Soul of a Gunslinger

by Jim Cox

  Louise nodded and then asked, “Did you know Lefty is known as a gunslinger…that he’s killed eight men, and there are two brothers who are looking to have a shoot-out with him?”

  “I know people call him a gunslinger and that he’s killed nine men, counting the robber who stole my father’s money and my jewelry. I hadn’t heard someone was looking to have a shoot-out with him.” Suzan paused and then very forcefully said, “I’m sure he was pushed into every one of those killings and shot those nine men in self-defense.” She was about to digress even more when Hide and Lefty walked in and joined the women for coffee. Louise looked at Lefty and thought, you don’t have a chance, Lefty. Suzan has her eyes set on you, and she doesn’t even know it.

  One morning during Lefty’s first week back, while Suzan and Louise were busy making and selling pastries, Lefty poured Hide a cup of coffee and motioned for him to join him at the kitchen table. “I’ve been keeping something from you, Hide.”

  “I could tell something was bothering you from the way you’ve been acting. I thought it might have been Shorty’s death or the fact you didn’t find much gold during your trip, but I ain’t sure what’s bothering ‘ya.”

  Lefty took a long guzzle of coffee and said, “I ain’t told no one what I’m about to tell you; not even Suzan, and I’m asking you to keep it under your belt. Don’t even tell Louise.”

  “What in the world has got you all riled-up, Lefty. Are you gonna ask Suzan to marry you?” Hide said with a big smile.

  “Don’t be ridiculous…that ain’t it. I wouldn’t be stupid enough to ask her to be my wife. She’d just laugh at me. As pretty as she is and with all of her fancy upbringing and class, she could have any man she wanted on this here Barbary Coast. She wouldn’t even consider being hitched up with someone like me. She’d just poke fun at me if I asked her.”

  “Then what is it?” Hide asked.

  Lefty took two more swallows of coffee, cleared his throat, and said in a low voice, “Shorty and me hit the mother lobe.” Hide’s face sobered and his eyes went blank.

  “Are ‘ya telling me the truth, Lefty, or are ‘ya just funning me?”

  Lefty didn’t take the time to answer Hide’s. He simply started telling him about the find. “It had taken us nigh on to three weeks to cross over several mountains and come to a mountain river flowing between two, straight-up high cliffs. We didn’t know it at the time, but the river was boxed-in for many miles which took several hours for our horses to wade to an area where the cliffs spread out leaving dry ground along the river. After looking around a bit, Shorty and me both figured no white man had ever been there before. We found fair diggings at the site, but after a week or so, we decided to climb higher up on the mountain. In fact, we went a considerable distance above the tree line. That’s where we hit the jackpot…the mother lode. It’s also where Shorty was killed when large boulders fell on him while he was digging.” Lefty reached for his cup.

  “If you found all of that gold, why didn’t you bring it back with you?”

  Lefty spent the next half hour explaining about the hideout behind the waterfall and the million dollars’ worth of gold hiding in it with several millions more, ready to be gotten in the nearby boulders. He told of the bad weather conditions coming off of the mountains and his decision to leave the gold there because of the trail robbers; with him being alone, he’d be an easy target.

  “It’s too bad about Shorty,” Hide said. “He was a millionaire when he died but didn’t have a chance to spend a dime of it. Did he have any kin, Lefty?”

  “He told me he had a brother and sister, but they left home years back when they were young, and he hadn’t heard from them since.” Hide nodded and went after more coffee. When he returned, Lefty said, “Shorty wanted you to have his share of the gold, Hide. We both figured you were part of us and deserved to have a third of whatever we found even though you were laid up here in San Francisco. Now that Shorty’s gone, you and me will split it even.”

  “That don’t seem right to me,” Hide said, “You and Shorty took all the gamble and did all the work. I ain’t entitled to half of it.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Neither of us could spend half of what’s up there if we lived to be a hundred.”

  Both men sat in deep thought, thinking about their wealth, even though it was miles away in the high-up mountains behind a waterfall. Finally, Hide asked, “What’s your plan, Lefty. How are you gonna get the gold down here?”

