Feb 2023 - Not paying twice !

Well folks, I was toying with a Valentines theme ...

BUT apropos of nothing, except I changed my broadband and have just had a nice chat with my previous provider (who were VERY polite, but still ...)

Please bend your mind around the thought


"It was bad enough paying for it once, I'm not paying for it twice ..."


I am sure either or both our boys could say that,

Kid Curry stepped off the wooden boardwalk onto the dusty street running through the main street of town. He smiled smugly before drawing in a huge breath of the fresh cool air, turning his face up to the sky. “God, what a beautiful day! Feels purdy darn great.” He paused long enough to take in the sights and sounds of the street fair going on before him. “Joshua, ain’t this somethin’ else? What do you want to do first? Grab some food? Or maybe check out the wares? I think they have some livestock pens set up over yonder we could look at.”

Heyes smiled an easy, relaxed smile; feeling almost as happy to be this little town with no sheriff in sight as The Kid was. They’d arrived in town a couple days ago and had done their usual check on the local law enforcement and had found that that nearest sheriff was one town over. They’d also learned that they were having their annual community fair today and, needing a break to recover from some hard days on the trail, had decided to hang around a few days and enjoy the peace and quiet. “Whatever you want, Thaddeus. We got all day.”

They sauntered down the street, no particular destination in mind, listening to the mildly discordant music of a small brass band drifting over from the gazebo at the end of the square. “Mmm, is that popcorn I smell?” Kid exclaimed, with almost child-like wonder. “I haven’t tasted popcorn for way too long.” He headed toward a street vendor with paper sacks brimming with the white kernels, but before he got there, he noticed another vendor selling warm, roasted peanuts. “Oh, wait, maybe we should get peanuts instead. What do you think, Joshua?”

“Peanuts sound just fine, Thaddeus.” They joined the line of strangers waiting for their turn to buy the tasty treats, continuing to chat amiably between themselves about the pleasant happenings around them.

“Excuse me, mister.” The Kid felt a light tug on his sleeve and both the men turned to see a young girl of about ten standing in front of them in line. She was a pretty little thing, wearing a dress that had seen better days; but it was clean and obviously cared for as best as could be expected.

Kid smiled good-naturedly at the girl, “Well, what can I do for you, ma’am?” he said with exaggerated politeness.

She returned his smile and asked, “How much do these here peanuts cost, do ya think?” gesturing toward the man selling the fragrant treats, in an exaggeratedly loud voice so the seller was bound to hear her question.

“Hm, looks like a nickel a bag,” he answered.

“Oh, ok. Thanks,” she said, and turned away as it was her turn to order from the vendor. The two men shared an amused glance between them, and momentarily, it was The Kid’s turn to place his order as the young girl ran down the street and disappeared from sight around a corner.

“One bag of peanuts, please,” he said, nickel in hand.

The street vendor handed him a paper bag filled with nuts. “That’ll be ten cents,” he said.

“Ten cents? The sign says a nickel.”

“Why, yes. That’s correct. A nickel a bag.”

Kid looked a little confused. “Looks like you’ve got your math wrong, friend. I only asked for one bag. Five cents.”

Now it was the vendor’s turn to look confused. “Yessir, you asked for one bag, that’s the truth of it.” Kid looked vindicated and held out his hand with the nickel. “One bag for you. And one bag for your daughter. Ten cents in all.”

Now Kid started to look more than a little confused, his brows furrowed in annoyance. “Daughter? I ain’t got no daughter. Do you see anybody here who looks like my daughter. Where in tarnation did you get that idea anyhow?”

“No, sir. I don’t see anyone who looks like your daughter.”

“That’s right. Now take your nickel and be done with it.”

The man gave a stubborn shake of his head. “I don’t see your daughter because she just ran off down the street. But when she was here, she clearly told me that she was your girl and that you’d pay for her peanuts. So…ten cents, if you please.” The man had his hand extended, palm up, and a determined look on his face that said he didn’t plan to take no for an answer. Kid stared him down for several seconds, not wanting to ruin the good feeling he was having this lovely day but also not wanting to be taken advantage of. He looked at Heyes, hoping his partner would back him up and somehow convince this fellow that he wasn’t going to pay double for a bag of peanuts, but Heyes was just watching the exchange between the two men with an amused twinkle in his brown eyes and a small smile curving his lips.

“Sir?...” The man was still holding out his palm expectantly.

“But, I’m tell—”

“Sir.”

