Chapter 7

After a filling meal Jimmy decided it was time to clean and reload his Colt revolvers. Kid also decided to reload his sidearm as well and a few extra cylinders. Lou glanced at the table as she started to read the book that Pip bought earlier. She gave a heavy sigh for she knew when Kid and Jimmy started loading extra cylinders for their revolvers it was a sign of trouble to come. She figured she better do the same and glanced at Pip who was reading the local newspaper from last month.

"Better load up, Pip." Lou told her.

She glanced at the table, "I still got three chambers filled." she rebutted.

Jimmy told her, "If Buck's in trouble you're gonna need more than three shots."

Kid added, "Ike and Billy still ain't come back yet."

She paused and pondered the situation. "I suppose." She placed the paper down and gathered her bag of supplies.

Kid asked her, "You got an extra cylinder for that Colt?"

"I got another cylinder." she assured him. As she gathered her supplies to load the extra cylinder for her revolver she watched as Lou, Kid and Jimmy started getting prepared for a possible shootout.

Jimmy held his revolver in his left hand in an upward position. He used his right hand to measure out the black powder from the brass flask and tip it upside down into the thirty-six caliber hole in the cylinder. He then turned the cylinder to the next hole and did the same thing until all six chambers had been filled with the proper amount of black powder. He then grabbed a lead ball from a small leather bag and placed it over the hole in the chamber. He reached up under the barrel and grabbed a lever with his fingers and pulled down. An iron plunger inside the gun frame was pushed down and seated the ball onto the powder. He repeated the step until every chamber was seated with a lead ball. He then opened a tin that contained a concoction of wax and lard. Using his fingers he spread the wax and fat mixture over the end of each chamber. He then removed the filled cylinder from the frame of the gun and placed it on the table. He then grabbed an empty cylinder and started the whole process over again.

Pip then noticed Kid and Lou were using the same process of loading. She went to her work for she only had one extra cylinder for her revolver. She wondered if she needed another cylinder but prayed she did not. She unrolled her loading kit that contained a spare six shot cylinder, a block of wood with a loading press and a small tin can. She started to load the sole extra cylinder she owned. She owned a similar flask that was measured to the needed grain capacity of black powder. She placed the spare cylinder with the larger holes side up and began to fill each hole with powder. She then opened a tin can but instead of wax and fat she had pre-cut wads of fat saturated wool. She placed one wad in each hole.

Jimmy paused in the middle of the loading process and looked at the wads. He reached over and picked one up. He felt the greasiness to the wad. "You use these for chain fire?" he asked her.

"I found the wax seal would melt when I used the cummerbund so I figured if I soaked some wool in lard and punched it out with a mallet and hole punch it then would less messy and not melt." she told him. She then placed a ball on each filled cylinder and used the hand press to seat each ball in each chamber. She didn't need to seal the top of the cylinder with the wax and fat mixture for the chamber was sealed with the greasy wad instead.

Kid held up a greasy finger and admitted, "That's a lot less messy than doing it this way."

Jimmy asked, "You got any of those wads in thirty-six?"

"Just forty-four," she shook her head. She then added, "I only have one extra cylinder."

Kid asked, "Why did ya only buy one extra?"

"Because cylinders are expensive and I didn't think I would need more than one extra." she replied. She sighed, "Besides if Winchester and Henry make that new repeater that they filed a patent for then we won't need to load cylinders like this anyways."

Jimmy asked, "You saw a patient for a new Winchester gun?"

She nodded, "It's called a lever action rifle. Winchester also filed a patient for the ammunition it would feed. It's a forty-four caliber but instead of using a paper cartridge they use brass filled with black powder and a coating of primer inside the cartridge."

Kid interrupted, "That would be dangerous! The cartridge could go off with the primer right next to the powered."

She shook her head, "No! The primer has to be struck with a firing pin. The primer would be in a rim and the pin strikes the rim." She added, "I saw the patient. The new rifle is being developed right now. It can hold eleven cartridges and you load is Sunday and shoot all week with it."

Kid balked, "That sounds too good to be true. You only get one shot with a rifle then you have to load it again. The only way you can get more than one shot is either with a revolver or a double barrel shotgun…Nothing else!"

"It's called a repeating rifle and the new ammunition will make how we load today obsolete in ten years." You don't have worry about the powder getting wet. You can put a handful of brass cartridges in your pocket and shoot all day long."

"No paper cartridges!" Kid gasped. This new technology sounded unrealistic to Kid. It was like going to the moon and back and way beyond the current level of weaponry.

She insisted, "It's called a 'repeating rifle' and it will change the world. No more mess when loading. You don't have to load up a bunch of cylinders. You can use the same cylinder over and over again and just slip in these new cartridges." She picked up a wad, "I won't even need these things!"

Kid miffed, "That sounds about as silly as putting a locomotive in a buckboard."

She smirked, "I also read a patient on something called a 'combustion engine' that would burn fuel to turn pistons instead of steam."

