Chapter 6: Measure for Measure, Part 4
"I do perceive here a divided duty."
I, iii, 181
Joe leaned back against the counter, exhausted. He had no idea that telling a story could be such hard work.
His eyes swept his rapt audience - no one was even pretending not to be listening anymore. In fact, people arriving during his discourse had forgotten all about their bank business and stood as if rooted to the spot - caught up in Joe's tale. Now they stayed there, hanging on his every word.
"Joe - " Edgar offered timidly from behind him. "That wicked fella - what's his name again - "
For a moment Joe's mind pulled a blank. The whole thing had been sort of off the cuff...
"Richlieu," he supplied triumphantly, nodding wisely. "A very wicked man."
"What'd he want to go and plague that little girl for? He ain't no heir to her money."
"But if her marries her, as her husband he'll have control of her money," Joe pointed out. "And he'll share it with her Uncle."
"Well, he is a rotten one!" agreed a round little woman in a worn calico dress. "Imagine deceiving that poor little girl that way! He oughter be tarred and feathered!"
There were approving murmurs from the crowd.
"I think it's that there Uncle o'hern what oughta be horse whipped," put in a farmer in faded blue overalls. "He's the one what hired this Rishy-loo fella."
"Ain't got no proper sense o' kin," a dusty looking miner bobbed his head in vigorous assent. "What's that there Uncle called again, Joe?"
"Mountebank," said Joe promptly. "And his niece is the fair Rowena."
"Rowena," repeated Mrs. Haines from the mercantile. "Ain't that purty. They sure do have fancy names."
"Well, they're easterners," pointed out Miss Watkins, the seamstress, with a knowing smile.
The small crowd nodded their heads in agreement.
"I still don't see why Adam had to go into hiding," interrupted Willie, the other teller. "Why'nt he just take that girl back to the Ponderosa?" The crowd frowned at him in deep disapproval and he flushed and stammered, "I - I mean…"
"He done TOL' you this here Rishy-loo fella has spies everywhere - folks what he's bribed to pass him information," the farmer pointed out with disdain. "How could he be sure she'd be safe there?"
"Besides," added Miss Watkins primly, "he had his brothers' safety to think of as well - he couldn't expose them to such danger."
Joe's audience bobbed their heads in accord.
"He always was a good boy," sniffed Mrs. Haines, dabbing at her eyes. "But Joe, I feel very strongly that you should wire your father about this."
Joe opened his mouth to reply, but the miner beat him to it.
"Ain't you women been listenin'? That Uncle Monty-bank feller is determined to have the fair Rowena's fortune and he ain't above payin' folks ta check the tellygraph wires - he knows Ben is in San Francisco - how long you think it'd be afore Adam and that poor gal was found, if they was ta go about sending wires?"
Joe blinked at him in surprise, then recovered and nodded in soulful agreement.
"Tell us that part again, Joe - " jumped in Cab Robbins from the feedstore eagerly. "That part where Adam meets the fair Rowena - "
"And defends her honor!" chirped Mrs. Robbins wistfully.
"Against the evil Mr. Richlieu!" sighed Lily Masters, clasping her hands.
"Well…" Joe poked his hat back on his head, scrambling to remember the details. "Well, heck, you've already heard it once…"
"That's right, we've heard that - " interrupted the miner impatiently "Only thing I don't get, Joe, is that duel - can't quite see Adam fightin' a duel somehow."
"Duel to the death," amended the round lady in calico.
"But Rishy-loo didn't die - " a weedy wrangler reminded her. "Adam just scored his face some." He reflected. "Oughta've run him through. I'da run him through. Where'd he get the swords, Joe?"
Joe squirmed a little. He might have overdone it a little with that part, but the story had just sort of run away with him. "Well, he - Richlieu chose the weapons, so he - "
"So they must've belonged ta him!" finished the farmer triumphantly.
"Sure," agreed Joe, relieved.
"Joseph," Mrs. Haines put a gentle hand on his arm. "Do you even know where your brother is?"
