A Grand Faire by Lori Entry #4 in the Sweetwater Station "Bits and Pieces" contest

The fifty-sixth time he’d wished for Ike to be in this trip had been when Cody began complaining of hunger three hours into the trip.  He’d already eaten the lunch Rachel had packed for him and he spent the next twenty minutes begging Jimmy for a detour on their route.

Jimmy had staunchly refused.  He knew that Cody’s short detour would turn into an all day event, and he wasn’t getting suckered into it like Kid had in Prosperity.  He wasn’t getting thrown into jail because of William F. Cody, thank you very much.  Apparently though, between minute twenty-one and twenty-five he’d lost his mind.  Because Jimmy had agreed to an insane plan, and now he was paying the price.

Cody had spotted a small farm, and suggested he could go there and pay the farmer two bits for an apple, and maybe a slice of bread.  Jimmy didn’t offer, but he was willing to pay two bits as well if it meant quieting Cody.  But there was no one around to be seen, and Cody spotted the garden.  Before Jimmy could stop him, the blond rider had decided to just help himself to a few tasty pickings.

It was at that moment the farmer walked around the corner of the barn and spotted the thief.  Good thing the man had only his revolver, because there could have been worse danger done if he’d had a rifle or a shotgun.  As it was, Jimmy had ended up with a hole in his jacket and Cody had one in his hat.  But what Cody had complained about the most was he’d dropped the food.

For three-and-a-half hours Jimmy had been subjected to whining that would have put a child to shame.  Cody begged and pleaded to head to a town, offered to pay Jimmy for part of his lunch, but Jimmy had refused.  He ate every last morsel of the food and never said a word.  Never looked at Cody, even though he could practically hear the man salivating.

“Hickok!”

Jimmy tried to ignore his traveling companion and almost succeeded until he was hit on the arm by Cody’s hat.  He leveled a glare at him and said, “Cody, I am inches away from killing you.  Never do that again.”

“Are we stopping soon?”

“Nope,” Jimmy answered as he turned his gaze back to the terrain.

“I’m hungry.”

“Eat your hat.”

“Hickok, I swear you are more surly than a bear in spring.”

“I wonder why,” he snapped.

“Come on.  I didn’t know the farmer was gonna come shooting at us.  I don’t know why he was so upset.  It was only a couple of carrots,” Cody whined.

“Cody,” Jimmy grit out through clenched teeth, “I promise you, if you say that one more time I’ll put a bullet between your eyes.

Cody looked at him and apparently believed the threat.  His eyes shifted away, and then drifted back as he gave a half-shrug.  “But I’m hungry.”

“If you don’t speak for the next two hours I will buy you a steak dinner when we stop for the night.”

“You’re on,” Cody eagerly agreed.

And that was when Jimmy renewed his promise to kill Teaspoon, and wished for the hundredth and first time that Ike had come on this trip.

Exactly two hours and five minutes later, and he was very proud of himself for those five extra minutes, Cody was practically bouncing in his saddle.  It was getting close to sun down and they were about five miles away from a town.  Cody could practically taste the steak.  He planned on getting all the trimmings, and maybe even dessert.  Ha!  Take that, Hickok!

He knew Jimmy was probably steaming, never expecting him to last twenty minutes, let alone two hours…and seven minutes.  He planned on remaining silent until they got into town and ordered their meal.  That resolve was broken when he was suddenly hit on the head with a hard object and he yelped out, "Ow!!”

Pulling his horse to a stop he looked down at the offending object and bit back a curse.  A lady’s shoe with the lace broken and the heel missing, no wait, the heel was lying six inches to the left, was right there on the ground.  “Blasted thing must have broken off when it hit my head.”

He raised his hand and tenderly probed the sore region, wincing when he found blood.  “Great, I better not bleed on my shirt.”

Up ahead, Jimmy had stopped his horse and wheeled it around looking for Cody.  He started back towards the other rider when shots suddenly rang out, causing each man to scramble off their horse and look for cover.  Cody looked over at Jimmy who was a clump of rocks away and wondered why life was against him today.  Hew as minutes away from a steak dinner, and now he was pinned down by gunfire.

Then as suddenly as the fighting started, it stopped.  And all was quiet except for their ragged breathing.  Cody cocked an eyebrow at Jimmy who could only shrug.  Both men stood cautiously, their guns still at the ready and looked around.

“What was that?” Cody asked.

“Dunno,” Jimmy said, puzzled.  “It was odd.  Why’d you stop though?”

