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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 3787054" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Two-hundred-two, “Did I get him?”, Friday, June 16th, 8:45 P.M. Following the commotion Chester had holstered his pistol and picked Clarisse off the floor where he had been shielding her. He grabbed Watson roughly and shackled the man. He told Clarisse. "I might not be back any time soon. Sorry, dear." He kissed her on the forehead and drags Watson to the office. Once ordered to go sing by Deputy Barker Clarisse swallowed hard at the display of violence which disrupted the play. She took a deep breathe and steels herself. She took the stage and with Harry's accompaniment, singing, shakily at first, but stronger as she continues. Outside, Jake continues to make himself unobtrusive. He takes a moment to commend Jeff and Michael on their quick action to help control events. Jeff says, "You shouldn't thank me, it was my fault. I checked his satchel coming in but must not have done a very good job, I didn't see the gun." Deputy Helen Barker walks over with the satchel and says, "This bag? Not your fault Mills, there's a false bottom that he had the gun in. You wouldn't have seen it unless you had made him remove all of his music and then checked." "Besides," Jake adds, "that fool could have just shot him in the street just as easy. I suppose the lesson for the tournament is, do not trust anyone and look harder." Michael George says, "We will Mr. Cook, plus Mr. Van Horne says that he has hired several more people to assist with the tournament security." Minerva walks over to the bar and requests a glass of tequila. She takes a long swallow, allowing a satisfied sigh to escape as the fiery liquid races to her belly, taking the edge off of the discomfort of spell casting and bringing the color back to her cheeks. She refills her glass and takes it out to the porch where she can regain her strength in solitude. While pretending to oversee activities, Jake pockets the bottle of tequila from the bar. As the excitement diminishes, he quietly makes his way back to the porch as if he is part of security. In truth he is, as long as it does not interfere with his drinking. Jake sees her out of the corner of his eye, it would be rare for him to miss an attractive woman walk by. Leaning against the porch railing, he wiggles the bottle of fine tequila out of the large pocket in his duster. Grabbing the empty glass he left behind on the railing when the shooting started, he pours himself another three fingers. First a sniff, and then a sip. "Ah." He watches the senorita unabashedly but without expression. Minerva feels Jakes eyes on her. She drains her glass in one gulp and without speaking, walks over to him and holds out her glass. "Heh."  He pulls the cork on the bottle and pours her about two fingers of tequila.  "You should have come see me first," he holds out the bottle where she can see it, "I have the good stuff."  He puts the cork back and shoves the bottle back into his duster.  Picking up his glass he casually taps it to hers.  "Tu salud." (your health) “Salud" she repeats and sips the golden liquid. "Ahhh, Bueno." She leans up against the railing and looks out at the stars. Jake is quiet, watching her out of the corner of his eye.  Eventually people make their way back inside to watch the play, Jake remains outside. Minerva continues to stare into the distance, listening to the drama of the play as it unfolds within the saloon. Her sigh breaks the silence.  "It is strange what people will do when they believe themselves to be in love, and what they will endure in its name.." She swirls her glass and takes another sip. Jake is startled not by her voice but by her words. How does she know what I am thinking?  Oh, the play.  No, perhaps she is thinking about Nanuet.  "Yes.  Old Caleb White once told me, Jacob, Life is one fool thang afta 'nother where as love is two fool thangs afta each other."  Jake inhales a whiff of his tequila.  "It is amazing what folks will endure, how they change and what lunacy to which they are driven." Minerva chuckles at the witty remark. "Old Caleb White is quite an insightful man. I would like to have met him." she sips her drink, relaxing a bit into the railing. "I much prefer to hold the reins." The house lights flash inside to indicate that the intermission is about to end. When the lights flashed Emily said to Nakomo, "I better go.  I'm glad you're not mad at me."  She got back to her seat and sat small between her cousin and her Uncle. Act IV of the play resumes again.   