“No, we are fine. I trained Breezy well. She is a fine cook and will rustle up some grub mighty soon.”
We left the house and led our horses to the barn. “You ain’t said a word, Hitch; you got somethin’ on your mind?”
“Well, Lou, Dorcus seems awful friendly but I don’t trust her. She never had a kind word for me. Staying here overnight don’t sit too well with me either. If the men folk return we may have trouble. She was right about Josephus. He is a nasty piece of work and both his brother, Haydn and Rafe follow him like puppy dogs. They are a mean bunch and I do not doubt what Jess Waldo told us. You can see Dorcus is getting’ up there and she won’t be able to control them boys much longer. I see trouble coming down this mountain. I do not think this is a good place for Breezy, either. If something happens to Dorcus she is not going to be safe here.”
“What do you mean? She got her kin folk here and she seems able to care for herself.”
“I do believe it is her kinfolk she got to worry about. You ain’t seen the way the men look at her. Last time I was up her she got after Rafe with a whip. It was a sight to see but I do not think this a good place for her if Dorcus passes on.”
I just shook my head at this. Folks are just full of evil and it always seems to come out of nowhere. They is sure hard to understand. Maybe I was better off with the cattle. All these human complications made for a passel of headaches.
We unsaddled the horses and rubbed them down. After laying out some hay and putting them in stalls we made our way to the pump and washed up a little. We could smell meat cooking in the house and our stomachs began growling. Having not eaten since the morning, we were a might famished. “Hell, lets make the best of it. Maybe Josephus will return tomorrow and we can settle this while we are here. I do not want to start a battle over a couple of elk.”
We went back in the house. Breezy had set out places at a large wooden table. Old Dorcus was seated at the head and we pulled up benches on either side of her. Breezy came in from the kitchen carrying a pot of elk stew, corn bread and some green vegetable in her arms. It smelled good and got our juices flowing.
“I hope you like my stew. Just help yourselves, we ain’t too fancy hereabouts.”
Nevertheless she ladled out a plate for Hitch with big chunks of meat and gravy. He grinned at her and thanked her. We set in to eating and was chomping away likkety-split. It was mighty good but the green things was soft and unfamiliar.
“Pardon for askin’, Breezy, but just what are these green vegetables?”
“That be okra.” Dorcas said. “We brought seeds from back home when we come out here. I sure do miss the food from back in Loosiana. We tried to make it like back home but we can’t get them spices and nothing tastes the same. After the war the South was no place for us, so we headed west. Never thought I would spend my final days on a mountain in snow and cold. My husband wanted to come out here, so here we came. Well it was a good life until that bear got Zeke. I had to be strong and runnin’ this clan weren’t easy.”
She sighed and smiled. She did not have many teeth left. “Well that is my tale. My days is numbered and I just hope the family can endure. I have a feeling it won’t be long until someone will want us off this mountain. The days of free land is over and the government will be sticking their hands into our business right soon. Ain’t one of the men left got any head for law or business and I fear for their future.”
I swallowed a chunk of elk. “Well, Miz Dorcas, I know nothing of your legal right to this land but I will look into it if that is your wish. I do not know the legal disposition of this
mountainside but I surely can find out and see if there is a way for you to claim it. You are right about things changing and changing fast. The old west is about over and the plains is being settled right quickly.”
While Old Dorcus and I was discussin’ things Breezy and my pardner was making eyes at each other. It was pretty obvious that they was sparkin’ pretty fierce. I was waiting for Dorcus to say something but she was just ignoring them.
We finished our dinner and Breezy made us some coffee. Old Dorcus lit up her pipe and offered us some tobacco. We had never taken up the habit but Hitch did smoke for ceremonial reasons and always kept some with him. He gave a pouchful to Old Dorcas, for which she seemed awful grateful.
“I thank you for the tobacco. We can’t rightly grow it up here and it is getting hard to come by cash to buy it.”
I asked when the men folk was returning but Dorcas said she was not rightly sure. It depended on the luck of the hunt. She thought not for a few days at the earliest.
Breezy offered to show us to a room in the back of the house. I thanked her but said we would be better off in the barn. They had all the younguns in the house and while I had no reason to distrust Dorcas, I felt better being close to the horses. We said our goodnights and headed out to the barn. After a visit to the outhouse we settled in for the night.
Being early spring it was still cold at night. We were higher up and the chill was right frosty. We settled our bedrolls in a pile of hay and that proved to be mighty toasty.
“Well. Hitch, we did not accomplish much here. Old Dorcas seems to have mellowed some but I think I can see trouble coming from her kin when she passes. Josephus seems a handful. I wish we had seen him just so I could take a measure of the man. I hardly remember him except for being a nasty little bastard. Of course now I know why you was so anxious to join me. That Breezy is quite a high spirited gal. I think you better watch your scalp or it might be hangin’ from her saddle.”
