Maybe it was just that, at the ripe old age of 22, Scrappy Craddock was getting old: but on the whole, compared to life on the trail, being a farm hand had its moments.
Like right now: he'd done the chores that Mrs Miggins needed doing in town and the day was his own. He wasn't making much headway with the old woman's granddaughter, or the virginal Sally Cutts at the saloon, or that tease Caroline Mundee, so it looked like a visit to the whorehouse might be first on his list of entertainments, or maybe he'd go to the saloon and pick up a girl there while he was snortin' back a glug of redeye. Or maybe get a shave and haircut first and then...
Suddenly, Scrappy stopped thinking, as his eyes started blinking, and the one time cowboy started to yell at a man riding into town who, despite the dust on his duster and the slouch hat pulled down over his eyes against the sun, was unmistakable as his old pard on the cattle trail.
"Jessie!!! JESSIE!! Over here you old coyote! It s ME!!!" the diminutive young man bellowed.
Then the massive smile on Craddock's face fell a little, as he realised that his old friend might not... in fact very probably did not know about what had happened during his long absence.
Shit! How the hell do you tell a feller than his Pa's been shot dead by his sister, and that said sister was scheduled to hang in a week's time?!
He plastered a little of the smile back on to his face by a sheer act of will, and called "Say, don't go to your house straight-way, come into the Stardust for a drink..." (Christ alive, he'd sure need one!) "... I got something real important to tell you!"
Jess was just getting back into town after a long cattle drive; he'd been gone for months and boy was he glad to be back home, even to see his crazy sister Zenobia, to check up on his little brother, to see old friends and yes, to even see his old man despite his Pa's ornery disposition. Jess was tired, hungry, thirsty...all of it. He was nearing home, riding through downtown Kalispell, seeing what was new, if anything, when he heard the familiar voice of his good cattle hand friend, Scrappy. He squinted against the sun, lifting his hat some.
"Scrap!" Jess smiled and hopped down off his horse. He patted his old partner on the shoulder. He wasn't sure if he'd ever see the guy again, not knowing if he would stay in Kalispell after Jess had left or if he'd venture off on some other job. He was pleased to see him, nonetheless.
Jess didn't catch that Scrappy's smile had faltered a bit as they talked. He was too tired and hungry to read into any details. "Let's go." He said to Scrappy's offer to go to the Stardust. He was anxious to see his family, but he knew he wouldn't find anything worth eating there and it would be good to catch up. "I'm famished." He ran his hand down his lanky frame, over his stomach. He reached for the harness strap on his horse and started to lead her to walk with them to the Stardust. "What's been keeping you busy?"
He reached for the harness strap on his horse and started to lead her to walk with them to the Stardust. "What's been keeping you busy?"
"Oh, this 'n' that" Scrappy replied aimlessly, his mouth taking it easy while his brain raced, trying to think of how to break the double terrible news to his pal. In his life he'd been stampeded by maddened cattle, crossed raging torrents, been shot at by Injuns and bandits, he'd even had to face Granny Miggins when she'd 'got it on her' - but this was by far the scariest thing he'd ever dealt with: breaking the death of a feller's Pa and the imminent death of his sister to him!
Jessie's horse safely tied up, Craddock eventually manoeuvred his pard into the saloon and to a quiet table, while he flipped a coin to the pot girl and asked her to bring them a couple of shots of red-eye, all the time avoiding the elephant in the room and making small talk.
But once they were sat there, awaiting their drinks, he felt he really had to break the news.
"Jess... I... well, I don't know how to put this... but... y'see pal..."
Sally Cutts, who didn't know Jessie from Adam, arrived with the whiskies and plonked them down on the table and chirped:
"Say Scrappy, is it true that they're hanging Zenobia Matthews for murderin' her Pa next week?!" she asked brightly.
Scrappy's mouth just dropped.
Jess settled down into the chair. Thankful to be off his horse, out of the sun and in good company.
The two caught up for a bit while they waited for their drinks. Scrappy wasn’t seeming his same witty self as they talked but Jess didn’t think much on it. That was until he seemed to be nervous to tell him something…..and didn’t know how to put it. Of all the things Jess could have ever imagined his pal was about to tell him he would have NEVER guessed what just spilled out of the waitresses mouth.
Jess was so thirsty that as soon as the drinks were sat down he scooped his up and threw it back. Only half way listening to the girl because he didn’t know her she caught his attention quickly. Nearly choking on the alcohol he coughed and slapped the glass back down. His eyes wide, his hands flattened against the flat surface of the table as he pushed himself up to stand. “Excuse me, ma’m?!” He coughed himself through the words… His eyes flashed to Scrappy…bewildered, scared, sad, angry, confused…it was all there…..
