“The deputy had me in jail and had threatened me that I would be sentenced to hard labor in Simon Price’s silver mine. Apparently, that’s where all prisoners are taken so Simon Price can have free labor,” Kip Dalton said as part of his dissertation about his visit to Thimble Creek.
They had been sitting around the kitchen table and after introductions had been made all the way around and assurances had been made that Kip Dalton was not a bounty hunter. He was not interested in collecting bounty as Kip Dalton was a man of means in his own right. He had recounted the meeting with Flo Baxter, the fight in the hotel restaurant and his subsequent arrest. He told how Sims had thought he was just a passing drifter and saw an opportunity to rob him of all of his money and turn him into slave labor for Simon Price.
“Apparently, the sheriff had been away and when he returned he seemed to know that Simon Price had been expecting me. Little did I know, I was just being conned by Price anyways. He still got my money.”
“How much did he stick you for this miserable piece of dirt?” Cyclone asked. He had listened to Dalton’s story with somewhat concerned interest and he asked the question in a much more accepting manner toward the man that had taken Kitty’s fancy.
“Fourteen thousand,” Kip grimaced. “Fortunately, he didn’t take everything I had, but I still feel like a fool, letting myself be taken like that. But, then he grinned broadly. “I can look at the bright side though,” he said.
“What’s that?” Kitty said.
“How much fun it’s going to be getting my money back.”
“Now, you sound like my kind of man,” Rap said.
“You’ll likely get your purty head shot off fella,” Cyclone said. “Price plays pretty rough, Oh, I don’t mean he does it himself. Shucks, he’s a lily livered pansy waist and I’ll betcha he’s got hisself a good case of laryngitis right about now.” Cyclone smiled, showing his big yellowed teeth.
“How’d you know about his laryngitis?”
“He kinda got a special lollipop stuck down his throat the other night.”
Kitty smiled. “Played with the wrong little kitty cat, you might say.”
“I’ll bet,” Kip said. “But he still has his ways of being dangerous, you say.”
“Yes, he hires gunman to do his dirty work. There’s none meaner than Peso Martin and you’ve already done riled him up considerable and I can guarantee it, he ain’t gonna take it too kindly. Best you watch your back boy.”
“Don’t worry about me, Cy,” Kip said.
Cyclone jerked his head up in surprise at Kip’s use of familiarity with his name. “Huh?” He grunted, then quickly looked away, not expecting a response.
Kip glanced to Kitty and smiled. She smiled back. Their gazes fixed on each other for several seconds. Their smiles softened and their eyes bore deeply into each other’s; seeking, searching.
“Somethin’s been botherin’ me,” Cyclone spoke up breaking their moment. Their faces jerked away from each other, looked straight ahead, fixing their attention on Cyclone. There was a bit of disconcern and annoyance in their expressions.
“You said, Sheriff Trask got back this afternoon from someplace”
“That’s right.”
“He was supposed to have taken some prisoners to Yuma prison yesterday afternoon. But, if he had, he couldn’t have gotten there and back by this afternoon.”
“What are you getting at, Grampa?” Kitty asked. She already was way ahead of him. She had a good idea of what he was thinking, She just wanted to hear him say it.
“That lyin’ weasel, Price; even with a gun stuck down his throat and death starin’ him in the face, he can’t tell the truth. He still had to lie to us. He didn’t send them boys to Yuma. He sent him to his mine for free labor.”
“The boys?” Kip asked.
“We’ll explain in a minute,” Kitty said.
Then to Cyclone, “But Grampa, Price’s silver mine is in Colorado. It would’ve taken even longer than going to Yuma.”
“But, the old codger has another mine north of his ranch. It’s not that far. Maybe that’s the one he’s sending the prisoners to. Even for Price, he wouldn’t dare to work Arizona prisoners in another state.”
“I don’t know, Grampa. Price would dare anything. Besides that mine hasn’t been worked in years. Last I heard, it was nearly played out and wasn’t worth working.”
“But, with free labor,” Jeremy put in. “Maybe it is worth working. I think we should check it out.”
The others were in quick agreement. Kitty quickly explained to Kip about Frankie the Kid and his three friends. Then she said, “It’s already well past dark and it will take several hours to get there. We’ll have to travel slow in the dark, but we can be there before dawn if we get started in the next hour or two.”
They all started to get up from the table. Kip stood with them.
“Thank you, Mister Dalton,” Kitty said to him as they got up, “For understanding our presence here and being so kind. We’ll appreciate you not letting the law know about seeing us. We won’t come back here and trouble you any further.”
“”Well, first of all, Kitty,” Kip said with a beaming smile. “There is no thanks necessary and the name is Kip, not Mister Dalton. And I would never divulge anything about you to the law or anyone else for that matter. And most of all, I was hoping that this was not good-by. I was hoping I could go with you.”
“But this isn’t your fight,” Kitty said. “And this could get you into a whole lot of trouble.”
“Seems to me Simon Price has made a fight with me and trouble is already here. You’ll be doing me a favor if you let me come along.”
“See what I told you.” Rap Brown said. “He’s my kind of man.”
Chief said, “Hmnf, Me not know you swing that way paleface.”
Chapter Nine
The Return of Wildcat Kitty and the Cyclone Kid Page 11