Paris reveals that the wedding will occur on Thursday. Juliet is cold to Paris. Friar Laurence tells Juliet to take a potion simulating death, allowing Romeo to take her away, unopposed to Mantua since everyone will think she is dead at the Capulet's ancient vault or burial ground. Capulet makes plans for Juliet's wedding. Juliet, who has decided to drink Friar Laurence's potion, no longer opposes the wedding, delighting Capulet. Hearing this good news, Capulet, who is keen to have Juliet marry Paris decides to move the wedding forward. It will now be on Wednesday morning, not Thursday as previously planned... Juliet succeeds in sleeping alone which allows her to take the potion in privacy. Juliet worries about the Friar's intentions before the potion takes effect and she falls asleep... Lady Capulet and the Nurse are busy making preparations for the wedding. It is 3 o'clock in the morning and now Capulet hearing music announcing Paris' arrival, tells the Nurse to wake Juliet. The Capulet's learn that their daughter Juliet is dead. The wedding preparations are changed to those of a funeral.  The Act ends. Act V begins with Romeo learning of Juliet's death and deciding to risk his own life by returning to Verona at once to see Juliet one last time. Romeo also buys some poison from a local Apothecary. Friar John explains to Friar Laurence that his letter informing Romeo that Juliet is not dead, did not reach Romeo. Friar Laurence tries again to inform Romeo of his plan and heads off to the Capulet burial chamber where Juliet will soon awaken. Paris mourns his bride that never was. Romeo arrives, opening Juliet's coffin to look at his love one last time. Paris fights Romeo whom he believes is desecrating Juliet's grave. Paris dies, Romeo placing him beside Juliet. Romeo takes his poison, kisses Juliet and dies. Friar Laurence arrives too late. Outside, Jake hears the play coming to one of several emotional climaxes; its words and their dark meaning invade his thoughts.  After a time he responds, "Yes, holding the reins is my preference also.  Often it seems the reins are there and yet we are unable to grasp them." "It's a good thing we have something to hold on to." She says holding out her glass. "Heh.  I feel sorry for people who abstain from drink.  When they wake up in the morning, that is as good as they will to feel all day."   Jake sways slightly, the tequila finally affecting his balance. From inside the saloon Romeo has just laid down Paris after killing him.  Although he dodged most of the assignments his teacher forced upon him, Jake knows the story, he knows what comes next, “I must tell you,” Jake says with a frown, “I never did like this story.”  He puts the glass to his lips but discovers it empty.  His frown grows more pronounced.  He struggles to remove the bottle from his pocket again to refill their glasses. Back on the stage, Juliet, now awakens, asking for her Romeo. Friar Laurence leaves, leaving Juliet alone. Juliet kisses Romeo and stabs herself, dying. The Prince, Capulets, and Montagues arrive, Balthasar and Friar Laurence explaining all. Escalus scolds the two families who finally end their feud. The play ends with the Prince summarizing this tragic love story. Following a round of applause the actors all head out on stage and bow to the audience.    The house lights come up and Michael George declares the bar to be open again. Outside ten minutes earlier, Minierva commented about the play saying, “It is a dire warning of what happens if you let your heart rule your head,” she pours a bit of her tequila into his empty glass and clinks it with hers. "To dire warnings, "She grins, "they may save us yet." she polishes off her drink.   He nods half heartedly and drinks while inside he knows Romeo drinks his poison.  He is silent during Juliet’s dialog and subsequent suicide.   He only speaks again while the prince addresses the families.  He frowns again, “I hate being lectured.”  He sways a bit and says, “Michael will open the bar again soon, the crowd will either flock to the stage or the liquor.  We can take a seat in the back until they have had enough and leave.  We have our own.”  He tugs a couple of times at the bottle in his coat pocket and shrugs.  “It went in, it will come out.” After the play Emily's Uncle had spent a lot of time near the front door of the Lucky Lady talking to everyone.  It was getting quiet and things were being cleared by the time they walked home.   As predicted when the play ends the crowd parts allowing the two to take a couple of chairs away from the parted throngs.  Jake manages to rescue the bottle from his pocket and sloppily pour then each another two fat fingers worth.  They watch the crowd clamor for the actors and drinks for a while but the enthusiasm wanes and the crowd thins.  All the while Jake seems lost in his thoughts.  When Jeff and Michael begin cleaning up he suddenly begins speaking, his words lightly slurred.   "Doomed to suffer with and doomed to suffer without.  One must ask himself, is it worth it?  Should a man continue after such an epiphany?  Is it cowardice to abandon a painful journey when its purpose no longer exists?  Is it bravery to face such a choice head on, to end a wasted quest, to begin a new sojourn?  What happens to a man when his heart’s purpose is discovered to be a fool’s errand?" "You are talking in riddles Silver Jake Cook!" Minerva sways a bit as she tries to focus on him.  "Are you making fun of my pain?" "What? Your pain?  No, I do not mean disrespect to you Senorita.  Jake Cook stands by his friends," He says with some finality and dignity regardless of his condition.  "It is too quiet in here." Jake stands and walks uncertainly to the piano and sits down.  His drink is set firmly and with a loud 'thuck' on the instrument.  The tequila splashes around dangerously close to the rim but not a drop is spilled.  He plunks on the keys, apparently searching his memory for a particular song.  There are several miss starts before he finally has some semblance of a song, chords and a bit of a melody.  She finally recognizes the tune; it is a recent though not terribly popular temperance song.   Minerva follows him to the piano and scrunches herself onto the  seat beside him. "Si, You have been a good friend to me, Jake. I much prefer a good friend who tells me the harsh truth than a love who tells sweet lies. If you are not making fun of my loss than, por favor, what are you talking about?" He starts singing in a mournful and slightly out of tune voice.  She recognizes that he has skipped into the third verse. "Stain not the lips with ruby wine, oh drinker of the cup beware Too late, too late you'll sadly find your bound within a fatal snare But leave the bright delusive cup; resolve no more to drink the wine god now will save if you'll give it up and trust his power and grace divine." He laughs darkly and mutters, “Trust in the gods to save me,” drinks again from his glass and stands bolt upright.  "Beware, beware oh foolish man, taste not the Ruby wine." He walks straight to the side door with only a slight wobble.  On the way he drains the last of his tequila and places the empty glass precariously on a table edge in a smooth motion, despite his obvious condition.  Exiting he turns fluidly towards the back of the saloon where the outhouse is located. A moment later there is a single loud retort of a pistol.  Jake could have readily told her that it was the unique sound of a Colt 45 being fired.  He, however, was not with her in the saloon to share that bit of knowledge. Suddeny sober, her complexion gone deathly white against her dark hair, Minerva bolts toward the horrifying sound Minerva turns with Jeff Mills right behind her to the back of the saloon.  In the dim moonlight Jake is seen lying motionless, flat on his back a few feet from the outhouse.  His arms are outstretched away from his body, with a pistol lying on the ground a few inches from his open right hand.  A faint wisp of smoke is barely noticeable curling up from the gun.  From this distance it is difficult to be certain, but his eyes look to be closed. Minerva lets out a scream and rushes to his side. "Jake! Jake!" She grabs his shoulders and frantically looks for the blood of a gunshot wound. “Por favor, Oh Dios, do not be dead. You are all I have left." “Ow.”  Without opening his eyes the prone gambler asks, "Did I get him?" Minerva looks at him incredulously and stammers, “What? Get who?” Jeff Mills opens the out house door.   After a moment he kicks at something and satisfied it does not move picks it up by the tail.  “Yes, sir, you got him right behind the head.  Nice shot, considering all the tequila you drank.  I reckon Maria can make a nice stew out of him.”  Jeff shakes the rattle and looks to Minerva, “You want me to help you get Mr. Cook up?” “No, Jeff. I will get him up,” she says yanking him up none to gently by the arm.  "Senor Cook I have had enough of this melodrama for one night!” she scolds. “What do you think you are doing, scaring me that way!” He stumbles a bit and sways a bit more on the way to standing up, all the while muttering.  “No I did not mean….  It was a diamond back…  I had to, you know, use the ….  I lost my balance….”  Finally upright he lurches forward with his arms around her and he allows his eyes to open, “Sorry.” She stumbles against his weight. “Well you had better be!” she attempts to say sternly, but no loner able to avoid the hilarity of the situation she loses her frown and bursts out in gut wrenching laughter. “Can you point me back towards the outhouse; I never made it there the first time….” A few minutes later back in the Lucky Lady Jake and Minerva have been talking around a table Jeff setup for them.   “I did not know that you believe Nanuet is not coming back, forgive my insensitivity.  I have been consumed in my own dilemma.  I have as likely as not thrown diamonds into the sand, so to speak.”   He rubs a hand along one cheek.  “I will never meet another woman like Ruby West.  I will likely not ever feel about another woman like I felt about her.”  Jake shrugs, “I may be many things but two things I am not, brave or coward enough to kill myself.  Stick to what you do best they say.  Seems that I will have no choice but to surrender myself to drunken binges, poker and women to drown my sorrows.”  