“Two Doc’s in one little town.” Amos declared. “You folks are certainly blessed. And a hospital.My my. I’d believe I was in Omaha or Council Bluffs. This place’ll be boomin’ with that addition. ‘Course folks have been friendly, prices are fair, an she seems peaceable enough.”
"Well, it was just me until this winter, but Whitefish, a few miles up the road, had a bad time during a blizzard," Jonah explained, "that's when Doctor Boone settled in here. But I agree, it's a good thing for the territory...and me, too!" He chuckled. "I can only keep so many chickens and preserves I get in payment! Just the bandits that are causing trouble."
“You don’t say.” The bounty hunter in him came to life almost instantly. “Well I’d bet my friend Marshal Guyer got ‘em all. Know’d him since the war, I have. Odd to see him him behind a badge though. Mines an’ minerals, that was what he was doin’ last I saw of him. Got me an appointment with a Miss Ada Fetterman at his business this mornin’.”
"From what I've heard, Marshal Guyer rather fell into the job as opposed to seeking it." As was the way with a lot of the lawmen in the West. "He's doing a good job, though, has some fine deputies helping." He nodded to Pronto, who was a few tables away. "That's one of them...going to marry the lady who owns this place. I just hope I don't have to resort to my own cooking!"
+++++++++++++
"Who's the gent talkin' to Doc Danforth?" Curious as a man of his background would be. "Don't believe I've seen him before."
"His name is Conroy," Emeline answered as she poured Barnabas coffee, "he and his daughter bought the Rafter A...and he's going to talk to the folks at the mining office." She grinned as she leaned in close to his ear. "Competition! Should I poison him?"
"Whitefish was it?" He'd heard some odd names out in the west, so it wasn't a surprise to him.
"A bad time of it you say, this Doc Boone, he was the Doc up there then?" A flurry of simple question, mostly repeating what he had heard. A common trait in the west it seemed.
"A man fallin' into a job he didn't seek, seen it many a time out here. And especially lawmen. There's those cut out for it, to be sure. Some come to it naturally, been a number what changed trails, from bad to good, some, well, some changed jobs but kept on the way they was headed in the first place. Still an all, seein' Speed Guyer as a town Marshal, not that's one for the books." Then he laughed as he lifted another fork load toward his mouth.
"Man saved my life back durin' the war. An Infantry Captain he was, so maybe bein' a lawman ain't so far a stretch as one would think. " Amos added. "So there here hospital you're plannin', tell me about it."
Pronto finished up his breakfast and thought another cup of coffee would help with tiredness as there was still a full shift to go. He wasn't complaining, Guyer had to do the same. So he flagged down Em holding up his cup.
When she arrived he asked, "Who's the gent talkin' to Doc Danforth?" Curious as a man of his background would be. "Don't believe I've seen him before."
"His name is Conroy," Emeline answered as she poured Barnabas coffee, "he and his daughter bought the Rafter A...and he's going to talk to the folks at the mining office." She grinned as she leaned in close to his ear. "Competition! Should I poison him?"
"Oh sure that's a great idea. You poison him, I'll have to arrest you, and then we can have the weddin' in the jail!" He teased. That'd be the way ta start our life together. "He smiled. "Good to have a bit of time together, the ride yesterday was great. Be glad when that circuit judge gets here and we get them trials over with and Kalispell shifts back to normal again. Hard bein' in that office everyday and every other night. Easier just to shoot 'em an be done with it." May second was still eight days away.
"Doctor Boone was in Whitefish for a long time, as I understand," Jonah explained. "His offices there were as close as the territory had to a hospital. When the blizzard went through, what it didn't blow over ended up burning." Jonah shook his head, he'd never seen the like. "Folks say it was the mountains around Kalispell that saved us from the same fate."
Had Kalispell been hit as badly as Whitefish had been, there would have been nowhere for survivors to go...it would have been catastrophic.
"I can keep patients at my clinic, but it isn't really set up for that, nor do I have the equipment for advanced testing and procedures..." he chuckled, "or the funds for staff, especially since I'm paid more in goods and labor. So there's a drive to establish a hospital, as well as an orphanage, eventually."
He sipped his coffee. "That should be happening pretty quickly, I'm hoping."
