Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2814907" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Fifteen, “An Unexpected Hero”, Thursday May 25th, 1882: 4:30 P.M. Kate makes her way around town, seeing that a bucket brigade, using both water and sand, is hard at work attempting to save the Grand Hotel and Restaurant. One exterior wall of the structure is on fire but they are keeping it from spreading and starting to extinguish it. When she reaches Toughnut Street she proceeds westward, staying on the southern side of the roadway and away from the burning buildings. From the rear she sees that the boarding house where she lived is no more, only a charred burning husk standing where it had been. She approaches Brown's Hotel. Four men, including a soot-covered and disheveled Conrad Booth, are physically restraining her Father as the eastern wall of the Hotel collapses down onto Fifth Street. Josie sobs loudly as she holds Angela's head, "You...you don't know... maybe he got out..." One thing registered in Kate's mind as she took in the scene. The one thing that she didn't see. She got down off the horse woodenly and walked with dead eyes toward the cluster of men until she was standing in front of her father. She turned to look at the burning hotel, pieces falling rapidly toward the street and began shouting her brother's name. "He said you didn't abandon us, don't abandon him now," she prayed fervently. "Oh gods, please. I can't do this again. Don't take him from us, please." A few blocks away, Chester and Clarisse can't find Kate or Conrad and they don't know what her family looks like. "I'm going back out, they'll need my help. Will you be OK here." She answers, "Yes, Chet. Be careful." Chester walks around until he finds the bucket brigade working to save the Grand Hotel. He gets in line to help. The building that was once Brown's Hotel continues to collapse further. Then to the amazement of the crowd a figure emerges from inside the inferno, staggering out from the east side of the building through an opening where the wall used to be. At first it appears to be a hunched-over ogre, but as he finally starts to exit the thick black smoke they can make out that it is a shirtless man and barefoot man wearing only ripped and tattered pants, the skin on his back now black from soot and ash, hunched over because he is carrying something large and heavy in his arms. As he walks further from the building he stands and straightens up. The burden in his arms is another man, the arms and legs hanging limp and a ugly gash across his forehead. The bare-chested man's face is now visible and is less soot-covered than his back had been. Many in the crowd recognize him and exclaim his name....Wyatt Earp. Although covered with ash and soot he appears to have no burns or other physical injuries to his now mostly-exposed body. Kate, Conrad and Frederick recognize the man being carried as Henry, although it is still uncertain if the young man is alive or dead. Earp walks directly towards them and hands the injured man to Frederick who reaches out with both his good arm and hand and the amputated stump of his other arm to take him. Kate sees that her brother is still breathing. He appears to have some minor burns on him and one arm is definitely broken. Earp tells the elder Seagram "A falling beam struck your son's head and side. You need to get him to a physician or priest right way." Wyatt then turns to his left and looks directly into Kate's eyes. He says in a soft voice that only she, Frederick and Conrad can hear, "Mrs. Kale, nothing can ever replace the loss that my family caused you, but I in good conscious could not allow you to suffer another. Your brother is a very brave man and I hope that he continues to be until a ripe old age.” Katherine stared silently for a moment, not quite trusting her senses. She blinked, holding back tears. "Thank you," she said. "I.... I'm so sorry about your brothers, I truly am. I never wanted this; I only wanted.... what you just said. Thank you." She was silent again. "We have to take care of my brother. You should go before Behan's people come for you. Good luck, Wyatt." Josie watches in relief as Henry is carried out, then horror as she realizes it's Wyatt. The thought hadn't occurred to her that he might be inside, even though he would be there at that time looking for her. She longs to run to him but inside drops her head and continues to cry. Finally she looks up at him, tears streaming from her eyes and sobs softly, "Wyatt." "Miss Marcus" he states as he gestures to the crowd, some of whom are most likely friends of Behan's. Josie averts her eyes and bows her head to keep from getting more upset. She knew they needed distance but it was killing her to be like this. She couldn't run to Wyatt and make sure he was ok, she couldn't even acknowledge their was something between them. Her acting skills had done her well but she wasn't sure how much longer she could go on like this. Those in the crowd who are Wyatt's friends head forward. One takes a shirt and pair of pants out of a duffle bag and hands it to him. Another removes his boots and passes them over. A third gives Wyatt his leather vest. Another gives Wyatt his hat. He thanks them all. One man states, "It's great to see you alive Wyatt, but you'd better make yourself scarce before Deputy Sheriff Nagle hears that you are in town. At the mention of the lawman Wyatt reaches for his gunbelt, but instead of drawing his revolver he pokes two fingers in behind it, removing from his holster a folded up $ 100 bill. He states, "What I really need right now Charlie is a good riding horse and saddle." The man takes the money and replies, "I'll go get Chico for you, he'll serve you well." She turned away as some of the surrounding men came forward and offered clothes to Wyatt. When she'd arrived she'd been blind to most of the scene. Now she saw her father struggling to hold Henry with his one good arm and the elbow-length stump of the other. Conrad's tear-ravaged face