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    Get Down Off Your Horse
    Get Down Off Your Horse
    Get Down Off Your Horse
    Ebook199 pages3 hours

    Get Down Off Your Horse

    By Tom Leftwich

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    Western Short Fiction Stories of Action and Adventure, Mystery and Intrigue, Discovery of Lost Treasure, Gunfighting, Indian Attacks,Join Sheriff Gray in finding Apachw Squaw Gold "Three long seconds and three men down! Gun smoke was all that was left!" Trying desperately to pull the ejector with his teeth to open the cylinder and reload; he knew he’d never make it!Words from the Outlaw, "Goodbye Sheriff, see you in Hell!" Saddle up with Henry as he herds two thousand turkeys over the high Sierra's for a big payday in Carson City! Ride with Ol'Squaw in a fancy Landau Coach as she keep's an Eye out for ---Indians????
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLulu.com
    Release dateApr 7, 2012
    ISBN9781105650697
    Get Down Off Your Horse

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      Book preview

      Get Down Off Your Horse - Tom Leftwich

      Get Down Off Your Horse

      Get Down Off Your Horse !

      By   Tom Leftwich

      Copyright c 2011 by Tom Leftwich

      All Rights Reserved

      ISBN    978-1-105-65069-7

      LuLu  Publisher ID  12777018

      Printed in the United States of America.

      Introduction:

      I have spent a wonderful lifetime enjoying some of the working experiences so vital to the development of western America. My Farm, Ranch, and Cowboy working years equipped me with experiences and Rodeo skills. Later benefiting from Military duty and a lifetime of outdoor activities involving animals and gold mining, I lived some of the experiences of my ancestors. I have tried to capture the feelings of victory, defeat, fear, joy, anger and bitterness and endeavored to describe these in fictionalized stories of ordeals in early Texas, Arizona and New Mexico Territories. I hope that you, the reader; get as much enjoyment from these tales as I did writing them.

      Summary:

      Apache Squaw Gold

      A small town Sheriff of 55 years old gives up his Gun for Hire Law Enforcement career to go hunt for lost Confederate gold. Rescues an old Apache Squaw with six small orphans. Shot down and helpless to defend himself, he finds that the prettiest sight he’ll ever see is the toothless grin of an old Squaw! This action fiction adventure centers around the lost Confederate Gold Wagon sent from California to support the Southern States War effort in 1862.

      Black Headed Billy

      A Confederate soldier losing his leg in the last Battle in Georgia, returns home to find he’d lost his family, his home, and the girl he was engaged to marry! Leaving the east to find a new life in the west, he teams up with a young woman victimized by Apaches. She becomes his Shot Gun Guard and his partner in out gunning Indians and Outlaws in this action packed adventure!

      Deserter’s Will be Shot!

      Socrates Jones, AKA  Socrates Johnson (Deceased). In reality a Confederate Deserter from Major William Quantrill and Bloody Bill Anderson’s Regiment. A young man sick of murder and the mayhem of what these Terrorists were calling War, heads west hoping to get to California and start a new life. Immediately becomes involved in an Indian atrocity more heinous than any he had been involved in. Rescues a young woman in coma, two small kids and a broken legged Teamster. This action packed adventure involves the bitter hatred and fury of killing and the rescue of this young man from a career of wasted hatred!

      Get Down Off Your Horse

      Young Jake Wins a Church Raffle and leaves home seeking the glamorous Western adventures of hero’s he has grown up reading about! Reality crashes down on him and it is only due to the teachings of a Gun Fighter that his life is spared. Finally, realizing success in the job he dreamed of; he is met with a stunning demand from an Outlaw Killer saying, Get Down Off Your Horse!   Paco ! Kill him!

      Keep an Eye Out for Indians !

      An Ex-convict trying to escape false criminal charges rescues an old Apache Squaw dying in a freezing Teepee. Having found the Pablo Ortiz Mule Train Gold Convoy treasure just before his capture and imprisonment, he takes the old Squaw with him in his quest to recover these millions in gold bullion. An action and human interest adventure involving the use of a fancy Brougham Landau Coach .

      Stampede of the Gobblers!

      A young married couple wiped out when their Business is destroyed by fire, attempts to herd two thousand turkeys From Hangtown ,California to Carson City, Nevada. This is a fictionalized version of the original turkey drive involving the eccentric nature of these birds and the many challenges facing a venture of this magnitude. Just when you think things are looking good, the birds are gone! Not one stinking gobbler left! Two thousand birds took flight! Everything we have ! Gone !     Quiet! Is that a gobbler, I hear?

      Chapter 1       Apache Squaw Gold

      Sheriff ! We want you to turn in your Badge!  Harsh and ungrateful words coming from the Town Council. He was Sheriff Austin Gray, of  Sweetwater, Texas. Eighteen years, he had served this town as the Peace Keeper. Local crime and serious altercations had been  low to non- existent up until two days ago, when he had become involved in a deadly shooting .

