Welcome To The Bullpen
Four Graves
Ron Somers
Dan let the horse drink out of the water trough in the middle of town. He had been riding for four days and right now a good cooked meal was all he could think about.
The town of El Bueno was larger than he had imagined.
He found a man standing out front of a store and asked him for directions to the land office.
“Second building on the right, just past the bank.” the man told him.
“Thanks.”
Inside, the office was cool. Dan walked up to the counter and waited for someone to come out from the back room to help him.
The curtain moved aside and a small man with spectacles appeared. “Can I help you sir?” he said.
“I sure hope so.” Dan replied. “Got this land deed and I need to have it verified. It would be helpful too if I had a map of its location.”
The man looked over his glasses and took the deed from Dan’s hand. He studied it and then looked back at Dan again over his spectacles. “You sent me a telegraph concerning this land deed, nearly a year ago. Didn’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, like I said in the telegraph, it’s a legal land title, but after that, I did some checking. “Seems there are some taxes due on it.”
“How much would that be?”
The man opened a large book from under the counter and began checking numbers.
After a few minutes, the man came up with a figure. “Seems that there are Fifty eight dollars in taxes due, as of this month.” he said finally.
“Good thing you showed up too. If you hadn’t appeared and paid the past due taxes by March, the land would have fallen into escrow and Mr. Barch would have taken claim of it.”
“Oh. And how is that possible?” Dan asked.
“Well, if the taxes go unpaid for longer than three years, the property goes into escrow and can be claimed by a third party; as long as they pay the back taxes of course.”
“And who’s this Barch character?”
“Mr. Barch is a businessman out of Helena. Came in almost two years ago inquiring about the property. Wanted me to go ahead and put it into escrow then, but the law is the law. The titled owner has three years to catch up all taxes owed before I can sell it off.”
“What did this Barch fella want with this land?”
“I didn’t ask him.”
The man gave me a layout of the property and directions to its location.
I paid him fifty eight dollars for the back taxes and sixteen for the following year. Then I headed off to find my land.
To the south, I could see rain cloud forming. If I rode hard, I could beat the rain to the land. It was just sixteen miles due west of El Bueno and only a few miles north of a town called Helena.
A couple hours later, I rode into the yard of the property, rain pouring down. It was blowing so hard, it seemed like it was coming at me sideways.
Cursing, I walked my horse into the barn and turned him into a stall. I shook the rain from my slicker and looked across the yard at the house. I couldn’t see any lights and as I hoped, no one had moved into the place.
Seemed strange that a place would sit empty for nearly three years and Barch interested in owning it. You would think that someone would have homesteaded it; in a chance that they could take ownership of the place for themselves.
The barn seemed bare. I found some old hay and a half bag of oats. I stripped the saddle from the Dunn and rubbed him down with a hand full of hay, then let him eat.
Crossing the yard, I dodged the puddles and leaped onto the porch.
Opening the front door, I surveyed the room from the door opening. “Hello, Anyone here?”
The house seemed as though someone had been there recently. There were dishes in the cabinet shelves and the table was made with plates spread out. The candles on the table were burnt down to the wicks end.
The house was one big room with two smaller rooms off to the back. The right side of the roof was leaking pretty bad and I figured it was no use in trying to do anything about it now. I was gonna have to wait till the rain stopped before I could do any repairs.
The rest of the house was the same as the kitchen. I was expecting someone to come out at any moment; because the beds were made, clothes for a small girl were laid out on one them and there were chairs, books and belongings scattered throughout the place.
Someone, at some time had stayed here and it wasn’t that long ago.
I was coming out of one of the back bedrooms, when I heard a dog barking out in the front yard. I turned towards the front door and saw a little girl standing in the opening. At first I was startled, but when I called out to her, she took off running.
“Wait,” I shouted to her, “Don’t run off, I ain’t gonna hurt you.” I said to her as I ran for the door.
I ran out onto the porch and caught a glimpse of her as she leaped from the porch to the ground and turned the corner of the house.
Running as fast as I could, I slid off the porch and caught my balance in the mud. I raced around the corner and saw the little girl disappear into the driving rain just past the well. A dog was running circles around the well, barking its head off.
I could barely see anything anymore. The sting of the rain pelted me in the face. I lowered my head and made my way to the well. The dog ran off in the direction of the trees and I followed, thinking the little girl had gone the same way.
After a few minutes of shouting out and searching, I found no sign of the girl or the dog any more.
I hurried back to the yard and again found the dog at the well, only this time, he was just sitting next to it.
As I approached him, he tucked his tail and trotted off to the barn.
