Read Online Taming of Jessi Rose by Beverly Jenkins - Free Book Online Page B

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    The boy had more belongings than any other ten-year-old Griff had ever met. In addition to the items he’d noticed before, he saw mounds of clothes, boots, and a fiddle with broken strings. There was a ball bat and lacrosse sticks. There were even a pair of ice skates. What amazed Griff most, however, were the walls plastered with Wanted posters. There had to be a hundred or more. Drawn by the sheer numbers, Griff waded over to the nearest wall and just stared. There were notices for every outlaw of color Griff had ever heard of and some he had not. He saw one for the Black Seminole known as Charley Bowlegs, whose all-Indian gang had terrorized the good citizens of Indian Territory a few years ago, but if Griff remembered correctly, Charley had been caught, sentenced by Judge Parker, and hanged back in ’83. Nailed up beside the Bowlegs warrant was one for Jackson Crow, a Choctaw wanted for the assassination of Charles Wilson, a prominent Choctaw citizen. There were at least five notices posted by Joth for the Black outlaw Dick Glass, wanted in Indian Territory for everything from murder to whiskey running. Next to the Glass poster, Joth had tacked up Glass’s death notice, dated June 11, 1885. Griff, not knowing Glass was dead, saw that he had died in a shootout with a group of the Territory’s Lighthorse policemen led by the well-known lawman Sam Sixkiller. Griff had met Glass a couple of times on his flights through Indian Territory and had liked the man. Further down the wall, Griff came across warrants for his old buddy, Isom Dart. The last time he and Isom were together, they’d been sitting in a Colorado saloon with a couple of lovely ladies on their respective laps, toasting their friendship. Even though Isom had a good ten years of age on Griff, they’d covered one another’s backs on more than a few occasions. At the time of their parting, Griff had been on his way to California to relieve yet another railroad express car of its gold, and Isom swore he planned on leaving the life to settle down and be a farmer. Griff had laughed, of course. Isom was notorious for getting religion and then suddenly showing up to help Griff waylay a train.
    â€œWhere’d you get all these?” Griffin asked, still amazed at the size of Joth’s collection.
    â€œFrom sheriffs and marshals I write to. It started out as a school project Mr. Trent had us do on outlaws. There’s couple of my pa over there, and two of you over there.”
    Griff went over and looked at his own. They were a few years old. One was for his escape from the jail in Colorado two years ago. He’d been helped in that by the mayor’s wife and the spinster daughter of the sheriff. Both women had been very, very accommodating during his week-long stay. Griff hoped they hadn’t gotten in too much trouble for the roles they’d played in his breakout.
    Griff turned his attention back to Joth and the room. He was still amazed by the sheer volume of the boy’s possessions. “Did your Aunt Jessi buy all this stuff?” Microscopes and telescopes were very expensive out here in the West, as were books.
    â€œShe gave me some of the books, but most of the other things are gifts from my Aunt Paris.”
    â€œWho’s she?”
    â€œShe’s a friend of Aunt Jessi’s who lives back east. Aunt Jessi says Aunt Paris has way more money than she knows what to do with.”
    Griff chuckled. Looking at all Joth’s possessions, hethought Aunt Jessi must be right. “Have you been cleaning the whole time I’ve been gone?”
    Joth shook his head solemnly as he began putting another handful of books upright in the bookcase.
    â€œHow about I see if I can wrangle you a reprieve from the governor?”
    Joth’s eyes widened with joy. “Would you? I’ve cleaned up a lot, I really have.”
    Griff doubted the boy’s assessment as he surveyed the mountain of