Elias walked out of the house and straight to the bunk house where he caught up with Granger. "And Gilcrest? Where's he at?" Was the question,
"Town, looking to bring back Brendan Connolly, or know the reason why." The foreman replied.
"Connolly? What the hell for?" After the man's last fiasco Elias was not sure what could be a reason to bring him back, he was gone, and good riddance so far as Elias was concerned.
"Need the gun, what with us not bein' sure about Lost Lakes riders following a blood trail back here. I got a feelin' that Carson took as much care as he could not to leave one, but not a lot he could do about hoof prints." Granger sort of shook his head and added, "Maybe they find it, maybe they don't, Carson's canny. when it comes to something like that."
"How's he doing?" Was the next quire from the ranch owner.
"Fair, weak, but doing as well as can be expected with the loss of blood and all. reckon the lost lake man got off the first shot, Carson bedded him down alright, bet my spurs on it!" Granger affirmed.
"Well, you see to it he gets the best care we can give him til Gilcrest gets back one way or the other. Oh, and what plans do you have for Connolly should he come back?"
"Hang him when we don't need him no more. Wouldn't make a pimple on Carson's ass!"
It was not that they needed Connolly all that badly, he would just be another body. There was real ranch work to be done, herds to be moved from pasture to pasture. Water holes to be mucked out, stalls to be cleaned, and banding was coming up for the yearling calves. A lot of work that needed doing by the Steelgrave riders, and maybe a chance for him to redeem himself with the foreman and the owner.
Granger had a dislike for Connolly, but then he never let that get in the way of day to day chores, nor any trouble that might come their way. He' had made mistakes, but not mistakes that could not be rectified and made up for. He was willing to allow for that. But hanging him as still an option with the grizzled foreman. There was a fight coming, he recognized that without being told, and Connolly was another gun.
Now Elias actually could care less one way or the other about the fate of Connolly, or any other man on the ranch. He cared about the herds and the money they generated when they were driven to market. He care about having enough riders to a) protect the ranch during a cattle drive, and b) having enough men to handle the drive.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
The ride back to the Evergreen was uneventful, other than thinking about the situation young Connolly had worked himself into with the crippled girl. How to tell it was probably the most important thing to fill his thoughts. And that was what Gilcrest liked about riding alone, time to think on things, in this case, how to present the tale of what he'd seen at the old funeral parlor, not that he could understand the need for a new one.
In a way, he almost felt sorry for Connolly and the future he was to have caring for the girl with a child's where with all about her. It was clear from what he saw, she wouldn't survive too long on her own, so there would need to be someone to care for her, and if that was Connolly's lot, then God bless him for it. It would be a job of work caring for a one legged, feeble minded girl on his best day.
Gilcrest had never married, but he had known many a woman, saloon girl and otherwise. He had had those thoughts of marriage, and might well have roped in one of those women, but the war had gotten in his way the one time he was serious about a woman. These were the thoughts he didn't care for, but they came uninvited. She was with child when he was called to fight, a child he had never known. She was gone when he got back home to Tallulah Falls, Georgia and the child that would have been his with her. That he regretted to that very day.
He turned into the trail to the ranch proper, though he was already on Evergreen land
"What the sam hell are you talking about, Doc?" Granger demanded.
"Hold on Granger, let the man explain himself." Elias intervened.
"Okay, well, here's how it shakes out. Connolly seems ta have had some relations with this here poor one legged girl who's some tetched in the head as well." He began, but more indepth. "So there's this other fella, Crabbe, who was her guardian and I reckon the man croaked of heart failure, 'cept he had a derringer what went off at the same time, an' well, some figger'd Connolly shot him, but that was all cleared up. He didn't. So now Connolly said he'd care for the girl, but weren't about ta marry her, which got folks in an uproar, but he said he'd do the carein' fer her anyway."
"And just how will he be able to do this caring for her?" Elias wanted to know.
