Appaloosa

55

Bragg had a good summer. He and some investors in Denver bought up the two copper mines, which had created Appaloosa in the first place, and began to rework them. The hotel was always full now, and the saloons. The gambling operations were expanding, and each one had a special deputy in the lookout chair. In late August, Bragg bought out Olson and added the livery stable and a general store to his holdings. His heifers were pregnant.

It was late in the day in the middle of September and rainy when a slim man with a young, smooth face came into the marshal’s office where Cole and I were drinking coffee and watching the rain through the open door. He was wearing a slicker unbuttoned and I could see that he had a.44 Colt with a pearl handle under it.

Cole looked at him carefully for a moment.

“Hayes,” he said.

“Hello, Virgil,” the man said.

He took his hat off and slapped it against his leg to shake off some of the rain, and put the hat on the edge of Cole’s desk. His hair was gray. Taking his hat off aged him.

“My deputy,” Cole said, nodding at me, “Everett Hitch. Hayes Hatfield.”

We said hello.

“Heard about you boys and the Sheltons,” Hatfield said.

“ ’Gainst city regulations,” Cole said, “to be carrying a gun in town.”

“Always is in your towns, Virgil. I figured you’d give a little slack on that.”

Cole nodded.

“I will,” Cole said. “How long you in town.”

“Be gone tomorrow,” Hatfield said.

“Appreciate you didn’t stroll around with the gun showing,” Cole said. “Sorta undercuts the law.”

“I’ll keep my coat closed,” Hatfield said.

“But not buttoned,” Cole said.

“Gun don’t do you much good buttoned up under your coat,” Hatfield said.

“No,” Cole said. “It don’t.”

“Mostly I’m just going to get some supper and go to sleep,” Hatfield said.

“You got business in Appaloosa?” Cole said.

Hatfield smiled a wide smile. Except for the gray hair, he looked about twenty.

“Fella came over to Yaqui to see me. I’m dealing cards there, in the Crystal Palace, doing a little work for Wells Fargo. He said he was going to be the first mayor in Appaloosa, and he wondered if I might like to be the city marshal.”

“Didn’t know the job was open,” Cole said.

“Said it was gonna be, soon as he was mayor.”

Cole didn’t say anything.

“Said the town was growing so fast that they’d be organizing a police department, and as soon as they did, I’d be the chief.”

“Hadn’t heard that,” Cole said.

“So I asked around a little,” Hatfield said, “and I found out that you was the marshal here, and I thought I might come over here and talk to you about it.”

“Who was the fella you talked to,” Cole said.

“Fella named Olson,” Hatfield said.

Cole looked at me.

“So he’s in with Bragg,” he said.

“In deep,” I said.

“Bragg the fella you didn’t kill up in Beauville?”

“He run,” Cole said.

“And he come back?” Hatfield said.

“He come back with money,” I said. “Bought out most of the town.”

“You boys stopping him from buying all of it?”

“Yes.”

“He don’t dare go up against you straight on,” Hatfield said.

“Don’t seem to,” Cole said.

“And he thinks I would,” Hatfield said.

“You would,” Cole said, “if there was reason.”

“And if I hired on with this Olson fella…”

“There’d be reason,” Cole said.

Hatfield picked his hat up off the corner of the desk and held it against his left thigh while he stood in the doorway for a moment and watched it rain.

“Rainy fall,” he said.

“Startin’ out that way,” Cole said.

Hatfield put his hat on and adjusted it so that it tilted a little forward over his eyes.

“Sounds to me a fella took this job, he might be working for Bragg.”

“That would be correct,” Cole said. “Olson’s just the errand boy.”

Hatfield nodded, his back to us, still looking at the rain through the open door. Then he turned and looked around the little marshal’s office.

“Don’t seem like a place I’d care to work,” he said.

Virgil and I both nodded.

“If I was here,” Hatfield said, “wouldn’t let him run me off.”

“I got a house here,” Cole said. “And a woman.”

“Even if you didn’t. You wouldn’t let him run you off.”

“No,” Cole said, “I guess I wouldn’t.”

“However,” Hatfield said. “Since I ain’t here, I don’t see no reason to come here.”

“Correct,” Cole said.

Hatfield turned back from the door and put his hand out. Cole shook it. Then I did.

“I’ll be on the train back to Yaqui tomorrow,” Hatfield said.

Then he turned and walked out the open door, holding his coat closed, and walked toward the Boston House.