Posted June 24, 2018

Henry Speed Guyer arrived at the site of the dance, knowing most of the town and surrounding area would be present. It would give him a chance to perhaps meet some of the locals, maybe talk a bit of business, introduce himself around. Dances were grand occasions and in some places had been known to go on for days. Riders would come from miles away to join the festivities.

It would not be like the east, full of etiquette, all proper and stuffy. Oh, the eastern balls were fun enough, but in the west, dances were a celebration of life. In the west life was different, totally. The proper decorum of the east was replaced by the more natural feel for the celebration of the Western peoples and that was what Guyer appreciated most.

He walked to the table laden with food and picked up a plate. This would be a real meal!

Posted June 25, 2018

Clare stood ramrod straight as she gazed around at the crowd, indeed there were a few boys who just might be in her age range but they weren't paying any attention to her and giving them a second look, they weren't all that grand a sight. Granted, they'd probably think the same of her. Least that thief, Billy, wasn't present. Besides, her father had absolutely forbidden her to start anything with anybody. She was decked out in her brand new dress, well meaning the dress she had quickly sewed together from some nice material she had purchased. Absolutely nothing fancy, no frills, if one looked careful enough not all the buttons even matched but at least it fit. It was a sober darker color, maroon, she thought it went well with her brunette hair. She had polished her shoes but nothing could make them new, she'd had these far too long for that.

It took some convincing for her father to get her to even come to this thing. She had never actually danced with anyone before, unless you counted when her mother had showed her the basic waltz steps, and was quite certain she wouldn't be dancing this night either. It all was a lot of foolishness anyhow. But there was to be a big meal and that meant one less meal she had to cook plus it saved them their foodstocks. So not a complete waste.

"I do not care about boys, father. And I am confident they will be suitably unimpressed with me also," she sighed.

"Just try, Clara, to relax and enjoy yourself. Be friendly, mix with people, you might surprise yourself what a good time you will have then, " her father offered her unsolicited advice.

"Right," was her reluctant agreement.

Posted June 29, 2018

As Speed waked along the buffet table he helped himself to the bounty that was laid out before him. It was then that he saw Ralph Flandry. He smiled and spoke.

“Mister Flandry, good to see you again.” He greeted. “Quite a spread they’ve laid out. Although I’m glad to have missed the brawl. Looks to be an interesting evening ahead.” He liked being in town. He liked the idea of people, of businesses and opportunities that awaited. The celebration was a welcome change from life on the trail.

Posted June 29, 2018 | JP with Quentin Cantrell, Shade Thornton

So he entered the building, stood inside the door for a moment then headed to the food.

As he perused the buffet offerings and began loading a plate, he spotted both Shade and Quentin already seated. He wondered what the afternoon’s brawl might inspire, and those two would be the ones to ask. He had no illusions that all would be forgiven and forgotten, no matter what was said at the end. At least there had been no gunplay, but there was any number of bruised egos with retaliation on any number of minds.

Seeing that there was an empty chair at Shade and Quentin's table he walked over to it. "Gentlemen, mind if I take this seat?”

Shade grinned a greeting, "Sure, have a seat. The ladies have put on an amazing spread. I see you survived the dust-up in the beer tent."

Quentin nodded. "We sure do appreciate you wading in and helping us. The numbers were not looking good there for a minute."

"Yah, couldn't hardly believe that puncher'd hit a female." He said seating himself. "Whot wuz worse, all them men standion' 'round gawkin' an doin' nuthin about it." He shook his head. "This here's a migh-T-fine spread." He took up a drumstick. "Them two from around here?" Knowing the word of any kind of celebration traveled far and wide, and a dance? That would bring waddies out of the woodwork.

Quentin shrugged. "I doubt it. We get a lot of saddle tramps wandering through...looking for a steady job or just some pocket money to keep on moving. The better question is how mad will they be after what just happened. They just might try something very foolish."

"Hell, thought they' already done that! 'er you meanin' the townsfolk wantin' ta stretch their necks some?" He asked. "Mostly where I come from, a man lays hand to a woman, any woman in public he's likely shot dead afore he kin explain. But, didn't have a gun." Pike explained between bites. "Wimmen's a rare find in any country an' oughtta be treated as such!"

