Lou looked down from the small hill with a smile on her face. She had been right - the road had led to a town. From her elevated position on a small hill she viewed it. It was an ordinary border town, maybe slightly smaller than Sweetwater, with, from what she could see had only one saloon. From what she could see, it appeared to be a nice town, or at least as nice as they were in this part of the country. Lou prepared to mount again when doubt assailed her. Maybe it wasn't so wise to just ride into the town. It was a small town and word may be getting out than an Express rider had showed up in the town. It was unlikely that they would have heard what had happened in Sweetwater, but word might get around. Better to be safe then sorry, she thought as she contemplated what she should do. For a moment she just stood there, deep in thought, when it dawned on her. She reached for the saddlebag and took out the skirt. She quickly changed clothes and soon she was a girl again. She pondered taking Lightning but thought better f it. She wanted to check the town out as quietly as possible. It was easier to sneak in on foot. She secured Lightning and made sure he was well hidden from the road and then begun her walk down to he town. Soon enough she passed a sign which welcomed her to Manasco. It was with relief she realised that nobody took any special interest in her as she walked down the street. For a second she pondered she thought about talking to the marshal as she passed his office, and maybe get him to send Teaspoon a note, but then she changed her mind. It was too risky. So she only threw a quick glance over the office as she passed it before she continued down the street, eagerly searching for what she most wanted to see, a doctor's office. Of course she couldn't ask for his help, but she hoped she could get some advice and hopefully some bandages and such. Then she would find a way to get a message through to Teaspoon and then a quick stop by the general store to get some supplies. She only hoped she had money enough on her - she hadn't exactly planned for this when she had headed out in the night. She wished she had asked Buck if h had any on him before she had left, but it was to late now. She scanned the street to see if there was any sign telling her there was a doctor present without any result. Finally she stopped an older man on the street. "A doctor? Doc Hanson died three weeks ago. So far no one has applied for the job. If you want a doctor, you'll have to go to Plum Creek." "How far is that?" Lou asked discouraged. "About five hours ride," was the reply. Deeply disappointed, Lou thanked the man and started to think about what she should do now. Maybe she should try and get the supplies and then she and Buck should leave for the next town, Plum Creek, the man had called it. She sighed. She wasn't sure Buck was up to another long ride without getting the wounds properly cared about. She continued down the street until she reached a familiar sign. At least the stage stopped here, and with some relief, she opened the door. The information she received was however not what she had hoped for. The stage did not pass the town. The office were there for mail and supplies and they used to send a wagon to Plum Creek once a month and had made sent the wagon yesterday. The man told her that the marshal used to send his deputy out to Plum Creek if there was need of urgency. But Lou had no wish of getting her message through the marshal, so once more was she forced to leave without her achieved intention. Now she only had the General Store left. She quickly started walking back as she passed the saloon. She stopped outside and read the name, The Golden Nugget. The name struck her as odd as there never had been any gold in these parts. Then she realised that there might be somebody there that could take a message to Teaspoon. With that in mind, she walked inside. She glanced quickly around her. There were several guests although it was early in the day. The saloon apparently served as some sort of restaurant as well and there was several gusts eating. There was the obligatory card game and a few men gulping don the first beer of the day, and by the look of them, it wasn't their last. Lou paid then no attention, concentrating on the lunch guests. Some of them looked like cattlemen, and she hoped that one of them might be able to take a message with them. Somebody cleared his voice behind her and she spun around to meet the barkeep's eyes. He stared suspiciously at her and suddenly she realised that she was dressed as a girl. Girls on their own were not frequent customers to saloon unless they were 'in the business', so to say. Suddenly she felt very out of place and she smiled uncertain at the barkeep. "I'm just here---" she begun when the barkeep suddenly nodded at her and called over his shoulder. "Mrs. Abell, here's another one." Another one?, Lou pondered when a woman in her early forties appeared behind the bar. She must have been good-looking once, but the years had made hard lines around her eyes and mouth. She was slightly over-weight and wore a dress that showed of more cleavage than what would have been considered proper. But then Lou figured that whoever Mrs. Abell