by Edward Gates
Dave laughed out loud. “Yankees keep six gunships in that harbor. How in the world would Magruder take the harbor with no ships?” He laughed again.
Charlie chuckled along with Dave. In his exuberance about remembering the story, he had almost let out too much information… again. Think before speaking; someday he might actually learn that lesson.
That night the Rangers camped with the teamsters. It would be their last night together; the Rangers were going south in the morning while the wagons were going east. Charlie, enthralled by this band of rowdy lawmen, wanted to learn as much as he could about the Rangers, so he and Jack talked into the evening. Jack told Charlie that his two uncles were Rangers who rode under the command of President Sam Houston in the Mexican-American War for Texas independence. Jack got into the Rangers on their recommendation. Charlie listened intently as Jack and the rest of the Rangers shared stories about their different escapades. He sat captivated by their tales of fighting Indians, or chasing down criminals, or restoring peace in areas that had been torn by crime or violence.
“Normally, one gets invited into the Rangers or referred into it. But don’t matter none. Ain’t gonna be no more Rangers. War done ‘em in.”
Charlie smiled. “Well, I wouldn’t be too sure about that. You never know what’ll happen after the war.”
“I s’pose. I guess it’ll be up to whoever the next governor is.”
Charlie picked Jack’s brain about life as a Ranger: pay, assignments, structure and anything else he could think of. He learned that each Ranger had to supply his own arms, horse and outfit. That explained the various styles of dress and how everyone was armed to the teeth.
The Rangers had a checkered past at best. Their responsibilities and duties fluctuated with each change of administration. One governor used them for everything from the Indian wars to general law enforcement to peacekeeping. Another governor had no use for them whatsoever and basically gave them no assignments at all.
Charlie didn’t know why, but he felt a kinship with these men. He went to bed with the knowledge that Jack would refer him into the Rangers if the time ever came.
The next day, as they headed east toward Weatherford, Dave broke the silence. “You seemed to strike a chord with them fellas.”
“Yeah. I guess I did, didn’t I?” Charlie smiled. “They seemed like good men. I enjoyed listening to their stories.”
“Looked like a little more than that to me.” Dave paused and looked over at Charlie and smiled. “You talking to that Cable fella about joining up with them?”
“Well, I don’t know. I’m thinking about it. They certainly were intriguing.” Charlie smiled at Dave. “But, according to Jack, the Rangers are no more. Governor disbanded them because of the war. Likely won’t be any Rangers for quite some time. Besides, right now I have a job. We have to get this shipment to Galveston, and that’s all I’m thinking about.”
It was late afternoon around the end of February when the wagons rolled into the small settlement of Weatherford, Texas. Charlie had expected a much bigger city, especially for being the county seat, but it wasn’t much more than a one-street town that serviced the residents of Parker County. Most of the people in the area were small ranchers and farmers.
The animals were corralled at the only livery in town, and the wagons were stashed out of sight inside the livery’s barn. It had been a brutal two-month trip from Trinidad to Weatherford, filled with learning experiences, trauma, danger and death… especially the death of their friend and partner. Living off the land, sleeping outdoors on the cold ground and struggling with the horses and oxen for two months left the four freighters dirty, unshaven, cold and tired. Charlie was physically and emotionally drained. All he wanted to do was lie down and rest.
There was only one hotel in the town and, as it happened, they weren’t very busy. In fact, all eight of their guest rooms were unoccupied. Each teamster chose his own room. Charlie got directions from the clerk to the nearest barber and bathhouse. After a much-needed rest in a soft bed, getting cleaned up would be his next priority. After all were registered in the guestbook, the clerk read their names and then called out.
“Mr. Rudabaugh? Out of Fort Smith?”
Dave stopped and turned back to the desk clerk with a stern questioning look. He moved his right hand down to his gun handle. “Yeah. What of it?”
