Chapter Thirteen

 

MAYME AND MR. Smart rested their arms across the top railing of the holding pen. The forty horses stood lazily in the early morning sun. Their heads dripped low. A couple swished their tails in agitation as a bay yearling colt trotted by and faked a buck as he passed. His eyes were alert and had a mischievous gleam in them.

“He looks like he’d be a handful,” Mayme said. 

“My guess is he’s not gelded yet.” Mr. Smart shoved his hat farther down on his head to block the sun on his face.

A wagon on which a pile of hay sat precariously, rattled up alongside the fence. It was pulled by a flea-bitten grey. Mayme assumed this was a normal job as he ignored the horses in the paddock. Armed with a pitchfork, the man speared the hay and threw it over the fence in separate piles. The horses hurried in a sudden surge to get their share.

“Hi, Fred. Looking for some new blood to put in your herd?”

“Good morning, Tom. I’m not, but my friend here is. Sh-He’ll be riding for the post, so we’re looking for a horse that’s hardy and can do the miles.”

“Ah, right. Well, there’s a couple of them in there that might meet his needs. That black one with the white blaze is nice. My first pick would be the chestnut with the four white socks, but it looks like she bowed a tendon sometime in the past.”

“What about that blue roan?” Mayme climbed higher onto the fence and pointed. “She looks solid as they come.” She looked down at Mr. Smart. “Can we go look at her?”

“Hey, Tom. You mind if we check out that roan in there?”

“Have at it. She’s a nice one and broke good. I don’t know if she’s been bred or not. My guess is no. I think that’s the one Madison said wouldn’t let the stud near her. So she was no good to him.”

Mayme climbed over the fence and dropped to the ground before the man had finished talking. 

The mare seemed to notice Mayme’s approach immediately. Strands of hay hung out both sides of her mouth. She chewed methodically and flared her nostrils to gain Mayme’s scent.

The horse remained alert but calm as Mayme came to stand at her side. Her ears twitched forward and the one on the nearest side twisted toward her. Mayme put her hand on the muscled neck. The mare didn’t flinch other than to bring her head lower and watch Mayme with a kind liquid-brown eye. Mayme knew this as a good sign.

She stood back and assessed the mare’s condition. Her ribs were covered with a thin layer of fat, but were visible when she took a deep breath. Her nicely shaped neck blended into strong shoulders, which led to a short back and toward powerful haunches.

Her conformation was correct. So much so that Mayme knew she’d be a comfortable ride. She ran her hands down the mare’s legs. Everything seemed perfect. Until she came to her feet. All four striped hooves were overgrown and ragged around the edges.

“Looks like she has some Appaloosa in her.” Mr Smart crouched down beside Mayme. “Those cracks are only cosmetic. If you end up buying her, we’ll get some shoes put on her and she’ll be fine. Appaloosas have notoriously good feet. Having been in a big herd, these just haven’t been cared for properly.”

The mare sniffed Mayme’s neck and nudged her gently.

“I think she’s taken a liking to you.” Mr. Smart stood up and ran his hands over her back. “She’s strong. A good brushing would do her good.” He lifted the mare’s top lip and examined her teeth. “She looks to be about five or six years old. Heck, May-Nathan, if you don’t buy her, I will.”

Mayme got up and went to the horse’s head. She stroked the mare’s face from her forehead down to her jowls. There was something maternal about this horse. When she looked into the mare’s eyes and saw brown softness she made her mind up. She wanted her.

“How much do you suppose she is?”

“No idea. I’ll go ask Tom and see what they’re asking.” He patted her on the shoulder. “I don’t think I’d worry much about you on the trail aboard this one. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Neither Mayme nor the mare paid any attention as Mr. Smart walked away.

“Hey, big girl. What do you think? Want to run through the mountains with me?” Mayme blew softly into her nostrils and was pleased when the mare rubbed her upper lip against her cheek.

Mr. Smart rubbed the back of his neck as he walked back a few minutes later.

“Uh oh. You don’t look like you have good news for me.” Mayme pressed her lips tightly and frowned. A feeling of dread overcame her. She took a deep breath and waited for the disappointment.

“Can you afford twenty dollars?” Mr. Smart squinted painfully.

“That’s all she’s going to cost?”

“Well, Tom said they were looking to get a hundred for her. But he said if I threw in a breeding to Cloud, you could have her for twenty.”

Mayme’s eyes misted. “So she’s nearly mine?”

“Yep. You just have to hand over the twenty note. There is one problem though.”

Mayme scanned the horse, wondering what could possibly be wrong with her. She looked at Mr. Smart with raised eyebrows.

