The Bellwether Kid by Wesley Ellis

Author:Wesley Ellis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2010-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

They lit out at first light. Jessie rode a roan and Ki sat atop a claybank, two geldings that Jessie was sure she’d paid too much for, but once again, she had been unable to haggle a price with Cyrus. Every minute they wasted meant that the two stolen horses were farther away.

As they passed the last buildings that marked the main and only street in the town, the sheriff came trotting up. “You ain’t looking to hurt no one, are you, Miss Starbuck?”

Without reining in the horse, Jessie said, “Just get my property back is all. That’s all I’m looking to do. You got my word on that.”

The lawman, still running, panted, “If you find them, you tell my little girl to come home. If you would you do that for me, I’d be obliged.”

“I’ll do it,” Jessie said, then spurred her horse forward. Ki spurred his a second later to keep pace, and then they were out of town.

They’d traveled a few miles before Ki spoke. “It is a fool’s mission, what we are doing.”

“Maybe, but at least we’re heading in the right direction,” Jessie answered.

Ki could not argue with her logic. Indeed, they were heading in the right direction for Carson City, but he did not know for how much longer. A bad feeling was settling in the pit of his stomach. And then again, perhaps he was just sad to say good-bye to Sarah. She had not come out to see him leave, though she had snuck up to his room and bid him farewell in her own lovely way. Bid him farewell twice, if the truth be told.

By noon, the trail had still not forked off, so Jessie could be fairly sure that they were heading the right way. To leave the main trail would have been foolish; rocks and steep slopes bordered each side. No, the girl and the Bellwether Kid would be riding straight through. Perhaps they were even heading toward Carson City themselves.

They rode the remainder of the day, talking infrequently, but watching the trail for tracks. The trail was not used frequently, and fresh tracks would not be hard to spot. Indeed, by late afternoon, they had seen a pair of fresh tracks, off to the side.

As the sun began to set, Ki said, “Did you notice that Mr. Sturgis was strangely silent?”

Jessie, eyes still fastened to the trail, asked, “When was that?”

“Before we left,” Ki replied. “When the people were gathered around the sheriff. Mr. Sturgis did not say a word. He stood there, just watching. He looked rather worried if you ask me.”

“Probably worried about losing that Bellwether Kid,” Jessie said. “That was his meal ticket. Now he’ll have to go and find himself another gunfighter to write about.”

“Maybe,” Ki answered, then fell back into silence.

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