Dance with the Deacon

I walked to him first. You can have the boy bring my camp gear when he comes for the horse tomorrow. I am sure he will recognize the horse I shall leave it tied in front of the building where I find a bed."

John simply nodded. I didn't think he trusted himself to speak. I had strapped on the .44 while I picked up my case. The weapon in the shoulder holster had suddenly seemed too light.

I turned my back to John Wilson somehow knowing he wasn't a back shooter. I walked to the smaller house. I knocked hard on the door. Edith came.

"Deacon?" she made it a question.

"Edith, I have decided to ride into town tonight. I did not wish to leave without saying goodbye."

"Deacon, what is wrong. Did John ask you to leave?" She looked as though she were about to have words with her husband again.

"Not really, I just decided I could do without his hospitality. I think it would be better all around if I left. It is only one night Edith. I would have been leaving first thing in the morning. I did want to invite you and Jess to church on Sunday. Of course all the others are invited. Just come to town someone will know where the service is being held." I suddenly realized part of the urgent need to get a church going was to see Edith again.

"Deacon, you are going to get yourself killed trying to start a church there. Why don't you just move on to a safer place."

"Why don't you?" I asked it and waited for an answer. When one did not come I turned to walk away. I stood alone in the yard not speaking to anyone even though I noted that John Wilson had watched it all. A few minutes later the son call Jeffery came from the barn leading a horse. The horse appeared to be calm. I wouldn't have put it past John Wilson to have given me a green horse.

The horse was in fact calm as I rode from the yard into the night. Traveling alone at night makes a man nervous. Not too many legitimate travelers ventured onto the roads at night. Even with my case of nerves I held the horse to a walk. I arrived in Sadie's Gulch after midnight. The whole town was buttoned down. Not one of the ten or so buildings was lit. I tied the horse to a hitching post in front of the saloon. I was sorry that I had not taken my blankets from the camping gear. It seemed as though it was going to be a long cold night.

It was cold but there was no wind so it was bearable. I dozed off and on. It wasn't long before I was awakened by a man walking on the wooden sidewalk. I heard the noise far enough off to have the colt in my hand when he approached.

"Hey cowboy you got no place to go?" The man asked it in a neutral voice.

"No, when I got here everything was closed. I didn't want to wake anybody." I said it watching him closely.

"Well you are going to freeze out here. At least come on over to my place. I got a fire going there. If you can sleep all huddled up here you should do fine over there."

"Well I appreciate it neighbor, but who are you?" I asked it of the dark hulk above me.

"I am deputy Sawyer. Now come on we can talk inside at least."

"Is this town large enough for a jail?" I asked it surprised.

"Hell no, I got a shack where I spend the nights between rounds. I keep an eye on the place after everybody goes to sleep."

"Well if you got a fire, then you got company." At that moment I didn't care that he was a law dog. I was cold and miserable.

"Hell cowboy, I even got coffee." His smile was in the voice it was too dark to see his face.

"I got to check a couple of more doors first. You want to come along or let me pick you up on the way back?"

"Think I will tag along. It is way to cold to just sit here."

"I don't know how you stood it before I came. It is cold out here tonight." He seemed to be curious.

"Well it was about to get too much for me."

I walked beside him as he went to the rear of each building. He checked each door's lock. He finally pronounced the town secure. Afterward he led me to a shack at the rear of the hardware store. The shack had no door just a piece of canvas over the opening.

The stove in it was hardly fancy. It seemed to be made from an old clay pot. The clay tile stove pipe went right through the wall. The stove was small enough to have been a jug of some kind. The fire was more or less open there was no door on the stove. It was a design I had never seen before but it heated the room efficiently enough.

On the small flat surface of the stove just over the fire sat a coffee pot. The deputy poured us each a cup. The liquid was black and hot but it sure wasn't coffee. I figured it was made from the bark of some local tree or maybe a nut. Either way I was grateful enough for the warmth to keep my mouth shut.

The deputy as was the case with most midnight law dogs was not very bright or healthy. He had a nasty cough and a stiff elbow. He did seem to understand from the clerical collar that I was not a cowboy.

