A/N This was done for the Writer's Ranch Challenge Help Wanted: Kid. It is a "what if" story. What if Kid came to Sweetwater and had a different job.
Everyone always called him "Kid." So much that now it was the only name he would give out. It afforded him a lot of latitude when going after a story. The people he interviewed never knew his real name. Sometimes they never even knew they were being interviewed. He was just a nice young man they met. He was the best investigative reporter that the Tribune had. Only they didn't know it yet. He hoped his reputation would only grow now that he was headed off to Sweetwater. This was one of the stops on the Pony Express. It was a brand new service being offered by Russell, Majors, and Waddell. The editors of his home newspaper had lent him out to the Sweetwater Sentinel as a cover for a while. He would report on small stories there, and then bring back the Pony Express scoop to the Tribune. It was kind of exciting to be going west and seeing things he normally wouldn't get a chance to see.
Kid stopped in a small town on his way to Sweetwater looking for ways to experience the grittiness of the west. He came across a bare knuckle boxing ring advertising a prize of thirty dollars to anyone who took on the champion and was still standing after three minutes. Kid considered it briefly but walked on down the street. He wasn't that hard up for money, at least not yet.
There was a livery at the end of town and he decided to look in on it. It was in that stable that he found a horse that epitomized the west for him. The mare was a beautiful red and white pinto. The livery owner quoted him a twenty-five dollar price for the animal. It was a laughably cheap considering the quality of the mare. Kid didn't have that kind of money on him though and thought back to the boxing ring. He'd done some boxing in his native home of Virginia as well as in Chicago, his adoptive home. He was in pretty good shape. Although he knew he wouldn't win, he could at least stay on his feet for three minutes.
When all was said and done, Kid left this small town with lots of bruises and the pinto mare. He decided to call her Katy. He stopped off at a trading post and bought some buckskins in order to look the part of a wild west frontier man. Now all he had to do was meet some real life cowboys. He would find them at the Pony Express. He just hoped the riders of the Pony Express would talk to him and tell him their stories.
Finding Sweetwater was pretty easy. Kid found the newspaper office without trouble and checked in with Charlie Tate the owner and Editor of the Sweetwater Sentinel. The two briefly discussed his assignment and Charlie gave him directions to Ms. Emma Shannon's farm outside Sweetwater where the Pony Express Station was located.
When Kid arrived at Ms. Shannon's station he was completely taken aback by flurry of activity. The place was crawling with boys his age taking care of horses and practicing shooting skills. He didn't even know where to start.
Why don't you put your gear in the bunkhouse and your horse in the barn," a female voice said to him. "I'm Emma Shannon and I take care of the boys here at the station."
Kid stopped in his tracks…what better way to get a story on the Pony Express than to live the life.
"What's your name?" Emma asked.
"Most people just call me Kid," he said.
"Alright," Emma said with a nod and a smile. "Mr. Spoon is going to go through the rules as soon as he's ready so you'll want to hurry up and get your things put away."
"Mr….Spoon?" Kid asked as that was not a common surname.
"Go on now," was all Emma said.
Kid did as was expected and then joined the other boys who were leaning against the corral fence. They all looked expectantly at the water trough. Kid had no idea why until a man emerged from the trough and wiped his face on a horse's tail. As funny as that was, the day just went downhill from there. The training was hard and the hours grueling.
That night after dinner, Kid took the time to take some notes on the Pony Express riders. They were all so similar yet so different from each other. Lou was pretty much a loner who kept to himself although Kid suspected he knew why. There was something about that rider that screamed female. He didn't care though, it was an interesting story and maybe one he would tell one day, but he had the feeling that being exposed as a girl would hurt her future. While he didn't know why, he just couldn't do that to her. The other boys were a little bit more compelling anyway.
The half Indian boy and his mute friend also were a source of intrigue and mystery. They were misfits who seemed to find a best friend in each other. On the outside they were an unlikely pair. Kid surmised that they must have known each other before the coming to Ms. Shannon's farm. They spoke in hand gestures most of the time. It was a secret language only the two of them knew. There was a story there too, but not the one he was looking for. At least not yet.
The last two boys were both very similar. They were both hotshots with guns. William F. Cody was a crack shot with a rifle and the other, James Butler Hickok, was a quick draw with deadly aim. Kid thought those were mighty fancy names for boys who went by "Billy" and "Jimmy" respectively. These boys were had stories that would sell papers in Chicago. He would do well to find out as much about these two as he could.
The next week was filled with all sorts of action. Kid even made a run as an express rider. It was difficult work and he and the other riders were learning to depend on one another. The majority of stories here were very much the human interest variety, but still not the type he was hoping to collect. He wrote it down in his journal anyways. His journal always served him well and he wrote down just about every idea and thought he had during the day. There was still so much to find out about the riders and he would write it all.
Kid thought he hit pay-dirt on the day when a gunfighter named Longley came into town. Jimmy being Jimmy got into a tiff with this man. He thought Emma took this altercation especially hard. Kid even found himself getting in between Jimmy and Longley and preventing his new friend from being gunned down in the street. The Marshal, Sam Cain, was keen to keep Longley and Jimmy apart too. But in the end, Jimmy ended up facing the seasoned gun for hire and killed him. With that Kid knew he had the beginning of his story. He didn't know if his writings would make Jimmy famous or just romanticize the west a little more, but he had a job to do and he found his story.
At the end of June, Kid finally thought he had enough material on not only Jimmy, but the rest of the riders too. He just needed to finish writing the first installment of what he was calling, "True Tales from the West." He sent his article off in a plain envelope by way of pony express. He thought it sort of poetic. He hoped to see the first article when it was published. He had in fact, requested the issue be sent to the Sentinel when it was published.
About three weeks later, Kid was helping Emma get supplies at the general store, when Charlie Tate came over. Emma was visiting with Sam at his office so Kid decided he could spare the time. Charlie showed him the newspaper with his article in it as well as a letter addressed to him.
Dear Kid-
We love what you've written and have submitted your story to a publisher for consideration. They in turn loved it. They want you to do a book on this Hickok fellow you've been writing about. Congratulations son, I knew you could do it.
Sincerely,
Joseph Medill
Editor, Chicago Tribune
Kid could hardly contain his excitement. This would be his big break. He looked over at the newspaper and looked at his story. It was always nice to one's name in the byline. It read, "Wild Bill Hickok, The Fastest Gun in the West by J.D. Marcus." Kid smiled and went back to the store front to finish loading Emma's wagon. He tucked the newspaper and letter into his saddlebags. There was still so much to find out about the riders and he would write it all.