Dakota Trail

by David R Lewis

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  About halfway back to the Sheriff’s office it begun to rain a little bit. I reached behind me an’ got aholt a my slicker. I had one arm in a sleeve an’ was kindly strugglin’ with the other one behind my back when a big yeller dog showed up outa nowhere an’ come at Willie kindly snarlin’ an’ such. It took both of us by surprise. Willie spooked an’ jumped to the left right smart an’ I come off, fallin’ to my right an’ landin’ almost on top a that dog. He yelped an’ took out, figgerin’ I’d attacked him or somethin’. Willie run off a little ways then stopped to look around, ears back an’ ready to git on the fight. There I laid in the road, half in an’ half out a that slicker, flopped down in the dirt an’ hurtin’ some from where I’d landed on my right side Colt. I was layin’ there, kindly confused about what had just happened, when Marion come up on foot, leadin’ that big Appaloosa an’ puttin’ on his slicker. He looked down at me, tryin’ terrible hard not to grin.

  “You alright are ya, Ruben?” he asked me.

  “Oh hell yes,” I tolt him, wigglin’ offa that Colt. “It’s such a nice day I figgerd I’d take a little nap after that big meal we just et.”

  I got a foot under me then an’ Marion gimme his hand an’ helped me git to a upright position. Homer come up leadin’ Willie an’ holdin’ that paper sack a food under his slicker.

  “You come off, did ya?” he said.

  That’s all it took. Them two ol’ cobs got to laughin’ so hard they near broke down from it.

  I knocked what dirt that hadden turned to mud offa my shirt an’ pants an’ buttoned up my slicker. Willie was still a little upset an’ come to side steppin’ away from me after I got my left foot in the stirrup, leavin’ me hoppin’ along beside him ‘til I could git my balance an’ throw my other leg over the saddle. The sky opened up then an’ the rain just come pourin’ down.

  By the time we got back to Sheriff Forest Hickman’s office, the rain had fell off to just a little drizzle like, an’ the clouds was thinned out quite a bit. The sheriff was settin’ out front under the boardwalk. He looked me over some.

  “What happened to ya, Ruben,” he asked me, workin’ hard not to smile.

  I flopped into a chair beside him.

  “I come off my horse,” I said. “A dog run out into the street an’ spooked him while I was tryin’ to git into my slicker.”

  “Are ya hurt?”

  “Except for where I landed on my revolver, I reckon I’ll live,” I tolt him.

  Sheriff Hickman nodded an’ looked out in the street a ways, fightin’ with his grin some.

  “It was a thing a beauty to see,” Homer said. “He done a back flip with a full twist. I reckon he’ll just leave all a us behind an’ join the circus.”

  That’s all it took. Them ol’ stumps come to laughin’. To tell the truth, by the time they finished I was grinnin’ some.

  When we settled down, Homer took that sack inside, come back out onto the boardwalk, an’ looked at Sheriff Hickman.

  “Lord God,” he said. “That cell has food crumbs scattered everwhere an’ Craig has got remainders all over his clothes. I give him another sandwich an’ a piece a apple pie. God knows what kinda mess he’ll make with them.”

  “I bet he won’t scatter too much,” the sheriff said. “About a hour ago, I tolt him about them rats that come in at night to eat up what the prisoners has left.”

  “You got rats, do ya?” Homer asked him, takin’ to a chair.

  “Not a one,” Hickman said, an’ went to smilin’ quite a bit.

  The three a us got to chucklin’ a little. The clouds broke up then, a breeze showed up an’ the sun come out, just as purty as it could be.

  I reckon we set out there for a half a hour or better, dryin’ up some, our slickers all spread out on the rail. Homer come to gittin’ some impatient.

  “We gonna kick the pig today or what?” he said.

  “Reckon we should,” Sheriff Hickman said, an’ got to his feet. We follerd him inside. “You boys take a set here in the office. I’ll bring him out.”

  They was two chairs in front a the desk, one behind it, an’ one beside it. Marion an’ me took them front chairs an’ had just got kindly settled, when Mister Rayland Craig walked out among us, Hickman right behind him. The Sheriff set at the desk an’ Homer an’ Craig stood there lookin’ at each other.