"Damn Preacher, what you doing in the Gulch?" He wasn't smiling when he asked.

"Well I don't know that I will be staying Deputy . By the way what is your given name Deputy Sawyer?"

"Thomas, but everybody calls me Tom."

"I would have guessed that. Thanks for the warm room and the coffee. It is a life saver."

"Well preacher it ain't much but you are welcome to curl up in the corner if you like. Sorry I don't have no bed in here. This place is just for the night deputy. We ain't supposed to sleep.

"You got heat so it is fine. I have slept on many a floor." I found a fairly empty outside wall. I lay down on the floor to sleep. I again cursed myself for having left the Wilson ranch without a blanket. Hell, I cursed myself for having left at all. It had been my chance to sleep in a real bed again. I hadn't stretched out in a soft warm bed since Saint Louis.

Had that been less than a week before? It somehow seemed much longer.

The smell of frying meat woke me. I was hungry but I also knew how little a night deputy would have. "Preacher you hungry, I got some bacon frying."

"I don't think so Tom. I have my mouth set on some eggs. No offense it is damn nice that you offered." I said it and I meant it too.

"Well the best place where you can get that kind of grub is down to the cafe. It is down to the edge of town. Miss Henson will be starting to serve in about an hour."

"You reckon there is a room anybody will rent to me. I know preachers ain't real popular here. I don't expect a deacon to fare much better."

"Oh widow Edwards at the boarding house would be tickled to have you, but she stays pretty full with the miners and all."

"Where do the miners eat?" It was a question that needed to be asked. I had a feeling theirs was a sorry lot.

"There is a hall for them. It is run by the company. You couldn't eat there unless you was working for Deville. Besides preacher the food there ain't much. Only reason the miners eat there is that it is free."

"Nothing is free Tom except salvation." I didn't have any idea where that came from. It just popped out of my mouth. I shook my head at myself. I could only hope Tom didn't notice my confused look.

"I guess you are right at that. You know if this was a gold strike where everybody was getting rich, things would be so expensive they couldn't afford a night deputy. The only ones getting rich here are the three mine owners. The prospectors can't find enough silver to hardly fill a tooth. Deville has most of the money and most of the miners work for him. The other two don't hardly count at all."

I stretched then walked to the door. "Well Tom guess I better get started finding a place to live."

"Preacher, If the widow is full there ain't no decent places to live around here. Got a flop house for the miners but the same bed is used by different people night and day. Ain't no fittin'' place for you."

"Well Tom, I have slept in worse, but it ain't exactly what I had in mind." I was tired of the talk so I stepped into the twilight. I walked from the shack to the front of the general store. I realized that I should have asked Tom which way to turn for the cafe. I might have gone back but I decided that it was a good chance to see the town even if I turned the wrong way.

If Sadie's Gulch hadn't been a mining town there would have been more wooden walkways along the street. Since mining towns came and went quickly nobody bothered much with such things. Besides which the climate was dry so they were pretty much unnecessary.

When I reached the street I turned right. I supposed that one of them school teacher types might know why I always turned right when the direction was in doubt. I sure didn't know. The turn took me past the general store, then a few shops and buildings with no signs at all. When I reached the blacksmith's forge I knew I had taken a wrong turn.

I retraced my steps passing still other buildings with no names at all. There had to be saloons but no signs were over the street. I expected when open there would be plenty of evidence to lead one to make the determination. Almost all the buildings were framed walls then tent roofs. It was pretty typical of a hastily thrown together mining town. It was also similar to the camps thrown together for railroad workers laying new track.

I shivered in the morning chill as I kept moving to avoid the bone chilling cold that would set in. I was lucky to have avoided it the night before. The more I thought of the cold the more angry I became at John Wilson. I could have slept in the warm bunk house and eaten with the family before my trip into Sadie's Gulch. I shook my head. That kind of thinking was not for the new deacon. That one got a chuckle from me as I tried to concentrate on finding breakfast. I passed what had to be the miners dining hall. Men were shuffling around outside the closed door. There were only a few but I was pretty sure the number would begin to grow soon.

