Now Playing: Hellfire
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Episode
Six concluded with:
Rance’s face reflected surprise. Stacey Hooper
laughed good naturedly. “Yes, Rance, I am friends with this present day
prophet. We met the day I arrived. He was preaching in the street and I became an
audience of one. Together we are working toward identical goals. Well, sort
of…”
Stacey glanced at the sky and continued to speak. “Hosea is right. The Almighty is with us tonight. He has provided a bright moon. May I suggest a ride out of town?”
Stacey glanced at the sky and continued to speak. “Hosea is right. The Almighty is with us tonight. He has provided a bright moon. May I suggest a ride out of town?”
“You think some of Rawlins’ men will forget
about the noon deadline and try to kill us tonight?”
“Yes. Beau Rawlins has always encouraged his
employees to show initiative.”
Episode
Seven
“Where
do you have in mind for us to go?”
“As
you may have already surmised, Hosea has me pondering the wisdom of the Good
Book: ‘Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.’ Indeed. Some unfortunate fool
thought he could start a large ranch in this God forsaken… excuse me, Hosea… part
of Texas. He had a rather daft plan for bringing in water. It didn’t work out.
Now all that is left is a dilapidated ranch house and some line shacks.
However, it will suit our present needs. Come gentlemen, we must not dally much
longer!”
The
three men mounted up and began to ride. The threesome had ridden in silence for
about fifteen minutes when Dehner quickly glanced backwards. “I see a dust
cloud moving toward us. Can’t tell how many riders there are. Six at the most.
Probably less.”
“I
anticipated this,” Hooper’s voice was thick with amusement. “Beau wants me
dead. That noon deadline he presented back at the Quick Dollar was a ruse, and
a very poor one.”
“How’s
that?” Hosea asked.
“Hellfire
is a town dedicated to sloth. Everyone is asleep at noon. Almost no one would
know whether we had left town or not.”
Rance
Dehner felt uneasy. He couldn’t figure out Stacey Hooper’s motive for being in
Hellfire and forming an alliance with Hosea Rimstead. “Why does Rawlins want
you dead? From what Rawlins said, the two of you used to be friends.”
The
question put a smirk on Hooper’s face. “We were friends to the extent that two
gamblers can be friends. But now Beau has become a businessman, and he believes
I am plotting to move in on his territory. Thank goodness, he doesn’t know the
real reason I am in Hellfire.”
The
men once again became quiet. Dehner and Hosea waited for Stacey to tell them
the real reason he was in Hellfire, but the gambler didn’t oblige.
Dehner changed
the subject. “I hear laughter from our pursuers.”
Stacey
nodded his head. “At this time of night, the entire population of Hellfire is
inebriated.”
“The
devil’s brew has been the ruin of many a soul,” Hosea lamented.
“Yes.
But tonight Beelzebub’s bottles may be our friends.” Stacey looked back. “They
aren’t making very good time. Let’s ride a bit faster. There are a few things
we need to get done before we confront those villains.”
They
spurred their horses into a gallop over the flat, dismal land. The few bushes
and trees they rode past were withered and bent, as if this portion of the
territory was a monument to death.
Tomorrow:
Episode Eight of Hellfire