”Scrappy…tell me she’s confused.” He laughed and shook his head. His family was crazy but not that crazy.
“Excuse me, ma’m?!” He coughed himself through the words… His eyes flashed to Scrappy…bewildered, scared, sad, angry, confused…it was all there…..
"You idiot! This is Zenobia's brother, he doesn't know!" barked Scrappy at Sally.
"Oh God!! I'm sorry!!" the girl wailed, realising what a blunder she'd made. He brown eyes saucered as she looked at Jessie "I am so sorry!"
"Go get him another drink!" Scrappy told the distraught female.
”Scrappy…tell me she’s confused.” He laughed and shook his head. His family was crazy but not that crazy.
"I'm sorry Jess, but it's all true. I witnessed the whole thing. Apparently there was a man involved, I mean, some feller your sister was seeing, and your Pa went wild.... started beating her in the street with his belt buckle. She grabbed some cowpoke's gun and fired it off at him and... well, that's all there was to it. It was pure self defence, but I reckon the Judge in Helena didn't see it that way. She'd escaped for a while, see, but got caught and they tried her there, a U.S. Marshall brought her into Kalispell yesterday. I only just heard that last part myself... don't really have all the facts. You should speak to her lawyer... feller called Reeve, abides over at the Orr place." Craddock reeled off what he knew staring down at the table, and at the end, out of words, was brave enough to raise his eyes and meet Jessie's "I'm really sorry, pard."
Sally arrived back with another glass, a double, and shoved it in front of Jess.
"It... it's on the house, I'm really so sorry Mister... I didn't know..." she stuttered. "If there's anything I can do..." she trailed off.
And then Scrappy just dropped it all, told him everything that happened and Jess couldn't believe it. He sat there in disbelief. Apparently, his family was that crazy! He was quiet for a long time before he sat back in his chair, calm, but only because he was in shock. He stared at the glasses the girl sat down in front of him, he heard her speaking to him, but didn't really hear them. He didn't look at her.
Zenobia killed their father. His father was gone.....but the man was a lunatic...he was crazy. Jess, Raymond and Zenobia had all been on the receiving end of his verbal and physical abuse. Zenobia finally broke and it sounded like she had every right to. He could process why she had run away. She had to have been scared to death.
He had always been riddled with guilt over leaving his siblings. He should have stayed behind and protected and helped to take care of them, but he just couldn't live under his Pa's iron fist. He had longed for freedom from him and so he had left at his first opportunity. He had always sent home money for his Ma and siblings, but now he realized money wasn't what they needed; he really should have stayed behind. Maybe he could have prevented this.
He needed to find Raymond and he needed to get to Zenobia and her lawyer.
Craddock reeled off what he knew staring down at the table, and at the end, out of words, was brave enough to raise his eyes and meet Jessie's "I'm really sorry, pard."
Jessie finally looked over at his friend, shaking his head. "This is all my fault." He reached over and grabbed one of the shots but stopped before he downed it. He sat it back down and pushed it towards Scrappy. There was no way he could show up to find his sister with alcohol on his breath. "I need to go see her." He said, still wildly calm. "I've got to get her out of this mess." And Raymond....he had to find him too. The kid was all alone now. Ma and Pa dead, sister in jail, Jessie gone. Poor kid.
"Any idea where Raymond is?" He asked as he slid his hat back on his head.
Scrappy was more than glad to let Jess go in on his lonesome, he himself hightailed it back to the Saloon: he needed that drink that Jessie had refused.
Ray looked up and shaded his eyes against the light as his brother entered the outside area at the back of the funeral parlour; it was an incongruously sunny afternoon, now.
"Don't worry, it ain't for her" he said, and looked back down at the coffin he was making, his plane rasping on the wood. He didn't seem surprised to see Jess. He always turned up just when it was too late.
"Been to see her yet?" he enquired, in a voice as dead as the future incumbent of the box he was making.
"Pa's in the graveyard, up yonder if you want to visit him."
He stopped work again.
"Funny, a girl got murdered here the other night. Nice lady, kinda sad, but nice. She was a whore, so they wouldn't let her be buried there, up with that evil old bastard; we had to do her outside in the prairie. It was just me and Mr Jolly and some of the other working girls, Hettie and Tilly and Nancy-Jane and Mrs Adams... huh, and Miss Mudd brought a Spanish guitaro and sang some sad songs. Not hymns. They weren't allowed. Just sad songs. It was nice. Better than all that religious stuff."
He looked up.
"I think Zenobia's going to be happier out there than next to Pa, don't you?"