Not much farther down the street I saw what must have been the cafe. It smelled of food from the day before or maybe it was today's menu that smelled. Either way it was definitely food. The door was closed and locked up tight. There were no signs to give any indication of the opening times. I took it on myself to walk around back.

In the rear of the half tent building the door was open. Even in the autumn chill the air coming from the kitchen was hot. I stuck my head inside the door. "Good morning," I said to the very large woman peeling potatoes.

"Damn, are you a preacher?" She blushed when she realized what she had said.

"No ma'am I am just a deacon." I noticed her look of confusion it happened almost every time I tried to explain. "What time are you going to open?"

"When the help gets here. Probably be just a few more minutes. You look pretty cold Deacon. You want a cup of coffee to warm you up?"

"It would be most kind of you." I said that as I moved to the stack of metal coffee cups. I took one then filled it with strong black coffee from a giant coffee pot on the stove. Beside the coffee pot was another large pot boiling with grits. I could smell the bacon grease in the grits. The smell was strong. It was probably intensified by the fact that I was hungry.

"Go ahead and get you a bowl of them grits." The large old woman had seen me looking at the pot.

"I hate to eat before your customers get here." Even as I spoke I filled a bowl with the grits.

"That's okay deacon you can just leave your money on the counter." It seemed that neighborliness did not extent to business. I hadn't expected that it would.

"Since this is a business deal, do you happen to have any bread?" I asked it smiling to show there was no offense taken.

"In the box by the wash rack." The woman continued to peel.

Since there were no chairs in the warm kitchen I stood to eat. I preferred standing in the heat to sitting in the chilly dining room. When I finished the food I asked. "You got any idea where I can find a room?"

"Depends how long you are staying?" She asked it but I knew nothing depended on it. She was just curious as to my business.

"Don't know for sure. I came to open a church. When it is open and running a preacher will come to take over. I will be going the day he arrives." I tried to look as though it didn't matter to me how long it took.

"Now that I would pay to see." She chuckled at what she thought was a joke.

"What would you pay to see?" I knew what she was going to say.

"The opening of a church in Sadie's Gulch." She smiled up at me.

"Well bring your money, we will be taking an offering." I smiled down at her. It was more because I had been able to remember what happened inside a church than at her idea.

"Well deacon, you do know Deville will not allow you to open a church. He will kill you first." She was grinning with what I noticed was a mouth less than full of teeth.

"Well Ma'am that is why they sent a deacon to open the church instead of a preacher. A deacon takes a lot more killin' than a preacher."

"Then Deacon, you better buy yourself a gun."

"Oh I think I have enough guns." I spoke the words switching my look from friendly to deadly. I saw the shiver run through her. It should have. People always told me that when I turned that look on, I looked like an undertakers best friend. "Now about that room?"

"Best you can do I expect is a tent over in the flats. Probably can find one at their little store over there. People come and go all the time over there."

"Where would I find the flats?" I asked it returning to the smile.

"Just a little ways outside of town." You can't miss it."

"Now what exactly is it I can't miss?" I asked it to determine what I was getting myself into.

"The flats is the place where the miners with families live. The people in this town are either single miners or old timers like me. Old timers are the ones who were here before the big strikes. Some of the men came in to work the mines when they were smaller. There are a lot of us widows here deacon."

"I suppose mining is a dangerous job." I spoke as I slipped my hand inside my pocket. "How much for the coffee and grits."

"Nickel, and I am only taking it cause you are not likely to need it when Deville gets wind of you." She had a very solemn expression on her face.

"Then you are doing the right thing mother. No sense giving a deadman gifts." I smiled at her just to let her know I didn't mind. I also did it because I wanted to stand in her kitchen by the fire until the sun came up.

The other kitchen help arrived while I waited. The place was about to open it's doors when I walked from the back door. I walked around the canvas and frame building to the street. With the sun up a bit, it was almost bearable outside.

I tightened the cinch on the Wilson's horse before I rode him the few yards to the Henson house. The two story frame house was bustling with activity when I arrived. When the sun rose in Sadie's Gulch the town came to life. It was nature's alarm clock.