  “Set,” Homer said.

  Craig, lookin’ some pale an’ kindly nervous, took the last chair. Homer smiled a little bit.

  “Where’d you git that Chinee girl?” he asked.

  “Up north a ways,” Craig said. “Near Huron.”

  “How far is that?”

  “I don’t know exactly. A hundred and thirty miles maybe. Huron is on the west side of the James River.”

  “What’s the lay of the land up that way?”

  “Except for where the river is, things are pretty much just rollin’ grassland.”

  “What do ya mean when ya say near Huron?

  “The place holdin’ them girls is about five miles north of town, about a mile or two back from the river and near a feeder creek. That’s where they get their water.”

  “What’s the place look like?”

  “It is an old two story farmhouse,” Craig said. “There is also a barn and a shed.

  “That house is where they keep the girls?”

  Craig nodded. “They’ve fixed up the second floor into ten or twelve cribs, each one boxed in at about four by six feet.”

  “That’s all the room they git?”

  “Yessir. The space is some small. If one is of selling age they exercise her quite a bit and give more food to get her ready.”

  “You know where they git them girls from?”

  “I believe they come in from out around Deadwood an’ Rapid City. They get moved from there to outside Pierre someplace, then the men from Huron go pick them up.”

  “How many fellers work at this place near Huron?”

  “The head man is a fella they call Quint. By the look of him, he’s carrying some Indian blood. Then there is another man that deals with the girls, plus a Chinaman who can speak the language, does most of the cooking, and is the one that seasons the girls once they get old enough.”

  “Seasons?” Homer said. “What do ya mean by that?”

  Craig looked around the room a little bit. “He’s the, uh, man who is the first to diddle those girls when they get old enough to sell.”

  “How old is that?”

  Craig looked at the floor for a bit.

  “Eleven or twelve,” he said.

  I seen Homer’s jaw tighten up quite a bit an’ him git some tense.

  “That’ll be all for today, Mister Craig,” I said. “Sheriff Hickman will lock you up now. We’ll be back tomorrow morning with some breakfast for ya an’ continue our conversation.”

  The sheriff hustled Craig back to his cell an’ Homer stomped out onto the boardwalk. Marion looked at me.

  “Good work, Ruben,” he said. “Homer was purty near the edge.”

  When Sheriff Hickman come back out he kindly just flopped down into his chair.

  “Damn, boys,” he said, “that coulda got some outa hand if Ruben here hadden stepped in.”

  Marion smiled. “It don’t pay to git on Homer Poteet’s bad side. That Craig fool coulda lost a helluva lot more than just a finger or two.”

  Me an’ Marion went back outside then an’ seen Homer settin’ in one a them chairs, kindly pulled up some tight. Marion walked up beside him.

  “Might rain,” he said.

  “Jesus Christ, Daniels,” Homer said, an’ got up an’ started for his horse.

  Marion grinned at me.

  “Might not,” I tolt him.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  We rode over to Rafferty’s an’ left Homer there to save him a hike, then me an’ Marion took the horses back to the livery. It was cloudin’ up agin so we kept our slickers with us on the walk back to the room
in’ house. We’d just come to the place when I looked on down the way an’ seen Miss Lotus walkin’ our direction comin’ back from her job at the notions store. She was wearin’ a new yaller dress. I left Marion at Rafferty’s an’ struck off toward her. We was about half a block apart afore she seen me an’ waved. I picked up my pace an’ come to her in about a minute. She was smilin’ real big an’ kindly jumped on me a little bit to give me a hug an’ such. It kindly embarrassed me some, her grabbin’ me out in the open like that. I hugged her back a little bit, then turned her loose. We commenced to walkin’ side by side.

  “Ru-bin,” she said, “I see Miss Jervis today. She say you are going to save the girls at that place where Mista Craig bought me.”

  “That is our intent,” Miss Lotus,” I tolt her.

  “When you do it? When you go get them?”

  “We’re gittin’ some information we need right now, then we’ll be makin’ plans on how we’re gonna git this done without puttin’ none a them girls in danger. Once we git that figgerd out, we’ll take to the trail I reckon.”

