Mature Content: No
With: Alice
Time of Day: Afternoon
She stood in the yard, such as it was, dirt, sage, prairie grass, not much of a ‘yard’ as she had known it in some of the past places she had lived. This was her place, hers and her fathers. He had found it, haggled with the owner and made the purchase.
There were some cattle, perhaps twenty head, a beginning. There were half again as many horses in the pole corral. A stream that ran past, supposedly from the Flathead River, the water was clear and cold, and there were fish, trout, Westslope Cutthroat Trout he Pa had said they were called, but there were others, like brown and bull trout too.
The place was peaceful and for the most part quiet, and that was what she enjoyed the most. The quiet, save for the animals noises. She was a woman of thirty-eight, widowed, and with few, if any, prospects for marriage, yet she had made peace with that. And Arthur Fletcher, no account he had turned out to be, had made here wary of men who took an interest.
There was a town not far from the place, Kalispell it was called. Pa was there now, with that awful wrapped body to collect a reward, and perhaps, she hoped, look for a job, or some direction. Being a bounty hunter might be fine for younger men, but Amos Conroy was getting up there, and he wouldn’t be able to track men for money much longer.
It was good to have a place where he could call home after boarding houses, bunk house, shanties and line shacks of his recent past. Though he had always seen to her, before and after Arthur died, having him around was good. This was going to be a good life out on the range. Plenty of room to spread out, if they liked.
Oh, she’d heard tell of the Indians, but that was not much different than some of the places she had called home before. There were always dangers to face no matter where one lived, and that would be precisely why the Henry rifle was in her hand, not much seventeen shots couldn’t solve if push came to shove. She had been alone in too many places for too long to be afraid.
The day was getting short, so she turned to walk back to the house, all three rooms of it, to get supper on as her Pa would be home any time.
Amos had gone to the stand of trees where the horse and corps waited patiently, under the circumstances there were more flies than usual, but the animal simply swished his tail in defiance of their assault.
He took up the lead rope and towed his bounty thru town to the undertaker , then back to the bank where he was able to collect on the poster. He hoped Speed would get something of a finders fee, as the bank would surely be gifted for paying out the reward. It was odd to Amos how all this worked, but it was what he had done for sometime. A ‘trade’ he could always fall back on, when needed.
Once he had the cash money the next stop was to the Mercantile, where he loaded up on flour, sugar, coffee, bacon, and beans. Two boxes of forty-fours, and two of forty-four forties for Alice’s Henry rifle. Met the owner, John Anderson and his wife Grayce, a nice couple. They spoke of weather and range condition, his place east of town, which they knew of and remembered the previous owner well.
tow, Amos headed east for the Rafter A ranch, named for Alice, of course. As he left the town behind, in no hurry to be anywhere but where he was he reflected on how good it was to see Speed. It had been since the war, but if the man was anything like him, Speed would have been on the move as well, except for the time they chanced to meet in Kansas.
Speed had saved his life, he reflected. Some Reb got a lucky shot, but off the mark. Shot his horse out from under him and broke his leg, but Guyer, who stumbled on him trapped under the animal, managed to move it just enough before the animal died to get him free, under fire the whole time. He drug him to cover and managed to stand off the Rebs, or they just tired of the fight and moved out
Guyer got him to the New Jersey Infantry’s field hospital, such as it was, more of an aid station where the leg was set. Guyer was also able to look in on him now and again, until the Thirteenth moved out for town called Gettysburg. It would be some time before their paths crossed again That was near 1870 in Olathe Kansas. Speed was mineral hunting at the time so he was on a schedule, but did stay for supper.
He could see Alice standing in the yard from a distance.
She stopped, a rider was coming, it only took a moment to see that it was her Pa, she lowered the Henry. That was a normal reaction for her to begin to shoulder the weapon. A woman on her own should take no chances.
She was anxious to hear all about Kalispell and the people he had met while he was there. It would be like him to stock up on goods while he was there, unless there was a problem with his getting paid, which happened time to time. Though she was not one to wear anything fancy, she did like to know about what the women he saw were wearing. She had trained him to notice.
He came into the yard with the pack horse in tow, obviously with a load of groceries. He paused a moment, as he usually always did before dismounting.
"Dang McClellan, ain't near a s comfortable as it once was." He complained as he usually did. "Might have ta get me one of them modern high backs. Might make this old man feel a sight better."
"I'll believe it when I see it, Amos Conroy." She had heard that one before.
"Lotsa calico, seen lotsa calico, but did see a couple ladies in their finery, Not like we saw in Denver, but purty high-falutin just the same." He reported.
"Thanks Pa." She smiled as she spoke.
"Saved the best fer last. Never guess who I run onto in town." He waited, but she didn't take the bait. He led the horses to the corral where he tied them. Alice began unpacking the supplies, each taking part of them and starting for the house. At what they call the Municipal Bulidin' sittin' in his office was the town Marshal." He paused, she glared at him. "Speed Guyer, badge an' all." Still she said nothing but went about what she was doing. "You remember Captain Guyer?"
"Thought you'd like to know." He said to her silence.
Speed Guyer, of course she remembered him, he had saved her fathers life, one does not forget a man like that. And perhaps it would be good to see him again after all these years, It did mean that she had a friend, well, an acquaintance in this Kalispell place.
Yet, what was most concerning was the delivery of the rest of their things, There was not a lot, but there were pieces of furniture that they needed. The things left behind by the previous owner would make good firewood! Two beds, a table and chairs that had been her mothers and drug over the miles to the places she had lived with Arthur and with her father. Maybe a wagon load. Why he father was against obtaining a wagon was beyond her. But those things were on their way.
For the most part, she liked the country. The winter, well, she had lived in the Dakotas, in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, so snow country was just that, and one dealt with it.
“Daughter, they have some stores in town with most all the things a woman might want ‘er need.” Amos said as he pushed the two boxes of forty-four forties toward her. “Be good if you were to ride in and have a look-see for yourself.”
Alice stood at the stove, preparing the evening meal, she looked at the boxes on the sideboard. “Perhaps.” was the response. Was he trying to get her to go in and see Mister Guyer? “Waiting on the wagon with the rest of our belongings to arrive so we can be rid of this other stuff, and I have my house together.”
“Just a suggestion, daughter, just a thought. It’ll be there when you’re ready I expect.”
“Yes sir, that it will.” She agreed.