"Oh sure that's a great idea. You poison him, I'll have to arrest you, and then we can have the weddin' in the jail!" He teased. That'd be the way ta start our life together. " He smiled. "Good to have a bit of time together, the ride yesterday was great. Be glad when that circuit judge gets here and we get them trials over with and Kalispell shifts back to normal again. Hard bein' in that office everyday and every other night. Easier just to shoot 'em an be done with it." May second was still nine days away.
She knew that he was joking...mostly...about just shooting the prisoners, but she would be happy when that was done with, however that was. "Well, if you did have to arrest me and lock me up," she pointed out, "then you could be there day and night and see me all the time."
Grinning, she kissed his cheek. "And, if you shoot those men, they can lock you up with me and we'd never have to be apart!"
“Mother nature can be as deadly, if not more than any man. To have not just the blizzard but a fire as well. Now that was a warning from the good Lord that this whitefish was not to be tolerated. Sorta like Sodom & Gomorrah in the good book, if ya subscribe ta thet sortta thing.” Amso offered. “But havin’ this place here fer the survivors, now there tars a blessin’ to be sure.”
“Them plans fer yer hospital and orphanage, don’t you worry none about it. It’s the right thing, a good thing , a necessary thing yer doin’. Tell that to yer lady friend was she to get discouraged. You’ll get ‘er done, mark my words.” Now Amos wasn’t much of a religious man, but, there was the part of him that recognized a God that did right by the righteous.
Grinning, she kissed his cheek. "And, if you shoot those men, they can lock you up with me and we'd never have to be apart!"
"We'd swing tagether, that'd be the outcome. Afraid Speed'd insist" He replied. Well, they ain't payin' me ta be lollygaggin' with the purtiest gal in town. Best get on down to the jail. get to the days, business."
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Speed Guyer stood before the window looking out at the street, a cup of coffee in his hand. It was another beautiful spring day, but one with a dark cloud, the prisoners in the holding cells. It would be yet another eight days before the Circuit Judge made his way to Kalispell, and they could look at trial dates. Likely the same day for all of them as the judge was on a schedule.
On his mind were his actions with Case Steelgrave. He wondered about his motives. Yes he had made a move against Quentin who was an acting Deputy, no matter what anyone said. But, then too, Case had gone for a gun, his own, granted. But as sure as he stood looking out the window, Case would have shot him. So maybe he didn't go to far. Maybe he didn't go far enough, but that could have been called murder.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
The cavalcade of riders paused at the outer edge of what could be called Kalispells city limits. Fourteen in all, to get Case Steelgrave out of jail, one way or the other. If hat meant killing the town Marshal and his deputy, that was what it meant.
Layton Harris, and Arlen Granger sat at the head of the group, neither liking what would lie ahead. Not that either was a good man per se, not that they objected to killing when they had to, it was the idea of bucking the whole town, and bucking the whole town included the Lost Lake Ranch, and that meant Shade Thornton, Quentin Cantrell and the riders they had.
No matter, it was do this or face the old man, which none of them was willing to do. Layton Harris looked around, then spurred his horse, and the riders rushed forward into the mouth of the main street.
“Mother nature can be as deadly, if not more than any man. To have not just the blizzard but a fire as well. Now that was a warning from the good Lord that this whitefish was not to be tolerated. Sorta like Sodom & Gomorrah in the good book, if ya subscribe ta thet sortta thing.” Amso offered. “But havin’ this place here fer the survivors, now there tars a blessin’ to be sure.”
"I'm not that familiar with Whitefish," Jonah commented, "but I don't think it was so overly wicked that the Good Lord would see fit to raze it." He shrugged. "And at least when Mother Nature lashes out, she does it without bias or thought. When man lashes out...it's a conscious act."
“Them plans fer yer hospital and orphanage, don’t you worry none about it. It’s the right thing, a good thing , a necessary thing yer doin’. Tell that to yer lady friend was she to get discouraged. You’ll get ‘er done, mark my words.”
"I have no doubt, considering Miss Steelgraves tenacity." Jonah chuckled, nodding to Emeline as she sat his food down, then refilled both men's mugs with hot coffee. "Thank you." He turned his attention back to Amos. "Most of the logistics are in the works, but the city council just needs some convincing." He shook his head. "Politicians!"