was, she wasn't too concerned with what was considered proper. But she didn't have much time to think before Mrs. Abell opened her mouth. "So you're here for the job?" Lou couldn't help herself. "The job?" she asked weakly. Mrs. Abell nodded towards the outside. "The sign outside - waitress for the restaurant and saloon." Then she looked suspiciously at Lou. "You ain't here for the job?" Lou didn't know what she should answer, but before she had a chance to reply, Mrs. Abell continued. "At least you look honest enough to do the job - all 'em others have been nothin' than thieves and tramps. I don't tolerate any cheatin' on the job. And this is a waitress job - if you're looking at makin' your money like they do," she nodded towards the prostitutes, "then you might as well leave. I run a strict establishment here - waitresses serve the customers drinks and food, nothing else. Clear?" "Mrs. Abell, I wasn't lookin' for a job," Lou tried to explain, "I just wanted to get some information." Mrs. Abell sneered. "Then you're at the wrong place - at least at this time. None of'em hardly even knew their own names. I can't persuade you to take it?" She looked at Lou with a frown. "You sure look as if you could use the money. I could get you some decent clothes, drawn from your first pay of course, and I always see to it that my employees get decent living." Suddenly an idea entered Lou's mind. "What kind of living?" she asked carefully. "An old aunt of mine owns a large house down the street. She half-blind and almost death, but she runs a boarding house for women. Men are not allowed. She rents her room to my girls and I make sure that nobody bothers her. She might be old, but she's family. Now what do you say?" Lou thought quickly. She desperately needed more money and Buck surely needed to rest. And if what Mrs. Abell said was true, she might come in contact with anybody heading towards Sweetwater if she was at the saloon. The more she thought about it, the better it sounded, at least until Buck was better. "Yes," Lou nodded. "Good." Mrs. Abell signed to her to get around the disk. "Have you done any waiting before?" When Lou shook her head, Mrs. Abell looked at her. "Well, you look like an intelligent girl - you won't have any problems. Come on I'll get you some clothes and then I'll get Bill to show you down to the boarding house."
Bill left her by the gate to an old, rather large house. "Mrs. Eddins don't approve of men," he explained, "and a rather meet an ghost than that ol' hag." He shook his head. "She'll make enough noise to wake up the dead, I'll tell you. At least you'll don't have to worry 'bout your safety, miss. The marshal comes runnin' everytime she opens her mouth. Guess that's why Mrs. Abell prefer to have her girls stayin' here." With those words he left her and her new luggage of clothes that Mrs. Abell so generously had lend her have - well, generously - they would be taken of her salary of course, but only a small amount for each week. Not that it bothered Lou - she had no intention of staying too long. Right now she was more interested in getting her room, head over to the store and then return to Buck. He hadn't looked too good when she left him and she had already been away longer than she had anticipated. She walked up to the door as she looked carefully at the house. It was larger than she had expected and most have been quite imposing once, before it got too run down. It was a two-floor building with two wings extending on both side of what appeared to be the main part. One of the wings ended in large hedge that almost reached up to the second floor. Each wing was equipped with a stair on the outside, apparently it had been intended to be used as a fire escape of some sort. Not that it would be useful today, as the left stair was broken and the other ended in the large hedge. Slowly she continued until she found herself standing before the front door. Hesitating for a second, wondering if she did the right thing, she slowly knocked on the door. A thin older woman with a harsh expression in her face opened. The open hostility shown in her face caused Lou to stumble over the words. "Mrs. A-Abell sent me," she begun hesitantly. "What kind are you?" the woman asked as she peered at the young girl before her, placing a hand behind her ear to hear better. "Kind?" Lou asked quizzically. "Are you gonna work in the restaurant or are you one of those 'girls'?" the old woman asked scornfully. "I'll be working as a waitress," Lou stated, a bit irritated. "Hmm," the old woman sneered but opened the door for her. Then she led the way over to the stairs. "There are some rules here," she continued. "Break them and you'll leave. Is that clear?" "Yes, M'am," Lou replied obediently as she looked around in the house. The inside looked as of it needed a good cleaning and was in need of some reparations. "You'll do your own cleaning and washing. Ain't nobody here that do it for you. I ain't using cleaning help - they're all thieves. You can have any pick of room you wish. Most of the rooms up there are free." Lou looked up the stairs when an idea formed in her head. "How about the room at the end of this wing?" she asked as she pointed to the right. "Hardly anybody