the school bus. The heavily laden trucks were working hard and as the incline increased the old duece sloed even more. An impatient motorist was swerving out to make a pass, as oncoming traffic coming down the hill sped by.
Phil saw the guy in his mirror, pulling out from behind 'baked and dodging back in, narrowly missing an oncoming car. The two lane road had wide shoulders and Phil could see nothing coming so he pulled to the side to allow the crazy prick some room. ' Baked followed suiot in the bus behind him and a new Packard, obviously sporting a new V8 engine, pulled out and started to roar by the bus.
Phil was watching in the mirror as the Packard came up fast. He couldn't see into the windshield from the glare but as the car pulled along side he glanced down to see Mo in the passanger seat and a rush of fear washed over him. He quickly raised his hand to block his face from view and looked away, just as Uncle Mo looked up into the cab as they passed by.

[Truckinbutch]

We stabled the mules and ovenighted at Blackwater Station . The three of us sat late into the night in conference with Forrest and Howard about the 'booger in the woodpile' we had in reference to the upcoming race . That frivolous assed Jack was nowhere to be seen . As usual , out doing Jack things instead of helping look after family business . We made some tentative plans and agreed that we needed to postpone the race for a week to put them in place . We also figured that it might upset the timing of the folks conspiring against us .
>Loaded up the next morning and trailed back to the Springs . We were greeted with a whole shitload of new events when we arrived in town . All the strangers flocking in and all the killings . Lot of information to absorb while we were off loading the mules at the feed store .
>Brock declined Jaye's invitation to come home with us and spend the night . Allowed as he better go check on his own place . We parted with a hand shake and a promise of next time ............
>Riding into our yard all seemed to be in order . Dogs came to greet us and put their noses to work reading the scent map of where we had been and had been doing . We offloaded our personal gear onto the porch and I trailed the string to the barn to unsaddle . Jaye went on in the house to start supper . Animals cared for and ourselves fed we retired to the porch with a bottle and a couple of glasses to relax and discuss the events and turmoil that had been thrust into our normally uncluttered life . We had chosen to live here specificly to distance ourselves from the everyday bullshit of the lowlanders . There's no escaping what the fates have planned out for you , no matter where you hide .
>The deer were just edging into the lower meadow to feed as the sun began touching the mountain top off to our west . The quiet was shattered by the long scream of a red tailed hawk as it sailed from the sun across
our tranquil meadow . Jaye's face paled as she stared at me sitting transfixed .
>"Mister ?"she queried .
>"It's an omen ," I replied as the energy of premonition coursed up and down my spine . A dark foreboding came over me .
>"What ?"
>"I don't know yet . The red tail hawk is a spirit messenger . Often times the message is not good and is a warning ."
>Our pleasant mood broken , we sipped our drinks in silence . At full dark we retired for the night .............

[Truckinbutch]

I put in a fitful night wrestling the sleep demons that fought to prevent my unconscious mind reaching my spirit warrior . I could see him through the pale and he seemed to be battling other demons as well . A kaleidoscope of faces swirled through the mists between me and him . Flat , Brock , Corene , GB , Jaye , Jed and Hazel , blank faces , and demon faces . I bolted awake sitting straight up broke out in a cold sweat .
"Mister ?" Jaye asked beside me .
"It's all right ,"I assured her . The dream spirits often do not offer answers . They just heighten your awareness so you can find them within yourself .
>It was nearly dawn so I dressed and made coffee . A few cups of that and a couple of charges in my pipe and I was no closer to a solution . Day was breakin so I started my morning chores . There was a lot of day to day work to be caught up on that I had been neglecting in the past few weeks . I started out by hoeing out the garden through the cool of the morning . It was approaching lunch time when Corene helloed me from the meadow fence . I invited her on in and we went to the house . Seated at the table the three of us exchanged news as we ate . I offered her the borry of a pack mule and she accepted .
As Corene and the mule reached the upper edge of the place on the way to her place I heard a raven calling from the tree line . The hair prickled on the back of my neck and I felt that same dark premonition flood over me . That day passed and the following one as I did routine chores . The dark cloud followed me during the day and I fought the sleep demons at night .
>The following morning the dogs woke us at first dawn with their barking . I stepped to the edge of the window with my Winchester in hand and looked out across the yard . There , in front of the barn , was the mule I had loaned Corene . With her stuff still on it !
Jaye edged up beside me and looked out .
"This doesn't look good "
"Not at all . You cover me while I get the mule and see what I can figure out . I give you a wave , you start packing me a war bag . Best pack one for yourself , too ."
>The dogs and I cleared the area and with their help I got the mule in the barn . At my waveoff Jaye began packing .
The mule was tired and hungry . And nervous as hell . Otherwise she was unharmed . All of Corene's gear was still secured to the pack saddle , including her bow and her .270 Ackly . That meant that there was trouble . Bad trouble .
>I barned the young AP , the Stud , and Steppin Woman . While they ate I curried them down and strapped the leather to them . By the time I had them saddled and led to the house Jaye was on the porch with 2 war bags packed and dressed in her traveling duds .
>She looked at me with a raised eyebrow . "Ain't good , at all . All her stuff was still secured on the mule . Including her bow and rifle . " Jaye's face fell at that news . "You take the mule and the dogs and go to Signal Point . Build a smoke fire there . Build it to burn long and slow . Lay a rock pointer like I showed you on the Skodie side of the fire and put this broken arrow at the end of the pointer . Brock or Flatwoods comes up they will understand there is bad trouble at Sara's cabin ..........."

