Chapter 10 - Jenny

Charlie walked slowly down the dirt road. The sun had still not risen when he arrived in Sagebrush Creek. The Sheriff's office looked dark. The tramp was getting cold feet and feeing a little shaky in his resolution. He sat down on the edge of the wooden sidewalk to wait.

Then he heard a whisper, "Psssst!" He looked around and didn't seen anyone in the darkness. "Psssst!" came the persistent sound. "Hey, honey, over here!"

He finally discerned a figure standing in the narrow passageway between two wooden buildings. He stood up and entered the passageway. "What are you doing out so late, honey?" whispered Jenny the dance hall girl. She was not wearing her frilly dress now; she had a long, plain prairie gown; the colour indiscernible in the grey darkness.

"Oh, it's yer," said the tramp. "Don't y' mean out s' early?"

"Maybe." She was still whispering. "Don't you know the sheriff's looking for you?"

"Yeah. Tha's why I'm 'ere…"

"Ssssh. Don't talk so loud, honey. You want to see the sheriff? Don't you know you're in big trouble?"

"Yeah. I know. I'm turnin' mese'f in fer th' r'ward. Miss Evans needs th' money fer 'er mortgage an' there ain't no other way t' pay it off. $5,000 is a lotta money…I shouldn't be telling' y' this…"

"You don't get it, do you, honey?"

"Wha' are y' talkin' abou', ducks?"

"You ain't gonna whack me again if I tell you…."

He laughed. "No, I ain't."

"By the way, why did you whack me in the saloon? That wasn't too gentlemanly like…"

"I don't normally do tha', 'less someone's tryin' t' steal me treasure map…"

"I see. So there was a treasure map. Jed saw you lookin' at it that night and told me to get it from you. Sorry." She paused. "There's one o' them wanted posters just around the corner. Stay here, let me get it…" Jenny pulled the poster off the wall and handed it to Charlie. "Where does it say anything about a $5,000 reward?"

Jenny was right. The drawing of Charlie was on the poster along with WANTED: Dead or Alive. There was a description and the account of the crime. But there was no mention of $5,000.

Charlie looked at the poster, then gazed at Jenny, puzzled. "Wha' does this mean?"

"Listen, honey, I'm the Sheriff's girl. I know most of what goes on in this town. He don't have a reward for your capture. He was luring you in, thinking you'd do just what you are doing…"

"Are y' sure, Jenny? He ain't plannin' t' give no r'ward? Bu' wha' if someone else woulda turned me in?"

"That's just the point...because there is no reward mentioned, it's not likely anyone else would have turned you in. He's done this kind of thing before. There is only one copy of the wanted poster with the reward listed - the one he brought out to Violette's ranch last night. The rest of them are printed up without a reward listed. No one else knows about any reward."

"Why are you tellin' me this, Jenny. I don't understand…"

"I may be Jed's girl, but I'm sick of him bullying everyone in town, including me. And Miss Evans, she ain't done no one wrong. She's had her chunk of bad luck lately. And I know you and that other fella been tryin' hard to help her…the sheriff's been ruining everything she tried to do. He wants her land, bad. And then her uncle being killed…" Jenny paused and looked the tramp in the eye. "You did that, right? How come she didn't turn you in herself?"

"It was a accident; the gun went off unexpectedly…I ran from th' scene…I shoulda stayed, bu' t'was me first reaction. I'm innocent o' the crime; a jury'll foind me innocent…So I'm turnin' mese'f in."

"Accident, hmmm. But you don't wanna turn yourself in, whether you did it or not - not to Sheriff Smith - bad idea."

"Bad idea?"

"I just told you that there is no reward. And you'll only get Sheriff Smith justice here…and that ain't justice. Judge Baynebridge, the hangin' judge, is in the Sheriff's pocket. He'll convict whoever Jed wants convicted, guilty or not. You'll never get a fair trial in this town."

Charlie realized with a shock, that if he went through with what he had planned to do, he would be giving himself a long prison sentence or worse. He wouldn't be cleared and there was no reward to give to Violette. "Then I best be leavin' town; th' train comes in after sunup, don't it?"

"Charlie, be careful…"

"Jenny, I 'preciate wha' yer doin' fer me…y' betta ge' outa 'ere b'fore the Sheriff finds yer…" He hugged her. "Thank y' f' lettin' me know. G'bye, Jenny." He kissed her goodbye and then on an impulse kissed her again, this time, for much longer. "Sorry, ducks. I couldn't resist…"

She smiled. "That was much better than a whack in the face, Charlie….Now get going before Jed finds either of us…"

Violette awoke the following morning to find Harry asleep on the sofa, his rifle propped up next to him. She woke him. "Harry, where's Charlie? He not upstairs in his room…"

"I ain't supposed to tell, Ma'am."

"Did he leave?"

"I didn't see him leave," said Harry truthfully.

"Then where is he?"

"I don't know. He told me to close my eyes and I wouldn't see him leave. And I didn't see him leave."

Violette smiled and patted him on the shoulder. Harry took things rather literally. "Thanks, Harry. So he did leave."

"Maybe he did, if he isn't here now."

With a bit of persuasion and an assurance that Charlie would never find out that Harry told on him, Harry told Violette that Charlie had gone to town to turn himself in for the reward money, expecting that Violette would receive it and be able to pay off her mortgage. Violette knew there was no time to be wasted and the three decided to go to town to try and catch Charlie before the sheriff did.

Nora quickly made breakfast and the three ate sparingly, for they were all too upset to be hungry.

Violette went upstairs and put on a short western dress, a jacket and western hat and boots. She advised Nora to do so also. "Nora, we're all going into town together."

Nora looked frightened, but she didn't say anything. She took her rifle with resolve and dressed quickly.

Violette locked the house and the three rode to town, Harry on a horse and the women in the rig, their rifles in evidence.

As they approached the town, Violette said, "Please Harry, look as if you know what to do with the rifle. Take a hint from Nora. She scared off the Sheriff and his men last night and she hadn't ever held a gun before." Harry nodded, his eyes wide.

"I'm going to ask Dr. Davis to come with us as soon as I get into town. He's the only one I can trust," said Violette.

The grim party approached the town with trepidation in their stomachs, but resolve in their hearts.

There was no one about when they came near enough to see the main street of Sagebrush Creek. They rode to the doctor's office. It was 8:00 am on the railway station's four-sided tower clock. Violette alit from the rig and told Nora and Harry to wait. She knocked on the door. It was opened quickly by the doctor.

"Dr. Davis, you are the only man in town I can trust. Charlie is missing and we're on his trail. I hope that Sheriff Smith hasn't caught him…

"Violette, I have news…I just received a letter…brought to me by hand…" A teenaged boy, with sandy tousled hair and light blue eyes showed himself in the back of the surgery. Dr. Davis turned. "Come out, Joshua…" He turned back to Violette…"

"This is my sister's boy, Joshua. They live over in Rust Valley. He rode in last night with a letter." He handed her an envelope. "Read it, Violette…"