Mine of Distress

Becky struggled helplessly as she sat on the hard wooden bench. Rope held her wrists, ankles and knees, and was wound about her chest and upper arms. A rag was stuffed into her mouth and held in place with a bandana. Seated beside her was a terrified Mrs. Felicity Brown, who had unwittingly followed Becky into the trap. They were left alone in the room with a single kerosene lamp for lighting. Becky wondered just what reaction Julia would have when she heard about this. What would she do? To simply give up the mine? But to whom?

As the intermission neared its end, Julia was getting anxious. She had briefly seen Becky, but she was gone. Not only that, she thought, but Henry and Charles and the Browns are gone, too. How odd. She sought out the ranch hand who had accompanied her and Becky to the ball and asked him "Tommy, have you seen Miss Carson?"

"Oh, no ma'am, " he replied, despite the fact he was the same age as Julia. "She said to watch over you, 'cause she could take care of herself. Something wrong??"

"It's starting to look that way." She looked over to the improvised stage where Burke and Brown were talking about something. She immediately made her way over there, with Tommy close behind.

As soon as she reached the stage, Burke asked "Miss Sterling, have you seen my wife?"

"No, I haven't seen her. Or my cousin." Julia replied. An older lady happened to be passing by and she said that she had seen both of them go out the back way some time ago. That was all Julia needed.

She made her way to the back door, with Tommy and Mr. Brown not far behind. On the way she encountered her step-brother, whom she passed by with a brusque nod. Charles said nothing, but joined the group. Julia stopped in the alleyway, unsure of where to look. The one directly across was as good a place as any to start; besides, there was a single kerosene lamp visible in the window. Julia knocked on the door, only to find out it was ajar. She slowly opened the door and two shapes were distinct in the dim light.

"Becky? Mrs. Brown?" She inquired.

"Mmmmm!Mmmmmmph!" was her reply. She then rushed into the room and saw the ropework on the captives.

"Light some other lanterns, quickly!" she ordered as she pulled off Becky's gag. Matches scraped against the door frame and soon the room was filled with light from the remaining lamps.

"Why, those two devils!" Brown exclaimed as started to untie his wife.

"Our friends Mister Red and Mister Blue." Becky said as Julia and Charles started to untie her. "Only the gave their names."

"That's better than nothing." Julia said grimly.

As soon as she was free, Mrs. Brown hugged her husband and said, "Oh, Arthur! It was so horrible!"

"There, there Felicity." he said soothingly "It's all over now." Becky was freed now and she too rewarded her releasers with a hug. Charles received a long and affectionate hug from Becky, while Julia's was more a hug of greeting.

"Come on," Julia said. "Let's get back to the ball."

The group made its way back to the ball, where they were met by a surprised Henry Fulton. As soon as the group was able to tell their tale, the remainder of the ball was immediately cancelled, but not before the mayor called for a town meeting at 7 p.m. the following Friday. Clearly, the situation was getting out of hand. The crowd dissipated slowly and there was a sense of resigned frustration as they all departed.

"Not a way for the evening to end." Henry remarked as they climbed the stairs leading to the cousins' rooms.

"At least I have descriptions I can give to that Marshall." Becky remarked.

"Did you notice Brown's reaction?" Julia asked.

"Well he was upset at his wife being tied up. That's understandable."

"He clearly mentioned TWO devils. How did he know?"

"Yes, he did say that," Charles remarked. "I think that time you spent reading Mr. Poe's books is beginning to bear fruit, Julia."

Julia ignored him, and Becky said, "We've always had two men bothering us, If not those two dolts who grabbed us the night Julia arrived, then Ned and Sam."

"Not when Barlow seized us at the Indian Agency." Julia countered.

"Yes, I've been meaning to ask how you two got out of that one," Charles remarked.

Becky told him about Clouds Opening and how she helped the cousins escape. The story was fascinating, but the night was wearisome for at least one member of the room.

"I must get going," Henry said. "Good night, Miss Sterling." He then took Julia's left hand and gently kissed her knuckles. With slight tip of his hat and, "Miss Carson", he acknowledged Becky. He ignored Charles and left.

