by CJ Quincy
“Open the door, man!” Ben cried. For a moment, Samuel wondered if there were something serious afoot, so he crawled out from under his pillow and unlocked the bolt on his door. He wasn’t too worried, though, and tossed himself back down across his bed as Benjamin, still in his grey striped night wear, charged in.
“What time is it, Ben?”
“Forget the time! Read this.” Benjamin shoved a New York Times page in Samuel’s face. At first, Samuel’s eyes glanced over it, unfocused, and he wondered what was so important. Then he landed on a circled advertisement for a silver mine and sat up.
Silver mine for sale in beautiful Silverton, Colorado. Produces $78,000 profit per year in silver ore. Full production mine shafts, mine train and crew. For sale for $270,000.
“It’s perfect! You always said you wanted to go to Colorado.” Samuel looked at Benjamin’s beaming face. “Well, now you can have your own silver mine! I'll go with you, Sam. What do you say?”
Samuel felt adrenaline run electric through his body, but he maintained his cool.
“I don't know the first thing about mining, Ben.”
“Aww Sam, what have you got to lose?” Benjamin sat down beside him. “This is why you are different than your Dad. Your Dad had the balls to take chances. You've always wanted to go to Colorado, and here's the perfect opportunity. At least send a telegram to inquire?”
Samuel paused for a moment. He thought about the life he had waiting for him in New York if he stayed. The same old routine with the same old people. Sure he loved them and felt comfortable here, but he’d always live in the chill of his father’s shadow unless he took a risk.
Samuel smiled at Benjamin and nodded his head. “Okay.”
“Okay? As in ‘yes?’ Yeeeee haw!” Benjamin hopped on the bed and jumped up and down like an excited child.
Chapter III
The door to Kingsley's office slammed open, and Thomas stood panting in the doorframe, holding a piece of paper with an outstretched, trembling arm.
“Mr. Kingsley–we have a telegram from New York. A Mr. Samuel Weir, Jr. wants to inquire about the mine.”
Kingsley nearly choked. A bite. They’d have to act fast.
Send him any information he wants. Do everything in your power to get him out here.” He boomed as he leapt to his feet.
“Yes, sir.” nodded Thomas.
Kingsley walked over to the window and gazed out at his property, squinting in the direction of the mine almost as if he could see it taunting him.
“Also, get the miners ready to work. I need a half-load of silver ore brought back up to the shafts.” This would have to be perfect.
“Yes, sir.” Thomas replied with a puzzled look.
Whoever this man was from New York would need to believe that he was buying a full, working mine. Luckily, deception was a pastime of Kingsley’s. It was better than a game of chess, and he was a master of strategy.
“Have the miners place silver nuggets just under the surface throughout the first 30 yards of the shaft.” He waved his arm in a wide, sweeping gesture. “Everywhere possible.” Thomas began taking notes. “Make sure the silver is covered with a foot of crushed bedrock. Keep a ledger marking each planted location. Make it look good, Thomas.” Kingsley turned to face his assistant and gave him a glare to let him know that more than his job would be on the line should this fail.
“Yes, sir!” Thomas replied as he began to understand the plan. Kingsley felt as volatile as a volcano; the throbbing veins in his forehead may as well have been filled with molten lava. His desperation threatened to seep out of every pore, but just before he lit into Thomas to ensure his complete understanding, Penny entered the office.
She momentarily seemed startled at her uncle’s demeanor, but knowing better than to comment she simply asked, “Uncle, Thomas, would you like something to eat?”
“Yes, please, Penny.” Kingsley sighed deep, releasing a little of the pressure he felt boiling within.
She lingered. “Have the miners had any luck finding silver?”
Kingsley wasn’t ready for this conversation. He walked toward her and took her elbow, walking her back toward the door. “Uh, yes, darling. Everything is going well.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and slowed her steps. “You don't sound too sure, uncle.”
Kingsley stopped and patted her soft cheek. “Penny, the fact is, it may be time to sell the mine. I'm growing tired of the maintenance, and maybe it's time I considered retiring.”
Penny slipped her elbow from his grasp. “But Uncle, you love that mine! That mine has supported us ever since father died.”