now shining with relief but still bearing the shadow of grief and self-inflicted blame. Kate laid her hand against his cheek for a moment then turned to her father. "Maman and Ginnie are with a Priest where they're gathering the townspeople. I'll show you the way." Kate pulled out the bandages that were always in the pockets of her duster and bound the wound on Henry's head, gently kissing his cheek when the tears finally started. She lifted her eyes and met her father's, like hers full of fear and hope and pain. "Let us help, Papa." Josie looks down to Angela, still lying in her lap, and calls out, "She also needs the doctor as soon as possible. She is injured and with child." Kate turned toward Miss Marcus and saw her sitting there with Angela. She whistled for Meribel and the horse trotted obediently to her, although she was clearly nervous about the fire. "Conrad, get Papa on Meribel, then get Henry settled up there with him please," Kate said, holding herself together. "Then we'll need you to carry Angela. I have to check on her. Do you hear me, my dear?" She hurried over to Miss Marcus and knelt down to check Angela. Angela appears to be alright although she is still unconscious. Several members of the crowd move forward to help move both her and Henry Seagram to safety. The man named Charlie arrives with a fine looking Appaloosa horse and well-made western saddle which Wyatt mounts and rides off and away from town. Josie watches with longing as Wyatt rides away. She distracts herself by sticking by Angela's side, following her to the doctor. She will stay with her until she wakes. The crowd circumnavigates eastward around the fire. Some continue to head north to the two Halls that have been set up for people to go to. Other head over to assist the crowd helping to fight the fire by the Grand Hotel and Restaurant. The firebreak appears to have worked and the borrowed Promise City Fire Wagon is now being hauled on its second trip back from the Mill and Smelter with another load of water. Kate directed the men to bring Henry and Angela inside the Hall where she'd left Ginnie and her mother. Her father couldn't be dragged from Henry's side, so Kate had to go herself and look for them and the priest they'd come with. "Jacqueline, where are they?" Kate swallowed and stilled her shaking hands. There was no time to come apart now, she could do that later. "Henry was helping get people out of a hotel and was hurt. He and Papa are here now, but Henry needs care." She looked at the strange priest and stiffened her resolve. "Please Father, if you could he was struck by a burning beam. I have a little skill, but I don't know what to do for this." The Priest tells Kate that he will do what he can. He checks the arm and decides to get it splinted and properly aligned before he casts a fairly powerful spell which he says was successful but that he should still keep it immobile for several days. The head gash has healed over due to the spell, leaving only a minor scar. Henry remains unconscious. Kate stayed with her family for a few minutes. There wasn't much talking, instead they focused on Henry and making him comfortable. The time seemed interminable and Kate could feel her own strength wavering. What Wyatt had said, what he had done, her brother laying there still with them. She couldn't stay sitting there anymore. Kate sees a woman who she recognizes acting in the role of the town nurse, Nellie Cashman. Tombstone had no hospital and the town physician only treated people on an outpatient basis, so Nellie would allow those needing long-term hospitalization to stay at the Miner's Boarding House named Russ House that she operated. On one occasion in early December Nellie had attempted to talk to Kate to help her but at the time Kate was not ready to hear it yet. Nellie was a true inspiration, she had built up a reputation as being clean, courageous and had an unimpeachable reputation. Here she was again selflessly putting herself to work helping those in need, despite the fact that Russ House was adjacent to Brown's Hotel and was now nothing more than ashes. "I should go help. I'll be back." Kate laid her hand on Conrad's shoulder for a moment, then got to her feet and walked over. "Miss Cashman. I have some minor skill, how can I help?" Nellie says, "Ah, Mrs. Kale, yes there are five men over there who were injured from flying debris when they dynamited Skanler's Hardware Store. I don't think that any of them are very seriously hurt, but they're talking about going out and beating up those two lawmen for not giving adequate warning. It would be better if they didn't, those two Deputies have enough to worry about at the moment. Remind them that if the lawmen had spent more time the third of the town that's still here would probably now be burning up too." Kate nodded. "Are there supplies?" she asked, grateful the nurse didn't mention the last time they'd met. Cashman replies, "People have been bringing in a few things. Use as little as you can, it has to stretch. It's piled up over there in the corner." "I understand." Kate went to the pile and picked up a few bandages and a bottle of liquor on a quarter full. She made her way over to the men Miss Cashman had pointed out. "Alright gentlemen, present your wounds," she said and set about the task of cleaning and bandaging as she listened to their talk and waited for her chance to calm them down. "You know the fire wagon was destroyed," Kate slipped in during a moment of silence. "There was no water to fight with. I watched this fire move from building to building, faster than a runaway horse. The deputies could have spent more time giving warning, but if they had there would be a lot more dead people rather than a few tough men who can handle a few scratches." Chester comes off the fire line exhausted. The Grand Hotel is safe for now, especially with the fire wagon back. He walks wearily back to the Hall. Clarisse hands him a wet rag to mop his face. "Is it bad?" she asks. "Yep. But we're making progress. The