Durango He slipped out of Durango one cold bitter night. The wind howled and cutting like a knife as he bowed his hat into the chilling blast. This was suicide but so was staying in Durango. The hotel had been boisterous all evening and drunken brawls clearly evident in hallways and upstairs and everywhere you looked. A typical cowboy Saturday night in the railroad hotel. Cowpunchers and even rustlers stood haggling over prices ducking whiskey bottles as they glared into each others eyes searching out that faint possibility of truth. The young girl wavered thru the stumbling mass with full mugs going and empty ones on the way back. She couldn�t have been more than 13 or 14 but noticeably a grown woman�s figure. Only her innocent face gave her away. He�d grown to like her over the last week while waiting for a punching job or someone needing a ranch hand back home might take him on the return. These were sorry times though on cattle drives. Almost what you�d call seasonal work as when the cattle herd was delivered to the railhead all or most of them were paid off and let go. Only a few die hard worthy cowpunchers stayed to tend the herd until they were actually shipped and gone. Brandon Shey Night Eagle was not one of those lucky few. To make it worse their herd had been stolen just outside of town before they had time to send in the courier with the bill of laden and the paperwork started. The rustlers took papers and all and were now the rightful owners in the eyes of the law. The trail boss and his close friends all worked for Alex Kingmon and had for 15 to 20 years now drained their lives blood on the desolate trail. He�d seen their cattle in the pens already and the rough crew of haggards who tended them with hands close to their guns constantly. But he was one against many. He didn�t even know how many now. when they hit there were over 20 that he counted and maybe more. He was pretty sure there were far less now though because he�s spotted at least 6 at the general store in open pine boxes waitin till the last moment for someone to claim the bodies or body so the undertaker could collect his fee. This was highly unlikely as these men�s own mothers wouldn�t have claimed them for free much less pay to say they knew them. This was a general rule among thieves. Steal something worth less that what you were willing to share then kill off the excess expenses after the job was done and do it quickly before they lost it in some poker game or got mugged themselves. Money was sometimes stolen 5 to 10 times back and forth among these rowdy bands of cut throats. I�d sat with the girl sometimes before she had to start her shift, which usually was from the time they opened until everyone left or was drug out by the heels. She was a nice girl, had no book lernin or any family. Her parents had been died in a train hold up when one of the robbers mask was uncovered so everyone was killed to keep the identity secret. She�d been shuffled from one relative to the next. Mostly as labor from hearing her side of it until she was old enough to get away from the beatings and torment from the other children of the families. To them she was nothing more than a servant and treated her as such, an owned, bought, and paid for servant. She made her way north on a wagon train and found the hotel saloon needed help and so she stayed. She also she cleaned the rooms in the morning before the bar opened which never was that busy until the cattle drives started coming in. This one was bad though as a freak winter storm had blown in and most couldn�t leave until it blew over. This was the third day now and it showed no sign of letting up. The rail cars were empty and the train was overdue now, most likely blocked by the storm somewhere in the mountains. Her name was Cally Foster and I was the only friend she had. She wanted me to stay and said I could take part of her chores and the pay if I couldn�t find anything else to do. I knew she was just scratchin the surface of poor as it was. If it wasn�t for the two free meals a day she would have already starved. They even charged her � rate for her room and as far as the free meals that was IF anything was left over and it was always dry, cold or burnt. If there was any way, I would take her with me but I didn�t even know when or where I was going yet. I heard noise of what sounded like another scuffle, then the scream, and then silence. I knew she was the only female in the hotel so I rushed upstairs. I saw two figures going out the window. I started towards them when I saw through an open door the lifeless body laying on the floor. I stopped and went in. I knew her neck was broken by the odd tilt of her head. Her clothes had been almost torn completely off and I took the dirty blanket off the bed and covered her naked body before others came in. I just stood and stared as the tears ran down my face. I could see her sitting at the table with so much hope and promise in a mending heart. We both knew she�d never get all she wanted or deserved but she never wanted much either. Then I was pushed aside as the room started to fill. I remember someone shouting: git a rope, lets hang the bastard. I came out of my memory and saw the looks in their eyes as they moved like in slow motion. Somehow I escaped and dove through the open window and slid off the verandah roof into the snow in the street. My horse had been sold along with my saddle and gear to get a room out of the cold. I headed for the stable and grabbed a saddle and bridle and picked out the best horse I saw. If your gonna get hung for horse stealin you might as well get a good one. Besides I was gonna get hung whether I stole or even killed someone already. I barely made it out the rear door before I heard the alarm I�d been found. I mounted on the run and forced the horse to jump the back fence rail. I was afraid as he was cold and tight and not limbered up yet we�d never make it but I heard the click as one hoof caught the rail and we were gone. I wandered aimlessly for several hours in the bitter cold dark night. I then decided to go back and take Cally to a better resting place. She at least deserved that. I knew if I was caught they�d hang me with no justice. After all who would take the word of an injun. I quietly slipped around the corner of the store. Peeking in I saw no customers or the owner. Cally wasn�t in any of the open boxes now snow covered. Several contained more than one body stacked like cordwood in natures freezer. I slipped into the store hoping the winds gale forces wouldn�t alarm anyone. I deftly covered the dry weathered, worn, floor with ease. I parted the curtained door and saw the undertaker, store owner with his back to me. I stood in stupor as his task seemed to be other than that of interring a body. Then I saw Cally�s arm dangling off the table and her legs hanging off the end as he �oh GOD, NOOOOOOOOOOO. I ran toward him and before he could turn I heard the snap as his neck broke in a loud crack. Then slump to the floor. My tears made it hard to see to cover and pull her back onto the table. I went to the front and placed the "CLOSED" sign over the window then sorted thru the clothing until I found a pretty dress that would look beautiful on Cally. I got her dressed in it and took several heavy blankets from a shelf then wrapped her in one and draped myself in another over a poncho I�d found. I picked her up and carried her out the door leaving it open and struggled to get her on the shying horse and myself also. Finally with Cally cradled in my arms across the front of the saddle and her covered head against my shoulder I rode off into the storm. I found a small clearing in the woods and dismounted balancing Cally in the saddle then lifted her down to be propped against a tree. I finally broke the thin frozen crust and placed Cally on the ground beside the trench. I unwrapped her and stared at her innocent beauty then leaned and kissed her lips. After wrapping her and covering the hole I said a silent prayer for her and told her I�d meet her soon. Then I sat down beside the mound and wept with my hand over her heart hidden down below as the snow slowly made my warm white blanket of sleep. Vision Quest � 2002 T Lovett |
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