Golden Spike

by Robert Lee Murphy

  “I’m helping Homer prepare to cook a meal for the general. He told us you were bringing an antelope that Lone Eagle shot. That’s what he wants for supper.”

  Homer joined Jenny on the platform and waved to Luey and Lone Eagle.

  “We have it right here in the stable car,” Luey said.

  Lone Eagle grinned at Jenny and Homer, but said nothing, nor did he raise a hand in greeting.

  “Sergeant Winter!” Luey called out.

  A soldier with three gold chevrons on his sleeves appeared from behind the stable car. “Sir.”

  “Move the horses over to that livery stable, then take the men to the work train and see if you can talk them out of some food for the men.”

  “Sir.” Sergeant Winter saluted. “You heard the officer, men. Get your horses over to the stable yonder. Curry, feed, and water them, then we’ll go find us something to eat.”

  A clatter of hooves accented the urgings of the soldiers as they led their mounts off the platform.

  “Homer,” Luey said. “Lend us a hand with this antelope. He’s a big one. We’ll hand him down to you.”

  “Sure thing, Lieutenant.” Homer hopped off the platform, crossed the short space separating the two cars, and stood beneath a door leading into the stable car.

  A moment later, the sliding door facing Dodge’s passenger car opened, and Luey and Lone Eagle appeared directly opposite where Jenny stood on the platform of the coach. Luey and Lone Eagle lowered the gutted, headless carcass of an antelope onto Homer’s shoulder. Jenny noticed that Homer swung his good shoulder into position to take the weight of the antelope.

  “Whew!” Homer said. “He is heavy, for sure.”

  “Lone Eagle,” Jenny called across the space. “You shot that thing with an arrow?”

  A broad grin crossed Lone Eagle’s face. He simply nodded.

  “Luey, General Dodge wants you and Lone Eagle to join him for supper tonight. He’s inviting the Casement brothers. Will and Mr. Corcoran will be here, too. The general wants to have a nice feast. Homer and I are going to work on preparing it.”

  “Thanks, Jenny. We need to take care of our horses, and I need to make sure the men are fed.”

  “Will tells me you’re going to be a father, Lone Eagle,” Jenny said.

  “Yes,” Lone Eagle said.

  “Your wife’s name is Butterfly Morning?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where is she?”

  “With her people on the Shoshone reservation, north of the Wind River Range. I took her there to be with her mother before I joined Lieutenant Moretti’s detachment.”

  “Well, I hope to meet her someday,” Jenny said. “Remember Luey, you and Lone Eagle are to come to supper later.”

  “Oh, I won’t forget. If you’re cooking, I wouldn’t miss it.” Luey shoved the door of the stable car closed.

  Jenny stepped back into the coach to clear room on the platform. Homer struggled to climb up the steps bearing the weight of the antelope. He dumped the carcass on the floor of the platform.

  Homer blew out his breath. “Whew! Good thing an antelope don’t weigh as much as a buffalo or an elk. He’s heavy enough as it is.”

  “Can you carve out the steaks we’ll need, while I finish cleaning up the kitchen?”

  “Yas, ma’am. I seen a butcher knife in the drawer in there. I’ll fetch it.”

  While Homer worked on taking the carcass apart into usable pieces, Jenny cut up vegetables and worked on a pie crust.

  Homer entered the kitchen carrying a pan filled with antelope steaks. “They sure looks good, Miss Jenny.”

  “That they do. Put the pan right over there and I’ll work on the steaks in a minute. We need to get the fire started if I’m going to bake a pie and have everything else ready in time.”

  “I’ll hustle over to the work train and fetch that wood now. When I gets back I’ll carve up the rest of that antelope into roasts and such.” Homer cocked his head to one side and looked at Jenny. “You be all right here by yourself? I promised your pa not to leave you alone.”

  “I’ll be fine, Homer. Who could possibly want to bother me while I’m working in General Dodge’s private car?”

  CHAPTER 21

  Paddy watched the activity around Dodge’s private car from the single window in the baggage room. He’d seen the troop train unload the soldiers and the horses. He’d observed Moretti and Lone Eagle pass an antelope carcass to Homer Garcon. After the troop train pulled away from the station, he had a clear view of the lone passenger car parked on the siding opposite the depot.