living in that wing," the woman muttered suspiciously. "It's too dark they say." "I don't mind," Lou assured her. "It's yours then. But don't come complaining later. Rent shall be paid regularly before the end of the month - in advance." The old woman held out her hand and with a sigh Lou grabbed a few bills out of her pocket. In return she received a key. The old woman muttered something and then left. On her own Lou walked up the stairs and then turned to the right. In the dark hall she search for the number corresponding with the one on her key. The numbers had been hastily painted on the door, a real slipshod piece of work. Not that it bothered Lou, she had other plans in her mind. it was with some relief she realised that the old woman had spoken the truth. Most of the other rooms seemed unoccupied and hers was the one closest to the end. She quickly opened the door and stepped inside. It was a rather small room with a bed in one corner and a small table upon which a washbowl and pitcher was placed. Above it hanged a cracked mirror. A chair was placed in one corner, close to a small iron stove. A drawer was placed next to the table and an old screen stood next to it. All of the furniture was a mishmash of different things, but it would have to do. Lou dropped her things on the bed and then quickly proceeded to the window. The window was dark from lack of being washed and when Lou tried it, she realised that it couldn't have been opened for a long time. It was with some effort that she managed to get it opened and she greedily breathed in the fresh air. She didn't bother to close it, but left it open as she quickly went over the room. Not that it was much to see. Dropping the borrowed clothes into the drawer, she changed into her trousers again, quickly checked that she had her money on her and then walked out of the room. She stopped in the hall, listening for sounds of the other roomers, but hearing nothing she quickly walked over to the only window in the hall. She quickly opened it and peaked outside. As she had suspected, the fire stair stared just outside and without any hesitation she quickly stepped out on it. A few minutes later, she walked out on the street leading back to the main street, brushing leaves and dirt from her skirt. All she wanted to do right now was get some supplies and hopefully some bandages and then get back to Buck.
Half an hour later, she held in Lightning by the shrubbery where she had left Buck. There wasn't a single sign of him and suddenly she felt worried. "What if he had taken off on his own?" she pondered. She quickly dismounted and headed for the hiding place. No Buck. She stood there for a few seconds searching the landscape for any sign that could tell her where he might have taken off. She cursed silently as she suspected that he in fact had left. How could he be so stupid, she thought angrily. In his state he wouldn't be able to get far anyway. She was still trying to figure out what to do when the snooze of a horse was heard not far from her. Her view was obscured by a small hill and she quickly walked over to it. As she glanced down she could see Buck's horse standing there, tied to a small tree. Not far from it, partly hidden by another groove of small trees, she could make out the form of somebody resting. A smile of relief shown on her lips as she started to descend, leading Lightning by the reins. As she came closer, she realised why he had moved. The sound of water reached her ears and she knew that Buck must have moved closer to the water. "Hey there," she called out as she came closer and saw that Buck was indeed resting, wrapped in is blanket. Buck stirred and turned his head. Seeing her approaching, he slowly got up into a siting position. When Lou saw his face her recent joy of finding him was replaced with fear. He looked very pale and tired and as she came closer she noticed that sweat covered his brow. "You took your time, " he muttered as she sat down next to him. "I had a few things to take care of," Lou replied and placed her hand on his brow. "You've got fever," she frowned. "I'm fine," he muttered again. "Sure you are," Lou said good-humorously, not fooled for a second. She was worried that the fever would get worse and again she contemplated heading directly to Plum Creek where she now knew there was a doctor. But it was more five hours to get there as Buck had to take it slow and Manasco was just half an hour away. She decided that it was better to get him into town. Maybe a good night's rest would do him some good. "You think you can ride?" she asked as she walked up and reached for her saddlebags. "Yes. What do you have in mind?" Lou returned with her saddlebags. "There's a town not far from here called Manasco. I managed to get some bandages and a few other things at the General Store, which I hope to use to get that wound taken care of. Then we head into town. By the way, you don't happen to have any money on you? I haven't got much left." "No. I didn't take any with me." Buck shook his head and then he stared at her. "Into town? You're sure that the best thing to do?" he asked reluctantly as Lou helped him out of the borrowed shirt. "Yes." Lou smiled. "I've found the perfect hiding place."