“You don’t have a name for her yet.”

Mayme blew out a breath and rubbed her cheek. “Geez. You scared me. But you’re right.” She took two steps back and scanned the mare’s hide. Her roaning pattern was unlike anything she’d ever seen. Her black-based coat was dusted with little flecks of white. The mingling of the white and black caused a blue sheen to cover her body. Her head and lower legs were black which complemented the silver of her mane and tail.

Mayme smiled and nodded. “Her name is Duster,” she said proudly.

 

THEY TOOK DUSTER to the livery and arranged to have shoes put on, and rented a stall for her. Mr. Smart had offered to take Duster to his farm, but Mayme wanted her close by so they could get to know each other. She cringed at paying the fifty cents per day, but she knew it was only temporary.

Mayme purchased a saddle and bridle at the livery as well. She didn’t want to leave her newly acquired tack at the stable, nor could she take them home. So she accepted Mr. Smart’s offer to keep it in the back room at the mercantile. That way they wouldn’t be so difficult to carry the short distance to the livery, and it would give her the opportunity to give them a good oiling before she hit the trail.

She left Mr. Smart to run the store. She felt bad that he might have lost some business due to opening late, but she was pleased he’d been with her that morning. If not for the adventures that lie ahead of her, she might’ve been sadder at not working alongside Mr. Smart.

Like the day before, she had to allow the postmaster to finish waiting on people wishing to send telegraphs or conduct other business. She sat on the step outside and watched the wind build mini twisters with the dust.

“You may come in now, Mr. Adams.”

It took Mayme a second to realize that he was calling for her.

She scrambled to her feet and trotted inside.

“Hello, sir.”

Lawrence nodded and smiled at her briefly. “Since you’ve returned, I’m guessing you still wish to honor the position.”

“Yes, sir. I thought it was a sure thing when I took the oath.”

“Well, lad, you’d be surprised how many fellows come in and do just that. Then they never show up again because their mothers have talked them out of it or they decide they’re not brave enough.”

Lawrence rummaged under the counter and pulled out what looked like a saddlebag with extra leather.

“This is your mochila.” He held it up. “It’s specially designed to carry mail. The hole in the front fits over the saddle horn and the slit fits over the cantle behind you. These boxes, the cantines stay locked at all times as this is where the mail is kept.”

Mayme took the mochila from Lawrence and looked at the small leather boxes. Each was already locked.

“Is there mail in here already?”

“Oddly, yes. Some letters were diverted from yesterday’s train. I’ve already sent off a telegraph to Oro Fino Creek and they’ll be expecting you by the end of next week.” Lawrence handed her a folded parchment. “This is the map to guide you there. Mind you, there is no specific route as of yet. The majority of trails that lead into Oro Fino come from the east, so you’ll have to find your way.”

“Okay.” Mayme felt a moment of indecision. She ran her hands down the front of her trousers. “Well . . .”

“Are you having second thoughts?” Lawrence narrowed his eyes at her.

She inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. This is what I wanted, what my heart called for. I can do this. And besides, I won’t be alone. I have Duster . . . and my guns.

“What I was about to say was, well, I’d best get going then.”

“Very well. May God guide you safely on your travels.”

Mayme headed for the livery. Her step became livelier as she reminded herself she had a horse. And a job that required her to be on said horse.

Duster’s deep nicker welcomed her as she walked into the barn. None of the bedding in stall had been disturbed and Mayme wondered if Duster had stood at the stall door awaiting her return. She peeked over the stall and was satisfied to see that the farrier had already trimmed and put shoes on Duster’s hooves. They looked as good as Blaze’s did after he was shod.

“Hey, big girl. What do you say we get to know each other? We’re going to be heading out on a long trail ride in a few days.” Mayme stroked Duster’s neck and her hand came away with a bunch of hair pasted on it. She looked around and smiled as she found a burlap sack that’d been emptied of the oats once stored in it. She took it outside and flapped the dust out of it. Satisfied, she went into Duster’s stall and let her sniff it before she touched her with it.

Duster snorted twice and wiggled her nose over the sack.

“Still smell the oats, huh girl.” Mayme rubbed the sack gently on Duster’s chest.

Duster’s nose wiggled back and forth, and Mayme used a bit more force. Pretty soon she was able to work the burlap over Duster’s entire hide. Mayme was hot and sweaty by the time she finished and believed she wore more hair and dirt on her than Duster did. She wiped her face with a sleeve. And pasted her hair back under her hat.

As during her grooming, Duster stood stock still as Mayme laid the saddle on her back. Mayme tightened the girth and Duster didn’t move. Mayme held the bridle in front of Duster’s face, and she lowered her head, opened her mouth, and took the bit without any drama whatsoever.

