Becky and Julia were in a precarious spot. They were bound hand and foot and gagged while seated on a narrow plank suspended over a hole in the floor of an abandoned farmhouse. They did not dare to try and wiggle their way free or to slide off the plank as the cellar had become a nest for rattlesnakes. The cousins offered no movement beyond the occasional glance toward one another. Their joints began to stiffen and their mouths became parched as they sat helplessly.
Their mysterious tormentor and his two lackeys, named Sam and Ned wanted them to give the gold mine they had inherited from their uncle Josh, but neither could figure out why. On the occasion where one or both had met his boss, he had been masked.
Sweat glistened on their cheeks and got into their eyes. Julia closed her eyes and said a mental prayer for deliverance. It took some time in coming, but rescue came.
They heard voices outside, but nobody seemed willing to enter the farmhouse. Julia tried to cry out, in the hope that it would be better than nothing Becky joined in, and the cousins were soon issuing a chorus of "mmmph!Mmmmmph!" The desired result was arrived and in short order, three familiar faces entered the farmhouse: Tommy, Clouds Opening, and -a bit of a surprise- the Marshal.
He took one look at the situation and knotted his brows in thought. After giving the situation careful consideration, he told Tommy "You there, help me get these planks set up." He and Tommy laid planks down behind the captives and when they were able, they lifted Julia and Becky to their feet and untied the two captives.
Though grateful for the rescue, the cousins were a bit perplexed by the goings on.
"I was riding to reservation to investigate this Barlow fellow when I came across your man and this squaw bound and gagged by the roadside." He explained. "After I released them, they explained everything and we came this way."
"Good thing you did," Becky said, "there's rattlers down in that cellar."
"I want to get out of here before they return," Julia said.
Clouds Opening was puzzled. "Why do they do such things?" she wondered aloud.
"They want us to give up our gold mine," Becky replied.
Now it was clear to Clouds Opening. "Ah, gold. The Sioux call it 'the yellow metal that makes white men crazy.'" The group then made its way out of the farmhouse and to the awaiting buckboard.
The cousins were in a foul mood after their rescue from the farmhouse. In addition to the physical and mental torment their capture forced them to endure, their duties for the ranch and the mine were neglected. True, both places had a foreman to help run things, but both were Becky and Julia's responsibility, yet their captivity coupled with the need to file the proper reports kept them away from what they both vowed as their responsibilities. However, there were some things they were able to do, such as accompanying a gold shipment into town the day after the incident at the farmhouse.
While Julia was busy at the general store, Becky made the proper arrangements with the treasury man for shipping the gold. As she finished the paperwork, she noticed Charles awaiting the stage for Denver. She walked over to the stage office to bid Charles a safe trip.
"I shall telegraph you the moment I arrive in Boston," he said.
"By then we could have this whole thing licked," Becky said, pointedly.
"I do hope so. I worry so much about Julia. She's such a gentle creature."
"She's coming along splendidly. Our troubles notwithstanding, I believe she quite enjoys it out here."
"Well, if she has you to look after her, I'm sure she will do fine." They kissed, much to the disapproval of some of the onlookers. Once they broke their embrace, Charles boarded the stage for their first leg of his trip to Boston.
The cousins finished their errands and next returned for the town meeting. Very little of substance was said.
It started out chiefly as a diatribe by Arthur Brown. Brown he protest too much? Julia wondered. Henry Fulton got up and questioned the ability of the town to control itself and stated perhaps it would be unwise to open a bank in a town that elected a drunkard as sheriff. A man seated near the back row stood and asked for the floor.
"And you are, sir?" asked the mayor, who presided over the meeting.
"The name is Cahill, U.S. Marshall," the man replied. "I've seen what Miss Sterling and Miss Carson have had to put up with and I find it appalling. Somebody in this town does not want them to own the mine that is rightfully theirs. That person may well be in this very room. I defy that person to show himself openly and face these ladies personally." None did.
Shortly afterward, the meeting broke up. Julia and Becky were left in no better a position than they had been in before. They left the meeting dejected and highly unsatisfied.
Over the next several days, nothing happened. Becky, well aware of the time it took for a train to get from Denver to Boston, eagerly anticipated the telegram from Charles. Perhaps their mysterious enemy had given up. No matter what, the cousins were able do their work and began to let their guard down.
One afternoon, they decided to go riding without Tommy providing an escort. They simply told Magda what they were doing and saddled up Atalanta and Lillybelle. It was a very peaceful ride. The ever-gentle Lillybelle had established a rapport with her mistress and while Atalanta possessed the speed suggested by her Grecian namesake, she could take a smooth ride with Becky.
During the ride, Becky and Julia came across an encampment alongside the road. Ever neighborly, they rode up to it and dismounted.
"Hello!" Becky said. "Are you just passing through or--" her voice tailed off when the two men turned to face them.
"Well, well, well," Ned said after he had turned around and he and Sam drew their revolvers. "Lookie what we got here!"
Sam turned toward one of the tents and said "Hey boss, come and see our visitors." A man emerged from one of the tents and the captive cousins turned to face the boss. Their eyes bulged in surprise.
"You!" Becky exclaimed.
e-mail: historian62@hotmail.com