I walked back to the house and shook the chill off. The rain was still pounding the ground and the sound of thunder echoed over head.
I stood at the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl again or someone else, but I saw nothing.
I couldn’t, for the life of me, imagine that a child would be out here all alone. There had to be someone out there with her. Maybe they were hiding, thinking that I was here to do them harm.
The rain was still leaking heavily through the roof and I made a mental note of what I would take to fix it.
I looked back out on to the yard, hoping to see something or someone out there, but it was empty.
Where could she have taken off to? And why was she out here alone.
I decided to go to the barn and take another look around. But before I went, I searched the house one more time and called out to see if anyone was hiding somewhere.
“Come on out. I ain’t here to hurt anyone. You have nothing to fear from me.”
“Is anyone here? Hello.”
I pulled my slicker over my head and trotted across the yard to the barn. At the door way, I looked back towards the well, and saw the dog sitting there next to the stone wall.
What in the heck was going on? I thought to myself.
I called out to him, and he sprinted off into the trees to the south.
Searching the barn, I crawled up into the loft and looked behind every pile of hay and in every corner.
There was nothing. There was no one around and no sign that someone had been for some time.
Walking back to the opening, I noticed the rain had let up a bit. I placed my hand to my forehead to shield the rain from my face, and I poked my head out of the doorway for a better look.
The dog was back again at the well, running back and forth barking up a storm, and I there was the girl running from the porch to the back of the house.
“Hey, wait.” I shouted and took off after her across the yard again. “Stop running off. I ain’t gonna hurt you.”
At the edge of the house, I turned and stopped. There was no sight of her anywhere. I dropped to my knees and looked under the building. I could see clear to the other side. Again, there was nothing.
To the east, lay a wide open field. There was no sign of a single living thing. And there was no place a person could hide.
Chills shot up the back of my neck and I looked back at the dog, who was now sitting quietly next to the well again.
I walked back to the front of the house, and noticed the large opening in the roof on the right hand side.
Entering the house again, I called out. “Hello. Is anyone here?”
Looking back into the yard, I watched for sign of any movement. But there was nothing.
Something strange was going on here and I couldn’t figure it out. Where was that little girl disappearing too and why was she so scared.
I looked back to the well, and the dog was gone too.
The rain had now lightened to a steady pour. It no longer blew sideways and the thunder had stopped.
I crossed back over to the barn and took the horse out of the stall.
Tossing the saddle over his back, I kept an eye out on the yard and my senses alert. There was something strange going on, and I decided to make a ride into town to ask a few questions.
Maybe someone could shed a light on the mystery for me.
I climbed onto of the Dunn and kicked him to go. He wasn’t too interested in riding out into the rain; leaving the dry barn and oats, but I spurred him on any way.
Passing the house, I studied the layout and kept my eyes peeled.
About two hundred yards up the road, I heard that dam dog barking again, and I turned in the saddle to see what he was up to.
There in the middle of the yard, stood the little girl.
The dog was doing circles around the well again and barking his head off.
I turned the horse for a better look and when I looked back, the girl had disappeared and the dog was now lying down next to the stone wall of the well.
He just laid there quietly like nothing had ever happened.
All the hairs on the back of my neck and arms were standing straight up.
I was never a superstitious man. I didn’t believe in bed time stories about ghost or anything else like that, but for some reason, I felt that I was being watched.
I turned the gray Dunn towards town and pushed him into a gallop.
Within a mile from the homestead, the rain had quit and the sun came out shinning. The whole way into town, I noticed that the rain hadn’t touched the ground this far north. The earth was as hard packed as if it hadn’t seen rain in weeks.
The town of Helena was small, but looked self sufficient. They had a mercantile store, a lumber mill, a bank and several other buildings; like a church, a hotel, and even a saloon.
I entered the general store and approached the man behind the counter. “Afternoon,”
“Afternoon, too you sir, what can I do for you?”
“Well, I’m in need of a few things and maybe some information.” I told him.
“You know the old farm stead just a few miles north of town?”
“Why yes I do. That’s the old Johnson place. Shame to see it the way it is. Use to be such a nice place.”
“Well, it’s not that bad.” I said to him. “A few new boards to stop that leak in the roof and I figure she’d be good as new. What I was wondering though, is who was living there now?”
The old man’s wife had been listening and came over to see what I was talking about. She had an inquisitive look on her face.
“Mister it’s gonna take more than a few boards to fix up that place. It’s been burned near in half.” he said to me. “It burned two months ago.”
“Haven’t seen Mr. Johnson or his kids since that night.” the old woman said.