@[MC]
Ray had had to grow up way too fast because of way too many reasons. Mostly because of their father pushing everyone away. Their mother doing everything she could to make life somewhat bearable for her kids, Jess getting out of the house as fast as she could, causing Zenobia to find love in all the wrong places and then poor Ray. The baby of the family left to try and put all the pieces together, to be the glue, but there was no gluing this family back together. Especially not now. Jess was going to do what he could to salvage what was left though.
"Don't worry, it ain't for her" he said, and looked back down at the coffin he was making, his plane rasping on the wood. He didn't seem surprised to see Jess. He always turned up just when it was too late.
"Been to see her yet?" he enquired, in a voice as dead as the future incumbent of the box he was making.
"Pa's in the graveyard, up yonder if you want to visit him."
"I don't want to see him." Jess said low about their Pa as he stared down at the ground, the brim of his hat shielding his eyes from the sun. He looked up with just his eyes and watched as his brother worked on the casket, mentioning their sister. He leaned against the frame of the door. He wasn't sure what Ray was going to think about what he'd say next. He let him carry on about the funeral he'd been a part of but then when he mentioned Zenobia being buried, he licked his dry lips and took in a long slow breath.
"If it's up to me she ain't gonna be buried nowhere." He felt he had to do what he could to save his sister. She had only been defending herself and if the judge had known their Pa the way the people here in Kalispell did, he really felt like he would have never sentenced her to death.
"Tell me what happened, Ray." He walked further out now and pulled up a chair, straddling it across from his brother. Ray would know more than probably anybody.
"If it's up to me she ain't gonna be buried nowhere." He felt he had to do what he could to save his sister. She had only been defending herself and if the judge had known their Pa the way the people here in Kalispell did, he really felt like he would have never sentenced her to death.
"Ha!" Ray laughed a bitter, mirthless laugh. "That's right. Lonesome Cowboy Jessie sweeps into town on his white steed and rescues his sister from the evil hangman's noose! You've been reading too many dime novels, big brother." he grumped, banging in another nail with a lot more force than was needed.
"They let her escape once before, they ain't gonna let it happen again. Have you seen them dungeons under the town hall? Gopher couldn't dig his way outta that trap."
"Tell me what happened, Ray." He walked further out now and pulled up a chair, straddling it across from his brother. Ray would know more than probably anybody.
The lad carried on working, he didn't look up once, his face suffused with colour. Only eventually did he speak.
"He..." he shook his head slightly before he could carry on "... he did something to her he... he did something to her he... he hadn't oughta."
He looked up at last, tears streaming from his eyes.
"She killed him because I knew... I knew what he done, Jess, and she knew that if she didn't kill him first, then I would, and... and it'd be me that stuck in that miserable place right now waiting to be hanged!!"
The lad jumped up, dropping his tools and ran out the door, nearly bowling over a slight young girl of no more than 17 years, dressed from head to toe in black, with raven black hair, and skin as pale as a cloud: for a fleeting second it could have been Zenobia herself. But when the girl opened her mouth, a Southern accent clearly indicated it was another.
"Who're you?!" she asked Jessie with a frown "What're you doing upsetting our Raymond? Don't you know his sister's going to be hanged next week?!!" Arabella asked accusingly.
Jessie knew he deserved everything that Ray was giving him. Jess certainly wasn't trying to come in and be some kind of hero. He knew he had been wrong for leaving his family and going out on the range. He knew it, even if it was saving his sanity by being away from their father, he had left behind his brother, sister and mother for his own comforts. He had rationalized it by sending home money, but he knew in his heart of hearts he should be in Kalispell helping them in person. There was no going back now. He couldn't change the past, only the future. Despite being gone all this time, it doesn't change the fact that he loves his family and wants to help.
When Ray tried to start explaining what happened, it seemed so much deeper than what Scrappy had told him.
He looked up at last, tears streaming from his eyes.
"She killed him because I knew... I knew what he done, Jess, and she knew that if she didn't kill him first, then I would, and... and it'd be me that stuck in that miserable place right now waiting to be hanged!!"
As Ray stood Jess did too. "What did he do, Ray?" Jess asked low, not really wanting to know, but needing to know. When Ray took off running, Jess went after him, but as he was a few steps behind he nearly ran over the beautiful girl that seemed to show up out of nowhere.
"Excuse me, miss." Jess said as he took of his hat and looked over her shoulder trying to see where Ray was going. "Yes, ma'm, I'm aware." He said of his sister's hanging; sadness lacing his voice as he swallowed hard. "I'm Ray and Zenobia's older brother, Jessie." He tried to step around her. "Now I really need to catch up to Ray, if you would kindly step aside?" He could easily force himself around her, but he really didn't want to make a bigger scene than was already being played out.