"Now me, I've only been in town for a short while but from what my friend, Caroline's told me...I might hazard someone from the Evergreen ranch might be a likely shooter?"
Quentin sighed and flicked the empty case over the edge of the roof. "You're probably more right than you know...It was only a matter of time before the Steelgraves started making strategic moves instead of tactical." He stood back up and swore softly to himself before he regarded Turk. "I appreciate your help today, just like the Marshal does, I am sure..." Quentin turned and both men made their way back downstairs and out into the street. "If your hunch is right, you might accidentally be picking a side in the war that's coming. Now's your chance to step back. No one would expect you to get killed for people you don't know, and I wouldn't ask you to become a target for us..."
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The search over and a fruitless one at that (no surprise to Turk), the two men called it quits and headed back downstairs. The other man openly gave his own view that it was highly likely the Steelgraves were behind this attempted assassination. Turk nodded. From everything derogatory about Evergreen that Caroline had told him it all fit.
"I appreciate your help today, just like the Marshal does, I am sure. If your hunch is right, you might accidentally be picking a side in the war that's coming. Now's your chance to step back. No one would expect you to get killed for people you don't know, and I wouldn't ask you to become a target for us..."
The veteran gunman smiled showing a bad set of teeth, "I don't care much for bushwhackers. I mean it happened enough in the war but this ain't the same thing."
"As for choosing a side, I think I'm already lined up against Evergreen now. You see I kilt one of their hands the other day, right after I had arrived. Didn't know he was an Evergreen man but I knew him. He recognized me. From back in Kansas before the official outbreak of the war. We was neighbors. Long story short he and a few of his pro-slavery men came to our farm, set it on fire, and killed my kid brother. He wasn't quite fourteen and he didn't have no gun on him. It was murder plain and simple. I wasn't there that night. Well, I never expected to ever get the chance but fate threw us right up face to face on the boardwalk. Marshal arrested me but didn't press charges once he knew the whole story and how I could prove it if he could get a telegram to my hometown back in Kansas. Man had a warrant on him for that murder and others too."
"So if you're needin' the help, I'm willin' to throw in. But I gotta be honest. I don't know how to...umm, rustle cows...wait, that's not it," he grinned, "HERD cows on your ranch. I was a farmer before the war, never went back to it. But if you gotta payin' job of some sort for me, I'm your man then."
With Speed stitched and bandaged, Jonah let out a sigh of relief...the marshal was still alive, and that counted for something! "I'll want him at the clinic for the night, at least," he announced, "so I can keep an eye on him...perhaps even a day or two."
Sitting back, the looked at those around him. "We'll need a buggy or wagon...Miss Chappel is already at the clinic, but maybe Weedy can find something?" And maybe he could convince someone -- Addy or Leah, perhaps? -- to stay the night as extra help.
Pity the hospital wasn't ready yet, this was just the thing it was needed for!
Amos Conroy rode into Kalispell reveling in the news he had to share, their ore would bring one hundred fifty-four dollars a ton, he was excited and could not wait to tell Speed the good news but what he found was a wounded Speed Guyer with Doctor Danforth working frantically on him in hopes of saving his life. There was no sign of Alice, which made no sense to him. He went to the office where Ida told him Alice and James had gone to the Raven mine. Her horse stood at the hitch rail and Amos mounted up, leading his daughter's horse behind him as he thundered out of Kalispell.
He caught up to them at the mine inspecting the buildings, Amos called to her and he dismounted before the horse had come to a complete stop. "Speed's been shot!" He announced, "Danforth's workin' on him, you best ride for town, I'll take the buggy. Me an' James here'll be along."
Alice slammed the Henry into the saddle scabbard and mounted up, wheeling her horse and racing off for Kalispell. Amos looked at James in his new clothes, "Now ya look like ya belong out here. Jump in the buggy, I'll tie my horse on an' we'll head back."
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"Well, son, looks like it's you an' me headin' on back." Amos said. "Now I gotta tell ya, none to sure about this here piece of ground, but the mine above where White Fish stood, she's rich with copper, real rich. So Speed's gonna have a real money maker on his hands, he is."
