THE ROCK CREEK
ADVENTUROUS TALES, PART 1
An elderly lady, Miss Cooper is yelling at Buck and Kid in the marshal's office. She is shaking her walking cane at the two young men. An elderly man is standing behind the lady looking intimidated by the woman. Her hair is white and swept up in a bun. There are some loose strands of hair around her face that are evidence of a slight struggle. She is losing her temper with the two men at the marshal's office. They don't appear to be taking her very seriously. Although the thrashing they are taking from her walking cane has the two men backed up to the wall.
"I demand you lock Mr. Larson up," Miss Cooper yelled loud enough for anybody passing by the office to hear.
"Miss Cooper, what did Harry do?" Kid asked comfortingly.
"What did you say?" Miss Cooper yelled as she leaned closer to Kid to hear what he said to her.
"I said what did Harry do wrong?" Kid yelled.
"Took me on a picnic."
"Why that sounds real nice of you Harry," Buck spoke his attention turning to Mr. Larson with an amusing smile on his face.
"I thought so too," Mr. Larson spoke meekly.
"Nobody asked you to butt your nose into the conversation marshal," Miss Cooper spoke in a harsh tone aimed at Buck while pointing her cane up in his face.
"I'm only trying to help," Buck spoke defending his actions.
"Miss Cooper, a picnic does sound nice," Kid spoke trying to get back to the matter at hand.
"He tried to seduce me!" Miss Cooper yelled at the three men who
by now are all trying to stifle their laughter. Miss Cooper looks from one man
to the next. She is not finding any amusement in this situation at all. She
has a scowl on her face and it isn't budging off anytime soon.
"I want Harry arrested for his actions!"
The laughter coming from all three men suddenly comes to a quiet stop. Buck and Kid straighten up and try to look the part of acting marshal and deputy that they have sworn to do. Mr. Larson's laughter has turned into a frown.
"Miss Cooper. I really don't think Mr. Larson meant to take advantage of a wonderful woman such as yourself," Kid spoke as he lays his smooth talk on pretty thick. He wants to make sure Miss Cooper can't see through his wicked ways to keep from having to lock poor Mr. Larson up.
"Mr. Larson next time you take Miss Cooper on a picnic remember to keep your hands to yourself. Unless of course Miss Cooper should say otherwise," Buck spoke trying to offer some advice.
"There won't be a next time!" Miss Cooper stated irritably. She proceeded to leave the jailhouse. On her way out she slaps poor Mr. Larson with her walking cane. "If the law won't protect a woman then a woman will just have to protect herself." She slaps the cane at Mr. Larson several more times before Kid and Buck apprehend her cane.
"Miss Cooper it isn't a good idea to beat Mr. Larson with your cane right inside the marshal's office," Kid spoke. He hands the cane back to Miss Cooper, but escorts her out the door.
"It's better if you beat Mr. Larson with it out on the street where we can't witness the action," Buck spoke with a smirk across his face.
Kid watches from the doorway as Miss Cooper and Mr. Larson walk down the street to their buckboard. Kid watches as Miss Cooper allows Mr. Larson to take her hand in his and proceed to help her onto the seat of the buckboard. "She's actually going to let Mr. Larson take her home."
"It figures. She's already forgiven him. But I bet the next time she sees either one of us on the streets of Rock Creek she'll use that cane on us," Buck spoke as he sits down at the desk.
Kid walks away from the doorway and sits in a chair close to the desk.
"I have the feeling we're in for another day just like yesterday. I can't
believe our luck. Teaspoon never has this much trouble with the town folks."
"Maybe he does and just never complains about it."
"I don't know Buck. You would think if he had to put up with Miss Cooper too much, he would have shot her by now."
A man who resembles a mountain man with a frame well over six feet tall, and muscles he has the right to brag about, walks out of the livery stables shouting at Mr. Jenson and Jason. Mr. Jenson and his son Jason own the livery stables in Rock Creek.
Mr. Jenson is an elderly man with white hair who can barely stand up. At one time in his life he was a tall man, but his hunched over posture has shortened his physical appearance considerably. His beady gray eyes stare up at the brawny man through spectacles that have been fogged over from the man's heavy breath. His son Jason resembles him except that he is thirty years younger.
"You best find my horse! There's no way I'm going to believe that horse of mine trotted out of this livery by himself!"