"Hell if I know Mister Steelgrave, it was just what he said. I told him he was needed back here, but he weren't willin' ta come back at the time, an' I got tired of the dimwit girl screamin' and tryin' ta jump outta the winda. They sent me fer the town saw bones so I took that as my chance ta ride on back an' tell ya what I learn't" Gilcrest said.
"So now what, Boss?" Granger asked. "Send somebody in and kill him?"
"Kill him?" Elias laughed at the suggestion, "Sounds to me like Mister Connolly has himself in his own private hell. If he comes back, he comes back, if not, well good luck to him, especially if she turns up with child." Then all three laughed, because that was a real possibility, considering what 'Doc' Gilcrest had relayed to them. Relations sometimes had real consequences in the form of a child. And there would be no choice in the matter if that happened.
"Now," Elias began, "I want four men out watching for anyone snoopin' around the fence line. Be glad when we can take it down, but I want men that'll do what needs doing should any of the Lost Lake crew come hunting trouble."
"Okay, Boss. You want 'em shot?" Granger asked.
"You damn right! What? Did you figure I'd invite them in for drinks? They come it won't be hat in hand, but we don't start it, or at least there's no one to say one way or the other about it. Everyone knows there's bad blood between them and us, so it won't come as no surprise if there's shooting trouble."
"No sir, they won't." Granger agreed. "Nobody would say one way or the other, but I'll have the boys let 'em go fer their iron first, or at least move that way. I've just the men for the job. Wish Carson was up and about, he'd enjoy this."
"The sooner we have them make the first hostile move, the sooner we take the place, and, I ain't for letting any of them live. Get your men." Elias ordered.
"Yes sir." Granger replied and jogged to his horse to ride out and get the men he had in mind.
Elias looked after him. It was time, the fact was he had waited far to long to get this started and clean out Thornton's along their hands, it was just too bad that Shade Thornton would not be there to collect his lead. And Elias planned to be there when the end came for them.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Four good men was all he needed, and Granger knew just the men for the job. Men that would kill anyone that threatened the ranch in any way, shape, or form. Of course, that went doe any number of of the Evergreen hands, the men he wanted would be the worst, and most dangerous of the hands Elias Steelgrave employed
The first one he ran on to was the stocky built Dutch, the only name they knew him by, but that was enough. He rode up next to the man, "Dutch, Mister Steelgrave has a job for you."
Dutch looked to him, knowing if the old man wanted him for a job it wouldn't be nurse maiding no cows. "Sure Granger, what's he got in mind?"
"Might be some Lost Lake men trailing Carson, they need to be stopped." It was quick and blunt.
"Right up my alley, Granger. Start now?" Dutch asked.
"I'll Get Treach, Watts, and Deckerd. Mister Steelgrave wants you boys to be sure they start it."
"Easy as pie. If you want I'll go for 'em, know right where they are and we'll just head that way." Dutch offered with a grin that was far from friendly.
"Sure Dutch, go ahead. Anything happens, you hightail it back here." Granger replied to which Dutch nodded and spurred his horse.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
"Oh," Granger added, "That sodbuster, gives you any lip, plant him!"
"Sure thing. I'll get the boys and we'll head on out there and see what's what. And count on it, they'll start it!" Dutch answered. With that, Granger headed back toward the main house, and Dutch off to collect the men selected for this job. They were four of a kind, each mean and capable of whatever was asked of them.
Dutch was just a brutal human being. Deckerd, quick to kill when provoked, Teach could match atrocity with atrocity with the best of them, and Watts, he could and would face you straight up, but was a back shooter when the opportunity presented itself, They might be the worst of the Evergreen hands, and perfect for this job.
Deckerd looked up as Dutch let him and the other two know what was asked of them without stepping down. Maybe they'll show, an' maybe they won't. I got a feeling Carson was careful about a blood trail, or at least I hope so. Not that I give a damn about no Lost Lake hands, cuz I don't!"
"Hell, this'll be a wasted trip." Deckerd began, "They see us and they'll hightail it outta there!"