  “It ain’t just up to me, Hide. You’re part of this now. I expect you to pull your weight in getting the gold back.” Both men smiled as Lefty continued, “I figure to hire six or seven men to help us get the gold down come the first of June. We may have to pay each of ‘em several hundred dollars, but it’ll be worth it. If each man leads two mules, we should be able to bring most of it down here.”

  When Lefty looked up to fetch his coffee cup, he noticed Hide’s head slumping. “What’s the matter, Hide? Ain’t you happy about becoming a millionaire?”

  “I need to tell you something, Lefty. Something I ain’t supposed to tell no one, but under the circumstances, I think I’d better.”

  “What is it?”

  “Louise and I are planning to get married.”

  “That’s wonderful. When’s the big day?”

  “We ain’t set the date yet. We waited ‘til you got back, so you could be a part of it. I expect it’ll be before Christmas sometime. Louise will make all of the plans.” Hide paused, took another drink and said, “There’s one other thing, Lefty.”

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “She made me promise I’d never go gold prospecting in the mountains if we’re married, and I agreed to it. She said she couldn’t stand to lose another husband in those mountains.”

  Lefty gave Hide’s comment some thought and then said, “There a lot of time between now and June, Hide. Maybe, she’ll change her mind.”

  Silence gripped the two for a long minute before Hide spoke. “Those Ellis brothers are in town, Lefty, and they know you’re back. I’ve been told they have look-outs watching your every move. When they catch you in a place of their liking, they plan to gun you down.” Lefty only nodded with a wrinkled forehead.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Two mornings later, Lefty was alone at the kitchen table scribbling on a piece of paper with an ink pen when Hide walked up. “What are you doing with that pen and paper, Lefty? You ain’t able to write.”

  “I’m drawing you a map of where the gold’s hid in case I ain’t around. I ain’t doing no writing; I’m only drawing. When I’m finished, I’ll explain it to you. You can add anything you feel necessary after I explain it to you.”

  “What do ‘ya mean…in case you ain’t around?”

  “I’m gonna face-up to those Ellis brothers, and I ain’t gonna put it off any longer. They’ve been dogging me long enough, and I figure it’s time to put an end to it.”

  “There’re two of ‘em, Lefty. You ain’t fast enough to get both of ‘em before they get lead into you. Maybe, you should leave the area for a while and let the whole thing blow over.”

  “You might be right, but I ain’t leaving. I ain't a runner. I’ve made up my mind to get this whole mess over with one-way-or-another, and there ain’t no need in waiting ‘til everything is in their favor. I might even the odds a little if I choose the time and place.”

  “When do you plan on facing up to ‘em, Lefty?”

  “I’m heading out as soon as I’ve explained this map to you, Hide. They’ll probably be in the saloon telling everybody how fast they are with their guns and that I ain’t got a chance against ‘em. You can come along if you want too but stand back a-ways. I don’t want a stray bullet hitting you.” Lefty stood and handed Hide the map.

  “Where’s Sutter’s Fort?” Hide asked. When Lefty pointed it out, Hide made an X for the location and then wrote Sutter’s Fort. Hide looked at Lefty and said, “Louise taught me to read and write while you w
ere gone. Lefty nodded with a smile and then fetched his gun belt holstering his pistol from a wall peg and strapped it on. He had pulled his gun from its holster and was spinning its cylinder to make sure it was fully loaded when the women walked in.

  “What are you doing, Lefty?” Suzan asked with a bit of alarm to her voice. “Why are you wearing your gun belt with your pistol drawn?”

  Lefty started to speak but Hide beat him to it, “He’s leaving to face those Ellis brothers as soon as he explains the…” Hide stopped short, knowing he was about to spill-the-beans concerning Lefty’s gold find.

  “As soon as he explains, what?” Louise said rather forcefully.

  “Yes,” Suzan said. “What’s this all about?” Hide looked at Lefty.

