Just Another Trail Town

[Tensleep]

As the smoke floats off and disapates Tensleep cuts his eyes to Stump. "Seems that you might have learned somethin' from us already Young'un. Least ya ain't rushin' to git yerself kilt er shot up bad. Yanno........ life ain't ah race. Tha one what gits shot is usually tha first one to tha scene o' tha action. Never run to ah gunfight..... an' never ever act like yer happy about havin' ta kill ah man."

The three stood and watched as El Paso began to stretch it's arms to a new day.

[Arcey]

"Werds ta live by."

Arcey clicks 'is thumbnail o'er a match 'n lites a gurley.

"Can't lay 'round 'n wait for trouble ta come ta ya though.  Ya gottah go after it.  Catch it when it ain't ready.

"Thinkin' I'm gonna find 'nother card game er start spendin' some ah this money ta make more."

'Sleep looks it Arcey.  It's a look 'e's seen before. 'Sleep ain't gotta say nuttin'.

"If we wanna find this bounty, let's find 'im, bro.  He's 'round here somebody knows.  Ain't no honor 'twix thieve's these parts.  They'd sell their Momma's honor.  Ya just gottah hit the price.  'Sides, me 'n you can use the exercise."

Arcey pops 'nother match 'n cups it.

"Here.  Think yer pipes out..........."

[Camille Eonich]

As Camille approaches the livery stable she sees a familiar face.  She searches through her memory to put a name with a face.  It's Lucky Irish Tom, one of the best freight wagon drivers anywhere!  How lucky could she get?  Tom spies Whoa and immediately looks up to see Camille.  A broad grin spreads over his face and his hand goes into his pocket in search of a sweet for Whoa.  That's a habit of his Camille thinks.  Man sure does love horses.  She grins back at him and walks Whoa over towards him.  Whoa recognizes the man too and stretches his neck out for the sugary treat Tom always has for him.  Camille and Tom just grin at each other.

The silence is broken by Camille laughing out loud.

"Tom, you just don't know how glad I am to see you but what in the heck are you doing here?"  She slides off of Whoa's back and grabs Tom in a big bear hug.

"Dang Cammie!  I ain't seen you in forever," Tom says and hugs her back just as hard.

The two step back from each other and just stand there grinning like fools.

Camille regains composer and asks again "Tom what are you doing here in this no name town and what in the world are you doing in a livery stable?  Man like you can head up any wagon train he wants to."

"Well Cammie that's a long story but to keep it short I'll just say that I got a bummed up knee and just haven't been able to take the long rides on a freight wagon.  Come on in and have some coffee and let's yarn a bit.  Heck I even got some bizcuts and gravy ready for breakfast.  I'll be glad to share"

"Good idea Tom.  I need to get in before I get seen too much anyway."

"Well, c'mon Cammie and bring Whoa too.  Tell me who yer hdin'  from."

Camille wastes no time in leading Whoa into the stable.  "Heck Tom, I ain't hidin' from nobody.  I just need to not be recognized later on."  She grins again, knowing that now his curiosity is really up.

[Lucky Irish Tom]

Irish dishes up a plate full of biscuits and gravy and pours a cup of coffee to go along with it.

Would ya like a wee bit a whiskey ta sweeten the brew Lass?

Camille smiles and indicates two fingers, Irish pours to oblige the young lady.

As to why I'm here as I said the knee has been given me a fit and I ran some goods into this town for the local Mercantile.  It turns out a fellow that used to work with me runs this livery and had taken up sick, his wife was trying to keep it going when I came in to board the horses for a night. 

That was two months ago, been working here since.  He was in yesterday to tell me the Doc finally released him to come back so I guess I'll be heading out again.

Now as to why your here Camille.  I know yer not runnin from the law cause I aint seen no papers on ya and ya come from tha direction of the Sheriff's Office. 

Ya come up the street alone so that tall gangly feller and them two old coots aint runnin with ya.  So yer either on the way to meet them, or your on someones trail. 

Ya feel like tellin old Irish what's goin on Lass?

[Stump Water]

Across the street in the saloon a there's a crash and the sound of breaking glass.

Arcey drops the match.

Immediately a drover slams through the saloon's batwing doors dragging one of the 'girls' by the arm.  The drover flings the girl out in the street and stumbles off the boardwalk to stand over her.