  Paddy leaned closer to the window when he saw Homer descend from the platform of the coach and cross the tracks heading in the direction of the Casements’ work train. Jenny would be alone. He wouldn’t have a better opportunity.

  He opened the door from the baggage room leading into the main station. Elmo Nicoletti whirled around from a bulletin board where he’d been posting items.

  “What are you doing, O’Hannigan?” Elmo asked. “How long you been in there? You’re not allowed to go into the baggage room without a railroad official being present.”

  “Well, now, sure and it is that I don’t keep current on railroad regulations. I came to pick up a box for Mort Kavanagh, and seeing as how ye weren’t here, I went searching for it meself.” Paddy waved the bill of lading at Elmo.

  “Only I have the authority to release a package from the baggage room,” Elmo said.

  “Well, sure as I didn’t find it, ye can exercise your authority and find it for me. But I don’t have the time to wait right now, don’t ye know. I’ll return another time. Good day to ye.”

  Paddy shoved the bill of lading into his vest pocket and left the depot. He headed across the street to the livery stable. He’d heard the orders given to the soldiers to take their horses to the stable. He slipped around the side of the building. No soldiers were to be seen, but several horses bearing the US brand milled around in the stable’s corral. A couple of these horses would do fine. All he needed were saddles and bridles.

  Paddy returned to the front of the livery stable where one of the double doors stood open. He stepped into the shadows and paused. The swishing sounds of a pitchfork tossing hay told him Zeke Thomas worked at a stall toward the rear. Paddy spotted the tool that satisfied his requirements—a manure shovel.

  Taking short steps on the balls of his boots only, Paddy slowly approached the last stall in the barn. His stealth, plus the continued swishing and scraping of the pitchfork, covered the noise of his approach. The gate to the last stall stood open. A single horse held its head down browsing through the pile of hay.

  Paddy slipped into the stall, the shovel raised shoulder high.

  Zeke spun around, holding the pitchfork in front of him. “What the—” he said.

  Paddy swung the shovel with all his strength smashing Zeke squarely in the face.

  Zeke dropped the pitchfork, collapsed to his knees, uttered a sigh, and toppled forward.

  “Sure, and I’ll be taking your coat, Zeke.” He and the stable hand were about the same size. The nights would be chilly where Paddy was heading, higher into the surrounding mountains. He would need something more than his vest to keep warm.

  Paddy stripped Zeke’s coat off and also decided to trade hats. He favored a bowler, but the old man’s slouch hat would provide him a bit of a disguise as he carried out the next part of his plan. He could always buy a new bowler with all the money he would soon have.

  He returned to the corral and selected two mounts, leading them back into the stable by their halter ropes. He saddled and bridled the horses, tying a coil of rope to the straps on the rear of one saddle. Then he led the horses across the street to the depot. He checked the bay window of the station building to be sure Elmo Nicoletti did not sit at the desk where he would have a view of the platform and the tracks.

  With the way clear, Paddy led the horses across both the mainline and the siding. Once behind Dodge’s special car, he
tied them to the side of the coach where the horses would not be visible from the depot. The Army McClellan saddles didn’t have horns, so he fastened the reins of one of the horses to an equipment ring riveted to the skirt of the saddle of the other horse.

  Paddy climbed up the steps onto the platform where he’d earlier observed Homer carving up the antelope carcass. The animal’s gutted remains lay in front of the coach’s door. Through the window in the door, he saw Jenny working in the small kitchen. She wore a blue and gold checkered calico dress. A matching scarf lay draped across her shoulders.

  He slid his Bowie knife from his boot sheath and opened the door. He quickly crossed the space from the door to the kitchen counter, and before Jenny could react to his surprise entrance he pressed the knife blade against her side.

  “What?” Jenny hissed.

  She tried to pull away, but Paddy grasped her at the waist and pushed her against the counter. He pressed the knife into her side, feeling her wince when she felt the point of the blade. “Ye best not make any sudden moves or I’ll slit yer gut.”

  “Ow!” Jenny exclaimed. “What are you doing, Paddy?”

