I took an oath for this job. The oath says bring him in. That's what I'll do.
"Good luck out there, pard. Not something I would have done, but I'm in your corner, no matter what." He said. "Don't be in a rush, twenty rounds is a long fight. What I'd do."
Charlie nodded, "Thanks. I'll be just glad to last the twenty rounds."
As he sat waiting for the fight, his brother Sam, who was his second was giving him a shoulder massage to help limber up his joints. From where he was, he hear could that music was slowly being drowned out by the noise of the crowd that was building. No doubt Crabbe would be pleased by the turnout and so would cousin Ben.
For most of the lead up to the fight, the betting odds were about even. No-one knew much how his opponent, other than he owned some rundown mine outside of town. Then the rumour started that Cullen had been in few professional matches and he slowly became the favourite, Ben had been pleased with the bets coming in but when Crabbe delayed the fight another week, no doubt to build the drama, they started flooding in with people from all over the county now placing a small wager, including the soldiers from Fort Somers.
Part of him didn't want to do this but he knew he had to. There were many reasons why but mainly it was because his new career as a lawman depended on it. He couldn't be seen backing down or reneging on the agreement he had made with Crabbe. A lawman who wasn't brave or didn't stand by his word wouldn't be respected.
As for the fight itself, his brothers and Ben had helped him as much as they could to get him into shape for the fight. Hopefully, it would be enough to last until the end.
"I wish I could do such a thing as easy as all that...decide when to win the fight. Especially since I've never even seen this boyo in action," Robert shrugged.
"Haw Haw!" Crabbe laughed, he's gonna give you less trouble than that punch bag we set up fer you to practice on."
"Oh and I'd bet on Conor if you two did," he then grinned.
"Oh, 's that right?!" chuckled Crabbe. He caught Lafferty's eye. Now was a good time to tell Robert, give him a fillip just before the fight. "Oh, I forgot to mention, me and old Laff here and the late lamented Mr Grimes bumped into that feller Smith who diddled you out of your claim. We managed to persuade him to sign it right back to you, didn't we Laff?" he asked the Irishman.
Yeah, Crabbe was no slouch in a fight, all right - especially when it was three against one, the other fellow was tied to a chair and he himself was armed with a heavy leaden ended walking stick.
"Anyhow..." Crabbe continued, "I reckon that flabby Charlie Wentworth's as good as laid out on the the canvas already!"
"I don't be intendin' on losin', Mr. Crabbe but I think this here Charlie will have somethin' to be sayin' about it too," Robert was determined not to get overconfident.
Crabbe just shook his head. "Nah, fight's as good as over. Experience will tell, my boy, experience will tell."
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
To his relief, the pretty blonde girl, not only replied, but smiled.
"Nope, I bought a two dollar ticket but I am gonna stand right here cuz I want to. You ain't gonna call on one of your squadrons ta come and kick me out now, are ya, gen-rul?" Caroline flashed him a cheeky grin.
Well the handsome jasper just stood there grinning right back.
"Cat got yer tongue, hon? Come on now, a fine lookin' soldier boy like you shouldn't be shy?"
Joseph had to physically shake his head to recover himself: looking into Caroline's sparkling eyes had made him feel like he was falling into a deep, deep well. He'd temporarily forgotten where he even was.
"I'm sorry Mam, er, Miss, it's just that I've only been trained to bark orders at men, they didn't cover talking to beautiful young ladies at West Point." All right, that was a pretty cheesy line, but he was out of his depth and clutching at straws here, anything to keep the conversation going was fair play.
"Er, do you have a bet on either of the fighters?" he asked, his mouth asking about the boxing match, while his eyes concentrated on her luxuriant golden tresses, her cute retroussé nose, her wide blue eyes, her soft peach-like skin, the way her décolletage seemed to swell over her... oh, she was replying. He battled with himself to stop looking and start listening.
"Oh, hello Doctor. Yes, you can just go right on in then. It's very nice to meet you by the way, I'm Miriam Kaufmann, I'm a good friend of one of your patients, Arabella Mudd. She speaks very highly of you, sir,"
"I'm very pleased to meet you, Miss Kaufman." With a smile, Jonah touched the brim of his hat. "Ah, Miss Mudd, a sweet young lady..." Prone to hysteronics and dramatics...
"It looks like there's going to be a good turnout here. I just hope it stays civil." He flashed another smile. "I'd prefer not to have to work."
Not sure why Crabbe suddenly wished to reveal the news about the man who had swindled him out of his claim (or so Crabbe claimed, Robert was still uncertain of all the complicated details) but he did. Also he had not realized that Lafferty was an associate with the man with the bottle thick glasses, interesting!
"Oh, well, I guess I owe you a thank you then. I am still gettin' paid for this fight though?" suddenly it occurred to the young Irishman was that supposed to be in lieu of payment for the boxing bout? If so, he wasn't going to agree to that.
The man got back to encouragement about the match but then left. Crabbe could talk with such confidence, he didn't have to go out there and prove it. That was up to Robert. He had made a good point though, nothing was more valuable in one of these fights than experience.
