Posts : 878 Join date : 2012-04-22 Age : 59 Location : Birmingham
Subject: April 2022 The Tale of the Stray Bullet Fri Apr 01, 2022 7:15 am
Waves cheerily!!
I have been offered a few suggestions for the secret and never empty LIST (capital letters for the LIST)
This is one of them.
Let your plotting machinations thrive as you ponder... The Tale of the Stray Bullet
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rachel741
Posts : 188 Join date : 2020-06-29 Age : 50 Location : United Kingdom
Subject: Re: April 2022 The Tale of the Stray Bullet Sat Apr 02, 2022 7:53 am
Heyes lay quietly asleep his head wrapped with a bandage, the bright white standing out starkly against the brown hair. His partner paced the room restlessly like a caged cougar, occasionally glancing down at his partner, before turning away, his face creased in pain.
His fault, all his fault. He had become careless now they were no longer wanted. He spun round as the door opened and tensed when Heyes' heavily pregnant wife entered, looking as pale as her husband. Kid shivered at the agony in her face and cleared his throat. “Doc says he'll be fine.” No thanks to me, he added silently as he walked towards the door, certain that his presence would be unwelcome here.
But as he passed Laura, she reached out to grasp his shoulder tightly. “Jake told me what happened- it wasn't your fault.”
The Kid shut his eyes and shook his head, “I ain't sure Heyes will see it that way and he'll be right.” His voice cracked, the vivid memory of the stray bullet from his gun hitting Heyes, and watching his friend falling to the floor, threatening to unman him. He'd honestly believed for several awful minutes that Heyes would never wake again. “When he wakes up, tell him I'm sorry.”
“No, you don't Jedidiah Curry. You are going to sit right there until he's aware enough that you can tell him that yourself. Because unless you suddenly got the power to control the wind, this was an accident plain and simple. And you're gonna have to live with being teased.”
Kid stared at the whirlwind his partner had married, before he turned to sit on the chair she had indicated as she perched on the bed next to her husband and gently pushed his hair away from the bandage while keeping her other hand firmly on Jed's knee so he wouldn't get the urge to move. As they both looked down at the man in bed he stirred and looked at them blearily. “Keep your voices down, some of us are injured here and trying to sleep.”
_________________ The happiest conversation is that of which nothing is distinctly remembered but a general effect of pleasing impression. Samuel Johnson
Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere. Carl Sagan
Last edited by rachel_74_1 on Sat Apr 09, 2022 2:16 am; edited 1 time in total
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nm131
Posts : 191 Join date : 2012-05-04 Location : New Jersey, USA
Subject: Re: April 2022 The Tale of the Stray Bullet Fri Apr 08, 2022 5:59 pm
This is a little different from what I usually write. Actually it's a lot different - a tad racy but not explicit. This is another "Terms" universe story.
The Tale of the Stray Bullet.
A warm, late summer breeze lightly fluttered the floor length, semi-sheer drapes covering the large window in the turreted, second story bedroom. The chirping of crickets and katydids, the calls and trills of yellow-breasted chats, the melodious high-pitched croaks of western chorus frogs from the garden pond and the occasional percussive hoo hoo-hoo accents of a distant great horned owl combined in a night orchestra to serenade awake listeners. A sweet, heady scent of wisteria wafted in on the breeze, perfuming the night air. Jed Curry, lost in thought, was standing clad only in summer cotton drawers, by the open window and was oblivious to it all. Bathed in the pearlescent glow of a full moon, the blond man lifted an arm to part the curtains and peer up at the starry night sky. The shifting moonbeams through the softly fluttering drapes and the resulting shadows gave definition to his toned muscles.
Erin Curry leaned in her dressing room doorway silently observing her husband of four months. The new wife’s heart quickened with desire and a pink tongue peeked out to unconsciously lick her slightly parted lips. A slight frown formed when the moonlight reflected off silvery scars on Jed’s strong back and gave evidence to a hard life in his past. A picture story he was extremely reticent to paint in any detail. It was time her husband should start filling in the blanks, starting with easier tales. She straightened and glided silently into the bedroom, putting her plan into action, hoping she chose her target well.
Jed turned his head as warm arms embraced him from the behind, a soft head laid against his shoulder and a breathy voice whispered in his ear, “a penny for your thoughts?” He adroitly spun around in Erin’s arms as his own enveloped the satin and lace covered woman. One work-roughened hand combed through the silky auburn hair hanging in loose waves down Erin’s back as his head bent and nuzzled her graceful neck. Blue eyes lifted and flittered around the well-appointed spacious bedroom before focusing on the hazel-green eyes of his wife. “I’m wonderin’ what I ever did to be so lucky to deserve you.” Blond curls bent again as he tightened his embrace and their lips sought each other in a passionate kiss.
“What are you thinkin’?” The Kid asked as he continued the embrace and walked Erin backwards towards the large cherry bed.
Erin smiled and her eyes widened as she drew one hand between them and let her fingers lightly trace the muscles of Jed’s shoulders and chest before dropping down to the waist of his cotton drawers. “I would love to paint you nude in the moonlight just as you were.”
Jed stopped for a moment in surprise on their journey to the bed. “What?”
Erin continued to slowly step backwards, pulling Jed along with her. “Most of my commissions are as a portrait artist.”
The Kid interrupted, “Yeah, but I don’t think anyone in polite society of Denver is giving you a commission to paint nude portraits. That’s not art.”
