Same Old Song

The buildings of Denver were masked with sketched posters of extravagant women...nearly all of which had unpronounceable stage names. Their pictures were touched up with paint, and their eyes sparkled with all the appealing charm necessary for taking part in the entertainment world. The good looks successfully lured in the customers who found their talent to be exceptional and worth every penny for the outrageous price of tickets.

One of the most popular ladies happened to be walking down the street at the busiest time of the day. Her face was young, beautiful, and outwardly she came across as the happiest woman one might meet. She had just been accepted as one of the leading singers for a traveling show. The action was something her father would detest, which was all the more reason why she had accepted the part. His style of life was dull, cumbersome, and downright boring!

He doted over her every motion...and there were days when she wanted to scream, swearing that she was at the end of her wits and could take no more. His high position in society, she believed, was the soul reason why he thought that he could rule every aspect of her life.

For all of her growing years, he had given her the finest in singing lessons, but adamantly refused to let her do anything in terms of making her hobby a career. It was to remain something for pleasure, nothing more. That much was made evident by the men that he hired to follow her around everywhere that she went. It was only on rare occasions when she could bribe them with twice their normal wages to leave her alone for one solid hour.

Pulling on her lacy gloves with care, she increased her stride down the street, ignoring the chants and whistles from doting men. She had more important things on her mind...like catching the train that would be her transportation West to a whole new frontier...and what she hoped would be a fresh start to a better life.

"Aw, Teaspoon, why us?" Jimmy muttered, "Why can't somebody else do it?

Teaspoon sighed and eyed Jimmy, and then Kid and Lou, looking at him with all the enthusiasm of children being drug across the desert with no water.

"We been over this, Hickok. Buck and Ike went last time, Noah is out on a ride and Cody asked for a few days off."

"Probably knew you had this little trip planned before he asked off," Kid pointed out.

"You know what you boys-and girl's-problem is? You whine. All of you. When I was young and my elders told me to do something, I hopped on it. None of this wailing and complaining. Back in my day..."

He continued, and Lou couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes heavenward, knowing the tirade that was coming. Jimmy caught her sour look, and burst out laughing.

Before Teaspoon could start on the fine point of respecting those elders, Kid held up his hands in surrender, "All right, all right! We'll go!"

Teaspoon's face instantly folded into a congenial grin, never having doubted his strategy, "Well, good. Now that that's settled, wouldn't you like to know where you're going or what you're doing?"

Jimmy, Kid, and Lou exchanged sheepish glances. When Teaspoon had said, "Three riders now, Jimmy, Kid, Lou, you're up" was when their protest began.

"Why not?" Lou said nonchalantly, and they leaned forward across the bunkhouse table with interest.

"Denver. Denver in the Spring. Not sounding so bad, now is it?"

"You still haven't told us what for. And if you're sending three of us, my guess is getting to Denver first is going to be the problem. What is it this time? Stolen dispatches, gold schedules…or are we just decoys like Cody was that time?"

"None of the above," Teaspoon said with an air of mystery. They all waited expectantly, but Teaspoon was enjoying the tension and didn't dare break it.

After another moment of silence, Lou finally threw up her hands, "Well?"

Teaspoon, not to be rushed, savored every word. "You three are going to Denver to grant an interview to Harper's Weekly magazine. It'll be read all over the Eastern states. Russell, Majors, and Wadell have requested several riders from various stations to congregate in Denver for the meeting."

"No way," Jimmy said, thrusting himself away from the table, "I ain't going. I quit."

"This ain't gonna be like Marcus, Jimmy," Teaspoon reasoned, "They may not even pick you to interview. But they wanted you because of the cholera incident, and your reputation, Kid because of the run in with Hawk's Raiders, and Lou for killing Tyler DeWitt…although I suspect they really don't know the details of that one, so not to worry Lou," he added, discovering new anger at his memory of her split lit and bruised face, now that he knew she was a woman.

"No. I ain't gonna do it. I ain't!" Jimmy's voice sounded almost shrill in his refusal.

Teaspoon sweetened the offer, "Really? Well, you could stay here and do double duty, I suppose. Of course, Kid, you and Lou will be put up in the finest hotel in Denver, and have the whole week to yourselves, except those few minutes the reporters will want to talk to you. I hear they have some pretty wonderful restaurants in Denver, and the company is giving you all an allowance for food while you are there."

A sideways glance out of his eye told Teaspoon that Jimmy had stopped dead in his tracks and was studying his boss intently.

"So, I guess you two had better get going."

Jimmy made a sound that resembled a growl and snatched his hat from the hook on the wall, "Okay, fine, I'm going," he snapped, "but Teaspoon, if this is anything like what Marcus wrote, I'm gonna shoot you in the foot."

"See what I mean? I get no respect around here. But, fair enough. Ride Safe," Teaspoon grinned, and slapped him on the back, "I never doubted you for a minute."

The return look from Jimmy suggested the feeling wasn't mutual.

A few minutes later they were bound for Denver, feeling a giddy kind of excitement at the prospect of a week's vacation with pay.

To be continued...Chapter One