“Then go somewhere else. This is my place and I make the rules. You’re no different than a nigger around here. The other guests would leave.”
“I am what I am, ma’am, don’t have no apologies to make,” B.W. said.
“Neither do I,” she said.
“Good day ma’am.” Rance opened the door and they walked back outside and she closed the door.
“Even the cat’s white,” B.W. said as they walked away.
“Well look at it this way,” Rance said. “You won’t have to sleep in a bed after all and a creek is warm this time of year.”
“Why don’t you and Tommy stay there and I’ll find a place, would feel better ‘bout it that way.”
“No way, partner, it’s all or none.”
“Goes for me too,” Tommy said.
“Let’s find the livery stable,” Rance said. “Bet they got a hay loft. Beginnin’ to feel at home in one.”
They turned their horses around and rode past the sheriff’s office.
“Wonder if they got a wanted poster on us here?” Rance said.
“We’ll find out soon enough,” B.W. said. “Think that marshal is still comin?’”
“Been over a month since we high-tailed it out of Milberg, but could be,” Rance said as they rode up to the livery stable.
Two boys younger than Tommy were playing in front of the livery and a man inside the open doors with no shirt on was filing a horse’s hoof. He was tall and muscled with a head full of blonde hair and had an eye patch over his right eye. Rance’s horse snorted and the man looked up, dropped the horse’s leg and walked up to the door. “Need to bed those horses down?” he asked.
“Us too,” Rance said. “The boardin’ house don’t think too highly of Indians.”
“Not many people round here do,” he said. “Name’s Riley Jones. Don’t have a problem myself, spent some time with the Cherokees ‘fore the war.”
B.W. smiled. “That’s me,” he said.
“Looks like you was in the war too,” Rance said.
“Was in the last battle of the war two weeks after Lee surrendered to Grant. Neither side knew the war was over, Battle of Palmetto Ranch. We won the battle but lost the war. Had two good eyes till a cannon ball busted too close to me ‘fore it was over. Anyways…fifty cents a day for each of the horses. You can unsaddle and put ‘em in a stall, I’ll give ‘em grain, hay and water after I finish shoein’ this horse. No charge to sleep in the hay loft, just don’t leave here with anythin’ you didn’t come in with.”
“Fair enough,” B.W. said.
“Where can we all get a bath?” Rance asked.
“Big Sally’s Saloon just down the street, long as you got the money.”
“That include Indians?” B.W. said.
“Don’t matter what you are, Big Sally’s only got one rule. You better pay what you owe or one of the girls will cut your balls off. Oh, sorry bout that, son,” he said, looking at Tommy.
“Could we get you to hang on to our personals while we take care of ourselves?” Rance said.
“You can,” Riley said.
They unsaddled their horses and handed Riley the rifles, shotgun and saddle bags. Rance kept his Colt and B.W. his and the tomahawk. B.W. picked up the money bags.
“I can watch that too, if you like,” Riley said.
“Think I’ll hold on to it,” B.W. said.
Riley nodded and they walked out into the street.
The Big Sally Saloon had large painted pictures of skimpily-dressed women on the windows on both sides of the swinging doors. A cowpoke came flying out the swinging doors and rolled into the street. A man big as a Texas mountain with a thick black mustache, garters on his arms and an apron tied around his huge waist came through the swinging doors. He had curly black hair and dark brown eyes. He was a head taller than B.W. and a hundred pounds heavier. He tossed a hat and a gun into the street and pointed a big long finger at the cowboy. “You ever come back in here I’ll cut you up for dog meat. Nobody makes fun of me,” he said and walked back into the saloon.
The cowboy grabbed his hat and gun, scrambled to his feet and ran down the street as fast as he could.
The mountain of a man was standing behind the bar when they walked in. A big long mirror on the wall behind him revealed the back of his huge bear-like shoulders and arms.
Yankees and rebel soldiers in uniform, cowboys and sod busters were standing side by side at the bar, belting whiskey down.
“What’ll you have?” the man asked.
“Whiskey,” B.W. said and sat the bags down and placed his boot on them.
The big man placed two glasses on the bar and poured the whiskey. “Got some sarsaparilla for your boy if he wants it.”
Rance looked at Tommy, he nodded yes and the bartender poured the sarsaparilla.
“You may not know, but the federals moved in in June and took over,” the big man said. “Have to check your guns or they’ll take you in. So if you will hand them over and that tomahawk until you leave we can get on with things.”
They handed the mountain the guns and the tomahawk and he set them behind the bar.
“First one is on the house, fifty cents a shot after that,” he said and poured them another drink and held out his hand. B.W. fished a five-dollar gold coin out of his pocket and laid it in his hand. ”Keep it,” B.W. said. “Not through.”
He held the gold piece up and stuck it in his mouth to test it. “If you want to come back later without the boy I can find you some good female company.”
“Need a bath and some fresh clothes right now,” Rance said.
“Name’s Big Sally,” he said. “Should know don’t take kindly to anybody makin’ fun of my name.”
“We saw that,” B.W. said.
Big Sally nodded. “Have to pay the girls extra if you want them with you in the bath,” he said. “The