[Truckinbutch]

I took her in my arms and gave her a deep kiss ."And watch your back . The dogs will look after you . You come careful to the cabin . I'm gonna travel hard swapping from horse to horse . Keep your rifle close to hand as you go ."
"I'll see you there , and Mister , you better not have new holes in you when I get there ,"she said .
I swung onto the middle of that AP horse and lead out , trailing the Stud . I glanced at the sun . We had gotten ready so fast after we first saw the mule that barely an hour and a half had passed . Riding as hard as I planned with this pair I could be there by late afternoon . Swapping horses every hour we made good time without either of them tiring . By early mid afternoon we crested the ridge overlooking Sara's valley .



>The man and the woman stepped into the cabin doorway and looked at the two women on the floor . The man quickly snatched the pistol from Corene's hand .
The woman straightened from checking Sara ,"She's dead . You gonna finish that one ?"
He shook his head no ,"She's near enough gone now. Let's get what we came after and get out of here ." He headed for the bedroom hiding place and she followed .


>Flatwoods had spent a rough night with the dead Bondurant boys for company . Through the mists from close the bottom of the bottle rose his spirit warrior to help him do battle with the demons that surrounded him . The drumming and singing of the Creek warriors rose in volume to support them . The flames of the camp fire rose up on their own . And finally Flatwoods found sleep .
At dawn he awoke with a foreboding that all was not well at home . He saddled and turned his horse toward the mountains . Close to noontime he topped a crest and stopped to rest his horse . Something caught his eye off in the distance . It was a thin column of smoke rising in the distance from Signal Point . He mounted his horse and headed in that direction .

>At about the same time Brock had seen the same thing and made his way toward the point .

[Truckinbutch]

From the ridge overlooking Sara's valley I carefully glassed the cabin . The door stood open and there was no smoke coming from the chimney . What could be a blood trail streaked the otherwise spotless porch . A glint in the yard caused me to look closer . Looked like a rifle .....................
I eased my way off the ridge to the edge of the meadow and glassed again . From this angle I couldn't see the rifle if that was what it was . What I could see was a body on the floor just inside the doorway ...... And , maybe an arm and a leg from another body beside it . Nothing moved anywhere in the valley .
>There was no way but the bold way to address this situation . I climbed on the Stud and snubbed the AP close in on the saddle horn . Shucked the '86 Winchester .45-70 from the boot and checked the load . Both horses were prancing nervously , felling my tension . They were both ready when I sunk my heels into the Stud's ribs and broke them into a dead run in a charge across he meadow .
Riding low over the saddle I held an oblique angle to pass the blind corner of the porch . When I reached it I dropped to the ground , rolled out , and scrambled for cover against the side of the cabin . There had been no shots , no shouts , no other sounds . Still no sound except the blowing of my horses where they had stopped beyond the cabin . They were not alerting to anything .
I eased across the porch as silently as possible and chanced a peek through the doorway . Two women on the floor , the bedroom door open , the hide hole open , the entire cabin in disarray from what looked like a hasty search . No sound or movement .
>I took the chance and stepped in , rifle at the ready ............. Clear . I knelt to check Sara . Shot through the spine between the shoulder blades and she was gone . I turned to check Corene . She was hit low down on the right side at her belt line and had bled a lot . I felt a faint pulse at her neck ........ She was alive ! For how long I didn't know . But there was a chance . I rolled her gently to her left side looking for other wounds .Goose egg bump on her forehead and her eyes were blackening . Possible concussion . While I had her rolled up I unbuckled her belt , unbuttoned the brass button , and slid down the zipper . Rollong her back to her stomach I worked her jeans and panties down over her hips to get at the bullet wound . It was a deep furrow that had slashed through tissue and apparently nicked the top of the hip bone and glanced out . The shock of that alone was enough to have downed her . The flesh was swollen and blackened with bruise . The bleeding was minimal now so I gathered some clean linens and made a hasty pressure bandage to hold her while I secured my horses and got supplies to treat her better .

>I got my horses in the barn and unsaddled . War bag in my left hand and rifle in my right I went back to the cabin . I started a fire in the cook stove and set water to heat . While it was heating I put the bedroom back in somewhat order and carried her to the bed .
I wrapped Sara in a couple of spare blankets and for wont of a better option carried her to the smoke house .
I didn't expect Jaye or any other help until morning so I had no other choice than to be the doctor . The kettle of water was hot when I went back in . I dipped some into a sauce pan and shaved jerky into it for a broth and set it back on the stove . Dipping more into a wash basin I cooled it to a comfortable temperature . I carried it , my war bag , and rifle to the bedroom . I was hesitant about undressing Corene , but , it had to be done . I got her cleaned up and cleaned the wound as best I could . I cringed when she moaned with pain . Still , it had to be done . With the wound properly bandaged I got a night shirt ofer he and came back with some broth . I was able to get about a cup into her on the first try and stopped at that . Looked like I was in for a long night .

