The Daughter by C.B. Cooper (story books to read txt) đ
- Author: C.B. Cooper
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âYou ever run into Buffalo Hump again?â
âNo, I made sure I steered clear of his area. I didnât want to fight him, as far as I was concerned, our deal was done, just like we had agreed that night. Later on, when I was about nineteen, I was hired by the government to throw down on the Mexicans.â Sam shrugged, âAnd the rest is history, as they say.â
âIs that when ya started being a preacher?â
âIt was a while after that. I spent a few years being a drunk first. Iâm not real proud of that time in my life.â
Zeb rubbed his whiskered chin thoughtfully, âAny perticular reason you started drinkinâ like a fish?â
Sam sloshed the remaining coffee in his cup around to stir up the grounds in the bottom, and then chucked the liquid into the brush behind him.
He leveled a look at Zeb, âYou donât kill as many red devils as I did, without aquiring a few demons of your own along the way.â
Seeing that Sam obviously wasnât going to supply any more information, he nodded his grey head thoughtfully, âFair ânough.â
âWhat about you?â Sam asked brightly, trying to lighten the mood, âAny extraordinary adventures youâd like to share?â
Zeb smiled and shook his head, âNot tonight, boy. Iâm plumb tuckered out jest listeninâ to yerâs. We best be hittinâ the sheets, we gotâs a long trail in front of us.â
Both men rose to their feet and started moving around, gathering their bedding and spreading their blankets out by the fire. Sam made a quick trip into the trees to relieve himself, and reappeared a minute later.
âZeb, youâve been this route before, how long do you reckon itâll take us?â
Zeb was just crawling into his blankets and waited until he was good and settled before answering, âIn good weather and travelinâ light, like we are, a man should be able to make Kansas in âbout fifteen days, give âer take.â
âFifteen days? Your kidding me.â
âGive âer take. Thatâs a sight better than going around, wouldnât ya say?â
âThatâs incredible. Howâd you find this trail of yours.?â
âI didnât. I heard about it from the Kiowa. This here trails been here a long time. Thatâs the funny thing about old Indian trails, they know their land like the back of their red hands, and if they make a trail somewhere, you know its gonna be the easiest and fastest way to get there. You know as well as I do, them Injunâs aint no dummyâs.â
Two days later they sat on the southern side of The Red.
âYou had much experience dealing with The Red, boy?â
Sam smiled to himself. No matter how many times Zeb called him boy, it just struck a cord in him that made him want to smile.
âNot to much.â he admitted.
The old mountain man shook his head, âUh, huh. Well, yer âbout to git some schoolinâ then. Look at the water and tell me what ya see.â
Sam, sensing this was a test, studied the river closely. âWell, Iâd say itâs about fourty-five feet across, maybe three or four feet deep there in the middle. Its moving pretty slow, since it hasnât rained in a while.â He knew there was something he was probably missing, but he didnât want to stain his brain too hard, he wanted to give Zeb a chance in share his knowledge.
âIâd say yer partly right. Would you say its safe to cross here?â
Sam shrugged, âI donât see anything wrong with it, Zeb.â
Zeb nodded as if he already knew what Samâs answer would be, and that it would be wrong. âThe thing about the Red is- itâs full of sandtraps. Quicksand. Itâll swaller up a horse and itâs rider quicker than a whore can suck off a school boy, and thatâs a fact. Iâve witnessed it myself a time or two.â Chuckling, he added, âThe quicksand part, that is.â
Sam studied the seemingly harmless river bottom. It looked alright to him. âSo how do you know when thereâs quicksand.â
âThatâs the tricky part, ya donât. Did you notice how the trail veered off to the west, back yonder?â
âYes I did. I just figured you knew where you were going.â he said dryly.
Zeb ignored him, âNow, look closely at the bank here. You see any animal tracks?â
âNo.â
âThat thereâs another indication. If the animals donât cross here, it just might be for a reasonâ
âSo what your telling me is, your not sure if thereâs really any quicksand here or not.â
Zeb nodded, and turned his horse, âThat would be a fact. But its not a chance ya ever want to take, is it? Our best bet would be to follow the beaten path. That way, yer usually always safe.â
On their way back to the main trail, Sam thought it would be a good time to broach the subject of stopping at the the Red River Station.
âZeb?â
âYeah, boy?â
âIâd surely appreciate it, if when we get to the station, youâd kindly keep my identity a secret, this time.â
Zeb, didnât turn around, but Sam got the impression the old man was stifling a smile.
