Texas Ranger Creek- West to Tombstone by Ash Lingam & Dave Walton

Author:Ash Lingam & Dave Walton [Lingam, Ash & Walton, Dave]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781985164307
Goodreads: 38471900
Published: 2018-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9:

The Telegram

The next morning, right after breakfast and spending a spell on the Ranger Post porch, I headed on over to the telegraph office to find out what the telegrams were about.

I walked down to the center of town where the telegraph was located in a small room in the side of one of the older buildings here in Laredo. Made of pinewood planks all painted red with the words Telegraph written in white across the front wall. Hard to miss for most anybody.

“Morning Ben. Marshal Deeds told me you had a telegram here for me,” I said to the old man sitting at the desk, as he ticked away at the telegraph apparatus.

The man, keeping his head down, slightly tilted to the side as he listened to the dots and dashes the mysterious device made as it sent and received messages from great distances away. Once he finished, he finally looked up at me with a grin on his face.

“That Marshal Deeds is too damned nosey for his own good,” old man Bents said all disgusted. “Just because he is the town sheriff he thinks he has the authority to read any damned telegraph that comes through Laredo. Well, I ain’t no newspaper for one and all to see. A telegram is a private message that should be delivered exclusively to the recipient. Something that the damned Sheriff has a hard time understanding.”

As he was speaking, he started to shuffle through the pile of telegrams on top of his desk until he came to mine.

“Here you go, Captain Creek. You have an urgent message from one James Butler Hickok. If I am not mistaken, that is Wild Bill Hickok ain’t it, Sir?” Bents asked.

“It certainly is, Mr. Bents. I wonder what the hell Bill is doing sending me a telegram,” I mumbled.

“Best read it, Captain. He seems to be in need of assistance,” the telegraph operator stated. The Telegram read:

“Captain Ridge Creek. I am in urgent need of your assistance. You mentioned that you owed me one at our last meeting. Well, I am afraid that I am now forced to call in that favor. I am in Tombstone, Arizona and am in need of your presence at the earliest date possible. Please reply by telegram so I know if you can make it or not and it’ll be best if you come with a couple of your men, if that is at all possible. Your friend, James Hickok.”

“Is that all he said?” I asked old man Bents.

“Just that he needs your assistance way the hell over in Arizona,” the old man replied.

“Thank you, Mr. Bents. I will be back shortly with an answer,” I informed the man.

I walked over to the Gold Star Saloon for a coffee and to sit a spell on the porch to consider what my obligations are. Both, to James Hickok and to my position as the Captain of the Texas Ranger Laredo Post. That and if I do indeed go, who shall

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