He bellows, "I paid my money and I didn't git what I paid fer!"

The girl sits up and retorts, "Yer too drunk to git what fer!"

The drover backhands the girl across the face, draws his pistol, raises it in the air and starts to bring it down on the girl.

Arcey's six-shooter barks. The bullet tears through the drovers forearm. The drover collapses in the street wailing.

The street is still. No one moves.  There's no sound except the drovers whimpering.

Two seconds pass.

The saloon's batwings slap open and three more drovers emerge on the boardwalk.

One drover sees the man on the ground and spouts, "Ridge! What the hell's goin' on here?!".

As the three drovers draw their pistols and search the street for the shooter, Tensleep slaps leather and has his pistol out in a wink.  Stump Water shoulders his Winchester and levers it.

Tensleep hollers, "Just take it easy boys!"

The three drovers, still waving their pistols around, look across the street and freeze.

Stump says in a low voice, "I got right."

Then 'Sleep, "I got left."

Then Arcey, "Middle man."

Tensleep hollers again, "Be obliged if you boys would put them pistols away."

The drover in the street rolls over and reaches for his pistol with his good arm.

"Watch out for lover-boy, Brother", Tensleep says.

"I see 'im." Arcey says. " It's too early for this crap."

[Camille Eonich]

Camille Leans forward in her chair and looks Tom in the eye then grins slighty.  "Tom, I was a hopin' that the hostler would be a fool and that you ain't.  Better yet you're friend and I'm lucky to be able to say that."

Tom chuckles at her play on words and says nothing knowing that she'll say what she has to say soon enough.

Camille settles back in her chair without taking her eyes off of Tom.  Her eyes drop and her expression becomes serious.

"I followed the trail of Sam McCreedie into town.  He's got a good bounty on his head and I need some money to get me the rest of the way to El Paso on.  Got me some new business to take care of there and some unfinished business that's been waiting too long."

Camille looks up at Tom and sees the patience in his eyes and thinks again about her good luck in finding him here.

"Seems as though McCreedie has rode out of town with a posse on his trail so I got to find me another way to make some money.  Onliest other thing that I know is gamblin'."

Camille  looks up and sees the surprise on Tom's face.  "Miss Camille, pardon me for saying so but you know that ladies ain't welcome in the saloon much less gamblin'!"

Camille grins and tilts her head to the side just a bit.

"Well now Tom, that does seem to be a bit of a dilemma don't it?"  She takes a drink of coffee, appreciating the whisky Tom was so generous with.  "Now you know why I was hopin' for a hostler that was a bit on the dim side.  I may have come in here a "girl" but I'm gonna leave here a bon O fide gamblin' man and since you're such a good friend you ain't gonna be none the wiser about who came in and who left."

Camille watches Tom closely for his reaction and can't help but laugh out load herself when he explodes in laughter.

"Miss Camille, I don't know how you're gonna pull this one off but I'm sure I'm gonna find out.  And you don't have to worry about me none.  I din't see nutin!"

[Stump Water]

BOOM.

Stump glances up the street and sees that Sheriff Moser has let go with one barrel of the scattergun he's wavin' around, then trains his Winchester back on the drover on the right.

The sheriff bellows, "AWL RIGHT!  WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE!"

Tensleep belts back, "SHERIFF!  Stand easy now!"

The Sheriff notices the three men on the hotel porch for the first time and levels his shotgun at them.  He then notices the drovers on the saloon porch and swivels the shotgun toward them, then back to the hotel porch, then back to the saloon porch, then back to the hotel porch.

"Sheriff." Tensleep says, then pauses. "Why don't you lower that scattergun and walk over here right easy."

Sheriff Moser glances back and forth, then walks toward the men on the hotel porch, shotgun still aimed at them.

Stump says under his breath, "Boys...."

Arcey reaches under his coat.  Now there's a pistol pointed at the Sheriff.  "It's too early for this crap."

The Sheriff halts just off the porch and glances from one man to the other, then says sarcastically, "Ok boys.  Would ya like to fill me in."

Tensleep, "Let that scattergun down NOW sheriff."

The Sheriff lowers the shotgun, looks at Stump Water and says with a sneer, "I seen you around for a few weeks.  Who's these geezers?"

Stump says, "Care ta answer geezers?"