“That,” Cody pointed with his chin at the dingy white shoe that had assaulted him.  “That thing dropped out the sky and bounced off my head.”

Jimmy walked over and knelt by the shoe, poking at it with his finger.  “Shoes don’t just fall out of the sky, Cody.  This thing has probably been here for months.  Come on, why’d you really stop?”

Cody could only glare at Jimmy.  “I told you.  That thing hit me on the head.”

Jimmy looked ready to argue further, and Cody was ready to show his doubting friend the blood, when a pitiful moan sounded from the trees to their left.  Both men immediately drew their weapons and stood poised to shoot.  The moan wafted to them again, and Cody, who had a headache from the hunger and now the shoe hitting him on the head, wasn’t going to stand around all day wondering what the source was.

“I’m going to check it out,” he announced.

“Cody,” Jimmy bit out, sounding annoyed.

“Stay if you want, Hickok.  I’ll never tell anyone you were yella about some strange sounds.  I’ll be back shortly.”  He started walking away, acting like he truly didn’t care whether Jimmy stayed or came.  But as Jimmy trudged behind him, grumbling under his breath about showing him who was yella, Cody couldn’t help but smile.  Challenging Jimmy’s bravery worked like a charm every time.

They came into a clearing and found a man lying on the ground, next to what looked like a peddler’s wagon.  Quickly scanning the area, Cody and Jimmy determined no one else was around and returned their guns to their holsters.

“You alright?” Cody asked, as he knelt down beside the stranger.

“I’ll be fine, young man,” he said, as he pushed himself up to a sitting position and leaned against the wheel.  He looked down at his vest, now covered in dirt, and tsked with his fingers found a small tear.

As he sat down on a rock, Jimmy finally spoke.  “What happened?”

“I was stopped here, getting ready to set up camp for the evening, when two ruffians appeared and tried to rob me.”

“Rob you?” Jimmy asked in skepticism.  “It’s just a bunch of junk.”

Cody shot Jimmy a harsh look.  Only Hickok would insult someone after they’d already been knocked down.

“It’s not junk, my dear boy,” the elderly man smiled.  “It’s magic.”

“Magic?”

“Are you a magician?” Cody asked with glee.  He’d always wanted to meet a real life magician.

“Yes,” he answered, and then affected his best performing voice.  “I am the Amazing Saltaire.”

The two riders looked at each other owlishly and then back to the magician.

“Alright,” Saltaire grumbled.  “My name is Percival Smith.  But nobody’s going to come see the Amazing Percival.”

“Got that right,” Jimmy mumbled under his breath, but Cody shot him a harsh glare.

“Well,” Cody piped in.  “I would love to see some tricks.  Could you do some?”

“I’ll do you one better,” Saltaire declared.  “To thank you boys for scaring off those robbers and saving my life, I will buy you dinner tonight.  And invite you to be my guests at the fair I am on my way to.”

“We accept!” Cody whooped.  Then he looked over at Jimmy whose glare was dark as a thundercloud.  He decided right there that his goal for the week was to get Jimmy to lose that glare, and this fair sounded like the best thing to make that happen.

Nearly two full days later, Jimmy sat in his hotel in a two-bit town and fumed.  Of all the no-good, rotten luck.  Saltaire of course had to be coming to the same town he and Cody ended up in.  When Saltaire first mentioned the fair, he thought there was little danger of it happening because what were the chances of them ending up in the same place?  But here they were.

The entire past two days Cody had babbled excitedly, slapped Jimmy on the back and pointed out every flyer advertising the fair – some numerous times a day.  In general he was just not going to let Jimmy forget for one second that the Amazing Saltaire was coming.  Jimmy was ready to snap.  He was going to either punch Cody in the mouth and break the other man’s jaw, or he was going to offer the bribe of a steak dinner again to keep him quiet.  Either way, he just wanted a few hours of peace and quiet.

“Jimmy!” Cody exclaimed, as he grabbed the dark-haired rider’s arm.  “There he is.  There’s Saltaire’s wagon.  Come on.”

Cody had grabbed Jimmy’s arm and was dragging him across the dry, dusty street before Jimmy could even protest.  Finally, halfway across the street, Jimmy managed to wrench his arm free.  But the magician had already seen them and waved them over.

“Hello, boys,” he called, as he waved his arm over his head.

