the announcement. Instead, she seemed
impatient, moving off the bed toward the balcony, glancing down at the waiting brother, moving back into the room.
“Your friend, he is waiting for you,” she said, blowing smoke rings toward the ceiling.
“Well anyways,” he said, pulling on his last boot, “I can’t say’s I’ve ever known anyone like you…you sure are some
kind of female.”
She moved to the door and held it open for him.
“I never knowed a woman that smoked seegars before,” he said as a final effort to be charming. He kissed her on the cheek.
She closed her eyes and said, “You better go, chere.”
He heard the door close behind him with a sad finality as he descended the stairs.
Carter’s face was flushed with anger and impatience at having had to wait for him.
“I hope you got everything out of your system, Lowell. ’Cause we ain’t stopping to dally anymore!”
The rode west out of town, rode until the air rising up from the nearby bayous turned dank and mysterious. Great white herons
flew up out of swamps that were bordered by stands of moss laden cypress. There were snakes and alligators and death lying
within those swamps. Carter found everything about this country to be strange and offensive.
They rode for a time in silence, the blaze of sun warm upon their faces.
“Well, little brother, how much did that little romp back there cost you?”
Lowell had been lost in thought, the image of the white-skinned woman floating in his mind. The question broke him from his
reverie.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, how much did you have to pay her?”
Lowell’s features went from dreamy to confused. He let the question rest in his
mind for a long full moment. Then, it dawned on him, and with a great deal of glee, he answered: “She didn’t charge me anything,
big brother. Didn’t ask for one red cent. I guess maybe she just favored the way I looked.”
Carter suddenly pulled back on the reins of his mount.
“Lowell, you are as green as spring tomatoes. Women like that don’t just give themselves away. Now how much of our money was
it that you spent?”
“Honest, Carter. She never even mentioned money…”
“Check your pockets you dern fool!”
Something heavy passed through Lowell’s mood as he felt through his empty pockets.
“Damn!” he muttered. “My roll’s gone!”
“How’d you let her get at it in the first place?”
“Don’t know…except…it seems I might have dozed off for a spell.”
“That’s all it took. She rolled you blind. Come on!” shouted Carter, wheeling his dun back around toward the town.
“Ah, Carter…” But before the younger brother could protest, the older one had already begun to spur his mount into a
trot.
By the time the pair reached the edge of the city,the sky had turned a dusty rose in the descending darkness. Gas lights flickered along the street casting tongues of light
unto the wet cobblestones. Twenty minutes earlier, there had been a brief thunderstorm that had left them soaked, the brims
of their hats down over their faces. Now, the heavy air had the added smell of spices emanating from the many open windows
where Cajun food was being prepared.
“Cursed place,” complained Carter. “Nothing but wet and smelly and full of evilness.”
Shadowy figures moved along the boardwalks. The cry of prostitutes still rang down from the balconies, from the darkened doorways,
their numbers increased with the coming of nightfall.
They reined up in front of the tall house with the wrought iron gate leading to the courtyard. Lowell looked up at the now
empty balcony. A stain of yellow light fell on the frame of windows.
“She may not be there, Carter. What’ll we do if she ain’t?”
“We’ll worry about that when the time comes. Let’s go.” Lowell saw his brother shift the revolver on his hip and then dismount.
“What do you plan to do, Carter?”
“I’m planning on getting a damn
impatient, moving off the bed toward the balcony, glancing down at the waiting brother, moving back into the room.
“Your friend, he is waiting for you,” she said, blowing smoke rings toward the ceiling.
“Well anyways,” he said, pulling on his last boot, “I can’t say’s I’ve ever known anyone like you…you sure are some
kind of female.”
She moved to the door and held it open for him.
“I never knowed a woman that smoked seegars before,” he said as a final effort to be charming. He kissed her on the cheek.
She closed her eyes and said, “You better go, chere.”
He heard the door close behind him with a sad finality as he descended the stairs.
Carter’s face was flushed with anger and impatience at having had to wait for him.
“I hope you got everything out of your system, Lowell. ’Cause we ain’t stopping to dally anymore!”
The rode west out of town, rode until the air rising up from the nearby bayous turned dank and mysterious. Great white herons
flew up out of swamps that were bordered by stands of moss laden cypress. There were snakes and alligators and death lying
within those swamps. Carter found everything about this country to be strange and offensive.
They rode for a time in silence, the blaze of sun warm upon their faces.
“Well, little brother, how much did that little romp back there cost you?”
Lowell had been lost in thought, the image of the white-skinned woman floating in his mind. The question broke him from his
reverie.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, how much did you have to pay her?”
Lowell’s features went from dreamy to confused. He let the question rest in his
mind for a long full moment. Then, it dawned on him, and with a great deal of glee, he answered: “She didn’t charge me anything,
big brother. Didn’t ask for one red cent. I guess maybe she just favored the way I looked.”
Carter suddenly pulled back on the reins of his mount.
“Lowell, you are as green as spring tomatoes. Women like that don’t just give themselves away. Now how much of our money was
it that you spent?”
“Honest, Carter. She never even mentioned money…”
“Check your pockets you dern fool!”
Something heavy passed through Lowell’s mood as he felt through his empty pockets.
“Damn!” he muttered. “My roll’s gone!”
“How’d you let her get at it in the first place?”
“Don’t know…except…it seems I might have dozed off for a spell.”
“That’s all it took. She rolled you blind. Come on!” shouted Carter, wheeling his dun back around toward the town.
“Ah, Carter…” But before the younger brother could protest, the older one had already begun to spur his mount into a
trot.
By the time the pair reached the edge of the city,the sky had turned a dusty rose in the descending darkness. Gas lights flickered along the street casting tongues of light
unto the wet cobblestones. Twenty minutes earlier, there had been a brief thunderstorm that had left them soaked, the brims
of their hats down over their faces. Now, the heavy air had the added smell of spices emanating from the many open windows
where Cajun food was being prepared.
“Cursed place,” complained Carter. “Nothing but wet and smelly and full of evilness.”
Shadowy figures moved along the boardwalks. The cry of prostitutes still rang down from the balconies, from the darkened doorways,
their numbers increased with the coming of nightfall.
They reined up in front of the tall house with the wrought iron gate leading to the courtyard. Lowell looked up at the now
empty balcony. A stain of yellow light fell on the frame of windows.
“She may not be there, Carter. What’ll we do if she ain’t?”
“We’ll worry about that when the time comes. Let’s go.” Lowell saw his brother shift the revolver on his hip and then dismount.
“What do you plan to do, Carter?”
“I’m planning on getting a damn
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