by J. E. Neiman
"In time, I hope my gift will be everyone's."
Dan's phone rang. He took the call then faced Allie. "We need to go. Our ride's waiting downstairs."
* * *
Street Pub & Pool, across the street from the FBI building, provided an excellent place to wait for Allie and her man's next move. He placed a wad of cash on the bar. Jake picked up his beer and a cue stick. He walked toward a billiard table doing a balancing act while humming one of his favorite Rolling Stone songs, "Times On My Side."
"Eight ball," a raspy voice said. "Junk balls count the same as a scratch. Drop the eight in first and you lose."
"I know the game." Jake studied the girl, or was it a guy? The short butch haircut on top, long black curls hanging below the crown, silver ring through the lower lip with something green hanging off it, tight jeans and a black tee shirt with a Celtic cross printed on it – all these didn't help him answer the question. Hell, he thought, it's a partner for a game of pool, not a screw.
The "it" nodded for him to break. Jake rolled his cue stick on the table to test the balance. "Not bad." He eyed the table from different angles and sang softly, "Times on my side, I say."
"Stop stalling and break. Bet a hundred?"
This time Jake saw an Adam's apple bob. Jake banked a shot into a corner pocket.
"Damn, you’re a hustler, aren't you?" The "it" grabbed his crotch with one hand and put a finger through a curl at the nape of his neck. "Shit."
Jake took a long swig of beer and sat the bottle down on a shelf nearby. He raised his cue stick when an image of Allie entering a black vehicle flashed through his mind. "Gotta go," he said to the guy-girl.
"Bastard."
"Yep. And you don't know what the hell you are." Jake started for the door, changed his mind, went back, yanked the silver ring out of the "guy's" lip and threw it on the pool table.
"Jesus man," the guy screamed. "Why'd you do that?" He mumbled, holding his bleeding mouth.
The few customers at the bar didn't move from their stools. The bartender chuckled.
"It bugged the hell out of me," Jake laughed and darted out the front door.
Chapter 48
1875-Georgetown, Colorado Territory
Lulu and I began cleaning the upstairs living quarters. We'd decided that first we needed a place to sleep and prepare meals. Sonny swept out the store below. Kate lollygagged around downstairs doing nothing.
"Lulu can you get Kate to help?" I asked.
"She's knows one thing and it ain't cleaning." Lulu eyed Kate primping in a hand mirror she'd found downstairs. "Mac stole her when she's six. She been pleasing men since."
I sighed. "Well, she can learn." I leaned over the railing. "Kate, please come up here and wipe down the kitchen."
Kate climbed the stairs frowning all the way. But she took a rag and whipped it at the cupboards. Lulu winked at me.
We all took a break in the afternoon and ate leftovers from the food that Levi had brought that morning. Georgetown had come alive after the storm subsided. Through the dirty windowpanes of our store, we saw the Concord Coach from Denver arrive. Passengers were unloaded directly across from us at the Barton House, a hotel that Levi had said to be the finest in Colorado Territory. It not only presented first-rate accommodations but cuisine for the wealthy investors and miners. Bells jingled as buggies passed each other in the street, all pulled by large horses.
Wells Fargo Bank building loomed tall on the corner of Main Street and Elizabeth. People of all types, refined women with fashionable hats, aristocratic men and dirty miners, went in and out of its doors. The Seven Silver Mountains looked down upon Georgetown, which was named after George Griffith, who found the first gold strike in the area.
Kate put on her coat and headed for the door.
I stopped her. "Where you going?"
"I'm not staying here. It'll be more fun out there." She pushed me aside and left.
The three of us stared after her as she meandered down the street.
Kate didn’t come back. We saw her a few times later on, hanging around with the shady ladies of the town. These women, who "mined the miners," as it was called, usually started out working in one of the many Georgetown gambling halls and saloons as "beer juggers." But pay was low and it forced many of the girls to end up working in one of the "fancy houses" on Stillborn Alley, so named for the unwanted infants buried there.
Levi stopped by again that evening as promised. We told him about Kate leaving and wondered what to do.
