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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2222519" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 112, “The Street Urchin”, Thursday, January 12th, 1882:Back at the El Parador Jake orders up some lunch. He looks for his compadre's but finds them all out and about. He chats with Dorita, soaking up some more Spanish. He looks about for Ricardo who gives him some more 'Si Senor' answers and giggles but so far hasn't found anything useful. Then he is off to the Promise City Hotel to speak with Job Kane. Once there he inquires to the proprietors his whereabouts. Job Kane comes downstairs. He notices Jake and asks him to join him for lunch saying, "Melissa Smith's cooking is the best thing about staying here."Jake replies, "Well, I already ate, but if her cookin' is that good I bet I could squeeze in some more." They sit down, order up lunch and Jake doesn't mince words. "So, Tom tells me you are interested in part ownership. He and I been talking too, don't know if he told you. I like you, and I think I could work with you, but it would be good to know if you felt the same way.”  He replies, "Sure Jake. Tom has no confidence in you but you played at my table for four nights and I think I got a good read. I'd be happy to be your partner."  Jake replies, "Good enough. Well I have no use for Tom either so I guess he and I are square." Jake laughs. Jake says, “I'm not interested in owning the whole thing, and don't really want to handle everyday operations. I figure I can invest, contribute, run a table a few times a week or when someone needs covering, and do what I do best. Resolve problems when they come up."  Job answers, “"Then we're probably too much of the same mind. I was hoping to avoid handling daily operations too, that would be too distracting for me to try to focus on my game if I had to worry about everything else. Sounds like we need a third partner to be the manager, or we could just hire a manager." Jake says, "I think I can convince Miss West to stay on, which is good for business. But I want to know what you are thinking.”  Job says, "Well I assumed she would be staying. Without her as the main draw I don't know if it would be worth it. "   Jake asks, “Is it worth the price? What kind of returns do you expect? Job says, "Yeah, it's worth it, to me at least. I'm comfortable there which helps me play. I expect that I would be able to keep the twenty-percent I hand over to Tom every night for myself. I'll earn back my investment in a month. I'm just sorry that Judge took all my savings, I could have bought the whole thing otherwise." Jake asks, “And how do you think running the place day in and out will work? Are you experienced enough to run a saloon or do you have something else in mind?"  He replies, "I have nobody specific in mind at this point. Were you thinking of someone?"   Jake answers, “I don't know who would be a good manager. I guess I'll start looking. Ruby will be a partner though, hopefully that will keep her interested. And I may be able to keep her interest other ways." Jake laughs again. "If she isn't the death of me first. She's not the right person to manage though that’s for sure. Well, I can always do it for a short time if we need to search for one." Jake pauses and looks at Job for a minute. "What do you think of the trouble with Adair?"  Job replies, "I think the joke is on him. Based on what I hear he's sitting back right now laughing about getting destroying the Whipples marriage. Whatever happens with the Lone Star he'll credit himself for causing."  The hotel and restaurant owner returns to the table and Jake comments, "Mrs. Smith, this scoundrel Job Kane just didn't say enough good things about your cooking, I think he's tryin' to keep it to himself.”  When she leaves, Jake continues. "OK, let me see what I can settle today. Do you need any help? If not, then good luck and I'll be in touch." Jake shakes his hand and heads over to the El Parador for a drink and to think a bit.Jake doesn't see any of his friends at the cantina, so gets a drink from the bar and sits down sipping it slowly and thinking. After a while he looks around to make sure no one is watching him, retrieves a small leather wallet from a hidden pocket and removes a photograph. He just looks at the photograph and sips whiskey, apparently lost in thought. "Pretty girl," Dorita says while looking over Jake's shoulder. She refills his glass and then walks away. Jake startles a bit, then waits until Dorita goes back to fade back into thought.After some amount of time spent by himself in quiet, Jake realizes it is late afternoon. He puts away the photograph and secrets the wallet. He goes out back to chat with Dorita and pester her some more with Spanish lessons. She is good-natured about it, Jake is a faster learner but his accent leaves something to be desired. He asks if Dorita has seen Ruby around, and she tells him not since this morning. Jake assumes she and Katherine must be together. He heads out and purchases some writing materials, paper and envelopes. He goes back in his room and writes two letters. It has been a while, months probably he really can't remember. But it is to the same two addresses that letters have been mailed to for several years now. Always the same, always without return addresses. He writes the letters slowly, carefully choosing the words. At the end of first of the letters he looks a long time at it before he has a final thought. When he finishes addressing and seals them. He holds them both in his hand for a long time before he takes the pen and ink out again and adds return addresses. He notices the hour has gotten late and that supper may be being served down stairs. Placing the extra materials, and the finished letters in his nightstand he unwraps his gun cleaning materials. He thoroughly cleans both revolvers, this has always helped him to focus. He stows the double action and straps on his beloved Colt single action fast draw Peacemaker, silently thanks the master gunsmith who made it what it is and picks up his lucky hat. "Heh," he says laughs a short laugh looking at the hat, "I've bought plenty of hats, and you're not any luckier than any of them. But don't you be tellin' anybody it ain't you that's bringing me the luck." He pops the hat on his head, smiles and heads down stairsAfter they arrive at Promise City, Nanuet double checks that Sonoma stills wants to see the shaman. When she agrees, the two of them ride off to find him with Maska.  