"I'm very pleased to meet you, Miss Kaufman." With a smile, Jonah touched the brim of his hat. "Ah, Miss Mudd, a sweet young lady..."
"Delighted myself, sir," Miriam beamed, "And no better friend than her."
"It looks like there's going to be a good turnout here. I just hope it stays civil." He flashed another smile. "I'd prefer not to have to work."
"Civil? Oh I agree but I believe it is required of both of them to punch each other which in my humble opinion is hardly civil," Miriam confessed.
"You can stand anywhere, Doctor. And I hope you have no need of using your skills."
A man standing directly behind the good doctor grumbled aloud, "Hurry it up, missy. There are others who 'd like to come in too ya know. "
"I'm sorry Mam, er, Miss, it's just that I've only been trained to bark orders at men, they didn't cover talking to beautiful young ladies at West Point."
"Seems to me your education is missing out then? I've heard women are over half the world's population," Caroline teased.
"Er, do you have a bet on either of the fighters?" the handsome officer now asked.
"Oh no, I don't really know either of them. I don't even make a bet on poker unless I know for sure who is gonna win. Fortunately for me, SOMETIMES I do," she answered with a grin. Let him make of that statement what he will.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
Seems to me your education is missing out then? I've heard women are over half the world's population," Caroline teased.
"Half the...?" He laughed. It was a wide open laugh which showed a lot of white teeth and a lot of good humour. "Oh oh, clever and funny as well as beautiful: I've got a feeling you might be the kind of girl my mother warned me about!"
"Er, do you have a bet on either of the fighters?" the handsome officer now asked.
"Oh no, I don't really know either of them. I don't even make a bet on poker unless I know for sure who is gonna win. Fortunately for me, SOMETIMES I do," she answered with a grin. Let him make of that statement what he will.
He laughed again. She was funny; but somehow she managed to maintain an air of feminine mystery about her, too: most women couldn't do both.
"And is that because you are psychic or because you stand near mirrors?" he asked, remembering the oldest trick in the book for cheating at cards.
"Well, looking at the two of them, I fancy Cullen: but I always pick the wrong horse, so I've bet on Wentworth!" he informed her. "Maybe you should bet on Cullen, at least one of us will win, then. And if I win, I'll buy you dinner. And if you win... I'll still buy you dinner." It was worth a try.
"Oh, well, I guess I owe you a thank you then. I am still gettin' paid for this fight though?" suddenly it occurred to the young Irishman was that supposed to be in lieu of payment for the boxing bout? If so, he wasn't going to agree to that.
"Bobby, Bobby, Bobby..." Crabbe purred as he approached the young man and patted him paternally on the shoulder "Course you're gonna get paid: and if you win you get the purse on top." he assured him.
"No... the Claim... well you remember when me and Fa came to see you? And you signed that lil' old piece o' paper. Why that's an investment for the future, my boy. A man can't box forever, one day he'll meet his match ... not tonight, o' course!" he hastened to add "But one day when you're gettin' on and can't throw them lefts like you can now, and you find that little stream on your claim don't have no gold in it... you're gonna thank old Uncle Lorenzo fer lookin' out for you." he cooed gently.
"Yep, you, me and our sleepin' partner." He had never mentioned the name of the other man, the one who had sorted out the legal niceties of getting the Claim back from 'John Smith' while Crabbe, Lafferty and Grimes had 'sorted out' the man who had tricked the illiterate Irishman out of his claim.
"Mind you, there's been a little problem with our sleeping partner - he's kinda 'sleepin' beneath the sod' these days. His plans sorta went up in flames. As of two weeks ago, our partner's his daughter and heir: we should take you to go meet her some day soon." he informed the miner.
Lorenzo pulled out his watch.
"We'd best be getting out there!" he yelped.
"THERE'S SOMEBODY AT THE DOOR!!!"
"Civil? Oh I agree but I believe it is required of both of them to punch each other which in my humble opinion is hardly civil," Miriam confessed.
"You can stand anywhere, Doctor. And I hope you have no need of using your skills."
A man standing directly behind the good doctor grumbled aloud, "Hurry it up, missy. There are others who 'd like to come in too ya know. "
"Well, come through me, you big galoot!" barked Jemima, and the man reluctantly gave up the chance to speak to the pretty young seamstress and gave him money to the frowsy cleaning maid instead. Once Doc Danforth and the rest of the men were inside, Jemima stomped up to Miriam and thrust her takings into the other girl's hands.
"Hey, what you doing sparking with Doctor Danforth?! You know I got my eye on him, and what you interested in him for anyway, I thought you're supposed to be 'the other way'?!" she asked, frowning a wrinkle into her monobrow.
"Now listen, you take this money and give it to Crabbe, and then rescue your girlfriend. She's terrified that there Grimes girl's gonna accidentally touch her and turn her deaf or some nonsense." she instructed her biddable and shy workmate. "I'll stay here and deal with any late-comers: I don't wanna go in there, I might have to talk with 'Stupid'!" she added. Presumably she meant her hated brother, although there were quite a few men in the barn that the epitaph could be applied to.