"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Posted May 23, 2022 / Henry Guyer
"Oh, that feller Fortner sent me over to tell you to... I dunno, he's got some news for you or something..." she said unenthusiastically and showing scant respect for her employer. "Have you heard about poor Mrs Potee - Fortner won all her husband's money and his whole farm and everything and now they say she's hunged herself. Oh ain't it awful Mr Guyer. And that poor little girl of their's - dear little Abigail. What's gonna become of her?"
"What? I've heard nothing of this. And, yes, it is awful!" Speed declared. "How did he manage to do that, I mean the man should have quit at some point, unbelievable! The wife hung herself? And now the child is an orphan? Seems neither used common sense, unless..."
She started to get quite emotional on the subject.
"I... I tried to stop him Marshall, honest I did! He was so dog-gone drunk he didn't know what he was doin' and then all the cards got spilt on the floor and... oh, it's just so horrible and unfair." she bawled, tears running down her cheeks. She didn't dare say any more of her suspicions of cheating, lest her friend Caroline be implicated.
"Wait, what? The cards spilled on the floor? Poteet was drunk, you say? What in tarnation?" Speed quizzed. Arabella did not need to paint a picture for him. A drunk loses everything, cards spilled on the floor. I guess I best go see what Forner has to say," Then he paused. "Don't you go blaming yourself for this!" He was clear about what had happened.
"Shut up will ya? I'm trying to sleep here!" came Barney's voice from the cell.
"Tone it down or you'll be here a while!" Speed shouted to the town drunk. He looked to Arabella, "C'mon girl, lets go see what the man has to say. He considered taking a scatter gun with him, he had never bought the idea the Priest and Fortner didn't outright murder Caleb Barnes. He regretted that he had not tried to get more information on the pair. But he would.
He led the way out of the office and across the street to the Stardust Saloon.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Posted May 23, 2022 / Arabella Mudd
He led the way out of the office and across the street to the Stardust Saloon.
Arabella trailed after him with a worried look on her face. "Hey, you won't tell him I said nuthin' will ya?!" she begged: this would look like she had gone and told on Fortner, and she did not want a man like Fortner thinking that, or she could be in deep doo-doo.
She couldn't help thinking that she had made a terrible mistake.
"Please don't say anything, Mr Guyer, please! I..." but they were at the swing doors and she had to shut up. Maybe she should have asked Speed to lock her in the cell with Mr Eldridge, where it was nice and safe.
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Posted May 23, 2022 / Henry Guyer
He paused at the Bat-wing doors and looked to her. "You have my word on it." Then pushed through ready for whatever the plan was.He was not blazing fast on the draw, but he was accurate which was far more important than speed was. Fast guns had perished at an alarming rate since the end of the war. His advice had come from an Army scout who was quite well known.
"Afternoon. Mister Fortner wanted to see me?" He announced. as he waited for his eyes to adjust in the dimness of the saloon.
Posted May 23, 2022 / Franklin Fortner
"And we never did find that steer!" laughed Fortner, delivering the punchline to one of his tales from his Kansas days.
Hannaberry slapped his knee and laughed loudly, his worry over the Potee situation salved by three whiskeys. "You got more tales than the Good Book has, Mr. Fortner!" Hannaberry managed to say after the laughter.
Fortner had as many drinks as Hannaberry, but it had no affect on his mental acuity. He was capable of downing copious amounts of liquor with very little change in speech or movement.
His face froze in its pleasant configuration as the saloon doors swung open and the Marshall walked in, Arabella trailing behind, eyes bloodshot.
"Good Afternoon, Marshall," he greeted.
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Posted May 24, 2022 / Henry Guyer
Feeling like he had already greeted the man, he saw no reason to repeat himself. "Something you wanted to tell me, ask me , or explain to me?" He asked. Dealing with drunks was not high on his list, though the man was not slurring, it was obvious that he had been drinking.
It was plain that he did not like Fortner, nor his accomplice Priest, so he wanted to keep this short and to the point.