“Nothing, sir. It’s just that I got a telegram here for you. It came in three weeks ago.” The clerk pulled a tin box from under the hotel desk and rummaged through some papers. “Ah! Here it is. The instructions were to hold it until you showed up.” He handed the crumpled and dirty paper to Dave, who studied the telegram, folded it and stuck it in his vest pocket.
“Good news?” Ed asked.
“It’s from Max. He sent us the name of the ship and our contact in Galveston. He wants me to let him know that we got his message.” Dave turned back to the clerk. “You got a telegraph here in Weatherford?”
“There’s one down in Miller’s. He runs our post office and telegraph out of his store.” The clerk paused. “A lot of the time the telegraph ain’t working, though. Indians keep tearing down the wire. It’s been down now for more than a month. You might be better off to ride over to Dallas and do your telegraphin’ there.”
“Wait a minute,” Charlie said. “If your telegraph isn’t working, how’d you get this message for Dave?”
“The messages get routed through Dallas to us,” the clerk said. “If the lines are down they hold the messages until the lines are fixed or until someone from here picks up the notes. Usually somebody from Weatherford goes to Dallas every couple of days or so. It’s only a day’s ride.”
“It might only be a day’s ride by horse, but it’s more’n two days hauling freight,” Ed said.
Dave thanked the clerk and addressed Ed, Walter and Charlie. “I gotta let Max know that we’re here and tell him about Jesse.”
“You going to Dallas?” Charlie asked.
“Not today. We’ll be going through there in a few days,” Dave answered. “I’m going to walk down to Miller’s, though, and check on the telegraph. If it ain’t working, we’ll just have to wait ‘til we get to Dallas to telegraph Max. You want to come along?”
Charlie shook his head. “I’m too tired. You go ahead. I just want to lie down on something soft for a change.”
Like Charlie, Ed chose to stay at the hotel. Dave and Walter made the trek down the street to Miller’s Grocery and General Store, and Post Office, and Telegraph Office.
The next morning Charlie rose early and assembled his dirty clothes. He knew from previous towns that the earlier he got to the bathhouse, the cleaner and hotter the bathwater would be. He dropped his clothes at the laundry and, following the hotel clerk’s directions, went to get cleaned up before breakfast. At this bathhouse, there was no pretty young girl to help him bathe. This time he was left alone to wash himself.
After he left the bathhouse, he ran into Dave and Ed on the sidewalk.
“Did you eat yet?” Dave asked him.
“No, not yet. I couldn’t stand to be in my skin another minute. I had to get cleaned up first. How about you? Did you eat?”
“No. Walter’s still sleepin’ so me and Ed decided to get cleaned up ourselves. Hotel clerk said the only place in town to eat was that café across from the hotel.”
“Did you get a telegraph off to Max?”
“No. Like the clerk said, the telegraph was down,” Dave explained. “Old Man Miller said that the repair chores were now the responsibility of the Confederate Army and with the war on, they sometimes took months to get around to fixin’ them. We’ll just have to wait until we get to Dallas.”
“Well, I’m gonna get a shave and then I’ll check on Walter and meet you at the café,” Charlie said.
Two hours later, the four teamsters were sitting at a table in the café. Breakfast consisted of coffee, biscuits with Mormon gravy and a bowl of a mush concocted from boiled grains and chop
ped meat. It didn’t look very appetizing, but Charlie was surprised at how good it tasted.
“You know, there’s a very unpleasant odor around this table,” Ed said with a smile. He looked at Walter. “I wonder where it could be coming from?”
Dave and Charlie snickered along with Ed.
“Awright, awright!” Walter replied. “Y’all got nice and purty before breakfast. Don’t you worry. I’ll be headin’ down to get cleaned up after I eat. I’ll be smellin’ sweeter than a French whore on Saturday night.”
All four laughed aloud. While they finished their breakfast, Charlie asked where their next destination would be.
“After Dallas, it’ll be easy rollin’. We’ll be passing through a lot of small towns on our way to Galveston. Only a few days between them,” Dave said.
“When do you want to get started?” Charlie asked.
“I figure we’ll spend the day here and leave tomorrow morning. It’ll only take us a couple days to get to Dallas.”