"Take it easy," Lou hissed as she helped Buck up the stairs after they had crawled through the hedge. It was late evening when they had returned and the steps were hard to see in the faint light behind the hedge. Buck had slipped on one of the stairs and Lou realised that he was even worse than she had expected. She had hid their horses as close to the boarding house as she could, and she would need to get them to the livery later. Buck moaned as she tightened her grip around his waist, unintentionally putting pressure on his wound. He gritted his teeth as he scorned himself for letting him slip and determinedly he continued up the stairs, trying to ignore the throbbing pain that swept through his body for every step. He felt weak as a kitten and it was only his will that kept him going. Lou noticed and she couldn't help feeling worried. When she had changed the bandaged she had noticed the signs of inflammation around the wound and if that wasn't proof enough, the wound had been oozing. She knew that the fever was just the body's way of fighting he infection, but it was worrying anyway. If Buck got any worse, she would be forced to take him to a doctor, no matter what. Finally they reached the end of he stairs and Lou let go of Buck. She quickly reached under the window, content that the piece of wood she had used to keep the window open still was there. She quickly opened it and helped Buck inside after checking that there wasn't anybody in the hall. Then she quickly followed and opened the door to her room. Buck stumbled inside and after a quick glance in the hall to make sure that they hadn't been discovered she closed and locked the door before turning to Buck. "What's this?" he asked. "A hotel?" "Sort of," Lou replied and helped him over to the bed where they both sat down on the edge. "How are you doing?" Buck grimaced and tenderly cradled his waist. "Been better," he admitted. Lou checked his fever again by placing a hand on his forehead. She shook her head. "You feel worse than before," she said disapprovingly. "It will pass as soon as I get some rest. You're sure this is safe?" "I'm pretty sure." "What is this place? You said if was some sort of hotel? What about the cleaning and that?" "Well, it's a boarding house," Lou said and shrugged. "Boarding house?" "Yeah. For women," she added lightly. "The woman who owns it is real old and she doesn't have anybody cleaning. The roomers have to take care of that themselves. You'll be safe here." Buck shook his head. "I can't stay here," he mumbled. "Why not?" Lou questioned. "This is perfect - nobody will look for you here." "What about you?" "I'll dress as a girl for a while - until you get better." Buck shook his head. "I just need a few hours rest - then I should leave." "A few hours rest?" Lou raised en eyebrow questioningly. "Who are you kidding? You'll be too weak to even stand up in a few hours with your fever rising. Besides, this is the best place we've come upon so far. And since everybody's looking for two Express riders, nobody will suspect that we're here." "But they must have seen you ride in---" "I walked - and I was dressed as a girl. The only time I acted a boy was when I got those supplies. Nobody will see the connection." Buck was still reluctant, but he was too tired to argue. Besides, he knew that Lou was right. He was sick and in no condition to continue. They had to wait until he had got his strength back. He looked around in the room. Lou who guessed what was on his mind, interrupted him. "You sleep in the bed," she stated in a voice that wouldn't accept any objections. "What about you?" "I'll take the blankets and sleep on the rug - it's all right, I've done it before." "Maybe---" "You need to heal," Lou interrupted, "and I'm gonna be fine. That's the end of it." Buck just nodded. After the ride and the walk up the stairs he felt as if the wound was going to kill him as it throbbed and caused him to almost black out. Lou realised that he was on the end of his strength. "You get yourself into bed, and I'll see to the horses," she said and rose. She handed him the water canteen. "Make sure you drink a lot. I'll get some more water when I get back. "She shivered slightly. "And some wood for the stove, I think," she added. "You gonna be alright?" Buck nodded and Lou quickly slipped outside again.
