Day of Reckoning

by William W. Johnstone

  The game, which had been played by the hardy Scots since the earliest times was, because of the strength required, one of the most featured events on the programs of all athletic contests. The game centered around a long section of tree trunk, which had been tapered so that one end was considerably smaller than at the other.

  “All right, MacDavish, by the luck of the draw, you have the first toss,” Biff Johnson said. Biff had been selected by all contestants to be the judge of the caber.

  MacDavish reached down to grab the tree trunk, then he raised it to a vertical position with the smaller end down, and with a mighty yell he threw it into the air and away from him.

  The object of the game was to throw the caber in such a way that the large end of the pole would hit the ground and the pole fall so that the small end would wind up pointing away from the thrower. MacDavish made a perfect throw.

  The prize would go to the man whose caber lands on the ground with its small end farthest away from the throwing point. It was a feat that required as much finesse as strength to make the throw. That was because, if not handled exactly right, the caber would be just as likely to fall over sideways instead of straight forward when the large end hits the ground, or likely to fall at an angle or even fall back the way it came.

  After all the contestants completed their throws, the prize went to Angus MacDavish.

  There were several other games and demonstrations spread up and down Swan Avenue until nightfall. That night a wooden floor had been laid in the middle of the street. The floor, which was brightly illuminated by kerosene lanterns, was turned into a dance floor. For the dance the Scottish theme was temporarily put aside in favor of the more familiar band of fiddles, guitars, and a dance caller.

  The dance didn’t break up until nearly midnight, then Duff walked Meagan back to her home, an apartment over her dress shop.

  “You could stay, you know,” she said suggestively.

  Duff smiled. “I am grateful for the invitation, but there are too many in town who saw me walkin’ ye back to yer house, and ’twould be a shame to sully your reputation now.”

  Meagan laughed. “Leave it to you to be my Sir Galahad.”

  “Och, woman, do you nae ken that Galahad is an Englishman? Why would I want to be an Englishman?”

  “Knight or not, you’re not so cautious that you won’t kiss me, are you?”

  “I’m nae too cautious for a kiss,” Duff replied, his smile growing even broader.

  Chapter Nine

  Medicine Bow Mountains

  Clay Callahan lay flat on his stomach just below the crest of the hill and looked down into the narrow canyon below. Sheriff Sharpies was riding in front of a posse of twelve men. Although Callahan was a safe distance from them, they were below him in a natural bowl, which had the acoustical effect of gathering the sound waves and projecting their voices upward so that he could overhear the conversation of those who were in pursuit.

  * * *

  “If you ask me, we’re barkin’ up the wrong tree,” someone said. “We ain’t seen hide nor hair of ’em, ’n we ain’t seen no tracks for more ’n ten, maybe twelve miles by now.”

  “I think they came this way,” Sheriff Sharpies said.

  “Then how come we ain’t seen no sign of ’em?”

  “We’ve been following a creek for the better part of two miles. If they kept in the creek bed, they wouldn’t be leaving any sign.”

  “You know they didn’t do that. Hell, you can’t hardly get a horse to walk through a creek, let alone get ’im to stay in the middle of the damn thing for a couple of miles or so.”

  “Gibbons, bein’ part of a posse is a volunteer thing,” the sheriff replied. “If you don’t want to stay with us, I’ve got no authority to make you do so. You can turn around right now and go back to town.”

  “No, thank you,” Gibbons said. “What if I start back and they’re somewhere along the trail, just a-waitin’ on me. Why, bein’ as I’d be all by myself, ’n I’d be a sittin’ duck for ’em. If you don’t mind, I’ll just stay with the posse.”

  “All right then, if you can keep up with us you’re welcome to stay. But quit your bitchin’ about ever’thing you can think to complain about.”

  One of the posse members who had gone ahead of the others returned. The staccato sound of the hooves echoed back from the surrounding walls of the canyon.

  “See anything, Dobbs?” Sheriff Sharpies called to the returning rider.