The man had Thaddeus locked in a steely-eyed, stubborn stare. Thaddeus weighed his options, glancing once again at his partner, from whom no help was forthcoming. Then he sighed heavily, scowled sourly at the peanut seller and grudgingly handed over the money; enough to cover his peanuts and those of the renegade young girl who had gotten the best of him. He gave the street vendor one more good glare before grabbing his snack and, grumbling under his breath, walked off down the street.

Heyes couldn’t contain his amusement any longer and let loose a whoop of laughter which only served to irritate The Kid even further. “It’s ok, Thaddeus. It’s only a nickel.” He patted his friend on the shoulder in a consoling way.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It was only a nickel. She didn’t look like she had any money. I guess it’s ok.”

“Sure, just a nickel.” He smiled consolingly at Thaddeus and they strolled down the street in silence for a moment. “She sure played you for a sucker though, didn’t she, Thaddeus.” Heyes laughed again, with even more hilarity than before.

Thaddeus fumed, “Ok, Joshua. You made your point. Let’s just leave it at that.” He took in all the festivities going around them, trying mightily to put the peanut episode behind him. “Let’s go check out the livestock displays; I hear they have some prize horses for show.”


**************


The hours passed pleasantly enough, with the men taking in the sights and sounds of the town, with no particular place to go and no particular worries on their minds. They were about to call it an afternoon and head to the saloon for a whiskey or two, followed by a hand or two of poker if they could find a game.

On the way to the saloon, the popcorn stand caught Thaddeus’ eye and nose. “Hold on a minute, Joshua,” he said, veering off toward the delicious fragrance of freshly popped corn and butter. Just then, Thaddeus spotted the same little girl, standing just a short distance from the popcorn stand. “Hey, Kid,” he shouted, heading toward her. “You owe me a nickel.”

The little girl looked startled, but not afraid, like this wasn’t the first time she’d been caught running her scam. Her face composed itself into a practiced look of contrition to the point where you could almost believe she was sorry. “Mister, I know I shouldn’t a’done that. But I was so hungry!” She looked downcast; not genuinely so, but enough to play on Kid Curry’s sympathies well enough.

The Kid looked at her for a moment longer, then his own gaze dropped to the ground, feeling awkward about giving the child a hard time. “Well, shucks. I guess it’s all right then. Just don’t do it again.”

Her face lit up with an angelic smile. “Oh, I won’t. Thank you, Sir.”

Heyes grinned. “What’s your name, kid?”

“My friends call me Clemmy. But my Christian name is Clementine,” she said, wrinkling her nose in distaste for her given name.

This was too good for Heyes to ignore! “Well, don’t that beat all, Thaddeus? This young girl, who got one over on you, is named Clementine. Ain’t that somethin’,” he chuckled softly, earning himself another glare from his friend.

Clem turned her quizzical gaze upon Thaddeus. “Hey, mister. How much they charging for a bag of popcorn?”

“How old are you, kid? Don’t you know how to read yet? The sign clearly says five cents. Just like the peanuts. Five cents.”

“Oh.” Clem looked down at the ground, digging the toe of her shoe into the dirt. “I ain’t got five cents.” She glanced sideways up at Thaddeus and Joshua, heaving a deep sigh for emphasis.

Joshua turned to look expectantly at Thaddeus, barely able to contain his amusement. Thaddeus returned his stare, somewhat defiantly. “What?” he said, sounding defensive. Joshua continued to stare, raising one eyebrow appraisingly. Sensing an accomplice, Clementine turned her gaze directly back to Thaddeus, with a tiny, beseeching smile playing on her lips.

“What?” Thaddeus repeated, even more defensively. Joshua cocked his head toward the girl. “No sir, I ain’t gonna do it.”

“Come on, Thaddeus, it’s only a nickel,” Joshua cajoled, obviously amused.

“A nickel now. AND a nickel from before. I ain’t gonna do it,” he said stubbornly. “It’s bad enough she tricked me into paying for her food before, I’m not gonna do it again. Let her go find some other poor patsy.”

Joshua grabbed Thaddeus’ sleeve and pulled him a discreet step away from the girl. “Kid, listen. This poor girl ain’t got 2 pennies to rub together. Heck, by comparison, we are living like kings. Might be, she don’t even have a place to live. Don’t you think you could come up with just a few more pennies and get her something to eat? God knows when the last good meal she had was.”