"She'll come back and if not, we'll search for her." He paused. "But Kate might not want to work in this store . . . she has other ideas on how to pay her way." He blushed and I knew then what Kate had whispered in his ear that morning.
A few days before Christmas, Lulu, Sonny and I stood across the street from our building in Georgetown. We gazed up at the bright-red block letters ─Em's Mercantile─ displayed on the front of the building. We'd wanted to call it "Anna's," but decided that the men of this mining community might refuse to buy their provisions from a store with a woman's name.
"Tomorrow's our grand opening," I said. "Maybe we can hang evergreen boughs to hide that weathered beat-up door."
Sonny stepped forward. "I co. . . could paint it."
"Thanks, Sonny." I placed my hand on his shoulder. "But we don't have any brown paint, or the money to buy it. We've used everything to stock the store and buy gifts for tomorrow." I was worried.
Lulu turned to me. "There's leftover red-paint from the sign."
I hesitated and then laughed. "Well. . .why not?"
* * *
Later, Lulu and I watched Sonny finish painting the outside of the door. A sunset of brilliant pinks and golds washed over us. We prayed the bright red monstrosity would finish drying overnight.
Before we went inside, we gazed up the gentle sloping hill to Georgetown's cemetery. We were grateful for warm days that allowed us to bury Anna and her baby girl. They lay in a plot next to an elevated marble pillar belonging to a wealthy Frenchman. Someday we wanted to place a granite stone to mark Anna's place there, but for now, we only had to locate the grandiose monument to know where she and little Rose rested in peace.
We finished folding clothing and putting final touches on the store's displays at 10 pm. Lulu and Sonny climbed the stairs to the living quarters for much-needed rest.
I placed a pot of water on the stove to heat and removed hairpins to allow my hair to fall upon my shoulders. I breathed in the store's mixed aromas, including leather saddles, new clothing and cooking spices. My anticipation of the next day's celebration created a wide-awake euphoria. I did a slow turn to relish our completed work.
A rap on the window startled me.
"Pearl. Pearl, it's Levi."
I opened the front door and pointed to the wet paint. "Careful."
Levi came in and whispered, "I saw your light. Glad you're awake."
"It's the excitement of tomorrow. I can't rest."
"Let's sit for a while." He smiled and led me by the arm to the sofa.
We sat beside each other, but at a polite distance. If I reached out my hand, I'd touch his thigh.
The conversation flowed as we chatted about the mild weather, the store and his work. We'd shifted closer to each other. He laid his arm across the back of the sofa. If he lowered it at all, it would rest on my shoulders. I could feel the heat from his body and see the stubble on his chin. The water heating on the stove began to make clicking sounds. A buzz that matched the clicks, resonated through my body. I'd never felt anything like this before.
"Tell me about Oshkosh, Pearl," Levi said.
The mention of my hometown brought me crashing to earth, remembering everything. It must have been all over my face.
"Hey," he said, touching my cheek. "What did I say?"
I stood. "Nothing. It's just that tomorrow's a big day." I grabbed the store's ledger and flipped through the pages.
"We haven't received some of the items you s
uggested we stock. Like the coffeepots, frying pans and all. The camp knives arrived yesterday and . . . ."
Levi joined me and reached out to catch my wrist. I looked down to where he held me. His thumb moved across the pulse that beat there. He reeled me closer. The emerald-green facets of his eyes darkened.
I caught my breath. He bent down and kissed me. My heart hammered, I still clutched the ledger. Levi took it from me and placed it on the sofa. He pulled my free hand up to his chest and held it there.
He ran his tongue over my bottom lip. I trembled, then sighed. He kissed me as his hands explored my hair, the curvature of my shoulders and the contours of my back.
His lips moved to my neck. I should have stopped him but I couldn't. His roving hands found the roundness of my breasts. I felt I'd reached the point of no return and it frightened me. As if hearing my thoughts, he pulled back and stared into my eyes.
"What?" he whispered, inches from my mouth.
"I can't." Every nerve ending in my body ached to kiss him, to feel his smooth, muscular flesh against mine.