"Look mister. My Pa's telling you the truth. We don't have your horse. Maybe someone you know came in and took your horse out of here," Jason spoke his voice trembling from fear.
"I don't know anyone in this hell hole of a town!" The mountain man shouted loud enough for all of Rock Creek to hear him.
"We happen to think Rock Creek is a pretty respectable town mister," Mr. Jenson spoke with confidence rising in his soul.
"I don't give a damn about your town! The only thing I care about is you two losers finding my horse."
"For the last time, we don't have your horse," Jason shouted back at the mountain man.
The next thing Jason knew, he was laying on his back in an oversized mud puddle. He rubs his chin where the mountain man's fist met with his tender face. He shakes his head from side to side to make sure it is still attached to his neck.
Mr. Jenson tries to help his son stand on his feet. "Don't you think that was a bit uncalled for mister?" Mr. Jenson asked annoyed at the burley mountain man for punching Jason in the mouth. "We can let you borrow a horse until you find yours."
"I don't want to borrow a horse! I want my damn horse! I want my horse right now! If I don't get my horse right now, I'm gonna have to kill the both of you!" The mountain man proclaimed his intentions to the two livery stable owners.
"What's going on out here? Buck asked as he and Kid are rounding the corner of the livery stable to stand next to the three men who have been involved in a heated discussion with their guns drawn.
"Marshal, these two so called horse caretakers have misplaced my horse from their stables. I am simply demanding they find my horse so I can get the hell out of this town."
"What's your hurry?" Kid asked suspiciously of the mountain man.
"I've got trapping and fishing to do before nightfall."
"Marshal we don't have this….this….animal's horse," Jason proclaimed.
"What did you call me?" The mountain man asked in a bearish manner. His enormous, calloused hands grasping tightly around Jason's scrawny neck. Jason grabs onto the man's hands with his own, but there is no comparison in size, and he is unable to free the hold on his neck. He begins to feel his life being choked from him.
Buck and Kid stand in a disbelieving trance of the mountain man's strength. Jason's gagging coughs draw both marshal and deputy out of their state of shock. Both men cock their guns on the crazy man.
"Put him down!" Buck ordered sternly.
The only action Buck's words enhance are a firmer grasp around Jason's red neck. The gasping and gagging sounds coming from Jason are putting everyone on edge except for the mountain man holding his hostage. Buck aims his gun at the man's knees. "Drop him or you won't be walking very well for a few months."
The mountain man turns his attention to the marshal. Buck aims directly where the bullet will rip through the man's flesh, just above his kneecap. He slowly releases Jason's neck from his strong hold. Jason's body crumbles into a heap on the ground. He groans softly from the pain forming over his entire being. Kid kneels down next to Jason and tries to help him onto his feet.
"I don't want to stand up again. He'll only knock me to the ground again. Maybe it would be best if I just stay on the ground," Jason commented his voice hoarse.
The mountain man springs out towards Buck. But Buck is a little faster then the heavyweight. Buck backs away from the bullish man aiming his gun directly at the mountain man's heart.
"Get back," Buck shouted at the man about to attack him. " Jason are you alright?" Buck asked keeping his eyes glued on the mountain man.
Kid gets Jason to stand again. The three men gather around Buck. Mr. Jenson actually hides behind Kid, Buck and Jason. He peeks his head out between Kid and Buck's shoulders.
"Marshal, maybe you and the deputy should escort this man out of town. I offered him another horse until he finds his."
"Mr. Jenson!" A young boy on an enormous horse comes riding up to the livery stables. "I'm returning the horse you let me borrow yesterday."
"That's my horse!" The mountain man shouted.
Jason turns to look back at his father whose mouth is wide open from shock. "Pa did you let this boy take that horse without the owners permission?"
"Ah…ah… I forgot about the boy asking if he could take the horse for a little ride." Mr. Jenson said his voice trembling and barely above a whisper.
Jason turns to the mountain man who is lifting the young boy from atop his horse. "Your horse's stay at the livery is on us."
The mountain man rides out of Rock Creek at a slow pace. Mr. Jenson and Jason watch him leave hoping he never returns.
"Mr. Jenson. The next time you lend out someone's horse, try to remember that you allowed it before you try convincing a man you don't have no idea what happened to his horse," Kid suggested.
