The Jeweled Spur (22 page)

Or maybe he wouldn’t,
Laurie thought as she moved toward the flap of the tent.
I wouldn’t be surprised but what he’s tried to start something with her. He sure tries hard with everything in skirts that I can see.

Disgust washed over her as she thought of how disappointed and disillusioned she had been to find out that Buffalo Bill was a lecher and a womanizer. He had a wife and children who never traveled with him, and the members of the troop had learned to ignore his escapades with young women.

She walked back to her tent, which she had made as neat and homelike as possible. A pair of curtains framed the opening, and inside were two folding cots, canvas chairs, a steamer table, two wardrobe trunks, a gun trunk for Leona, a collapsible tub, and clean towels on a folding rack. The earth floor was covered by a bright green Axminster rug. Quickly, Laurie changed out of her show outfit, put on a rather plain, tan divided skirt with blouse to match, and grabbing a hat and pulling it over her curls, left to go to town.

She had gotten only as far as the outside perimeter of the
showgrounds when she was greeted by Con Groner. “Hey, you going to town, Laurie?”

“I guess so, Con. Wanna come along?”

“Sure, let’s let these folks see what a good-looking couple looks like.”

He fell into step with her, and Laurie gave him a quick glance. She was impressed by Groner, who had been a sheriff in the West. He had broken up Doc Middleton’s gang, captured six members, and foiled their plot with followers of Jesse James to hold up a Union Pacific train at Garnet Station six miles east of North Platte. He had been a lawman for several years and was also an excellent horseman. The show’s publicity, written by Salsbury, credited him with catching “ . . . over fifty murderers and more than that number of horse thieves, cattle cutters, burglars, and outlaws.”

He was, Laurie discovered, a very lonely man, who at the age of twenty-eight, had never married. Groner was no more than average height, and he had blond hair and light blue eyes. He had been a scout, as had Buffalo Bill Cody, for the army. He was also highly intelligent, Laurie discovered, and commented on it as they walked along.

“Groner, you sure had a way of outfoxing outlaws.”

“Well, Miss Laurie,” he said, “you gotta be a little smarter than a crook to catch ’em.” He grinned at her. “My daddy always told me you had to be a little bit smarter than a mule to train a mule. I guess that’s what I was—just a little bit smarter than the crooks.”

As they moved along the street, they spoke of the show that was to come and of the dates that had been booked in the future. They spent the better part of an hour browsing in the stores and walking along the streets. Finally they stopped to have the noon meal at a cafe.

As they seated themselves, Groner said, “We get good grub with the show, but I like to shove my feet under a real table every now and then.” When the waiter came, they ordered
steak and potatoes. As they waited, and all during the meal, the ex-lawman carried on an easy conversation.

“Ought to have a better show than ever next year,” Groner said as he put three large spoonfuls of sugar into his black coffee. “From what I hear, Colonel Cody’s just about gonna double it.”

“I don’t know about that,” Laurie said. She hesitated, not sure if she should voice her doubts, but then said, “I don’t know—I’m pretty tired, and to tell the truth, I’m just not cut out for show business.”

He stared at her with his light blue eyes and shook his head abruptly. “Not cut out for it? Why you’ve got the best act in the whole show, girl,” he said. “Certainly you’re cut out for it.”

“Oh, it’s been fun, and I still enjoy a lot of it, but it’s confining, too. Nobody knows what hard work it is to keep a show moving, unless they’ve actually been in one.” She saw that her words had disturbed him, and knew instinctively that he was more interested in her than she had supposed. Quickly, she said, “Don’t say anything about this, Con. I may change my mind.”

“Never you mind, Miss Laurie, I won’t say a thing,” Con assured her.

Having finished their meal, the two of them rose and sauntered slowly back through the town. They got to the tent only half an hour before the afternoon show.

“I better go get ready,” she said.

“All right, Laurie,” Con nodded. “I’ll saddle Star for you.”

“Thank you, Con. That would be nice.”

Laurie went at once to her tent to change into her show outfit and found Leona already there, studying her face in the mirror. She looked around and said, “Where have you been, Laurie? In town looking over the crop of men?”

“Oh, Con and I went in for a little while,” Laurie shrugged. She began to change, and all the time Leona carried on a conversation, paying little heed to her answers.

