Soul of a Gunslinger

by Jim Cox

  Lefty was extra careful going down treeless mountain through territory he’d not been in before. He did his best to stay away from routes with steep slopes or covered in small boulders. He knew if one of his horses was to fall and injure itself, it would take time for it to recover; time he didn’t have, so Lefty was careful as he rode in the snow, now nearly a half-foot deep.

  After descending the mountain at a slow pace all morning and part of the afternoon, Lefty could see the beginning of the tree line in the far distance, at least that’s how it appeared in the thick snow. The travel was becoming a mite stressful as the snow added its inches, causing Lefty to take rest stops before getting to the straggly trees down the mountain. The day was coming to an end, but since the white ground created a fair amount of vision, he continued on and soon found himself in tall trees among large boulders. The wind was still strong as shown by the treetops bending, but at ground level, it was fairly quiet with the snow falling straight down.

  Lefty was tired, he was cold, he was hungry, and he knew the horses were feeling the same, so he started looking for a place to hole-up for the night. He wasn’t sure he could find a place with enough protection to keep the horses or himself from freezing, but he’d try.

  What seemed like an hour later, Lefty saw a semi-circle of large boulders with two fallen pine trees over them, creating a well-protected enclosure for the horses. It wasn’t long until the horses were in the enclosure with their tether ropes tied long enough to fallen tree limbs for the horses to lie down. After tending the horses, Lefty chose a place against two nearby boulders where he pushed away the snow and constructed a crude tepee from fallen tree branches with the canvas around it. A fire was soon burning inside it. He laid Shorty’s breakfast that he’d had put in the coffee pot before leaving camp on a flat rock by the fire to warm. Afterward, he filled the empty pot with snow for coffee and set it close to the flames. The meal hit the spot, and soon after eating, Lefty was in bed. He had to add wood during the night, but he stayed fairly warm rolled up in the bearskin.

  After traveling for the next three days, Lefty was in the general area that he and Shorty had come through on their way up. The weather was no longer a threat. The wind had settled, and the snow had stopped for the time-being after depositing a foot and a half on the mountains. It had been a hard four-day trip down and over three mountains, but if Lefty remembered right, there was only one more mountain to climb before reaching the valley leading back to Sutter’s Fort. That was if the horses could muster up the strength to keep going. They hadn’t eaten for three days and were exhausted.

  The sun was past its noon position, and Lefty was about a third of the way up the last mountain they had to climb when he saw a small smoke plume in the distance. An hour later, he was nearing a cabin. It looked to be an old, poorly constructed log cabin and sat against a rock cliff with a stream flowing by. Probably an old mountain man’s cabin, Lefty thought. Maybe he has some hay I can buy for the horses. However, when Lefty got closer, he saw the open-sided shed, downhill a-ways beside a stream, was empty of stock.

  “Hello, the cabin,” Lefty shouted. No one answered or came to the door. After two more shouts with no response, Lefty went to the door and knocked, but there was still no response. He stood in silence, listening for a sound of some kind—nothing. Lefty lifted the door latch and pushed. The door opened. “Hello,” he called out again, but still no answer. He took a couple steps inside, closed the door, and stood looking around. It was a one-room cabin. A fireplace occupied the east wall with a small fire burning; a few pieces of wood laid at its side. A single empty tin plate and cup sat on a bench-table in front of the fireplace. A curtain hung from a rope across the room’s northeast corners and on the wall beside it was a light blue dress. A dress, Lefty thought, it must belong to the mountain man’s wife. He’s probably gone off hunting and left her here alone. The other items in the room were simple and home-spun.

  “You can come out, ma’am. I ain’t gonna hurt you,” Lefty called out in a pleasant tone. But nothing happened; there was no movement or sound. “My name is Lefty Newman, ma’am, and I’m from Pecos, Texas. I’ve been in the mountains north and east of here for neigh-on three months. I had a partner, but he got killed a few days back when some big rocks fell on him while he was digging. Like I said, ma’am, I ain’t gonna hurt ‘ya. Why don’t you come on out?” When she didn’t show, Lefty pushed the curtain aside and stood looking in total shock.

