The Women in Pants

by Stan Himes

  Mr. Hall sighed. “They do. They do. Therefore, I will up my offer to thirteen dollars a head, which is the highest I have ever paid.”

  That put the sale at around four thousand dollars.

  “I was thinking more in the neighborhood of fifteen dollars,” Mary said. Both men looked like she shot them in the stomach.

  “F-f-fifteen?” Dawkins stammered.

  “Unheard of!” Hall added.

  Dawkins had his handkerchief out and was wiping his brow. “I could go as high as thirteen-fifty…”

  Just then Agatha walked in with a large tray heaped with bread and meat. Behind her came another black woman, younger, perhaps Agatha’s daughter, carrying a tray with two pitchers of milk and a pot of coffee. Just the aroma of the coffee was enough to inspire Mary to bring the negotiations to a fast end.

  “I will sell my cattle to whichever of you is the first to agree to pay fourteen dollars a head plus cover our hotel rooms and meals for two days.”

  It was a stare off. Mary stared at Hall and Dawkins. Hall and Dawkins stared at each other. The rest of us stared at the food.

  Silence.

  Silence.

  Dawkins flinched. “Agreed.”

  Mary smiled and held out her hand. The rest of us had waited long enough. We went for the food. Then we stopped as Dawkins added, “But with two conditions.”

  Mary pulled back her hand, but Dawkins raised his hand to ease her mind. “First, the details of the sale are to be kept secret. Neither Tobias nor myself can afford to have cattle prices be so high.”

  Mary nodded. “Our business is our business.”

  Dawkins’s smile returned. “Second, and the primary reason I agreed to your hard bargain, I want to be the first one to hear your story so I can be the first one to start telling it around town.”

  “Agreed.” Mary extended her hand again. “But only after I’ve eaten, had a bath and slept.”

  “We have a deal.” They shook hands.

  Two slices of ham between rye bread and a glass of milk hardly seemed a fitting meal for someone of Mary’s newfound wealth, but she cherished every bite like it was a full 75-cent steak. We all relished the meal, and when Agatha, who had watched with pride, spoke, we all relished her as well. Her voice was lovely and direct, and though all the words came out through a smile, there was a definite I-will-not-take-no-for-an-answer tone—the kind of woman who makes you want to reply “yes, ma’am” to everything she says.

  “You will all stay with me and it will give me great pleasure to have you in my home. Except for you, boy. You’ll be at the hotel. I’ll stand for no tomfoolery under my roof!”

  Parker was the living definition of taken aback. “Yes, ma’am. I mean, no, I wasn’t – wouldn’t – I…”

  “While you ladies bathe and sleep, I’ll see what I can do to freshen up those rags you call clothes. Tomorrow, after you have your cash money in your hands, either I or Mabel here will be more than happy to show you places where you can outfit yourselves with decent, proper wear.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” we said in near unison.

  Mary desired to send a telegram to Jonas and also send one to Ernestine in Caldwell to check on the health of our companions, but Mabel talked her into waiting. “Even if you weren’t dog tired, the evenin’ telegraph operator ain’t worth the chair he sits in. You wait ’til you’re fresh and ’til Old Man Daggert is on the job. Your news’ll keep overnight.”

  Mary nodded, too tired to offer up a “yes, ma’am.”

  Agatha’s place turned out to be the second floor overtop of a dry goods store. She and Mabel, who was indeed her daughter, lived there for the price of cooking three meals a day for the owner of the store. She called it a palace compared to her childhood shack in Alabama. “Now the only slavin’ I do is over a hot stove, and I get paid for that.” She was doing well on her own and was making sure that Mabel, who looked to be about 15 or so, was getting an education. I admired Agatha as much as she seemed to admire us.

  Truth be told, as tired as we were, her shack in Alabama would have suited us just fine. She split us up into two of the rooms, started handing out blankets and cushions that came from who knows where, and asked us to give her our clothes before we washed up or fell asleep.

  “You really don’t have to go to all this trouble,” Mary said.