It takes hours of tracking and is around 5:00 PM when they actually encounter an Apache shaman, an apprentice of the man they are looking for. He leads them through a thickly packed forest to a small grove on the other side. The senior shaman is there. With him is the man named Riley. Two other Apace Indians, a shaman and a warrior, are also present.Nanuet dismounts and Sonoma does the same. Maska lopes up beside Nanuet. Nanuet raises his hand in greeting. "Greetings Kajika, Riley and others. Kajika, I have returned to you seeking more knowledge. I have practiced what you taught and want to learn more. I have also brought with me someone I wish you to meet. Her name is Sonoma, she is a special wood elf whom I have begun courting. He moves so that he is standing behind her and places his hands on her shoulders. She is wise beyond her years and I have also learned much from her. Her family has given me protection and aided me since I arrived in Promise City.”He pauses and then says, “I have also brought supplies that were requested by the men who brought Curly Bill to Flint's mine. I hope this is all that you need." Nanuet continues to speak as he unpacks the parcels he had purchased the day before and hands them to the men seated near Kajika. "And if possible I would like to get the necklace recharged." With that last request he stands before Kajika and bows his head. "That will take time that I do not have today," Kajika states. "I will meet you tonight at the same place as before to continue your training." "You have met Riley. He is my blood brother. We traveled together for over two years and saved each other's life on many occasions. He came to me with his haunting dreams, which I believe I have cured him of. I was able to glimpse some of these dreams as I did so. I believe that they were premonitions of the future, both his and yours. I believe I know what this creature is that you are destined to protect but wish some more time to confirm that before sharing that knowledge." "Nanuet, when you first came to me you were overcome by remorse due to your actions having inadvertently caused the death of Storm Golden Eye. Riley has had a similar experience in his past. He has been reluctant to speak of his past due to that but I have told him that now is the time to do so. If he is to stand beside you and your comrades as allies it is important that you all know who he is. He will return with you to the town and when it is opportune he will tell you all his story."Sonoma nods a greeting to the Indian who is standing in front of her then looks to Nanuet and says, “I have found this man to be bold, brave, and giving, if a little impatient. A good match for me in time.” She looks Nanuet in the eye and says, "You ask for the wrong thing. You have a teacher who will show you how to use who you are to produce what the necklace does yet it is the necklace you wish to be given again. Wouldn't the knowledge of how to use the power to heal be a better thing to have? It can't be taken from you or lost. You need to take the time to gain some peace and thought there is still much time for all of us to become who we are. Take the gifts that are offered and think about what you are offering yourself. I love you and believe in you there is no rush step back and take the time you need to be who you are.”Kate got changed. She was hesitant to ride out alone and the El Parador handyman Grant Keebler offered to accompany her. She rode the stallion she'd acquired the morning they went out to Jake's new mine. She called out and he came out of the cave.  Kate swung down from the horses back. "Flint, I've brought your deed back, and unfortunately, I don't have much good news for you. The deed is legitimate, and since we don't have any proof of Fisk's deception beside your word, we don't have a legal case right now. Mr. Berg is interested in representing us if we get any new evidence though.  The good news is, since the deed is legitimate, Fisk can't try to claim this land at all. It is yours, free and clear unless Pete willed his share to someone.  Flint says, "Nope, he didn't have any heirs or will."  As for Curly Bill, I talked with someone today, and I should know this evening if we have a deal. I wish it could have been sooner, I wanted to get him out of here for you."  Flint replies, "It's not so bad now that we've moved him. I'm just glad it's January instead of July." "So am I," Kate laughed. "I'm doing everything I can. I'll be relieved when he's gone." She reached inside her jacket and handed Flint the deed. "I don't have much time today, but hopefully I'll be able to come out and take a good look at the horses in the next few days. Have a good day Flint. Take care."  