âIâm right sorry âbout what happened back at the fort, Sam. I just plumb forgot I wasnât supposed to tell anyone. I tell ya, getting oldâs a bitch. Yer mind goes, yer hearinâ goes, yer eyes go, and I wont even mention what happens to yer dick, but itâs a down right shame. Nothing works right anymore! Ya spend yer whole life taking those things fer granted, and then, when ya really need âum- poof! Their gone. There is something to be said fer dying young, at least a body donât have to suffer the humiliation of breakinâ down.â
âIâm sorry, Zeb. I hadnât realized you had it so rough.â Sam said dryly, âAnd here I thought it was you leading me all this time. I had no idea Iâd taken on the burden of caring for a geriatric.â
âDonât you smart mouth me, boy! I still got enough of my senses to know when someoneâs bustinâ my nuts.â
Sam stifled a laugh, âJust promise me that you wont go blabbing my name all over town.â
Zen turned in the saddle to look back at Sam, and groused, âI donât know why yer so goddamn sensitive about it.â
âWell, lets see⊠if you would of kept your trap shut back at the fort, those two men back there would still be alive.â
Zeb turned back around as he harumphed, âLike we didnât do the world a favor there.â
âZeb!â
âFine, fine, have it yer way.â he waved, and after a minute he asked âSo how do you plan on introducing yerself then?â
âWell, Iâve been thinkingâ on that. Iâm going to tell them that my names Sam Smith.â
âOh, âŠthatâs real original.â
Sam gave the back of Zebâs head an exasperated look. âSmith was my motherâs maiden name.â
âSam Smith.â Zeb said.
âThatâs right.â
âSam Smith⊠Sam Smith⊠Sam Smith.â
Sam was glad to see that Zeb was taking it so seriously this time. He kept repeating the name out loud so he would be sure to remember it once they hit the Red River Station.
âSam Smith⊠Sam SmithâŠâŠ Sam Smith!â
Sam shook his head as Zeb continued to yell his name louder and louder.
Zeb finally pulled up on the reigns of old Ugly, and turned in the saddle to look at Sam petulantly. âWall, that aint gonna work, is it?â
Frowning, he asked,âWhat are you talking about?â
âWall, Iâve been up here saying yer name a hundred times, and you havent answered it not once. So hows this gonna work ifân you caint remember yer own name!â
Sam groaned. âZeb!â
âWhat!â he answered back. âYou see how I answered ya right away? Thatâs because I know my name.â
Sam smiled and shook his head. âZeb, you are a test.â
âTest a what?â
âNever mind, just keep riding.â
Red River Station. Red River Station⊠there was something vagely familiar about the small town but Sam just couldnât put his finger on it. Not so much the name, but the actual town itself, not that it didnât look like a hundred other small towns that were smattered across the west. It had the usual livery, dry goods store, saloon, resturant and hotel, but there something about it that was tickling the edge of Samâs memory.
They had checked their animals at the livery and even paid the extra fifty cents for a good rub down and an extra fork of hay.
As they walked up the street towards the local watering hole, Zeb nudged Sam. âI gotta make a quick stop at the mercantile for a new plug of tabaccey, you wanna come with me?â
âNo, Iâm good. Iâll meet you down at the saloon.â
âAlrighty then, suit yerself, Sam Smith.â
Sam chuckled as Zeb veered off and entered a building with an old sign above it that announced the name, Red River Mercantile.
As he walked along the boardwalk to the Red River Saloon, he studied the buildings on the opposite side of the street. The Red River textiles was a small hole in the wall, next came the impressive sized Red River Station House which boasted clean rooms, home cooked meals and even hot baths for a dollar. Next came Hanks barber shop, the only business in town that didnât start with Red River, as far as Sam could see, anyway.
He made his way through the swing doors and into the saloon. He eyed a small table at the back and made his way to it. It was getting late in the afternoon and the place was already filling up with men. Doing a quick calculation in his head, he realized it was Friday night, time for the working men in the area to cut loose a little.
A small piano sat tinkering in the far corner. Sam wasnât sure if it was badly out of tune, or if the thin, bald man who was hammering away at it, just didnât know how to play, but the god-awful noise was grating on his ears.
He sat studying a table full of men playing poker when she walked up. He had always had a fondness for the cards, but as a Reverend he had dismissed the game as the gambling evil it was, but since he no longer had to follow those rules, it probably wouldnât hurt to sit in on a hand or two.
One minute he was watching the game, debating with himself whether or not to throw in on a hand or two, and the next, a pair of boobs was obstructing his view. And what a magnificent set of boobs they were. They were full, and round and practically falling out of the red dress that was doing its damndest to keep them in check.
His eyes lingered, then finally traveled slowly up to the pretty face that smiled seductively down at him. She had thick honey colored hair pulled up into a loose bun with little tenderils falling to frame her face, smokey blue eyes that let a man get lost in their depths, and a set of full deep red lips made for sin.
Sam swollowed hard. He could feel little beads of persperation popping out on his forehead as his blood pressure spiked up a notch. Damn, she was a fine looking woman.
When she spoke, her voice dripped like molasses, âWhatâs your pleasure, Cowboy?â
He was happy to see that she was studying him as closely as he was studying her. âProbably the same as yours, sweetheart.â he drawled.
She cocked an eyebrow suggestively. âBourbon then?â
âWhat?â he asked slightly confused,
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