When Laurie had her costume on, she stopped and looked at herself in the small mirror. It was only eight inches by ten inches, and she could not see much beyond her hat and the top of her blouse. But Leona looked at her and admired the trim figure in the red divided skirt, the fringed, tan jacket, and the small, narrow-brimmed hat with the low crown that she fastened to her head by a leather string. Sitting down she put on an unusual pair of spurs. They were carefully crafted from silver and a blue stone winked from the twin stones as she slipped them on. They had been a gift from Colonel Cody and she was pleased with them. He’d said, “A star needs a little glitter, Laurie, and these ought to do it.”

“These cowboys sure would go for you,” she spoke up, “if you’d just give them a chance.”

“I haven’t got time for that,” Laurie smiled.

“What have you got to do that’s more important than men?” Leona grinned rashly and laughed at herself. “Well, you know that about me already, don’t you, Laurie?” She straightened up suddenly and said, “There’s your cue.”

Quickly Laurie ran to the horse lot and mounted Star. Con handed her Star’s reins, then turned and opened the flap that led to the arena. Laurie heard the voice of the ringside announcer calling out, “ . . . and now, Buffalo Bill Cody and the greatest Wild West stars ever collected!”

There was thunderous applause as Cody went out, took his bow, and made a small speech to the audience. Finally, she heard him say, “Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the foremost woman trick rider in the world in an exhibition of skill—Miss Laurie Winslow and her wonder horse, Star.”

Even as he was saying the last words, Laurie had kicked Star into action. The lively animal hit the track at a dead run and a splattering of applause went up from the crowd. Laurie threw her hand up to acknowledge it, and at once began her routine.

She had worked on this routine constantly since coming with the show, and was now more out of the saddle than on
it. Sometimes she would slip off, let her feet hit the ground, and then the momentum would kick her up in the air. She would twist at the top of the arc and come down on the other side. She had learned to do this so easily that she could do it as many as fifteen or twenty times, and with each repetition the applause grew louder. She brought a gasp and a roar from the crowd when she did the fall away, where she fell over backward, her head only inches from the steel-clad hooves. They had never failed to be a hit, and she pulled Star up and had him rear up on his hind legs as she pulled her hat off and waved to the crowd.

As Cody and Salsbury watched, the frontiersman said, “You know, Nate, that was a lucky day for us when we ran onto that young lady. She’s pretty and smart, and can she ever ride that hoss of hers!”

“We ought to give her more money, Bill,” Salsbury said. This was unusual for him, for he usually kept a tight hand on the purse strings. Catching Cody’s look of surprise, he shrugged, saying, “If she quit, it would leave a big gap.”

“She won’t leave,” Bill Cody grinned. “She’s got show business in her blood after this tour.”

Salsbury suddenly said, “What’s that?” He watched as Johnny Baker, the Cowboy Kid, attached a series of balloons at intervals of twenty feet along one side of the track.

Bill grinned at him. “Little trick. Thought it’d add some spice to the act. Watch this, Nate.”

Laurie wheeled Star around, galloped him to the end of the track, and wheeled around again. She was not at all certain about how this would turn out, although it had worked well enough in practice. Cody had come to her and asked her to try it, and the two of them had worked hard on the trick. She heard the announcer saying, “And now, an exhibition of exceptional marksmanship and horseback riding. Miss Laurie Winslow!”

As he called out her name, Laurie kicked Star into a violent run. When Star approached the first balloon, she grabbed a
special strap that she had added to the saddle far down on the right side. She threw herself down, drawing the pistol from her holster at the same time, so that she was suspended beneath the barrel of the racing horse. The first balloon appeared; she aimed at it, pulled the trigger, and was relieved to see it burst. She passed five more balloons, and a shot exploded each one of them.

When she pulled herself back into her saddle, the crowd was standing up on its feet, applauding wildly. She took her bows and had Star bow down on one front leg, doubling the other up. Then, with a flourish, Laurie turned and galloped out.

As soon as she was out of the tent, she was greeted by Con Groner, who said with admiration, “Well, I never saw that little trick before.”

“Oh, it’s something Mr. Cody wanted us to do.”

Con gave her a strange glance. “I think you’d better walk carefully around Mr. Cody.”

Laurie looked at him and nodded. “I know, Con. That’s one reason I’m unhappy here.”

“That old goat. I ought to bust his head,” Groner said grimly, and at that moment looked just about mad enough to do it.

Laurie laughed. “It’s all right. I can handle him.”