She got back up on the still nameless stallion and nodded to Grant Keebler, who'd graciously agreed to ride out with her. They headed back into Promise City, where Kate them changed back into her dress and went to see Mr. Gonzales. Katherine opened the door to Mr. Gonzales magnificent rooms and went inside. Her discomfort about agreeing to Mr. Booth's plan began to subside. This place was like a sanctuary, and no matter what might be going on outside it, inside there would be light and learning, and good company.  "Mr. Gonzales? I'm here, finally," she chuckled.Her teacher welcomes her into the room. "Today we will work on Magical Transformations. There are a number of spells that you should become proficient in to help you and your friends. And after we are finished with that we well head down to the Cantina and you will give me my first lesson in piano playing!" "That will be a change, me teaching you something." Kate settled herself into a chair and listened as Mr. Gonzales began his lecture. She soon lost herself in the fascination of magic, interjecting now and then to ask a question or get a clarification before they moved on to any actual spells.Over in Tombstone, Ruby sees Chuck Nevers around a block away heading back in the direction of the Stagecoach. He has a bottle in his hand and a smile on his face. When he is still around fifty feet away a young child of around ten comes out of a side alleyway and brushes against him heading the opposite direction. As this is happening Ruby sees the child skillfully remove Chuck's wallet from his back pocket without him noticing.Ruby gives a little smile at the child's swiftness. She quickens her pace to catch up to the kid, but doesn't say anything at the moment. She continues to follow the child, ready to catch if necessary but staying just a bit behind watching.Ruby watches as the small girl slips into an alleyway near a stable.  During the time that Ruby has been watching she see that the child is likely on her own but seems to be caring for her well.  The dress is tattered but clean, her hands and face were washed, and her hair contained in a braid held together by a piece of string. However her face has the hungry look that Ruby remembers and a level of stress that shows she is spending her time on the streetsRuby follows the girl to the alleyway. She doesn’t want to startle her so she doesn’t try to be quiet. She stays on her toes in case the kid tries to run and will try to grab her if she does, but she also tries not to look threatening. “Hey kid, I need a favor. I’ll pay you for it. Interested?” The girl positions herself so that she is out of reach of Ruby and has a clear exit. Ruby recognizes the flight position the child has put herself in just in case.  "What is it that you may be needing miss?" the girl asks.Ruby replies, “What's your name kid?"  The child does not answer and Ruby continues, “Well, the favor is simple actually. I need you to return that wallet you just lifted. Now, that wallet belongs to a friend of mine, so you can see why I need it back. But I am willing to make a deal with you. Let's take a look inside and we'll see what kind of money is in there, maybe you and I can come to an agreement about that. And when you do this I'll not take you to the Marshall." Ruby gives the child a smile to try to put her at ease. The girl turns and bolts Ruby reaches for the girl and barely misses.  The girl takes off and starts to run at a high rate of speed away from Ruby.  Ruby knows that she could catch the kid as she watches her run away but decides that running though the streets of Tombstone isn't the best idea for not drawing attention to herself at the moment. She chuckles to herself as she walks back to the stagecoach. She thinks, "Well, I was certainly smarter than that when I was a kid. I would have taken the deal, stolen something from the woman, then taken off." She shakes her head and when she gets back to the coach all she does is smile at Mr. Nevers.Nevers welcomes her back and opens the door to the carriage. He hands her a bottle of bourbon and says "This is the best I could do. It's from Tennessee rather than Kentucky but I think you'll find it to your liking. It was bottled by master brewer Dan Call, whose still is well known in that region."  She replies, “I'm sure this'll do just fine, Mr. Nevers. I do appreciate you looking out for me." She sits for a short while when the door opens again and in hops a bright smiling and bubbly halfling of her acquaintance by the name of Chumbley. Once inside he reaches out and is handed up three large bundles of newspapers tied with twine. He tells the man "Thanks John, I should be back on Saturday."  Nevers comes over a few minutes later and says "Looks like it's just the two of you," and then shuts the door.Ruby tries not to roll her eyes and forces a smile on her face. She is dying to see what's written in the paper but thinks she'd better not read it until they get back to Promise City, just in case there is something in there she doesn't like.  "How are you today, Chumbley?" He smiles at her and then exclaims at record speed without pausing between sentences or letting her get a work in edgewise: "Oh, I'm doing just fine Miss. West. My publisher is extremely pleased with the business we've been doing in Promise City. Mr. Clum says that if this keeps up he may have to set up a print shop right in town to save me having the do the trips back and forth. And today's paper will be the best one yet! It's a full sixteen pages! It was going to be twelve pages, in fact that's what we had printed up yesterday, but then so much more happened last night and this morning. So we worked up another four pages to put over the other twelve. The paper will look a little odd though, since pages one and three are now both front pages, but I doubt that anyone will complain too much. We put the new stories on the front and back pages and found other odds and ends for page two. We didn't have anything for page fifteen