I glanced back and forth at them, thinking maybe they had the wrong place. “No. this place is just three or four miles up the road. Has a house, small barn, and a grove of trees to the south of it.”
“Yea, we know the place.” the man insisted. “That’s the Johnson’s place. At least that’s who was homesteading it. And I’m telling you, it burned down two months ago.”
The two of them just stood there looking at me as though I had gone crazy.
“Maybe I got the wrong place then.” I said. I pulled out the deed to the place and showed it to them.
The old man looked at it and then showed it to the woman. “You got the right place mister. But I tell ya. It burned down two months ago. Mr. Johnson and his kids ain’t been seen since. He had two boys and a daughter, Ginger.”
“I ain’t saying I known who done it, but we all know that Jason Barch as always wanted that land.”
“You hush your mouth Leo, before someone hears you say those things.” the old woman said, hitting him with her apron.
“Why would Barch want with that land?” I asked.
“Well,” the old man said, leaning in. “rumor has it that there’s gold up in the creek behind the grove of trees. And Barch being in the mining business; well it just makes sense that there just might be gold on that property.”
That’s twice I’ve heard the name Barch in connection to this land of mine. Maybe I should look him up and just see exactly what his interest is in the place.
“Maybe I’ll wait on those repairs then,” I told them. “Where can a man get a bite to eat around here?”
“Saloon has the best cook around.” the man replied.
So I went to get some grub and think over the whole situation.
I was eating my food and thinking about the little girl. Had I really seen her or was I imagining things?
Of course I’d seen her. I wouldn’t go running around in the rain, if I hadn’t seen a child out in it. And what about that dog? The old couple had said that the place was burnt down. Yet it sure looked fine to me. Had a big hole in the roof, but nothing a little hard work couldn’t fix.
The whole thing had me confused.
“Howdy, mister.” an old timer said as he walked up to the table. “Names Smokey. Mind if I sit a spell? I heard you had questions about the old Johnson place.”
I motioned for him to sit.
I continued eating while he spoke.
“Word is that you’re the new owner of the place. I had my eye on it too, but Jason Barch ain’t a man to let someone else beat him at anything. He’s been chomping at the bit to get his hands on that property.”
“What does he want with it?” I asked the old man.
“Gold, son.” he said sharply.
“You know this for a fact?”
“Sure do. Me and Jesse Johnson had worked a little in the creek and came out with a little gold dust. But that was just from some panning. There’s bigger stuff under all those boulders, but we wanted to wait till we had proper claim on it first.”
“But seeing that you’re the rightful owner and that the Johnson’s got burned out and left. I thought maybe you and I could come up with some kind of agreement.”
“No offense, but you don’t look to me to be the prospecting kind and I know the place pretty well.” the old man commented. I thought we could be partners and split things, fifty - fifty.”
Before I could answer him, the doors opened and three men entered. One was a well dressed man, with high boots that came up over his pants. The kind you would see some well to do fancy rider wear. The other two were your typical hired hands
They walked straight to the table and the one fancy dressed fella sat down.
“Names Jason Barch.” he said as he stuck his hand out, “and whatever old Smokey here has said about me ain’t all true. I’m just a business man, trying to earn a living.”
“What is it I can do for you Mr. Barch?” I said to him as I continued to eat my meal.
“Well, I see you’re not a man for small talk, so I’ll get right to the point.”
“Word is that you own the land just north of town. About seven hundred acres of good farm land. I can tell you’re not much of a farmer and I have a nephew that would like to turn the land and make a go of it. What would you say to me offering you three dollars an acre for the place, as is.?”
“Huh,” the old man scoffed. “Sounds like robbery to me.”
“I wasn’t asking you old man. So stay out of it.” he cursed under his breath.
“Well seems to me that it is this old man’s business, since we just became partners.” I told Barch. “Sorry the place ain’t for sell.”
The old man smiled and leaned back in his chair.
“You’re making a big mistake mister.” Barch said as he stood up. “Ain’t no law out here and strange things happen all the time.”
“Like getting burned out and chased out of town.” the old man shouted out sharply.
“Watch yourself Smokey. Or you could end up the same way.” one of Barch’s men said.
I stood up and faced Barch and his men. “Is that a threat?”
Jason grabbed his men by the arm and pushed them to the door without a word. They left whispering to each other.
“Why don’t we take a ride out to the property old man? I want you to see something.” I said to him.
“Sure thing mister.”
“Hey, did you mean what you said just then? About us being partners?” he asked.
“We’ll see.”
As we headed towards the land, it began to rain a light mist. I turned to look back towards town and noticed that the sun was still shinning to the south.
