She leaps out before he can object and watches in shock as Bronnah walks up to a prostitute outside of a saloon and points to her wagon. The girl looks at Mason and throws back her head laughing.
Bronnah smiles and pulls out cash, "I need four of you for the evening. All I ask is that you take a ride with that handsome young man and acts as a distraction for me."
“Call me Sally,” she tugs Bronnah to the side of the porch in front of the saloon. “What kind of game is this? I ain’t doin nothin’ illegal.” Her cold eyes sneer at Bronnah. “Too good to be true,” she starts to walk away.
“I understand. I’ll just ask at the gambling hall. That blonde looked bored enough.” Bronnah shoves the cash back in her corset and turns.
“Wait. Damnit. Give me five minutes.” The girl runs into the saloon and Bronnah waves to Mason. A few minutes later the four women return and walk with her to the wagon.
"Mason, I'm ready now," Bronnah said as she climbs up beside him.
"Hi Mason," three women say in unison, and he blushes.
“Mrs. Rivers, this is…”
“Going to be a night you won’t soon forget.” Bronnah snaps and waits for them all to settle in.
Mason pushed his black cap back and looked around him. "This is crazy," Mason muttered and flicked the reigns.
“You used to like crazy,” Sally said with a teasing laugh. The girls laugh along with Mason while Bronnah thinks. How will she find the correct car, and how will she rescue five young women, alone? Maybe she should have thought this through a little more?
Mason points as they come to a crossway just outside of the center of town. On one side of the street are the ports, with docks lining the waterway. On the opposite side is the railroad station. Bronnah can see multiple sets of train tracks coming in and out. It is much larger than she anticipated. "The trains enter and back in to drop cars, or pick up cars depending, and continue on after they are inspected.”
The workers at the port seem to be using kerosene lanterns to work by as they unload grain and lumber. "I see," she murmurs. "Can we watch for a second, please?"
Mason pulls the wagon slowly down a dirt street on the side of a hotel, bumping the girls around until they finally come to a stop in an alley between the hotel and a closed merchant shop.
"Look, here comes one." A train backs in down a track and workers jump down to flip a switch. They quickly guide it and wait for it to stop then disconnect a car before signaling that it is free. "The station agent will give the signal, and the train will move on." As they watch it pulls forward, and two new cars are attached before moving on. The green cars that were dropped are left until it is time to connect them.
“What will happen to those cars that were just dropped?” Bronnah mumbles.
“Some are stored in the sheds behind the station,” Sally answers.
"That's right, they'll be pulled into a storage shed until it is time to connect it to the other train. If it's going to be sent on down the line, it will wait where it is. It must not be here yet. See," Mason points, and they watch as a car is pulled out of the way by a team of horses.
Bronnah sighs and pulls out the cash and hands it out to each of the young women.
"Mason, my sisters, are on a railcar with the initials, NNJR 126, where should I look for the car?"
He stares hard at her, “You’re telling me that they’re inside one of those train cars?”
“Yes, I’m gonna free them, but I need a distraction. I’m about to cause a major fuss. It might seem illegal, but I assure you it isn’t.”
Mason nods, “I’ll help you of course. You said the train was to arrive at six,” he jumps down and snaps at her, “Stay here, I’ll go have a look.” Mason disappears and is only gone for about five minutes.
“I found it. It was dropped an hour ago.” He points, and they talk for a minute before she nods at him.
"Thank you, I don't want you to get in trouble, but…" Bronnah starts to say but is interrupted.
"Look," Sally said, "No offense, Mrs. Rivers but we don't care. You paid for the night, and that's what you have us for. Time is money. Get going, then." Bronnah grins and nods.
“When you see my signal, Mason will drive straight through the center of town be sure to go past the railroad station out front. That’s all I need you to do.”
Bronnah jumps down and stops when one of the girls calls her name. “If I needed a quick getaway, I would consider the hotel. They often leave carriages unattended when the driver is otherwise occupied.” She grins and points at the hotel just across the street from the train station.
“Thank you,” Bronnah calls and slips into the alley behind the building.
“How long before she sends a signal?” One of the girls asked as she runs her hands over Mason’s shoulders.
“I’m not sure, but you ladies hold on.” Mason pulls the wagon down the road to position it for a quick getaway away from the center of town. That should allow Bronnah to make her way into town and find a ride.
The train station is a busy hub of activity with trains coming and going. It's lit with gas lanterns, and people are shuffling about, to and from