Chapter 2

Two days later, Lottie was packed and ready to move. There was no emotion in her, she just stood looking at her establishment. Sad that she had to leave. Clancy was with her and took her bags to the ship. He was beside himself because his darling Lottie would be moving to San Francisco and there would no longer be 'free drinks'!

"Oh, my dear Lottie, I wish there was something I could say to convince you to stay? Why did you have to sell the Saloon anyway? You were doin' fine?" said Clancy as he came back for another piece of luggage as well as two trunks!

"Oh, Clancy, if you had paid your bills on time, I wouldn't have had to close up!" she said with a little smile on her face, he did not take it seriously because of that smile.

"Well, Lottie, I am truly sorry to see you go!" Said Patricia Vanderhoff holding a parasol to keep the sunshine off her face.

"I would have really liked it if we had been partners!" She said to Lottie. Lottie did her best not to be rude. She just looked at Patricia and when she saw Aaron Stemple, she just burst open:

"Aaron Stemple, you used to be good to me! Why have you turned on me! I thought I could trust you? Now I find out that you have been 'skimming' my profits, if we had a real sheriff here I could have you arrested for embezzlement!" She said and turned her back and took Clancy's arm before he could make a comment or make a fool of himself. They walked toward Clancy's ship and left Aaron standing beside Patricia. He watched as Lottie left, then he said to Patricia:

"Well, it was inevitable that she would fail, after all, my dear Patricia, I have waited so long for your company. Come let's go see Mr. Rochester!" Aaron said as he steered Patricia towards the bank.

Up at the logging camp Jason and his brothers had told the Corky, Big Swede, and the others they trusted what they were up to. The loggers were to head for Lottie's renamed the 'Golden Palace' and let everyone know that they had been let go. That the Bolts no longer owned the mountain, that a contractor from San Francisco named Dupont/Weyerhaeuser had taken over the operation and would start up next week. The loggers were discussing staying on with the new company or moving to some other place.

"Swede! Where are you going to go? The new company said they will hire you, but I was told they were only paying 10% above the average!" Corky said as he drank his beer and watched the performance. Olaf Gustafson was married to Miss Essie, since she no longer had a job as the teacher, she was looking for work as well.

"I heard there was a small-town South of Olympia called Shelm, or Yelm, I think? I am going to try there. They still have some logging and also a farming community that needs a teacher. In fact, one of the schools is named Lackamas and they need a teacher by next spring." Big Swede said as he drank his beer. A couple of other loggers said they would also try that area as well.

Patricia and Aaron stood at the bar, she was happy that she was making money off of the loggers but was concerned that if these loggers were leaving who would replace them and if they can get single loggers rather than married ones so that her 'wards' would have 'work.'

"Patricia, Loggers are a dime a dozen, they are always looking for work. I don't suppose the companies that are coming in will have too much problem finding loggers. Especially those that have no families and will be able to spend their time and money on you and your pretty ladies!" Aaron said as he drank his special whisky.

The Bolt brothers walked into the saloon. Jason nodded to Aaron, who was ready for what was about to happen next. Joshua and Jeremy went up to the bar and asked for a beer. Jason stopped talking with Big Swede. Things got a little loud between the two of them and all of a sudden someone punched someone, and it was a full-on bar fight!

Aaron pushed Patricia back behind the bar and Joshua and Jeremy both grabbed the other 'ladies' and put them behind the bar. Then joining Jason, all three entered the fight and completely destroyed the saloon/bar. Mr. Rochester, Mr. Arlington, Mr. Benson and Patricia and her 'wards' soon found themselves surrounded and not sure what to do next.

Jason produced a document which had been given him by Matilda and since he had been 'deputized' as a Pinkerton, he said:

Miss Vanderhoff, 'ladies', and Gentlemen. I, Jason Bolt, do hear by arrest you for the construction of a scam to rob the Town of Seattle and its citizens. You will be escorted to Jail by Mr. Stemple and Miss Matilda Sweeney. The Sheriff will be there waiting for you!" They all began to speak at once.

"Aaron, what is this? I thought you were in with us?" Patricia said as she was escorted out of the building. Aaron just smiled slightly and did not say a thing. As two more Pinkerton men showed up the building began to clear out. At the jail, the Sheriff was there with several deputies as well as the General Supervisor of the Pinkertons in the Northwest. He had been a Canadian Mountie and was now working as a Pinkerton.

Mr. Rochester was the last one to leave, he was spouting something about this action being illegal and all but a certain lawyer friend of the Bolts a man by the name of Barnabas Smith looked at him and said:
"Mr. Rochester, I wouldn't say anything more until your lawyer has been appraised of the situation. You are being charged with attempt to defraud the town of Seattle in order to gain access to all federal monies!" Mr. Smith said to him and handed him the official document from the Supreme court of Washington State.