Julia retired to her room, while Becky and Charles remained out in the hallway.

"I'm getting tired, myself" Charles remarked. "In fact, I'll be returning to Boston in a few more days. Rest assured, I'll write you and return at the first opportunity."

"I would appreciate it," Becky said. Charles then took her in his arms and kissed her squarely on the mouth. Becky felt the warmth and reciprocated, allowing him to explore her mouth with his tongue. After they finished, they went their separate ways.

Julia and Becky attended church the next day, but Mrs. Brown was conspicuous by her absence. According to her husband, Doctor Stone had administered laudanum to Mrs. Brown, and ordered to rest in bed for the day.

As soon as the service was over, Becky, Julia, and Tommy met to plan their next move. They needed to contact Clouds Opening and ask her about keeping watch over Barlow. As it was too dangerous for the cousins to be seen near the Agency, Tommy agreed to act as a go-between. After a couple back and forth trips, the agreed to meet with her near a large boulder on Wednesday.

On the appointed day, Tommy drove the cousins to the rendezvous point. Once there, they stopped and waited.

"Maybe she's late." Tommy suggested.

"Perhaps," Becky said. "No, wait. That horse over there, it's an Indian pony." She pointed and her companions noticed a painted pinto wandering the side of the dirt road. It had no saddle, just blanket.

"Let's get closer," Julia suggested.

Tommy obliged. As he stopped near the horse, they all noticed a young woman nearby. She wore a dress of coarse cloth with buckskin leggings and moccasins. Her arms were stretched as far as they could and tied over a very low-slung tree branch. A stick was tied across her mouth, held in place by a piece of rawhide.

Very quickly, the trio released the captive. Julia had Tommy get some water from the buckboard, and the released prisoner drank it hastily.

Julia asked the inevitable question and Clouds Opening replied "Three men, all on horseback. They were waiting, and had their faces covered. They left me they way you found me."

"Did they have any names?" Becky asked.

"One was called Boss by the other two, but I heard no other name. One had very light hair, like dried corn."

Before anybody could speak again, they heard the clatter of galloping horses. They looked up and saw three riders approaching with revolvers drawn. The unholy trio stopped close to the buckboard and dismounted.

Ned and Sam were identifiable by their masks, but their guns remained pointed at the hapless quartet. Julia recognized the boss as being the same as the incident with Lillybelle. He even wore the same outfit. The ringleader yanked Tommy toward him, then hit the hapless ranch hand on the back of the head, who then crumpled in a heap.

Julia tried to reach him, but was grabbed by Ned. The boss then turned his gun on Clouds Opening while Sam and Ned tied Julia and Becky's wrists behind their backs. Ned took a bandana and shoved it deep into Julia's mouth, then tied it behind her back. Sam did likewise with Becky, after which the two cousins had gunny sacks thrown over their heads. They were manhandled to the wagon, then lifted into the back part.

After a brief wait, the wagon was driven a ways. The prisoners were taken into building with very loose floorboards. They were then made to sit down on a very wide and very loose board. Their ankles were bound and the gunnysacks removed. They were in what appeared to be an abandoned farmhouse. Their feet were resting on a long wooden plank, one of many in the house.

The Boss stood by the door as Sam and Ned removed the planks in front of Becky and Julia, gradually revealing what had been an enormous hole in the floor. Soon, their legs were dangling over empty space. The cousins exchanged nervous glances, especially as Ned and Sam removed the planks from behind them. All the while, their boss stood silently as he watched from the doorway. He probably is smiling behind that cursed mask, Julia thought.

Becky, meanwhile, looked down into the hole, trying to see what was there.

"Enjoying the view?" Sam asked. "You're sitting on a plank about a foot wide and an inch thick."

"It's about six feet down into that there root cellar," Ned said. "We'll be right back in a few hours to see if you won't give up the ranch."

"You might think falling down there might be worth the risk of sliding off of there or trying to wiggle your way free. But that's why we chose to do this. Show 'em, Ned."

Ned picked up a rock and tossed it into the cellar. The clatter of the rock was followed by an entirely different sound. Julia and Becky both paled at the tell-tale warning of the rattlesnake.