Storyteller / Shared NPC
The rain pelted the roof and north side of cottage Number Six, East Washington Street, four men crowded around the only table in the small three room shanty, for want of a better description of the place. It was across from Leah Steelgrave's number five which was no bigger, and no better. The men were playing poker with match sticks for currency to pass the time when the door opened and Doc Gilcrerst rushed in closing the door quickly behind him. He striped off his 'fish' or his slicker as it was called.
"Leahs up to the Lickskillet with Doc Danforth, surprise. And Doc Boone just rolled inta town, he's up there with 'em. I reckon she's safe, given the comp'nee she's keepin', and the dadblamed weather." He informed them.
"Doc Boone you say? Good news, that's for sure!" Bannister said. "Good man that Boone."
"Well from what I overheard from under the overhang, he's back to stay an' listen ta this, Miss Steelgrave asked Danforth ta court her! Don't that beat all?" Said Gilcrest, smilin' like the canary whot at the cat.
"Guess somebody oughtta teach him to shoot!" McKenny stated. "Reckon her pa's gonna be hunting him a doctor when he gets wind of this development." And that caused them all to chuckle.
"I ain't real sure about the old man, he just seems to have lost intrest in her and what she's doin'." Santee observed, "The old man ain't gonna be the one to try and take down Danforth, it'll be one of his men. Maybe Dutch, 'er Boone. fact s most any one of 'em 'cept maybe Granger."
Yeah, Granger won't be the one, an' whoever it is will be good at what he does so that means we need to be riding the outskirts watchin' for whoever that might be an' send 'em ta hell on a shutter!"
"Might start a war with the Evergreen, we do that." Gilcrest warned. An' there was truth in that, 'cept they were in town an' not no where that they could be found outside'a town.
"You ferget, they know where we live." Bannister reminded them, "An' if you think for a minute they'll worry about hittin' Miss Leah, well Pard, you got another think common!" Ann' that too was a fact. The bullet may have Danforth's name on it, but that don't mean that's who it'd hit!
Thunder boomed and lightnin' crackled, as its fingers of light streaked across the dark clouds. This was somethin' they needed to consider, body guardin' a second person!
Storyteller / Shared NPC
The flutter of the shuffle of the cards was the only sound, other than the rain for a while, then Santee spoke up; "Good it's Doc Danforth. Not some no account like most of the men in town that had taken a shine to Miss Steelgrave. A good thing."
"Don't relieve us of the duty though, cuz this here ain't no job!" Bannister stated as he picked up his cards and spread them open in his hand to see what he'd been dealt. "But yeah, a good thing. 'spose the old man'll have a conniption fit over it, an' that dang sure could get the ball rollin'."
Doc Gilcrest cackled, "That he will, that he will, he won't abide Danforth fer a second! No siree!"
"Exactly what I was thinkin', Doc." McKenny said looking over a pair of red Queens. "An damned if we don't have us a bunch a Doc's in this here town. Hell, you could get yerself a job over't the new hospital when it opens, you're plenty good enough."
"Kind words Dex, kind words, but the hands just ain't as stable as they once was." Gilcrest replied. "Sides once't this is over, I jest might pull my freight fer Californie, jest might."
"Cards?" Santee asked.
The game played on, despite the thunder, lightning, and rain.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
It was odd how those four men were known to all of the Evergreen men, and there had only been one half-hearted attempt to face them, and that was truly not what those men had wanted to do, because some would have died, or been shot up. The conversation about Danforth and Leah, did make sense, as the four of them had watched for the better part of a year if not some longer, watching the pair. Cupid had been slow.
Doc Gilcrest talking about California almost made sense. But he was in no shape to ride that far, and it was true, his hands were not as steady as they had once been, not that any of them minded, because they all knew who he was and who he had been when he was their age. He rode with Bill Anderson, Bloody Bill Anderson as a fighting medic, and before that, he had helped push back the frontier. He was no tenderfoot, not Doc Gilcrest!
California, well, there was a draw to that place, the gold, while still there was for the most part played out or owned, so going there with the idea of striking it rich was a fool's errand. But there was another draw, the big old ocean they got there. Maybe a man can lose himself out there, be far from his past and all the sins he has committed, then again, maybe not.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
The storm did not get any worse, in fact, it had lightened up, but it was still comin' down, the lightenin' flashed and the thunder rolled across the Montana heavens, the sound of the light rain on the tin roof bore witness to it. the men inside the small house had taken a break from the card game, where no one was really ahead, but playing for matches kept there from being any hard feelings. Oh, there was a cash buy-in, two dollars for a hundred matchsticks. The money went into an empty Arbuckles bag to buy them a jug when they had enough, or the one they had was getting empty.
"Goldang it!" Doc swore. "I fergot maybe the most important news of all, why it's Elinor Steelgave, she's back, seen her on my way back from the Lickskillet I did, 'er there's a woman look prezactly like her went walkin' inta the place bold as brass! Yes sir, bold as a cougar lookin' at a jackrabbit!"
"She's back is she, well now, don't that beat all?" Santee asked. "Never thought I see her again."
"Me neither. She pulled her freight an' it shorley did seem that was the end of that!" McKinney added.
