"That's fine with me, Marshall," Mike answered.
Once again, he looked around the mess his men and the Steelgrave hands had made of the saloon. He turned to Fortner, "If you could tally up what Lost Lake owes you, I would be obliged. Also, you can be assured that you'll get paid within the next two weeks."
@Wayfarer @Flip
OOC: You want to be tagging Preston - he is the person who writes for the owner, Fortner, not me. :)
The saloon was mess. That much was for sure.
Franklin Fortner stood mid-floor with his hands holding onto his coat lapels. Now what? Where's Priest when I need him? he thought.
After Mike Wentworth conferred with the Sheriff, he approached Fortner. "If you could tally up what Lost Lake owes you, I would be obliged. Also, you can be assured that you'll get paid in the next two weeks."
Franklin released his right hand from his lapel and offered it.
"I've lived out West most of my life, and like we all know, things can get out-of-hand quicker than a twister can wipe out a church steeple. Let's say one-hundred dollars ought to put things back together again."
He looked upward and saw Hiram Priest standing at the second story railing. He heard the quote, and nodded slowly.
"Is it a deal?" he asked Wentworth.
Meanwhile out on the Evergreen:
What in the sam hell do yoa mean the boys got in a fight? Wasn't their fault? Just how is that even possible?" Shouted Granger, waking half the men in the bunkhouse. "For the love of God! And just where are the rest of them?"
"Jail til we pay our share of the damages." Dave Jansen began, "Now ya gotta listen Granger, Some ol' sot was in the place and he's what started the brawl. He bumped into one feller, and by God the place turned into a mass'a folks slammin' inta one another 'er being shoved 'er pushed outta the way but inta another. Hell, I got pitched through what was left of the front winda. Likely be a hunder'd dollars damage! Maybe more, that'd be our share, the boys from the Lost Lake they gotta pay half."
Granger exhaled heavily. "A hundred?" He asked, Jansen nodded, "I got that plus, I'll take that plus another fifty just to be sure. And you'll ride along. The rest of you get back to bed. Early day tomorrow!" And with that, the man pulled on his clothes, slammed his hat on his head, and walked out the door, Jansen right behind him.
By the time Granger and Jansen arrived back in town, it was late, but the clean up of the saloon was well underway, mostly the regulars were busy with trying to straighten the place up.
Dismounting Granger looked at Jansen, "You go get the boys outta the hoosegow and then head on back to the ranch, savvy?" He directed, You tell whoever's on duty I'll be by to square any fines. Now go." Jansen remounted, turned his horse and walked it over to the jail while Granger stepped into what remained of the Stardust Saloon, spying Fortner he walked directly to the saloon owner.
"Hell of a mess we got here. Come to pay my share of the damages, and best I can, I'll keep these yayhoos out of here. Sorry for this, that was not what was planned, a couple drinks and back to the Evergreen." He shook his head, "Should'a known better. Anyway, here a hundred and fifty." he was taking no chances.
@Preston
"Is it a deal?" he asked Wentworth.
Mike looked around at the mess the fight had caused. Even though he thought one hundred dollars was a bit too much, he wasn't about to argue over it...that would be for Quentin or Shade.
"Since I'm only the foreman, I don't have the last say on this...all I can do is let my bosses know what you want to cover the cost of tonight's fracas," Mike answered, "If they have no problems with it, payment will be swift."
He paused for a moment, "However, there is one thing I can try to fix and that's the problem with this being the only saloon in town. We need to work out a way to keep this sort of thing from happening again...and with the way things have been lately, I have no doubt it will."
@ [Preston
Jansen made his way across the street to the Municipal Building money enough for any bail that might be due for the release of Dutch and the others. This was not what any of them had planned, but it had erupted before anyone could have prevented the battle royale that followed!
He wanted to go over to see Sally Cutts, but getting the boys out was more important than Jansen's romantic ideas. He came in the door see the Marshal seated at his desk with a cup of coffee.
"Here to get your friends?" Speed asked with a rye smile.
"I am. Any money owed for bail?"
"Forty dollars ought to cover it. Steep, but with the damage done I figure it's cheap."
Jansen frowned as he took out two twenty dollar gold pieces and set them on the corner of the desk
Speed smiled, "Doors open, they're free to go, here's their guns." He opened the drawer where he kept guns that were being held and pulled out the rigs. "You boys have a nice night."
Quick as a wink they were in the street on their horses and headed out of town. The night was drawing to a close.