He looked at James a long moment, "Danged if I know why anyone'd want ta shoot Speed, but that man's tough as nails. and it'll take a whole lotta killin' to finish him off. That's fer certain! Now you, you got the makin's he's said. He thinks you'll do to make a good lawyer, 'er whatever it is you want ta be, an' he' told me he's willin' to see to it you get what ya need ta make it. Good man Speed Guyer, you lucked into a good place when you hired on with his comp'ny. You surely did."
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James nodded gravely, “No exploration of the tunnel. Quite so.” He glanced over at the mine’s dark maw and grimaced slightly turning to walk beside Alice towards the buildings they were to inspect in the absence of either Speed or Alice’s father. He listened to what she told him, scribbling notes about needed repairs in a little notebook.
James had no objections to anything Alice had said thus far since she had proven herself to be both wiser and much more knowledgeable in such matters than he was. He was glad she had suggested they be cautious since it allowed him to avoid any feelings of cowardice for his own inclination towards playing it safe.
The sounds of the two horses thundering up the trail to where Alice and James were inspecting the mine’s outbuildings had James’ head snapping up just before Amos appeared leading the second horse in his wake. He’d called out a warning to Alice since she was the one with a weapon only recognizing Amos at the last second before Alice’s father relayed his news about the shooting in town. “Safe journey.” He whispered watching worriedly as she bent low over her horse racing back towards Kalispell.
Part of James wanted to suggest that Amos accompany his daughter back to town, but there was another, more practical part that was glad Amos was still here since James knew very little about driving a wagon. “Yes sir.” James agreed, to both his new attire and getting onto the wagon for the trip back into town. “I do hope that Speed will be alright.” James’ voice was more than a little worried as he pulled himself back up onto the same side of the wagon’s seat that he’d sat on the trip from town to the mine.
Amos smiled, "Well now, I reckon thet's in the hands of Doc Danforth, and the Man Upstairs." He said reverently, Speed Guyer's a tuff a bird as I ever saw, so not knowin' the pertic'lers of where he took the bullet, hard to say about his chances."
"May as well have us a look-see at these here buildin's, see whot's in 'em, whot we got ta work with." He suggested, "Less you need ta git back ta town?"
With a slight smile, James nodded, then let out his breath in a slow sigh. He didn’t know the doctor so he couldn’t say how skilled those hands might be. “I’m sure you’re correct.” He said trying to sound confident. “Having Alice there will be good I’m sure.”
At the older man’s last comment James gasped out “Oh!” He scrambled down from the wagon’s seat hastily. “Of course.” He didn’t have anything to do in town though he hoped that they wouldn’t be out after dark. He wasn’t comfortable with the idea of traveling the road once the sun had set. But for now, he pulled out the notebook he'd been taking notes with when he and Alice had started looking the buildings over. He looked down at his notes relaying what he and Alice had looked at already to Amos.
"Now I figger a good look about's gonna be helpful. An' we'll need to get out here sooner 'er later to get us some ore samples. No tellin' how deep this'n is. Now The Copper Queen, she assayed in at ten dollars a ton fer raw ore." Amos explained,"An' I was told she's goin' up!"
"'corse now I'm a mite shy about what'll turn up here, what condition the mines in ta be traipsin' around down inside. Likely need new rope on the pully's an' sech. But the buildin's'll be okay. Sing out you find anything thet looks important, 'specially plans 'o the mine itself."
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Monday, September, 20, 1876
Under cloudy skies, Ty and Rip finished cleaning out the mine office at the Copper Queen. Because of the realization that there would be no further attempts on Speed's life, there was no further need for him to be playing deputy in Kalispell, so, they saddled up and rode to the mine.
First, they cleaned out the bunk room in the main office, where they would stay but then went straight, to the bunk hunk house to be ready for any miners that could show up for work. They would hire on out of what had turned out to be the main office in town.
He and Rip had become fast friends over the last month. They worked well together, including the tough job of burying Rip's family. But the boy was a hard worker and did his level best to keep up with Ty when they were working. And did a fair job of it.
The clean-up with just the two of them made it a slower process than it could be, but they were busy, and that was good. They had plenty of food on hand, so that was not a problem, and should they run short on anything, they could always ride to town. They went far afield to take a fair-sized buck for fresh meat, and there had been plenty of the deer to choose from, so if they were careful, the supply for their demand would not be scattered.
To this point, all was going well at the Copper Queen Mine.