The Legend of Perley Gates

by William W. Johnstone

  “What!” Perley exclaimed. “I did no such a thing! Ethel, tell the man the truth.”

  “I ain’t gonna tell you again!” Sumner warned him and cocked both hammers on his shotgun.

  “I did tell him the truth, darling,” Ethel cried out dramatically. “You promised we’d get married. That’s the only reason I let you have your way with me.”

  “That’s a damn lie!” Perley exclaimed. “She showed up here when I came back from huntin’. She’s makin’ the whole thing up.”

  “Get on your feet,” Sumner ordered. “Now, unbuckle that gun belt and let it drop.” When Perley hesitated, Sumner threatened, “Mister, I ain’t got no use for your kind. I just wish you’d give me a reason to blast a hole in your belly.”

  Perley could see he had no choice, so he did as he was told.

  “Now,” Sumner continued, “you’re gonna saddle that horse and pack up those sacks on your packhorse. Then we’re gonna ride back into town, and you can see how you like our jail while we decide what to do with you.”

  Perley made one more attempt to protest and received a blow to his head from the butt of Sumner’s shotgun that sent him to the ground.

  Once aboard Buck, Perley led Sumner and his packhorse out of the clearing, his handgun and his rifle in Sumner’s possession, with the deputy’s assurance that he was a crack rifle shot, in case Perley decided to run for it. Ethel rode behind the deputy, all the while afraid that her plan had backfired, but in too deep to confess.

  When they completed the short trip back to town, Sumner guided Perley to the jail, where they were met in front of the two-story building by Sheriff Lloyd James.

  “Good work, Martin,” James greeted him. “I was fixin’ to round up a posse to go after him. Where’d you find him?”

  Sumner told him down by the river, smoking venison.

  “He give you any trouble?” James asked.

  “Not really,” Summer replied. “I had to give him a tap on the head to let him know I warn’t playin’, that’s all.”

  “There’s been a misunderstandin’, Sheriff,” Perley said as he stepped down.

  “I’m sure there has,” James said. “Take him on inside and lock him up.” He reached up and helped Ethel off Sumner’s horse. “You all right, honey?” Afraid to open her mouth now, she just nodded. “You run on over to your daddy’s store. They’ve been sick worrying about you. We’ll take care of this feller.”

  Reluctant to look at Perley, she lowered her head and hurried down the street to the store. Watching her as she walked away, Sumner said, “The son of a bitch raped her.”

  “I did not touch her,” Perley insisted.

  The sheriff looked at him with a cold eye. “You’re lucky we’ve got law and order in this town, so you’ll get a chance to tell that to a judge. I’d just as soon hang you, if it was left up to me.”

  Perley could see that he didn’t have a chance for justice without a confession from Ethel, and it appeared she was going to stick to her story. “What are you gonna do with my horses?”

  “Don’t worry about them,” James said. “We’ll take ’em down to the stable and take real good care of ’em. After your trial and your hangin’, we’ll most likely auction ’em off.” He nodded toward his deputy. “Take him on in.”

  “You’d best lead that bay,” Perley said. “He doesn’t like anybody but me on his back.”

  “Is that a fact?” James replied and grinned at his deputy. “Hear that, Martin? After you put Mr. Pearly Gates in a cell, you’d best lead his horse down to the stable. You don’t wanna get bucked off.”

  “Maybe I’d better,” Sumner said while he pulled Perley’s saddlebags off his horse. He pushed Perley inside, dropped the saddlebags on Sheriff James’s desk, then marched Perley upstairs to a cell.

  Perley sat frustrated on the one small cot in his cell, wondering how he was going to recover from stepping in this latest cow pie, when he heard Buck snort and neigh on the street in front of the jail. Buck’s warning snorts were heard again, this time followed by a loud howl, then a dull thump. Perley didn’t have to see it to know what had just happened. He shook his head slowly and muttered, “I warned you,” while the sounds of Sumner’s cursing carried to the second floor of the jail.

  CHAPTER 11

  While Perley was locked in a cell on the second floor of the jail, Ethel presented herself to her parents, who welcomed her tearfully.