Posted May 25, 2022 / Franklin Fortner
"Afternoon. Mister Fortner wanted to see me?" He announced. as he waited for his eyes to adjust in the dimness of the saloon.
By then, Hiram Priest, had made his way to stand beside Fortner and Hannaberry, mouth full of tobacco.
"Why yes," Fortner answered. "Mr. Hannaberry here says he was out at the Potee place and found Potee's missus hanging inside their cabin, and Potee a'sittin' on the porch in a drunken stupor. I sent some of the boys out to help cut her down, seein' that it was the Christian thing to do."
Hannaberry nodded his agreement while Fortner spoke.
"I figured that you oughta know about it. You see, some of the boys think that maybe Potee had something to do with it. The last we saw of his missus, they were yellin' at each other, right here in the Star Dust. She lit outta here like her hair was on fire, and he was so drunk he could hardly sit upright at the card table. So, I've done my civic duty by callin' you in on it."
"A terrible business," intoned Priest, gravely.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Posted May 26, 2022 / Arabella Mudd
Arabella, usually so keen to be the centre of attention, tried her best to sneak in behind the Marshall and, instead of sitting back at the piano, slipped into the crowd and started collecting empty glasses in an anonymous manner.
"Afternoon. Mister Fortner wanted to see me?" He announced. as he waited for his eyes to adjust in the dimness of the saloon.
"Why yes," Fortner answered. "Mr. Hannaberry here says he was out at the Potee place and found Potee's missus hanging inside their cabin, and Potee a'sittin' on the porch in a drunken stupor. I sent some of the boys out to help cut her down, seein' that it was the Christian thing to do."
Oooh! What a fibber!! thought Arabella: except, well, that was technically true, it was just the sanctimonious way Fortner described the terrible event as if he had nothing to do with its commission.
"I figured that you oughta know about it. You see, some of the boys think that maybe Potee had something to do with it. The last we saw of his missus, they were yellin' at each other, right here in the Star Dust. She lit outta here like her hair was on fire, and he was so drunk he could hardly sit upright at the card table. So, I've done my civic duty by callin' you in on it."
Again, the sneaky bar-owner was making himself sound like some kind of a saint! Arabella was too scared of Fortner, Priest and his cronies to say anything, though: she just hoped Jesus would forgive her for her pusillanimous behaviour.
"A terrible business," intoned Priest, gravely.
Arabella reached the bar with the empties at this point and put them on a tray to take out back to the kitchen to wash. Listening to that old rattlesnake priest join in this chorus of hypocrisy was almost too much to bear: her own silence on the matter made her feel as dirty and unclean as the glasses.
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Posted May 29, 2022 / Henry Guyer
Arabella, usually so keen to be the centre of attention, tried her best to sneak in behind the Marshall and, instead of sitting back at the piano, slipped into the crowd and started collecting empty glasses in an anonymous manner.
"Afternoon. Mister Fortner wanted to see me?" He announced. as he waited for his eyes to adjust in the dimness of the saloon.
"Why yes," Fortner answered. "Mr. Hannaberry here says he was out at the Potee place and found Potee's missus hanging inside their cabin, and Potee a'sittin' on the porch in a drunken stupor. I sent some of the boys out to help cut her down, seein' that it was the Christian thing to do."
"I would agree." Speed looked at the man, he'd had no interaction with the man since the shooting of Barnes. "Well, sir, best I ride out there and have a look-see for myself. Part of the job. Appreciate you lettin' me know." Speed began, "Sometime drink does a man little good, sometimes, the man that takes the drink, allows the drink to take him." He smiled.
Oooh! What a fibber!! thought Arabella: except, well, that was technically true, it was just the sanctimonious way Fortner described the terrible event as if he had nothing to do with its commission.
"I figured that you oughta know about it. You see, some of the boys think that maybe Potee had something to do with it. The last we saw of his missus, they were yellin' at each other, right here in the Star Dust. She lit outta here like her hair was on fire, and he was so drunk he could hardly sit upright at the card table. So, I've done my civic duty by callin' you in on it."