Erin swirled her finger around Jed’s navel, making him squirm in her arms. She landed several feather light kisses around his chest and a tiny nip at his nipples before letting an amused short giggle escape, “Of course, it’s art. There have been nudes in art since the beginning of time, in painting and in sculpture.”
“Not now there isn’t or at least not outside of museums. The only place I’ve seen paintings with nude women in them is in whor…um broth….er saloons with services. There are two that seem to be pretty popular among the high class cathou…aahh ladies of the night. They seem to favor one that has a nekkid woman laying on a bed with white sheets and a black slave or maid holding a basket of flowers. The other one is a nekkid woman layin’ on some sort of red couch with a little dog at the bottom.” Jed stuttered through his explanation, his voice not disguising his embarrassment. They bumped up against an obstacle and he gently took his wife by the shoulders and lowered her to the bed.
Erin’s giggle evolved into a light laugh. “And you’re an avid art lover?”
“I’m a lover of this artist.” He gave the bed a little bounce.
“It sounds like you’re describing prints of famous paintings. The first might be “Olympia” by Manet, and the other sounds like Titian’s “Venus of Urbino” both great works of art. Your ladies have good taste.”
“They’re not my ladies.” Kid blushed and dropped his eyes.
“I’m not naïve, Kid. Remember, my father is an owner of a brewery and pubs. And while my family didn’t expose us the seedier side of the business growing up, we weren’t exactly sheltered either. As you know, my family’s money and my late husband’s are new money. I know you and Heyes are self-made men, too, even if you’re getting a late start. Men that have an unsavory past.” She deliberately called him by his nickname to indicate she knew he wasn’t anywhere near a saint.
She rose, loosened the waist of Jed’s cotton underclothes, letting them slide off the hips and down his muscular legs. “The ladies had good taste in men as well as in art,” she murmured as she sensuously trailed her fingertips up his torso then draped her arms around his neck and pulled them both down onto the soft mattress.
Several kisses later, the Kid came up for air. He tucked a silky lock behind Erin’s ear as they lay side by side and murmured “I don’t see any nude paintings of your first husband hangin’ in this house.”
“I never asked him to pose that way.”
“You painted me once with clothes on, 'though I didn't know you were doin' it, and that’s enough. No one wants to see this scarred body.” He waved a hand vaguely alongside himself, his face a picture of disgust.
Erin rolled onto her knees and her face became serious as she gazed down at her lover. “Honey, I do. I want to see your body and understand each and every scar. Your body, to an artist, tells the story of your life.”
Kid’s blue eyes bored into Erin’s hazel eyes, trying to see the truth. Very few times in his life was he the one to look away first, this was one of those times. He closed his eyes briefly, overwhelmed at the unconditional love he perceived.
A slim, delicate finger reached out to touch the small scar under Kid’s chin. “At best you’ve painted your life to me in broad strokes. But Jed, deeper understanding comes in the fine detail work. So much of the canvas of your life experiences are a blank. Not your early childhood though. Although, at times it was painful, you’ve been able to talk about your family so I feel that if I was ever able to meet them, I would know them. You’ve told me that this scar was from jumping out of the hayloft when you were eight, thinking you could fly with the wings Heyes and you made.”
Jed couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory. His larger hand captured his wife’s as it wandered up from his chin to outline his lips. “Yeah, Han talked me into tryin’ them out first. He read some old Greek tale about a guy name Icarus who had made wings and could fly. I later found out from my oldest brother that this Icarus guy fell into the sea and drowned. Han didn’t mention that at the time.” He kissed her palm and pulled her closer by the arm. “Enough talkin’,” His arms reached around her as she brought her arms over her head but remained kneeling at his side.
Blue eyes dilatated until almost black with desire and his heart quickened as he tossed the handful of peach satin and lace to the side. The discarded negligee landed on the floor, forgotten. Jed blew out a soft breath as his gazed roved over his wife’s nude body. He murmured under his breath, “You’re beautiful, if only I could paint.” His voice rose and he rasped out, “come here.”
Erin held his eyes as she moved over him and laid upon his hard body briefly before she purposefully slid down between his legs to wind up kneeling again at his feet at the bottom of the bed. She lifted the left foot, laid it in her lap, and started to massage the sole of the foot. Her warm hands worked their way up the calf.
Jed’s toes ticked her pale rose-colored, firm nipples that were in reach as she leaned slightly over. He raised his leg and foot a little higher to do a little massaging of his own on her breasts. His eyes closed and what sounded like a contented purr escaped from his open mouth.
Erin firmly drew his lower extremity down back into her lap. One hand again massaged her way up the left calf and stopped. She gently traced a small round scar on the back of the calf. “Jed, paint some more of your portrait; tell me the tale of this scar.”
She’s serious and I owe it to her Kid realized when he opened his eyes and gazed up at the woman he loved and, to him, miraculously loved him back. He tried unsuccessfully to repress a frustrated sigh before he was able to focus on actual words and thoughts. “That one, huh. I’ll tell you the tale of the stray bullet.” One hand clenched the sheet before relaxing. “The really short tale of the stray bullet,” He emphasized. He continued a little breathlessly as talented fingers massaged little circles on his inner thigh. “It was the Hanford job, a job to this day Heyes insists was a good idea. Hanford, Wyoming was a prosperous little ranch town that had a bank Heyes had a mind to hit. It was one of earlier jobs with him as leader, not long after I joined him in the Devil’s Hole Gang. We hadn’t yet figured out what worked best for us as far as being partners in crime.” He jiggled his right foot, indicating the right side felt neglected.
Erin took the hint, and her attention was directed to the other leg. “Go on.”