  “Where were you?” Mary Steiner cried when her daughter walked in the door. “Are you all right? We’ve been worried sick. We even went to the sheriff when Callie came to the store and told us you had disappeared.”

  “I’m sorry, Mama,” Ethel cried. “Martin Sumner found me and brought me back to town.” She was afraid to admit what she had done, thinking that her best bet was to stick to the story she had fabricated. “I didn’t know he was gonna grab me.”

  “Who?” her father demanded. “Who grabbed you?”

  “Perley Gates,” Ethel whimpered.

  “That son of a bitch!” Steiner roared. “I invited him into my home. He broke bread with my family!” He took Ethel by her shoulders, looking into her eyes. “What did he do to you?” When she refused to answer, he shook her violently. “What did he do to you?”

  “He had his way with me,” she lied. “I think he wants to marry me.”

  Her father was beside himself with anger, unable to talk for a full minute. He sputtered and fumed while Mary took their daughter in her arms and held her.

  “You’re safe now,” she said, “home where you belong.” She looked at her husband and confessed, “I’ve never been so wrong about a person in my life. I thought he was a decent young man.”

  Able to think rationally again, Steiner questioned Ethel then. “You said Martin Sumner brought you back. Did he arrest Perley Gates?” Ethel, still in her mother’s embrace, nodded. “So, he’s in jail?” She nodded again. “I’m going up there,” Steiner told his wife. “You take her home.”

  “We can’t both leave the store, Louis,” Mary responded. “What are you going to do, anyway?” When he insisted that he had to go talk to the sheriff, she said, “All right, but wait till I take Ethel home, and you can go when I get back.”

  Although still fuming, he realized what she said was true—he couldn’t leave their store unattended.

  * * *

  Trapped in the web of lies she had created, Ethel went home with her mother, where she was welcomed with great relief by all her sisters. Mary told them what had happened to Ethel, and their reaction was total shock, just as it had been with their mother and father. When Mary left her in their care and went back to the store, they questioned her in depth about her abduction. She was inclined to be a little more explicit with the details of the incident than she had been with her mother, unable to resist an attempt to arouse envy. Instead of buying into her fantasy, however, they were inclined more toward skepticism, knowing their sister better than her mother did.

  Virginia looked at Callie and winked, then addressed Ethel. “You seem like you’re feeling much better now.” When Ethel said that she was, Virginia said, “Good, ’cause we’ve got to take care of you, if he’s done everything to you that you’ve said. We’ll need to clean you up. I’d think that’s the first thing you’d want.”

  “Yes,” Ethel quickly agreed. “I wanna clean myself up after what I’ve been through. I’ll do that now.”

  “No,” Virginia said. “We’ll take care of you. You’ve been through too much. Hope, go to the pump and get a basin of water. Bring a washcloth and a bar of soap.”

  “I don’t need anybody to help me clean up,” Ethel protested.

  “No trouble at all,” Callie said. “We’ll do it, and that way we can see how much damage was done, and maybe we can clean you up to make sure you don’t have a baby.” She winked at Virginia.

  “No, confound it,” Ethel insisted. “I don’t want anybody touching me. I’ll take care of myself.”

  “I’ll bet you
made the whole thing up,” Eunice said. “We’ll know for sure when we get a look at your bottom.”

  “Ain’t nobody getting a look at my bottom!” Ethel exclaimed. “Anybody tries will get a sock in the eye!”

  “Is that so?” Eunice shot back. “I believe the four of us can hold you down.”

  “No, you won’t!” Ethel cried and started to run from the room, but Callie caught her by the arm.

  In a matter of seconds, her four sisters grabbed her and wrestled her to the floor, where her undergarments were discarded. The decision was easily unanimous—she had never been violated.

  “How did you find him?” Virginia asked calmly when Ethel finally quit struggling.

  Knowing her story had crumbled around her, Ethel didn’t try to pursue it. “I walked up the river till I found where he camped.”

  “Why in the world did you make up that story?” Callie asked. “Didn’t you know you would ruin that good man?”

  “I thought the sheriff or the judge would make him marry me and I’d get out of this damn town.”