Levi pulled away from me. "I'm sorry, Pearl. I know you're six years younger than me but I've strong feelings for you." He walked to the door, opened it and stood there for a moment. "Pearl, I think I'm leaving Georgetown in the spring."
He nodded once, and disappeared into the night.
Chapter 49
1875-Georgetown, Colorado Territory
At the grand opening, Sonny stood proudly by his bright-red door, handing out packs of Sen-Sen to adults and Christmas candy to the children. Spiced cider simmered on the stove for our guests. Lulu and I filled orders and chatted with customers.
We'd hired a banjo player and the music filled the store. One man danced a jig on the polished wood floor in front of the stove. A few others joined in.
As we clapped our hands and laughed, the store came alive. We sang "Dixie," "The Battle Hymn of Republic" and "My Grandfather's Clock." Late in the afternoon, everyone sang Christmas carols ending with "Silent Night, Holy Night."
Once when I was behind the counter a sense of foreboding came over me. A vision of Jake outside our front door caused me to forget the lady that I was serving. Jake's silver-tipped boots reflected in the sun.
"Hey . . . Miss," my customer said, "What's going on?"
The irritated voice sounded miles away, echoing in the deep canyons of my mind.
Levi's voice snapped me out of the vision. "Pearl, you okay?"
I glanced over where Sonny stood as I completed the transaction, begging my customer's forgiveness. When she left, I leaned forward and said, "Levi, I saw one of our family's killers."
"Where?" He followed my gaze to the front door.
"Outside," I shouted through the noise, stepping from behind the counter.
"How did you see . . . outside?" Levi's face revealed confusion.
"Can't explain. Help me through the crowd."
Sonny greeted us and insisted on hugs. Levi and I opened the door and peered up and down the sidewalks and the street. We saw children and several couples coming toward our store. A few wagons passed by.
Levi looked puzzled. I leaned and whispered into his ear. "I have a gift. I'll explain it to you someday."
People swarmed around us. Levi stayed by Sonny, and I went back to the counter. I wondered if I'd imagined the whole thing.
After the last person walked out the door, Lulu, Sonny and I nearly fell to the floor with fatigue. But I found the energy to fetch the cash box and spread our earnings on a low table in front of us. I counted three-hundred-twenty-two dollars and change.
Lulu and I hugged each other then wiped tears of happiness from our eyes. Sonny counted the money over and over.
* * *
The rest of the winter and early spring we worked the store at least twelve hours a day, seven days a week. The valley around Georgetown was like a sponge, soaking up the melting snow from the high country and the overflow of Clear Creek River. The town was a muddy mess, but the canopy of wildflowers--blue, pink and purple-- that bloomed around the area helped us ignore the ugliness of the mucky brown streets.
Lulu and I planted a lilac bush near Anna's grave, and placed a marker with "Anna Rose Arnold and infant─4-21-1862 to 11-28-1875," etched deep into the dark-red granite. We gave her my last name because we never knew hers.
Miners were striking it rich with gold and silver mines near Central City and Leadville. Georgetown became a starting place for the workers and the investors. Our business boomed and we hired two clerks to help us during the busy days.
Levi came to visit often. Late one afternoon in April, he asked me to go for a ride in his carriage. We drove out of the city, staying on the edges of the mud-sodden trails. The wind turned chilly. I pulled my dark-green wool shawl taut around my shoulders and tied my bonnet tighter.
After about an hour, he stopped the carriage and pointed. A lake sat between two lofty peaks. The water danced with the same color of the green in Levi's eyes.
"What is this place?" I asked, stunned at the beauty.
"Well," he grinned, "it's called Green Lake."
We both laughed at the logic of the name.
"But I want to show you something else." He touched my shoulder and smiled.
Around another curve, and a precarious ride down a steep hill toward Georgetown, he stopped again. "Come."
We climbed out of the carriage and stood before the tallest waterfall I'd ever seen. Splashes of water created a mystical aura of wonder.
"This is Bridal Veil Falls," Levi said. He turned to me and slipped the pink bonnet off my head. "Pearl, will you marry me?"
"But . . . but I . . . ."
Levi's body suddenly became rigid. His eyes darkened. I thought I'd hurt his feelings.
