Slowly the once barren and dilapidated property was coming together. The secondary stable was up, the border fence now ringed the whole place, with the apple and cherry tree saplings the newest additions. Next spring they'd till the earth for gardens and fields.
They had all the livestock they'd initially wanted, and duties were divided well amongst them to take care of them all. Bill was gone but Lenny and Pearson remained as promised.
A couple weeks after his leaving, a letter arrived from Charles. He spoke of the Wapiti, their situation with the government quickly going downhill despite all efforts to keep the peace. They were being starved and supplies diverted or halted for whatever damned reason, leaving many sick and hungry. He even mentioned he'd met Evelyn Miller-Dutch's poetic hero-who was helping aid the chief and his son. Times like this he noted he wished some of the gang were there to help but knew even with them there, was only so much they could do. Unfortunately his own time with them would remain, possibly until the spring when the tribe could move further north, into Canada. If they could move sooner, then perhaps he'd see the gang again before the first snow, but it was difficult to say.
He'd not seen Mrs. Adler yet though at the time of his letter he had heard a woman fitting her description was in Valentine and intended on visiting to see if he could get in touch with her. He still spotted Pinkertons here and there but it seemed their numbers had dwindled, at least where he was situated. Charles noted he'd write again as soon as he could.
Arthur, like John, kept himself busy, though for different reasons. Less for the sake of it and more to keep his mind off certain things. Since moving into the house with the Marstons, his sleep issues had subsided quite a lot, perhaps in part to having a roof over his head or John's occasional peek in on him. But in any case, he was doing better in that regard, though he did miss Charles, for reasons he'd never say aloud. With construction all completed, he spent a good deal of time with Kieran, training the new horses, learning their personalities and setting up a ledger of sorts to figure out which-both their original stock and the new mustangs-would pair well together come spring. Arthur and John made a trek back to Pocatello and managed to get two handsome stallion drafts, expensive but they were well behaved and had good breeding in them which meant their drafts would in turn do well.
The gang was about half the size it once was, but they still filled the Marston's dining room to bursting. As they drank and ate, chatter erupted about what they should call the place. Arthur gave John a knowing look as they'd often laughed about it all but now they were serious. One name that stuck with them during those discussions didn't sound so bad at all, and so, he decided to voice it.
"John and I thought about the name Locksley Ranch, after Robin of Locksley." Arthur said to Dutch, hoping he didn't need to clarify why. Their original intent, to help the needy and screw the law much like Robin Hood did, was the foundation of the gang and seemed fitting to be called something akin to it.
no subject
They had all the livestock they'd initially wanted, and duties were divided well amongst them to take care of them all. Bill was gone but Lenny and Pearson remained as promised.
A couple weeks after his leaving, a letter arrived from Charles. He spoke of the Wapiti, their situation with the government quickly going downhill despite all efforts to keep the peace. They were being starved and supplies diverted or halted for whatever damned reason, leaving many sick and hungry. He even mentioned he'd met Evelyn Miller-Dutch's poetic hero-who was helping aid the chief and his son. Times like this he noted he wished some of the gang were there to help but knew even with them there, was only so much they could do. Unfortunately his own time with them would remain, possibly until the spring when the tribe could move further north, into Canada. If they could move sooner, then perhaps he'd see the gang again before the first snow, but it was difficult to say.
He'd not seen Mrs. Adler yet though at the time of his letter he had heard a woman fitting her description was in Valentine and intended on visiting to see if he could get in touch with her. He still spotted Pinkertons here and there but it seemed their numbers had dwindled, at least where he was situated. Charles noted he'd write again as soon as he could.
Arthur, like John, kept himself busy, though for different reasons. Less for the sake of it and more to keep his mind off certain things. Since moving into the house with the Marstons, his sleep issues had subsided quite a lot, perhaps in part to having a roof over his head or John's occasional peek in on him. But in any case, he was doing better in that regard, though he did miss Charles, for reasons he'd never say aloud. With construction all completed, he spent a good deal of time with Kieran, training the new horses, learning their personalities and setting up a ledger of sorts to figure out which-both their original stock and the new mustangs-would pair well together come spring. Arthur and John made a trek back to Pocatello and managed to get two handsome stallion drafts, expensive but they were well behaved and had good breeding in them which meant their drafts would in turn do well.
The gang was about half the size it once was, but they still filled the Marston's dining room to bursting. As they drank and ate, chatter erupted about what they should call the place. Arthur gave John a knowing look as they'd often laughed about it all but now they were serious. One name that stuck with them during those discussions didn't sound so bad at all, and so, he decided to voice it.
"John and I thought about the name Locksley Ranch, after Robin of Locksley." Arthur said to Dutch, hoping he didn't need to clarify why. Their original intent, to help the needy and screw the law much like Robin Hood did, was the foundation of the gang and seemed fitting to be called something akin to it.