Tensleep explains the events of the recent moments. The Sheriff ambles across the street and spouts brazenly,  "You boys from the Lazy H git on outta here!  Go on back to tha' ranch... and make sure ya take Ridge with ya.  Now GIT!"

Once the drovers are clear, Sheriff Moser wanders back over on to the hotel porch and asks Stump, "I say agin'.  Who's these geezers?!"

Stump Water grabs the shotgun from the Sheriff and throws it down on the porch with a clatter, then grabs the Sheriff by the collar and slams him into the hotel wall.  "The big blonde feller's an Ex-Ranger.  Rode more country and fought more Indian's and brought more bad men to justice than your little pea brain can comprehend.  He goes by 'Tensleep'.  That other feller there, tha one that was ready to give you a new eye in tha middle of your forehead, he goes by 'Arcey'.  He's been tha LAW in more towns that you even know EXIST.  I suggest you give these two MEN a wide berth, lest you wanna be pickin' yer teeth outta yer tonsils.  If any of this isn't getting' through yer bone head Sheriff, I'll be glad to go over it again."

Stump eases his grip on the Sheriff's neck and the Sheriff scrambles off spouting obscenities.

Stump, "Arcey, 'Sleep. Guess we gotta ride out now.  Oh well... "

[Lucky Irish Tom]

Irish finishes a good laugh and looks at Camille.  I sure do wanna see how you pull of this gamblin bit, but afore ya do ther's a few things ya should know. 

McCreedie come through here less than a week ago,  had three other fellers ridin with im, I didn't recognize.  One of em had the look of a cold blooded killer just like McCreedie, tha other two were young fellers, probly lookin ta make a name fer themselves.

Whut tha Sheriff tole ya was partial true, they come thru, an I guess you could figger when ya checked im out Sheriff aint no real lawman an he aint beyond lookin tha other way fer a price. 

McCreedie stayed a night at tha hotel, tha followin mornin Widder Douglas come ta town with her boy ta pick up supplies, McCreedie and his men must a seen her, an followed her back to her ranch West a town, about sundown her boy rode into town sayin McCreedie an his men had raped an killed his Ma and burned the ranch. 

The Sheriff sent his two good fer nothin deputies out with some townsfolk as a Posse.  I doubt they could catch cold, much less find McCreedie, an if they do find im they'll most likely end up dead.

If ya still want to hunt im when ya leave town let me know, I aint as fast as I used ta be but I be honored ta back yer play agin thet scum. 

Oh and one more thing don't let the Sheriff know your going after McCreedie, he'd probly try ta send someone to back shoot ya after the fact to claim the reward fer hisself.

[Camille Eonich]

Camille gets serious for a minute.

"I could tell right away that the town lawman ain't no real lawman.  It was as obviuous that he was lyin' as it is that I'm sittin' here and you're sittin' there.  Now we got some fast travelin' to do and it's gonna cost us money.  I got a bit but not enough to get you and me and the horses where we're going as quick as we need to get there."

Camille stands up and grins at Tom again.  "Give me just a minute to get ma gamblin' clothes on"

Camille disappears into the stall with Whoa and Tom hears her rummagin' around in her saddle bags.  A few minutes later a clean shaven dapper young man walks out of the stall.  Tom shakes his head and looks again as the man snarls at him "Ain't you never seen a gamblin' man afore?  What's wrong with you?  You addled or somethin'?"  Camille laughter peals out of the yound man and Tom's eye fly open in shock.

"Miss Camille!"

[Lucky Irish Tom]

Once the shock wears off Tom says, "Well I'll be durned, iffen I didn't know it was you I woldn't be able to tell, no one here knows at all so ther aint no chance of ya gettin caught. 

Tom tells Camille to wait a minute and goes over to where his wagon is setting at the end of the Livery. 

He rumages around in the back for a few minutes and comes back with around a hundred dollars. "Here use this as your stake for the poker game, there's a couple a businesmen that will try to buy the pot when their bluffing, they don't go to high since most folks around here don't have the money to bet against em."

Tom straps on his Remington's and goes over to the Saloon, gets a bottle and takes a  table by the back wall where he can watch the room.  A few minutes later a young gentleman strolls in and talks to the bartender.  The bartender gestures toward a table where four men are playing poker.