Kid rolled his eyes, "What's next? Going to the moon!"

Pip asked, "Why not? We have hot air balloons that go pretty high. I bet one day we could find a way to get to the moon and come back."

He rolled his eyes shaking his head.

Pip looked to Jimmy and Lou for support. "Someday it will be possible." she insisted.

Lou stated, "I doubt I would see that in my lifetime." She reached over and picked up the wad from Pip's tin and debated if one would work in her revolver.

Jimmy shrugged, "Maybe in hundred years."

Pip had to agree, "Maybe." She then asked, "Anyone got an extra cylinder I can use?"

Jimmy walked over to the wall and grabbed the double barrel shotgun. It was designed for stagecoaches and had a shorter barrel that a hunting shotgun. He handed it to her, "Use this if you need it."

She took the coach gun and gave a heavy sigh, "I hope those missing riders are okay."

Lou agreed worried, "Me too."

Next Morning

As the sun rose over the horizon Kid, Lou, Jimmy and Pip were readying the horses to go look for the missing riders. Teaspoon wasn't fond of the idea of his daughter going with the riders on the search effort. He tried to talk her out of going.

"Agnes," he approached her with concern, "you know you don't have to go…don't ya?"

She looked up at him over her shoulder as she fixed the saddle in place. She gave a smile, "We have three missing riders. You guys can use all the help you can get."

He tried to not sound like an over protective parent but in reality he for he just got back the baby he thought had died over two decades ago. He cocked an eyebrow and drew out a breath, "I'm sure Jimmy and Kid can handle it."

She squinted, "What about Lou?"

Teaspoon didn't mean to leave Lou out and agreed, "Him too."

"Him?" she asked herself and then glanced at Lou who had a pleading expression upon her face. She quickly figured that Teaspoon for some odd reason had not figured out Lou's true gender.

Teaspoon suggested, "Mr. Tompkins asked me if you would be willing to do some accounting for him. Maybe, you can do that instead."

She shook her head, "I will help him with his books when I get back."

He shifted his weight and grew more stern, "I think it would be best if you stayed and looked at them there books."

"The books can wait." she disagreed. She couldn't figure out why Teaspoon was insisting she stay when three riders were missing.

He grew more determined, "Agnes! You should stay. I lost you once and I'm not losing you again."

She paused for it was the first time anyone ever said such words to her. She never felt as if she was loved even with the kind lawyer and Mabel. She felt touched for just a moment but the stubborn streak she inherited from her father soon kicked in. "That's so sweet." she swooned. Then she turned like a viper, "But I gotta go and you can't make me stay."

"As your father and your employer…" he started to counter.

"Russell, Majors and Waddell are my employers. I'm in accounting, remember!" she rebutted. "I'm here on my own accord and I will go with the rider on my own accord."

Jimmy mounted his horse and stated, "Don't worry, Teaspoon! We can look after her."

Kid figured, "She's not that much trouble."

Pip looked to Lou for support for so far Jimmy and Kid weren't sounding all that confident in her own abilities.

Lou stated, "I think Agnes can take care of herself, Teaspoon." She gave a small smile to Pip.

Reluctantly he gave in, "The first sign of trouble you boys turn tail and run. Ya understand?"

Jimmy assured him, "She will be fine. She ain't that much trouble." He glanced at Pip's not so amused face and smirked amused at himself.

Pip turned and gave Teaspoon a hug and whispered in his ear, "I'll be fine. When I get back I can look at Mr. Tompkins' books."

He swallowed hard as he released her. His heart conjured a memory of when he left the ranch to go fight the Mexican Army and his wife, Isabelle assured she would be fine and he needed to go save the Alamo. He felt a tear run down his cheek as the memory stirred long buried feelings of guilt. He chocked, "I know you will."

She released her embrace and then mounted the horse. She looked at her companions, "Let's roll!"

Jimmy gave a cockeyed look, "Roll?" he asked unsure where or why she used the term.

"Ya know," she motioned with his hand, "Roll…like wheels roll…" It soon became apparent that New York City terms' was alien and odd to Jimmy and the other riders.

Kid informed, "We're on horseback. We don't have any wheels."

Pip asked, "Will 'go' work then? Let's go!"

He complained, "Damn if I know half of what you city slickers say."

She rolled her head back and promised, "One of these days I will take you to New York just so can learn the lingo."

He complained, "You talk kind of funny. That accent is…" he muttered and pointed to his nose.

She huffed, "Every New Yorker talks through their nose! We do that because everyone has a cold most of the year. You get used to it…" she grumbled.

Jimmy smirked, "And they say we talk funny."

Lou sighed, "Time's a wasting."

Jimmy ordered, "Ride out!" He nudged his cream coated horse ahead of the others.

Pip muttered, "Ride out! What's wrong with roll?" She nudged her horse to follow behind Jimmy.

Teaspoon watched on holding back his fears and worry as he watched them leave the station. All he could do was hope for the best and pray he wouldn't lose his daughter for a second time.