stable.
The boy saw to the man’s horse and then came to collect Casper. Gentry tried to make conversation with the boy, and though he took care to be as pleasant as possible, it did not seem to register. The boy barely looked at him. He just stared at the ground saying “Aye, sir” in a quiet little voice whenever Gentry spoke.
As he started to leave, Gentry reached into his burlap sack for a gold piece and placed it in the boy’s hand. The boy’s eyes grew large at the unexpected gift and for the first time he looked straight at Gentry. “Thank you, sir,” he said, smiling brightly.
“Please take good care of my horse,” Gentry said.
“Aye, sir,” replied the boy, clutching the gold piece tightly.
*************
Gentry had not slept much the past few nights, so after leaving Casper he headed straight to his room for a nap. His room was on the second floor of the Settler’s Inn. It was small – just a bed and a little desk with a window overlooking the alleyway behind the inn – but it was all he needed.
The sound of boisterous noises from the pub on the floor below woke him up around dinnertime. His stomach was growling, so he headed down to the pub for some food, and perhaps a pint of ale. His father’s cautionary words about avoiding such a beverage in Colton were long forgotten. Gentry was seated at the bar chewing on some overdone dried-out meat with a little ale to help wash it down when he heard a particularly loud group of characters enter the inn.
“Well, look who decided to show his ugly face again,” shouted an overweight man sitting at a booth somewhere across the room from Gentry.
“Shut your mouth,” responded an angry voice that sounded vaguely familiar.
“Still a bit surly from your little incident in Bartow?” teased the overweight man. “Looks like he left you with a nice black and blue present.”
Gentry, whose back had been to this entire conversation up until now, could not help but turn his head to see what the fuss was about. He almost choked on some dry meat when he saw Dennison – his one eye bruised and swollen shut, the other just bruised – and Clive standing in the room. They were surrounded by a handful of other men, presumably their friends. Gentry turned back around as fast as he could, left money on the bar for his tab and quickly made his way to the staircase leading up to the rooms. The bar was loud and rather crowded so Gentry was hopeful that he might leave before being noticed. He knew he could handle Dennison and Clive if necessary, but he was no match for all of their friends, too.
Alas, sometimes quick movements draw unwanted attention, and Clive did in fact see Gentry heading up the stairs. “Dennison!” he cried, pulling at his friend’s sleeve. “He is here!”
“Who is here?” Dennison barked, angry at being interrupted before he could respond to Ned, the overweight man who had been giving him a hard time.
Clive pointed to the stairs and Dennison caught a glimpse of Gentry just before he disappeared down the hall to his room. Dennison quickly gathered his entourage and started after the man from the River Nye.
*************
Gentry’s mind – and heart – were racing when he returned to his room. He secured the latch on the door and instinctively moved the small desk in front of it to act as a barricade. He did not know if he had been seen or not, so he was debating whether to lay low until the early morning hours or make a run for it now. The sound of several footsteps running up the stairs and the subsequent pounding and breaking open of doors along the hallway settled the debate; it was time to leave. Gentry grabbed his satchel (fortunately he had not unpacked anything being as tired as he was) and opened the window to the alleyway below.
Jumping out of a second-story window is a good way to hurt oneself – but for once luck was on Gentry’s side. Several hay bales were lined up in the alleyway below. They would break his
The boy saw to the man’s horse and then came to collect Casper. Gentry tried to make conversation with the boy, and though he took care to be as pleasant as possible, it did not seem to register. The boy barely looked at him. He just stared at the ground saying “Aye, sir” in a quiet little voice whenever Gentry spoke.
As he started to leave, Gentry reached into his burlap sack for a gold piece and placed it in the boy’s hand. The boy’s eyes grew large at the unexpected gift and for the first time he looked straight at Gentry. “Thank you, sir,” he said, smiling brightly.
“Please take good care of my horse,” Gentry said.
“Aye, sir,” replied the boy, clutching the gold piece tightly.
*************
Gentry had not slept much the past few nights, so after leaving Casper he headed straight to his room for a nap. His room was on the second floor of the Settler’s Inn. It was small – just a bed and a little desk with a window overlooking the alleyway behind the inn – but it was all he needed.
The sound of boisterous noises from the pub on the floor below woke him up around dinnertime. His stomach was growling, so he headed down to the pub for some food, and perhaps a pint of ale. His father’s cautionary words about avoiding such a beverage in Colton were long forgotten. Gentry was seated at the bar chewing on some overdone dried-out meat with a little ale to help wash it down when he heard a particularly loud group of characters enter the inn.
“Well, look who decided to show his ugly face again,” shouted an overweight man sitting at a booth somewhere across the room from Gentry.
“Shut your mouth,” responded an angry voice that sounded vaguely familiar.
“Still a bit surly from your little incident in Bartow?” teased the overweight man. “Looks like he left you with a nice black and blue present.”
Gentry, whose back had been to this entire conversation up until now, could not help but turn his head to see what the fuss was about. He almost choked on some dry meat when he saw Dennison – his one eye bruised and swollen shut, the other just bruised – and Clive standing in the room. They were surrounded by a handful of other men, presumably their friends. Gentry turned back around as fast as he could, left money on the bar for his tab and quickly made his way to the staircase leading up to the rooms. The bar was loud and rather crowded so Gentry was hopeful that he might leave before being noticed. He knew he could handle Dennison and Clive if necessary, but he was no match for all of their friends, too.
Alas, sometimes quick movements draw unwanted attention, and Clive did in fact see Gentry heading up the stairs. “Dennison!” he cried, pulling at his friend’s sleeve. “He is here!”
“Who is here?” Dennison barked, angry at being interrupted before he could respond to Ned, the overweight man who had been giving him a hard time.
Clive pointed to the stairs and Dennison caught a glimpse of Gentry just before he disappeared down the hall to his room. Dennison quickly gathered his entourage and started after the man from the River Nye.
*************
Gentry’s mind – and heart – were racing when he returned to his room. He secured the latch on the door and instinctively moved the small desk in front of it to act as a barricade. He did not know if he had been seen or not, so he was debating whether to lay low until the early morning hours or make a run for it now. The sound of several footsteps running up the stairs and the subsequent pounding and breaking open of doors along the hallway settled the debate; it was time to leave. Gentry grabbed his satchel (fortunately he had not unpacked anything being as tired as he was) and opened the window to the alleyway below.
Jumping out of a second-story window is a good way to hurt oneself – but for once luck was on Gentry’s side. Several hay bales were lined up in the alleyway below. They would break his
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