  “More likely they’re getting ready to hang him,” Eunice said. “We’ve got to go tell the sheriff the truth.”

  “No!” Ethel cried. “I don’t want everybody in town knowing about it!”

  “You can’t let that man be punished for your foolishness,” Virginia said. “Sheriff James is a thoughtful man. We can probably ask him to keep it quiet.” She looked at her younger sister, waiting for her remorse, knowing that she was not without a sense of honor; she was merely foolish, as a thirteen-year-old can be.

  Ethel hung her head in shame. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she surrendered to her conscience. “You’re right. I can’t let him be punished. He didn’t do anything. He was going to bring me home.” She looked up at her big sister. “Will you go with me to tell Papa and Mama?”

  “I’ll go with you,” Virginia said. She felt compassion for her young sister, but she had already planned to accompany her to the store in case Ethel faltered in her promise to tell the truth.

  * * *

  Perley could hear Steiner’s angry ranting downstairs in the sheriff’s office, demanding swift justice instead of waiting for a trial for the man who kidnapped and violated his thirteen-year-old daughter. While Sheriff James fully understood the outrage the poor man was suffering, he was steadfast in his intention to carry out the letter of the law. When Steiner hinted that it might be easy to incite enough of his irate citizens to form a lynch mob, James made it abundantly clear that there would be no lynch mob in his town and that Steiner would likely wind up in jail with Perley if he was to try to put one together. Perley decided that the sheriff was a good, conscientious man and Fort Collins was fortunate to have him. However, he was still in jail awaiting trial.

  Perley heard someone come into the office, and a moment later, a woman’s voice carried upstairs to his cell. After that, there was a lot of talking by male and female voices, and he thought one of them sounded like Mary Steiner, no doubt come to demand justice for her daughter. Perley shook his head, wondering why he seemed to find himself in awkward situations more than most other people.

  Things got quiet. Then he heard someone coming up the stairs to the cell room. A moment later, Deputy Sumner appeared in the doorway, holding a key on a ring. He walked straight to Perley’s cell and unlocked the door, then motioned for him to come out.

  “Lynchin’?” Perley asked, thinking maybe Sheriff James had caved in to pressure.

  Sumner smothered a chuckle. “Nah, nothin’ like that. Sheriff wants you downstairs.”

  When he got downstairs, Perley was startled to see not only Steiner and his wife but Ethel as well. James plopped his saddlebags, his rifle, and his .44 on the desk. With a wary suspicion, as if he was being set up for something, Perley looked from one face to another, from the sheepish expression on Steiner’s wide countenance to the contrite smile on his wife’s face. As for Ethel, he could not see her face, as she stared at the floor. After what seemed a long moment, the sheriff spoke.

  “There’s been a big misunderstandin’ here. Looks like my deputy and I owe you an apology. Miss Ethel, here, has confessed that she let her imagination stampede and ended up causin’ you a heap of trouble. But thank goodness, we got the straight of it before Mr. Steiner rounded up a lynchin’ party.”

  “I swear, I’m sorry we doubted you, Perley,” Steiner said.

  “I think Ethel has something to say to you as well,” Mary said, and she poked the humiliated young girl in the back with her forefinger.

  “Yes, sir,” Ethel managed to mumble, before her mother told her to speak up. “I’m sorry I caused you so much trouble, Perley.”

  Perley was amazed. It was one of the most bizarre situations he had ever found himself in. It was his first time in jail for anything, much less for abusing a child. “I reckon no real harm came of it,” he said, unable to think of anything better. He found himself feeling sorry for the girl. He looked at the sheriff. “Am I free to go now?”

  “Yes, sir,” James said and apologized again for arresting him.

  “How ’bout my horses? Where are they?”

  “Down at the stable at the end of the street,” the sheriff said. “Tell Orin I said to let you take ’em. There shouldn’t be any charge after this short time, but if there is, tell him I’ll take care of it.” A mischievous smile parted his lips, and he couldn’t resist adding, “Martin decided to ride that bay of yours down there but changed his mind and led him down to Orin’s.”

  Deputy Sumner grinned sheepishly. “I think he mighta broke my tailbone when I landed on the seat of my pants. Maybe I oughta charge you for my doctor bill.”