  There was a girl sitting on the dirt floor in the corner of the room with her knees pulled up and her body all hunkered-up over them. Her arms were resting on her knees, and her face was buried in them. The girl’s light brown hair was a tangled mess, and her gray dress was filthy. The shoulders of her extremely thin body shook as she sat crying. Lefty didn’t know what to do. He stood thinking. Finally, he went to the girl, reached down and gently unfolded her arms, and took both of her hands. “It’s time to get up, ma’am. You don’t have to be afraid. I ain’t gonna be mean or hurt ‘ya. I give you my word.” Lefty didn’t force the issue. He simply stood holding her hands waiting for her to make a move.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Minutes later, she raised her head and looked up at Lefty with large blue, tear-filled eyes. Lefty smiled and pulled her up. She staggered sideways a bit before getting her balance with her feet spread slightly. Lefty quickly realized she was extremely weak and probably hadn’t eaten for several days. “Why don’t we go to the table and sit where it’s warmer? I’ll throw on another log or two. I’ve got coffee and some vittles on my pack animals and can have us something to eat and drink in a few minutes.” It was the first time Lefty saw her smile. Her eyes even brightened a little. To keep her from falling, Lefty supported her by her arm as she staggered to the table. While walking slowly to the table, he gave her a look-over. Even though her light brown hair was a tangled mess, he could tell it was long and had some curl to it. Lefty thought she was pretty even though her large blue eyes were in dark sockets and her thin face had sunken cheeks and tightly drawn skin. Her nose looked normal, maybe a mite pointed but not bad. Her lips were wide and full. She was tall, as skinny as a bean-pole, and was covered in dirt from head to foot. He guessed her to be sixteen or maybe a year older.

  Lefty fried bear meat in bacon grease, cut up and fried his last two potatoes, made a skillet of cornbread and had a full pot of steaming coffee when they sat down to eat. He ate a heaping plate of food, but the girl was only able to eat a portion of what he’d dished-up for her. She did drink her coffee. Words were not spoken during the entire meal.

  Lefty poured more coffee and said, “I told you my name was Lefty Newman. Can you tell me what yours is, ma’am?” The girl didn’t answer. She just sat looking into the unknown.

  Lefty could tell the girl had been through a lot, including nearly starving to death, and she needed to be by herself for a spell, so he said, “I’d best be taking care of my horses, ma’am. It’s freezing cold outside, and they’re nearly worn out from all the hard traveling they’ve been through the last four days. If you ain’t got any objections, I’d like to put ‘em in the lean-to shed I saw by the stream.” Lefty didn’t expect a response, and he didn’t get one. He turned and left.

  First, he took the horses to water and then to the lean-to shed. The shed’s face was butted within a few feet of the cliff which kept most the wind out. Gates were fastened at each edge of the shed and extended to the cliff which made an enclosure for the horses to roam in. With the wind being blocked out and the heat from the horses, Lefty imagined, the temperature would likely be tolerable inside the shed. Taking a peek inside, Lefty was surprised to find the back corner of the shed filled with dried long-stem grass, so he quickly led the horses inside the enclosure, removed their tie-ropes, and put two armloads of grass in front of each horse.

  After tending to the horses, he started looking for firewood. There was none close to the cabin, but after walking a good distance, he found a dead tree with fallen limbs. Aft
er dragging six large limbs to the cabin’s wood chopping area, he removed the ax hanging on the cabin’s outside wall and started chopping the limbs into fireplace lengths.

  When he entered the cabin with an armload of firewood, he saw the girl standing by the table pouring herself a cup of coffee. Then she took the pot back and sat it on the fireplace grill. Her plate was empty, Lefty noticed, and it appeared the girl had gotten some of her strength back. Lefty put the firewood down, added two pieces to the fire, and went to the food bags laying in the corner. “I’ll do some more cooking, ma’am. You need to eat to get your strength back.” She sat drinking her coffee while Lefty cooked. Her eyes had a little more sparkle to them.