so I suggested that we run ads for past advertisers that aren't in this issue free of charge. I figure that goodwill gesture should help prompt some of them to advertise again with the Tombstone Epitaph Promise City Edition. One of those is your employer, the Lone Star Dance Hall and Saloon. It isn't the exact same ad though, since I didn't know if Mr. Whipple would want that coupon run again. But I wrote an excellent write-up of your singing and Mrs. Kale’s piano playing as part of the ad. It fills a full quarter page. The ad also references the return of Mr. Job Kane to the poker table after his recent absence. Do you think Mr. Whipple will mind? And do you think he might take out another advertisement in the next issue? Mr. Clum would be really pleased if these free ads manage to bring in future business. The ads are what are really driving the business. I don't make enough selling the papers to even cover my roundtrip stagecoach fare let alone my night's hotel and meal expenses, not that the Alhambra has been charging me for meals, they feed me in lieu of the advertisement in each issue. Clum also cut a discount deal with Wells Fargo for my transportation given how frequently I travel, but it is still pricey. I'd travel by horse, but am really not much of a rider. Some halflings ride Shetland ponies but I always found them a bit silly looking, don't you think? Perhaps a mule would work, but they travel rather slowly. Then again, it probably wouldn't be safe for me to be traveling alone given all of the trouble with the Cowboy Gang….” Ruby tried to hold in a sharp comment when Chumbley started his speech. She didn't need this headache on top of the one she had from the night before. Instead she smiled thinking about Jake and what he was up to today. Some kind of scheming, she was sure of that. Kate was probably with Mr. Gonzales, learning some new exciting things. She paused to consider what it would be like to tell Kate about Tom, then pushed the thought out of her mind. Better to not think on it. He continued…”Then again, who says that stagecoach rides are any safer what with them hitting three in the past week, took $ 6,500 in yesterdays robbery, which is why we had to put that on the front page. Oh, but I don't have to tell you about the danger of stagecoaches, since you were on both of the others that they attempted to rob. I'm glad to see that you are still brave enough to stick with this mode of transportation. This would be a very lonely ride with nobody for me to talk to otherwise. “Suddenly, Ruby's thoughts were interrupted and she asked, "$6,500? Why was there so much money on the stage?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.  He answers, Oh yes, a combination of cash and assayed silver. It was on the run between Bisbee and Tombstone. Bisbee is a mining town twenty miles south of Tombstone, not far from the Mexican Border. The robbery took place just a few miles outside of Tombstone. My publisher and I didn't print this in the paper but based upon what Virgil Earp said to John Clum he suspect that the Clantons were involved. They've always been suspected to be working with the Cowboy Gang and their ranch wasn't far from where the robbery took place. This was the second time that particular stage got robbed. The Earps arrested Frank Stillwell last summer after the last robbery but the charges didn't stick. I think that Virgil is taking this one personally."She interrupts with the question, "Think there is any reason why they would try to rob this coach today, Chumbley?”  He says, "I wouldn't think so. I didn't see a mailbag being loaded so it's just my newspapers. I consider them important but I doubt anyone would value them high enough to be worth holding up a stage for."He continues, “And you are such good company Miss. West. So what brings you to Tombstone? Personally, I would just stay in Promise City if I were you, it really has everything that Tombstone does. Except for the railroad, and maybe the church, and the telegraph service although Promise City is trying to get a more reliable line established. Oh, and none of the hotels are quite up to the standard of Big Nose Kate's, but other than that I find the towns to be remarkably similar. Don't you? Yes, well at least we have good weather for the ride today, not that the weather is ever really that bad around here, except for those hot summer days, and those fall tornadoes can be a bit much too, and we occasionally get flooding after the heavy rains, thankfully the rainy season isn't that long, but other than that the weather really is much better here than other parts of Arizona.""Alright, Chumbley. I am glad your newspapers are doing well. I'm sure Mr. Whipple won't mind the ad. I'll even take one of those papers when we get back."  Ruby looks out the window and hopes this ride is faster than the one this morning. The ride for the next three hours has something in common with the one that Chumbley took with Ruby's associate Alison Caine a week earlier, namely that he continued talking for the entire three hours but she quickly tuned him out and thought about other things. It is just before 6:00 PM when the stage pulls into Promise City. They stop on Main Street outside of the Alhambra so that Chumbley can unload his newspapers. Being two blocks closer to the El Parador than the Wells Fargo Office Ruby opts to get out there as well. Before she gets off the stage Ruby buys a paper from Chumbley. She folds it under her arm to be read in a bit. She has a splitting headache as she heads back into the El Parador. For once she isn't sure if alcohol will solve the problem. She heads inside and checks to see if anyone is around.</blockquote>

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