I looked up at the sky and cursed.
“I hate rain.”
At about three hundred yards out, I pulled up on the reins and stopped. Smokey pulled up next to me.
“What is it son?”
“The house, it’s burned near in half and the barn is completely burnt to the ground.” I said. “Just this afternoon, I had put my horse in one of the stalls. Barch didn’t have time to do this and there’s no smoke.”
I looked around and made sure I was at the right place.
“We told you that it was burnt, mister. I don’t know what else you expected; been this way for months.”
We rode into the yard and I got down and went inside the house, while Smokey held the horses.
Inside everything that was there this afternoon, was now gone. The whole inside was burnt to a crisp. No dishes, no beds; just metal frames and springs. The bedrooms were gutted and the hole in the roof, was now gone. The whole right side of the house had crumbled and fallen outward. I could see to the grove of trees without any problems.
“Where’s your new partner Smokey?” a voice outside called out.
Quickly I slid behind the front door. Through the crack, I could see Jason Barch and his two men in the yard.
“Gone to relieve himself in the trees.” the old man said.
“You stay here with the old man.” Jason said to one of the men. And he and the other man rode towards the trees to the south.
“You boys are treeing the wrong coon.” the old man told the man. “Best you ride out while you can.”
The man laughed and slid off his horse. “The day I’m scared of any man, will be the day they burry me.”
I stepped out from the door and onto the porch.
“Maybe today is that day, mister.”
Just as I finished saying that, he went for his gun.
I put two shots into him before he could clear leather. He crumpled to his knees and fell forward in the wet mud.
A shot rang out and a bullet hit with a thud on a porch post.
The old man jumped up onto the porch and I covered him as he ran into the house. Firing three shots at the men charging in on horseback, I ducked into the house for cover.
As they entered the front yard, I slammed the front door closed and slid over to the window.
Shots rang out; shattering the window pane and hammering the outside of the building.
I fired my last shot out into them and then began reloading.
“Here,” the old man shouted and tossed me his pistol. “I’ll reload. You shoot.”
Just as I caught up the pistol in mid air, the front door came smashing in. Barch’s man stumbled through the opening and I fired point blank into him.
He spun and fell dead.
I heard two shots outside and the sound of a dog barking.
Running through the front door, I saw Barch on the ground, wrestling with the brown dog. Barch was screaming and kicking, but the dog had him by the forearm and was shaking him for all its worth.
Finally Barch got both feet under the dog and kicked with all his might. The dog yelped and went flying.
Barch got to one knee and took aim at the mutt.
A shot echoed and Barch toppled sideways in the mud.
The dog trotted off in the direction of the well and sat quietly next to the stone wall.
I was trying to get into position when the shot was fired, but the horses had me blocked. I looked back to the window and saw the old man leaning out of it.
He hit Barch square in the head, killing him instantly.
I sent the old man back into town to fetch some men.
When they arrived, I had them search the woods for either bodies or a grave; or something; anything.
Smokey and I took a two foot long piece of metal stake, and bent it like a hook.
Tying it to the well rope, we lowered it into the well and after several attempts we came up with a little girl’s body. It was badly decomposed and only noticeable by the clothes she was wearing.
“Smokey! Over here.” a man called out from the woods. “We found a grave.”
I told the men to dig it up.
After thirty minutes, we had Jesse Johnson’s body and that of his two sons.
We dug four graves out back of the house in the meadow and marked each of them with a head stone made of wood.
“I’ll have nice ones made up later.” Smokey said.
“She would have liked that.” I told him.
“She who?” he asked.
“Ginger.”
“Well I guess I better get moving on.” I said to Smokey. “I believe you can handle this from here.”
“What about our partnership?” he asked.
“How does twenty - eighty, sound to you Smokey? You open two accounts at the bank, one under your name and one under mine. Just put twenty percent of whatever you find in mine and you keep the rest.”
“You sure mister?” he asked.
“I’m sure. And you might want to know who you’re getting into business with.” I said to him.
“You ain’t gotta to tell me mister.”
“I remember seeing a man once in Texas.” he said, “Big man, just like you. Shot Joe Dugan down in a gun fight. Fastest thing I ever saw.”
“I know who you Mr. Favors.” he said smiling.
“I’d partner with you anytime.”
I shook his hand and smiled. “Ok, then.”
“Partners.”
As I rode out to the north, the sun parted the clouds and the rain stopped. I turned in the saddle to see the old man in the yard, playing with the dog.
I thought for a second and then shook my head.
Naw, I ain’t even going to try to figure this one out.
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