~Chapter 11~
The Caper
It was getting to be about ten o'clock now, and Rags Martin had made it over to the old yellow farmhouse just as Black Jack had told him to do. He cleaned out the back of Baron Von Beck's milk-wagon so they could load Jupiter in, for the night's ride ahead, to the train station.
Rags checked the two wagon wheels for loose bolts and for damage then he cleaned up the back of the wagon, pulled the wagon out away from the barn, and over by the main road. By doing this, it would make it easy for Black Jack to back up Baron Von Beck's milk-truck into the wagon, and hitch it up. Rags found it hard to pull the heavy wagon through the falling snow but finally he made it to the main road and was now ready, for Black Jack's arrival.
Cool Joe had stolen ropes and blindfolds in hand, that he had pilfered earlier in the day by the Farris wheel, he then met Black Jack over at the blacksmith shop just as planned, right around ten o'clock. The milk-truck was hot-wired by Black Jack and running already when Cool Joe arrived.
"Right on time Cool Joe, and just as I planned" said Black Jack.
"I don't want to be late in gettin down to that there train station," said Cool Joe with a big grin on his face as well "seeing this horse off, and gettin all that dough".
"Man stop smiling Joe those teeth are horrible," said a disgusted Black Jack "and how'd you get those teeth all broken up anyway?"
"Gnawing on ice Tilly! I just love to gnaw on ice!" understood Cool Joe as he smiled even wider.
"Well close that yapper of yours. You're ah?making?me sick."
Black Jack appeared to squirm in pain when he saw those teeth again. He turned away from Cool Joe as quickly as he could. Cool Joe climbed in the front of the milk-truck's jump seat. Both took off down the road just as fast as the truck could go.
The wind and snow was blowing harder now and the windshield wipers were barely keeping the snow off the front window.
"Ten-fifteen and were?ah?right on time" said Joe as he looked at his pocket-watch.
"Did Rags get out to that farmhouse like?I?told him?"
"Yep, he left around nine o'clock, and said he'd git that wagon ready, and have the job done. He swore he'd be ready by the time we'd git there."
"Good, cause I don't want to be having to slap him around a bit."
"He doesn't like any slapping Black Jack."
"Aw?shut up, before I slap the ugly off of you."
Cool Joe grinned.
"Ice?I just love ice."
It took about fifteen minutes to get over to the old yellow farmhouse because of the hard blowing snowstorm, but sure enough, there was Rags, standing right where he should be.
Rags, was bundled together with a heavy coat and gloves, and was holding up a lit gas-lantern in one hand and waving it high in the air, to help guide Black Jack over to him. Rags waved the lamp a few more times until he saw Black Jack and the milk-truck change directions.
"Glad your here Rags and that ya did what I told ya" said Black Jack.
"Yep I got everything?just like you told me to?"
"Good cause I didn't wanna to have-ta knock-ya about the ears..."
"Hey it's freezing out here Black Jack, let me in that truck will ya? I'm gonna catch a cold out here. I've been standing out here for over thirty minutes already. By the way what took you so long?"
"Awe, it ain't so cold Rags. We got slow'd down by the snow storm; stop ya complaining," said Cool Joe "you're just one of those mommas boys aren't ya?"
"Move over Cool Joe."
Black Jack let the truck idle for a moment then, turned the heater all the way up. After a few moments Black Jack slapped the other two on the back of the head and said, "Now you two git outta this truck we gotta hitch up that wagon for carrying Jupiter in."
"Ice?I just love ice," said Cool Joe as he just kept smiling with that awful smile of his.
"You two shut now and git to work."
They hitched up the wagon to the back of the milk-truck and off they went, back the other direction down the road, towards the horse stables and Jupiter.
Three of the vilest fellows on earth, out to do no good. Lowdown crooks was all they were, none of them ever working an honest day in their whole lives, for truthful pay, like everyone else, and this day was not any different.
Off they went into the night, to cause nothing but trouble for anyone who crossed their path.
It was now about ten thirty and the whole town was asleep. The wind was howling and the plan to commit a crime was well under way and right on time.
The three "Missouri Rats" finally got to the county fair stables after a short and bumpy ride. Jupiter and Apollo were inside a large cloth tent. It had been erected just for the two of them, and there they were safe and warm, for the time being.
Black Jack parked Baron Von Beck's stolen milk-truck and the wagon around the back of the tent. He then turned off the engine. A loud clank and clang was heard, finally, the motor died out.
Cool Joe and Black Jack exited the warmth of the truck, venturing now to the front of the tent, while Rags stayed behind to be the look out. Both Rats started surveillance of the tent from all angles and all sides, just to make sure that no one saw what they were up to.
The coast looked clear.
The snowy night and blustery winds had driven everyone inside for the time being, which was just what Black Jack wanted.
"Nobody's around Joe."
"Yep...I see that."