  Lefty took a deep breath and started explaining. “I’ve been holding out on you women ever since I’ve been back. Shorty and I hit the mother lob when we were in the mountains.” The women looked at each other with puzzled eyes, questioning what Lefty had just said. Lefty went ahead and explained the entire adventure to the women in great detail.

  When he finished, Suzan asked, “What does that have to do with you drawing that map lying on the table and wearing your gun belt?”

  “He’s going to face-up to the Ellis brothers,” Hide quickly interjected, “and he’s figuring there’s a chance he might get killed, so he’s drawn a map, so I can find where he hid the gold.”

  “I thought we had an agreement, James Hideman,” Louise said bluntly. “You promised after our marriage, you’d not go prospecting in the mountains after gold.” Her eyes were glaring.

  Hide was about to respond to his fiancée comment when Suzan butted in, “I didn’t know you two were getting married,” she said excitedly.

  Louise responded, “It was supposed to be a secret. We wanted to wait until Lefty got back and things settled down before we announced it, but after this development, I need to reconsider Hide’s proposal, since he plans to break his promise and goes traipsing into those mountains after gold.”

  Lefty quickly broke in and said firmly, “Let’s all settle down over a cup of coffee; it’ll help settle our nerves.” After everyone sat down, and coffee was poured, Lefty continued, “I ain’t dead yet, and I’m planning on staying around ‘til a ripe old age. Besides, nobody is going after that gold ‘til June. That’s six months away, and things will most likely change by then.”

  After a few seconds, Suzan said, “You’re not really going to face-up and have a shoot-out with those hoodlums, are you, Lefty?” He only nodded. “That’s the most foolish thing I’ve ever heard of. If you don’t value your life any more than to show-off in front of people to see who has the fastest gun draw, think of the people who would morn dreadfully at your death.”

  “I ain’t showing off, Suzan, and I don’t want to get killed, but these Ellis brothers have been after me for months,” Lefty said as he stood, tying his holster rawhides around his leg, and reaching for his hat. “Life ain’t worth living if you have to constantly look behind you, and that’s what I’ve been doing. It time to put a stop to their threats.” Lefty looked at Suzan’s watery eyes and said, “It’s the way of the west, Suzan, and to keep on running from their challenge would mark me as a coward with a yellow streak down my back.” Lefty turned and headed for the door with all of the table eyes on him.

  As soon as the door slammed, Hide stood, put his hat on, and went to the dresser drawer to fetch his gun belt and pistol. While he was buckling his gun belt, Louise asked, “What are you doing, Hide?”

  “If you think I’m gonna let the best friend I’ve ever had go up against those two killers alone, you don’t know James Hideman.” Hide turned to leave, but Louise grabbed his arm. When he turned, her eyes were filled with tears.

  “I’m going with you, sweetheart. Wait until I get my coat.” When she headed for her coat, she called out to Suzan, “Take care of things around here, Suzan. I’m going with Hide.”

  “They’ll have to take care of themselves, Louise. I’m coming along.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Standing in front of the saloon’s batwings, Lefty reached down and removed the leather safety loop from his pistol’s hammer. Then he pushed the batwings opened and stood inside for a long minute while his eyes got accustomed to the darkness. Lefty pulled his hat low and carefully took-in the crowded room. As usual, there were all different nationalities, with various physical characteristics; tall, short, fat, skinny, long hair, short hair; wearing an assortment of clothing and speaking several languages. The tables were full of men playing cards with bottles of whiskey sitting along-side. There were those standing around holding whiskey filled glasses, watching the barmaids strut around like peacocks. The bar at the back was lined with bellied-up men, throwing down shots of whiskey and telling yarns about something that probably never happened.

