Ironhorse

48

Berkeley came from the bar with a bottle of cognac and poured us a snort.

“I have arranged for a posse,” Berkeley said. “They’ll be gathering here at first light.”

“Splendid,” Hobbs said.

“This endeavor you were planning on in the territories,” Virgil said. “What was the nature of this endeavor?”

“What do you mean?” Lassiter said defensively.

“What was the governor planning to do with that money?”

Hobbs and Lassiter looked at each other. Lassiter sat tall and said, “The territories will open; the land run will be taking place very soon.”

“This much I know,” Virgil said.

“We were providing resources for the city developments,” Lassiter said.

“And how were those resources to be distributed?” Virgil said.

“We provide the marshals to stake the claims, and the payment would be for their services,” Hobbs said, “and in turn, we retain ownership.”

“Ownership?” Virgil said.

“Yes,” Lassiter said. “Essentially.”

“Essentially,” Virgil said, “what you were doing was buying Indian land or planning on buying Indian land with Texas money?”

Lassiter and Hobbs looked at each other like they didn’t like the sound of what they heard.

“And whose idea was this?” Virgil pressed.

“Idea?” Hobbs said.

“Yep.”

“The state of Texas was in surplus,” Lassiter said, “and this, this land run, provided us, and the state, an opportunity.”

“Everett, when we left Mexico, how long did it take us to get out of the state of Texas?” Virgil said without looking at me.

“Five days, altogether.”

“Five days?”

“Yep,” I said. “Five days by train.”

Virgil smiled.

“And to think the state of Texas ain’t big enough,” Virgil said. “Now they want the Indian Territories.”

Lassiter and Hobbs laughed.

“‘Provided us,’ you say,” Virgil said. “Are you, Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Lassiter, members of the legislation?”

They shook their heads together again.

“We are both attorneys,” Lassiter said. “Law partners.”

“So what was the nature of your involvement?”

“We had the contacts; we both have served as legal counsel for the Nations,” Hobbs said. “The Five Civilized Tribes, and we had the relationships.”

“That’s right,” Lassiter said.

“What was in it for you?”

“Mr. Cole,” Lassiter said. “We are not on trial here, and we are as interested as yo—”

“Just answer the question, Mr. Lassiter,” Virgil said politely.

Lassiter shook his head slightly and looked to Hobbs.

“We were just providing the contacts,” Hobbs said. “The governor is our close friend, and this was an opportunity for all of us.”

Virgil took a sip of the cognac and smiled. He puffed on his cigar for a moment while Hobbs and Lassiter just looked at him. Berkeley took a seat across the table from us, between Hobbs and Lassiter.

Virgil looked at his cigar and to Berkeley.

“Got a doctor in this town?” Virgil asked.

“Doctor?” Berkeley said. “Yes, we do. Well, I should say we did, but he has moved out to the camp, the miners’ camp, for the time being. A lot of the men have been sick, so he’s out there for now. There is a dentist here that has been doing doctoring in the interim. Doc Meyer.”

“Where would we find Doc Meyer?”

Berkeley pointed.

“Right across Three Quarter Street here, just up a ways. If he’s not there in his place, he’s most likely at one of the gambling parlors down the street. He gambles a bit... a lot, actually.”

Virgil stood up, and I did the same.

“Are you feeling bad?” Berkeley said.

“’Bout some things,” Virgil said.

“Not the food, I hope?”

“No, food was good. Fact, that’s some of the best food we’ve had in a long time,” Virgil said. “Don’t you think, Everett?”

“I do.”

Berkeley smiled as he scooted back the chair he was sitting in and stood up.

“Well, good, then.”

Berkeley retrieved two keys from his pocket and handed one to me and one to Virgil.

“Got you gents a room here if you want. When you come back, just talk to Burns here at the desk, he can get you some hot water. There is a tub at the end of your hall, second floor.”

“Muchas gracias,” Virgil said.