  “I didn’t see a damn thing,” Dobbs said. “I can guarantee you that if they were ridin’ down through the middle of this creek, they didn’t leave. And that means they weren’t in it, ’cause the creek kind of disappears up ahead. The canyon does, too.”

  “You know what I’m beginnin’ to think?” Kelly asked. Kelly owned the leather goods store back in town.

  When nobody asked what he thought, Kelly volunteered the answer anyway. “I’m thinkin’ that they ain’t up here in this canyon at all. I’m thinkin’ they led us into the crick, then most likely instead of comin’ this way like we’ve all done, they doubled back ’n went the other way.”

  “Why would they go the other way?” Dobbs asked. “That don’t make no sense; it leads back down into the flatlands. There ain’t no place they can hide out in the flatlands.”

  “It’s on account of it don’t make sense that it does make sense,” Kelly said.

  Sheriff Sharpies laughed. “You know what? I don’t know why, but I think I’m agreein’ with Kelly.”

  * * *

  Up on the ridgeline, Callahan continued his observation.

  “Do you see anything, Callahan?” Manning asked.

  “Shh!” Callahan said, waving his hand sharply. “They’re just real close now!” Callahan didn’t realize that the acoustic conditions that so clearly broadcast the conversations of the posse to him did not work in reverse. Manning’s words couldn’t be heard down on the canyon floor.

  “Listen.”

  The others grew quiet and strained their ears to hear what was being said by those who were chasing them.

  * * *

  “All right,” Sheriff Sharpies said, his voice as clear as if he were standing next to Callahan and the others. “Let’s get on back to town. We ain’t doin’ any good out here.”

  “What are we goin’ to do, Sheriff? We ain’t goin’ to let the sons of bitches get away clean, are we?” one of the riders asked.

  “I can’t see as we have much choice in it now,” the sheriff replied. “About the only thing we got left to do, I suppose, is to send out telegrams to all the other towns in Wyoming Territory, Colorado, Nebraska, ’n maybe Idaho, sayin’ that the men escaped.”

  “What about reward posters?” Gibbons asked. “We goin’ to put out rewards on them?”

  “I reckon I’ll be able to get permission to do that,” Sheriff Sharpies replied.

  * * *

  From his observation post, Callahan watched as Sheriff Sharpies gathered his entire crew together, spoke to them quietly for a moment or two, then started back out of the canyon, retracing the path over which they had come.

  “Posse’s pullin’ out,” Callahan said.

  “What’ll we do now?” Cooper asked.

  “We’ll camp here the rest of the night, then get underway again in the morning.”

  “Damn!” Manning said with a broad smile spread across his face. “Boys, looks to me like we got away as clean as a whistle!”

  Sky Meadow Ranch

  Duff was standing on the back porch of the house, watching as the two riders approached. Even before they were close enough to see their faces, Duff knew who they were. He could tell by the way they were sitting their horses that it was Elmer Gleason and Wang Chow.

  As he watched the two men, he couldn’t help but think of the strange circumstances that had sent him halfway around the world to find two such unlikely men to be his best friends.

  Duff had left everything behind him when he came to America, and Elmer Gleas
on was the first non-kinsman friend he had made. Elmer had been working an old gold mine, having found a producing vein in a mine that had been abandoned. He was living there as well, an almost skeletal apparition that had the people of Chugwater thinking the mine was haunted. The mine was on Duff’s property, and because he also had mineral rights as well, legally, all the gold in the mine belonged to Duff. Instead of running Elmer off, Duff offered him half the mine, and as a result, Elmer had become his best friend.

  Duff had saved Wang Chow from a lynching, then took him on as one of his hired hands. The result was a lifetime of fealty. Wang brought more than loyalty to the relationship. Wang was forced to leave China after he effected a terrible revenge upon those who had murdered people that were very close to him. He brought to America the same disciplines, both mental and physical, he had exhibited while a Shaolin priest.

  Both Elmer and Wang had saved Duff’s life, and he theirs, more times than any of them could count.

  Duff stepped down from the porch, greeting his friends with a welcoming smile.

