John C. Horst's Blog, page 35

A great series of books; The Mule Tamer, Latest 5 Star Review

A great series of books, October 6, 2012 By  Allen J Clark - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase( What's this? ) This review is from: The Mule Tamer (Kindle Edition) One reviewer wrote this book reads like a Larry McMurtry novel. That was enough for me to give it a try. I have now read all three of the Mule Tamer series and am about to download the new Prequel, Maria's Trail. Overall, I found John Horst's books to be very enjoyable, bringing insight and a colorful rendition of Southern Arizona and Mexico. are the stories factual? As someone once said, "If they're not, they ought to be." But fact or fiction, Mr. Horst weaves stories that keep you turning pages until you have finished the first book, the second book, the third book and leaves you looking for another. Like Larry McMurtry, John Horst seems to have the ability to bend, stretch, twist and turn history around his characters, or possibly he simply slips his characters into history. Either way, his characters come to life and imprint themselves in your memory. If you are like me and can't put down a Larry McMurtry novel, I am sure you will enjoy the Mule Tamer series by John Horst. The Mule Tamer Series, Available at Amazon.com  

He is the best of men.

She reached the town on a clear morning and found an older Mexican woman working on some washing next to the shack where the gringo had briefly held her captive. The woman had an indifferent look on her face as Maria approached her. She dismounted and tied Alanza, then sat down near the woman and lit two cigars. She handed one to the woman without speaking and the woman took it and clenched it between her teeth as she continued with her task.
“Lady, I need to know about a man who lives around here.” The woman was listening, but did not look up. “He is a gringo and he rides mules like others ride a horse.”
“I know this man. Señor Walsh. He has a mule ranch not far.”
“Is he a good man?”
The woman finally stopped and looked at Maria. She liked Maria, despite her manly dress. She could tell that Maria didn’t have bad intentions. “He is the best of men.”
Maria felt a flutter in her belly and a pain at her bullet wound. She started to speak when the woman interrupted her. “He and his uncle are good men. They are good to everyone but they are extra good to us and the Indians. They have a good ranch and it is very grand, but they take care of their people on the land. There, people are treated with respect, paid well. They are a good pair of gringos.”
“And the one who is not the uncle, is he… does he have a woman?”
“Not him. The uncle, though. He’s got Pilar, the bitch.” She spit on the ground when she said the woman’s name and Maria was amused by this.
“This is his wife?”
“Hah! No. She is a Mexicana, like us, but she is the lady of the manor, or at least she thinks so. She is a housekeeper and gives the old man one every so often. She thinks no one knows. Hah! Everyone knows. She thinks she is better than everyone because she had an aunt who was married to a shopkeeper once, and that was a long, long time ago. Now she runs the ranch like it is hers. Old slut!”
“And the other one, this Walsh. He has no woman?”
“No.”  Maria's Trail

Maria's Trail, The Early Adventures of Chica, Heroine of The Mule Tamer Trilogy FREE ALL DAY TODAY!

Prequel to The Mule Tamer trilogy, Maria’s Trail chronicles the first adventures of Senora Arvel Walsh. Chica, Artemis, the beautiful devil, she is the great tragic heroine of The Mule Tamer saga. Follow this remarkable woman as she journeys through the first adventures of her life, suffering hardship and pain, loss and danger, betrayal and first love. Her exploits are legendary and it soon becomes evident why everyone who comes under her spell can only love her. Maria’s Trail is a long and tumultuous one, essential to make the glorious Maria the remarkable creature that we’ve come to know and love.

Maria's Trail is now available here,  at Amazon.com.

I didn’t think you’d get an old one, too.

Bather of Tehuantepec by Diego Rivera Photo Source ~ Museum Syndicate.com
She woke and sat up in Uncle Alejandro’s bed. A lamp was lit in another room and Maria got up to investigate. Juana was taking a bath. She was full grown now and she smoked a cigar and her enormous breasts poked out of the bathwater like two perfectly matched islands. She picked up a tortilla and ate it and spoke with a full mouth. “I didn’t think you’d get an old one, too.”
“I didn’t get anything.” Maria pulled up a chair and watched Juana eat. She was such a pretty woman and Maria now realized she was even prettier naked than she was wearing clothes. She looked beautiful with her blonde hair done up in the German style.
“Oh, this mule man. You’ll get him. I know it.”
“How did you know he had mules?” Maria was suspicious of Juana. She seemed to always know everything.
Juana shrugged. “I don’t remember. But you’ll get him all right and then you’ll have babies.”
“Have you had babies yet, Juana?”
Juana shrugged again.
“You don’t know if you’ve had babies, Juana?”
“I’ve forgotten.” She stood up and water splashed out onto Maria and now she was cold.
“Why is it that you never remember anything I ask about, Juana?” She was a little perturbed.
Juana shrugged. “I never forget to come see you when you have a problem, though.”
Maria could not argue with that. Juana was faithful in that regard.
“You know why you’ve fallen in love with him?”
“I don’t know that I have.”
“Oh, you have. It’s because of the old man. The old man who taught you to play cards and shoot. You got a man like him. And he was old.”
“That’s ridiculous. You never had an old man raise you, yet you got an old man.”
“But I didn’t love him. Do now, but I didn’t.”
“Why’d you marry him?”
“Because he’s got a lot of money, of course. Why do you think?”
“I don’t know.” She looked at Juana. “Do you suppose I really do love him?”
“Sure you do.” Juana eyed her. “Go find me a towel, Maria.”
Maria's Trail

Ist sie unser Schutzengel, Mutter?