“The bank was diagonal from the busiest saloon in town. Heyes liked that idea since the noise would provide cover and the plan was to enter the bank from the back. Only when we went to pipe the bank, rather check it out, for the last time before the job the bank had installed a big plate glass double door instead of the wooden doors in the front when Heyes first looked at it.” Kid took a deep breath and his brow furrowed for a moment. “I don’t know what they were thinking.”
Erin smiled as she debated about going higher with her massage but now that she had Jed talking, she wasn’t going to have him stop prematurely. Warm soft hands slid lower along the inner thigh, squeezed a knee then started kneading the right calf.
A blond head thrusted briefly back into the pillow before lifting up to look into his wife’s face. His voice deepened and sped up. “I wanted to forget the job ‘cause the glass door bothered me, especially with a rowdy drunken crowd so close by. Heyes didn’t. Everything went as planned until a brawl spilled into the street. I’m tryin’ to keep track of what’s goin’ on outside so I’m standin’ by the door when Heyes beckons me over. The safe’s not open yet. I turned and wouldn’t you know it just then some idiot cowboy starts shootin’ up the street. A stray bullet comes right through that big plate glass door and straight into my left calf.”
Auburn hair fell forward and covered Erin’s face as she bent forward, her firm breasts enveloping his left lower leg. She kissed a fingertip and touched it to the round bullet scar.
Jed Curry shot up to a sitting position. Words came tumbling out as his breathing grew rapid and shallow, “Lawmen came runnin’ and with the bank glass door shattered one came runnin’ towards the bank. We hightailed it out of there with only what Wheat was able to grab from the teller’s drawers. All $73 of it. We made it back to the hole. Preacher dug the bullet out. I healed up.”
He reached out with insistent arms and scooped his lover into a passionate embrace. Searching mouths met as he laid them both down. Rolling them over, he supported himself on his elbows and looked down deep into her eyes. One hand swept aside a mass of silky hair, his head bent and nipped at Erin’s ear. “That’s the short version of the tale of the stray bullet. No more telling. Satisfied?”
Erin shifted below him. Her hands danced down along his spine and rested on his firm, well-muscled rump. Pulling him closer she whispered throatily, “Not yet, but I will be.”
~~~~~~~~~~ASJ~~~~~~~~~~
Moira Dunne stood at the library door. “Excuse me.”
Erin and the Kid looked up from studying the blueprints and architectural drawings spread out on the large mahogany desk. “Yes?”
“Mr. Heyes has arrived. Do you want me to bring him in here?”
“No, I want to get to the ranch and if he comes in here, he’ll stick his nose in a book and I’ll never get him out.” Kid answered quickly and rather forcibly as he started to roll up the large drawings.
“We’ll have coffee in the morning room, Moira. You can send him there. We’ll be right in. Thank you.” Erin briefly laid her hand over her husband’s as she addressed the housekeeper.
~~~~~~~~~~ASJ~~~~~~~~~~
Heyes put down his half full coffee cup and looked between the Kid and Erin. The Currys kept darting little glances at each other and breaking out into small shared grins. He narrowed his eyes; something was going on. “Why are you so happy?”
The Kid’s smile got larger as he rose from his chair. “I’m gonna saddle my horse. Meet you outside, Heyes, and we’ll go see how much progress the builders made on our new ranch house. I hope you decided on the flooring you wanted in your suite.”
“You know that Connor would do that for you.” Erin reminded her husband.
“I know. I’m used to doin’ it myself and I don’t mind doin’ it.” As he passed his partner, he patted him on the shoulder. “Hurry up and finish your coffee.”
Heyes wasn’t so easily put off. He looked over at his partner’s wife. “So, why do you both look so happy? The Kid do something for you?” He sputtered a little. “I mean besides uhm you know. I don’t want to hear about that, obviously.” The suave talker persona deserted the dark-haired man for a moment.
Erin reached across the coffee table and patted her husband’s partner on the knee. “I know what you meant Heyes.” She smoothed the skirt of her teal and salmon colored day dress while an enigmatic small smile curved her lips.
Kid stopped just outside the morning room in the hallway and called over his shoulder, “Oh for Pete’s sake. Last night I told her the tale of the stray bullet, that’s all.”
“The stray bullet?”
“Yeah, the stray bullet that hit me in the leg on the Hanford job.”
“Oh, that stray bullet. Ruined a perfectly planned job. The idea was good, though.” Heyes frowned as he remembered.
Kid snorted. “See, I told you he’d say that. Yeah, perfectly planned, ha! Luckily your plans got better as you started to listen to what I was sayin’.”
Erin’s quiet under breath giggle became louder. She lowered her head and concentrated on her coffee cup. “He said you still thought the idea for the Hanford job was a good one.” She managed to say without snickering.
Heyes shot her a wounded look before he stood, took one last gulp of coffee, put the cup down and followed his partner into the hall. “Is that all? Because from the looks of you, that’s not the full tale by half, partner,” drifted back into the morning room.
The auburn-haired woman sat back in her chair and gazed contently out the window. She whispered to herself, “No, it’s not the full tale of Jed’s life but it did add a brushstroke or two to his portrait.”
Notes:
A penny for your thoughts - The first known use of it is by Sir Thomas More in A Treatyce upon the last thynges, circa 1535: “In such wise yt not wtoute som note & reproch of suche vagaraunte mind, other folk sodainly say to them: a peny for your thought.” The phrase means "Tell me what you are thinking.", and the implication is that you're willing to pay money to know what they are actually thinking.
