A Few Days Out West

By Gemhenry

The red-coated gambler lifted his eyes from the game of solitaire he was contemplating on hearing the doors of the saloon creak open.  A tall young man swatting dust from his shirt sleeves stumbled as he entered, then paused a moment on the change from the sun’s brightness to the dimness of the establishment.  The gambler watched as the new arrival moved to the bar and  ordered a drink before resuming his interest in the game on the table.

Hannibal Heyes took a large swill from his glass and turned to look around the saloon, his elbows leaning on the bar.  He pushed himself away and moved over towards the table occupied by the gambler, watching the paste cards dancing in the man’s hand as he shuffled and manipulated the pack.

“Good day, sir!  Ezra P. Standish at your service.  Can I interest you in a game of chance?”  The card sharp leaned back into his chair, a generous smile appearing on his lips providing a glimpse of a gold tooth.

“Jack Barker. Perhaps later; right now I could do with a visit to the bath house,” replied Heyes wearily as he held out his hand to be shaken.

Ezra pushed out the chair next to him with his foot. “In the meantime, make yourself comfortable while you imbibe your beer,” invited the gambler.

Heyes watched the card sharp and his dexterity in handling the cards, constantly  producing the ace of spades before reshuffling.

“How do you even do that?” marvelled the young man. 

“Practise and more practise. Do you have business in our fair metropolis?  I understand that the young companion you arrived with is under the auspicious care of our healer, Mr Jackson.  I hope he is now resting comfortably; he is in very good hands.”

“News travels fast around here,”muttered Heyes. “My friend took sick as we were attempting to join a cattle drive further down south and this was the nearest town.”

Heyes drank the last of his beer, pushing his chair back before standing.

“The bath house is just down the street to the left.  For accommodation, may I suggest the boarding house just to the rear of the saloon.  However, I am certain that Nathan will permit you to stay in the clinic to help attend to your friend.” The cardsharp brought two fingers to his hat in a farewell salute.

“Thank you, Mr Standish. Bath house it is, and then I’ll get back to my partner,” replied the  worried-looking young man. He moved away, then stopped and turned his head to look back  before asking, “ Oh, is there a sheriff in this town?”

Heyes leaned back in his tub of hot water letting the aches fade away, but his concern for his partner remained. Jed had been perfectly well when they had set out to try and join the cattle drive. He had been looking for Jed Curry for quite a few months before he finally found and reunited with him. It was after the fiasco with Jim Plummer. Why he had trusted that man in the first place, he would never know. He had learnt his lesson though - a wanted poster for $200 dollars which was now in circulation and his trust in his fellow man further diminished.  He was now wary to use his real name, and on hearing there was a sheriff in this frontier town, he was just relieved that he had given his name as Jack Barker. However, although the cardsharp had mentioned that the sheriff was not much older than him, he was then informed by the young lad working in the bath house that six more peacekeepers were employed in the town by a Judge Travis to keep law and order. Although slowly becoming civilised, the growing town still had its fair share of robberies, drunken brawls, cattle rustling and gunfights.

Jed, still looking so young at 18, overjoyed to be with his childhood friend again, had developed first a cough and then a fever. Riding double, he had been on the verge of unconsciousness  when they they arrived in the  town seeking a doctor. Noticing their plight, a tall blond women had directed him to a clinic above the livery and ran ahead to advise the practitioner that he was needed.  Between them they managed to carry Jed upstairs and place him down on a cot.

The doc introduced himself as Nathan Jackson, but explained that he wasn’t a qualified doctor; there wasn’t a doctor in town, but he was healer and would do what he could. Between the two of them they managed to get Curry to sip some water and then some healing tea. It was not until Jed had settled into a peaceful sleep did he consider the healer’s advice to go and get himself cleaned up and fed, and then only when he was promised that he would be sent for if his friend’s condition should worsen.

Returning to the clinic, Heyes found a long-haired man sitting with his partner. 

“Where’s Mr Jackson?”  He practically ran to his partner’s bedside.

