The Evening of March 1st 1877
Elias sat in the dining room alone, a cup of coffee before him and rain beating on the window. Nothing was going to plan with Lost Lake Rance. The snipers had been rained out, and that called for more planning about hit and run tactics, not that he was in favor of anything but an all out attack on the place, but there were nothing but risks anyway he looked at that idea. The frontal assault would be suicide! The tunnel might well be alright for an attack, but what if Thornton knew about it and would use it, or worse yet have men inside ready for his men?
That left hit and run, maybe sniping from Ishmael's Gate. That too was a risk, not nearly what a frontal assault would be, but it meant his men would be on both sides and the ones on the south side would have to escape the same long way they had ridden to get there and that would defeat the purpose, at least in his mind,. It also meant either skirting Kalispell or riding through it. The risk? Lost Lake riders making it there ahead of his men and Marshall Guyer. Why had that fool Oakerlin missed?
"Misser Steelgrabe, dinner? Be ready in one hour. Same same. Steak bean and potatoes." Ling, his Chinese housekeeper and cook.
"Yes, yes. Maybe some more coffee though." Elias replied. Ling disappeared without a sound, something that bothered Elias, but hardly enough to do anything about. Planning for his revenge, it took so much to get at Lost Lake and Thorton, if Case or his other sons were here, it would be so much easier. Where was Case anyway, the others? At home somewhere with their wives and children. And that got his dander up as much as Leah and her damned hospital!
Dinner, as usual, was excellent, Ling had been a good addition to the ranch staff. He kept the lace spotless and kept out of the way unless Elias called for him, then he was right there ready for whatever the bossman might want. He knew how Elias felt about his quiet manner so he liked to clear his throat or make some other noise that would be just enough to warn his employer that he was coming.
There were also those evenings when a woman would be brought to the house for him, and she was always there for the night. Generally dinner and then breakfast before she left again, but this was not one of those evenings when the woman, Jewel, was expected. Elias had not sent for her.
What Ling would do on these types of evenings was to disappear to his room, and be out of Elias' way, especially if he called in Granger, or his men to plan something. None of which interested the Chinese houseboy in the slightest. So when Elias finished his dinner, Ling quickly and quietly cleared away the dishes and then cleaned up in the kitchen. He ensured there was fresh coffee on the stove since Elias had quit, drinking and seemed to enjoy his coffee without the ill effects of not sleeping because of the caffeine.
So, on that quiet evening at home, Ling approached his master as Elias got to his feet. "I won't be need, need," He made a sound as he clutched his chest and crumpled to the floor, narrowly missing the corner of the oak table. Ling raced to his room where he had medicines used by s people for centuries, he came back with his bag and pulled a small bottle from it, quickly, he held open Elias' mouthopen to place a couple of drops of the liquid under the man's tongue, then laid him back and raced to the backdoor where there was a cast iron bell, and he rang it until Granger came running, and men came out of everywhere.
"Missa Granger, Missa Granger, Boss have heart attack. Fetch doctor please!" The Oriental begged.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Granger was on the move, faster than most anyone had seen him move. "Jansen! Jansen! Dave Jansen!" he shouted as the man stepped out of the bunkhouse. "Take the fastest horse we got an' ride for the Doc!"
"Yessir." Dave replied, "Lemme get it together an' I'm gone!"
"You get Doc Boone, I hear he's in town, but if not Danforth, the fact is, Danforth could ride better'n Boone. Take another mount and be as fast as you can!"
"On my way!" Dave said stepping back in to pull on his heavy coat and grab his hat, then he ran to the stable where two of the men were already saddling two horses, one was Mister Steelgrave's black that could run all day.
Granger made his way back to the house where he found the Chinese, Ling, ministering to Elias.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Dave Jansen swung into the saddle and laid spurs to Mister Steelgrave's black thoroughbred, galloping out of the barn and into the night. Dave could find town in a blizzard, let alone the dark. But there was that mist and it stung his face, but he would not let up, at least not just yet, one thing he knew, it was the length he could push a horse, and this black, he'd seen him run, and it was for sure that he could run for some time.
~0~
He slid to a halt in front of Doc Danforth's place and leaped to the ground running to the door where he knocked as hard as he could. He was told to get Doc Boone, but was he even back in town? no matter, he knocked again, even harder.
While it was part and parcel of being a doctor, Jonah would never get used to the frantic, late-night pounding on the door, jarring him from sleep, and likely pulling him from his warm bed for a cold night ride that often was for nothing.
Sitting up, he reached for his robe, muttering, "All right, all right," to whomever was assaulting his door, and now shouting. Upstairs, Jonah knew the man couldn't hear him, so there was no need to shout. Moving quickly, he lit a lamp, then headed downstairs.