[corene1]

As the darkness overtook her she knew she was dying , her body was cold and her brain was flashing through her life. Her childhood and her father's love stood out , she could feel his spirit talking to her. Hold on Corene , fight , don't give up. She could feel her willpower and her strength slowly fading . Again her father's spirit pushed her . Fight dammit , it's not your time! This battle seemed to go on for days as she faded in and out of awareness. Then a beautiful white light started to grow in her minds eye , was this the light that leads to heaven? She could feel the warmth returning to her body she was at peace with her self and a clam completely over took her entire being. The light got brighter and brighter and in the center she saw a face, a familiar face. Did God take on the image of someone close to you she thought, maybe this makes the entry to heaven easier. As the image became clearer she could make out some of the features. I know this face ran though her mind. It is my friend TB's face . Hey TB what you doing here in the after life she thought. Welcome back girl, was all she heard as she opened her eyes . TB was leaning over her looking her straight in the eyes. Thought we lost you for a while there, The doc says you are going to be fine just going to take a good long while to heal up. She started to become aware of her surroundings , white sheets a few tubes stuck in her. She reached up and felt his face , stubbly face and messy hair with a smile that could speak volumes. She rolled her head and saw Jimbo sleeping in the chair next to her bed with guitar in hand . He has come here everyday and played for you , You sleep now we will find out who did this and there will be hell to pay. She knew she owed her life to TB and somehow he had gotten her to a hospital. He is some kind of man she thought.

[Truckinbutch]

I passed a long night . Catnapping in a chair , rifle in hand . Up every hour or so to try to get some more broth into Corene . She seemed to be resting easy although still unresponsive . About 10 the next morning my dogs barked at the door . I stepped out and there was Jaye and Steppin Woman in the edge of the tree line . I waved her on in and she came at a gallop . I brought her up to speed on events as I knew them . I grabbed her war bag and we hurried to the bedroom . She pulled her bed kit and started to work . Checked Corene's vitals and told me to rig a hanger for a plasma bag . We got an iv going and she pulled the covers back to inspect the wound .
She looked at me and smirked ,"If you hadn't been so busy admiring that fine naked ass you might have done a better job of doctoring ."
I colored up and began to stammer and she laughed out loud and patted my arm ,"You did fine with what you had to work with . I was just teasing you . You go on ,now and tend to the animals . I've got things in hand here for now ."
WOMEN !! Who can figure them .
> Was just finishing the barn work when the dogs alerted . Rifle in hand I stepped to the edge of the door . It was Flatwoods across the meadow . At my haloo he rode on in . I told him what I knew . He had gotten a glimpse of Brock earlier . Allowed that he was probably 2 hours behind . I invited him in for coffee before we started the unpleasant task of digging a grave .

[goinbroke2]

GB picked up his truck and headed to his old homestead. If "outsiders" gotta be "gone within 24hr's", then I guess I'd better not be an outsider then, he thought. He drove by a place called "the spa" which itself had a bit of history. George Spock and his uncles, the Judishacks, purchased the spa resort from Mrs. Cora Woods in 1946 after returning from the war. Mrs Cora Woods also had a second enterprise her husband Nathan Woods started in 1938 called "Pagosa Springs Healing Water ltd" which wasn't doing well by 1944 and when Corporal Nathan Wood was killed in Europe early 1945, the place was shuttered. What caught GB's eye though was the warehouse full of packing crates and containers which had been abandoned for the last 10 years. Peeking through the windows he could see pallets upon pallets of cardboard boxes with the name on the outside as well as gallon jugs and much more. He wasn't "snooping" as much as "pre purchase due dilligence" he figured. A long and winding driveway led to an older home which must of been quite grand in it's day. When Mrs Cora Woods came to the door she wasted no time with small talk. "what do you want and make it snappy". GB said how much for the healing water business. "Why, who's asking" GB was going to say he wanted to start a business and have a big story but instead just blurted "how much for all the packaging then". She stood in the door for a moment then backed up "come in, what do you want to move?" GB was taken back for a second, she's pretty damn quick now ain't she he thought. "Gonna move spring water to cities is all". HA! she laughed, "ain't no money in that" GB came right back with "well it would be my money to loose wouldn't it? Course I'll have to inspect all the packaging and stuff to see if it's not all rotted of course" "of course" she replied watching him closely. "Tell you what, if everything is in good shape, I'll give you a down payment and pay you as I use the rest, how would that be?"
"Thousand bucks"
"five hundred and you got a deal" GB responded
"thousand bucks and you still haven't told me who you are or where you're from"
"$750 and I have a place out of town."
She smiled and then agreed "$750 to start and I want half the cost price for everything"
"Fine $1000 but I give you 10 cents on the dollar for your packaging that you cannot use and is only a fire hazard right now"
"That'll do" she said and held her hand out. "I'll have the money before we start don't worry" with that he spun around and was out the door.
Now he had to get Janitor to get a $1000 advance for the shine in which he would give to her for the packaging and also bring Clay up to speed on all this.
Things were coming together, as long as things kept moving forward.