“Ya friend is sleeping.  Nathan said his fever is going down so he has gone to get something for dinner,” replied the quietly spoken man. “He asked me to sit with him a spell. Vin Tanner, I guess you are Jack.” Vin held out his hand.

Heyes shook the offered hand and then felt his partner’s forehead, brushing back the curls and  nodding in satisfaction. “You’re right, he doesn’t seem as fevered now.”

Vin moved from his chair, indicated that Heyes should replace him and then grabbed a buckskin jacket from a hook on the back of the door before turning back. 

“I will leave ya to look after your friend. Nathan will be back soon.” 

Vin tipped his hat to Heyes, opened the door and disappeared into the evening.

Heyes laid a hand on top of Jed’s and hoped that his partner would feel the strength and comfort in the knowledge that he was there. 

The clinic door was pushed open to admit Ezra carrying a plate of bread and meat.

“I thought you looked undernourished, Jack. I understand that you have not partaken of any dining opportunities, most probably due to concern for your young friend.  I have taken the liberty of acquiring a platter for your consumption.”

The gambler laid the plate on a small table before walking across to look down on the invalid.  A look of surprise crossed his face momentarily, to be quickly replaced by one of concern.  He knew this young man.

                          

After leaving Jack to his meal, Ezra strolled across the road to the sheriff’s office knowing that Mr Dunne, the sheriff, was sitting with the others in the saloon. He opened the top drawer in the desk and sorted through the wanted posters, examining a few more closely until eventually finding the one he was seeking.  He read through the details, folded it in half and half again before slipping it into his pocket and returning to his room above the saloon.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Heyes.”

Heyes looked up from his doze, to see Jed struggling to sit up.  He moved from the chair to the edge of bed, picked up the cup of water on the nearby table and helped his friend lean forward to sip some liquid.  Then he slowly eased his partner back against the pillows.

“Where am I?” asked Jed.

“We are in the town of Four Corners. You had the grippe, Jed; pretty badly. It could have turned into pneumonia.” Heyes went to feel his friend’s forehead, only for his hand to be swatted away. “Luck would have it that we were only half a days ride from here, and although they don’t have a doctor as such, Nathan Jackson is the resident healer here. This is his clinic.  He has looked after you really well. In fact the folks here have been real friendly.”

“Is there anything to eat? I’m kinda hungry,” pleaded Jed.

“Good to hear, Jed,” said a relieved looking Heyes. “By the way, I am known as Jack Barker.  There is a sheriff here and six regulators. I haven’t seen any of them yet, but I don’t want them looking through their wanted posters. I’ll go and find you something to eat. Try and get some more sleep.”

Heyes pulled the blankets up to Jed’s chin and patted them down.  After a quick hand to his friend’s forehead and a satisfied smile, he strolled out to the sunshine whistling his favourite tune.

On his return an older man was sitting chatting with Jed.

“Hey… Jack, this is Josiah,” said Jed, looking relieved to see his partner.  “Josiah is restoring the church.”

Josiah stood and held out his hand to Heyes. “Good to meet you, son.  Jed has been telling me about the pair of you. Losing your folks so young and going into a home for orphans can’t have been easy for you.”

After Josiah took his leave, Heyes looked down at Jed and sighed heavily.

“I swear, if you’d talked to him much longer, you’d have told him about the price on my head.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

After another night in the clinic, Nathan released Jed from his care on condition that they remained in town for a further few days so that the healer could keep watch on the young man. 

Heyes was pleased to see that Jed’s appetite had mostly returned after a lunch of enchiladas at the saloon with Ezra.  Heyes enjoyed spending his time with the cardsharp and Ezra was happy to have such a talented apprentice, even if it was only for a day or two. They obviously had a pleasant and genuine connection with each other.

Jed had made a friend in the good natured Buck Wilmington, a ladies man who loved all women equally. He addressed the Kid, as he called him, with tales of his conquests and the animal magnetism that he possessed.  However, Buck’s magnetism didn’t appear to reach the barmaid who seemed to prefer to dote on the young invalid. Buck was very friendly with the young sheriff who was referred to as JD. Jed enjoyed talking with JD, but Heyes tried to avoid any direct conversation with him.