Olympia is a painting by Édouard Manet, first exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon, which shows a nude woman lying on a bed being brought flowers by a servant. Olympia was modelled by Victorine Meurent and Olympia's servant by the art model Laure. Artist: Édouard Manet Subject: Woman Location: Musée d'Orsay Dimensions: 130.5 cm × 190 cm (51.4 in × 74.8 in) Created: 1863 Medium: Oil paint
The Venus of Urbino is an oil painting by the Italian painter Titian, which seems to have been begun in 1532 or 1534, and was perhaps completed in 1534, but not sold until 1538. Artist: Titian Dimensions: 3′ 11″ x 5′ 5″ Location: Uffizi Gallery Created: 1534 Medium: Oil paint Subject: Venus
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Kattayl
Posts : 42 Join date : 2021-08-01 Age : 69 Location : Los Angeles, Ca
Subject: Tale of a Stray Bullet Mon Apr 25, 2022 8:10 pm
Tale of the Stray Bullet April 2022 - Challenge Quest for Amnesty Days
It was a prettier town than they had seen in months of small mining towns. The majority of those towns, although named, were a general cluster of temporary buildings, only viable until the nearby mine ran out. Those mines had been good to Hannibal Heyes and Jed ‘Kid” Curry, although hard on the backs. Feeling flush, this town, named Perfection, made them smile.
“Ain’t familiar with no Sheriff Donald Bell or Deputy M. T. Ellis, are you?” asked Curry as he sat up straighter on his horse and leaned back to stretch his back.
“Nope, strangers to me,” Heyes answered, eyeing the sole saloon named The Perfect Peach. The outside was painted a fresh peach tone with clean windows that allowed the inner workings of the place to be visible from the street. “Which first, Kid, get a room, food or a drink?”
“Drink first, maybe they have some stew to eat.” Closing his eyes to think for a moment he changed his mind. “But maybe the others might appreciate it if we get a room and a bath first…especially some of those pretty women I see in there.”
An hour later, the ex-outlaw cousins admired the well-kept buildings of Perfection. “Such a pretty town; I bet nothing bad dare happen here,” Heyes commented. In truth, being clean, with money in his pocket, and heading to what appeared to be a welcoming saloon, put him in a jovial mood.
Smiling, Curry just nodded and pushed open the batwing doors. As was his habit, he stood to the side and slowly observed the occupants of the room. Heyes marched straight to the bar holding up two fingers. “Whiskey, the good stuff.” He laid his money on the bar.
Joining his partner at the bar, Curry picked up the second whiskey and drank it quickly. “Ahhh, smooth. Been waitin’ for that for a while!”
Heyes held up two more fingers to the bartender. “Gonna join that poker game as soon as a spot opens up – some middling to good players there.”
Hearing some excitement in Heyes’ voice, Curry surveyed the room again before answering, “You goin’ be okay if I go upstairs?” He smiled warmly at a brown-haired beauty serving drinks to the poker players. When he had her complete attention, he winked.
“Yeah, seems to be a convivial bunch. Think I’ll be just fine.” Heyes held Curry’s gaze for a reassuring moment before he headed for a now empty seat in the game.
“You look lonely, cowboy.”
Curry turned at the soft voice by his side. The brown-haired beauty wore a kelly green form-fitting dress. The low-cut dress, with feathery sleeves, added a green sparkle in her brown eyes. Smiling, he asked, “Can I buy you a drink, Miss…?”
“Elizabeth. And what should I call you?”
“Thaddeus.” Handing her one of the two drinks the bartender had deposited in front of them, he took her hand.
“Well, Thaddeus, we could finish our drinks in my room.”
As he led her up the stairs, she thought of the unbelievably blue eyes behind his infectious smile.
ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ]
Looking at the three fours and two fives in his head, Heyes’ poker focused attention was diverted for a minute as he watched his partner lead a stunningly beautiful girl up the stairs. Heyes again evaluated his poker competitors, concluding they posed no violent potential.
“Mr. Smith, it’s three dollars to you.”
For a fleeting second, Heyes considered raising the pot high as he was sure he had the winning hand. Smiling, he realized he was enjoying playing poker with this table of men and might want to return tomorrow, so he simply called. Briefly, he was distracted by the lovely blonde smiling at him as she delivered drinks to the table, but poker demanded his full attention at the moment.
ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ
After enjoying the favors of Elizabeth, who proved as talented as she was beautiful, a naked Curry sat up in the bed, and put his hands behind his head. As she slipped into a lacy blue dressing gown that hid nothing, Curry admired his view and smiled.
Smiling back, her brown eyes caught his. “Thaddeus, you’re a sweetheart, not like the monster in here last night.”
At his questioning eyebrow, she continued, “He was rough.”
“He hurt you?” he asked, his protective instincts aroused.
Looking away, she nodded and hesitated. “Bragged he belonged to the High Mountain Gang. Imagine me with an outlaw.” She shuddered at her last words
“Imagine that.” He smothered a grin.
“When we were done, and it didn’t take long, he told me I was going back with him. Wanted me to go east with him. Said he had enough money, and we’d live in style for years. I could not even stand him to touch me again. That wasn’t going to happen.”
She poured two drinks. “I got out of that bed and got my robe on, opened the door and told him goodbye. There’s always a guard in the hall in case there’s trouble.”
“That robe?” asked Curry, thinking no man would leave with her in that gown.
Her delightful laugh tickled his ears. “Oh no, Thaddeus. That one.” She pointed at a well-worn floor length, gray, cotton robe.