[Truckinbutch]

We looked in on Corene . The color on her cheeks looked better .The nasty lump on her forehead and black eyes didn't enhance her beauty none . Jaye said her blood pressure was coming up with the plasma iv and her heart beat was stronger . She thought that another bag of plasma would stabilize her enough to transport .
>She fixed us a bite to eat and served fresh coffee . The three of us discussed and agreed on a fitting grave site for Sara . Flatwoods and I got tools from the barn and went to the spot in the meadow to start digging .
We were about half done with the digging when the dogs alerted . We grabbed our rifles and hunkered in the half dug grave . The glance we exchanged showed that we both appreciated the irony of our choice of shelter . Brock showed in the trees and we waved him on down .
>He stopped in front of the hole and eyed me ,"Pilgrim , this don't look too good ."
"You got a good eye for detail, "I replied ,"Light and we'll tell you as much as we know ."
Once I'd finished the tellin he rolled a smoke and lit up , digesting the information for a time ................... "Crossed some 2 day old horse tracks this morning headed toward Pagosa . Tall man and a medium height woman ."
"You could read all that from a set of hose tracks ?" Flatwoods asked ,his voice heavy with sarcasm .
"Course not , you damned old fool . They'd stooped atop a high ridge to blow the horses and scout the country ahead of them . They got down off the damned horses to piss and that's how i could tell ." Brock stobbed out his smoke and stood up . "Give me a pick or a shovel and I'll help finish diggin ."
I had given that some thought while we were talking . "I think you'd be of more help if you would go up the valley and cut us some lodgepole pines suitable for a travois . We still got to get Corene to a hospital . That is after you stop by the cabin and get a bite to eat and some coffee ."
"I'm good with that ,"he said and led his horse off toward the cabin .

[corene1]

As she lay in the bed and her mind began to clear she couldn't help but relive what had happened to try and figure out who and why someone would want to shoot her and Sarah. Her last vision was that of Jed and what looked to be a woman in the distance but that wasn't his style . There was at least 2 seconds as she recalled, from when Sarah got hit and she heard the report of the rifle. 2 seconds means that shot came from a far piece out. She would ask TB next time he came in if the bullet had stayed in her and they could ID it. If it was a .30 caliber that might shed some light on the who part. She knew GB shot a .30 - 06 and was known to be a wild man at times allying himself with whoever could make him some money. He always had something cooking somewhere. She thought Jed was working the Feds and the Mob at the same time but GB had some bad dealings with the Mob in Florida, they could have contracted him with a deal for amnesty also. Maybe someone spotted her when she found that new still sight and wanted to keep her quiet about it. Then there was that hit list TB had for entrants to the big horse race and she knew her name was on it as well as a few others. All she knew is she had to get healed up quick but that bullet had taken it's toll on her hip joint .

[Truckinbutch]

We buried Sara beside the willow just before sundown . Each of us mumbled a few words selfconsciously , humbled by the circumstance . Back at the cabin we built a fire in the yard . None of us were in the mood to be confined by walls . Besides , we needed the light . We still had a lot of work o do building a travois . Jaye went in to check on Corene as we set to work . She returned with a good report on Corene and a jug of whiskey . We passed the jug silently as we worked the poles and sliced rawhide strips to bind the framework together .
>Brock took a pull and passed the jug to me . As I took a drink he remarked ,"This is gonna be a rough trip on that gal , shape she is in ."
>"That's a fact ,"I agreed as I passed the jug to Flatwoods , "I see no other choice . We made it work for Holmdahl down in Mexico and we had to drag his sorry ass a hell of a lot further to poorer medical care ."
>Flatwoods froze with the jug halfway to his lips and stared at us wideyed ,"Holmdahl ? You two knew that son of a bitch ? Emil Holmdahl ?"
>"One and the same ,"I nodded ,"Name mean something to you ? Sounds like you knew him , too ."
>Flatwoods took a pull and nodded ,"Got hooked up with him in 1915 smuggling guns across the border for Carranza . Pecker headed kid that ran off from staring at a mule's ass all day through a set of plow lines to find fame , fortune , and glory ."
"How'd that work out for ya ?"
"Bout like you would expect ,"he said as he passed the jug back to me ,"Feds busted his ass in El Paso and I had to swim the damned river to get away . Too scared to go back to the States I made the great decision to soldier for Carranza for a year . How 'bout you two ?"
I chuckled and glanced at Brock as I passed him the jug . "Been readin our mail , ain't he . Near about the same for us . We swam the river at Douglas , Arizona in 1913 and hooked up with Villa when he and Carranza wee still together . Two dickheaded kids in search of adventure . Couldn't speak enough Mesican to know whether we was being told to charge , retreat , or go take a shit . We could ride a horse like we was part of it and plunk a rifle ball in a gnat's ass at two hundred yards consistent . Holmdahl took us under his wing and taught us everything he could about water cooled .30 cal Brownings and soldiering . When Villa and Carranza split he took us along with him to Carranza . We got in a scrap in Sonora and he got hit bad in the lower back . Everybody else was runnin and me and Brock went back and got him . Hauled him 70 miles to a field hospital to get him patched up . Then we helped him get back across the border to Douglas to heal up . Stayed with him for several months and cared for him until he decided to go back . Me and Brock decided to stay stateside for a while longer ."

[jedneck]

Wont be long now. Sara's cabin is just over the rise. Jed kept walking towards Sara's. It was one of those days that had a bad feeling to it. The birds aren't singing and the deer are spooky as all hell. Can't even find a rabbit to bring for dinner. There's the clearing wont be long now.
CRACK
"That don't sound right" Jed thought. Almost there is the edge of the clearing. There's Corene running like her knickers are on fire towards the cabin.