  “First of all, it ain’t trouble. I like doin’ it and I’m proud to have you in my home. Second of all,” she said with a wink, “I’ll be sendin’ a bill to Mr. Dawkins.”

  By mid-morning a considerable amount had been accomplished, very little of it by us. Mabel had kept showing up with hot water throughout the evening until each of us had bathed. Agatha had somehow laundered and dried our clothes. Both Agatha and Mabel had cooked us a fine breakfast. Our efforts had consisted entirely of sleeping, dressing and eating. Katie did a little more, having taken a plate down to Parker, who enjoyed his breakfast behind the store and didn’t seem to mind still wearing dirty clothes. He still looked handsome and lovable to Katie.

  The real event of the morning was a walk down Front Street. While Mary went to send her telegrams and then meet Mr. Dawkins at the bank, the rest of us took a stroll to see the sights. Dodge City’s reputation as a wild cattle town seemed well earned. There was no shortage of saloons and no shortage of men sleeping off their evening activities right on the street. The town was still waking up, but it was busier on a sleepy morning than Secluded Springs was on a Saturday night. The whole town appeared to be hammered together, one building up against the next. The dry goods store was beside a cigar store which was beside a saloon which was beside another saloon which was beside a general outfitting store which was beside a jail which was beside a hat shop—the town just kept going on both sides of the street.

  The most important site of the morning was the bank, and we kept our eyes on it while we were strolling through the town. When Mary came out of it, grinning from ear to ear, we were quick to meet her. She led us back to Agatha’s and we closed ourselves in a single room.

  “Payday,” was all Mary said or needed to say.

  We had been promised fifty dollars each. Mary gave us seventy-five, plus another five for new clothes or to do with as we pleased. It was more than any of us had ever had in our hands at one time, even me with my banker’s-daughter childhood. She gave Parker ten dollars for his help, which he refused, saying that he did it for Katie not the money. That young man never missed an opportunity to impress the woman he hoped would become his mother-in-law, and it was entirely sincere. Mary even saved out five dollars to give to Dusty if we ran into him again. I was sure we would.

  Mary assumed the most formal posture she’d taken in quite some time. “Take this money that you’ve earned and spend it as you see fit in good health. But please know that I will be forever indebted to your kindness, friendship, companionship and especially your bravery. You saved — ”

  “Oh, shut your mouth and let’s go buy things,” Ruth snarled. “There’ll be time for mush later. I ain’t never seen this much money in my life.”

  Unlike Secluded Springs, Dodge City was big enough to have a full-time telegraph office. Mary walked up to the tall, dark-haired man of maybe 30 at the counter. “I’d like to speak with Old Man Daggert.”

  “You’ve found him.” He explained, as he had hundreds of times before, that he was born with a patch of gray hair, now long gone, but that the nickname was with him forever. “Even my father and grandfather call me ‘Old Man.’”

  Mary kept him busy. Her first telegram was an update to Jonas. Her second was sent to “Ernestine Mickel in care of the doctor” in Caldwell, inquiring about the health of our three friends and assuring them (Mary refused to consider that they were anything but alive) that she had their wages and assuring the doctor that she would pay his bill on their behalf. Her third telegram was directed to my father, indicating that the entire mortgage balance was in the Dodge City bank and arrangements would be made to transfer the money to him.
Old Man Daggert promised to deliver responses as they arrived (a statement no one in Secluded Springs had ever heard from Edward).

  As Mary left the telegraph office, she was met at the door by Parker. “May I speak with you, Mrs. Bartlett?”

  “Go ahead. For once I have nothing to do.”

  “With your permission, I’d like to wire my uncle to let him know that I’ll be riding back with you and Katie. I’d like to meet your husband and ask his blessing for me to ask Katie to marry me.”

  “I should caution you to slow down.” She noted that Parker’s shoulders only slumped a little. “But I rushed into marriage and it worked out fine. I can see that Katie only has eyes for you. You’ve done nothing to make me question your character. And the ride back will give the two of you a chance to know each other better.” His shoulders were rising again. “So, yes, Parker, you are welcome to ride with us. I can’t guarantee a warm response from Jonas, but I can guarantee a swift answer. He doesn’t waste words.”

