John C. Horst's Blog, page 6

When she was finished she began to wade back to her pimp...

Collier ~ Water Nymph He watched her wash up in the river, using it as a giant bidet, and this was more provocative to him than the act itself. She was a beauty, and in the dark, with only the moonlight to illuminate her, and more importantly, to shadow the years of hard living and neglect, she was stunning.

When she was finished she began to wade back to her pimp and then suddenly seemed to change her mind and, instead of going to bed, stripped naked and dove into the river and swam and lay on her back and floated, her breasts like two magnificent mountains jutting out from the depths of the river washing over her. Ramon fell into a deep sleep. Allingham; Desperate Ride.

‘You rich gringos can pick and choose your misery. I never wanted to live this way.’

William-Adolphe Bouguereau “Yes. I’ll tell you now, Dad. If I could, I’d drink a whole bottle of that shit right this minute and be happy to do it.”

Dick smiled, knowingly. “Your mother said it was all her fault. You got it in your blood from her side of the family; whole line of drunks and opium smokers.”

“Like Uncle Al.”

“Like Uncle Al.”

“I used to think about him a lot when I was really low down. You know, your money and Sal is what saved me.”

“Was it?”

“She used to take care of me. One day I looked at her and told her I didn’t want to live this way anymore. You know what she said to me?”

“What?”

“She laughed and said, ‘You rich gringos can pick and choose your misery.’ She said, ‘I never wanted to live this way.’” He grinned at his father. “She’d just turned seventeen, wise beyond her years. She’s always been so much wiser than me, than anyone else I’ve ever known.”

“Out of the mouth of babes, eh, son?”

“Yep. And then I got my ass cleaned up and Sal and I took the money you sent me and we came here. No one knew what we were in San Francisco, at least not initially, and no one knew about Sal. She worked and worked and saved and took care of me to keep me on the straight and narrow, and, well, even though I’d drink a bottle of laudanum right now, I don’t do it.” He laughed cynically.

They sat a while and said nothing. Finally, Michael looked over at his father. He was an old man. He was old beyond his years and Michael knew that part of that age was his fault. He finally spoke, “I’m not so sure you’re the ass that you paint yourself to be.” The Mule Tamer: Chica's Ride.

You are going to love Chica!

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic READ, August 18, 2014 By Kindler "Kindle Rider" (Japan) - See all my reviews Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: The Mule Tamer (Kindle Edition) You are going to love Chica ! This is a great western tale with wonderful characters but Chica is the star attraction. The Mule Tamer.

Mexico is your land and it is bleeding and it needs strong people such as you.

Jesus “Yes. I know you, Señorita. I know your…” he suddenly became embarrassed.

“My what?” She knew what he was going to say, but pushed him nonetheless.

“Your stock.” He looked at his hands and his eyes watered more. “You do not scare easily, Señorita, and you love the land and the people. I know this. I believe you are needed back home, back with us. I just wanted to tell you this thing to your face, because I believe it.” He waited and then continued. “It is your place, Señorita. It is your land. Mexico is your land and it is bleeding and it needs strong people such as you. It is time. You are a grown woman. A lovely…” he stopped himself as he was becoming more embarrassed, felt himself fawning over his boss and knew it was not the proper thing to do. “Señorita, you can live a life of leisure, I know this. You can go off and live and enjoy yourself and want for nothing for the rest of your days, but something larger is in store for you.” He was talking nonsense now, but it was from the heart. He suddenly looked up again with his watery eyes. “I am sorry to speak so freely, Señorita. I love the land and it is time you take your rightful place as the hacendada. Make the powerful ones see that there are good hacendados, make the anarquistas and the others who want to tear the land apart and the people apart understand that the system can work, not the way it worked under Díaz, but the way it worked for many years for your Uncle Alejandro,” he crossed himself and kissed his fingers, “and the way you have made it work.” He watched her tap the ash from her cigarette and continued. “Please Señorita, please come home.” The Mule Tamer; Marta's Quest

I wanted to read without stopping.

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars, August 14, 2014 By Charles Odle - See all my reviews Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Maria's Trail (The Mule Tamer Book 1) (Kindle Edition) I wanted to read without stopping.

He liked the Mexicans, even felt a little akin to the dark men.

“Señor, please.” Pierce nodded to the jefe and glared at his half-brother. “Cut the bullshit, Donny. Pa wants the horses. Come through with the cash, now!”

The young man smiled. “Alright, alright. Jesus, you boys don’t know when someone’s makin’ a joke.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out a wad of bills. He tossed it to Adulio. “There’s the rest of your cash, boys.” He sucked greedily on his bottle. “Go on and count it.” He looked more confident than he was. “Go on boys, start back to playin’. Get the jugs out and uncorked. Time to celebrate.” He waved his hand at them, as if shooing flies.

Adulio looked up. “Still short by one hundred dollars.”

Pierce looked at his brother again. “Come on, out with it, Donny.”

The lad grinned again. “Jesus, boys, you’re too damned crafty fer me. Din’ think you Mexicans could count past ten.” He came forth with the last bill.

Ramon put everything in his saddle bags then turned to walk away.

“Come on back, muchacho. Come on back and have a drink with us.”

Ramon knew it wasn’t a good idea but said, “Only one, Mr. Hall. We plan to ride out in a few hours; we need to get back home.”