It reminded him of something Gramma Curry wore. “Oh, that one,” he laughed.
Handing him his drink, she said, “This one is for someone I want to linger…and maybe stay for a repeat performance.”
Putting his hands on her shoulders, he slid the delicate covering to the floor and pulled her toward him. “I think at least one repeat performance is in order.” he whispered into her ear.
The door slammed open. Reaching for his gun, Curry realized it was on the chest of drawers on the other side of the room. Curry recognized Dod Hunter standing in the doorway, a gunfighter for the High Mountain Gang. He had a Colt in his right hand and a drunken fire in his eyes.
“Elizabeth, you’re mine!” he screamed, waving his Colt menacingly at Curry.
Elizabeth stepped back and grabbed her old gray robe. Wrapping it around herself, she said, “I don’t belong to no one but myself.”
“Told you last night you’re comin’ with me.” Dod Hunter’s eyes followed her as she ran to the far corner of the room. “Now! Let’s go, woman!”
“Not going with you.”
While Hunter’s attention was on Elizabeth, Curry made his move. Swiftly, he jumped at the man, grabbing the arm brandishing the gun and pushing it to the side.
“BANG!” The gun went off as Curry wrestled it away and turned it on its owner. The bullet whizzed by Elizabeth, but she ducked, unharmed.
“Don’t move, Hunter.”
Elizabeth looked sharply at Curry as his voice and manner had turned cold, unemotional. His stance was relaxed; his eyes had gotten darker and were focused on the man in front of him. She was enjoying this rougher side of him.
Holding the gun on Hunter, Curry thought about their brief previous meeting. Hunter should only know him as Thaddeus Jones, friend of Joshua Smith. A couple of years back, Hunter had accused Heyes of cheating at poker, but left quickly when a sheriff walked into the saloon. Curry remembered him and hoped that Hunter did not remember him.
“I’ll take care of this now, mister.” Curry heard the deputy standing in the doorway before he saw him. “Thanks for your help.”
Startled, Curry looked at the deputy blankly, the urge to run strong. But there was no place to run and hopefully no need. He felt Elizabeth hugging his side as the deputy held out his hand for Hunter’s gun.
“My hero.”
“Nooo!” An anguished scream came from the next room. The deputy had the presence of mind to hand the gun back to Curry, saying, “Watch him,” before he ran out. Realizing he was still naked, Curry motioned for the man to sit in the lone chair in the room.
“Get the cord from that curtain,” he instructed Elizabeth. “Tie his hands behind him and to the chair.”
When she was finished, Elizabeth slipped behind a screen and slipped her green dress on..
“Going to go next door and find out what happened,” she said, turning Curry’s lips to her and kissing them gently.
Boots running up the stairs, drowned out any conversation.
“Kid!” Heyes started into the room, relieved to see Curry alive after hearing the shot. Curry waved him out before Hunter could see him.
“Excitement’s next room, mister.”
Heyes locked eyes for a second with his partner. Satisfied that he was all right, Heyes moved down the hall after saying, “Maybe you should put some clothes on before anyone else comes in here.”
Slightly embarrassed, Curry stepped back and kept his eyes on Hunter while he slipped into his jeans. Next, he put on his holster. Feeling more comfortable now that he wore his gun, he finished getting dressed.
Heyes found three people in the next room. The brunette his partner had gone upstairs with earlier, the deputy and the blonde from downstairs. The latter was sobbing, “I never got his name, Deputy, just his money.”
Seeing that they were all looking down, Heyes lowered his eyes and saw the body on the floor. In his surprise, Heyes spoke up, “That’s Fourfinger Todd.”
Three heads turned to Heyes with one question. “Played poker with him once. Sore loser. Who shot him?”
The deputy scrutinized Heyes closely so he tried to make his face show only curiosity.
“Stray bullet came through the wall there.” The blonde girl pointed to the hole from Curry’s room. “Hit him right through the heart. He was dead standing up.”
“If that is Fourfinger Todd, there’s a reward poster out on him. Whoever fired that shot will collect one thousand dollars.” The deputy touched the dead man’s hand with his boot and saw he was missing a finger.
“The gun went off when Thaddeus was trying to grab it from the man in the next room. I think he called him Dod Hunter.”
The deputy whistled loudly. “He’s wanted too. Another five-hundred-dollar reward. Guess it goes to that man watching him. I got to get back and start looking through them posters.”
ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ
Early the next morning, Heyes and Curry stood outside the Perfection sheriff’s office.
“Just can’t bring my feet to go into any lawman’s office except for Lom’s until we get that amnesty. What if he found our posters?” Curry kicked at the dirt with the tip of his boot.
“He would have come and arrested us last night. But we can’t stay here and take a chance he’ll figure it out. All you gotta do is sign the papers turning the rewards over to Elizabeth and we can ride outta here. If you don’t show up, it’s going to look very suspicious. I can't go in Hunter might remember me. ”
Curry did his best to change his expression to friendly, as Heyes turned the handle and opened the door to the sheriff office. Leaving his partner on the sidewalk, Curry entered the dreaded office alone. He looked around the office and saw, like everything else in this town, it was clean, tidy and friendly looking. Wanted posters were stacked on the desk with the two for Fourfinger Todd and Dod Hunter on the top. He tried not to look at the one for Kid Curry on the wall. Even the cells to their left were furnished as if they were a guest bedroom in a house with real wooden beds, fluffy pillows and warm looking quilts. Dod Hunter looked uncomfortable trying to eat breakfast while sitting in the rocking chair in his cell.