****

The last show had been over for some time, and Laurie had paced restlessly around her tent. Leona had gone to town to celebrate with one of the cowboys, and despite herself, Laurie was glad for the silence. Finally, she came out of the tent, wandered around, and stopped at the Indians’ tepees, where she saw Running Bear sitting and staring into a fire. Going over, she said, “Hello, Running Bear.”

The Indian looked up, and although he was not a smiling man, a gleam of humor appeared in his eyes. “Ah, my little white Sioux. Sit down.”

Laurie sat down by the fire, and as she talked to the stolid Indian who watched her impassively, she felt some of the pressure leave. There was something in Running Bear, a patience that seemed to mold him, that she envied. Finally she asked, “Will you do this forever, Running Bear? Travel around like this with Mr. Cody?”

“No. Not good.”

“Why not? You’re making money, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” The answer came reluctantly, and Running Bear shook his head stubbornly. “I miss my land and my people.”

“So do I. Maybe it’s time for both of us to go home.”

The two talked little more, sitting there enjoying the silence. Finally, Laurie got up and made her way back to her tent. She had stepped inside and started to undress when a voice said, “Laurie?”

“Who is it? I’m getting ready for bed.”

“It’s me—Bill Cody. I need to see you.”

Hastily, Laurie pulled a robe on and belted it. “Come in, Mr. Cody.” Instantly, she wished she had stepped out to meet him, but stepping outside in her robe didn’t appeal to her either.
I’ve got to get rid of him,
she thought quickly.

“Well, honey, you did fine tonight.” Bill’s face was glowing with the effect of the drinks he had been having. He was a heavy drinker. Nate Salsbury had made him promise once to cut down to one drink a day, and Bill had solemnly promised, but the one drink grew to be a huge, specially made schooner that would hold at least a quart of whiskey. Bill cut back on the number of glasses, but not on the amount.

“You done real fine. Didn’t miss a one.”

“It would be hard to miss, shooting bird shot.” Laurie shrugged with a rueful smile. “Somehow that doesn’t seem honest.”

“Well, a shot’s a shot, and maybe you’ll get good enough to use bullets, but I don’t see any need for it.”

He stood there talking, and she could sense the tension in the man. Suddenly he reached out and pulled her toward him.
He was a tall man, and handsome, though already beginning to show the excessive use of alcohol. “You are mighty sweet, Laurie,” he said huskily, “and the prettiest thing I ever saw.”

Laurie began to wrestle with him, but he held her in his strong hands, and only by exerting all of her strength did she manage to twist away from him. “Don’t say that to me!” She stepped back and said angrily, “Get out of here. And you might as well know, I’m leaving the show.”

Bill Cody stared at her. He was not accustomed to being rebuffed by young women, but her words about leaving seemed to hit him harder than her rejection.

“Why—you can’t do that, Laurie! I need you.”

“You can get another trick rider,” she said.

“Not as pretty as you.” He began to reason with her and ended by saying, “Nate told me just tonight we need to offer you more money.”

“It’s not money. I’m just lonesome.”

Colonel Cody had the impulse to offer to console her, but he could not. Instead, he said, “Well, don’t make any quick decisions. This idea is good, Laurie. People want to know about the West.” He seemed serious for a moment, and a dreamy gaze came into his eyes. “It’s more than just money,” he insisted. “It’s saving something that’s going to be lost if we don’t do something about it. The West is dying out, and someday”—he waved his hand around—”this will be all there is of it.”

Laurie wanted to say,
This isn’t the true West. This is just a show,
but she knew better than to argue. Stubbornly she shook her head and said, “I’m not going to argue with you, Mr. Cody. I’ll stay one more month, and then you’ll have to get somebody else.”

Cody argued for a few moments, then she said firmly, “You’ll have to go now.” He turned and backed out, still begging her.

Laurie discovered her hands were trembling. It was not the first time he had touched her and tried to kiss her, but she
was determined it would be the last. She changed into her nightdress, got into the cot, and pulled the covers up about her. For a while she read from the Bible with the worn, black cover, and then finally she put it down and turned the light down low so that Leona could see when she came back. She lay there silently with her eyes closed, praying for people she knew. Finally, Buffalo Bill came to her mind. “Lord, he is a wicked man. I pray that you would catch his attention, Lord. Let him see that he is ruining himself!” A few minutes later, she drifted off to sleep still praying.