“Indeed you did. So let’s see that straight shooting now!”
Hayes put the rifle to his shoulder and waited for a target to present itself. The wagons were moving at a slow, steady pace and the horses had a nice trail to follow. Also, it was the path they always took to Omaha and the animals could probably get there without the slightest bit of guidance. As the wheels rumbled toward a stand of trees, three birds exploded from the highest branches to take flight. Hayes picked one of them off with a single shot.
“That’s more like it!” Aldus said.
“It’s quite easy. I just pictured your head on those feathered shoulders.”
“Whatever puts something other than beans into our stew tonight.”
They drew to a stop long enough for Aldus to climb down from his wagon and collect the freshly killed game. As he walked past the lead wagon with bird in hand, Aldus heard Hayes say, “I’ve been thinking.”
“Uh-oh. Nothing good’s ever come of that.”
“Perhaps going to see your friend in Corbin truly is a good idea.”
“Yeah,” Aldus said. “I’ve been thinking about that, too. Considering how badly we need money, it would probably be a better idea to go to Omaha as planned. Bigger market there, and all.”
Hayes placed the Henry rifle on the seat next to him. “We can make a few rides into Omaha, but we could stand to broaden our horizons. How far from Omaha is Corbin, anyway?”
“Between ten and twenty miles.”
“Is that it?” Hayes exclaimed. “Why haven’t we been there yet?”
“Just never got around to it, I suppose.”
“Don’t give me that. The way you talk about her . . . the things you write . . .”
“What things?” Aldus said. “I’ve never said anything inappropriate!”
Hayes sighed dramatically. “I never said anything about you being inappropriate. What I meant was that you obviously have feelings for this woman.”
“Oh, it’s so obvious, is it?” Aldus grumbled. When he didn’t get a reply right away, he added, “Is it really that obvious?”
“Only to someone who can read those letters.”
If that had come from anyone else, Aldus might have taken such a comment as a slight. Since he knew with absolute certainty that Hayes wouldn’t throw his reading problem in his face, Aldus said, “She’s already keeping company with someone.”
“We already know that isn’t going so well.”
“If it’s not going well now, it will only go better later.”
“And you know this because you have so much experience with women?” Hayes scoffed.
This time, whether he thought Hayes meant it as an insult or not, Aldus was compelled to defend himself. “I’ve had experience,” he said gruffly.
“You know, for a man with your ferocious background, you can have quite the yellow streak sometimes.”
“All right, now you’re close to getting a walloping.”
“I’ve been the one to write those letters for you,” Hayes continued, “and I never had to write the words you truly wanted to say. You danced around them in so many ways, but you never said them outright.”
“What was I supposed to say?”
“Do I really need to tell you?”
Aldus sighed. “She’s seemed so happy. She’s got two young ones. She’s settled right where she is.”
“So what?”
“How can you dismiss such things?”
“I’m not dismissing them,” Hayes told him. “I just don’t think they should stop her or you from pursuing what you both so obviously would . . . aw, forget it. I’m too tired for so many words.”
“Now, there’s a first,” Aldus chuckled.
“Just don’t—”
Aldus let out an exaggerated sigh. “I knew the silence wouldn’t last very long.”
Hayes leaned down from his seat to stare directly at his partner. “Just don’t do anything you’ll regret. And before you assure me that you’re treading carefully to keep from doing anything stupid, let me remind you that the biggest regrets a man can have are the things he didn’t do. Understand?”
“Yeah. I may have a thick skull, but I understand.”
“Good. Now, let’s put an end to all this lollygagging and get a move on.”
Aldus gave him a halfhearted salute and carried the dead bird back to the other wagon, where it was hung from the side by a short length of rope wrapped around its feet.
They passed the rest of the day’s ride with conversation that was sparse but pleasant. Hayes knocked another bird from the sky as well as some squirrels from a few trees. When they made camp that night, Aldus got straight to work cleaning the small game so it could be cooked over the fire Hayes was building.
“I’m a better hunter than I thought!” Hayes said as he broke the branches he’d collected and built them into a proper campfire. “You were right. Once I thought of it as one big shooting gallery, it became a whole lot easier!”
“You want another piece of advice?”
“Sure.”
“Next time,” Aldus told him, “aim for something bigger. Didn’t you see them deer about five miles back?”
“Of course I did. I’m not blind.”
“They had to be in range of that rifle of yours.”
Glancing back at the rifle that was propped against the side of his wagon, Hayes beamed as if he were watching his youngest child take its first steps. “Within range and then some.”
“So, what stopped you? You enjoy putting me to work with a bunch of little jobs or do you just love squirrel meat?”
Hayes opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself short. Wincing, he closed his mouth again. Finally he said, “I suppose I was taking your shooting gallery a little too literally. After all, it’s no fun to just shoot the big targets.”