  “Well, now, sure and it is that ye are going for a ride with me.”

  “What do you mean, going for a ride? I’m not going anyplace with you.”

  “Aye, I believe ye are. And, if ye value yer pretty little self, ye’ll do exactly as I tell ye.”

  Jenny squirmed when Paddy pushed the knife point into her side again.

  “Sure, and we’ll be needing some grub where we’re going. Put some of those antelope steaks and some potatoes into that sack, me darlin’.”

  “I’m not your darling!”

  “Do it!” He stuck her with the blade once more.

  “Ow!” Jenny squirmed, but she dropped the items into the sack.

  “Put yer hands flat on the counter in front of ye.”

  From habit, he stuck the knife blade between his teeth. When his aching tooth bit down on the metal he couldn’t suppress a groan. He quickly removed the knife from his mouth and slid it back into the boot sheath. He lifted the scarf off Jenny’s shoulders, spun her around, and wrapped the material around her wrists, knotting the ends together.

  “Pick up the sack and step out onto the platform with ye.”

  Jenny grasped the sack with her bound hands. Paddy spun her sideways and pushed her ahead of him, reaching around her to open the door.

  Coming across the main track, heading for the siding, Homer approached with an armload of cordwood.

  “Well, how convenient. Sure, and I’ll be ridding meself of one of me enemies right now.”

  Paddy forced Jenny down onto her knees in the open doorway and drew his Navy Colt .36-caliber revolver.

  “Look out, Homer!” Jenny shouted. “Paddy’s got a gun!”

  Jenny threw her body against Paddy’s legs at the moment he pulled the trigger, and the shot flew wide of Homer. Paddy backhanded her head with the revolver. She toppled onto her side and rolled against the bloody antelope carcass remains.

  Homer dropped the firewood he carried and dove behind a stack of ties.

  Paddy saw Homer draw his own revolver.

  “Sure, and I wouldn’t be trying that, nigger!” Paddy cocked his pistol again and held it against Jenny’s head. “I’ll blow her head off, if ye don’t shoot her yerself by accident.”

  Paddy motioned to Jenny with the pistol. “On yer feet, pick up the sack, and hustle down them steps. Quick, like.”

  Jenny twisted her head from side to side. Paddy knew she was trying to clear her ringing ears from the knock he’d given her. A cut oozed blood on her cheek where the front sight of the pistol had cut into it.

  Jenny struggled to her feet, picking up the potato sack with her tied hands. Paddy shoved her from behind. She stumbled down the steps, lost her balance, and fell to her knees when she reached the bottom. She reached forward to try to break her fall with the sack, but with her hands tied, she pitched forward onto her face. When she looked up, Paddy saw she’d scraped the other cheek on the gravel of the roadbed.

  Paddy jerked Jenny back to her feet, gathered up the sack, and shoved her toward the horses. He held his revolver to her side and looked to where Homer couched behind the ties.

  “Sure, and ye can see she’s still alive, nigger. We’ll be leaving now, but I’ll send instructions soon on how to get her back. Ye try anything now, and she’s dead.”

  Paddy pushed Jenny against the horse that was tied to the other’s saddle. “Lift yer foot and put it in that stirrup.”

  Paddy dropped the sack onto the ground and guided Jenny’s shoe into the stirrup with his free hand.

  “Now, lass, reach up and grasp the pommel of the saddle.”

  Jenny shook her head. Paddy whacked her in the shoulder with the pistol.

  “Ow!” She reached for the saddle and did as Paddy ordered.

  “Up ye go.” He pushed her in the rump and she threw her leg over the saddle. “Sure, and there’s no saddle horn for ye to hang on to. Ye’ll have to grasp the front.”

  Paddy retrieved the sack of food, lashed it to the rear of his saddle, and mounted.

  “Giddup.” He snapped the reins and the two horses trotted up Echo Canyon alongside the railroad tracks. Jenny’s horse trailed Paddy’s by the length of the reins that fastened her horse to his. He kept his revolver pointed at Jenny until they were a hundred yards away from Dodge’s coach before holstering it.