Leaving Heyes in the saloon Jed strolled around the town, tipping his hat to the ladies, stopping at the general store to purchase ammunition, and generally taking in the activity that surrounded him. He walked further out of the town and found a secluded area to practise his fast draw.  Lost in the methodical rhythm, he hadn’t noticed a man dressed all in black watching him.

“You’re fast, kid.  I’m Chris Larabee. I assume you are Jack’s friend, Jed Curry.  He and Ezra have moved on from card sharping to honing their lock picking skills.  I am not sure who talks the most out of the pair of them.”

Jed laughed as he pondered where he had heard the name Larabee. 

“I like Ezra, I don’t understand half of what he’s saying though,” said Jed with a smile.

“Not many people do; your friend seems to though,” drawled Larabee.

“Heye… Jack reads a lot.”

“That may explain it then.”  Chris drew his gun from the holster and looking over at Curry said, “ This gun of mine shoots two bullets at a time. I’ll show you.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Seven men stood outside the saloon as Jed Curry and Jack Barker mounted their horses.  Farewells and thanks had already been conveyed.

Ezra stepped closer to the mounted men and softly said, “Good bye Mr Curry, Mr Heyes. I hope your talents will bring you success and prosperity.  Look after each other.”

As the startled duo rode out of town, the seven men pushed through the saloon’s swing doors and sat again at their usual table.

“Well, Ezra, who were those two?” asked Chris, tilting his head in anticipation. ‘I  always know when you know more than you’re telling.”

“Mr Larabee, I met Jedediah Curry about seven months ago. I was on my return from visiting my mother. Young Mr Curry, was seated by himself in a drinking establishment, consuming a bottle of whisky. I was told by the barkeep that the boy had just killed a man in self defence and that he was the fastest draw he had ever seen. The sheriff was not pressing charges, and had even attempted to communicate to the boy that had his opponent not been shot, he would have probably been killed.  Mr Curry was obviously suffering from emotional distress, and hence was drinking heavily. I had great sympathy for the young fellow as I can remember similar feelings in the past.”

“Didn’t know you had any feelings apart from the mercenary kind,” interrupted Buck.

“To continue, I offered assistance to the young man and helped him to a room at the boarding house. He informed me that he was trying to find his best friend, Hannibal Heyes, who rode with a gang of outlaws. When I realised that the young man in Nathan’s care was the same Jed Curry, my interest piqued and I looked through the wanted posters.” 

Ezra placed the wanted poster for Hannibal Heyes on the table to be examined by the other six.  The description matched that of Jack Barker.

“You should have told me, Ez.  I am the sheriff here,’ exclaimed JD.

“My apologies Mr Dunne but Mr Heyes is such a likeable young man and in such distress over his friend  that I thought he should be given a second chance.  I was given one once.” He looked over at Chris.

“You know, I think those two will be famous one day,” said Vin quietly.

“Or infamous,” added Ezra.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The two friends made camp in quiet companionship, each working with ease relishing that they were once again together.    Heyes was contemplating his friend’s illness and the fortuity that they had stumbled on the little town. Jed was thinking about how wonderful it was to be back with Heyes - he belonged at the man’s side.

Unpacking his saddle bag, Jed pulled out the dime novel, Josiah had handed to him on leaving Four Corners entitled “The Magnificent Seven”.

“You know, Jed.  We never did meet those six regulators that were supposed to be helping JD keep the law in Four Corners.  I wonder where they were.’’

Heyes pulled his playing cards from his pocket and proceeded to shuffle them in his one hand producing the ace of spades. The double sided coin Ezra had passed to him with the words,  I think you need this more than me, was safe in his pocket.

“Heyes! I think you need to look at the cover of this novel.”

And there they all were, the men who had befriended them. Chris, Ezra, Vin, JD, Buck, Nathan and Josiah.