“Wow. You really have nice ground manners. But let’s see how you ride, shall we?”

Mayme led Duster out of the barn. After she adjusted the stirrups to her length, she stepped up and swung her leg over Duster’s back. She wiggled her butt back and forth in the saddle to set it firmly on Dusters back. She picked up the reins and patted Duster’s neck.

“Okay, big girl. Let’s see what you can do.”

Mayme quickly realized Duster reacted to weight adjustment in the stirrups more than signals with her legs or reins, although she was keen to do those as well.

She followed the road out of town, past the train station. The ruts ran out and turned into a dusty trail, and she eased Duster into a trot. As she suspected, Duster’s stride was easy and extremely comfortable. She asked for a canter, and Duster cross-cantered a few strides before correcting herself.

Mayme was impressed with Duster’s endurance. She’d barely broken a sweat until after she’d slowed her down to catch her breath. “It’s me that’s not used to riding.”

Already her legs were tired and the rocker bones in her seat were letting her know of their presence. She decided to turn around and head back. There’d be plenty of time for her to get used to the long hours in the saddle.

 

“YOU’LL NEED THIS.” A long chain with a pocket watch attached at the end dangled from Mr. Smart’s fingers. “It’s as important as the flint.”

Mayme gazed at the watch. “I can tell pretty good time from the position of the sun.”

“I’m sure you can. But this is also your compass.”

“What?”

“Follow me.” Mr. Smart led the way out the back of the store. He looked up at the sky and moved out of the shadow of the building. “You’ll use this to check your course. If you divide the watch into three-hundred sixty degrees, or like the points on a compass, you can figure out a line of direction from north to south.”

“How the heck do I do that?”

He held the watch in front of him. “You aim the hour hand at the sun. Then you split the distance between the hour hand and the twelve on the watch. See? It’s eight-fifteen in the morning now. The split is near ten which shows you the southern direction and north is where the four is.”

Mayme furrowed her brows in concentration.

“Look, you have any doubt which end of the line is north, just remember that the sun rises in the east, sets in the west, and is due south at noon.”

“The sun is in the east before noon and in the west after noon.”Mayme nodded. “Okay. I understand.”

“There’s one other thing you have to remember.” Mr. Smart handed the watch to her. “You have to keep it wound. An hour difference could take you in a completely wrong direction. You surely don’t want to get lost in those mountains.”

Mayme focused on the mountains in the distance. Suddenly they looked less pretty and more foreboding.

 

“YOU’RE LEAVING IN only two days?” Iris said that night. “That’s not near long enough for me to get used to you leaving.”

Mayme smiled at her and patted her hand. “I’d leave tomorrow except I have to buy provisions, a bedroll, and a few other things that I didn’t have time to get today. I would’ve liked to take Duster on some longer rides too. I rode her out past the train station and back today. I was so proud of her. She was so steady and didn’t even spook when I had to shoot the rattlesnake.”

Iris shook her head and chuckled. “You are nothing like the girl who came off that train a few months back.”

“I am. I’m just not adhering to everybody else’s thoughts of how a girl should look and act.” Mayme winked at her. “I guess I did go from one extreme to the other.”

 

MAYME WAS ABLE to purchase most of what she needed from Mr. Smart. He didn’t want to take her money at first, but after she nearly cleaned him out of dried meat, biscuits, and bullets, he relented. But only after he added a flint and knife to her pile.

She stood back and surveyed her purchases. “Geez. I don’t know how I’m going to carry all this.”

“Roll your clothes up inside your bedroll. You should be able to pack the rest into the saddlebags. Keep your flint inside your pocket because you never know when you’ll need to make a fast fire or a torch. And one last, but very important thing: Always keep your guns loaded.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. I’ll see you when you get back.” Mr. Smart wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. “You be careful out there and hurry home, you hear?”

 

MAYME ROSE BEFORE dawn the next morning. There wasn’t anything else of hers in the room except the clothes she would wear. She had packed her suitcase with everything she wouldn’t need. It was now safely stored in Iris’s room. She wrapped her chest, shoved her arms through the flannel shirt, and tied a bandanna around her neck. Once she’d pulled on her trousers, she tucked her shirt inside the hem and threaded an ammunition belt through the loops. Although it held twenty-four rounds, it wasn’t obtrusive sitting on her hips. After sliding her feet into her new boots, she took one last look around her room. It looked as if she’d never been there.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Time to go.” Thankfully everyone else was still asleep in her respective rooms. As she crept downstairs, she placed her palm on Iris’s door. “I’ll miss you most of all.”