Part of Aldus wanted to be angry when he heard that. They were hungry, relying on a steady aim and the good graces of nature itself for sustenance, while Hayes was just keeping score in his head. At the moment, however, that angry part of him was pretty small. The rest of him wanted to laugh, which was exactly what he did. Once he got started, it felt too good to stop. It wasn’t long before Hayes himself joined in and they relished the moment until tears came to their eyes.
Some time later, the fire was roaring and the fattest squirrels were being cooked on spits. It was a beautiful autumn night. The stars were arranged like gems embedded in a wall of coal. Although smoke from the fire occasionally stung Aldus’s eyes, its scent was more than enough to keep the smile on his face. It was slow to fade as he cast his eyes upward and held them there.
Hayes sat at the edge of the fire, pouring some of the coffee he’d just made into a tin cup. After swirling the dark brew around and cooling it with a breath or two, he sipped it and nodded in silent appreciation. Eventually he noticed what Aldus was doing and looked upward in the same general direction. Squinting at the sky, he asked, “What’s got you so pleased?”
“Just enjoying the night,” Aldus replied. “Feels good to be so far away from all that nonsense.”
Not wanting to mention Marshal Borden, vigilantes, Seedley, or anything else that might tie a knot in his stomach, Hayes replied, “It sure does. You’re looking at something, though. I can tell. You’ve got that same stare as a man who stands in front of a rack of pistols and tries to act as if one hasn’t caught his eye. It’s very distinctive.”
“Can’t a man just let his mind wander?”
“Sure,” Hayes replied as he took another sip. “Just making conversation.”
“I’m . . . looking at Orion.”
Hayes looked up again. “You’re a stargazer? I never would’ve guessed! Always wanted to figure out all of those constellations and whatnot. I can find the North Star, but that’s about it.”
“Wher
e’s the North Star?”
“North.”
Aldus rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Guess I walked right into that one.”
“You sure did.”
“My mother used to know just about every star over her head. She tried teaching me at night when I couldn’t sleep. There were plenty of nights when I would pretend to not be tired just so we could sit out on our porch. She’d point up and name them all. Cassiopeia. The Big Dipper. There was a snake, I believe.”
“Really? Where?”
“Don’t know,” Aldus said with a shrug. “The only one that stuck with me was Orion. She used to say it’s because I had a fighting spirit.”
Hayes let out a low whistle. “Your mother had quite the foresight.”
“I believe she was referring to a man fighting to get where he wanted in this world. If she knew I’d ever stepped into a real bout to get pummeled for scraps, she’d wallop me worse than any man I ever stood across from on them docks.”
“Sounds like a good mother,” Hayes said.
“She was. Hardest hit I ever took was when I found out she’d passed on.” Aldus took a moment before sniffing once and looking back up again. “Whenever Orion’s in the sky, I can always find him. Don’t know why, exactly. He just sort of jumps out at me.”
“The North Star is the only one I can ever find, and that’s just because the handle of the Big Dipper points to it. Or . . . is it the Little Dipper? Whichever it is, I suppose I can spot that one as well. You know, it’s not always a bad thing to be able to see just one thing clearer than the rest. Helps give you a direction.”
“Either that,” Aldus grumbled, “or it keeps a man from realizing he’s mostly blind.”
“All depends on how you come at it, I guess. There were a lot of different ways I could have gone with my business, but I only ever saw the road that led me to pack everything I owned into two wagons and make the rounds. If I’d been more susceptible to reason, I never would have gotten the fine life I have now.”
“Susceptible to reason,” Aldus chuckled. “I like the sound of that.”
Pointing a finger at the other man, Hayes said, “This world is hard enough as it is. When you’re given some direction, take it.”
“I’m just talking about seeing one set of stars in the sky.”
“Then follow them, my friend. And don’t look back.”
Chapter 18
Nebraska
As far as Aldus could figure, they’d crossed the state line sometime just before noon on the third day after putting Seedley behind them. Having ridden that circuit so many times, he could feel when he left Iowa as surely as if there were a large bump on the road marking that line on a map. His stomach clenched much as it used to when he was preparing for a fight. And not one of the easy ones, either. Today he felt the kind of apprehension he got when the crowd was roaring for blood, his opponent had the look of a starving animal, and the only thing on Aldus’s side was his own two fists.
Back then, all he’d had to do to overcome those reservations was think about how badly he needed to win that purse. Today, he reminded himself of the peculiar tone to the last few letters he’d received from Bethany. Setting his jaw into a firm line, he gave his reins an extra flick and followed Hayes down the southern fork in the trail that took them away from their regular route into Omaha.
As they made their way down that trail, Aldus thought back to all the times he’d almost ridden there only to decide against it at the last minute. In fact, he’d never even mentioned in any one of his letters to Bethany that one of Hayes’s circuits took them into Omaha. At the time, it had seemed like the best decision. Now he wasn’t exactly sure what it seemed.
Late afternoon melted into early evening before he caught the first glimpse of smoke on the horizon drifting up from the chimneys of Corbin. Having grown up with Bethany in the northern part of the state, Aldus had never been to that town before. She’d described it as a quiet little place with plenty of other children filling the schoolhouse during the week and the church pews on Sundays. For a man who was accustomed to life in a wagon or on the docks of New York City, such a thing struck him as peculiar. Once the horses pulled him close enough to smell supper being cooked in some of the homes on the edge of town and hear the laughter of a few of those children, his nervousness began to fade.