"Yeah but we' get outta doin' these chores." Watt announced nodding his head. "An' don't that sodbuster got him a daughter? Might have some fun with her if we dust the old man. I mean, if we get the chance."
Treach just shook his head in dismay as he headed for his horse. There was a job to do, and they weren't getting it done talking about some farmers daughter.
One by one they mounted up and and followed Dutch toward the south range where anyone from the Lost Lake would be coming. And if they were following a blood trail, it would be slow going.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
They loped their way across the south range but saw nothing in the distance but Evergreen cattle. So the sat their horses for a while before two went north and two went south to ride the fence line looking for trouble on the other side of the wire.
"Can't wait for the old man to give the word on tearin' this wire out by the roots!" Treach bemoaned, but then, good or bad, no cattleman likes the wire, certainly not Evergreen and not Lost Lake.
"Yeah, ain't gonna be no need of it from what I heard. The boss wants to take Lost Lake. Only man that'll need wire is the sodbuster!" Deckerd replied. "Be a hot time of it when it comes down. Them boys up there ain't no pushovers. They got the sand to stand and fight, them boys ride for the brand just like us."
"Be the last thing I'd believe that was to come up on us, that they'd turn tail an' skeedaddle! Likely we'd be swappin' lead afore we took are second breath!" Then Treach laughed. "Be somethin', that's fer shore!. Won't be no dry gulchin', be a straight up fignt. 'course now they could be forted up an waiting fer us to bring the fight to them.."
"Damn sure could be just that way, but I ain't buyin' that idea. Not them boys." Deckerd said.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
"I doubt there's much sense in this, firstly cuz, they rightly ain't got the hands to spare lookin' fer whoever it was shot their man." Dutch stated off hand.
"Now that might be true, I reckon we got more men than them, maybe not cuz they got cattle spread from hell ta breakfast, an' it takes more men when you gots herds stretched from here ta thar." Added Watts.
"Hell, I didn't know that, so you got a look at this place?" Dutch asked, impressed Watt had actually seen the place that he had only head about
"Oh yeah, slipped up that mountain an got me a birds-eye view of the place, She plenty big. Spread out a ways, lots'a hills an' mountains, but she's somethin' ta see thet Lost Lake spread." Watts replied.
Dutch became a bit more concerned as he listened to what Watts was telling him, Evergreen may not have more men than Lost Lake, though sure Steelgrave was paying fighting wages, so maybe they might be better.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
"You ever seen any of these Lost Lake hands?" Deckerd asked as they reached the end of the wire.
Turning his horse, Treach sort of shook his head, "Can't say as I have, so makin' judgements on 'em ain't easy. Now was they payin' fightin' wages over there, and had thet kind of crowd ridin' for 'em, well we might jest have us a real hand full."
Deckerd smiled. "Maybe that's true, maybe they got gun hands over there, but what I heard was the man what owns the place, well he's outta the pitcher, has been a while, so I couldn't rightly say, and I heard they'd let go of some hands, which I paid no mind to, cuz it makes no sense. But was thet true, then they been cuttin' corners, and thet could be hands."
"Nope, it shore don't, but to see 'em come boilin' over the hill lookin' fer Carson, I don't see none'a thet neither. 'course we need to be here in case I'm wrong. Never really tell about a spread till the chips 'er down, 'er a body's been kilt. And thet shore enough happened."
---0---
Meanwhile, Dutch and Watts were turning back toward the center to meet up with the other two.
"I wonder," Dutch began, "If there'd be more than one or two men spared to trail the wounded man, sayin' Carson left 'em a blood trail ta foller. He's might canny, but, tryin' to tend a wound on horseback, tryin' to get away, well, slim odds there ain't a trail for 'em to foller."
"Now that 'um makes sense, it shorely does. Carson's no fool, and yer right, he'd do what was necessary to get away, and leave as small a trail as he could." They knew Carson, and the kind of man he was. He didn't wade into a shooting scrape with Lost Lake for fun, nor meanness. He got caught in it and did what had to be done to survive. "All we kin do is ride the wire just in case."