I would have knocked on the front door but I expected everyone of importance to be in the kitchen working to feed the borders or cleaning up after them. I knocked on the rear screen door.

"Come on in," the female voice shouted. I was surprised when I entered the house to find a youngish middle aged woman sweating over the stove.

"You the widder Henson?" I asked it not knowing what else to say to her.

"Lord no, I am Laura's sister." The woman smiled at me but it was one of those I am busy smiles.

"Is your sister around?" I didn't much mind asking it of the woman since she had already gone back to her biscuits.

"She is in the dining room but she will be back in a minute. You want a cup of coffee preacher. If you do you can just help yourself as you can see I got my hands covered in biscuit dough."

"That is fine. I have already had three cups at the diner. So I know the widder's name is Laura what is your name miss?" I asked it to pass the time. I also knew I should be making friends with the locals. It was going to prove to be a chore since I was usually a loner.

"They call me Sara. Preacher you ain't lookin' for a place to stay are you. If you are it would be better if you looked someplace else." Her smile was still there but somehow it had turned cold.

"How come?" I asked it pretty sure Deville would be in the answer somewhere.

"Truth is my sister is a religious woman. She won't be able to say no to you."

"What would be so bad about me boarding here? I can pay you know." The statement was just my way of saving a little face.

"Even so it will not be good for Laura. Mr. Deville the owner of the biggest mine will be mighty upset if you stay anywhere especially here."

"Now why would he be upset about me staying anywhere especially here." I kept my warm smile even though it was hard to do.

"Surely you know what happened with the last preacher."

"I heard he ran off with Deville's wife but that is not going to happen with me. She is already gone." That time I tried to smile a rakish one.

"Did you know they were never heard from again. The preacher's bishop tried to find them but never could. Word is Deville sent someone after them. In some little town somewhere there are two holes in the ground I am sure."

"This Deville does not sound like a nice man." I said it while smiling. The smile was not my evil one rather my innocent one. She probably didn't need my evil look to know I wasn't quite the pushover a preacher would have been.

"Actually Samuel is a very nice man. He just has power. When he got hurt he used it."

"You sound as though you know him pretty well." It was no more than a probing question. She had two answers but both required explanations. She chose the third option. She changed the subject.

"You really should just ride away."

"For one thing this horse does not belong to me. For another I have a job to do here and that is to open a church. So if you don't want me to ask your sister for a room, where am I going to stay?"

She moved to the dry sink where she washed her hands in a pan of water used for all kinds of cleanup. After her hands were somewhat clean she wrote a note which she handed to me. "Take that to the proprietor of the general store down in the flats. He will find you a place. There are always people down there needing a little extra money."

"Since I don't require much I will take your advice. I really should wait to tell your sister how well you take care of her." I smiled again with that innocent look.

"Don't bother she knows," The woman smiled at me again hers was not innocent at all.

It was then that my intuition that almost never failed me kicked in. "I see so what name do you go by when I am not here?"

She looked only a little surprised, "Laura."

"You didn't have to pretend you know. You could have been yourself." I wasn't angry just a little miffed.

"I am sorry Deacon, but Laura can't say no. Besides I really am a religious woman. If you had put up an argument I would have given in immediately."

"Not to worry, I will be fine." I was surprised that she had stayed in the kitchen during the conversation until a younger less attractive version of her came into the kitchen.

"Laura, they need more biscuits in there."

"Take those in the basket they are still warm."

When the young woman had left the room I asked, "Was that Sara?"

"No, I am Sara too. That was my daughter Rebecca."

"So who are you now?"

She suddenly looked at me with a different look. "You do understand don't you?"

I thought I understood but I wasn't quite sure. Then again what I thought was really strange. I wasn't sure about it at all. "You didn't just make up Sara did you. You are both Sara and Laura aren't you."

"Keep your voice down preacher. How do you know?"

"I am not sure that I do know. Sometimes during the war men would become children in order to avoid going back into battle. They had the same look in their eyes. I am not sure that it was anything more than that."