The next day, Arthur was working hard as ever since the coffee time at 7 AM. But Dutch called to him, telling him to help Leopold Strauss with the debts. If there's one thing that Arthur hated is loan sharking. Ironically, they start off as a robin hood type of gang who stole from the rich and give to the poor, only to extort the poor of their profits. Arthur wondered when they stopped with their robin hood act. Maybe is ever since they moved to Blackwater?
Arthur never argued with Dutch, so after he brush the horses, it was 10 in the morning. He walk over to Strauss by the edge of the camp, he was sitting on a big rock, reading a book. Strauss noticed Arthur approaching him.
"Herr Morgan, Herr Morgan," Strauss called to him.
"Mr. Strauss," Arthur said.
"No, why?" Arthur asked him.
"I'll cut you in," Strauss told him.
"Loaning?" Arthur questioned him. "Already?"
"You know how it is," Strauss told him. "people is happy to borrow off someone like me, more enthusiastic paying back to someone like you."
"Of course," Arthur replied as Strauss opens the book to see the names of the debtors. "Who are they?"
"Let me see," Strauss said as he checked the listed names. "A Chick Matthews, works at Guthrie Farm. He's a hand, I believe. Mr. Wrobel, a small holder at Painted Sky runs the operations there... badly. Miss Lily Millet is a ranch maid up at Emerald Ranch."
"Here was me believing Dutch's bluster about us helping folk," Arthur said dryly.
"It's legal work, Mr. Morgan," Strauss told him, giving him a piece of paper listing the debtors' names. "Debtors belong in prison we are doing them a favor."
Yeah, doing them a favor by loaning them when they was desperate, Arthur thought.
"Aye, I'll make sure they see it in terms," Arthur said.
"Put the debts in the deed box," Strauss told him. "and try not to kill them... it's very bad for business."
"Yes, I got it," Arthur replied as he walks away.
Earlier, Kieran warned him about O'Driscolls riding around New Hanover. Now he has to be careful once he rides out of camp. So Arthur mounts up Marcella and begins to ride away. He decided to start with Mr. Wrobel since Painted Sky is not that far away, he just has to cross over the Dakota River to West Elizabeth, ride up the hills, and eventually see a house and a barn. This must be where he might live.
When he arrived, Arthur dismount and rush to the house. He barged in without even bothering to knock, thus startling Mr. Wrobel. Mr. Wrobel is a german man, he wears a white shirt, with a buckskin vest, a red tie, black pants, and boots.
Mr. Wrobel asks him in a different language. Something that Arthur doesn't understand. This is definitely becoming a long day...
"God damn it," Arthur groaned. "English? You speak English?" he asked the man.
"Me..." Wrobel replied hesitantly. "Silesia. Upper Silesia."
"Yeah, good for you," Arthur told him. "I'm here for muneh, that you borrowed from a German man."
"Aha, a german," Wrobel replied, then started talking with German, and yet, Arthur still doesn't understand him.
"I don't speak German neither," Arthur stopped him, it's time to get the muneh out of him one way or another. "I'm here for muneh. MUNEH. That you borrowed from Leopold Stauss."
Hearing the name of the man made Wrobel nervous, "Aha...errrrr... Leopold Strauss..."
Arthur grinned deviously at him, "Yeah. It's time to pay," he told the debtor. "Where is it?"
"Well, no have nothing," Wrobel answered nervously. "It's very bad winter."
"We've all had a very bad winter, pal," Arthur told him venomously as he grabbed him by the collar and shoved him to the ground. "Now, where is it?!"
Arthur starts kicking him in the face, and grabs him by the collar, "Now where is the muneh?!" he growled, adding another punch. "Gold, dollars!"
Arthur grabbed him and pinned him to the wall. Wrobel cries in his own language that Arthur still doesn't understand and it only irritates him more.
"I still don't understand you!" He shouted at the debtor, dragging him to the ground. He spent 15 seconds physically tormenting him until Wrobel reaches his breaking up and spills it.
"No, no don't!" Wrobel begged and Arthur stopped. "Please no! I have no money but I have this, it's good it's valuable."
Arthur looked around the house, "Can I have your things?" Arthur said. "Okay, if all of this can pay your debt, I might as well loot everything."
So Arthur takes his time looting everything he can find. Drawers, closets, and tables as well. Wrobel just stood there and watched helplessly as he was being robbed in order to pay his debt.
Arthur the last piece of jewelry into his satchel, "Alright," Arthur said as he begin to leave. "That should about covering things. Should've paid up when you have the chance instead of having me to come here and take it myself."
So Arthur exited the house, mounts his dark beautiful Thoroughbred, and rides away. The next debtor is Chick Matthews. Guthrie Farm is pretty close to Emerald Ranch, so this should be quick once he deals with Chick. And after that, he would deal with Lily afterward.
The ride took like 5 minutes but Marcella is very fast enough and they eventually made it to Guthrie Farm. Arthur sees what appeared to be a rancher sitting on a log, cleaning his rifle.
"You Chick Matthews?" Arthur asked him.
"Oh, no, not me sir," The rancher immediately protested and pointed to the other ranchhand. "That's him, sir! And there he goes!"
Arthur immediately sees Chick Matthews galloping away.