CRACK
Corene falles to the ground with what appears to be a fatal wound.
" That shot came from the same area over there on the ridge. I'm gonna go get me a peak." Jed thought to himself.
Wish I had more than the 44 mag with me. Ill find their track and then go find TB. Shots came from behind me and to the right. Better work slow don't know who or how many there is. I figure I got 4 hours till sunset.
There on the crest of the ridge was two people on horse watching their back trail. The two unass their saddles and relieve themselves. I got their trail and I ain gonna keep up on foot. Time to go find TB. Well I'm closest to Corene's thats where I'm gonna go.
HELLO, THE CABIN.

[goinbroke2]

"Huh" is all Janitor said when he entered GB's old homestead. He had got the money from chi-town and GB took off with it after dropping him here. He picked a room on the back side of the house with a roof outside his window..."in case". With nothing to do until GB got back he explored.

GB gave the money to Mrs Cora and got the keys to the warehouse from her. Back onto Snowball road he stopped and parked the truck in the woods, covering it so it couldn't be seen from the road. He walked 1/4 mile to the new stillsite and watched for a minute. "Clay, I'm coming in" He shouted "It's GB, don't shoot". He walked into the opening and noted several people working feverishly building and assembling various parts. "All you got is one guy with a shotgun on guard?" GB asked "should cover a couple entry points as well as give them something better to shoot with, heck a shotgun is no good unless the guy is rushing you". "Well GB" Clay started "don't know where you get your money from but the boys here only can use what they got, and they got a shotgun. When they switch off the next guy might have a rifle or a shotgun or even a pistol, it is what it is" GB wasn't impressed and let him know, this will be a big operation when it's up and running, we have to have protection. Let's talk over here" GB took Clay aside and they started going over Pagosa Springs staff, looking for weak spots. "Sheriff is clean as is most of the founding fathers, the mayor can be bought and I know of two deputies, some of the aldermen, heck GB I'd have to do some face to face to know for sure. I got half my kin ready to work for me as runnin a still is less back breaking than logging though." GB smiled "good, you do some talking, I need whatever you got left to make a load and then I'm going to box it along with an equal amount of water. When it's all packed I'm shipping it by train to Chicago. I got the keys to the warehouse so I'm ready to go." Clay gave GB directions and how much was there, what to take and what not to then turned and went back to work.

He backed the truck into the warehouse and pulled the tarp off. The guy with him never said a word just nodded and did what he was told, GB was starting to think he was a mute or something. It appeared everything was gravity fed, and whoever shuttered the place did a fine job. All the lines and tanks were dry, GB found a room with filters and other maintenance stuff in it. After getting the water running and cleaning the holding tank and lines with disinfectant (which was past the due date ) they dumped all the alcohol in. It took a bit of messing around to figure out what did what but the mute seemed to have a knack for it. Soon the waterwheel was rolling and the belts started to move, the bottling maching was empty but is seemed to be working. The mute pulled some levers and twisted knobs, GB wasn't sure if he was just seeing what they did or if he actually knew what he was doing. He checked another tank and then brought a case of jugs from somewhere and GB watched as the mute fed the bottles in and started filling. "WHOO HOO" GB cried as the first bottles started to fill. The mute grabbed the full ones and started dumping them down the drain as the next group went in. "AHH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" shouted GB as he ran over to the drain. The guy looked at him and grunted, sticking his finger in the liquid running down the drain he held it up to GB. " Water" GB sighed "I see what you're doing, good idea."
With the tanks holding alcohol and clean water with no leaks anywhere and the bottling machine working properly they started to fill the first gallon jugs with shine.
Hours had passed but they had four pallets with shine in the centre and around the outside of the pallets was water in case anybody accidently(or on purpose) broke one open. The truck could only carry two pallets at a time but they were all delivered to the train station and put in the warehouse there. GB bought a ticket for a passenger and paid freight for four pallets of "Pagosa Springs Healing Water" then went to drop off the mute and pick up Janitor. He'd be leaving on the next train out for Chicago, which happened to leave at midnight.

Driving back to the homestead GB kept thinking of that bus and deuce and a half full of shine heading to Chicago, what a coincidence he thought, all the likker leaving here going to Chicago..whatever, as long as Janitor came back with what he asked for he'd be happy. If anybody could get tommy guns or something else that could protect their business he knew it would come out of Chicago.

He layed in the dark, thinking of how he built up his business back home, keeping the garage as a cover for the likker he was selling. Paid a lot of cops and mayors off as the years went by but it all worked out pretty darn good. Mama can even run the place now, garage and likker sales...This new venture was going to eclipse his business back home though and once he got it running, The old lady who owned it and Clay and his kin who ran it would be taking all the risk...his name wasn't on anything anywhere...in fact once it was running, there was no need for him to even come back except to pick up his cash since he couldn't transfer it from a bank or anything, he remembered how Al Capone got caught, tax evasion...he slipped into a dream of being home with Mama and the kids, sitting around the table eating turkey...all was good...


About 2am he awoke with a start, the train..Chama, Osier, Alamosa..that was the route it would take, but why did he have a foreboding feeling...he restled and turned and again drifted off.

[Truckinbutch]

Work went fast binding up the travois and the level in the jug went down as we exchanged 'Been There , Done That' stories . Jaye joined us with some sandwiches and coffee . Thought the travois was as good as we could do , given the trip we had to make . We talked late into the night and then slept on the cabin floor . At daybreak we readied the horses and the mule . We hitched the travois to her being that she was the most stable and surest of foot . Gently we carried Corene out and strapped her in . Jaye mounted the Stud and I climbed aboard the Ap horse . Brock took the lead with Jaye and Corene following . I trailed the travois . Dogs were running point and flank security with Flatwoods covering our six .
It was a slow 2 day trip to Pagosa . We dared not travel at night for fear of putting Corene at further risk . We made quite a spectacle with our small cavalcade trailing through the small town to the hospital . The already nervous townfolk wondered what was next .