  Lefty started walking very slowly toward the bar with alert, roaming eyes. His main focus was on the men standing at the bar with their backs toward him. He could see the gestures they were making when they spoke, but he couldn’t distinguish their words because of the room’s loud voices. He kept walking. When Lefty was within a few steps of the bar, the bar voices were distinguishable, and he heard a man say, “He’s a dead man as soon as I lay my eyes on him. He ain’t very fast. Me or my brother, either one, could take him easy.” The bragger poured himself another two-fingers and threw it down. Then he poured another two-fingers and let it set on the bar. Lefty assumed the man doing all the talking was Frank Ellis and the man standing by him was his brother, Joe. Lefty stood listening to the blowhard when a newcomer walked past him heading to the bar, but he turned back eyeing Lefty. “Ain’t you Lefty Newman, the gunslinger?” he called out loudly. It wasn’t long until his words spread throughout the saloon including the men bellied-up to the bar. Every piercing eye was focused on Lefty. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

  “That’s what folks call me,” Lefty responded, raising his hat brim a mite. Then he turned to the blowhard talker who was glaring at him. “Frank, you and Joe have been dogging me long enough. You’ve accused me of shooting your kid brother in the back when he wasn’t looking, but that’s a lie. We were face-to-face, and I let your brother make the first move, but he was a mite slow. You and Joe will end up the same as your brother if you insist on having the shoot-out you’ve been bragging about.”

  Frank took his foot from the bar-rail and straightened himself toward Lefty, “You’re crazy if you think you can take both of us down ‘fore we fill you with lead. It ain’t possible,” Frank said with a sarcastic voice.

  “Maybe so, but if you’re still hankering to find out, you and Joe meet me in the street, and we’ll find out. I don’t want anyone in here to get hit with a stray bullet.” Lefty turned and headed for the street.

  Frank waited several seconds, threw down his whiskey, and headed for the street with Joe following. Frank was already on the boardwalk when Joe approached the batwings, but he never made it outside because someone grabbed him around the neck from behind with their pistol pressed against his right kidney; it was Hide. “You ain’t going nowhere ‘til Lefty gets finished with your brother. Then I’ll turn you lose and give your gun back, so you can get killed too.” Hide motioned for Louise, who was standing close by, to take Joe’s gun, which she did and handed it to Hide. Hide stayed in the saloon with Joe, but Louise and Suzan hurried outside to see what was happening. The street sides were lined with people waiting for the showdown. Not only the saloon crowd but many people from the entire bay area were present; apparently, the word had spread within minutes of the challenge.

  Being first in the street, Lefty positioned himself with the sun to his back, so the glare would be in his challenger’s eyes. Frank took a position about fifty feet from him and started looking for his brother, who, of course, was still in the saloon with a gun pressed against his back.

  As Frank stood looking for his brother, Suzan broke through the crowd in tears and ran to Left
y calling out, “Don’t do this, Lefty. You might be killed. This grudge between you and the Ellis brothers is ridiculous. Tell them we’ll leave the country and be out of their sight forever. It’s not worth the chance you’re taking.”

  Lefty’s eyes turned toward Suzan, “What did you mean, that we’d leave the country, Suzan?”

  “Suzan shrugged her shoulders and said soberly, “I guess it was a slip of the tongue.”

  “Please go, Suzan,” he said. “I don’t want you to get hit with a stray bullet, and my mind needs to be on the Ellis brothers and not on you.”

  “Joe won’t be coming out,” Suzan whispered. “Hide has him at gunpoint in the saloon.” Lefty smiled.

  Time passed. It was a beautiful November day in the San Francisco Bay area. The sun was bright, and large fluffy clouds floated eastward. As usual, a strong breeze was present.

  “It looks like your brother has coward-out, Frank. It’s just you and me…make your move.” When Frank didn’t make a move after a long minute went by, Lefty started walking slowly toward him with penetrating eyes. Every few steps, Lefty stopped, offering Frank another challenge, but Frank never accepted the offer.

  The lined street was quiet, deathly quiet. Even the horses standing at the hitch rails were silent. Every eye was on the two gunmen in anticipation of their guns erupting to see who was the fastest. Was it Frank Ellis who had constantly bragged in saloons all over the California territory that Lefty didn’t have a chance against him, or was it Lefty, the known gunslinger who had the edge.