“Should we get supplies here?” Ed asked.
“Ain’t no supplies,” Walter said. “Miller’s store was just about empty. I don’t think he’d be able to get us what we need.”
“We’ll have to make do with what we got until we get to Dallas,” Dave said. “We’ll stock up there.”
Charlie was excited to go to Dallas. He had been there a few times with his father in the twenty-third century. He was anxious to see what the big city looked like in its beginning.
41
Dallas
The city of Dallas was close to the size of Denver City, just not as crowded. Most of the buildings appeared to Charlie as recently constructed. He pointed out to Dave that some of the older buildings showed the scars of a fire.
“Most of this town burned down a year or so ago,” Dave said as they drove up Houston Street toward the north end of town. “Looks like they got most of it rebuilt.”
“You’ve obviously been here before.”
Dave nodded. “Yeah, we came through here last couple trips.” He stared off into the distance, lost in thought. He looked over at Charlie. “Got a few old friends here. At least I expect they’re still here.” He nodded to himself and then looked back at the road. “I spent a bit of time in these parts when I was younger. Me and a few other fellas did some ridin’ together.” Again, he looked at the younger man. “You know, business, just business. Spent a lot time in the saddle and had to move around a lot. Got to know this area pretty well.”
Over the course of their trip, everyone, at one time or another, had brought up interesting memories and escapades from their younger days… everyone, that is, except Dave. He never mentioned his past nor his family. This was the first time Dave had even hinted about his past. Charlie was intrigued. From the way he said “business,” Charlie got the impression that Dave may have been on the other side of the law at one point. He wanted to ask him about his history but thought better of it.
It was midafternoon when Dave pulled into a livery and corral at the north end of town where he could board the animals. There wasn’t any room inside the barn for the wagons; they had to remain outside in the open.
“We’re only gonna spend one night here. Tomorrow we’ll stock up and be on our way to Crockett,” Dave announced. “Y’all can get a room, if’n ya want. I’m gonna bunk here with the wagons. I don’t want to leave them unattended.”
Ed volunteered to stay with Dave. Charlie was torn. He knew it was important to guard the cargo, especially in a big city, but the opportunity to sleep in a bed was a treat that didn’t present itself all that often. He wanted to find a bed for the night but didn’t want to be the only one. Before he could decide, Walter spoke up.
“Well, if no one minds, I’d like to find get me a room.” Walter stretched his shoulders and arms. “Bones get mighty stiff sleepin’ on that cold ground every night.”
Dave laughed. “Well, you go put them old tired bones to bed, then.” He looked at Charlie. “Why don’t you go with him and try to keep that old man alive ‘til morning.” He laughed again. Charlie smiled and nodded. The decision was made for him.
Just before Charlie and Walter left the livery, Dave called everyone together. “You all need to be real careful here. This town is a powder keg.”
“What do you mean?” Charlie asked.
“I mean there is a lot of bad feelings here. People on edge. A lot of folks didn’t want to secede and a lot of them are against the war. Texas is a Southern state, but there’s a lot of Union sympathizers, especially up in these parts. To make it worse, the Confederacy set up a regimental quartermaster here. Folks ain’t too pleased about it. There’s a lot of soldiers here and that brings about a lot of tension.” Dave pointed his finger directly at Charlie. “You especially need to be careful. It would probably be best if you stayed off the streets.”
“Me? Why me? What’s so special about me?”
“You’re young and able.”
Charlie had a puzzled look about him.
Ed chuckled. “All young men get conscripted.”
“Conscripted? You mean drafted? They can’t do that to me. I don’t live here. I’m not from here.”
“Don’t matter none. They don’t care,” Dave said.
Ed added “They’re doing it all over. Pullin’ young fellas off the street, yankin’ them right out of the fields and sendin’ them to Crockett.”
“Crockett!” Charlie exclaimed. “Isn’t that where we’re going tomorrow?”
