Elmore Leonard Classic 3-Book Collection by Elmore Leonard

Author:Elmore Leonard [Leonard, Elmore]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Hard-Boiled
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

16

THEY HAD CHOSEN THIS ABANDONED farmland for the site and stood in the opening of a barn loft looking out at what would be the battlefield: John Rau, Walter Kirkbride and Charlie Hoke representing Billy Darwin, who couldn’t make it: all three in shirtsleeves this sunny afternoon, at least ninety degrees out in that empty pasture.

Charlie listened to them deal with the weather first, Walter saying they’d sweat to death in their wool uniforms. John Rau saying it wouldn’t be any hotter than it was June 10, 1864, at Brice’s. Walter saying he would leave his longjohns at home if John Rau would and they’d keep it between them. John Rau said, “I didn’t hear you say that, Walter.” Charlie didn’t own a pair of longjohns and kept it to himself. He saw Walter now gazing out at the pasture again.

“You think it looks like Brice’s?”

“A big open field,” John Rau said, “mostly, I believe, blackjack oak on one side, that old orchard on the other. Not as wide as Brice’s but it’ll do.”

Walter said, “You don’t know blackjack from a trash berry thicket and box elders. That’s all that cover is, till you get toward the levee. It isn’t nothing like Brice’s. All you have is a field.”

“In this case it’s all we need,” John Rau said. “Walter, you know it has to be in plain view of the spectators. They’ll be down right in front of the barn where the ground slopes. We have a good two hundred yards out there to play with. You send your Third, Seventh and Eighth Kentucky Mounted Infantry out of the orchard over there and charge them straight across the pasture. I’m over in the thicket with the Seventh Indiana Cavalry and my own Second New Jersey shooting you down with our Spencers. You fall back and regroup and come at us again, and that’s the Sunday-afternoon show.”

Sounding to Charlie like they were going to actually refight the battle.

“We stop there,” Walter said, “it looks like the Federals won at Brice’s.”

“Charlie will be making the announcements”—John Rau turning to him as he said it—“right?”

“Yes sir, I’ll be happy to.”

“And describe the action, who’s who.”

“I can do that.”

“Charlie’ll tell the crowd who won.”

“I’ll send skirmishers out first,” Walter said, “and draw fire.”

John Rau said, “Don’t you have those fellas that like to take hits with canister?”

“Some of Arlen’s bunch. Yeah, they practice all of ’em going down together.”

“Best diers,” Charlie said, “I ever saw.”

John Rau said, “I hope that woman brings her cannon. I don’t know her name. Wears the big straw, kinda fat?”

“Kinda?” Charlie said. “She’s got a butt on her like a mule in a pair of bluejeans.”

John Rau said, “She’d have to be Federal to keep it authentic. Forrest didn’t have cannon to bring up till late in the day.”

Charlie said, “Who’s gonna know that?”

And got a stern look from John Rau saying, “Walter and I know it.”

“When we did bring ’em up,” Walter said, “we rode the limbers in close and raked you with grape.

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