“So, where can we find Bethany’s place?” Hayes asked from the wagon ahead of him.
“Let’s worry about that after we find a place to park the wagons. There should be an open field to the west of town.”
“How do you know? I thought you’ve never been here.”
“I haven’t. Bethany wrote about a carnival that came to town last year. Unless another one’s decided to show up, it should have a good spot for the gallery.”
“Did she ever mention the town being run by a group of bloodthirsty vigilantes?”
“Nope.”
“Good,” Hayes said with a grin. “Then we’re already better off than we were at our last stop.” With that, he snapped his reins and continued onward.
The trail led them to Second Street, which appeared to take them all the way through Corbin. It ran east and west, cutting through the two larger streets that were positioned to run north and south. Those two were Garver and Douglas. Since he knew there was a livery near the western end of Third and two hotels in the middle of town, Aldus continued straight down Second without taking in everything around him the way he normally would upon visiting a place for the first time.
Of course, Bethany hadn’t described everything in her letters. Most of what she’d written about Corbin was in passing, but Aldus had read her letters in such painstaking detail on so many different occasions that he practically had a map drawn in his head before he’d arrived. When he’d left New York City to travel with Hayes, Aldus quickly learned how very similar many towns were. Not being able to read signs at a glance allowed him to recognize stores, restaurants, and saloons by the sounds coming through their windows, the items on display, or the people walking through their doors. Corbin had all the essential building blocks of most towns. They were just placed in a slightly different order.
Another thing he paid attention to was the faces around him when they arrived somewhere. The folks in Seedley had been quiet and apprehensive. The people he saw now were a mixed lot, most of them either smiling or curious at the small procession making its way through town. Aldus nodded to them without paying close attention. There was only one face he wanted to see, and it was nowhere to be found. Hayes, on the other hand, was in rare form.
The salesman had already set aside the hat with the wider brim meant to shade his eyes while on the trail for the top hat that he’d purchased in New York City a few days before stepping foot onto Aldus’s docks. Where Aldus nodded at the folks he passed, Hayes beamed down at them merrily. To anyone who showed more than passing interest in the wagons, Hayes either tipped his hat or removed it in a sweeping gesture accompanied with as much of a bow as he could give while remaining in his seat.
“You putting on a show?” an old man asked from the porch of what Aldus guessed was a dry goods store.
“I am a crafter of exquisite firearms, my good man!” Hayes replied. “Pay me a visit once I’ve gotten settled to sample some of the finest pistols and rifles you’ve ever seen.” Shifting his gaze to some of the others nearby, he added, “And test your skill in our shooting gallery. There are good times and prizes to be had!”
That promise was met with a fair amount of interest, which Hayes treated as adoration. The salesman was still waving enthusiastically when Aldus came to a stop. Since the two wagons had switched places upon entering town, Hayes had to pull back on his reins so as not to run into his partner.
“What’s the matter?” Hayes asked. “I thought you knew where you were going.”
“I do,” Aldus said.
“Then . . . go.”
Aldus had reached the end of Second Street, which meant they were at the westernmost side of town. His eyes were pointed north and his fingers were gripping the reins tightly.
The road had widened considerably since there was only the back end of a few buildings and several lots nearby. Hayes steered around the covered wagon and came to a stop so he could lean forward and gaze in the same direction as Aldus. “What are we looking at?” he asked.
“We can keep going,” Aldus replied.
“Ah! Might you be looking at those houses past the next street? Maybe the one with the children playing in front of it?”
As if on cue, the front door of that distant house was opened and a woman took one step outside. She called out but was too far away to be heard by either man. The children playing near that house heard her well enough and dropped what they were doing to run inside.
“Is that her?” Hayes asked.
“Maybe.”
“We could go there right now and introduce ourselves.”
Pulling his attention back to the road and open ground ahead of him, Aldus snapped his reins. “There’s work to be done. Let’s get the wagons parked and you can talk to whoever you need to talk to about setting up the gallery.”
“It usually is a good idea for me to check to make sure if a particular plot of land is able to be used for our purposes.”
“I know. I’ve been through this once or twice.”
After watching Aldus while they drove their wagons side by side, Hayes said, “You seem surly. Well . . . surlier than usual.”
“Don’t know what you mean.”
They didn’t have to go too far before arriving at the edge of a wide, open field that was mostly flat and relatively clear of weeds or brush. Both of them set their brakes and climbed down to stretch their legs and work a few kinks from necks and backs before digging into the work at hand.
Aldus put his back to most of the town and stared out at the field. “I suppose the gallery will go here and pointed in this direction so no stray shots hit any windows.”
“Well, now,” Hayes said with mock enthusiasm. “You truly have done this before.”
Ralph Compton Straight Shooter Page 18