"This is goin to be easy grabbins," said Black Jack who was very pleased, that his plan was going to be, pulled off without a single hitch "yeah just as I thought it would be?"
"Yes sir?easy grabbins Black Jack", said Cool Joe as he rubbed his two mittens together in delight.
Both slowly entered the front of the tent with the blindfolds and rope in hand. Jupiter and Apollo where quiet and happy, with their backsides to the front entrance, and were munching some hay when they heard a loud noise behind them.
Black Jack had kicked over a small metal water bucket, while sneaking through the front entrance, this startled Jupiter and Apollo.
Both horses suddenly jolted and reared up in fright after seeing what had entered the tent.
"Grab him Joe!" yelled out Black Jack.
"I'll get him?he's all mine now," shouted back Cool Joe.
Jupiter's eyes shot dead center, right at the two intruders as he spun around to defend himself. Jupiter gave Black Jack who was now standing only about three feet away from him a deathly stare. When both of their eyes locked, Jupiter let out a high ear-piercing whinny that shot right through, Black Jack's ears. Black Jack covered them both for a moment, all the while giving Jupiter an evil stare down.
Jupiter turned backwards, away from Black Jack, showing his mighty hindquarters to him and was ready to deliver, a well-placed kick in his direction.
Upon seeing this, Cool Joe immediately sprang into action; jumping onto the top of a very large water barrel stored nearby. Then with one stupendous lung, he was upon Jupiter's back.
Apollo tried to wedge himself in between Jupiter and Cool Joe, to stop what was happening; but Cool Joe was just too fast, and already was a step of ahead of him.
It had all happened so quickly that Apollo just couldn't react in time. Cool Joe had already managed to partial wrangle a blindfold over Jupiter's eyes and a rope around his neck.
Moreover, just like that!
Cool Joe: hog tied Jupiter and adjusted the blindfold so fast; that he surely must have done this type of thing a hundred times before. Black Jack and Cool Joe had lowered the boom on Jupiter before he even truthfully had a chance to know what was going on.
Black Jack grabbed the rope that was holding Jupiter from Cool Joe's hands and fought with Jupiter, as he backed up again, and tried to flee from the grasp of the rope around his neck. Cool Joe was
like lightning on the loose as he, dismounted Jupiter.
"One down and one to go" howled out a hysterical Cool Joe.
"Yeah one horse-napped, and one to go," screeched out Black Jack?"just, easy money Joe!"
Cool Joe now turned all of his wrath, and cunning, and that horrible smile of his towards poor Apollo.
Apollo spun away from Jupiter for a moment. Then found himself well within Cool Joe's deathly gaze.
Apollo opened his eyes wide.
Cool Joe spun a rope in his hands just staring Apollo down.
Apollo was steadfastly frozen in place, lost in total fear.
"Ice?!" bellowed out a wild, and out of control Joe.
Apollo slowly leaned forward to get a closer look at Cool Joe paused a second, looked again then he saw the full array of those awful teeth gleaming at him, in the pale light that was cast from a single lantern, hanging high above inside the tent. He could not have been more than a foot away from Cool Joe and those horrible broken, green teeth. In the dim light of the gas-lamp, Cool Joe's teeth looked like they belonged in a scary old jack-o'-lantern, or teeth you would see on a dead man, laying in his casket in a graveyard.
They were ghastly.
Joe smiled again as wide as he could to let Apollo take in the complete and utter disgust of them, in all their glory.
Apollo's face contorted uncontrollably then strangely twisted and knotted up from fear. He let out a terrible sound, like no horse that has ever lived on earth, had ever made before. The glass covers over the gas-lamps shattered above their heads, raining glass down on everything below.
Apollo reared up in terror. Then with one mammoth effort, he bolted right pass Cool Joe, out through the two flaps at the front entrance of the tent and straightaway down Main Street, heading off into the snowy night, never to be, heard from, again.
"Get's em every time," said Cool Joe laughing hysterically?"get's em every?single time."
Jupiter fought off the two intruders as long as he could but it only put off the agony. Cool Joe and Black Jack finally managed to get Apollo out of the tent and into the back of the Baron's wagon, hitched behind the milk-truck.
Rags came out of the front cab to help out, and they all three hog tied Jupiter up good and tight on both sides of the wagon then tightened up the cloth blindfold around his head one more time. Off they went into the night, towards the train station.
It was about ten thirty by now and it was getting late into the evening and well into the misdeed as they had planned.
The "Rats" had a half hour left, to get their prized cargo, down to the train station, load Jupiter into a boxcar and skip out of town.
The wind and snowstorm was howling harder and louder than ever before, and it was tuning out to be one of the nastiest of storms that had ever come down on Centerville, and the most un-luckiest of nights for poor old Jupiter and Apollo.
Charlie the Great White Horse and the Story of the Magic Jingle Bells Page 12