Cody practically flew the rest of the way, while Jimmy slowly joined them.  The riders were soon pulled into a dinner that all the fair performers were going to attend.  Cody was in absolute heaven, looking around, asking Saltaire about the different people.  Jimmy, never one to pass up a free meal, ate the food while wishing the entire time that the night would just end.

When the dinner was over, Jimmy and Cody followed Saltaire back to his peddler’s cart.  He pulled down a side flap that became a little table with two legs that rested on the ground.  Jimmy raised an impressed eyebrow at the contraption.  Then his other eyebrow joined its twin when their host brought out three shot glasses and a bottle of clear liquid.  He poured generous amounts, then raised his glass.

“To new friends and new adventures,” he saluted, then tossed his head back and swallowed.  Cody and Jimmy quickly followed suit.  

On fire.  Jimmy felt like his throat was on fire.  Through the tears that had sprung to his eyes, he could tell that Cody was struggling to breathe just as he was.  Finally, he was able to gulp in a breath, which he promptly expelled on a sputtering cough.  “What is that?”

Saltaire laughed and clapped him on the back, even as he poured them each another glass.  “It’s my own special brew.”

“It’s strong,” Cody wheezed.

“Family recipe my grandfather used to make,” their friend winked.  Then he drained his glass.

This time around, Cody and Jimmy cautiously drank, and Jimmy was pleased that he didn’t choke nearly as bad as before.  By the fifth glass, Jimmy no longer grimaced, and when they’d finished off the bottle a few glasses later, Jimmy was relishing the warm feeling that was flooding through his body.  He was laughing heartily at Saltaire’s stories of growing up, and could barely sit up straight as Cody added his own comments.

“Alright, boys,” Saltaire smiled.  “The fair is going to start, so I better get into costume and get to my stage.  I hope to see you boys in the audience.”

“We’ll be there,” Jimmy promised with a wink and a smile.  “Come on, Cody.”

His blond friend stood and wobbled slightly, or maybe it was Jimmy that wobbled.  Walking out to the main street, they suddenly found themselves under fire.  They ducked against the wall as they saw the flashes of light.  Then Jimmy heard the gasps of delight from those around him, and he peered closer and then poked Cody in the arm.

“What’s that?” he gasped as the sparkling light exploded in reds, blues, greens and white.

Cody looked at him and snorted, albeit rather drunkenly, and asked, “Hickok, has your brain oozed out of your ears?  Those are firecrackers.”

Jimmy turned and blinked, and watched as the lights came into focus, sparkling with the corresponding snaps, and felt the heat of embarrassment flood his cheeks.  Firecrackers.  Of course.  So why was he convinced they’d been creatures sent to attack them?

“Well, of course they’re firecrackers,” he said in irritation.  “I knew that.  I was just checkin’ to see if you did.”

Cody looked at him skeptically, but shrugged and stepped off the wooden walkway.  He misjudged the distance and almost fell, except for Jimmy grabbing his collar and pulling him back.  Jimmy laughed at the equality of the humiliation, and soon the two men headed off in search of something new to see.

Each sight and sound assaulted Jimmy’s senses.  He felt as if his skin was too small and his feet too big, but still he traversed the town watching clowns, juggler, and dancers perform.  He heard snake oil salesmen peddle their wards, and vendors sell food and merchandise.  The town was buzzing like a beehive, and he soon became accustomed to the droning noise that the hundreds of excited folks were making.

So when the press of people burst forth into gasps of awe followed by nervous questions of “what is that?” Jimmy paused and turned.  He followed Cody’s gaze and was so stunned he stumbled backwards until he fell in the dirty street and landed on his bottom.  Large torches with reflective tins behind them had been trained towards the sky as a dark mass floated into view.  Lanterns lit the basket suspended below and figures could be seen silhouetted against the moonlit sky.

“Well I’ll be,” Cody breathed.  “Hickok, do you know what that is?”

When Jimmy didn’t answer, the blond turned and found his friend sitting on his rump, his hand resting on his Colt, eyes wide as saucers.  “Hickok?  What are you doin’?”

“What is that thing?” he squeaked out.  “And how do we kill it?”

Cody laughed and shook his head, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.  “Don’t shoot it, Jimmy.  It’s a hot air balloon.  People float through the air in it.  I read about ‘em, never thought I’d see one though.”

“It’s a what?” Jimmy asked, still not certain he wasn’t going to need to defend himself against the beast that shot fire up into the night.