[Bigbob]

EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA
THE PAGOSA SPRING
A woman was brought out of the mountains today with critical injuries. The woman was not identified and neither where her rescuers. They came into town on horses and trailing a travois. After dropping off the woman at the hospital the group left hastily. No comments where given as our reporter stated that this crew was not to be trifed with.the three men and one woman in the group where all armed and in the words of one witness "knew what they where about". More information as it comes avalibile.

Injured woman coming into town

[HDNB]

Phil and Halfbaked arrived in Chicago. They found their way to a fenced yard Behind an Amoco station and paid the operator a dollar for parking for the night. The guy was even decent enough to call for a taxi whil they were parking the rigs. They walked back to the building an shook out a smoke for the guy a smoke as he poured out coffee for them.
"Thanks, man. Really appreciate the parking, there is no place at the hotel for trucks." Phil smiled over the steaming cup and took a sip.
"Hey, Your taxi is here." said the operator as he nodded towards the front door. "Don't worry about your trucks. I let Sampson here out in the lot before i go." He reached down a patted a massive black dog.
"I don't feed him until morning, so if anyone is dumb enough to go in there, they ain't likely leaving with alll the appendages they come in with." He grinned and blew smoke out through his nose and clenched teeth.

"We'll fill up in the morning. There is another buck in it for you if Sam there doesn't eat one of the tires." Phil waved to the man as him and 'baked made out the door for the waiting taxi.
They instructed the driver to the Palmer house and settled in for the short ride. 'Baked pulled out a little mickey he had filled up and offered it to Phil.
He enjoyed a long sip from the little bottle and said " I hope Jed makes it on the train soon. I want get this job done and get back to writing. Way too many people running around with guns for me."
"I hear you there brother." 'Baked agreed and tipped back a long measurre.

[HDNB]

His horse was gassed, and he was out of breath himself. He had caught up to the woman with her tall man. The camp they had set was an easy find. Smoke from the fire was carried downwind and the horse had spooked when he smelled it moments before Jed did. On smelling the smoke, Jed had jumped off the animal and pulled it quickly off the path. Further downwind and into the deep brambles he found some cover, with a patch of grass to keep the horse occupied. He made his way stealthily to the camp under cover of the dark.
As he approached, he couldn't see exactly who they were. The woman moved uneasily, like she had been wounded, or maybe had a gimp leg. Both had their backs to him and he looked about for a safe angle or entrance to give himself some advantage and saw none.
"Shit" He said under his breath and retreated back towards his mount to find a place to set and think about what the best way to approach this situation was.
He found the horse and led it further into the woods. He knew there was a stream in this direction and the horse was going to need water if was going to carry him another day and half back to town.
Exhausted, he sat down hard and gazed at the small waterfall as the horse drank.


Jed was replaying the scene in his mind.
Glassing the meadow from the far ridge, he had seen Corene running for the cabin and watched her fall from the gunshot just as she reached the door.
He had made his way as quickly, but the sheer drop from the ridge he was on was impossible to navigate and he had to track far south to make it into the valley. He rode hard, to get to her as quickly as possible.
As he approached the cabin he reined up and called "Halllooo the cabin!" but there was no response. He threw caution to the wind and rode up boldy to the front door tossing the reins over the horse's head, tieing him to the ground and allowing him graze.
It was surreal. Sarah was in a crumpled heap and the pool of blood from Corene's abdomen was huge. He checked Corene for a pulse, and when he felt none a huge knot rose from his belly and lodged in his throat. It was difficult for him to look away, but he went to check on Sarah.
Nothing.
With tears welling in his eyes, he tore through the door and jumped on the horse, turning him quickly and spurring him to a gallop across the meadow, west towards the path he had seen the tall man and the woman travel on after the gunshots. He was at least a half a day behind them now, with the sun going down. With nothing to do for Corene or her Sarah, he rode hell for leather, bent on revenge.
Now he was on them.


He peeled a few spruce boughs and made a bed while the horse grazed. The sound of the waterfall eased his troubled mind as he laid back under the massive tree. Thoughts of revenge gave way to real world around him and he noticed a squirrel darting up and down a tree. The creature moved fast, his body darting down to the forest floor and picking up a few seeds, quickly back up the tree to it's nest. Down. Then Up. Back down, then up. Jed followed it's movements watching the squirrel climbing the tree. As he tilted his head back to watch, his hat touched the soft spruce needles and his eyes closed.

There was a cold dew when he woke with a start. The horse stood quietly between him and the water. The world came into slowly into focus. The squirrel continued on it's quest, down the tree to scamper accross the forest floor, Jed noticed the dew drops shook loose from the ground his little feet disturbed. As his vision and mind cleared, his fury grew. A wave of red washed over the world in front of him and his vision closed to a pinprick, exploding into a nova of rage. He bent and grabbed up his .44 and turned moving towards the woman's camp, leaving his horse standing by the pool beneath the waterfall.
He made his way through the underbrush, moving quickly and silently toward the camp he had found the night before. he came on the place in the main path where their tracks had diverged. Looking north Jed spied a stand of birch, indicating low ground. The spruce grew tall to the west and the main path he was on dived suddenly to the south, broaching the stand of spruce and the hill they stood on.
Decision made, Jed moved down the path to flank the camp from the high ground. That would mean moving past the camp by way of the main path, undetected.