“Aw, Lou, you quit riding me. I could do a lot worse. She is a pretty thing and she was real good with them little ones. Plus as you can see she can handle a horse and a rifle. She ain’t no delicate flower like some of them back East ladies.”
“You sure are right there. Let’s get some sleep; I want to be up and out early. We got a piece to travel tomorrow and I want to try for some game. Be a shame to come back from a trip like this empty handed.”
I had fallen asleep but awoke when I heard Hitch whispering from the next stall over. The moon was full and the barn was pretty bright. I reached for my Colt and snuck a look through the boards to the adjoining stall. There was Hitch and Breezy holding hands and whispering into each others ears. I almost burst out laughing but left them to it. I got back in my bedroll and thought of Violett waiting back in Lost Path. I fell back to sleep dreaming of her milky white skin.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I rose before the sun came up. Hitch was snoring in his bedroll with no sign of Breezy nearby. I shook him awake and we got ready to leave. After feeding and watering the horses we said our goodbyes and headed back down the cart path.
I turned to Hitch and said, “I thought you was going to set the barn on fire last night. You and that little fireball was like to set off sparks.”
He grinned at me. “Sorry about that, Lou. She can be pretty persuasive. I got to figure a way to get her away from here. She can’t stand her kin but is afraid to leave Old Dorcas alone. She said Josephus is getting crazier by the day and she fears for them both.”
“Well, why don’t they come down to Lost Path? We can look after them there.”
“I already said that to her but Dorcas will
not leave her home. She told Breezy she would
rather die than leave. It is a concern.”
We were turning off the cart path to head
down the mountain when we saw the hunting
party coming up towards us. I counted six mounted riders and two wagons. As we approached I waved my hat and we rode up to them. I recognized Josephus right off. He had grown larger in every way but still had a mean
and nasty look about him.
He halted the party as we rode up. I raised
my hand in greeting. “Good morning to you,
Josephus. I am Marshal Silt, as I am sure you
know. It has been awhile but I came up to see Old
Dorcas and to have a talk with
you.”
He had a large head with long matted hair
hanging down below his coat collar. His deep set
eyes burned cold. He looked me over and
sneered. “I see you be the law now. Well I
remember beating the tar out of you.” He spun
his horse around to face Hitch. “What the hell is
that half-breed doing here; He the law now too?” “Never mind that; I want to talk to you
about a couple of mule skinners in town that
come in complaining about you and your
brothers stealing elk from them. I need to get
your side of the story.”
“Ain’t no side to get. They was poaching
on our land and we drove them off. They are
lucky they got off so easy.”
I could see the men behind Josephus
inching closer. They was all armed. “Well, I do
believe that you got no legal title to the land you
are occupying. I aim to look all that up when I get
back to town but as far as I know this is open land and anyone can hunt it. If you claim you have title to the land I will see to that. Dorcas made no such claim when I spoke to her
yesterday.”
“You mean you two was up there all
night? I don’t care if you is the law, you got no
right staying on my property without an invite.” “First of all it ain’t your property and we
was invited by Dorcas. I do believe she is still the
head of this clan of yours.”
While he was thinking of his next move I
pulled my horse up along side him. He reached
for the pistol at his side. I was close enough to
him to grab his arm.
“Ain’t no need for that. I am the law and if
anyone pulls a fire arm they will be arrested and
put in jail.” While still holding onto Josephus I
pulled out my Winchester as Hitch cocked the
hammers on his shotgun.
I let Josephus go. “Get off your horse, now.
All of you dismount.”
He glared at me but waved his kin off.
They all slowly got off their horses and gathered
round Josephus. I alit also.
“Now you listen to me. I ain’t here to
cause no trouble. As the Marshal I wanted to pay
a call on Dorcas and to ask about the elk that you
took from the hunters.” He kept staring at me
and said nothing. After a tense second he turned
towards Hitch.
“You may be the Marshal and that gives
you some leeway but I will be damned if I will
have a half-breed on my property. You best stay
away from us or your scalp will be hanging from
our tent pole.”
With that he remounted, wheeled his
horse around and signaled for the hunting party
to climb up and proceed. As he waved them
forward he turned to me.
“I will deal with you another time, Silt.
You being Marshal don’t mean jack shit to me.”
He rode off and left us sitting there.
“Ain’t he a beauty,” said Hitch. “We should
have beat him to death years ago when we was
younguns, now he is going to be a handful.” “Í already said that I ain’t about to start a
war over a couple of elk. I will see about the land
and maybe they will calm down. Although from
what you said I do not feel easy about Breezy
and Dorcas being up here. But I guess that is
their choice. And don’t you go getting any ideas
in your head that could lead to more problems
for me.”
Hitch said nothing, only turned his horse
down the trail and we set out for home.