  The afternoon’s second meal was a repeat of the first, except the fried potatoes was replaced with hominy. Lefty didn’t eat quite as much, but the girl filled her plate and ate it all. There was no talking during the meal. In fact, she hadn’t said a word to him since he’d been there which got him to thinking, Maybe she can’t talk, or maybe she doesn’t understand or talk American.

  Lefty decided to find out why the girl wasn’t speaking, so he asked, “Are you able to talk in the American tongue, ma’am? If you can, I need to know your name.”

  The girl straightened, pushed her shoulders back, and glared squarely into Lefty’s eyes. “Let me assure you, Mr. Newman, I have an excellent grasp of the English diction. My name is Suzan Dempsey, and I would considerate it appropriate if you relinquished calling me ma’am. You’re my elder, and since your gender is male, the proper reference to my name would be Miss Dempsey.”

  Lefty wasn’t for sure what she’d just said. He’d never heard anyone talk this way before but it sure did sound pretty and all elegant like; like she was some kind of royalty; maybe even a queen. He didn’t know quite how to answer her, so he responded to her the best he knew how. “It’s good to make your acquaintance, Miss Dempsey. I hope you liked the two meals I fixed for ‘ya. Maybe, I can do better next time.”

  “The meals were delicious, Mr. Newman. I’m sorry I was unable to eat all of my food at our first setting. Apparently, my lack of food consumption these past few days has restricted the volume of food I can consume.” Lefty nodded, again not knowing for sure what she had said. “Did you get your horses put away in their quarters, Mr. Newman?”

  “Yes, I did. There was even dried grass in the shed for them to eat. They should be fit to travel in a day or two when they’ve had their fill of grass.”

  “The grass was here when we arrived. My father was planning on replacing what our horses ate before we left if he could locate a field where it grew.”

  She paused and then asked, “Would you be considerate and bring me a bucket of water from the creek, Mr. Newman. I need to bathe and put on fresh attire.”

  Lefty nodded. “I’ll get the water, and while I’m out, I’ll fetch us more firewood. It’s gonna be a cold, windy night from the looks of things.”

  When he stepped outside, long shadows were being cast on the snow from the low sun in the western sky. It would be getting bitter cold in a couple hours when the sun dips below the horizon with a cloudless sky. Undoubtedly, the clear sky will allow the moon and stars to light up the landscape, making it appear almost like daytime. Lefty went to the stream and watched the swift water rush by for a few seconds before dipping up a bucket for Suzan. When he got back to the cabin, Suzan had the pot used to heat water in sitting on the table. “Would you please fill the pot for me and place it on the fireplace grates?” He nodded.

  “I’ll get us another bucket of water to cook with and bring in more firewood.” When he got outside, he lingered for a considerable time thinking about his ma and brother. How the ranch was getting along and if the extra calves to be sold come spring would pay their debts. He wondered if his ma and brother would leave the ranch and come to California when he sent them the money; he doubted they would. Tears filled his eyes when he thought of his partner’s tragic death; Shorty was a true friend. He thought of his gold behind the waterfall and how he was going to get it come spring. Hide should be completely back to normal by then and be a big help in getting the gold to San Francisco; after all, half of it was his. He thought of Louise and wondered if she and Hide were still carrying-on like they were before he left. Then he stiffened. What about the Ellis brothers? Wonder if they’re in San Francisco waiting to kill me? I’ve got to be careful. I ain’t had much practice shooting my pistol lately and may not be able to hit a thing.

  It had been over an hour by the time Lefty got back. He had entered the cabin carrying the second bucket of water for cooking and an armload of wood. When he pushed the door closed with his foot, it banged a little. “Don’t come in or look behind the curtain, Mr. Newman. I’m bathing and not appropriate to be seen.”

  Lefty couldn’t believe she’d have the nerve, or take the chance of undressing and taking a bath with him around. However, he was beginning to size-her-up as a woman with gumption and a lot of independence, especially for a woman so young. He laid the wood on the woodpile, set the bucket of water on the edge of the table, and took a seat.

