John C. Horst's Blog, page 20

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

Irene Carranza  He clamped his lips over his scum-covered teeth and looked on at the beauty standing before him. She gave him a little show, cocking a leg provocatively high on the edge of the bed. She watched him turn to jelly as she languidly climbed onto her bed and reclined in the middle of it. The Princess rarely wore clothes and now she lay, outstretched, her long hair, like Lady Godiva’s, strategically placed so that it covered her more intimate parts. The show was over for now.

“Deal.” He spit in his hand and held it out for the Princess to shake, to seal the bargain.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” She waved him off dismissively. “Go, go away, before I change my mind. Scrub, scrub like your life depended on it. Hire as many Chinese girls as you can. Get yourself as clean as possible and come back at five.”

He turned away, looking doubtfully over his shoulder as his great nugget disappeared into the strongbox next to the Princess’s bed, the key around her neck securing the lock. At least Eli had paid in full; she could not change her mind now. Allingham

“Old Redshirt, he’s a proud man, and a powerful man and, well, Captain, he might just as well cut your ears off and feed ‘em to his hogs.”

“Well, Captain,” Francis scratched his chin. He could not think of a diplomatic way of saying it. “You, Captain, well, you could piss off the Pope in Rome. I mean, you could piss off Jesus Christ himself, just with a look.”

They all laughed and then thought better of it and looked down at their plates as Francis continued. “Old Redshirt, he’s a proud man, and a powerful man and, well, Captain, he might just as well cut your ears off and feed ‘em to his hogs.”

Allingham was amused but he wouldn’t show it. “Are you going to get to the point, Francis? Or will we be here, listening to you blathering on until midnight?”

“Yes, yes, Captain. Captain, I don’t think you’ve got it in you to convince Redshirt to come in to court, get this thing cleared up. I don’t think you’re the man for the job.” He looked around at the others. Everyone knew he was right. Allingham was good, in his own way, but he was no ambassador, no negotiator in any sense of the word. “Let me go. I’ll talk to him. I’ll get him to Flagstaff. We’ll get it sorted, I swear, Captain, and I’ll be back in no time at all, all good. What ya say, Captain?” Allingham

The first bandit’s head came apart and even Maria was impressed with the rifle’s awesome power.

Antonio Gomez The first bandit’s head came apart and even Maria was impressed with the rifle’s awesome power. She quickly worked the next bullet into the chamber and hit the next man a little low, tearing a hole through his throat at the Adam’s apple, shattering the vertebrae and making the man’s head tip as if he’d fallen asleep. He dropped down next to his mount.

The other two finally realized they were under attack and took up defensive positions. The shooter was too far away to see and they did not know where to hide. She hit the next man in the back and his breastbone exploded, but the shot did not kill him outright. Great gouts of blood squirted with every beat of his heart. He sat and watched it until he died.

The last one had had enough. He threw himself on his horse and rode as hard as he could into the desert. Maria was right behind him on Alanza. She’d put the big rifle away. She quickly caught up with the man, who was completely panicked and firing his six shooter wildly over his shoulder. He just wanted to get away.

Maria was amused by this and equally angry. There was no sin worse, to her, than to abuse a baby or a child and she resolved to make the bad man pay. She galloped up alongside him and he pointed his six shooter at her. She was so close that even a scared bandit couldn’t miss and he pulled the trigger as Maria smiled at him. Maria's Trail

“You get used to it.”

By afternoon, Maria had made a broom and a big bed. She had covered the bed with their blankets and fashioned pillows from some empty sacks. Everything smelled of fresh pine. She’d collected grasses and was working on a basket when Juana finally sauntered in. She sat and ate and watched Maria work.

“You need to learn to make baskets too.” The old woman had taught Maria well and she could make many baskets in a day.

“For what?”

“To trade. At that little village we passed. The people will trade food for them. We can keep from spending our money that way and no one will wonder how we got money in the first place. They won’t care if we have baskets to trade. That’s expected.”

Juana picked up some grass and half-heartedly mimicked Maria’s actions. She soon sliced her hand and stopped. “That hurts.”

“You get used to it.”

Juana began fidgeting around.

“Is there anything you know how to do, Juana?” Maria wasn’t cross with her friend. She was just teasing her a little.

“Oh, sure. I can sing.” She began singing very badly and Maria stopped her.

“You sound like a trampled puppy.” Maria's Trail

Please somebody in Hollywood do this right. It is just waiting to be an exciting classic western.