Lou returned to the room an hour later after seeing that the horses were tended to at the livery. She knew that there might be a risk that their horses would be recognised, but she thought it to be a small chance. If anybody asked they would soon learn that the boy who had left the horses hadn't been seen around town anyway, so the horses would not tell anybody anything. She silently stepped into the room that was pitch dark. As silent as possible she managed to get light into the lamp and looked around. Buck was sleeping uneasily in the bed and she placed the lamp on the table before she used the basin to wash up her face. She was dead tired, but the night was chilly and fearing that Buck would get worse she was determined to get some more wood. They needed more water anyway. She quickly changed into one of the new skirts and a fresh shirt that Mrs. Abell had let her have, content with leaving the skirt she had picked from the old house behind. It didn't fit her anyway. She ran her hands in her hair to at least look somewhat clean and then she quickly slipped out grabbing the casket for the wood on the way. She had gathered a few pieces of wood from the woodshed and was one her way out when she almost collided with a young girl on the way in. "Sorry," Lou mumbled as she dropped the wood. When she rose again o walk in the girl still stood there. It was a young girl, probably not older than herself, with long light brown hair pulled up in a lose bun with loose strings framing her face. She was rather pretty, in an unobtrusive way, although she looked a little bit out of place. Lou thought that it must be because of the bright red dress that the girl desperately tried to hide under a large brown coat and the makeup in her face. Lou wondered if she was one of Mrs. Abell's other 'girls'. "You're the new girl, ain't you?" the girl before her asked. Lou looked at her and sighed. She was too tired to have this conversation, but she might as well be polite. "Yes. I'll be working as a waitress." The girl shone up. "Then you'll be working with me. I'm Millicent, most people call me Millie." "I'm Lou - Louise," Lou replied and wondered how on earth this girl had ended up at a saloon. She seemed too naive and scared to even know what it was. "I'm so glad we met," the girl continued happily. "I'm sure we're gonna be good friends." "I'm sure we will," Lou replied with a forced smile and reached down to grab the water with one hand and the wood with the other. When the girl saw it she immediately bent down and grabbed the basket. "Oh, let me help you with that. Where's your room?" Lou had no intention of letting this girl walk back with her to the room and she held on to the basket. "I'll manage," she said firmly. "I should probably tell you about the job," the girl continued as if she hadn't heard her and Lou sighed silently. Finally she jerked the basket from the girl's hand. "Thank you, but I'm tired and I want to get back to my room," she insisted rather harshly. The hurt look on the girl's face made her immediately regret the harshness, but she was too tired to really care. The girl smiled uncertainly at her and then continued with hesitation. "Well, I suppose we have the same way back. My room is by the end on the left wing," she continued following Lou who had started walking. "Mine is on the right," Lou mumbled as they walked up the stairs. "Oh," the girl said sadly. "But all the rooms there are so dark," she said with surprise. "I like dark rooms," Lou replied and dropped the basket. "Listen here, Millicent, Millie, it was very nice talking to you and everything, but I'm rather tired and I just wanna get back to my room. I'll see you tomorrow at the saloon, right? Maybe we can talk then." "Of course," Millie said apologising. "I didn't think of that. I'll see you tomorrow then." "Tomorrow," Lou nodded and picked up the basket again and started to walk down the hall. After a few steps she turned to be sure that Millie wasn't following her, but the girl was gone. Must have gone back to her own room, Lou thought. It was a nice girl, but she wasn't here to get new friends. Her first concern right now was to make sure that Buck was gonna be alright and that she could get a word to Teaspoon and the other were they were. She would feel a lot better if they knew. |
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To be continued...
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