We kept our eye out for game but were
unlucky. We saw sign but did not come across
even a deer. We had stopped by a stream to rest
the horses when I spotted a rider and a trailing
horse comin’ from a long ways off. I alerted Hitch and we led our horses into a wooded area and unsheathed our weapons. Someone was following us and I was afraid it was them Larues. Well, it was one of them but not the one I was
expecting.
As the rider drew closer we both saw that
it was Breezy. We stepped forward to greet her.
She reigned in her horse and the mule she was
leading and jumped off. She was breathing hard
and it took a few seconds for her to catch her
breath. She was dressed in boy’s clothes with
two belts of ammunition crossed on her chest
and carrying a sidearm. The mule had two
valises and other gear hitched to its saddle and
pack.
“I am glad I found you,” she gasped. “I was
afraid they would catch me before I caught up to
you.”
“Whoa there, little gal,” I said. “What the
hell are you going on about?”
“Well, when Josephus and the rest got
back to the homestead he started in yelling at
Dorcus and then me. He said I was promised to
Rafe and a lot of other shit that I did not take
kindly to. He threatened both of us and said I
would be tied up if I opened my mouth again. I
am tired of him telling me what to do.” She
walked up to Hitch and looked him in the eye. “I
love you Hitch and I am going to marry you and
him and the rest of them can go to hell.” She turned to me. “I want to come with
you, Marshal. I can’t get Dorcas to leave but I will
be damned if I will stay up there another night
havin’ to fight off that evil little Rafe.”
“What the hell are you doing, girl? You
like to get us all killed. How is it that all of a
sudden you done gone from sparkin’ and
mooning to love and marriage?”
She blushed a bright red and began to
stammer. Hitch got up alongside her and took
her hand. “No need to talk to her that way, Lou.
We is in love but I did not know she would come
after us.”
Breezy looked up from under her hat. “I
love Hitch and always have. I just could not tell
him before. I had to get away. That Rafe was
always after me and Josephus and Haydn did not
care. I was afraid of all of them. I knew when
they returned and learned you had been here for
the night I would be in big trouble. Up ‘till now I
could beat Rafe to a pulp. But that boy is crazy
and he is getting bigger. I fear for Dorcus but she
won’t listen to reason and I want to get away
from that place. Let me come with you. I can
work, be a help, whatever you need.”
She looked at Hitch while she removed
her hat. Staring at him she said, “I know this is all
mighty rash but I do love you and if you will have
me I would be your wife. I am 17 years old, strong and able. I can ride, shoot, cook and care
for both human and animal.”
I burst out laughing. I had never heard a
girl propose to a man. She was a right feisty little
thing. Hitch sat there with his bowler hat pushed
back and his red hair sprouting all over. His
mouth was agape and he looked like he was
going to either run for the hills or kiss that gal. “Well, Breezy,” he said. “I am taken aback
at
your offer. But I guess I feel the same way.
This is all of a sudden but if you want to come
back to Lost Path with us I will see to it that you
have a place to stay. As for marriage, I would like
to take a bit to ponder on that. Is that agreeable
to you?”
She nodded her head. I could see that
what had started out as a visit to see Old Dorcas
was turning into a potential county war. Like I
said, this law business was getting way too
complicated for me. Just like the territory around
me was changing, so were the people I thought I
knew.
CHAPTER NINE
We sat and pondered our dilemma. I did not want nor need to be part of this romantic drama. At heart I was a semieducated (due to Pappy’s insistence) cowboy who fell into a lawman’s role based on a blind seeking of justice for my father’s death. Easygoing by nature, I now found myself cast into a position I was ill prepared to deal with.
Hitch sat against a tree trunk, honing his Bowie knife while Breezy was scratching in the dirt between her knees.
“Well,” I said. “We are in a boiling kettle here and I must figure a way out. You two must decide what to do. I believe it would be best for Breezy to become scarce. Maybe the Larue boys will cool down when they realize she has gone for good. I know Doc Tallis got a sister down in Cheyenne who runs a boarding house where people come and stay to take the air. He is forever going on about how she needs help. I do believe a short stay there on Breezy’s part would help us all out.” I stood and walked to her side. “Would you be of a mind to do that, gal?”
She looked at Hitch. “What do you think, Hitch? Is it better than staying in Lost Path? I can take care of myself. If Josephus comes gunnin’ I’ll shoot his eyes out.”
“See,” I said. “That is what I am trying to avoid.” I glared at them both. “I ain’t turning Lost Path into a battle site over you two lovebirds. Let us get moving back to town. Hitch, you got something to say regarding all this?”
He stood and joined me at Breezy’s side. “I think Lou is right. If you go away for a spell then maybe we can sort things out with your kin. If not then we will find other pastures to roam. I would hate to leave Lost Path but if that is the only way, then so be it.”