Thaddeus glanced over at the girl, who was back to digging her toes in the dust. His demeanor softened, taking in her threadbare dress and worn-down shoes. “Ok, Joshua, yeah, I got this. Hey, kid, come here,” as he dug into his pants pocket. “Here’s a nickel. Knock yourself out.”

Clem’s face lit up in a radiant smile. “Oh, thanks, mister! Really, thanks!” She grabbed the coin and ran off to buy some popcorn. The two men watched as she excitedly ordered the treat and then ran down the street and out of sight again.

“Well,” Joshua said, “Don’t that give you a good feeling, Thaddeus? You know what you did just now? A good deed, that’s what that was. You should be feeling pretty good.”

“Excuse me, gentlemen.”

The men turned to see a finely dressed fellow addressing them. He looked like he might have been a banker or a rich rancher, dressed for a day in town. Joshua and Thaddeus eyed him suspiciously.

“Ah, yes sir. What can we do for you?” Heyes asked.

“Well, I couldn’t help but notice that you were talking to my daughter, Clementine. I was just curious what you were all saying, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Are you telling us that that little girl is your daughter?”

“Why, yes, she is.” He looked surprised at the question for a quick moment before realizing why these two men might be confused. “Oh. You mean because she looks like she runs wild in the streets and doesn’t have a decent wardrobe? Yes, I can see why you’d be confused. But I assure you, she’s definitely my daughter; the one and only incorrigible Clementine.” He laughed heartily. “She’s always been full of the dickens, that one. Loves to come downtown looking like she lives on the streets, trying to hustle unsuspecting visitors to our humble community.” He shook his head, “I’m hoping she didn’t run any of her little scams on you.”

“As a matter of fa—,” Thaddeus started to say.

Heyes laid a steadying hand on his friend’s shoulder. “As a matter of fact, she was just telling us how to find the blacksmith.”

Kid looked at Heyes in surprise, “Huh?”

The dapper gentleman looked relieved, if not a bit suspicious. “That’s a little surprising, but I’m very happy to hear that. You don’t know how often I need to repay people for her little schemes. Try as her mother and I might, she just won’t quit with her shenanigans.” He chuckled softly, no doubt remembering some of said shenanigans. “We pray she’ll outgrow her “criminal” ways eventually. Anyway, I’m glad she didn’t take advantage of you gentlemen. I will be on my way now. Good afternoon,” and with a tip of his fancy hat, he walked down the street, most likely in search of his daughter.

“Heyes, why in tarnation did you say that? I was about to demand my ten cents back. That guy could certainly afford it,” Thaddeus fumed.

“Sure, Kid. But do you really want him thinking you got scammed not once, but TWICE by a little girl like that? Don’t think you’d want that to get around.”

The Kid let that swirl around in his head for a few seconds before admitting, “I guess you’re right, Heyes. I’m still irritated buy let’s forget about it and go get those whiskeys.”

Heyes nodded. As they headed toward the saloon, he reflected on the little girl he remembered from long ago, way before their outlaw days; another little girl named Clementine who ran her own schemes on them (and others) from time to time, and he couldn’t help but smile and wonder where she was now. Hopefully, their paths would cross again soon.

It was bad enough paying for it once, I’m not going to pay for it twice
February 2023 Challenge

Universe of Winter’s Refuge


JED ‘KID’ CURRY

In the cold weather, fewer customers come to my blacksmith shop and on snowy days that number usually drops to zero.  I still open it every day, but these are the days I use for what Jeff Birde calls my creative pieces.  Heyes had designed a lock while he was still in prison, but I’ve never had the opportunity to try and make it.  He mapped it out well and some of the principles are the same as the lock I made him with three keys, but his has a twist that makes it harder to open….and harder to make.

I was absorbed in my third attempt at the lock when Ol’ Mister Bretherton pulled up in his buggy outside my shop.  He got bad arthritis, so I went out to see him.

“Good day, Mr. Bretherton.  What brings you out in this cold?”  

I could see he was well tucked in with heavy blankets over his lap and a warm coat and hat.  He had never come here before. I knew from Jeff Birde, the owner of the new mercantile, that he was considered a stingy miser beyond belief.  Jeff  had joked that that’s what kept the old man alive, seein’ how much he could get for nearly nothin’.  

Still, he was the oldest resident of Three Birds and in my mind demanded respect.  

No greetin', he got right to what he wanted.  “Can you make me one of these for my daughter?”  He shoved a picture at me of a silver bracelet, plain with no detail with words to be engraved written below.  