Shade nodded his agreement although it had not escaped his notice that Hannah and Harriet had both joined the fray. In fact, Hannah was sporting a black eye and was moving a bit carefully too, just like Quentin and Shade himself. "Regardin' those two low-lifes, I think they worked for Evergreen. At least a few of Evergreen's hands waded in on their side." He picked up his coffee and took a drink, "Figure the Steelgraves will cut them loose now though. They don't much care for overt attacks...their methods are usually far more subtle."

"Steelegraves is it? That'd be the law dog up ta' Whitefishes relations I take it." Pike responded. "Been havin' problems with these folks I take it. Didn't take to the one I run onto, seemed kinda full of himself. On the prod, like he had somethin' ta prove." Then Pike laughed. "Got you some wimmen folk hereabouts whot'll be glad ta show ya whot's whot alright."

"Right, James "Case" Steelgrave is the town marshal. Most people say he won't take on a fight he isn't paid for in advance," Shade told the other man. "He has never been brought up on charges for his killings either." He stretched his back and looked around, "If you ask me, the entire family is a load of trouble waiting to happen."

"Charges? Ah, arrested and tried. Nope, reckon yer right about that." Pronto agreed between bites. "Man that tries that'll need to be both fast and accurate. Hold court in the street, likely as not. Doubt he's one to be taken without a fight." He took a drink of water and he too looked around, not that he'd know anything or anyone was out of place. But he would know trouble. "The small ranchers. How they fare in this deal?"

"Honestly, I haven't been here long enough to comment on that," Shade told Pronto. "There was an incident at the Redmond homestead. Two of their hands claimed to be ours and harassed Clara Redmond. You saw the end result of that in the drinks' tent brawl. And, I know there were some major land grabs and fights back when I was a kid. My father, our ranch, usually came down on the side opposing Elias Steelgrave."

"Seen this before," Pronto said, laying his fork on the empty plate. "Man ain't satisfied with what he's got. Decides he can ride roughshod over the little rancher. Mebee he burns out some homesteaders, sodbusters, you know. Folks that mean no harm to anyone, just tryin' to get buy. Yah, I seen it before, a number of times." The story was not new, he had seen it, as he said, a number of times. It was almost always the same. "So what's been done about it?"

Shade glanced at Quentin for a moment, then shrugged slightly, "There hasn't been any major incidents since I've been back - that I am aware of anyway. I'm sure Marshal Cory will do what he can. Ranches will probably band together. However, even up here, there's often hard feelings toward the homesteaders."

"Reckon that'd be the proper thing ta do, alright." Pronto agreed. Best to have the law ramrodding a deal like that." He paused and smiled. "If ya got yerself a man of means, then most of his hands are hired guns to deal with. An' as far as sodbusters go, they already got a rough way ta go without gettin' mixed up in no range war. Don't fool yerself, it'll be just that, a range war."

He put his hands up. "Not tryin' ta say anythin' 'cept ya need to know what yer up agin afore ya get ta tryin' ta arrest anybody."

Shade nodded his understanding. He had been in his fair share of range wars and did not want to see that happen here. Sadly, it might be unavoidable. "Lost Lake Ranch will work within the bounds of the law as much as possible. In the end, though, we'll do what is right." Then he grinned at his dinner companions, "I think I will head outside to the dance floor."

"Well gents, been a real pleasure," Pike stated as he rose to his feet. He looked around at those in their fineries, the ladies in heir colorful dresses. "Got me too many days on the trail dirt to be spreadin' it out on thet dance floor. Believe I'll head on out, catch some shuteye an' a bath come the mornin'. You boys take care now. He grinned shook hands all around and walked to where his horse waited.

Posted June 30, 2018

"Sorry 'bout yer pa an' brother." Addy offered a sympathetic shrug. "Lost my ma when I was little, brothers in th' war, but I reckon that's not so hard as havin' yer ma so far away that ya can't reach her." After all, chances of Robert ever seeing his mother again were pretty slim. Same for her with her pa and brothers, but part of that was by choice, not that she was avoiding them, she just didn't have any plan to go back to Tennessee any time soon.

"Sister, too, huh? Got me three brothers yet, two of 'em tied ta wives an' children." Not that she minded kids in particular, just not for her. "They're all in th' hills in Tennessee, don't reckon as they plan ever on goin' far from there...'cept maybe Zeke, he's a drover like me, but prefers th' civilization of Topeka."