“Penny, I'm afraid I am lacking the proper motivation that the mine deserves.” He stood facing her and took her shoulders in his hands. “I want to sell it and start a new chapter in my life.” He was surprised to feel her trembling.
Penny’s eyes glassed over. “But you were going to build me a cabin up there someday, Uncle.” She whispered as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I know, precious. I know.” He gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze and smiled to mask how her distress unnerved him.
She twisted to the right a little, out of his hands, and asked, “Who in Durango even has the money to buy our mine?”
“Oh, don’t you worry. There will be plenty of suitors for the mine. Whoever buys this mine will be getting an excellent deal.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Okay, Uncle. I trust you to do what's best for us. I'll get your lunch.”
He knew she was suspicious. Penny wasn’t one to let the wool over her eyes so easily, but what could he do? She may have suspected that something was amiss, but there was no way she’d figure it out completely.
Kingsley smiled softly and patted her head. “Thank you, sweetie.”
Thomas looked over to Kingsley with uncertainty, clutching his small notepad with white knuckles. Kingsley walked over to him and looked him square in the eye, getting so close he could smell the sweat beading on Thomas’ face.
“Make it good, Thomas.” He whispered through gritted teeth. “Make it good.”
*
Kenneth walked through the mine, seeing the welcome sight of silver glinting in the wheelbarrows and walls, but it was all wrong. He and his fellow workers had been spending the past five grueling hours doing the exact opposite of their training: putting silver into the mine. He cringed as the miners carefully dug small holes and tucked the silver inside them, as gently as nestling Easter eggs.
He waded through their grumbling, feeling the heat of their disdain in the stale air of the mine. At the mouth of the mine, the sun had started to stream through and warm his face and shoulders, and Kenneth shuddered when he saw one thin-framed miner measuring the distances between nuggets and taking notes on a ledger, marking exactly where silver had been placed.
Kenneth ducked into a wooded area just beyond the mine’s mouth and took a breather, watching a long line of miners trudging into the darkness, bringing the silver back inside.
Chapter IV
Samuel looked down at his feet as he stepped from the Grand Central Station platform and onto the train that would take him and Benjamin to Colorado. He didn’t know when he’d next see New York soil again, and his slick hands fumbled with one small bag. He and Benjamin were packing light, leaving their previous lives behind for an entirely fresh venture.
Benjamin barreled ahead of Samuel, stomping his way to a section of seats beside a window. Samuel followed cautiously behind, muttering apologies to the various passengers who watched their approach with curled lips or furrowed brows.
“This is it, Sammy boy! How long have we talked about going west?” Benjamin tossed himself into a seat and leaned back, placing his hands behind his head.
Samuel gently set his bag down under the seat in front of him as he sat. “Years. For years, Ben.”
“This is living, man! We’re going to become true Westerners in no time!”
Benjamin took a box out of his satchel. His grin
disappeared and he got serious.
“I got this for you, Samuel. I had two of these delivered from Connecticut–one for you and one for me.”
Samuel gave Benjamin a confused smirk and opened the box, which contained a brand new Colt Bisley .38-40 revolver.
He laughed nervously. “Thank you, Ben. This is a nice gun. I guess this is appropriate for the Wild West. I just hope it gets limited use.”
“I’ve been practicing my quick draw.” Ben said. His grin returned. He yanked his gun from his bag but dropped it with a loud thud on the train floor. It clattered underneath the seats, and his face fell for a moment. A very severe older woman and her husband in the next aisle glared at Benjamin and Samuel with disapproval, and Benjamin smiled sheepishly and reached down for the gun.
Samuel tried to suppress a chuckle and felt a moment of relief wash over him. “It’s a good thing you don’t have Jesse James to contend with, Sheriff,” joked Samuel.
“I’ll get the hang of it. You’ll see, Sam.” Benjamin winked.
Samuel patted his friend’s arm. “I’m sure you will Ben; just keep the cylinder empty when you’re practicing in my vicinity.”