"Woman was always nice enough ta me, I mean, never a cross word, 'er any insults," Banister said as the door opened and Carson walked in.
"I seen Miz Steelgrave an' her Mother with Boone an' Danforth headin' overt the hotel. Wonder what the ole' man thinks 'o that?" He announced. "Prob'ly don't know yet, but she'll be seen soon enough an' sombody'll ride on out to tell him." They all looked at each other, knowing if there was a fuse to this keg of powder, it would be Elinor Steegrave.
Doc Santee Mckinney
Bannister Carson
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Bannister smiled, "Doc told us he seen her. This might prove to be interestin', to say the least."
"You know, we're runnin' a might low on luck around here." McKinney said seriously, "Not that them polecats from the Evergreen have been threatenin' us none, but sooner than later that roostrer'll come home to roost."
"Well I'll tell ya this much, was she back without no plan I'd be plumb shocked, I would." Doc said firmly, " She don't never do nuthin' without she got 'er planned out, an' this here's no exception!"
Carson looked on as he peeled off his slicker and then said, "Oh she's got herself a plan alright, but a plan about what? That there's the question, ain't it? What she has up her sleeve?"
Bannister half shook his head. "Man's got him a point, alright. Might have everything to do with the Evergreen, then again, it might have nothin' ta do with the ranch. She's no fool, take an army to take the ranch with them men he's got out there, so maybe not. Her bein' back changes things some. The danger's no less, a bit more if you ask me, an' we're just five men with maybe help from Guyer an' Pike was push come to shove."
Doc cackled at that statement, "Best we teach Danforth to shoot, doncha think?" He looked around the room before he continued, "Make us six plus the law." He was nodding his head as if he had won the pie-eating contest. No one said anything.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
"You got a point alright, Doc. But there's what, thirty of 'em, maybe more by now?" Bannister asked.
"Reckon so," Carson agreed, "the old man's always on the lookout for more guns. Still thinks he can take the Lost Lake spread if he can out gun 'em. Problem is, gettin' at the place, an' that's what he wants to do, or was last time I was there he was talkin' up burnin' the lace down around Shade Thornton's ears."
"Plumb loco if you ask me." Santee exclaimed, "Christ, there's no way to get at the place. Goin' in from the front'd be plain ol' suicide. If he was to try droppin' in from the top, it'd take forever, an' they'd be sittin' ducks workin' their way down to th' bottom. Just ain't no way 'o doin' it!"
"Guess it's slickers an' shotguns til we teach that boy to use a gun, whether he's for it 'er not. Believe I'll jest take another walk up that'a way, be sure ever'thing' hunky dory, so tya speak." Doc said finding his slicker and his ten guage doubble barrel. "Jest ta be on the safe side'a things."
Bannister looked up as the door shut, "That old man's forgot he just came back from out there. Ain't no one in thir right mind out on a night like this, Jest plain miser'ble!"
"Yeah it is, but you ferget how long he's been on that spread, so he knows the Missus as well as the girl-child! He's worried's all." McKinney informed them that might have forgotten.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
There came a knock on the door. and that had four guns pointed toward the door as all four got to their feet, Santee being closest worked his way quickly to the door and jerked it open. Damnit Doc!"
"Sorry boys, didn't mean ta startle ya." It was Fraiser, surely, not his real name being half Souix half white, "Wasn't sure this was the place and damned sure I didn't want to toss open the door and waltz on in."
"Damn, well, step in and pull off that slicker and pull up a chair, we're a might crowded in here right now, but we'll make do." Santee offered. "Others had their fill? Have to wonder about that. I mean most of them boys like the work which ain't much with as many as they got, and the money's good. Or it was."
"Well, I just got a feelin' that somethin's brewin' I don't wanna be on the wrong side of." The breed said, "I mean yeah there's always talk, but that range war they been plannin' since fer'ever, ain't never gonna happen. But the hospital? Now that's somethin' else agin. Oh, the old man ain't give no word to hit it, but there's them what are jawin' on it, a lot! Them that think Miss Steelgrave, Leah, well maybe that happened back a ways, but not that I ever knew of."
McKinney leaned forward, "You think they want harm to come to her, is that what you're sayin'?"
"That's what I'm sayin', though they make it sound like all they want to do is burn the place down, but I heard one say 'we know where she lives!"
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Doctor Jonah Danforth was an outsider to the men in that cottage, about as far outside their ranks as was possible, however, there was a condition that the men accepted without question, Leah Steelgrave was sweet on him, so far as they knew. Santee laid down his cards and stood up, pacing a bit.
"He'll need to learn to shoot for his own self as well as hers!" He said. "More than shoot, how to handle his gun, and how to shoot to kill if he has to. and with them men out there, it'll be shoot ta save his own life, and maybe hers. Hell if I know anything about him, I mean what kinda man he is. Hell, caint never tell what a man'll do when faced with the need to face killin' 'er bein' killed!"
"True enough, I mean no way to be sure of anything like that til it's time ta pay the piper 'ert dance, one." McKinney said.
"Well, like I said there's others out there I know are thinkin' of ridin' on rather get mixed up in anything to do with Miss Leah." Fraiser stated, "Ain't namin' no names till they walk through that door. But like you said, this place'll get real small, real quick!"