"Kid I don't know about you, but I'm calling it a day," Buck spoke with a tried voice.
"Sorry marshal. We didn't mean to disrupt your day," Jason spoke sympathetically.
Later that evening after an exhausting day at the marshal's office and an even more tiring evening making repairs at the ranch, Buck and Kid are stretched out on the porch steps leading up to Kid's home. Their hats are pulled down over their face. The evening sun is about to descend from the sky leaving dusk upon the two men.
"You think they are right?" Kid asked barely able to move his lips to speak.
"Whoever they are has to be right. Remember Kid, we are always wrong," Buck spoke barely above a whisper.
"Teaspoon ran us raged this morning before we even got ourselves over to Rock Creek."
"He did that on purpose Kid. To prove a point," Buck spoke tiredly.
"What point?" Kid asked slightly angered and pulling his hat back onto his head. He sits straight up on the steps and looks over at his business partner and best friend who obviously wants to sleep. "What point Buck?"
Buck pulls his hat back onto his head and glances over at Kid. "That he still is always right."
Kid thinks about what Buck has just told him. He takes a deep breath to keep his temper in check. "We can't let Teaspoon be right again."
"Teaspoon's been right since the day we met him Kid. I don't see that rule ever changing."
"Then you're saying we should just admit defeat?"
Buck hates the idea of admitting defeat knowing Teaspoon will get great pleasure from their failure to keep peace in Rock Creek without calling on his help. "You know Teaspoon's going to love this. We're going to get another one of those long lectures of his. Rachel and Louise will have an over abundance of I told you so's waiting for us. Louise will make us get along with Jeremiah. Eventually Louise will have Jeremiah out here repairing the ranch right along side us. Then for months to come he'll be bragging about how, without his help, we couldn't have got the ranch back into shape before winter hit."
Kid thinks about all Buck has just said for a total of two seconds. "I think I can live with Teaspoon, Rachel and even Louise getting on us. Jeremiah's smugness I won't be able to tolerate even if he is Louise's brother."
"We could shoot him," Buck suggested with half a smile.
Kid actually takes a minute to think about the possibility. "Shooting him is probably a bad idea. Louise would shoot us."
"You sure had to think about it long enough. So our choices are humiliation or death." Buck thinks on their choices for a moment. "I guess we've been humiliated plenty of times before and we always rebound from it."
"Yeah. I'm not so sure we'd rebound from death quite as easily," Kid replied disheartened.
Louise steps out onto the porch with two steaming cups of coffee in her hands. She sits down in between her husband and best friend. She hands each man a cup of the hot brew. "You two are looking mighty worn out. Your conversation is proof of that. What were you discussing?"
"Oh. Just on how much Buck and I enjoy being the butt of everyone's laughter."
"That's not what it sounded like to me. I could have sworn you were both contemplating your death or someone else's. What I think is that the two of you need some help over at the marshal's office."
"We could send Jeremiah," Kid joked with an amusing smile pasted on his face.
Buck chokes back a chuckle. His eyes lock with Louise's eyes in an apologetic manner.
"I'm sorry Lou about my words for Jeremiah earlier," Buck spoke almost ashamed that he had been so harsh to a sixteen-year-old boy.
"It's not your fault Buck. Jeremiah just wants to prove he's more a man then still a boy. He wants to forget about things a boy should be thinking about," Louise spoke already having forgiven Buck.
"Like his school work. Last school year the school teacher was over here at the ranch discussing Jeremiah's poor attitude more than she was at the school teaching," Kid spoke harshly forgetting that Louise would be upset with him again.
Lou keeps her cool but breaths a heavy sigh of disapproval. "I think we all need a good night of sleep." Lou gets up and walks into the house.
"I think she's mad at us again," Buck spoke softly not wanting Louise to hear the turmoil in his voice.
"She's only upset with me. You have an extra bedroom made up in that house of yours for me tonight?" Kid asked sadly.
"Nope. You get in your house and apologize. We need Lou on our side when we admit defeat," Buck smiled.
"Yeah. I guess you're right."
Buck gets up to head over to his home located behind Kid and Lou's home.
"Hey Buck."
Buck stops in his tracks and turns around to look at Kid.
"Finally one of us is right about something," Kid spoke smiling.
"Goodnight Kid."
"Goodnight Buck."