  “What did ye do, rent those horses? If ye had sent me a wire, tellin’ me ye would be comin’ back, I woulda had your horses in town waiting for you.”

  “We wasn’t all that sure we was comin’ back so soon,” Elmer said.

  “The people of San Francisco could nae put up with the two of you ’n so they threw you out, did they?”

  “Here now, you heathen Scotsman,” Elmer replied, “I’ll have you know there was much wailing and gnashing of the teeth when we left, them wantin’ us to stay as bad as they did.”

  “Well, ’tis glad I am that ye didn’t give in to the siren song, but instead came back to your true friends. Get down, come in, have a drink, ’n tell me all about your trip.”

  * * *

  “Hello, the house!” someone shouted shortly after Duff had invited his two friends to come inside.

  Recognizing Meagan’s voice, Duff got up and walked to the kitchen door. “Meagan,” he called. “Come on in. Guess who is back?”

  Meagan was warmly greeted by Elmer and Wang. What followed was a discussion of their trip to San Francisco, though without mention of their run-in with the Tong.

  “What brings ye here?” Duff asked Meagan. “Though I dinnae want ye to think that by the question that I’m nae happy to see ye.”

  “I’ve brought the finished dress for you to see,” Meagan said.

  “Finished dress? What dress?”

  “What dress? Why, the dress I made for Ina Claire, of course. Have you forgotten that today is her birthday? I’m to deliver it to her today, and you said you would go with me to give it to her.”

  “Oh, aye, I did say that,” Duff replied. “Well, ’tis good of ye to come ’n remind me.”

  “You ain’t got nothin’ to give ’er?” Elmer asked.

  “Oh, I got something for her, all right,” Duff replied. “Captain Culpepper has already picked it up.”

  “We’ll be takin’ these rented nags back into town while you ’n Miss Meagan are deliverin’ your gifts to the young girl,” Elmer said. “Tell her that me ’n Wang wish her a happy birthday.”

  “We’ll do that,” Duff promised.

  Twin Pine Ranch

  “Oh, it is beautiful!” Ina Claire said, looking at the dress Meagan gave her.

  “It is lovely,” Julie agreed. “Ina Claire, when I was your age I had one just like it. It is called an arisad. Meagan, it is so sweet of you to give her this. I know I’m going to enjoy seeing her in it, quite as much as she will enjoy wearing it.”

  “I must try it on,” Ina Claire said.

  “Wait,” Ed said, holding out his hand. “You can wear it for dinner tonight. For now you might want to come out to the barn. I have something I want to show you,” Ed said.

  “The barn?”

  “Yes, the barn. It is your birthday, isn’t it?”

  “Thunder!” Ina Claire said.

  “What?”

  “Papa, you bought Thunder for me, didn’t you? For my birthday!”

  “Are you talking about that worthless horse Hecke-meyer was trying to sell me?”

  “Oh, Papa, he isn’t worthless! He is a marvelous horse.”

  “Well now you’re beginning to make me feel bad,” Ed Culpepper said. “You’re so set on that horse that I reckon you’re going to be plumb dissatisfied with anything else I might have gotten you for your birthday.”

  “I’m sorry, Papa,” Ina Claire said. “It’s just that I wanted Thunder so bad. But I know he must cost way too much, and the truth is, I’ll be satisfied with whatever you got for me.”

  “That’s my girl,” Ed said. He looked at the others. “You might all come; I think you will appreciate this as well.”

  Ed and Ina Claire led the way to the barn with Julie, Duff, and Meagan following. Julie, Duff, and Meagan were all smiling because they were in on the secret.

  “Go ahead and look inside,” Ed said when they reached the barn.

  “What am I looking for?”

  “I think you’ll see.”

  Ina Claire stepped into the barn, and for a moment she had to let her eyes adjust to the dark. Then she heard a horse whicker, and looking in the direction of the sound, she saw a coal-black horse in the first stall, looking back at her.

  “Thunder!” she shouted at the top of her voice. “Oh, Papa, you did get him for me!” She ran back to embrace her father.