“Yup. That’s where all the new men go for training.” Dave let a silent moment hang in the air so Charlie could absorb what’s been said. “You got it?” He headed back to the wagons.
Charlie began to worry about getting shanghaied into the Confederate army.
“There’s a hotel on Commerce Street near Houston. Git ya a room there and we’ll meet you there for dinner,” Ed said as he walked back to the wagons with Dave.
“What about the wagons?” Charlie asked.
Ed looked back at the stable hands tending to the animals. “I think the wagons will be all right here in the daylight. Those fellas will watch them for us while we grab a bite.”
“I hope you’re right,” Charlie said as he and Walter began their trek down Houston Street toward the hotel that Ed had suggested. Some of the street names were familiar to Charlie, having been on those same streets when he was a young man in the future. He smiled at the paradox of being in the same spot he would be in, or had been in, just a few years ago in his personal past. To think that the experience of visiting Dallas with his father hadn’t or wouldn’t happen for another four centuries was mind-boggling. He envisioned the towering steel and glass structures that would spring up on the streets where, right now, single-story wood-framed businesses stood.
When they reached the hotel, each got a room for the night. Once settled, Charlie walked down to the lobby and waited for Ed and Dave. As he sat in the lobby he imagined that all the patrons were staring at him. Dave’s warning to him about being conscripted into the Southern army swam around in his head and consumed any rational thought he had. He could feel the cold sweats and internal shakes of an oncoming anxiety attack. A sudden touch on his shoulder caused him to jump and turn quickly to see who it was.
“Relax, Charlie,” Walter said. “It’s me. What’s the matter with you? You look like you’re about ready to explode.”
“I feel like it. I can’t help thinking about what Dave said to me.”
Walter smiled. “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Just stay with us old folks. Nobody’s gonna bother you.” Walter took a step toward the restaurant. “Come on. Let’s go in the dining room and wait for them in there.”
The dining room of the hotel was a contradiction of elegance and frontier simplicity, the décor of the room contrasting with its furnishings. Thick burgundy velvet drapes outlined the windows and complemented the walnut wainscoting lining the walls. The simple tables and chairs were basic stained wood furniture with straight legs:
no elaborate carvings or inlays, no tablecloths or centerpieces, no cushions on the chairs. Most of the furniture showed signs of considerable wear. The floor was black-and-white mosaic tiles laid out in a herringbone pattern. Crystal and silver chandeliers hung in two rows from the pounded tin ceiling, which was supported by large, ornately carved cedar pillars. With the aroma of cooking food permeating the air, Charlie forgot about Dave’s warning and relaxed.
After a few cups of coffee, Dave and Ed joined them at their table. They dined on crawfish, quail and beefsteaks served with potatoes, onions, and carrots, followed by cheese and sweet pastries after dinner with their coffee.
By the end of dinner the sun had set and, with a full stomach, Charlie was ready for bed. But Ed suggested they get a drink at a saloon across the street from the hotel. Although memorable, Charlie’s experience in saloons had not been enjoyable. He didn’t want to go, but found himself tagging along.
“Who’s watching the wagons?” he asked as they walked across Commerce Street.
“They’ll be okay for one drink,” Ed replied. “Relax. It’ll be fine.”
Charlie reluctantly followed the others through the swinging café doors of a saloon called Kate’s Place. Unlike the saloons in Denver, the room was large, well lit, spacious and not very crowded. There were quite a few open spots at the bar, and only half the tables were occupied. Although many of the patrons were smoking, the air wasn’t clouded with smoke. Dave pointed to an empty table by the front window and suggested sitting there. Charlie and Walter walked to the table while Dave and Ed went to the bar.
“Dave’ll get us something to drink,” Walter said. “We’ll sit here and wait for him.”
Charlie chose a seat with his back to the window so he could watch the people in the saloon. There wasn’t a single woman in the saloon. He wondered who Kate was. The clientele was a mix of young Confederate soldiers and older men.
It wasn’t long before Charlie became the subject of everyone’s stare. This time it wasn’t imagined by an anxiety attack. Walter noticed it too.