  “I can’t ask for more than that.”

  When Mary returned to Agatha’s, Katie was waiting for her and was much less patient than Parker.

  “Parker and I are getting married tonight.”

  It didn’t pack the punch of Brute, but it was still an unexpected blow. It took Mary a moment to recover. “I just spoke to Parker and I don’t believe he’s aware of your plan. He knows to wait for your father’s blessing. And don’t tell me you don’t know it, too.”

  Katie lowered her head at the thought of Jonas, but then brought it right back up. Her blue eyes locked on Mary’s. “I’d want Pa’s blessing if he was here, but he ain’t. And I just got to get married right away. I just got to.”

  “But what’s the rush? Why hurt your pa like that?”

  The ice in Katie’s eyes melted into mist and she fell forward into Mary’s arms, burying her face in Mary’s shoulders. “Oh, Ma, that big man… so scared…”

  Mary patted Katie’s back and offered up universal words of comfort. “There, there, now.”

  “He took me. Was gonna hurt me like he hurt Pearl.”

  “He’s gone now. Can’t hurt you no more.”

  Kate lifted her head and, keeping her arms on Mary, showed her returning determination. “That don’t mean there ain’t more like him. We killed other women-stealers. All I could think of was gettin’ away to Parker or dyin’ if I couldn’t. I’d have been ruined for marriage even if I’d lived and I won’t risk that again. I’m whole and I’ve got a man who loves me and who I love and I’m gettin’ married tonight!” Then the tears came again and she fell once more into her mother’s shoulder. Her voice softened to a near whisper. “Please understand.”

  “I do, honey.” Mary tucked a hand under Katie’s chin and tilted her face up. “But I don’t think you could live with yourself if your pa didn’t have respect for your husband, and if you marry Parker without your pa’s blessing, there’ll always be a distance between you.” Mary brushed away a tear and gave her daughter a smile. “I also believe Parker wouldn’t marry you without meeting Jonas first, even though he’s head over heels for you. You should respect that.”

  Katie exhaled, then searched Mary’s eyes as if they held a deep truth. “He’s a good man, don’t you think?”

  “I believe he is.” It’s possible that more comforting words have never been spoken.

  Despite the fresh money in our pockets, we did more looking than buying. That seemed to irritate the townspeople enough that the novelty of our arrival a day earlier had been replaced by a desire for us to spend money or leave town. From their point of view, that’s what cowboys do—get paid, and then spend it all on drinks, women and gambling in the town before heading home penniless to do it all again. When it came to spending money, they didn’t expect cowgirls to be any different than cowboys.

  But the fact is, most of us had plans and needed our wages to bring those plans to life. Katie, ever the dreamer, bought a nice dress to get married in (and proving that she’d been raised right, it was a practical dress she could wear anytime), but saved the rest for setting up a home with Parker. I bought a soft-leather satchel that hung from a shoulder strap, perfect for carrying around my writing materials. Ruth bought a sky-blue dress as much because she’d never had a store-bought dress before as it was that she liked the dress. Even then, she kept on her pants and shirt, preferring to keep the dress nice for as long as possible. Sally saved her money for future travels. Parker bought a clean shirt.

  Prudence’s plans were clear early on. The moment Mary had handed her the money up in Agatha’s home, Prudence’s hand had shot up in the air.

  “Yes, Prudence?”

  “Do I have to spend this money now?”

  “You can spend it whenever you like. It’s yours.”

  “Then I’ll just hold it awhile.” She had never had spending money before and wanted to hang onto the feeling of wealth in her pocket for as long as she could.

  Mary didn’t spend a dime on herself. Her pants and shirt, cleaned as best as possible by Agatha’s capable hands, suited her just fine. What she really wanted was to be home with her husband.

  That evening brought the first response to the telegrams Mary had sent. It was from Jonas. “Proud of you both, stop. Be in front coming home, stop. I’ll rush to meet you, stop.” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, then chuckled as she pictured Edward asking, “Don’t you want to tell her you love her?” and Jonas telling Edward to mind his own business. She knew the words meant he loved her. She longed to be home again.