whole town won't go up in flames. Where's water? Fighting fires is thirsty work." She points him in direction of the water barrel. He grabs the ladle and takes a few drinks. Then he looks around for Kate or Conrad. Angela Young awakens and appears to be alright. She spends the next several hours interviewing a variety of people about both the fire and the Warren Earp funeral, filling several notebooks. Henry Seagram also awakens and the town doctor checks to make sure there is no other damage. He then gives the young man a sedative to better let him sleep, explaining to the family how that is the best way to help him. The fire continues to burn through Tombstone for several more hours. The townspeople fight valiantly to keep the eastern third of the city for being burned down, which is somewhat ironic given that much of the eastern part of the city was what had burned in another major fire just eleven-months earlier. Once Angela was alright and had run off to do her job, Josie became numb. With nothing to currently occupy her time her mind starts to dwell on the events and the terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. She finds a corner of the auditorium, puts her head in her hands and begins sobbing. By 8:00 P.M. the sun has set and burning embers can be seen outside of the windows where a large part of the town had been just five hours earlier. The refugees of the fire have set up temporary lodgings within the two halls. Mayor John Carr and Acting Marshall Marshall Williams takes to the stage and gets everybody's attention as Carr begins to speak. "Hello citizens of Tombstone, As most of you have already heard our Marshall Virgil Earp resigned early this afternoon. Deputy Marshall Williams will serve as Acting Marshall until an election can be held. He has asked former Mayor and former Postmaster John Clum to serve as his Deputy Marshall until further notice." He gestures to Clum, who now steps up onto the stage. He continues, "The situation in Town is now well under control. For the second time during a crisis in less than a year our own fire wagon was unavailable but we were fortunate that Promise City's Deputy Marshall Chester Martin was in town to pick up their new fire wagon and he generously donated it to our cause." The Mayor gestures to Chester and the audience breaks into a round of applause. Chester starts to object when Carr thanks him for donating the fire wagon. Clarisse grabs his arm. "You deserve it. You did a lot for this place. Just accept it." Chester relents and tips his hat to the crowd. Carr states, "The fire is mostly out now, but we ask that you remain inside and wait until dawn to check for belongings. A squadron of troops from Fort Huachuca has arrived and will be on patrol this evening to ensure that there is no looting. I can also assure you that the fire did not reach either of the town's two banks so all of your deposits are safe." Many people appear relieved by that. He continues, "While the Grand Hotel and Restaurant was damaged and no longer open to guests their kitchen is still fully functional and they will be serving supper here for everybody free of charge within the next hour, with Tobin's saloon providing beverages free of charge. Tomorrow morning's complimentary breakfast will be served to you by the Crystal Palace Saloon. I thank all of these business for their generosity. I will now turn this over to Marshall Williams." The tall man wearing the badge steps forward. "Many of you are concerned about getting messages to loved ones. Before the Western Union building was destroyed by fire we were able to rescue most of the telegraph equipment. Temporary telegraph stations have now been installed near the lines a few hundred yards both north and south of town and are now operational. For the next twenty-four hours each person will be permitted to send a telegram free-of-charge to let those outside of the city know that you are safe. We ask that you conduct this in a safe and orderly manner, waiting patiently for those before you, and that you keep your message to no more than thirty words." There are many murmurs in the crowd to this news. Williams continues, "As many of you know, I am also the regional manager for the Wells Fargo Company. I have sent telegrams to the Stagecoach offices in both Bisbee and Benson, and dispatched riders to our office in Promise City, asking that all available stages be sent here as quickly as possible. Free passage to any of these three communities will be available for the indefinite future. I expect these stages to be rather tightly packed and again ask for your patience and cooperation." The crowd then begins discussing this. Williams continues, "I regret to inform you that a considerable amount of the rail yard was damaged. Until it is repaired to allow trains to navigate the turnaround we will be without train service. A repair and maintenance train, with replacement rails and ties, will arrive from Tucson tomorrow. We ask any able bodied men in town to volunteer to help lay this track so that regular rail service can soon resume again." He gestures for Deputy Marshall Dave Neagle and Circuit Judge William H. Stilwell (no relation to Frank Stilwell) to step forward. The Judge takes the podium and says "During times of crisis it is not unheard of for unscrupulous merchants to prey upon the disadvantaged. The lawmen and I have agreed that we will not allow that to occur here. We recognize that for the indefinite future demand will exceed supply for many items and that merchants may incur some added transportation costs to get replacement items quickly, so some items may be a bit pricier than usual. However, we are imposing a law for the next month in all of Cochise County that merchants may charge a maximum of no more than 50% more than the standard retail price for any item. Anybody violating that will be subject to immediate arrest and prosecution." The Mayor, Lawmen and Judge then leave to go make the same announcements in the other hall.</blockquote>

Verification