  Perley chuckled. “You’ll have to take that up with Buck. Maybe he’ll give you a free ride to make up for that first one.”

  “No, thanks,” Sumner said. “I don’t need no more flyin’ lessons.”

  “I reckon I’ll be gettin’ along now,” Perley said and picked up his belongings from the sheriff’s desk.

  They all walked out to the street with him, and Steiner and his wife and daughter walked with him as far as the store.

  “Don’t be too hard on Ethel,” Perley said in parting. “I’m sure she meant no real harm.”

  The family stood in front of the store and watched as he walked toward the lower end of the street with his long, loose gait.

  “I’da gone with him if he woulda had me,” Ethel remarked, already recovering some of her natural brass.

  * * *

  Perley believed very much in the popular saying The Lord moves in mysterious ways. He thought about that as he walked down the street, a free man, after having thought he was heading toward a rope around his neck. Somehow, Ethel was persuaded to confess, against what he considered to have been pretty high odds. In reality, he was about to find the real miracle when he set foot in the stable and met Orin Jones.

  “How do?” Orin greeted him, walking out of a stall with a pitchfork in his hand.

  “Howdy,” Perley returned. “I believe you’ve got a couple of horses that belong to me. Deputy Sumner brought ’em down here about an hour or so ago.

  “That bay and the sorrel packhorse?” Orin replied. “Martin said the owner was gonna be in jail for a while. You didn’t shoot nobody to get outta jail, did you?” He said it as a joke, but truthfully, he wasn’t sure.

  “Nope,” Perley said. “It was a case of the wrong man. Sheriff James said he’d take care of any charges you had.” He purposely refrained from telling Orin what the actual circumstances were, to keep from bringing shame to Ethel and her family.

  Orin shrugged. “Well, I ain’t really done nothin’ for ’em yet. I was fixin’ to feed ’em a portion of oats, but you got here before I did that.”

  “Well, go ahead and give ’em the oats,” Perley said, “as long as the sheriff said he’d pay for ’em. I reckon he owes me at least that much for throwin’ me in jail.”

  Orin chuckled and, extending his hand, said, �
�Why not, Mister... I didn’t catch your name.”

  “Gates,” Perley supplied and shook his hand. “Perley Gates, Mr. Jones.”

  “My stars!” Orin exclaimed. “If that ain’t the dan-gedest coincidence I’ve ever seen. That’s a mighty curious name—wouldn’t figure you’d meet anybody by that name. I ain’t sayin’ there’s anything wrong with it,” he hastened to assure Perley. “It’s just an unusual name, and to meet two men with it don’t seem likely to happen, and within about three months’ time, at that.” Seeing the look of astonishment on Perley’s face, he was moved to ask, “Have you got any kinfolk out this way?”

  “My grandpa,” Perley answered at once. “I was on my way to Denver to find him when I stopped here in Fort Collins.”

  “Well, you wouldn’ta found him in Denver. When he came through here, he was headin’ to Cheyenne on his way to the Black Hills, like a heap of other folks lookin’ to strike it rich.”

  Feeling like he could be knocked over with a feather, Perley was at a loss for a moment before he could think to ask questions. “How long was he here?” he finally asked.

  “Not long,” Orin replied. “I don’t think he stopped anywhere else but my place. He wanted to sell me an extra horse he had with him, but we couldn’t get together on a price, so he said he’d try to sell it in Cheyenne. If it’d been a good horse, I mighta give him somethin’ for it, but it was damn nigh swayback.”

  He paused when Perley seemed to be thinking about something other than his conversation. “You say you’re takin’ your horses?”

  Perley jerked his head back to the present. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m takin’ ’em.”

  When Orin went to get the grain bucket for the oats, Perley’s mind went back to where it had flown a few moments before. He had to wonder about the coincidence that stopped him from going on to Denver and led him back to his grandfather’s track. Maybe he was beholden to Ethel Steiner after all. Had she not pursued him and then concocted her outrageous story, he would have surely gone off in the wrong direction to have any chance to find his grandpa. The Lord moves in mysterious ways, all right, he thought.