Felix Schlesinger (1833-1910) Maria slept late, well into daylight and was treated to the German’s hospitality again. They had all prepared for the trek south and had Alanza ready and Maria’s traps packed and ready to go. They had her breakfast, including hot coffee, waiting for when she awakened.
She sat up and stretched and had begun to eat when she felt a light touch behind her and looked around. The smallest girl was standing behind her, stroking her long raven-colored hair. The child was beautiful and exotic. Maria had never seen such lovely hair on anyone. It was like corn silk or spun gold and the little one looked over at her mother. “Ist sie unser Schutzengel, Mutter?”
Her mother smiled as she worked and looked on at Maria reverently. “Ja, mein Liebling, das ist sie.”
Ulla came over and smiled at Maria. “She wants to know if you are our guardian angel. And, she loves your hair.”
Maria turned and held out her arms. The child came into them and sat on Maria’s lap. She was about the age that her little Rosario would have been now, had she lived. She breathed in the scent of her hair and then held it up next to her own. She took a handful of each and braided her hair with the child’s, “Like night and day, little one.”
The child nodded, “Ja, mein Dame, ja.” Maria's Trail

“Why don’t you bed down over here tonight, Maria?”

Photo: Achesay, courtesy Carl Moon Maria lay back on her blanket and regarded Joe. He was good company and he was not a bad looking man. He was tough enough. She noticed him looking at her differently this past day and was waiting for him to make his move. He didn’t disappoint her and she was impressed with his boldness.
“Why don’t you bed down over here tonight, Maria?” He looked her in the eye.
“Oh, that’s a nice idea, Joe, but no.”
He shrugged. “You don’t rut with Indians?”
She laughed out loud. “Well,” she held up an arm, comparing her complexion to his. “That would be hard to avoid.” She got up and adjusted her blankets. “No, Joe. And it’s not you, I just don’t want to.”
He let it go. Maria's Trail

“You remember this, child. There is no one else in the world. No one else will take care of you in the world. Only this one.”

Photo courtesy Swissinfo.ch The old woman looked them over as if she were trying to remember them. She held up the mirror and looked into it. She then looked at the child. “See this, hija, see what is in there?”
“Me.”
“You remember this, child. There is no one else in the world. No one else will take care of you in the world. Only this one.” She pointed at the little girl’s reflection. “Never forget that, child.” She pointed again. “This is the only one who you can rely on and trust. You remember that, child.”

"You don’t need to have a fair fight with a pair like that. Just rub ‘em out.”

Photo ~ El Universal.mx She got sleepy and let the fire die down. She finished the bottle of wine and felt very dizzy. She closed her eyes and slept for a long time until a pine knot flared up and made the fire very bright. She sat up to find Juana across the way, chewing on a piece of jerky. Maria got up and sat across from her.
“You could have left a swallow of wine.”
“I have another bottle. Do you want me to open it?” She was pleased to see her little friend.
“No, save it for tomorrow. That woman’s right, you know.”
“About what?”
“God and heaven and such.”
“Really?” Maria was intrigued as she thought that Juana must know, she was dead and in that world. “What of this reincarnation? Is that right?”
Juana shrugged her shoulders and Maria became a little annoyed.
“What sort of answer is that?”
“I don’t know, Maria. I don’t know.” She grinned at Maria. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know, but she’s right, and you don’t have to be mad at God so much.”
“Oh, so you think I should stop?”
“No. I didn’t say stop. By the way, you did good by those bandits. My goodness, you were a wildcat.”
Maria blushed. “Oh, that wasn’t so hard. They were drunk.”
“Doesn’t matter. You don’t need to have a fair fight with a pair like that. Just rub ‘em out.”
“Do you know what happened to them?”
“Oh sure.” She became distracted and was looking for something else to eat. “How ‘bout a cigar, Maria?”
Maria handed her one and lit one for herself and they smoked together.
“So, what happened to them?”
“Who?”
“The bandits I killed.”
Juana shrugged.
“Damn it, Juana, stop shrugging. What happened to them? Did they go to hell?”
“I don’t remember.” She stood up and threw her cigar into the fire. “I’ve gotta have a pee.” She got up and Maria became tired. She closed her eyes while she waited for Juana to come back and soon fell into a deep sleep. Maria's Trail

This is a fairy tale for cowgirls. Yahooooooooo!

Photo Source: Modern Prairie Girl The Mule Tamer II, Chica's Ride, latest 5 star review:
What a ride!, September 24, 2012 By  picky lady Amazon Verified Purchase( What's this? ) This review is from: The Mule Tamer II, Chica's Ride (Kindle Edition) This is a fairy tale for cowgirls. Love the story, love Chica. Read and ride away on a tall, tall tale. Yahooooooooo!

Under the pillow is no place for a gun...

tacosnachosburritos' photostream “I’ll show you.” He sat beside her and opened the latch. This Maria already knew but she was gracious and allowed him to show her as he loaded cartridges into each of the cylinder’s chambers. He got to the fifth one and stopped there. He held up one of the bullets. “Only five, Maria.”
“But it’s a six shooter.”
“Ah, and how many toes does my little Maria have?”
“Ten.”
“If you load six bullets in the gun, you might end up with only nine toes.” He laughed and closed the latch on the revolver. He handed it to her as he wagged his finger from side to side. “And don’t cock it until you are ready to fire.”
She nodded.
“Now, go put it back.”
The old woman harrumphed. “Under the pillow is no place for a gun.”
The old man sat down and waited for Maria to return from her room. He continued. “All little girls should learn guns. Then no one can bother them.”  Chapter V, Maria's Trail