“You sure you want those rewards to go to Miss Elizabeth, Mr. Jones? Shouldn’t take more than a week for the money to get here and you and your friend would be put up at our expense. You helped capture two vicious gang members and we’d like to thank you.”
Finished signing the papers, Curry shook the deputy’s hand, not daring to look at the prisoner. “We’re sure. Got an important job waitin’ for us in Texas. Mr. Hunter there hurt Elizabeth the other night. Maybe with this reward money she can start a new life. Goodbye, Deputy.”
Waiting for him outside, Elizabeth demurely kissed his cheek, “Thank you, Thaddeus. I don’t know how I can repay you.”
Winking at her, he laughed, “Well you certainly tried to thank me last night. Not sure I could have done even one more encore performance.”
“My pleasure,” she whispered in his ear as he mounted his horse.
ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ
“Too bad we had to leave. That town was close to perfection.” Curry commented wistfully as they rode past the Perfect Peach Saloon on their way out of town. “Should have seen them jail cells. Real beds, fluffy pillows. warm quilts and a rocking chair. Heyes, it was better, nicer than most of the hotels we stay in.”
Shaking his head, Heyes turned around in his saddle to stare at his cousin, “If you like it so much I could arrange for you to be in the cell next to Hunter by riding back and turning you in.”
Curry said nothing but as Heyes turned forward he saw the start of the look forming on his partner’s face and felt it heavy on his back the rest of the day.
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Penski Moderator
Posts : 1808 Join date : 2012-04-22 Age : 63 Location : Northern California
Subject: Re: April 2022 The Tale of the Stray Bullet Fri Apr 29, 2022 7:20 am
The Tale of the Stray Bullet
Kid Curry meandered along a trail near a ridge among the aspen trees. The temperature was warm, but a breeze made it comfortable. For once, he was not in a hurry; no one had recognized them for a few months. He had just finished a delivery job and was going to meet Heyes in Cripple Creek.
Curry glanced up at the sky. “About nine o'clock; should be there in five or six hours – just in time to clean up for a steak dinner.”
A moment later, the Kid heard a gun go off and felt a bullet whiz past him, causing him to draw back and pull hard on the reins. He went for his gun, but before he could pull it free from his holster, he felt a burning sensation, then toppled over sideways, unconscious, before hitting the ground. The gelding spooked and ran down the trail.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Heyes pulled out his pocket watch and noted the time. He read the telegram, again, saying Thaddeus was taking the shortcut along the ridge trail and would be in town that afternoon. “So, where is he?!” It was already dusk and past the dinner hour. Heyes walked over to the livery. “Has a man about my height, with fair-colored hair dropped off a bay gelding this afternoon?”
The livery owner looked up from raking a stall. “Nope. No bay geldings or mares came here today. I don’t look at the owners.”
Heyes knitted his brow. “You the only livery in the area?”
“Yep.”
Heyes looked at his watch again. “What time do you close?”
“In an hour – eight o’clock. Want me to get your horse ready?”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll wait to see if my friend arrives first.” Heyes looked towards the telegraph office that was closing. “When do you open in the morning?”
“Seven sharp.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Heyes ate a light dinner and, hoping to distract himself, went to the saloon to play some poker. He looked up every time someone entered and, after only a couple hours, he finally gave up trying to play. His mind wasn't on the game; it was on the Kid.
In the hotel room, Heyes paced. “Maybe he was delayed… No, he would've sent another telegram. If he got distracted by a beautiful woman and is laying in her arms right now, I’m gonna kill him! If he doesn’t come tonight, I’ll check the telegraph office to see if there's a new message. If not, guess I’ll go along the ridge trail shortcut looking for him.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The next morning, Heyes was up early with the sun, packed his saddle bags, and waited until he saw the operator open the telegraph office. He hurried downstairs to check out of the hotel and handed the clerk a note. “If my partner, Thaddeus Jones, comes here, please give him this note.”
“Sure will, Mr. Smith.”
Next Heyes went to the telegraph office. “Any messages for Joshua Smith?”
“No, sir. I just listened to the latest ones.”
“Thanks.”
Next Heyes walked into the livery. “Can you get my chestnut ready to go?”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Heyes took the shortcut path and slowed the horse’s gait to a walk, looking for any signs of his partner. “Just take it easy, girl.” He patted the mare’s neck.
Around noon, Heyes looked out from an overview to a valley. He smelled the smoke before he saw a campfire in the distance. “Hope that’s you, Kid.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Heyes tied his horse a short distance from the campfire and cautiously walked towards it. “Hello.”
A man by the fire jumped and grabbed his gun.
Disappointed to see it wasn’t the Kid, Heyes spoke again. “Name’s Joshua Smith and I’m wondering if you’d share your fire? I'm looking for my partner out here.”
“Come closer with your hands up and away from your gun.”
Heyes smiled and slowly advanced toward the fire. “Don’t mean no harm. “Sure could use a cup of coffee to warm me up, though.”
“Just coffee?”
“Just coffee. Mind if I lower my hands, Mr. …?”
“Caleb. Caleb Hunter. You appear friendly enough. Never know who’s out here in this area. Could be outlaws.”
Heyes shuddered. “Hope there’s no outlaws in these parts. I’ll go bring my horse in closer.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“You said you’re looking for your partner?” Caleb drained his cup.
“Yes, he’s about my age and height, but has curly blond hair. Have you seen anyone?” Heyes poured more coffee for both of them.
“Nope. Haven’t seen anyone 'cept you for a week or two.”