Jed saw the woman, moving stiffly down toward the birch. The tall man was still laying down beside the small smudge of a fire. He was poking at it, adding some small twigs and brush, looking for a little heat. Jed stepped out from behind a massive spruce with his .44 drawn to the man's forehead. The tall man let out a small gasp when he saw Jed.
Jed drew his off hand up to his lips, holding a finger up in a shush. The man nervously glanced towards the birch.
He could hear the woman, moving clumsily through the woods, coming back towards the camp. Jed raised his eybrows towards the man, and waggled the barrel of .44
Hazel came back into view of the camp and saw Jed, stopping her short.
"Jed!" What the hell are you doing out here?" she asked, as if seeing an old friend for the first time in years.
Jed remained silent and stared her down.
"I saw what you did yesterday." He said flatly.
Seeing the dead look in Jed's eyes, Hazel slowly reached behind her back to touch the handle of her service pistol, stuffed in the beltline of her denim.
"Don't" Jed growled. Just then the tall man rolled quickly and drew up on Jed.
Jed wheeled his revolver back to the man and loosed a booming shot. The tall man's face registered just a moment of shock before it exploded in all directions. Instinctively Jed swung around to bring a bead on the woman, who had deftly moved behind a tree. A second BOOM bounced off the trees as the lumber exploded and caught her heavily in the face as she covered.
Hazel shrieked in pain, and held her hand up to her face. She recoiled in horror as she pulled her hand away, soaked in blood.
"Jed!" she cried "I'm Blind!"
"Fuck you!" he replied coarsely.
Hazel fell, exposing herself, from behind the tree.
Jed walked up calmly, with the .44 pointed at her head. "Those wimmen were friends of mine." he deadpanned. His pupils were dilated and he moved deliberately. "I watched you shoot them in cold blood."
Hazel scrambled for her saddle bag "Jed, There is so much money!" she said, bills spilling from the bag, her eyes pleading.
Jed glanced down at the cash. He could tell from 10 feet away it was queer. "Bitch." he said calmly as he pulled the trigger. "them girl's was family"
Her face exploded and her brains scattered across the rocks circling the fire as the .44 echoed through the woods.

[Truckinbutch]

Bigbob , excellent photo of the tavois we built to transport Corene It was a lot of damned work by 4 craftpersons tthat cared about the patient .

[Truckinbutch]

We got Corene to the hospital And they summoned Doc Meaders . Damn good feller . Had been a combat medic with the Marines in the Pacific . Came back to the States and finished his medical training to become a doctor . When the bugles blew again in Korea he re-upped and spent another year in a MASH unit . He was very familiar with the trauma he was facing . Offered Jaye a position after she told him of her assessment and treatment to date . She declined .
> With Corene in capable hands we headed for the stable to care for our animals and get ourselves cleaned up a bit .
> That's where Sheriff Rager caught up with us . Now , Bob Rager is an honorable public servant and law officer . He understands that he serves at the pleasure of his voting constituency . A staunch law and order man that understands that crimes of the biblical sense demand attention and some things the Federal Government considers crimes , not so much .
"I need to talk to you folks , TODAY !"
"Sheriff ,"I said ," we have had a rough road the last few days . We would like to tend to our stock and then clean up a bit . We could come to your office and talk in private afterward if that is acceptable to you . Much of what we have to talk about does not need to be discussed in the public domain ."
Rager eyed me with a narrow stare as he thought . "That's fair .All of you coming ? "
"Yep , we need you to get us up to speed , too . We only got one small portion of the story ."
"I'll be in the office .".........................

[Truckinbutch]

The adrenaline started bleeding from Jed's system and the after battle fatigue began to set in . He retrieved the weapons and started packing the gear from the camp . He could barely function and think . Normal reaction after a gunfight . He needed rest , but not here . He gathered the other two horses and packed them . Searched Williams and the other one for any paperwork or information and then rode away to find another camp site .
On his last reserves he made a rough camp just before dark . His mission was to go back and bury those girls . That was his last thought , wrapped in his blankets , before sleep overtook him .
> It was late morning before Jed awoke . Still feeling tired , he tended the horses and built a hat full of fire to boil some coffee . He had no appetite for food . Fortified with the coffee he rode out, back toward Sara's valley .
It was an hour before sundown when he got in a position to glass the valley . Things weren't right for how he had left them . There was a black spot in front of the house ,as though there had been a fire built . The cabin door was closed , as was the barn door . What looked like a fresh dug grave by the willow in the center of the meadow .
Puzzled , Jed backed away to the horses . He mounted and rode away to find an overnight spot to camp . He didn't want to be trading daylight for dark trying to sort out this mystery ................. He would take it up in the morning ......................

