» Mon Apr 04, 2011 3:47 am ----------------------------------------------------
Nuevo Tejas
There was crackling from the radio behind the bartender, Daddy Sang Bass by Johnny Cash. The door to the saloon opened wide, no one cared to look as all could hear the spurs hittin’ the floor. A tall stranger lookin’ mighty gruesome came up to the bar, “beer.”
The man next to the stranger simply chuckled and said, “son you must not be from around here, but we don’t got beer, he’ll take your finest whiskey, on me.”
The stranger looked to the man, “what kinda place don’t serve beer.”
“The kind that’s fightin a war,” said the man he looked at stranger and finally the stranger saw the man had an patch covering an eye, “keep your head low son, it’s gonna get mighty messy ‘ere real soon, wouldn’t want that purty head of yours to get caught up.”
The man dismounted from his bar stool, placing a hand full of bottle caps on the counter, the stranger caught a glance of the man’s badge. Sherriff. A lawman, who tipped his hat to the stranger and walked out of the saloon, the sign above the lawman read, ‘EL CAMINO SALOON.’
Across from the El Camino, the Yanaguana Theatre, a beat up wooden figure of a lizard over the top. The lawman stepped forward and lit up a cigar. He looked up to the sky and then down the road, and noticed a black caballo heading his way, the six legged creature with its twin-tail swishing back and forth. On top of the animal, rode the Judge, Judge Roy Frijoles, most just called him Judge Frio but the Judge referred to himself as the law west of the Pecos.
“Sherriff Travis,” said the Judge tipping his hat as he dismounted the caballo. The Judge never rode alone, with him two of his own ‘deputies.’
“Judge Frio, didn’t realize I was expectin’ company here in Alamo.” Travis replied as he adjusted his duster, taking a few puffs from his cigar, “wish you’d send word ahead, Judge.”
Frio looked at Travis his eyes menacing, he felt his fingers beneath his gloves, they were leather the kind you’d get off the Brahmins. “If I wanted small talk, Sherriff I’d stay home with my wife, now I heard you got some kinda fugitive here.”
“Fugitive?” The Sheriff scoffed and said, “Judge you must have me confused for that inbred you call Sherriff over there in your hicktown.”
“You watch yourself, Travis.” The Judge warned as his two deputies stepped forward.
Travis looked over his shoulder as the locals began to turn their guns toward the Judge, “I’m sorry I didn’t quite catch that, Judge did ya say something?”
“Fugitive, Travis, said he came this way through your hicktown,” Frio stated as he took a step forward.
The Sherriff shrugged his shoulders and replied loudly, “well if you wanna see the jail Judge, why didn’t ya say so? Makin’ a fuss out here front of all these people.”
Sherriff David Travis was the most powerful man in Alamo, next to the Mayor, Mayor Espada who at the moment was talking to the local businesses to form some sort of economical alliance.
A lot of talk had been brewing that Travis and Espada had been talkin’ with other folks in Northern Tejas about forming some sort of Republic. Rumors if you asked Travis, nothin’ but rumors, but then folk like Judge Frio didn’t like the idea of a Republic why, Frio had a lot too loose what with his ties to the other coalitions and powers outside of the Tejas borders.
Frio followed Travis down to the local jail, and whereby found nothing. Just a guard or two playin’ cards, “see Judge, nuthin’ and if there was sumthin’ don’t ya think I woulda told ya?”
Travis was just being plain rude at this point, he didn’t like the types of Frio corrupt and what not.
“Don’t you get smart with me Travis, I’ll head on back to Lynnette but mark my word Travis, I’ll be back and next time there’s gonna be blood.” Frio’s words were cold and harsh as he marched out of the jail.
Travis waited until he heard the man’s spurs hit his caballo and the dust seeped into the jail’s low window. He looked over toward his two guards, who moved their playing table out of the way there laid a rug and beneath the rug a trap door into a secret room.
The two guards pulled out a young kid, no more than twenty.
“You’re lucky I like you, and you’re lucky that you got some skills that I need, in fact I’m in the mood to hire me an officer,” Travis said as he looked at the kid, “first off you better tell me your name, or else there ain’t no way I can help you.”
“Jack Ford,” replied the kid as he was held up by the two guards.
Travis looked Ford up and down and acknowledged him, “alright Jackie boy, now I know you shot the Sherriff of Lynnette and in any town that’s capital, son, but I happen to know that he was corrupt.” David Travis paused a moment, the cigar he had lit earlier now widdled down half way, he took another puff from it blowing the smoke away from Jack’s face, “so I ain’t gonna hold you to it.”
On a desk that sat near a wall opposite of where Jack had been hiding, lay a gun, it was a rather small pistol.
Travis threw the small pistol into his desk drawer, “you ain’t a gonna pick that gun up again, son. In fact, ol’ Travis is gonna teach you to shoot, if you’re gonna be an officer you gotta learn how to shoot a real gun, not that toy you got outta Lynnette.”
The Sherriff ordered his two guards to release Jack Ford.
Jack quietly followed the Sherriff out of the jail, the sun pierced his eyes he turned his gaze away his hands in front of him. He could feel the Sherriff pull him out onto the street, “now Jackie boy, lemme ask you what kinda special skills you got, other than shootin’.”
“Well, I’m pretty lucky I guess, sir and uh strong and I can run pretty fast. Good with the animals, and can just about talk my way outta anything I suppose.” Jack replied as the Sherriff laughed, looking at Jackie his one good eye wincing away from the sunlight that peered over his hat.
“Son that’s the funniest thing, I’ve heard all day, alright, alright so we know you can shoot toy guns like that tiny thing in my desk but what else, son, what else?” Travis inquired as he mounted a painted caballo.
Jack mounted another caballo next to Travis, and rode side by side as he answered.
“I can fight sir, with my bare hands, and pretty good with explosives and I’m read sir, I can read me a book or two and as I said before sir, pretty lucky with my looks and words.”
“Well if that’s your story, then son you oughta stick to it, now we’re gonna head on over to this ranch. The caballo you got there son, you can keep him he’s an old thing so be careful, when we’re done shootin’ cans I’ll give you, your first assignment.”
An afternoon had passed and Jack Ford learned to shoot rifles, shotguns, and even how to barter for things while he wasn’t in Alamo.
The sun was setting over the horizon; Travis grabbed a few bottle caps out of his pocket and handed them to Jack. “First thing, first Jackie boy, I need you to head down to Cabana it’s a day or two’s ride from here.” Travis paused as he looked past Jack’s shoulder and into the wilderness that lay beyond. “There’s gonna be a small Mission between here and there, load up son, tell’im Travis sent you and they ought to get you set.”
He looked around before giving any further instructions.
“When you get to Cabana, I want you to find Deputy McAlpin- Seems we got ourselves a rustler stealin’ livestock. Can’t have that kinda grubbin’ around these parks, don’t you agree, Jackie boy?”
Jack nodded silently.
“Good, good- Now while you’re gone I’ll see what I can do to find out some information on… uh, who did you say this person was?”
“My Uncle sir, Lamar Ford.”
“Huh, alright well I’ll find out more about your Uncle- but in the meantime, you better get goin’”
Jack didn’t hesitate and rode out toward Cabana, as the sun lowered itself giving way for the moon to shine down on the Earth. The hot Tejas day turned into a cold night, Geckos, Scorpions, and wild Sabres were about leaving Jack feeling more vulnerable than he had ever felt before.