“What do you do, Caleb?”
Caleb stared at the fire. “Now don’t you laugh… I’m a hunter.”
“A hunter named Hunter.” Heyes shrugged. “Why not? I’ve heard of a baker named Baker.”
“My family have all been hunters – that’s why the last name. Unfortunately, I’m not as good of a shot like my pa was – missed more deer than I’ve shot – so it’s good there’s not many folks traveling 'round here.”
“Deer can be tricky.”
“There was a big buck up on the ridge yesterday. Took two shots, missed both times.” Caleb sighed. “Maybe I should think of another line of business.”
“Never too late to change to a new career.” Heyes finished his coffee. “Well, thanks for the fire and conversation. I'd better get going and see if I can find Thaddeus.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Kid Curry moaned as he tried to move. Everything hurt. He opened his eyes, then quickly closed them. Everything was blurry, and the sun shone as if it was mid-afternoon.
“Where am I? What happened?” he whispered, his voice raspy. He brought his right hand up and touched his forehead. His fingers touched the dry, bloody wound. “That’d explain the headache.”
He tried to move his left arm and gasped. “Ow – that really hurts!” The appendage was swollen and tingling down to his fingers, while his shoulder throbbed and felt out of place.
“Where’s Heyes when I need him?” Curry rolled over on his right side to sit up, doing his best to keep his left arm immobile. He tried opening his eyes, again, to look around. “No horse. That's just great!”
From his moving around, blood began to drip from his head wound down his face. He pulled the bandana from around his neck, placed the middle of it on his wound, and held it there by leaning his head against a raised knee. Bringing up his left hand as high as it would go, Curry gritted his teeth, struggling to tie the bandana in place around his head.
“Gotta get off…trail. Bounty hunter…posse nearby?” The Kid tried to focus on the area around him. “Rocks. Hide behind 'em.”
Sapping his energy, Curry stood up and staggered to the rocks. He fell on his good shoulder and winced. “Gotta try to stay awake.” He pulled out his gun and held it in his right hand before passing out.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Heyes continued going slowly down the path up near the ridgeline. “Where are you, Kid?”
In a grove of aspens, a little bit away, he spotted movement, stopped, and strained his eyes. “A horse! There you are!”
Heyes kicked his mare into a faster gait towards the trees. His horse nickered at her friend; the gelding looked up, and came over to them.
Heyes got down and gently took the horse’s reins. He petted the horse’s nose and looked the animal in the eyes. “Where’s the Kid?”
Tying both horses to a tree, he walked through the aspens. “You’re not here,” he sighed. “What kinda trouble did you get yourself into, Kid?”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Heyes continued up the trail, leading Curry’s horse as the sun started to set. He looked ahead and his brow furrowed. “What’s that?” Dismounting, he walked over to a dark area on the side of the trail. Kneeling, he felt the ground and rubbed his fingers together. “Blood. Lots of blood, and some's still damp.”
Heyes stood up, then looked around, calling, “Thaddeus? Thaddeus!”
“Hey…?”
“Thaddeus, where are you?”
“Hey…?”
Heyes led the horses towards some rocks where the voice had come from. “Thaddeus?” Dropping the reins, he walked behind the rocks. “Thaddeus!”
“Heyes...found me!” the Kid cried, his relief evident.
“Of course, I found you! I was a champeen tracker, afterall.” Heyes knelt by his partner. “You’re a bloody mess! What happened?”
“Bullet… pain… I don’t know.” Curry started to lose consciousness
Heyes patted his partner's cheek. “Stay with me a little longer, Kid. You can sleep in a bit. Looks like you dislocated your shoulder from the fall.” Heyes checked the bloody bandana around the head. “Wasn’t enough that I took a bullet to the head, huh? Appears you did, too. Anything else hurt?”
The Kid remained quiet.
Heyes gently nudged his partner a few times. “Hey, does anything else hurt?”
“Head… arm…”
“Is that it?”
“Not enough?” the Kid whispered before he passed out.
“Well, guess that’ll make it easier to put your arm back in place if you’re out cold.”
Heyes took Curry’s gun from his hand, stood up and looked around. “Guess this’ll have to do for a camp tonight. Hopefully, tomorrow we can find a better place.”
Hobbling the horses, Heyes found some dry twigs and wood to make a fire. He took Curry’s bedroll and put it down between the rocks and fire before setting the Kid on it.
“Now, to figure out how to get your arm back in place.” A short distance away, Heyes spied two trees growing near each other. “That’ll work.” He dragged the Kid on his bedroll next to the trees and put the injured arm between them. Holding the arm, he pulled with all his might until it popped back into place.
Curry screamed out in pain; his face ashen.
“Sorry, Kid, but it had to be done. Now to fix it so you can’t move it.” Heyes thought a moment and then bent down to unbuckle Curry’s pants belt and pulled it through the loops. “This will work, but…”
Heyes unbuckled his own belt, pulled it off and then buckled it. He put the belted loop around Curry’s neck and put his arm through it. Next, he took the Kid’s belt and wrapped it around his chest, keeping the arm tight to his body. “There, that’ll work.”
“I’ll tend to your head once I get some warm water.”
Heyes dragged the bedroll back by the fire, then set water on to heat before checking the bandana. “You've got blood all over, Kid! Head wounds bleed a lot, and you sure did, from that puddle I saw off the trail. I’m gonna have to rinse as much as I can out of your hair, so you don’t attract a bear or wolves. Wonder when this happened? It's real lucky you weren’t bothered before.”