"Yes, as acting County Sheriff it would fall to me to investigate." Card table, and drunk as a lord? Now why would he be at the card table? So they were at each other in here, were they?"
Again, the sneaky bar-owner was making himself sound like some kind of a saint! Arabella was too scared of Fortner, Priest and his cronies to say anything, though: she just hoped Jesus would forgive her for her pusillanimous behaviour.
"A terrible business," intoned Priest, gravely.
"Yes sir, it is, now there's an orphan to be concerned about." Speed pointed out. "On top of everything else the child has no family, no parents, and, no home."
Arabella reached the bar with the empties at this point and put them on a tray to take out back to the kitchen to wash. Listening to that old rattlesnake priest join in this chorus of hypocrisy was almost too much to bear: her own silence on the matter made her feel as dirty and unclean as the glasses.
"Thanks Arabella for coming to fetch me." He called to her, then, "I'll be riding out to the Poteets, to have a look around. Did you say you brought the body in for Mister Jolly?"
Posted May 30, 2022 / Franklin Fortner
"I figured that you oughta know about it. You see, some of the boys think that maybe Potee had something to do with it. The last we saw of his missus, they were yellin' at each other, right here in the Star Dust. She lit outta here like her hair was on fire, and he was so drunk he could hardly sit upright at the card table. So, I've done my civic duty by callin' you in on it."
"Yes, as acting County Sheriff it would fall to me to investigate." Card table, and drunk as a lord? Now why would he be at the card table? So they were at each other in here, were they?"
Again, the sneaky bar-owner was making himself sound like some kind of a saint! Arabella was too scared of Fortner, Priest and his cronies to say anything, though: she just hoped Jesus would forgive her for her pusillanimous behavior.
"They certainly WERE at each other. All the patrons heard 'em," Fortner insisted. "From what I understand, Horace Potee was betting all his spring planting money in hopes of growing it bigger. And she, being a good Christian woman, was trying like Hell to pull him away from the table. Finally he ordered her out the saloon, and she went."
"A terrible business," intoned Priest, gravely.
"Yes sir, it is, now there's an orphan to be concerned about." Speed pointed out. "On top of everything else the child has no family, no parents, and, no home."
Arabella reached the bar with the empties at this point and put them on a tray to take out back to the kitchen to wash. Listening to that old rattlesnake priest join in this chorus of hypocrisy was almost too much to bear: her own silence on the matter made her feel as dirty and unclean as the glasses.
"Thanks Arabella for coming to fetch me." He called to her, then, "I'll be riding out to the Poteets, to have a look around. Did you say you brought the body in for Mister Jolly?"
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Posted May 31, 2022 / Arabella Mudd
"Yes sir, it is, now there's an orphan to be concerned about." Speed pointed out. "On top of everything else the child has no family, no parents, and, no home."
Arabella frowned and was about to shout her mouth off about well, Mr Potee ain't dead yet, even if he is ruined but didn't want to draw the attention of Fortner or Priest, so for once kept her trap shut and just wondered about what the Marshall had said. Maybe he thought having a penniless idiot like Horace Potee for a father was as good as having no father at all. What would happen to little Abigail now, she wondered.
"Thanks Arabella for coming to fetch me." He called to her, then, "I'll be riding out to the Poteets, to have a look around. Did you say you brought the body in for Mister Jolly?"
Arabella gave Mr Guyer a genuine smile of gratitude, he had handled things beautifully, in not getting her in deep doo-doo with Fortner, and she was truly grateful for that. She wasn't sure if that last question was aimed at her or Fortner, but he offered a sensible "D'you want me to go find out?"
She had helped out at the funeral parlour before, when it came to washing and dressing girls who had died and had no female relatives to do the duty for them, Mr Jolly was careful not to do such things himself for fear of evil report. Mr Jolly would let her know what was happening on that front.