Black Falcon 10 part one Delivering the Females,

 First, some shocking news, we were getting some weight on Willow, but this morning it was all too much for her, and she had a seizure and just suddenly died. We are devastated as I am sure you can imagine. I am angry with the vets, but I don't want to get into any conversations about coulda, shoulda. It's done, and at least in her last few days she had the pleasure of sitting and walking in the garden, sniffing sniffs, watching the fledgling robins learn to fly, and catching some rays. 

I had been about to resume normal service anyway in posting. 

10 Delivering the females part 1

 

The mail came in, with a second driver, as Moses Burrell was still groggy. He was happy with the settlement Brad Chesterton had come up with, and if Chesterton had been embarrassed by his bounty hunter brother, he was not displeased to inherit the man’s wealth.

“Of course,” said Luke, in the saloon, when Chesterton was in there, “A man who makes a promise of marriage, especially in writing, to a girl, and then uses that to take her to his bed, and then discards her, is a man who could be sued for breach of promise when someone who understands the law hears the poor girl’s story.  Now, I think that the sort of settlement on that poor girl that would give her... oh, four hundred dollars a year in interest... would be a fair way of sorting out such perfidy, rather than having a man unexpectedly wealthy finding that half of everything he owns plus legal costs is stripped by lawyers. What do you think, Chesterton?”

Chesterton had gone grey.

“I think that could probably be the best solution, Sokolov,” he said, through gritted teeth.

“I’m so glad you agree with me,” said Luke. If he calculated it correctly it came close to half of the worth of the colonel on his death; but with the law involved, Chesterton might have had to sell his sheep ranch.

Taking a leaf out of Sam’s book and hitting the unpleasant man where it hurt him the most, in the pocket, was the best way to control him.

He noted that the mail order brides were still in the town, and had flocked to the marshal’s office after the next mail had come in, bringing the money for the bounty on Waller, which Luke handed over to Betsy, who kissed him firmly. She and her girls had been released as soon as the Killer Colonel had been killed, and had moved into the hotel, away from Carson’s saloon.

Betsy might be almost as old as Luke’s mother, but Luke quite enjoyed it. Betsy was an experienced armful and did not resemble his mother in the least. And there was nothing wrong with learning a trick or two from a willing woman, thought Luke, though he blushed scarlet at the woman’s attentions.

“Oh, he’s sweet!” said Carrie, making Luke blush still more.

He escaped back to the office.

“Ah, Luke,” said Sam. “How do you feel about a little travelling?”

“I thought I was staying here because travelling was risky?” said Luke, amused.

“Well, we should have some good weather for a while,” said Sam. “Long enough to deliver these four ladies, and Miss Ida, to their new homes. They’re nervous of going on without someone as an outrider to see they get there safely.”

“What, don’t you ladies trust the stage?” said Luke.

“We’ve had a bad experience so far,” said the stylish brunette, who looked almost as if she had left some eastern city that morning.

“Anna means that we got nervous,” said the strawberry blonde, her little sister, still in braids, nodding vigorously.

“I don’t mind riding a saddle horse to keep an eye out, and I can do some fancy shooting,” said the redhead. “My pa rode in rodeos until he broke his neck, and the manager wouldn’t let me take his place, the durn fool, so I fixed me up a beau out west who’s happy to have a ranch hand as a wife.”

“Ella’s been teaching us all to shoot,” murmured the blonde, who looked fragile, but reminded Luke of his mother. “But we’d as soon have a man we know can protect us well.”

“Well, if you’re sure, Sam, I guess I can handle that,” said Luke. “I won’t be delivering the mails, I’ll be delivering the females,” he winked at Ida with such an awful pun.

“Oh, good!” said Ida. “I guess we’ll feel safe with you, won’t we, Emma?” she appealed to her sister.

“I’ll want to know where each of you is headed, and consult the map,” said Luke. “Not all at once! Ma’am, perhaps you can tell me,” he turned to the older woman who was acting as duenna for the ladies. “Miss, uh...?”