“Will do, Deputy.” said Ben. Despite the possible threat of Benjamin dropping a gun in his presence, Samuel was grateful for Benjamin’s friendship. Neither of them had never been to the West, owned a company, or been gunslingers, but no matter what awaited, neither of them would be alone.
*
It was easy for Samuel to lose track of time as the train took him and Benjamin farther and farther from their home. Samuel found himself sleeping when the sun was highest in the sky and pacing the train car in the dead of night with only the soft snoring of the other passengers to accompany him.
The passing fields and valleys transported him not only from the only city he’d ever known, but also into a realm of possibility that had, until recently, been beyond the scope of his imagination.
During the long trip, Benjamin often engaged Samuel in flights of fancy about their new, awaiting life, and some afternoons they’d spend talking and planning their future with flushed faces and racing hearts over bourbon. Sometimes he cajoled Samuel into games of poker for nickels, and several times even the dour husband of the woman who’d glared at Benjamin’s gun fumbling joined in. Their spirits started off high, and Benjamin would look over his cards at the countryside and comment on how beautiful it was to play poker as they rushed passed the trees, lakes, and prairies. “Sure beats our dumpy old room, doesn’t it Sam?” he’d say. Yet the more they stopped in unknown places and the cast of weary travelers rotated through the bustling stations, the more a deep hollowness grew in Samuel’s chest, filled by the eerie light of the moon and the sloshing anxiety that wracked him on his lonely, pacing nights.
When the Rocky Mountains finally penetrated the horizon, their snowy peaks struck at Samuel’s heart and he felt doubt practically seep out of his body and into the floorboards of the rattling train car. Thrilling determination took its place, and by the time the train arrived in Durango, Colorado, Samuel could engage in Benjamin’s card games or banter without the niggling thoughts of, “what if?” Now, it was time to do.
*
The roar of the steam engine and the crush and bustle of bodies as Samuel and Benjamin exited the train were disorienting. Samuel’s knuckles ached as he gripped his satchel tightly and searched for any sign of someone to meet them about the mine. Benjamin had bolted ahead of him a few steps when they heard a shrill and stressed voice calling Samuel’s name.
“Sam Weir! Mister Samuel Weir?” yelled Thomas, standing on his tip toes to search the crowd. Samuel spotted the ginger hair of the small man and pushed through a cluster of other young, loudly conversing men to reach him.
“That's me.” Replied Sam, as he and Benjamin emerged from the crowd.
Thomas smiled with relief when they approached. “Hello, Mr. Weir–my name is Thomas. I’m Mr. Kingsley's assistant. I will be taking you to his residence today.”
They began walking as a group to the exit. “Should we reserve a hotel room for tonight? Before we go with you?”
Thomas waved his hand and shook his head, dismissing the question outright. “No, sir. Mr. Kingsley has made arrangements for you to stay in his guest quarters.”
Thomas’ flustered nature endeared Samuel to him. If Mr. Kingsley were anything like his soft-spoken assistant, this wouldn’t be so bad.
*
Samuel, Benjamin, and Thomas walked through the streets of Durango to reach a horse and carriage waiting at the town’s edge. Benjamin, for once, was silent. It seemed that the weight of their adventure had really settled in for the two men; it certainly had for Samuel.
As he walked through the wide, dusty streets, he was struck at how open and new everything felt. The buildings were sturdy and barely touched by time, maybe only a couple of decades old. Long gone was the suffocating crush of New York. Everything under the gaze of the pristine mountains here seemed fresh and exhilarating.
The carriage took them into the depths of a wooded area, a small path cut through thick rows of Colorado pines, and Samuel noticed Thomas watching them with amusement as he and Benjamin took big gulps of fresh air and marveled at the beauty of the sun blinking through the trees and speckling the forest floor.
Not even twenty minutes had passed when Benjamin grabbed Samuel’s elbow and pointed.
“Take a look at that, will you, Sam?” Benjamin’s voice was hushed and his eyes were wide.
Samuel leaned over to look out of Benjamin’s window. What looked like a brick fortress rose out of the tree line as they neared a clearing. Even at a distance Samuel was awed by the palatial mansion. The sun caught the windows and the entire structure blazed. Wide columns supporting gigantic archways, and the silver decorations around the doors and windows sparkled in the afternoon light. It was like something out of a fairy tale: this huge monument to wealth and prowess hidden so far back in the wilderness.