Cody was prevented from answering by four ropes suddenly being dropped to the ground and four women gracefully sliding down them.  They paused halfway down and turned and twisted, eliciting sweet gasps of delight from the onlookers.  Jimmy reclaimed his feet, and watched in amazement as the women finally landed on the ground.  Then they danced and performed their way through the crowds who were cheering the women in delight.

Jimmy had his attention diverted as Cody grabbed his arm and started dragging him down the street.  “What are you doing, Cody?”

“Did you see that woman?”

Oh great.  Cody was off chasing another woman.  Well count Jimmy Hickok out.  “No.  And I ain’t gonna run all over town to help you charm her.”

“Hickok,” Cody huffed.  “I ain’t talkin’ about that.  She only had one boot on.  I wonder if it was her boot that hit me.  Maybe she’s traveling with Saltaire.  Maybe she’s part of a group that’s after Saltaire.  Maybe they’re gonna rob the crowd.  Come on, Hickok, move your feet.  We gotta go after her.”

And Jimmy was promptly lurched nearly clean off his feet as Cody began pulling him along again.  They half-ran, half-stumbled down the street trying to keep the woman in sight.  Well, Jimmy figured Cody was trying to keep the woman in sight.  He was personally trying to keep his head from spinning off his shoulders due to Cody’s flight of fancy and the home brew he was cursing Saltaire for making and himself for drinking.

They ran through a cluster of dance hall girls and Cody didn’t stop, even when he got tangled up in a purple feather boa and nearly tripped.  Cody ripped the offending article off and dropped it to the ground, heedless of the shrill protests of the woman, or Jimmy’s requests that they slow down.  Jimmy was certain his legs were going to give out soon.  If he collapsed in a heap on the ground, the last thing he was going to do before dropping into sweet oblivion, was shoot Cody for ever getting him into this mess.

Instead, they turned the corner and ran straight into a crushing bear hug.  “Ah, excellent, boys.  You’re just in time.”

He was never going to drink again.  As soon as they got home, he, William F. Cody, was going to pull out the Bible the company had given him when he joined and swear before everyone at the station that he was never touching another drop of alcohol again.  And then he was going to go to bed for a week.  He was never going to live this trip down.

For the two days they’d been traveling back home, not stopping in towns and hardly sleeping at night, he and Jimmy had hardly spoken.  Of course, it didn’t help that every time Jimmy looked at him he couldn’t keep from grinning and then laughing out right.  He really wanted to wipe that perpetual smirk off Jimmy’s face.

After all, Jimmy was the one who thought that the firecrackers were creatures sent to attack them, and that the hot air balloon was going to burn them alive like a medieval dragon.  But the man seemed to have forgotten all of that because of what happened to Cody after the two of them ran into Saltaire again that night.

He’d insisted they come to his show and then toast again to new found friends.  They had politely tried to decline, but the magician wouldn’t take no for an answer.  Cody couldn’t remember much of the rest of the night, it all started blurring together.  But Jimmy could remember, because apparently he’d started dumping his glass out when Saltaire wasn’t looking.

The last event of the evening had been a nighttime shooting event.  The organized claimed it was a true test of skill to see if anyone could hit the target at night.  Cody, always confident in his skill, had signed up and volunteered to go last in order to end the night with a bang.  Instead he’d ended up flat on his back while Jimmy laughed down at him.  “Cody, you didn’t get penetration, even with the elephant gun.”

Cody hadn’t even hit the target, and he’d slunk off into the night to forget his shame while grumbling about stupid people holding shooting contests at night.  Honestly, why would somebody organize such a thing?  He was pretty sure if he hadn’t been so drunk that the outcome would have been different.  He’d found his magician friend, and then had woken up outside his hotel room the next morning.  

Jimmy had splashed some water on his face, then put him on his horse and started them towards home.  Now they were almost there and the only thing Cody wanted to do was run.  Hide, anywhere, go anyplace, anything so that he didn’t have to face the others.  He knew the guffaws Jimmy was giving him would be nothing compared to what he was going to get in five minutes when they reached the station.

All too soon, they were riding into the yard and everyone rushed out to meet them.  Cody knew the minute his life was forever changed.  They stopped, they stared, their lips twitched and soon they all were laughing.

“Cody?” Noah asked as he gulped in a large, noisy breath of air.  “Is that an earring in your ear?”

“Yes, it is,” Jimmy confirmed through his own mirth.  “Yes, it is.”

Cody dropped his head into his horse’s mane and groaned.  That was it.  He was never touching alcohol ever again.

.