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Chapter 38
Joseph stepped out onto the porch and rolled himself a cigarette. Remembering that his friend never developed the skill of rolling a good cigarette and pre-rolled cigarettes were scarce in the west. He followed Oliver’s example and handed the cigarette to Nate before rolling another for himself.
“I should quit these things,” Nate mused as he took a long drag. “There’s a lot of scuttle that the nicotine in these things is poison.”
“When it’s proof and not scuttle, I’ll believe it,” Joseph said as he formed a ring of smoke with his mouth.
“Can you believe I have been here five months already?” Nate mused.
“Time flies when you’re planting cotton,” Joseph chuckled.”
“I’m mighty proud of what you did with the place,” Nate said. “My uncle used to grow cotton. He gave it up when that bastard Angus came
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The house was abnormally quiet as Nate knocked on the door. He was surprised by the length of wait he had between pulling on the knocker and the footman answering the door.“I wish to see Mrs. Smithfield,” he said as he handed the footman his card and stepped into the foyer.The first thing he noticed was the lack of décor. Although still finely decorated, it looked barren in comparison to the way it looked the last time he visited. He followed the footman into the parlor, but did not take a seat. He wired his condolences to Elise when the train stopped in Kansas several weeks earlier, but this was the first he would give them to her face to face. He could not explain why, but he was nervous.The sound of her soft slippers on the foyer’s marble floor caught his attention. He turned just in time to see her enter the room with the assistance of a cane. She looked tired and saddened, but still very
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Elise accepted the money Jake received for the sale of her cattle to a nearby rancher with genuine gratitude. He managed to round up enough livestock to sell to get her the funds needed to buy passage back east. Now, she just had to make the arrangements. Why she did not ask him for help when she first arrived was a mystery to her.“So, Mrs. Meacham, we’ll be losing ya soon,” Jake said as he mounted his horse. “That’s a damned shame. I got used to looking at that pretty face of yours while having my morning coffee.”“Such teasing,” Elise giggled. “I want to go to town and wire my father before I do anything else.”“Wantin’ to let him know your comin’?” Jake asked.“I want to see if I’m welcome back,” Elise confessed.“I can’t imagine no pa not lettin’ his little girl back into his home,” Jake mu
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Elise hugged Nellie one last time before boarding the stagecoach. Although she was not looking forward to the grueling journey back east, she was excited about leaving the hardships of the undeveloped west behind her. Her father, although stern with his words, assured her she would be welcome once again in his home. He even went so far as to send her the funds for her return passage, along with extra for necessities along the way.Since all she had from the wardrobe she brought west with her was the traveling gown on her back when she arrived -and she had no desire to disclose to her family the simple gingham gown she wore daily that Nellie was kind enough to provide for her- she immediately purchased a few well-made gowns, a hat, and other items to complete a modest, yet quality wardrobe. Once she was back home, she had no doubt her father would outfit her properly so that she could return to society with her head held high.She found it
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Elise sat quietly while she politely listened to Joseph and the two stagecoach drivers discuss the Jefferson gang. From the description of the gang’s style of thievery, she guessed they were the ones who relieved her of her belongings while en route to meet her new husband. She learned that the Pinkertons guarded the train for the last few months in hopes of catching the Jefferson gang in the act of robbery. They recently discovered the location of the gang’s main hideout and planned on flushing them out before they could pull another big job; especially since the next major run scheduled was the railway worker’s pay. She wondered if it was wise for Joseph to share this information with people he just met, but decided to keep her opinion to herself. Elise knew very well the views people had of women traveling alone, which was one of the reasons she said little and stayed as far out of the limelight as possible. Even if she was
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The Pinkerton trio rode for well over an hour before the sun crested the horizon. Joseph slowed his horse to allow him the opportunity to absorb the fiery beauty of the early upcoming sunrise while Oliver hurried to catch up with Nate.“How was she?” Oliver asked with a snicker.“From now on, you keep that trap of yours shut,” Nate scolded.Oliver laughed as he said, “She looked a sight when you came inside. What’s that story about falling in a pile of shit?”“How can a widow be untouched is what I want to know,” Nate said, more to himself than to his buddy.“Is that a joke?” Oliver asked.“The joke was on me,” Nate replied. “Im not in the habit of kissing and blabbing about it, but I’m angry over the fact that the tart had us all fooled.”“You can’t call a virgin a tart,” Oliver objected.&n
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