“I could but I don’t have much silver right now and can’t get it here until this storm passes.  When do you need it?”

“Now!  Tomorrow!  I need to put it in the mail tomorrow.  Can you melt this down?  The rest of the set is long gone.”

He handed me a plain silver spoon.  I looked at it closely.  “I can try but this is not pure silver.  It’s mixed with another metal.  I don’t know if I can shape it into this bracelet.”

“I was told you are the best.  If I was told wrong, I can go elsewhere.”  He grabbed the spoon back.  

I took a deep breath.  He wanted a present for his daughter; I could understand that.  “Come back tomorrow at the same time.”  I gave him a smile and hoped it didn’t look as fake as it felt.

“How much are you going to rob me of to do this?  You are a famous robber are you not?”  He smiled, pleased with himself.  

I felt like I’d been slapped across the face but worked to steady my features.  No one was goin’ to make me feel inferior again.  “You providin' some of the metal.  I’ll add what I have.  Three dollars.”

“You’re still a thief.  Three dollars it is, but only because I was told you are the best.”

ASJ******ASJ

The bracelet came out better than I had hoped, and the inscription was clear and well-spaced.  I wanted Mr. Bretherton to be pleased.  I even molded the traces of leftover metal into a bar to return to him.  

He came earlier today and Chrissy and Heyes were still helpin' to check customers in.  Chrissy still handles the horses needin' shoein' and I take the other work orders.  Heyes tries to write all the ‘incoming’, as he calls it, into his ledger immediately.  

“Blacksmith, come over here!” Mr. Bremerton yelled loudly.  

Knowin' I was busy, Heyes approached his buggy.  “I help you?” he asked.  Talkin' to strangers still unnerves him but it does it to help me.  

As I checked in the next customer, I kept an eye on Heyes and Mr. Bremerton.  

“You the other convict?”  Bremerton made the question sound like an accusation.  

Heyes stared at the man, and I knew he had lost his words.  I fight an internal battle not to feel inferior, but Heyes isn’t strong enough to do that for himself yet.  Chrissy stopped what she was doin’ and moved to the back room of the forge where she felt protected but could still see.

I walked over to the buggy with my shoulders back and pulled up to my full height.  “Ex-convict.”

Bremerton laughed.  “My mistake, ex-convict.”  He made that sound like somethin' even worse.  

I refused to acknowledge the comment.  “Here’s your bracelet, Mr. Bremerton, and the remainin' silver.”

He examined it carefully and smiled.  “Very nice work, blacksmith.  And honest at that, returning the rest of the silver.”

“The name’s Curry.”

He gave me that look meant to make me feel subordinate.  I refused to look down and looked him straight in his eyes.  

“I shall commend those who recommended you to me.”  He started to drive away.

I grabbed hold of the horse’s reins.  “My three dollars, please.”

“You are mistaken, Blacksmith, I paid you in advance yesterday.”

I dropped the reins and felt myself takin' my gunfight stance.  My hand rested on my belt above my gun.  Until I felt Chrissy standin' next to me.

“You are the one mistaken, Bremerton.”  I purposefully omitted the Mister this time.  “We agreed upon a price, but you did not pay me.”

I felt the eyes of all the other customers watchin’ me.  Chrissy gentle touched my gun arm.  “Not important,” she whispered.  “Prove you better man.”

Her words strengthened me.  This little man was unimportant no matter what he thinks of himself.  

“I paid you once and I will not pay twice for the bracelet,” he yelled at the other people more than at me.

I moved my hand from my gun to around Chrissy’s waist.  I looked over my shoulder and Heyes was standin' there leanin' on one of the poles holdin’ up the side of the shop,  

“Bremerton, I hope your daughter enjoys her bracelet,” I said as cordially as I could.  “Just know that I won’t be acceptin’ any future work from you or anyone you refer to me.”

“Hmupft!”  He drove away quickly.  

Heyes had a grin on his face as he walked with me to check in the remainin’ customer.  He said softly, “As Gramma Curry always said, Fool me once shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on you.  You did good, Kid.  Proud of you.”

As I watched Heyes and Chrissy return to what they were doin’, I did the same.  

“Nicely handled, Mr. Curry,” my next customer, an older lady with two broken ladles, told me.  “You are a man of class and character.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I managed to reply lookin’ down so she wouldn’t see me blush.

I felt Chrissy’s hands on my shoulder.  “Jed Curry, good man,” she said.

And those words from her mean everythin’ to me.