Now Playing: Hellfire
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Episode Two concluded with:
Gail took a few fast steps that placed her
between the two men. The young woman put a hand on Hosea’s chest. “Please
Hosea, leave now. Lars Olsen will kill you and enjoy doing it!”
Hosea gently moved Gail away. “David defeated
Goliath with a sling shot. Reckon I can whup this owlhoot with my bare hands.”
“Is that right, preacher man? Well, I’m gonna
count to ten and then I’m gonna beat you up, real good. Yeah, maybe I’ll do
like the girlie says and kill you. So, that Lord of yours better get busy and
strike me down now!”
Episode Three
Olsen
began to count. Hosea felt trapped. He knew the Lord wasn’t going to strike
Lars Olsen down. The Divine just didn’t work that way. But all that would take
some complicated explaining and Olsen wasn’t much for complicated explanations.
Hosea
Rimstead realized, too late, that his challenge to Lars Olsen had been an
attempt to impress Gail with his manliness. In other words, pride…
“Ten!”
Rimstead ducked but it didn’t work. A fist slammed into Hosea Rimstead’s face.
He heard Gail’s screams as he plunged to the floor.
“Please
Mr. Olsen, don’t hurt him bad!”
“Okay,
Honey. But you just remember. When Lars Olsen does someone a favor, he expects
a favor in return. Understand!?”
“Yes.” Even with the sharp knife of pain
slashing across his head, Hosea could see the look of resignation that made the
young woman’s face appear haggard as she responded to Lars Olsen.
Olsen
bent down and grabbed Hosea by the collar of his black frock coat. He dragged
him out of the room and shouted from the second floor, “The preacher man is all
tuckered out after spendin’ time with one of our girlies. I gotta help him
downstairs.”
The
entire saloon exploded in laughter as Lars Olsen dragged Hosea down the
stairway. When they arrived at the bottom, Lars picked Hosea up while still
holding him by the collar. “He was prayin’ for a miracle all the way down. Kept
askin’ the Almighty for a body made of rubber!”
More
laughter followed as Olsen walked a stumbling Hosea to the bat wing doors and
tossed him out. “That girlie wants nothing to do with you! Stay away or I’ll
kill you!”
Tomorrow:
Episode Four of Hellfire