  “Please enjoy another cup of coffee while I finish bathing,” she called out. Lefty followed her instructions and sat down at the table with coffee in hand. As water behind the curtain splashed, and Suzan’s humming reached his ears, Lefty started visualizing and building a detailed mental picture of what was behind the curtain. Leaning back to see if there was a crack in the curtain, the bench squeaked loudly. “There’ll be no peeking, Mr. Newman,” Suzan called out. Lefty settled back down with a red face.

  He was on his second cup when he heard the curtain being pulled back. Lefty was awe-stricken when Suzan walked out. Her hair looked to be on the blondish side, and even though it was still a mite wet from washing, it had been twisted around and piled high on top of her head, accenting her height. Her face was a light golden brown, the color probably coming from sun exposure in the past. She had no blemishes of any kind on her face, and her skin looked as smooth as silk. Her large blue eyes sparkled as she walked toward Lefty. And her full lips spread wide in a grin showing her white straight teeth. The light blue dress she wore was the one Lefty remembered hanging on the wall. It hung from her shoulders perfectly, showing her erect, attractive body and even though she was very thin, she had curves in all the right places. Lefty imagined they’d be accented as she filled out a bit.

  “You look awful pretty, Miss Dempsey. I had no idea you’d clean up so good.” Lefty quickly realized he shouldn’t have said the last part of his comment and tried to correct his blunder, “I didn’t mean that, ma’am…I mean…”

  She cut him off with a frown, “You mean you don’t think I look pretty, Mr. Newman.”

  “It ain’t that ma’am…Miss Dempsey. I think you look awful pretty. I was talking about me saying you clean up good. Actually, I thought you even looked good when you were dirty.” Lefty shook his head with tight lips, knowing he had messed up again.

  Suzan giggled a little. “If I were you, Mr. Newman, I’d stop while I was ahead. You have just given me the best compliment I’ve received in a long time.” Lefty smiled. Suzan poured herself a cup of coffee, topped off Lefty’s, and then sat down at the table across from him.

  “I want to thank you for coming to my rescue, Mr. Newman. I believe you are a blessing sent from God. I couldn’t have lasted many more days. You saved my life.”

  “Thank you, Miss Dempsey, but I ain’t no prophet; I ain’t from God.”

  “Yes, you are. You just aren’t aware of it,” she said with a sober tone.

  There was a long silence as the two sat drinking coffee in deep thought. Finally, Lefty broke the silence. “Miss Dempsey, we ain’t very formal in this part of the country. Folks are neighborly and like to be around other folks, giving them a helping hand when it’s needed.”

  He went on jabbering for two or three minutes trying to get out what he had on his mind when Suzan interrupted, “Mr. Newman, I haven’t the slightest ide
a what you’re talking about. Using your terminology, would you please spit it out.”

  “Like I was saying, we ain’t very formal in this part of the country, and there ain’t much difference in our age. I was wondering if you could stop calling me Mr. Newman and just call me what everybody else does?”

  “You want me to refer to you as Lefty. Is that right?” Suzan said.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And I suppose you want to address me as Suzan. Is that also true?” she said with a smile.

  “Yes, ma’am. If it ain’t being too forward with you.”

  “The community of people I’ve associated with most of my life are rather formal. Everyone is addressed as mister or misses until they have become the best of friends; then it’s permissible to use their first name.”

  Lefty quickly broke in, “Then it’s all right to call you Suzan. We ain’t known each other all that long, but I consider us to be friends. We are friends, ain’t we Miss Dempsey?”

  She thought for a second or two and then nodded with a smile, “Yes, Lefty. I believe we have become friends in the short time we’ve known each other. You may call me Suzan.”

  They sat in silence drinking coffee for a spell while the wind outside was beginning to howl. “Suzan,” Lefty started, “how come you got yourself stranded in this forsaken part of the country? You’re a young, pretty woman, who’s had a sophisticated upbringing, and accustomed to the finer things in life. I ain’t for sure, but I’m thinking you might even have some royal blood in your family.”

  “Thank you, Lefty. That’s the second compliment you given me in the last hour. But how did you come up with all of those assertion you just described about my upbringing?”