  “Miss Jervis say she happy about what you are doing. She happy to be part of it and glad she go with you.”

  “Glad to go with us?”

  “Very yes!”

  I remembered Miz Jervis sayin’ she wanted to come along with us an’ buy them girls, but I never give her idea no serious thought. It ain’t easy bein’ out on the trail an’ all. From what Craig had said, it was a hunnerd an’ thirty miles or better just to git where them girls was, much less git ‘em an’ then strike off for at least another hunnerd an’ thirty miles just to come back. If it all went well it could take near a couple weeks or so just to git all that done. If it didn’t go well, Lord knows what might happen. The thought of Miz Jervis bein’ along worried me quite a bit. She was a fine lady an’ I didn’t want no chance that somethin’ might happen to her. When we got back to Rafferty’s, Lotus greeted Homer an’ Marion in them rockin’ chairs, an’ then went inside. I took a set on the porch.

  “Boys,” I said, “we got us a situation.”

  “What now?” Marion asked me.

  “Miz Jervis mention this when we was talkin’ with her, but it just fell out my head, I guess. Lotus just reminded me that Miz Jervis intends to come along with us when we go to git them girls.”

  “She does,” Marion said.

  “Well that vexes me some,” I said. “That lady commin’ out on the trail with us just don’t seem right to me.”

  Marion smiled.

  “That lady is a trooper, boy. I bet she’s as tough as a walnut. She’s got a idea or two she ain’t tolt us about yet, and quite a bit a will to git things done. Tell ya what. After we visit with Mister Rayland Craig in the mornin’, we’ll ride out by her place an’ talk with her a little bit. Mebbe that’ll ease yer mind some.”

  “Mebbe it will,” I said, but I ain’t terrible sure I believed it.

  That evenin’ an’ night was some hard on me. Marion woulda tolt me I was lettin’ my brain run off with me or somethin’ like that, an’ he woulda been right, I guess. I couldn’t hardly git to sleep when the time come, an’ I kept wakin’ up now an’ then all night long. I warn’t havin’ no bad dreams or nothin’. I just kept tossin’ an’ turnin’ an’ never did git no deep sleep. When mornin’ finally come I was fair relieved from it. I put on some clothes that didn’t have mud all over ‘em an’ went out on the porch to take a set in one a them rockin’ chairs. It was still dark, but dawn come along purty quick an’ so did Miss Lotus, bringin’ me a cup a coffee.

  “Good morning, Roo-bin,” she said. “You are up very early this day. Do you feel right?”

  “I’m fine, Miss Lotus. I just didn’t git a lotta sleep for some reason or other last night.”

  She smiled at me.

  “My mother used to tell me that when your mind was carrying you away, turn to your heart for rest and comfort. She was very wise.”

  “Seems to me,” I said, “that yer momma has give you quite a bit a her wisdom.”

  “Now she has given some of it to you,” Lotus said, an’ went back inside.

  I set there for a spell, drinkin’ coffee an’ thinkin’ about what Lotus tolt me. It kindly brung me some peace is what it done.

  I was near done with my cup a coffee when Marion come out, grinned at me, an’ took a set.

  “You alright are ya?” he asked me.

  “I’m some better than a stob in the eye with a sharp stick,” I tolt him.

  “Miss Lotus said you was vexed some. She’s a little concerned about ya. I tolt her you was fine an’ just goin’ through yer necessaries afore we took to the trail.”

  “I’m still some worried about Miz Jervis goin’ along an’ such.”

  “That’s understandable,” Marion said. “None a us ever come across a situation like this ‘un afore. That has a tendency to put a feller on the balk a little bit. Homer is still snorin’. Why don’t you an me go collect the horses, come back thisaway an’ pick him up, go git some breakfast, an’ take Mister Rayland Craig a sandwich or two. After we’re done with him, we’ll go see if we can visit with Miz Jervis a little bit. That suit ya, does it?”

  “Yessir,” I said. “I reckon it does.”

  “Just remember one thing. Miz Jervis is a tough ol’ gal that is some used to gittin’ her way. If her mind is made up, there ain’t gonna be a damn thing none a us can do about it.”