“Awe, you boys oughtta stay. We’ll take ya around about here. Lots to do, lots to see. Got some damned pretty whores over in Kingman. White ones at that.” He winked at Adulio. “You Mexican boys like white women, I guess.” He drank and muttered under his breath, “Better than them niggers you got down Mexico way.”

“I guess.” Ramon looked at his men and was not smiling. The sooner he could get away from the rude gringo the better. Pierce chimed in.

“We’ll let these fellows alone, Donny. They got plans.” He nodded to his men and they all prepared to mount up.

Donny held up a hand. “How ‘bout it? How ‘bout just one more drink for you and your men?”

Ramon thought it would go well to be a little civil. It was early yet and the men could stand a few drinks. It would help them sleep on the rough and cold desert ground.

Soon one led to half a dozen and the music was playing and Donny was now well beyond the point of sensible behavior. This was what Pierce hoped to avoid, as his half-brother was an idiot sober and was ridiculous and violent when drunk. He moved close to the young jefe and watched his brother intently. He liked the Mexicans, even felt a little akin to the dark men.

In short order, Donny was well in his cups. He looked at Ramon a little sideways, out of tiny slits made that way by inebriation, turning Mongoloid before their very eyes.

“How’s it some a you boys is dark as niggers,” he pointed at Paulo’s hand strumming the strings of his guitar, then pointed at Ramon, “and some of youse are white as me?” He cackled as his men stood by. He looked around stupidly, wondering why no one was laughing.

Pierce called him out. “Go on to bed, Donny, you’ve had enough and your conversation’s turned to pure shit. Makin’ yourself out to sound a real ass.” Allingham; Desperate Ride

Marta had the best mind of any creature he’d ever known.

Jesus On the ride back to the captives, Marta thought about the old man. He taught her everything good. He was responsible for teaching her to read in both English and Spanish. One day, she was reading a tattered copy of a book the old man had in his collection. It had been written by an Italian man. It was called The Inferno. The old man took it from her, replacing it with the Bible which he liked to use for her lessons. He was funny. He didn’t want her to read The Inferno because he was afraid it would give her nightmares. Marta thought this was very funny because the fort was much worse than the world in the book.

She liked the story very much. She liked each circle of hell and she loved the man called Virgil. She imagined that she could go down to the deepest part of the dungeon and find the gates to hell. In fact, one day she did. She went to the deepest part and found a rock and scratched out a little doorway. Then she wrote over the doorway the words from the book, Abandon all hope ye who enter here.

 When she was finished, she liked to pretend that she could go down there and find Virgil standing under her sign. She’d ask him to come up and grab the maestro and his assistant and take them down to the deepest circle of hell where they would stay for all of eternity and would never be seen or heard from again.

She told the old man this and he really laughed. He loved the little bandit so much. She never understood why until one day he told her, before he’d become blind and worthless, that he could see a light in her. She remembered looking down at herself to try to find the light but there was nothing there. The old man laughed again and said that it wasn’t a light that was like a fire or a torch or a star, it was an invisible light and that Marta had the best mind of any creature he’d ever known. He told her that she needed to learn as much as she could so that one day, when she left the fort, she’d be able to live well in El Mundo. The Mule Tamer, Chica's Ride.

“I’m not the one running with a Mexican.”

Maria Felix “Oh, well, I’d like to get into her knickers, if she actually wore any, if that’s what you mean.”

“What do you think of Arvel and the girl?”

Dan stopped working. He grinned. “Arvel, let’s see. Well, God bless’m if he’s cavortin’ with her. Good old Arvel. I wouldn’t be surprised.” He was glad now that he hadn’t made a play for the girl. He wouldn’t want to cut in on Arvel.

“Don’t you think that’s a little…?”

Dan swiveled in his chair. “That’s a little what, Dick? What, you mean because she’s so young?” Dan suddenly had an epiphany, “No, that’s not what you mean at all, is it, Dick?’

Dick felt the blood rush to his cheeks. Dan was making him feel suddenly very foolish. “No, no, let’s just drop it, Dan.”

“Well, okay, she’s a Mexican. I guess at least she isn’t an Indian.” Dan was tired of it all and he was beginning to unravel on Dick. He caught himself and stopped.

“That’s not right, Dan, that’s not, oh, God, let’s just stop, I’m sorry I said anything.”

“Shame on you, Dick.” Dick could never get used to Dan’s familiar tone. “Shame on you.”

“I’m not the one running with a Mexican.”

“If that’s all you’ve got to say about it,” Dan stood up and put his coat on, “I’m going down to have something to eat.” He looked at Dick again, and shook his head. “Shame on you.”

He turned back when he’d gotten out the door and looked in at Dick. “You’re a good man, Dick, but sometimes you can be a regular goddamned bone head.” The Mule Tamer

All little girls should learn guns. Then no one can bother them.

“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.”   Maria's Trail

You want me, yet you don’t have the guts to take me.

Strino You want me, yet you don’t have the guts to take me. Take me.” She began to unbutton her dress. He stopped her.

“No.”

“Fine then.” She pulled away from him, got the boom between them and stripped down. “I’ll swim back.” She dove in on the wrong side and had to swim around the stern, began making her way to shore. It was five miles and Pedro could think only of the shark from the previous day.

“Marta, please.” He thought about what to do, found a line and threw it, got it over her and pulled hard, dragging her back. He grabbed her, manhandled her and pulled her back into the boat. She was furious now. The Mule Tamer III, Marta's Quest.