“Compton; Diana Compton,” said the duenna, a thin, colourless woman. “Anna is the next stop of the stage. Then we were going to have to hire horses for Emma and young Ida, but their destination isn’t far from a railway. So the last part of the journey will be in relative comfort.”

“We’ll be taking a pack pony as well as hire horses for that stage,” said Luke, looking at the map. “I want to be sure to be able to camp at need if the weather is bad.”

“You’re the guide,” said Miss Compton.

Luke nodded. It would make life easier if Miss Compton deferred to his judgement.

“So, you’ve all been writing to your intended husbands?” he asked.

“Yes, and made an arrangement with them,” said the dark-haired girl, Anna. “My family fell on hard times, bad investments, so I’m marrying a man who wants a trophy wife to hopefully engage in politics in his local community. He’s made his pile mining, and he wants out of grubbing in the dirt. I can’t say I blame him. He’s prepared to take my brother as his secretary when Adrian finishes at university.”

“Sounds a bit cold-blooded,” said Luke.

Anna flushed.

“It’s a business arrangement,” she said.  “I admire Ephraim for his drive, and determination. He wants me to teach him how to speak and write like a man of letters.”

“Well, if you’re happy,” said Luke, dubiously.

“I’m happier to have a man who respects me and respects my education, not some snot-nosed boy who expected me to ignore all I learned and just be a hostess, until my family wasn’t good enough for him any more.”

“Oh, like that,” said Luke. “I hope your miner is a rough diamond with many gleaming facets inside.”

“What a lovely way to look at him,” said Anna, beaming.

Emma lifted one shoulder in a shrug. She kept her eyes down.

“Nathaniel isn’t ideal,” she said. “He wants a housekeeper who can milk the yard cow, and care for chickens, and do farmyard chores, and I think he’s quite a hard man, and very religious, but he’s prepared to take Ida, and beggars can’t be choosers.”

“I could probably find you something better,” said Luke.

“I made an agreement with him,” said Emma. “He sent me a contract to sign.”

Luke said nothing, but he thought plenty. A man who insisted on a signed contract ahead of time had reason to think that his mail order bride might take one look at him and flee, to his way of thinking.

He caught Ida’s look on him, and could see that she was none too happy about the situation; but he raised an eyebrow at her, and grimaced. Nothing he could do.

“I’m just pleased that John is happy for me to be out in the open, riding,” said Ella. “I couldn’t bear to be stuck to a ranch house, doing nothing but cook and wash for ranch hands.”

“I fancy I may have the best of the bargain,” said Florence. “Married to a sheriff, I won’t have any crops or animals to tend, only paperwork. And that I am happy to do.”

 

Ida ran out as Luke went to purchase some provisions.

“Mr. Sokolov, could you lend me ten dollars?” she asked. “I... I will try to pay it back if I can get wages from my new brother-in-law.”

“You won’t,” said Luke. “And he’s the type, I wager, that if you work in town will demand it for your keep.”

Ida deflated.

“Oh, dear, I fear you’re right,” she said.

“Suppose I give you the money, as a birthday gift?” said Luke. “Or early Christmas gift. Then you can spend it how you like and not have to worry. What do you need, pretty geegaws because you think you’ll never see them otherwise?”

“Oh, I don’t care about that,” said Ida. “And Nathaniel sounds the sort who would cut up a pretty dress because it causes vanity. He sent money for clothes and wrote to my sister to dress me in good hard-wearing wincey.”

Luke shuddered. Flannel for shirts was good and hard-wearing, but the flannelette known as wincey was hard, scratchy, and not comfortable to wear.

“He sounds a real bundle of laughs,” said Luke. “What are you planning, you scamp?”

“Well, I’ll try and stick it out, for Emma,” said Ida, “But if I had some dungarees and a good flannel shirt, and decent boots, I could maybe slip away and work as a boy, and nobody the wiser.”