[Truckinbutch]

I saw Pogo lurking in the shadows in the stable as we went in . He'd been listening to our conversation with the sheriff . He approached me .
"Mr Butch , thee's some bad things happening ain't there ?"
"Yes , my young friend and we need your help ."
You could see him swell with pride .Wasn't often that anyone regarded him as someone that could be of help . He had suffered abuse from most folks his entire life .
"I'll do anything you need done , Mr Butch ,"he declared .
"Pogo , we got to go spend some time talking to the sheriff ." He nodded that he had heard that ."Ms Corene is in the hospital and she is bad hurt .We need you to go get Mr Jimbo and ask him to go set with her until we get back . Ask him to bring his guitar and a gun when he comes to keep her company . Can you do that ? " Pogo nodded affirmative and took off at a dead run with the message .

[goinbroke2]

The light came through the shutterless window and played across GB's face, groggily he woke and put his hand up to shield it. Rolling out of bed he pulled his boots on then sat on the edge of the bed and thought of today's plans. He liked to run everything through his mind and plan ahead before getting moving.
Ok, no food here, let's get some breakfast he said to himself.

He stopped at a diner and ate then walked across the street to the town hall. Checking records he saw that his place was listed as "abandoned" and there was $471.00 owing in back taxes. Basically anybody who paid the back taxes and the filing fee could claim the place. GB made the decision to pay the back taxes and since it was already his old place thought he shouldn't have to pay any filing fees. After 5 minutes of arguing with first the clerk, then the supervisor, then the deputy mayor, he finally got his own way. They were probably trying to just shut him up but he didn't have to pay the $2.55 filling charge so he was happy. Breakfast, gas in the truck, taxes, there's $500.00 gone he thought.

"Hi Babe" he started, "just wanted to call and check in, hows everything, hows the kids?" GB listened as she went through the pleasantries then got serious. "GB, I got good news and I got some news that could be viewed as either good or bad" "we got the Briar place, 50 acres" GB thought that was great news, he'd been buying up land around his place and leasing it to farmers, the only charge was they had to grow what he wanted and then give him a percentage of it. So far it had worked great with four farmers currently growing corn, barley and rye and giving him enough to run his still. "What's the other news" GB asked "Well, I think we're getting a new sheriff and he's straight GB, he can't be bought" "And what's good of that?" GB asked "Well, I thought maybe we could, you know, with the Briar place now, maybe go legal?" "WHAT??" GB exploded "are you crazy woman? we'd get a quarter of the profit that we are now, why the heck would we do that? There has to be an election so get someone to run against him, tell the mayor if he knows what’s good for him he’ll back whoever you say. Which reminds me, I’m running short of cash, can you western union me $1000.00?” There was a pause and then she answered “what are you getting into now dear, should I be concerned? Actually, don’t answer that, I don’t want to know. One other thing, I’ve been signing for stuff but the bank says you have to sign for the land yourself because I’m only the wife” GB bristled at that “give me the number of the bank, I’ll call them myself and give them a blast, they were quick to accept money and signatures from a wife when they were receiving money weren’t they?? But NOW a woman isn’t good enough to sign for anything when they have to give it out?” She quickly gave him the number knowing if he called while still mad she’d get an apology from the bank manager. Smiling she bid him good bye and hung up. GB banged the receiver causing others to look his way. Grabbing it back up he called the operator, “Gimme Saskatoon 85319…SASKATOON SASKACHEWAN…YES I’M SPEAKING ENGLISH, ITS IN CANADA!!.....S..A….S…K..”

[Truckinbutch]

Jimbo was getting ready for the early crowd at the bbq . Couple had already taken seats and ordered beers . Lucille , from down to the telephone exchange , came in looking extremely frazzled . She wasn't a regular , every day customer . Jimbo hustled over to the corner table she had chosen .
"Lucille , good to see you . You look frazzled . What can I fix for you ?"
"You don't know half of it , Jimbo . First off , I want one of them light colored Coca-Cola's you fix for some folks , in a tall glass , no ice ."
> JImbo colored a bit that she knew about those 'Cokes' . He went behind the counter and , bending low , poured about 4 ounces of some of his finest into a water glass . Straightening , he went to the fountain and finished up the glass with coke . He sat the glass on her table and she picked it up and downed it without taking a breath .
"Another one , just like that one ."
> Astonished , Jimbo complied . Returning to the table he sat down as he placed the drink in front of her .
"This must be pretty serious ?"
"Bad several days at the office . Got this one prick that keeps placing long distance calls from pay phones about town . Chicago , Las Vegas , even clear up to Canady . Makin the phone company lots of money , but , I swear , that is the rudest son of a bitch I have ever had to deal with on a regular basis . Sorry for dumpin on you . I just needed to vent ,"She said as she took a more moderate swallow of the new drink .
> Jimbo's brows had wrinkled and his eyes darkened in thought as he listened to her tirade .
"Think nothing of it . Long as you ain't mad at me it's all good . You just unwind and read over the menu . I could probly find another one of them Cokes , too , if you are so inclined ."
> He had just gotten back behind the counter when Pogo scurried in waving him over frantickly . Pogo whispered urgently in his ear for some time and Jimbo's features continued to darken as he talked . When he finished Jimbo said "You carry a message to my wife that I need her and our daughter here right away to take over for me . I got to go to the hospital and don't know how long I will be there . And , Pogo , you tell her I said you get a free meal every day until I say different ."
> Pogo sped off on his new mission lavishing 'Thank You's' over his shoulder as he ran . Jimbo went to the office and pulled out a 1911 and tucked it under his shirt into his waistband . Guitar slung to his shoulder , he headed to the hospital .