*
Thomas led the men to a thick, maple door with a shiny silver handle and door knocker. The door creaked under its own weight as it opened, and Samuel saw two servants scurry out of sight as Thomas guided them into an elaborate sitting room.
“Have a seat, gentlemen.” Samuel and Benjamin stood for a moment, looking down at their travel-worn clothing and dirty boots.
“Thank you,” replied Samuel. He and Benjamin carefully lowered themselves onto the edge of a white couch sporting a bright floral pattern.
With a reassuring nod, Thomas said, “Mr. Kingsley will be out in a moment.” He then turned and slipped out of the room.
Samuel and Benjamin sat, anxiously awaiting Mr. Kingsley. Benjamin’s left leg jumped and bounced like he’d been shocked with electricity, and Samuel rose and walked to the window. He was shocked at how silent Benjamin had been since they’d met up with Thomas, and seeing the color and vibrancy drain out of his friend’s face in this sitting room only served to heighten his own anxiety.
As he gazed out over the vast, green lawn of the estate, he spotted a shock of bright red hair cresting over a small hill. A girl in a deep purple dress carried a watering can toward a garden of lush flowers, but her hair was the most vibrant color of all. For a brief moment, Samuel’s breath caught in his chest and he forgot why he was even standing there to begin with.
The clomping of Mr. Kingsley’s well-shod feet broke Samuel out of his trance.
“Hello, gentlemen.” Mr. Kingsley held out a hand to Samuel as he turned from the window.
“Uh–hello, Mr. Kingsley?” said Samuel as he quickly turned from the vision of the girl among the flowers. He felt his ears burn but was surprised to notice that in Mr. Kingsley’s iron grip was a sweating palm.
“That's me. Welcome to Colorado, boys.” Mr. Kingsley boomed. After shaking Benjamin’s hand as well, he put his own hands into his suit pants pockets. “How was the journey in?”
Benjamin lowered himself back onto the edge of the couch. “Ma
jestic. Thank you, sir, for letting us stay with you.”
Mr. Kingsley gestured for Samuel to join his friend as he himself took a large leather chair opposite the couch. “Well, luckily your train didn’t run into any of those damn savages.” Mr. Kingsley reclined into the chair, but his back was still straight as a board. “We’ve had problems with Injuns across the prairies.”
Samuel laughed uncomfortably and shook his head. “We had no trouble, luckily.”
“Well, there is no reason to start discussing business today, gentlemen. You’ve had a long trip. Thomas will take you to your quarters, and we can go up to the mine at first light tomorrow.”
“We can't wait!” burst Benjamin. Samuel flashed Benjamin a quick warning look, and Ben’s face went stoic. He didn’t want Kingsley to take them as suckers.
“Thank you, Mr. Kingsley. We look forward to the possibility of making a deal with you.” Samuel stood and Benjamin followed suit. With faces of stone, the two men shook hands with the imposing Mr. Kingsley. Given Ben’s outburst, Samuel was impressed with his ability to regain composure so quickly, even as he struggled to maintain his own in the face of his wobbly knees and churning stomach.
*
Benjamin and Samuel stood in front of the large, heavy wooden door that led to their guest quarters. Thomas had just finished explaining to them the directions to various parts of the house or gardens that they’d have access to, and he lingered a moment, worry clouding his grey eyes.
“This is quite a place Mr. Kingsley has here!” Benjamin said after a prolonged whistle.
Thomas opened his mouth and closed it. Then he said, “It certainly is. Mr. Kingsley’s been very fortunate in his wealth. A true man of enterprise.” Thomas nodded and held the door open for Samuel and Benjamin, but Thomas’ wan smile haunted Samuel as he turned and disappeared down the corridor.
Samuel felt drained. The adrenaline that had coursed through him all day was depleted, and his head felt like it weighed one hundred pounds. He and Benjamin flopped onto their separate beds and lay staring at the ceiling for a moment in silence.