"Pearl. Don't say a word. Get into the carriage as if nothing's wrong." His voice faltered. "Three men with guns are behind us. Watching."
Chapter 50
1875-Georgetown, Colorado Territory
When Levi proposed marriage at the foot of Bridal Veil Falls, my heart missed a beat. Now it pounded in my chest from his warning. "Three men with guns. Watching."
I threw my bonnet onto my head and hurried into the carriage. Levi jumped in and grabbed the reins.
"Don't look at them," he shouted over the roar of the waterfall.
But I'd already glimpsed at the mounted men on a rocky knoll two-hundred feet away. It looked like Jake, Red and Eli. What did they want? Then I knew. I'd witnessed the ghastly murders of my family near Fort Wicked and they had seen me by the river. They knew I could testify against them. I glanced at Levi and realized that now I'd put him in grave danger.
Levi yelled and swished the reins. Our horse pulled the metal wheels over mounds of rocks, nearly throwing us overboard. We drove down the muddy, bumpy trail toward Georgetown. Slimy mud flew onto us and evergreen branches hit the sides of the carriage. Glancing back, I saw the horsemen racing after us.
"Here," Levi yelled, pulling a rifle wrapped in tan fabric from under the bench seat. "Shoot."
I knew the gun, a 52-caliber Sharp's carbine, was capable of firing 10 shots per minute. Loaded cartridges, inside a leather tote, were stored in the blanket too. My father had taught me how to fire a shorter version of the rifle last summer. Levi flicked the bridle reins. I threw my shawl onto the floor, knelt on top of it, and faced the rear of the buggy. I braced the weapon against the seat. When I fired the first shot, the rebound knocked me back and to the side. Levi grabbed at my dress to prevent me from falling off the wagon. I heard a rip and buttons flew on my neck, but his grasp saved me.
One of the men dropped back from the other two. Perhaps I'd hit him. I reloaded and took aim again. This time the recoil didn't surprise me, even though the walnut-stock slammed against my face. My cheek and mouth felt numb. Now only one rider pursued us. I recognized Jake's wild hair and smug grin. He aimed his revolver at me, but suddenly spun his horse around and rode in the opposite direction. I grabbed at L
evi's thigh and yelled, "They're gone."
Levi pointed ahead. "We've got help."
I turned to see five riders, all holding guns, galloping toward us. Georgetown's Sheriff led the group. They passed by at high-speed. I laid the rifle on the floor as Levi pulled the carriage to a halt.
Levi reached out for me. "Are you okay?"
I found my shawl on the floor, wrapped it around my shoulders to cover my exposed undergarments. A few drops of blood dripped onto my arms and hands. "Were alive," I managed to say. "So I'm fine."
Levi applied pressure to my torn lip and bruised cheek with his handkerchief. "You're going to have a black eye."
"I don't care as long as you still want me for your wife."
"Darling," he said, tears flooding his eyes, "any woman who can fire a gun like that is the one I want to marry."
"In that case," I said smiling even though it hurt, "I do. I do. I do."
In Georgetown, Levi took me to his office, sewed up my torn lip and placed bandages on my cheek. We went back to Em's Mercantile. Lulu, standing behind the counter serving a customer, screamed at the sight of my injured face and muddy, torn clothes. Sonny ran over to Levi with a raised fist.
"No, Sonny. Levi didn't do this. He saved me." I hugged him. Lulu marched over and I had to repeat my words to her.
"Come here child. You's a mess," she said, clucking her tongue. "Look at that new dress I sewed you. Uh-uh."
The front door opened and the sheriff entered. "You two okay?"
"We're fine," Levi said. "Thank God you and your men came when you did."
"Well, we patrol the rim around town three times a day. Good timing for you." The sheriff took off his hat.
"Did you get them?" I asked.
"No, they disappeared on the other side of Green Lake. One of my deputies' horses tripped in the mud and broke a leg. We had to put the animal down. Decided we shouldn't take any more chances. They probably were just trying to scare you anyway."
"Sheriff, those men murdered my family." I shouted, then lowered my voice. "Somehow they found me in Georgetown and want me dead."