He sighs and then adds with a faint smirk, “That is in no particular order.” Minerva comments, “I did not know your feelings for Ruby had changed. I am sorry. Your situation is more complicated than mine as I have once again had the choice taken from me. I am damned by both gods and man. I was heartbroken the first time Nanuet left. Then the gods told me that he was but a door to greater things and that I was meant for another. But when he came back I shut my ears to the gods words, and then he was gone again leaving me feeling the fool. You said it well, Jake. It is not a coward who quits a fool’s errand, but a fool who continues on. I will not morn my life away. I will not be made a fool.” She says bitterly. "I suppose you have a right to be angry.  I do not think anyone is trying to make a fool of you, do not confuse malice with the tides of life.  As for me, well I have the reins as you had put it.  I made all the choices, I said all the words, and I thought they were true with all my heart.  Was I influenced by Aphrodite?  Was I enchanted by an alluring and remarkable woman? Was that why I ignored what little common sense I have and denied who I am?  I have no one to blame except that man I see in the mirror every morning."  Jake smiles forlornly, "And he is a slippery fellow, a hard one to pin down." Minerva says, “Than do not try to pin him. You are who you are Jacob Cook, as the gods intended you to be. Do not fetter yourself with regret over what you are not, but revel in the fine man that you are.  Sorry, I know you do not care to be lectured, but it is as the gods intended me to be.  Perhaps one more sip of your fine tequila before I call it a night.” Jake slides the bottle towards him and pulls the stopper out.  He tilts the bottle but it wavers back and forth over her glass before he places it back down.  "Heh, too bad it is not a rattlesnake, I would have no trouble with that.  Perhaps it is wiser if you help yourself, Senorita, I fear Don Orendain would be insulted if I poured his fine tequila all over the table."  Jake laughs quietly as she pours, "A fine man indeed.  I readily accept you as the gods intended," Jake says looking at her and pausing as he recalls watching her naked in the grove.  A smile escapes to his lips, "As for Jake Cook, fear not, he will revel.  That is what he does regardless of any regrets he may carry."   He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.  "I have no more time for regrets tonight.  I must find a few hours of sleep soon, there is a poker tournament to be won and I shall be plying my skill and luck in earnest." Minerva finishes her drink and weaves her way back home. She looks up into the hills before she enters her home and accepts that Nanuet has been called to do nobler things than warm her bed. The gods said there would be another. She would be content with that and let her anger go. As Kate makes her way through the house she sees her houseguest Janet in the living room spinning away at the spinning wheel.   "Hello Katherine, how was the play?" she asks. "Interrupted," she answered.  "But I was enjoying it a great deal up until then.  Warren Watson tried to kill Edwin Booth.  They're going to finish it... I guess it's over by now since I had to go to Doctor Eaton."  Kate looked down and saw the dried blood on her clothes.  "I need to change my dress." "Oh my goodness!" Janet Fly exclaims as she jumps up and runs over to Kate.    "Is Mr. Booth going to live?  He's bled all over your dress!" Kate answers, "He'll be fine.  There were more clerics there than you can shake a stick at.  Watson shot him twice, but he was drunk and his aim was bad.  Earl Hogan and Rolf Larsen were hurt but they'll be okay too.  Doctor Eaton gave me something to drink before he took the bullet out of my arm and I still feel a little strange, quite relaxed, really.  Do I sound strange? Could you help me change?  I'm not sure I'll be able to bend my arm far enough." Janet helps her upstairs and helps get Kate changed.   Janet makes a big deal about the bandage over the wound and goes on about how terrible it must have been for Kate to get shot like that. "I've been through bank robberies and had dynamite thrown into my school, this isn't so bad," Kate said although she was secretly pleased at all the fussing.  No one had fussed over her like that for a long time and it was rather nice.  In a few minutes she was cleaned up and in her nightdress with her dressing gown over the top.   The elixir was starting to wear off, and half feeling was even stranger than not feeling at all.  She picked up a book and went back downstairs with Janet. When Ginnie came home she sat near Kate downstairs and read for a while until they all headed off to bed.  Kate had hoped Conrad would stop by to check on her, but he did not.  Of course she wasn't badly hurt and with Janet here he might have thought it inappropriate. Kate eventually heads upstairs to bed.</blockquote>

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