"So long, loanshark!" Chick gloated as he took off.
Arthur groans and gives chase, "Damn it!" he yelled. "Hey! Get back here! You owe us muneh!"
The chase continues through the fields and into a small lake and went directly to the train tracks.
"You made it go much further!" Arthur yelled as they ride underneath the train tracks. "I'll get more than a debt off of you!"
"German shouldn't lend me, then!" Chick yelled back.
The chase continues alongside the moving train, Chick never looked back and thought he lost Arthur. But because of the Thoroughbred, Arthur was able to catch up with him slowly, and with a good distance, Arthur brings out his lasso and catch Chick, thus catching him from his horse. Arthur pulled the reins and Marcella stopped, he went to Chick who just stood back on his feet and Arthur had just caught him. Realizing that he can't get away from this, he gives up.
"Oh, alright," Chick finally said, giving Arthur a map. "This map will take you to the money!"
Arthur snatched the map from his hands, "You're lucky I didn't take your teeth as well," Arthur sneered at him as Chick runs away.
Arthur studied the camp carefully, being a professional draftsman who spent most of his life drawing, he knew exactly where this location was. It was a big tree with an X on it, and it was likely near to the mountains or anything that the map says. So Arthur folds the map and puts it in his satchel, he mounts up Marcella and rides to the specific location on the map.
After one minute of finding it, Arthur took the pile of money from the treen branch and stored it in his satchel.
The last person is Lily Millet, Arthur thought.
So Arthur makes his way to Emerald Ranch. And upon reaching the ranch, he heard two voices arguing, he went to the small building and found a couple arguing.
"Do you have any idea what hole you got us into?!" The gingerbread haired woman told her husband
That must be her, Arthur thought.
"Lily," Arthur called to her, the couple stopped their arguing and sees Arthur confronting them, knowing exactly what he's here for. "Where's our muneh?"
"W-what?" Lily asked nervously. She was gingerbread-haired and wears a green dress.
"That loan you took," Arthur reminded her. "It's payday,"
"I'm sorry," Lily answered hesitantly. "I don't have it right now."
"Well, then I guess we have a big problem, don't we?!" Arthur screamed at the last part of the sentence.
She turned to her husband wearing a black hat and white shirt, "Cooper!" she told her husband. "Give him what you got!"
"I ain't giving him nothing," the husband said bluntly. "Except a lesson called," he stood up and landed a punch on Arthur's face. "damn manners!"
Oh, that son of a bitch is gonna regret that, Arthur thought furiously as he returned the punch.
The two men exchange with fists and kicks, and after a minute, Arthur landed one last blow on the husband's face, knocking him out.
"Okay!" Lily cried. "He's got all of my money, I gave it all to him! Just take what you get from him and let's be done with it!"
So Arthur looted the body and found another stack of cash. He stored them into his satchel and begins to walk away...
"Hey!" A witness nearby shouted he must have seen the commotion. "You know what I do to thieves?! The Law will hear about this!"
This is just great! Arthur thought furiously It's bad enough now someone witnesses the whole thing! It's a debt damn it! Were these fools stupid enough to risk their lives telling on the Law?!
"I didn't steal that, it's a debt!" Arthur called to him but the witness ignored him and run off.
So in a fit of frustration, Arthur draws out his revolver and shoots the witness in the head. He aimed his gun at Lily who witnessed the whole thing.
"Not another word!" Arthur threatened her. "You got it?!"
Lily nodded instantly, "Y-yes, sir!" she replied. "I promise, I will keep my mouth shut!"
Arthur puts down his revolver, "Good, now keep your mouth shut,"
So he mounts up Marcella, apologizing to her for taking so long, the Thoroughbred is so forgiving. He rides her all the way back to camp.
When he returned, he settled her down with the other horses, and just as he was about to head into Dutch's tent, Dutch himself called him.
"Arthur!" Dutch called him, he was sitting by the tree with a book in his hands.
Arthur sighs and approaches him, "Yeah?"
"How are you...what," he said as he stands up. "Listen, we're gonna be okay."
"If you say so," Arthur said unease. "But what about the money, back at Blackwater! And it belonged to the President!"
But Dutch seems somewhat arrogant at that, "Now," he said. "It's not the time for doubters."
"I ain't a doubter nor a believer," Arthur told him. "I ain't nothing!"
"So you keep saying?" he asked him as sit back and continue reading his book. "Nex time, Arthur, try faith. Try faith."
Arthur sighs as he watches Dutch taking his eyes on his book. He hoped thatDutch know what he was doing.
So Arthur went to Dutch's tent and stored over $300 in the box. He then open up the ledger that contains a list of names to those who donates the camp, a lot of camp upgrades and each of its price was very expensive. Arthur wrote his name down on the ledger, he then begin buying medical supplies, a well-stacked of ammunition, and plentiful food stored on Pearson's wagon.
With that done, the gang was now well provided it may last them for a few weeks. Shortly after that, Strauss told him about another Debtor, Thomas Downes. Strauss clarified it a little by saying that he was the man who was having a charity in Valentine. Arthur remembered it was the same man who stopped him from killing Tommy the other day.
But for now, he decided to relax for the rest of the day, he needs all the strength he need to continue working.