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!!, March 20, 2013 By  theodoreg - Amazon Verified Purchase( What's this? ) This review is from: The Mule Tamer (Kindle Edition) I agree with one of the other readers, this should be a moviemaking like McMurtry.s Lonesome Dove series. Please somebody in Hollywood do this right. It is just waiting to be an exciting classic western. The Mule Tamer

No one would likely hurry to call Francis a Nancy again.

Frederick Remington That did it, as the man was losing big all morning. He was about to clean up and Francis had ruined it for him. He became furious, beet red in the face and he fairly screamed at Francis, throwing the cards on the table in a huff. “I ought a put a ball in you, you idiot grinnin’ fool.”

At this Francis upended a mug of beer over the man’s head. “Dude, you’re way too hot, you need some coolin’ off.” He stood over the dripping man, his hand on the butt of his six shooter as he watched the wet and angry man fume. He went for his gun and Francis buffaloed him senseless with one stroke of his six shooter’s handle.

He grinned at the rest of the players. “You boys tell him when he wakes up that he owes the jail a five dollar fine.” 

He wandered out. No one would likely hurry to call Francis a Nancy again. Allingham

He looked upon them as an alpha wolf would on a mangy pack.

New arrivals offered the prospect of wealth or booty and every bad man was quick to descend upon such individuals, hopeful of an easy mark. Allingham was not an easy mark, however. He looked upon them as an alpha wolf would on a mangy pack. They turned away and all moved on. They did not know that he was the new law; they would find out soon enough.
He made it to the northernmost point of the town and was able to take it all in by standing in the middle of the dusty street. It would easily fit into lower Manhattan’s Five Points with room to spare. How could so many murders occur in such a small and sparsely populated place? It was mind boggling.  Allingham

Rosario was not quite his age but she was pretty and as a young woman had been stunningly beautiful.

“Found us a cook, Captain.” Hobbs liked the sound of captain better than marshal. It sounded better when the Irishman addressed Allingham in this way and Hobbs decided he’d call the man Captain as well. Allingham didn’t correct him.  And as if on cue, a portly Mexican woman sauntered in. She had coffee and biscuits for the men.

“Hola, Señor.” She smiled a pretty smile and Allingham regarded her with a barely discernible nod. He looked the food over and it was good. He waited for her to leave and watched Hobbs watch the woman’s backside as she sidled out the door.

“I thought anything made by a Mexican gave you wind.”

“Well,” he ate a biscuit and talked as he chewed. “Rosario promised not to go too native on us. She knows what makes a man fart and she promised not to make such things.” He thought on it a bit. Rosario was not quite his age but she was pretty and as a young woman had been stunningly beautiful. And Hobbs liked women. It was evident that he was getting more than victuals from the pretty Mexican cook. Allingham

Stupid laws need to be skirted around and we are just righting a wrong, so there’s an end to it.

Jesus Helguera Arvel Walsh never minded skirting around or outright breaking the law when he thought the law was stupid, or if his motivations were pure. He called in some favors from some lawyer friends back in Baltimore and created a bogus pedigree for Dan. The result was to declare Dan, a Sioux Indian, as white as Arvel Walsh.

When Dan balked, Arvel put up a hand. “Now, Dan, just let it go. Let it go. Stupid laws need to be skirted around and we are just righting a wrong, so there’s an end to it.”

So Dan George became a white man and a lawyer, and everyone pretty much knew it was all bogus but at the same time, no one ever questioned it or cared. Dan was one of the most competent lawyers in the territory and it was ridiculous to not allow him to practice law. Besides, there now would be a place for all the Indians and Chinese and Mexicans and all the other undesirables to go for legal help. It would keep them out of the hair of the sophisticated white attorneys in the region. There was no money in helping them anyway, and that was the thing that motivated the majority of them. Everyone benefited when Dan was admitted to the bar. The Mule Tamer II, Chica's Ride

Like a pair of nervous newlyweds, they separately prepared for the evening, or at least, the hour of bliss.

Eden Folwell Like a pair of nervous newlyweds, they separately prepared for the evening, or at least, the hour of bliss. The Princess sent The Ape out for things to burn: oils, candles, anything to mask the stench. She used most of a bottle of perfume, liberally dousing her sheets. She dumped the remainder on a posy which was readied at the head of the bed. She considered stuffing cotton up her nose then thought better of it. A good dose of laudanum at the appointed hour would, hopefully, do the trick; dull her senses so that she might very well remember little of the encounter. She could only hope. The best part of it was that she’d only have one customer this night. She’d treat herself to the rest of the evening off. She’d bathe as soon as the prospector was gone. ALLINGHAM