"No, ma'am," admitted Joe, glad to be able to answer something truthfully. "No, ma'am, I don't."
"Well, how'd he get word ta ya, Joe?"
"Um…messenger - " They looked like they expected a lot more, so he continued vaguely, "An… Indian…"
Edgar pushed his glasses up on his nose and addressed the crowd. "Adam's always been close to the Paiutes," he informed them loftily.
The bank customers acknowledged to each other that this was so.
"Well, I think it's the bravest thing I've ever heard," piped up the shy Miss Beardsley unexpectedly. "And so terribly romantic. To help that poor little girl - why, a perfect stranger."
"Yes, ma'am," agreed Joe, touching his hat to her and giving her a grateful smile.
"And against such terrible odds," Miss Watkins asserted. "Very brave."
The word echoed through the bank as the crowd whispered their sympathy.
"I'll tell you this - " spoke the wrangler sternly, "them there Uncle Monty-bank or Rishy-loo fellers better not show their faces in this town - or I'll give them what for!" The men joined their voices to this in stalwart chorus.
"I'm - I'm sure they're far from here," Joe assured them quickly.
"They better be," drawled the farmer darkly.
"I'm thinkin' our Adam must be sweet on this Miss Rowena," offered the lady in calico.
All the women exchanged sly glances at this suggestion and Joe decided that things had gone about far enough. "Well, you know Adam - " he said briskly. "Wouldn't let on if he was. Just - close mouthed as a clam."
"Certainly would explain things," simpered Miss Watkins.
"SO romantic," sighed Miss Beardsley.
"Ahem - " Joe choked and quickly coughed to cover it then cleared his throat. "Anyway, folks, I've really got to be movin' along, now, so - "
"Joe - " Edgar's voice caught his attention and he turned, then did a double take to see him carefully counting out a stack of currency. "Here."
Joe looked at the neat pile of cash. "What's that?"
"Five hundred dollars. Even."
Joe stared from Edgar to the money then back again. "But you said - "
"I know, but - " Edgar hesitated, as though searching painstakingly for the words. "I figure if you and your brothers are in trouble your Pa would expect me to help - Mr. Weems would expect it too. Anyway, isn't as if I don't know you, and isn't as if the money isn't yours."
Joe stared at the bills in disbelief. "Edgar - " he said breathlessly. For a second he could have kissed the man and might have, if it hadn't been for the metal bars of the teller cage.
It must have shown on his face, because Edgar recoiled precipitously from the small window. "Now, you just go and settle your contract like your Pa would want. And if there's anything I can do to help you boys out, you just let me know."
The crowd sighed - there was a spontaneous patter of applause.
Joe snatched at the money, grinning, then extended his hand to Edgar. "Edgar, you've helped already. I don't know how to thank you - "
Edgar removed his glasses and rubbed them on his handkerchief, looking pleased.
"That goes for us, too, of course, Joe," added Mrs. Haines, taking his hand. "If there's anything we can do to help any of you boys or that poor girl - "
Joe's heart warmed within him at the sight of the kind, friendly faces that surrounded him.
This was wonderful. Adam might be a stick in the mud sometimes, but if Joe was honest with himself for one grudging younger brother minute, he had to admit that he was a little proud of his brother's pristine reputation. Now he had unsullied his brother's name and got the money he needed to boot. All was right with the world. And thanks, at least in part, to these good people.
He needed to do something for them to show his appreciation - some sort of grand gesture - and suddenly he knew exactly what it should be.
He held up a hand to get their attention.
"Thank you, everybody," he said sincerely, "from me and my brothers and from my Pa. And as a token of my thanks, I'd like to take this opportunity to invite you all to the Ponderosa this evening as my guests. There's going to be a party and it's going to be a humdinger!"
TBC
These are all very good wonderings, drmweaver, and I am happy to say they will be answered. And thank you, Tauna.
Nevadagal, I think it will become perfectly clear in the beginning of Chapter 7 that you can relax and be happy. Nothing was further from my mind when I wrote this. But do be worried about the party. Be very worried.