"I'm coming!" he called as he got closer to the door, then finally pulling it open, holding the lamp up. He didn't recognize the man. "Yes?"
Storyteller / Shared NPC
"Doc, it's Mister Steelgrave, somethin' with his heart." Jansen said. "The chinaman's takin' care of him right now, but he asked for a doc to come make sure he'll make it okay."
"I got this ere dapple grey that can run for days. Saddle's covered so it didn't get wet and the mist has let up some. Doc, we gotta ride. Cain't let the boss die or there'll be hell ta pay fer sure." He meant what he said, though he was unsure of what quarter the hell would come from.
"Get yerself dressed an' we kin head on out. Please sir, I'm beggin' ya, and Doc, ain't no harm gonna come to ya, not so long as Dave Jansen's alive. 'sides, I doubt Granger'd allow it." Dave was afraid, if not right on the edge of terrified of the prospects of Elias Steelgrave's demise. But then Dave wouldn't know about the potion that Ling had used. He might have heard of nitroglycerine, but that would have been in connection to dynamite.
"Doc, it's Mister Steelgrave, somethin' with his heart." Jansen said. "The chinaman's takin' care of him right now, but he asked for a doc to come make sure he'll make it okay."
"Oh, yes, of course." Elias Steelegrave? There was a time that Jonah would have gladly left the man to his fate, but he couldn't do that any more, even if it hadn't been Leah's father.
"I got this ere dapple grey that can run for days. Saddle's covered so it didn't get wet and the mist has let up some. Doc, we gotta ride. Cain't let the boss die or there'll be hell ta pay fer sure." He meant what he said, though he was unsure of what quarter the hell would come from.
"Give me a moment." Hell to pay from whom? Jonah had to wonder, since Elias was the Devil incarnate. But then, would Case be an even worse leader than his old man?
"Get yerself dressed an' we kin head on out. Please sir, I'm beggin' ya, and Doc, ain't no harm gonna come to ya, not so long as Dave Jansen's alive. 'sides, I doubt Granger'd allow it."
Jonah nodded, it hadn't occurred to him that he may run into harm to himself, but that wasn't a consideration. He had developed some skill in late-night emergency dressing, and his bag was waiting by the door, so it was only a few minutes before he was in the saddle on the way to Evergreen.
The ride was frantic and headlong, but the horses were sure-footed and Jansen knew the way, and they made it to the ranch in good time...
Storyteller / Shared NPC
When they burst into the room, Elias was on the settee with a blanket over him and he appeared to be resting comfortably. Ling, his all-purpose man was there, seated within reach eyes wide open at the intrusion.
"You doctor, I am Ling. I give nitroglycerin to him, two drops under tongue. He resting now, heartbeat I think is good. But need you make sure he a-okay.
Granger came through the door just then, "Doc Danforth, thanks for comin' out like this. Ling here did his best but not one of us knows what's what with Eliias, er, Mister Steelgrave right now. I mean he looks alright but hell, that don't mean nothin'!"
Glad that the mad dash was over, and even more glad that he had a live patient to deal with, since he didn't want to be blamed for Steelegrave's death, Jonah stepped into the dry warmth of the luxurious house and shed his slicker. Even with the collar turned up on the long oil coat, he was still considerably wet, but he'd worry about that later.
"So what exactly happened?" he asked as he approached Elias, taking in what he could. The man looked worn out, but his color was good, and he was alive! He nodded to the Chinaman. Nitrates were still relatively new in Western medicine, but were showing promise for cardiac problems.
"Mr. Steelegrave." He knelt beside the man, reaching to feel the pulse at his wrist, setting aside his opinions of his patient. "How are you feeling?"
"So what exactly happened?" he asked as he approached Elias, taking in what he could.
Ling nodded and began; Miss'Steegrave stand up after supper, he say I won't be need, need twice He make a sound clutch chest and fall to floor. I run get nitro liquid. Put drops under tongue so he not die. Use many times in Kowloon where I from for this."
The Chinese paused, "Missa Steelgrave like eat many bad things for him. Not listen to Ling. This the result." Diet was not a major concern in the land of beef, vegetables were commonplace to be sure, but whether a person ate them or not was a personal choice. There was pork, lamb, and chicken all available, but sheep and cattle just did not mix whether it was good to eat or not, it was all about the range where the cattle fed, that was the money crop.
"Mr. Steelegrave." He knelt beside the man, reaching to feel the pulse at his wrist, setting aside his opinions of his patient. "How are you feeling?"
"Not good, tired." Was the reply from the pale, haggard looking man. "Not sure what happened, but if I had to guess I'd say what happened was bad, and Ling here saved my life. But what now Danforth? What happens now?"