  “I speck yer right,” I tolt him.

  Marion looked at the sky.

  “Doan look like no rain or nothin’,” he said, gittin’ to his feet. Let’s go for a hike.”

  He took off down the steps then. I follerd along.

  We walked over to the livery an’ got the horses. By the time we come back, Homer was settin’ on the porch. He come down the steps to where we was standin’.

  “You fellers been out someplace for a joy ride have ya,” he said.

  “We was,” Marion said, “but then we had to come git you. That’ll purty much take the joy outa the rest of it.”

  Homer smiled some.

  “Howdy boys,” he said, throwin’ a leg over his horse. “Are ya alright?”

  Jenson’s Café was some crowded. Miz Grace seen us when we come in an’ motioned us to the back side of the place where there was a little table with three chairs.

  “This is the best I can do for you gentlemen this morning,” she said “but I can put your order on the top of the pile.”

  “That’d be right nice of ya, M’am,” Marion tolt her. “Coffee and three a them ground beef breakfast sandwiches. When we leave we’ll need two more to take with us, if you please.”

  “Good to see you men again,” she said. “When I notice that you’re getting near the end of your breakfast, I’ll put in the second order.”

  She went off then, just as a young man showed up with coffee, cups, an’ some biscuits.

  As usual, we had a fine meal. By the time we was fixin’ to leave, Miz grace showed back up with a sack a two more a them sandwiches for us. We thanked her an’ Homer took a receipt an’ left the money an’ a dollar tip for her, an’ picked up the sack.

  Out at the rail he spoke up.

  “That Craig shithead doan know how good he’s got it.”

  “He don’t?” Marion said.

  “Hell no. How bad can jail be when ya got a good place to sleep an’ three federal waitresses bringin’ ya food this good ever day?”

  “I never thought of it like that,” Marion said, grinnin’ some.

  “Think of it like this, too,” Homer went on. “Today is the last day I’m gonna deal with that Craig sonofabitch. We git everthing we need from him today, an’ make damn sure he stays locked up ‘til we’re done with this mess. That shithead crybaby would git word to them boys up by Huron if he was loose. He still ain’t got no idea what he done was wrong. Prob’ly ain’t never been with a woman in his life he didn’t had ta pay for.”

  “Likely never will,” Marion said.
<
br />   I come to smilin’ then.

  “Maybe we should be more friendly to him,” I said. “Take him out on horseback an’ show him some of the sights. Mebbe ride out by the falls where they make that electricity an’ see if he knows how to swim.”

  “Hell of a idea, Ruben,” Homer said. “Just the thought a him bobbin’ up an’ down out there in that heavy current kindly cheers me up.”

  “Part a my job,” I tolt him, an’ touched Willie up into a short lope. Homer an’ Marion follerd along.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  When we pulled up at the office, Sheriff Hickman was settin’ out on the boardwalk, whittlin’ on a piece a cedar. He seen us comin’, laid down the wood, pocketed his knife, an’ stood up.

  “Mornin’ boys,” he said. “Good to see ya. That shithead has been bitchin’ for a hour or better about where his breakfast is. Hell, he already et his egg sandwich.”

  Homer got down and handed Hickman the sack.

  “It’s all in there,” he said. “I’d appreciate it if you’d take it into him. I doan even wanna look at that sonofabitch until I just have to. If I had my way, I’d tar an’ feather that bastard an’ run him outa town on a rail.”

  Hickman grinned.

  “I ain’t noticed you showin’ much affection for him. If ya got the time, tell me how you really feel.”

  That tickled all of us quite a bit. We was still smilin’ when we took a set. Sheriff Hickman come back from the cells after just a little bit, eased down in his chair, an’ spoke up.

  “I ain’t never seen nothin’ quite like it,” he said. “It kindly made my stomach turn over.”

  “What did?” Homer asked him.

  “I swear that ol’ boy et that first sandwich durn near in one gulp afore I could git away from his cell. He ripped the paper offa it an’ shoved it in his mouth. I doan believe he chawed on it mor’n once an’ it was gone. The way he throws vittles down his neck I can’t unnerstand why he don’t choke.”