  First she needed word about how Ernestine, Pearl and Clean Through were doing. The lack of response made the mind think only of the worst.

  She sat in a comfortable chair in Agatha’s, distracting her mind by watching Katie primp in front of a small mirror. My, how things change, she thought. Katie had still seemed a girl when the journey began. Now she was a woman ready to marry.

  Mary reflected that she, too, had changed. While she had always done what needed doing, she had always been content to follow. Now she was looked to as a leader, and she had earned it. She had taken on a hard task and succeeded. And if God answered her silent prayer and kept Ernestine, Pearl and Clean Through alive, she had brought everyone through. She felt satisfied. And tired. So tired.

  “Can we join the others listening to the piano player over the hotel, Ma?”

  “We sure can.” Tired can wait. She still had ranch hands to keep an eye on.

  As they neared the hotel and the glorious sound of the piano—less boisterous than the piano noise coming from the Palisades Saloon—Mary and Katie saw Old Man Daggert hustling up with a telegram. It was from my father: “Thrilled to hear of your success, stop. I will never doubt you again, stop. Please ask Laurie to let us know she is alive, stop.”

  Mary felt an extra kick of pride at having proved herself to my father, though she had hoped the message would be from Caldwell about Pearl, Clean Through and Ernestine. With Jonas up to date and the mortgage handled, their health was her last remaining worry.

  After Mary showed me the message from my father, I almost slapped my head at my stupidity. I’d gotten so used to writing that I hadn’t even thought of the telegraph. I rushed out of the hotel lobby to track down Old Man Daggert.

  By pure coincidence, the timing could not have been more perfect. As I returned from the telegraph office, I poked my head through the hotel door. Sally was the first to notice me and I motioned for her to bring everyone to the door.

  Mary, Katie, Sally, Ruth and Prudence gave me confused looks—well, perturbed might be a better word for Ruth—wondering why I was pulling them away from the music, which is something we don’t have in Secluded Springs. “Some folks out here I want you to meet,” I said, and then I opened the door all the way.

  Clean Through and Ernestine strolled in like they lived here and come in every day. “Glad to see you all made it!” Clean Through beamed. All hurried to meet them. Ernestine’s hand was bandaged and Clean Thro
ugh’s shoulder was wrapped, but their hugs were strong and most welcome.

  We bubbled over with delight, and our raucousness turned to gasps of utter joy when Pearl eased through the door. She was wearing a hand-me-down dress the doctor must have found for her, she moved slowly, and her face still showed signs of bruises. But she was alive and we were reunited! My God, we had all made it!

  Only Pearl’s presence could have torn Katie away from Parker. “Pearl!” She embraced Pearl like a sister brought back from the dead, and maybe that’s just what Pearl was. “Oh, thank God! Thank God, thank God, thank God!”

  “Amen to that,” said Mary, tears welling in her eyes.

  We all hugged and cried and laughed and hugged some more, likely noisy enough that the drunken cowboys passing by had to wonder what they were missing. Just then Old Man Daggert pushed his way into the hotel with another telegram for Mary. It was from the doctor in Caldwell, who had been gone all day tending to a patient outside of town. It told Mary that Ernestine, Clean Through and Pearl were on their way to Dodge City.

  The timing was a fitting end to our journey.

  EPILOGUE

  Jonas was tossing feed at the chickens when the whinny of a horse got his attention. He gazed up to see Mary, Katie, Parker, Ruth, Prudence, Ernestine and Clean Through approaching in the distance. He cast the feed aside and made his fastest limp their way. Mary snapped the reins and raced toward him. In less than a minute, they were embracing.

  “Out front is first one home,” Mary said.

  “I’ll rush to meet you anytime.”

  The others caught up and Katie scurried to join the embrace. All smiled and cheered at the warmest of reunions, and Clean Through never once considered tossing a ladle of water on them. He didn’t need to. The joyful gathering turned to silence as Jonas noted Parker holding out his hand. Katie clutched Mary with one hand and Prudence with the other, looking on with a mixture of hope and fear.