When the water warmed up, Heyes poured it on his partner’s hair and gently fingered through it to rinse away the blood. He cleaned it as much as he could and rinsed out the bandana. After wiping the wound, he poured a little whiskey on it, then covered it with a clean, dry bandana.
“That’s about all I can do for you tonight, Kid. You just rest, and I’ll keep watch.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The next morning, Heyes started coffee and went over to check his partner. The head wound was seeping just a little. “This could've been worse.” He checked the rest of the body now that there was light. The right foot seemed mildly swollen in his boot. “Yep, could've been a whole lot worse.”
Heyes took care of the horses and contemplated what to do next, afraid to move the Kid while he was out with that head wound. He fried some bacon and made biscuits, hoping the smell would wake his partner. As he ate, he pictured the shortcut trail and what was in the area. He smiled when he remembered an abandoned cabin about three miles away. It wasn’t in good shape, but something was better than nothing. If they took it easy, the Kid should be able to make it there, if he woke up.
Mid-day, Kid Curry groaned.
Heyes smiled. “It’s about time you woke up.”
The Kid squinted his eyes. “Owww…. Heyes?”
“I’m here.”
“What happened?”
“Looks like a bullet grazed your head and you fell off your horse, dislocating your shoulder.”
“Who?”
“I’ve been thinking about that. Doesn’t appear to be a bounty hunter or posse.”
“Good. My head… feels like it’ll explode.”
“Yep. I remember that feeling when I got hit. In time, it’ll lessen.
“Arm…” Curry tried to move it.
“Stop that and leave it alone!” Heyes admonished as he gently put his hand down to protect the arm from movement. “It wasn’t easy pulling it back into place. I used belts to hold it there.”
“Oh.” The Kid’s eyes began to close.
“Are you hungry? I have bacon and biscuits?”
“No.”
“Think you can move?”
Curry's eyes fluttered open.
“We really can’t stay where we are; there’s no protection. There’s a cabin no more than three miles from here. If we take it real slow, think you can ride?”
“If have to.” Still mumbling, the Kid's eyes closed, “Tell me...when ready...”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Heyes packed up the camp and got the horses ready. He put their belongings on his mare, deciding it would be best to ride double on the gelding. Curry couldn’t handle another fall.
Finished, he shook Curry awake. “Ready.”
The Kid nodded and winced. “Oww…”
Heyes got behind his partner and gently began lifting him up. “You can do it,” he encouraged Curry.
The Kid gritted his teeth; his feet underneath him, he stood up, staggering.
“That's good; I got you.” Heyes talked the Kid through the process. “We’re riding double so you can rest on me. Step on that rock there so you don’t have so far to get up on the horse. There you go. Now just stay put while I bring the horse closer a bit closer. Don’t go nowhere.”
“Ain’t plannin’ on it.”
Heyes helped the Kid mount. “Hold onto the horn with your good hand. There you go.” Heyes got on behind him and took the reins. “Okay, lean back against me. I’m going to take it nice and slow.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
An hour later, Heyes found the abandoned cabin. It was dilapidated more than he remembered. A heavy snow had collapsed part of the roof.
Heyes gently shook the Kid awake. “Need you to lean forward so I can get off and check the cabin.”
Curry squinted as he leaned over the gelding’s neck. “Looks pretty bad.”
“Yeah, but it’s better than being out in the open.” Heyes glanced upwards and frowned at the dark thunderclouds in the sky before he dismounted and walked over to the cabin. “The half by the fireplace looks okay. We can sleep and cook there and have a roof over our heads in case it rains. Horses can be on the other side at night. We can make it work until you’re feeling better.”
“If you say so, Heyes.” The Kid leaned towards his partner. “My head is poundin’ real bad.”
“I bet it is. Hold onto the saddle horn for a minute while I put your bedroll out.”
Heyes quickly untied the bedroll and found a good place for it near the fireplace, then helped the Kid into the cabin and down on it. “Let's remove your boots. There, that’ll feel better. Your foot’s a little swollen.” He brought the saddlebags in the cabin and found a cup and a bottle of whiskey. Diluting it with water, he gave some to his partner. “This'll help you sleep.” He handed him a biscuit. “Try to eat as much as you can, then rest while I get us settled.”
A few minutes later, the biscuit still in his hand, Kid Curry was sound asleep.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The Kid opened his eyes; a fire was blazing in the fireplace and his partner was sitting beside him staring into the flames.
“Hey.”
Heyes turned. “Sleeping Beauty awakens,” he teased.
“Everything hurts,” Curry groaned. “Feels like I've been run over by a herd of stampedin' beeves. What happened, Heyes?”
“You don't remember, huh? Well, I met a hunter named Mr. Hunter –”
“Not funny, Heyes.”
“No, really; the hunter's name is Mr. Hunter – Cabel Hunter. Says he shot at a deer a couple times, but missed. I'm thinking you were that deer.”
“Don't look nothin' like a deer – he could've killed me!”
“True, but it was an accident. He doesn't even know he grazed you.”
The Kid shifted position, grimacing with pain. “Just my bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. What else could happen?” he grumbled.
“Don't say–” Heyes began, just as a flash of lightning and an ominous rumble of thunder was heard overhead. The sound of rain hitting the roof made both men look upwards.
Curry's expression was sincerely apologetic as Heyes turned to give his partner the look.
_________________ h "Do you ever get the feeling that nothing right is ever going to happen to us again?" - Kid Curry
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Subject: Re: April 2022 The Tale of the Stray Bullet
Fri Apr 01, 2022 7:15 am