  CHAPTER 22

  Will turned his head to the side. He’d been watching his uncle and General Dodge talking with the Casement brothers in front of their warehouse. That shot sounded like it came from the depot. Random shots were not unexpected in Hell on Wheels towns, but they usually occurred near one of the saloons.

  He stepped around the side of the tent warehouse for a better view of the depot area. He saw Homer running toward him, waving his uninjured arm frantically, a revolver clasped in his hand.

  Will hurried back to the front of the warehouse. “Something’s happened over by the depot, Uncle Sean,” he said. “Homer’s coming this way signaling trouble.”

  The men stopped talking and followed Will back to the side of the warehouse.

  Homer ran up, stopping in front of the group while holstering his pistol. “Paddy’s kidnapped Jenny!” Homer was panting from his run. He leaned forward, grasping his knees to catch his breath.

  “What?” General Dodge said. “How can that be?”

  “I don’t rightly know, suh,” Homer said. “I was fetching firewood for the kitchen stove, and when I came back to the coach, Paddy shot at me. He rode away with Jenny saying he’d send instructions later on how to get her back and for nobody to follow or he’d kill her.”

  Will took off at a run to the livery stable.

  “Where are you going?” Will’s uncle yelled.

  “I’m going after her. I have to get Buck.”

  “Hold on,” his uncle called.

  Will kept running. It only took two minutes for him to reach the livery stable. “Zeke? Hey, Zeke?” He called out to the stable attendant when he ran through the open stable door.

  “Over here.” Will heard Zeke’s weak voice answer from the rear of the stable.

  “What happened?” Will asked. He entered the stall and helped Zeke to his feet.

  Zeke ran a hand down his face, wiping blood off his lips and nose. “That no-account Paddy O’Hannigan hit me full in the face with a shovel.” Zeke held the bridge of his nose. “I think he busted my nose . . . and he took my coat and hat.”

  “I’ve got to saddle Buck and go after him,” Will said.

  “Buck’s in the third stall up. I’ll help you.”

  Will and Zeke were saddling Buck when his uncle appeared in the stable door. “What do you think you’re doing, Will?” His uncle was breathing heavily. He’d obviously run ahead of the other men to reach the stable.

  “I’m going after Paddy.”

  “That’s not a good idea. Ho
mer said Paddy threatened to kill her if anybody followed him.”

  Will ignored his uncle and tightened the cinch on Buck.

  “Homer said Paddy would send instructions later on getting her back,” his uncle said.

  “Instructions?”

  “Paddy evidently plans to demand ransom for Jenny.”

  “Why?”

  “How would I know,” his uncle answered. “He wants money.”

  “Where were the soldiers?” Will asked. “Why wasn’t there someone there to protect her?”

  “Them soldiers all went to the railroad dining car to eat after they left their horses in the corral,” said Zeke. He held a handkerchief to his nose to try to stop the bleeding.

  Luey Moretti and Sergeant Winter entered the stable, joining the group at Buck’s stall. “What’s all the excitement?” Luey asked.

  Will’s uncle explained what had happened.

  “Two of them Army saddles is missing.” Zeke pointed to a railing along the inside of the barn where a row of McClellan saddles rested.

  “Check the horses, Sergeant,” Luey said.

  “Sir.” Sergeant Winter hurried out of the stable.

  Will finished saddling Buck and led the Morgan out of the stall. He raised a foot to insert it into the stirrup, but his uncle grabbed his leg.

  “Wait, Will,” his uncle said. “Let’s think this through before we rush into something that might get Jenny killed.”

  Will blew out his breath. His pulse raced. He lowered his leg.

  Sergeant Winter hurried back into the stable. “Two horses are missing, sir,” he reported.

  General Dodge, General Jack Casement, Dan Casement, and Homer walked through the stable door.

  “Everybody calm down,” General Dodge said. “Let’s review the situation. We don’t want to go off half-cocked and put Miss McNabb’s life in more jeopardy than it already is.”

  CHAPTER 23

  Jenny’s mount kept dragging back. Bloody horse wanted to return to the corral. Paddy reached down, grabbed the reins from where they were tied to the rear of his saddle, and pulled the horse closer. By keeping a tight grip on the reins, he was able to force the horse to keep pace with his. But, it meant Jenny’s horse kept bumping into his leg.