At the bar I ordered a drink, meanwhile letting MY eyes and ears take in the crowd.
Almost as much Spanish was spoken as English and with few exceptions the Mexicans were the most elegantly dressed.
All four of the town’s leading hotels, the Pico House the St. Charles, the Lafayette, and the United State” were close together, and none of them more than a few minutes from Buffum’s, SO there were a good many out-of-towners aside from local residents and ranching people.
The bartender had a moment of quiet, and I said, “Quite a crowd.” ‘The usual.” His eyes shifted to me. comy buying land?” ‘Looking around. I’m interested in cattle. I might take a flyer in mining if there’s a chance.” “That’s a big gamble. “There’s gold out in San Gabriel canyon. A while back they were shipping twelve thousand dollars a month out of there.” He served a drink, then dropped back beside me.
“They all come in here. The bigwigs, I mean.
This is where the big deals are made.” “There are some beautiful girls around,” I commented, “some of the prettiest I’ve seen.” ‘allyou betcha,” he said, with sudden enthusiasm.
‘These Mexican girls are mighty pretty!” “I saw one today that wasn’t Mexican. At least, she didn’t look it to me. A blonde, driving a pair of black geldings “Elaine Ross,” he said.
‘Shes at the St. Charles. She’s a newcomer here, but she’s sure cutting a wide swath among the menfolks.
Two or three of the young dons are trying to court her, and Hampton Todd as well.” “Todd?” “He’s eastern. At least his pa was. They come out here together when Hampton was a boy. Fact is, I went to school with him. His pa was a widower, married a Mexican girl and fell heir to one of the big land grants, but he did right by her family.
He made money and he spread it around.
“Fact is, was the bartender added, ‘Most of the Mexican families, the early ones, I mean, lost their land. Only those who had one of those New England boys marry into them, they kept theirs.
“There’d been no competition out here for years, and the Californios lived an easy, comfortable life.
Money they took for granted, sharing it around and spending it as if there was no end to it. Nobody was on the grab in those days, but when the Anglos began to come out, money-hungry and land-hungry, they grabbed everything in sight. it was a whole new way of thinking, and the Californias just weren’t ready for it.
“Old Man Todd and some of the others, they took care of their folks, hung onto their lands, and as a result a lot of the old California families survived the rush.
“Hampton, he’s a different cut from the old man. He’s a big spender and likes to live rich. Looks to me as if he’s got his eyes on Elaine Ross … and she’s got money of her own.” “Well,” I said carefully, ‘if she’s only been here a short time, like that, maybe he should wait a bit and see what kind of a woman she is. at The bartender drew back, his eyes level.
‘Mister,” he said, “I’ll hear no man speak slighting of a woman.” Startled, I said, “I didn’t speak slighting of her. Only that that’s mighty short acquaintance, isn’t it?” He walked away from me and stopped down the bar, talking with some other men. After a moment, feeling the fool, I finished my drink and walked Ou.
what would they have thought if I had told them what I knew?
They might have shot me. They had decided to believe what they wanted to believe, and the worst thing a man can do is to try to change an idea like that. But what would happen when Heseltine came to town?
How would he like seeing his girl running with another man?
Outside, I strolled around the Plaza, watching the couples out for walks, and seeing several rigs go by.
There were a dozen or So riders, men riding slowly by on handsome horses, their saddles loaded down with silver. Finally I went back to the hotel, lit my light, and tried to read. After a while I went to bed, and there in the dark wondered how long I’d have to wait.
For some reason I was restless, and it took a long time for me to fall asleep. Then suddenly, I was awake.
There had been no unusual sound … I was somehow sure of that, yet There I was, wide awake and staring into the darkness. For a moment I lay quiet, listening.
There was no sound from outside, which meant it was long after, midnight, for the saloons took time to quiet down, and men going home often stopped in the Plaza to talk. Carefully, I eased out of bed.
Looking at the crack of light beneath the door I could see that no one stood there. Dim light from outside showed my small room clearly enough to see I was alone. I crossed to the window and, keeping to one side, looked out.
For a moment all I could see was the Plaza, the shadows under the awnings across the streets, the faintly silver ringer of water from the fountain. And then I heard horses.
Two riders-no, there were three. Three riders.
Waiting beside the window I saw them walk their horses into the Plaza, pausing almost beneath my window as they c nsidered the hotel and talked low in tones. I could make out no details, but one of them turned his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face.
Kid Reese .
My wait was over then; they were here.
After a moment or so, they rode on, disappearing in the direction of Los Angeles Street.
Returning to my bed, I stretched out, pulled the covers over me, and began to think about the situation.
Hampton Todd and Bob Heseltine . . .
I’d keep out of sight and see what developed from that situation, but in the meanwhile I’d locate the outlaws” horses and the place where they chose to stay. So far as I knew, Heseltine was not well known here. Reese was certainly a stranger.
After some time I fell asleep, with nothing solved except to wait.
There are some times when a man has to go in, guns a-blazing. There are others when it pays to just wait and see what develops.
At breakfast I saw Hampton Todd across the room. He glanced my way, his eyes level and cold. Now, what was that about? I’d never met the man. Paying strict attention to my food, I found myself feeling worried.
Ruby Shaw-or Elaine Ross, as she called herself herehad a way with men.
She might have seen me and, preparing for what might come, had told Todd some cock-and-bull story about me. Or the bartender might have said something.
Actually, I’d said nothing for anyone to take offense at, but the bartender had taken it badly, and so might others. I was going to have to stay away from Ruby Shaw, and I was going to have to move with care.
The first thing I did was to go to Wells Fargo and send part of the money I’d gotten in Prescott to the folks back in Texas.
After arranging to send the three hundred dollars I figured was their share, I said to the agent, “If you wanted to sort of keep out of sight in this town, I mean if you were an outlaw, where would you go?” He glanced at me. “Sonora Town. It’s the Mexican end of town.
There’s Meidcans all over town, but they are mostly the ones who have been here for years. The drifters and the newcomers live- in Sonora.
There are a lot of good folks over there, but they mind their own business. There are a lot of bad ones there, too, and a man could go among them and they’d hide him.” He finished an entry in a book, put my money away, and then he said, ‘If it’s anybody I should know about, it might help to tell me.”…Ever hear of Bob Heseltine? Or Kid Reese”…p He took some papers from a pigeonhole in his roll-top desk. “I’ve got a flyer on them.
Suspected of a stage holdup.” “FhaiCs right. Does it say anything more?” He glanced at the flyer. “Reported to be traveling with a woman, Ruby Shaw. A blonde, five foot three, one hundred and twenty-five pounds….” He looked up.
‘allyou must be Shell Tucker. You were the stage-company agent.” “For a short time. Heseltine and Reese rode in last night, in company with another man.” “You are sure it was a man? Not the woman”…p I looked him straight in the eye. “It was a man. The girl was already in town. She got here before I did.he did not make the connection.