The Starshine Kid: Arroyo Grande - Part 6 of 20
A Young Lad's Tale
U.S. Marshal Adam Henry King
listened to the over excited youth as he attempted to relate what he had
observed at the Old Iron Creek Cemetery.
“Mister, I mean Marshal,” the boy
hurriedly said, “I ain’t seen nothin’ like it, no, not never!”
“That’s ‘not ever’, son,” the
Marshal corrected the lad.
“Not ever, never, ever. I was
watchin’ it all through that hole in the rock wall over there” the boy pointed,
“I saw the whole thing, mister, I mean Marshal. I’m sure those three dead
fellas were gunslingers.”
“They were, son. I’ve tentatively
identified them all.”
“Wow, three gunslingers killed right
here in my town! What’s tentativ… mean, Marshal?”
“Well, son, it just means for the
time bein’ I figure I know the identity of those fellas.”
“Ident--….” “You sure use big words,
Marshal.”
The boy’s excitement was obvious,
but could the Starshine Kid calm the lad down enough to get an eyewitness
account for his official record.
“Please, son, calm down a bit and
tell me a few details of what you’ve observed,” Starshine requested with a soft
voice.
“Yeah, ok. It went like this,” the
lad began, as he related how the three gunmen had come into town looking for
Antonio from Antonio who was staying at the local hotel. He told him how that
man, Antonio, whose real name was Anton, had given him a twenty dollar gold
piece and told him he had to ‘spend at least half of it on books of learnin’.’
The marshal’s suspicions were
confirmed when he heard the boy say, “I heard the lead man, the one with the
fancy chaps, say to Antonio from Antonio, ‘I’ve been sent’, just before it all
went down.” The boy further related that the three men had drawn first, but
before their guns had leveled, Anton had readied them all for their final
resting places.
“I ain’t never seen nobody so fast,
ever!” the boy repeated several times. Marshal King could only hope that some
of the books the lad would purchase with his gold piece would be English
grammar guides.
“That man, Anton, he twirled his
six-shooters like they was eagle feathers in the wind, then he holstered ‘em
faster than a rattler biten’ a mouse. I’m tellin’ ya, Marshal….”
Both lawman and boy made their way
out to the lonely cemetery to get a view of the scene of the deadly occurrence.
Marshal King walked the entire grounds for approximately one hour checking
every detail, including boot prints, grass texture, and the sun’s positional
changes. But the boy’s testimony remained the most important fact he needed
related to the mechanics of the shootout and subsequent deaths of the three
outlaws.
An elderly gravedigger, obviously
fatigued from his tedious and laborious digging of three lifeless graves, sat
on a large pile of earth under the sun’s hot rays in the distance, spade in
hand; the man’s horse methodically fed upon the grasses of the surrounding landscape
nearby.
The boy, overwhelmed by a sudden
youthful feeling of boredom, ran up to Marshal King and asked, “What makes a
man like that one with those fancy chaps be like he is? Why are some folks like
him and others normal God-fearin’ type a folks?”
Feeling it is always best to answer
a question directly regardless of the inquirer’s age, sex, or cultural
difference, the Starshine Kid replied, “These types have a different kind of
thinkin’, son. Their emotions are as shallow as a dried up creek bed and they’re
not able to get in touch with any real human feelings, including love. They be
hard folk, boy, devoid of compassion.”
Devoid? The boy
wondered what that meant.
The Starshine Kid took off his hat
and used a kerchief to wipe his forehead before continuing, “They usually
caused a lot of commotion when they were young like you. They are manipulative,
untrustworthy and do things on impulse, and they have no feelings for anything
bad or evil they do. It ain’t no different to one of them folks to kill you. or
simply have a smoke. Nothin’ much matters to ‘em one way or the other.”
“Wow, Marshal!” the wide-eyed boy
exclaimed. “You sure know a lot about folks and what makes ‘em tick on the
inside.”
“Let’s make our way back to town so
I can see and verify the identities of the outlaws’ bodies for the official
records. What do you say, son?”
“I’m ready to get outta here. It
ain’t scary or nothin’ like that, it just gets boring after a spell.”
“Yeah, boy, I guess this gunfight is
the most exciting thing this place has ever seen.”
“Yep, Marshal, you be right on that.”
The walk back to town was a
satisfying stroll for the Starshine Kid, and knowing that the Scorpion was dead
and gone and would not be causing any more harm to anyone was a pleasing
thought for him to ponder. Adam had the boy remain outside as he entered the
town doctor’s place of employ to view the corpses.
Marshal King looked things over
carefully, his stern features revealed nothing as to his thoughts.
“Well, Marshal,” the doctor
questioned, “Everything in order?”
“Might as well bury ‘em, I’ve seen all
that I need to see for today. Let me just make a few notes here in my book and
I’ll be on my way.”
Outside of the doctor’s place,
Adam’s new found little friend was waiting as patiently as a bird for an earthworm.
“Marshal, we got some mighty fine grub at the hotel. Maybe you want to stay the
night and all? My mom’s a real good cook too. She’s been cookin’ there since
before I was born!”
Adam smiled an affirmation toward
the lad and the two made their trek over to the Buckhorn for a night of lawman
tales, fine food, and good wholesome down-to-earth friendly chat.
“Hey, Marshal?”
“Ask your question, boy.”
“Those symbols on that man’s chaps…
horse, teepee and all them, what do they mean?”
“They’re Indian symbols that have
different meanings for different Indian tribes. Around these parts, son, the
horse means a journey,” Adam informed the very attentive young lad. “The
arrowhead is for staying alert at all times, the snake reflects a defiant
attitude, the lightning bolt is for extreme swiftness, and the teepee means a
home that is on the move, a temporary place to reside. There were a few more,
would you like me to continue, son?”
“How’s about you write me a list and
I can study it over and over. I like to check things out, ya know,” the boy
responded.
“I will do that for you, boy. Remember
that studying and readin’ are the keys that open the door to your future.”
In the morning the Starshine Kid
stuck around long enough to enjoy three burials at the Old Iron Creek Cemetery and
receive word from the temporary local sheriff about a string of holdups just to
the north. “The sheriff up in them parts could sure appreciate the help of a
U.S. Marshal.”
The investigation at hand was of
significant import, and even though Anton would be further down the trail of
life and his tracks a might bit harder to follow, Marshal King told the sheriff
that he’d be glad to help.
Mustang saddled and trail ready, the
Starshine Kid was on his way out of Iron Creek before the noon sun’s rays could
scorch his leathery neck.
Part 7: Topography of the Outlaw
_______________________________
The Starshine Kid: Arroyo Grande
By Royce A Ratterman © 2012
All Rights Reserved
Cover Art & Illustrations by
Erlend Evensen
The characters, locales,
enterprises, entities, and events herein are entirely fictional and intended
for educational and entertainment purposes. Content portrayals do not reflect
any actual events, locales, entities, or any individuals living or deceased.
Dedicated to all of those who lost
their lives establishing peace, safety, and harmony in the days of the Old West
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