  “Your mama and I got him for you,” Ed said.

  “Can I ride him now?”

  “Well, he’s your horse,” Ed said with a little wave of his hand. “I reckon you can do just about anything you want with your horse.”

  “Papa, Mama, thank you so much!” Ina Claire said.

  “Before you ride, you might want to saddle him,” Ed suggested. “That is, unless you plan to ride him bareback.”

  Ina Claire started for a table where lay some of the saddles used for the ranch horses.

  “Wouldn’t you rather have this saddle?” Ed suggested, stepping over to another table and removing a blanket to disclose a saddle. Unlike the worn, dark work saddles, this saddle was made of thick leather, with an all-over hand-carved floral tooling, accented with silver conchos and a rawhide trim cantle.

  “Oh, what a beautiful saddle! It is perfect for a horse like Thunder.”

  “It is, isn’t it? You can thank Mr. MacCallister for that one.”

  Spontaneously, she threw her arms around Duff’s neck to give him a hug. Then, self-consciously, she stepped back and looked at Meagan. “I, uh, hope you didn’t mind that I gave him a hug. I mean, how must it look to you, when you see another woman embracing your man?”

  Meagan laughed. “I didn’t mind at all,” she said.

  “I’m going to saddle my horse now,” Ina Claire said, grabbing the saddle and stepping into the stall where Thunder waited.

  Thunder was a big, muscular, black horse that stood eighteen hands at the withers. All the time she was saddling him, he kept moving his head and lifting first one hoof and then another. He looked like a ball of potential energy.

  Once she had him saddled, she led him out into the corral.

  “You need me to help you into the saddle?” Ed asked.

  Ina Claire laughed. “Papa, you haven’t had to help me into the saddle since I was seven years old.”

  She put one foot into the stirrup and then swung up into the saddle. Her dress pulled back so that she showed more leg than she intended to, and as soon as she was seated, she pulled the skirt down as far as she could.

  “I should be wearing trousers for this,” she said.

  “Trousers aren’t ladylike,” Ed replied.

  “Neither is showing so much of my legs.”

  Ed laughed. “I guess you’ve got a point. I’ll go open the corral gate for you.”

  “Neither Thunder nor I need you to do that,” Ina Claire replied. She slapped her legs against the side of the horse and he started forward at a gallop. As the horse approached
the fence, she lifted herself slightly from the saddle and leaned forward.

  “Come on, Thunder,” she said encouragingly. “Let’s show everyone what you can do.” Even as she spoke to the horse though, she realized that she was more interested in showing the others what she could do than what the horse could do.

  Thunder galloped toward the fence, then sailed over it as gracefully as a leaping deer. Coming down on the other side Ina Claire saw a ditch about twenty yards beyond the fence, and Thunder took that as well. Horse and rider went through their paces, jumping, making sudden turns, running at a full gallop, then stopping on a dime. After a few minutes she brought Thunder back, returning the same way he left, over the ditch, then over the fence. She slowed him down to a trot once they were back inside the corral, and the horse was at a walk by the time she rode up to dismount in front of her father and the others. She was smiling broadly.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  “I think you and Thunder belong together,” Ed said. He chuckled. “If we were still at Fort Lincoln, I could use you to give riding demonstrations to the troopers who are just learning to ride.”

  “Oh, yes, I’m sure they would like that,” Julie said. “You remember how the old-timers always teased the new men. Doing something like letting a sixteen-year-old girl show them up would be devastating.”

  “Yes,” Ed said. “But it would sure be good for my ego.”

  * * *

  “Ina Claire is going to be such a beautiful young lady,” Meagan said as she and Duff left Twin Pine. “She’ll be a great catch for some young man.”

  “Assuming he can keep up with her,” Duff said. “Ina Claire is quite the tomboy.”

  Meagan laughed. “I can’t argue with you there. I thought I was a tomboy when I was a young girl, but I wouldn’t dare attempt to do some of the things Ina Claire has done.”