“Cut your braids in the plait, and attach it to a comb to pin in your hair so nobody is any the wiser,” said Luke. “That’s what the women of my family have always done when wanting to get away with being girls and boys. Remember to raise your hat to women and girls, and catch things by putting your legs together when sitting, because only girls use the lap of a skirt to help them catch. Run from your shoulders, not your hips. And learn to whistle. Here’s fifteen dollars, make sure to get a good padded coat too.”

“Oh, Mr. Sokolov, you are kind!”

“I’d have taken your sister to my mother, if only she hadn’t signed that d... wretched contract,” said Luke. “Try to keep your head down. I’ll see if I can’t come by in Spring to see how it’s going.”

Ida flung her arms around him and hugged him.

“You could always pretend to want to marry me,” she said.

“You’re a trifle young.”

“I’m fifteen; plenty of girls are married younger.”

“Yes, but you aren’t ready,” said Luke.

Ida considered, nibbling her plait. Luke removed it firmly from her mouth.

“Oh, dear, I suppose that proves that I’m not,” she said.

“I don’t mind pretending to want to marry you, and I’ll take you to my folks if you are miserable,” said Luke.

“I can stand a lot more, knowing that,” said Ida.

“Your brother-in-law will be your guardian; I’ll tell him I’ll come calling to court you,” said Luke.

Ida squealed with delight and hugged him again, and ran into Dave Smee’s shop to buy clothing.

Luke thought it more appropriate garb for helping on the land anyway, but he suspected that this Nathaniel would not agree. His sisters wore garments somewhere between wide Cossack trousers and divided skirts, and were capable of putting in a full day’s work as good as any youth; they lacked the upper body strength a man might have, but they were determined which made up for any minor physical differences.

 

 

oOoOo

 

Luke was ready to ride out as an escort to the next stage coach going on to Anna’s destination. He thought it a bit of a waste of effort, but then, if they were to catch some early bad weather in the rough terrain of Wyoming taking Emma and Ida to their new home, his knowledge might be useful. He was tempted to divert south on his way back, and go back home to his own family, if he was travelling in any case.

This first leg was not an unpleasant ride, bracing more than chilly, and if there were a couple of sleety squalls, they were of little consequence.

And in due course, the stage drew up outside the inn,  and they disembarked.

Anna swiftly found her ageing swain; they had exchanged photographs.

“Ephraim?” she said.

“Anna? Why, lass, you are even lovelier than your photograph,” said the tall, rugged man.

“Oh, you are so comfortingly tall,” said Anna, blushing.

“Well, that appears to be a match made in heaven,” Luke remarked to Ida.

“I think Anna was ready to settle for friendship and respect, and it’s grown, at least, by correspondence,” said Ida, seriously.  Luke removed her plait from her mouth again.

“I am sorry your sister settled merely for financial security,” said Luke.

“I’m scared,” said Ida, frankly.

“I can’t offer a lot of comfort, for it seems a chill sort of arrangement,” said Luke. “But perhaps Nathaniel is warmer than he appears to be; some men are just a bad hand at correspondence, and can’t seem to get their feelings across.”

Ida brightened.

“Do you think so?” she asked.

“To be honest? No,” said Luke. “But give him a chance.”

Ida sighed.

“I’ll try,” she said.

 

 

Miss Compton arranged for accommodation in the hotel, whilst Luke went to hire five riding, and two pack, horses for the journey to Nathaniel Pepper’s lonely ranch. Wyoming was a vast territory, and Luke recalled that his father had said it was much like their native Ukraine; mountains surrounding the High Plains. This town was named Scottsbluff, for its founder, and a large bluff which had been visible for miles as they approached.  They would skirt the high bluffs all the way to Nathaniel Pepper’s farm, and then turn south to Cheyenne for the Union Pacific.

Luke elected to sleep in the livery stable hay loft, by arrangement with its manager, rather than sleep in the hotel with the women.

If anyone got picky, it was proof that he had not had a chance to misbehave with any of the girls. Luke had little trust in the expectation that some rough Wyoming sod-buster would respect his word as a gentleman.

Besides, he suspected that he would sleep better with the quiet noises of the horses than in the comings and goings of a hotel.