Payback at Morning Peak by Gene Hackman

Author:Gene Hackman [Hackman, Gene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2011-06-06T22:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-THREE

Jubal passed the local post office on Main Street, a building with a high U.S. MAIL facade and an American flag waving off the porch. Thin vertical bars encased the windows from inside, and the building sat alone as if it were grander and more proud than the other wood structures on the street. Jubal wondered if it would be possible to send a note to Judge Wickham. Stepping inside the building, he noticed a wall of small wood boxes with tiny windows. Jubal figured it was so mail would be easily visible. “Excuse me, sir. I wonder if you could help me.”

“I can probably help you with anything relating to the mail, but I don’t lend money and I don’t have a daughter you can marry, so what’s your pleasure?”

“Sir. I need to send a note to someone in Cerro Vista, New Mexico. I wonder how I go about that.”

The kindly postmaster smiled. “Do you have the note with you?”

“No, sir. I haven’t written it yet.”

“Well, cowboy, once you’ve written the note you simply give it to me. I’ll sell you a stamp, you lick it, stick it on the envelope, and I mail it for you. Simple, huh?”

For a second, Jubal wondered how to continue.

The older man chuckled. “You don’t have a piece of paper, do you? Or an envelope? How about a pencil or pen?” The postmaster lowered his voice. “Can you write?”

Jubal quickly said, “Ah, yes, sir, I write quite well.”

The clerk reached under the counter and produced several sheets of paper, an envelope, and a pencil. “You can stand there by the WANTED posters and write ‘til sundown.”

Jubal moved along the oak counter until he was standing beneath several notices proclaiming several hundred dollars’ reward for information about a certain Jack Stanton and another for the dead-or-alive capture of a desperado named Miguel Cavallo.

Jubal had a tough time concentrating with these outlaws staring down at him.

Judge Wickham,

I hope this note finds you in good health. When last I saw you, your color was the shade of this paper. I hope your health has improved.

As for me, I disobeyed your wishes to stay close by in Cerro Vista. Sir, I am not asking for a pardon or sympathy but simply understanding.

I was doing okay until your shooting. Some thing about the gracious supper earlier in the evening, the company and your welcome, that, simply put, overwhelmed me after your wounding.

I am, sir, not much of a scholar, so please forgive this poor attempt, but I will try to do whatever it takes to apprehend the villains who shot you and bring them to justice.

Regards to your family.

I remain your loyal servant,

Jubal Young

Jubal slid the envelope, paper, and pencil back to the center of the counter.

“How did you do, youngster? Everything hunky-dory?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are you going to address the envelope?”

“Ah, yessir, I forgot.” As Jubal wrote the address of the Wicks Hotel, he asked the clerk, “Sir, if someone wanted to send a letter to me, how would they do that?”

“Well, son, you put a return address on the envelope.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.