Teaspoon had decided that since the watering hole was too far away from town to provide them all with enough water to bathe frequently, like the one on Emma's property back in Sweetwater had, that they needed to invent something almost as convenient. So he had settled down one night with a piece of paper and a pencil and designed the two strange looking buildings she was approaching. When Teaspoon had approached the riders with his idea, she could remember how they had all looked at each other, like they each believed that Teaspoon had been drinking or that the heat had finally gotten to him.
It wasn't until they were all outside working on the buildings that they finally realized what an ingenious idea Teaspoon's "showers" had been. Hanging over a board that was nailed across the length of one of the compartments was a bucket filled to the brim with water. Attached to the rim of the bucket was a metal can with holes punched in the bottom of it. A length of rope draped down into the stall that Lou now stepped into and removed her soiled clothing. She tugged on the rope, which made the bucket tip and spilled water into the can and onto her. When the bucket was emptied, it was immediately filled by another bucket that hung above it. Two iron wheels and two lengths of rope had been fashioned into a pulley that lifted a bucket from out of the rain barrel that stood outside the compartment she was in every time she pulled on the rope. Although the water often needed to be heated during the colder part of the year, so far Teaspoon's invention had proven invaluable.
When she was finished washing, Lou dressed in her clean clothes and ran a brush through her short hair. She was gathering up her clothing, when she heard what sounded like arguing coming from the direction of the barn. Setting down her dirty laundry onto the porch, Lou proceeded toward the barn. It wasn't until she was almost to the entrance that she clearly recognized Jimmy and Kid's angry voices. Deciding not to enter the barn, she crept up to the side and placed herself behind one of the doors so she could hear what they were saying more clearly. If they were fighting about her again, she had all the rights in the world to know why they were arguing.
Tears filled her eyes as she heard the spiteful words that they were saying to each other. From the day that they had met, Jimmy and Kid had often disagreed about things. Neither of them had ever taken the other's angry words to heart and soon things had been patched up between them. Some of the arguments had been about her. Not once had Jimmy or Kid ever said anything to the other that sounded so filled with anger and hurt as the ones they were saying now. She didn't wait to hear anymore of the argument. Blindly she ran back to the bunkhouse, scooped up her clothing and went inside. She climbed onto her bunk and curled up into a ball, sobbing out all the anguish she felt at having come between the two most important men in her life. Now more than ever, she knew that she couldn't stay in Rock Creek.
Send Wendy FEEDBACK
Return to The Wild West Book Store