      The Colin Bragg Gang had staged the holdup of the Del Rio Merchants Bank . Although they had come away empty handed; they had shot and killed two customers during the get away! One, was the young wife of the Bank owner. The Gang had split up heading north and the town of Sweetwater was right on their escape route. Sheriff Gray was in his office when three of the Gang rode into town and headed for the Buckhorn Saloon. It was his customary habit of walking the streets around ten o’clock and checking that everything was quiet. On this evening , he noted the three sweat stained horses at the saloon hitch rail and his years of experience warned him that something unusual had caused the hard use of these mounts. He also noted that the owners had not loosened the saddles as was a normal thing to do when your horse had been worked hard. This indicated the riders to be careless of their mounts or set for a fast exit of town. The brands were not from around Sweetwater and Gray thought ,  Maybe I should see what kinda riders these were that would treat their horses this way!

      Walking into the Saloon, he checked his holstered Colt in a habit he had developed over the years. Maybe that was one of the reasons he was still around. Business was slow this evening with only a half dozen locals and three hard looking strangers. They were seated at a table sharing a bottle and Gray knew immediately that these were the riders he was looking for. He walked halfway down the bar to where he could see all three in the back mirror and asked Mike, the bartender for his usual. Mike handed him a short whiskey and he turned it in his left hand studying the three riders closely while appearing to examine his drink. All three were rough, bearded and a little louder than normal. Troublemakers was how he had them pegged. One, a slender dark faced man;  was probably a gunfighter . He had untied his holster when he sat down and this permitted his belt gun to hang normal for a quick draw. The one seated across the table from dark face was a big man with dirty blond long hair and he was wearing one of those long Walker Colts. The third man was a little older  and some what quieter than his companions. Gray wasn’t in a position to see if he was armed, but assumed that he was.

      Having had his look and made a decision, he walked up behind dark face and asked the question,    You fellers ride far today? We’ve got a good Livery in town if you wanna give those horses a rest. The big man answered ,  No, Mister Sheriff! They’ll do just fine where they are . We stopped in for a drink and we’ll dust outta your dirt bag of a town as soon as we finish this bottle! We don’t need your concern for our horses! Dark face laughed a little , but the quiet one said,   Take it easy Ed, the good Sheriff was just trying to be friendly. Ed had taken on too much to drink and said,  I don’t need no Damn Sheriff to tell me nothing! Gray knew that things were beginning to get outta hand and said,  Calm down Mister, I wasn’t trying to tell you anything.  I consider myself a horseman and those horses could use a little attention! But ol’ Willis down at the Livery is probably already in bed anyway and it’s closing time for this Bar , so I guess you gents can head on up the road!The big man jumped to his feet saying,   Are you telling me to get outta here ? I’ll leave when I get Damned good and ready to go! I ain’t  gonna let some broken down old man of a Sheriff tell me what to do! You take your self outta here  and find some old woman to give your horseman advise!

      The Bar turned deathly quiet! The locals turned around staring! No one in their recent memory had challenged Sheriff Gray like this ! What would he do? The big man spread his feet daring Gray to challenge him! The gunfighter turned half around and a nervous smile crossed the face of the quiet one! Gray looked straight on at the quiet man and said ,  You either take him outta here peaceful or you and dark eyes here will carry him out! The quiet man started to stand up and Gray said ,  No! Stay in your chair! Once again! Do you take him out or do I ?

      There it was! Sheriff Gray had challenged all three in a showdown! Once again the quiet man said nothing, but let a nervous smile play across his face. The Gunfighter said;  Sheriff I think you’re making a big mistake. We’re in this together you know! and he spun his finger in a circle! The big man , Ed had waited long enough! This was all the encouragement he needed! And with a loud I ain’t goin nowhere Damn you!, he grabbed for his gun! Gray’s draw was slow compared to the quiet man’s! He had a shoulder holster and was lightening getting that gun out and triggering it in Gray’s direction! Dark eyes, jumped up from his chair and immediately hit the floor! Grey’s first round hit Big Ed before he could clear that ten inch Walker and he switched to the quiet man pumping two bullets into his chest. The gunfighter was out of it and all three were now laying on the floor! Three long seconds and three men down! Gun smoke was all that was left! Gray took a deep breath and shook his head. He had been lucky! Maybe there could’ve been a better way to handle this! He didn’t know!

      Looking at the gunfighter, Gray found that he had jumped up into the line of fire and caught two bullets in the back from his partner across the table! One was a killing shot in back of the head! He died instantly! Big Ed had taken the Sheriff’s bullet near his left shirt pocket and probably died before hitting the floor. The quiet man was still alive, but sinking fast. Gray went to him and checked his  wounds. One in the chest and the second high in the stomach. Mike , the Bartender brought some clean bar towels over for bandages, but there was little they could do for him. He would probably die within minutes. Gray asked him,  Mister, how come you to get in a gunfight? You could have easily took big Ed out and down the road! The quiet man said,  Ed was drunk. Won’t listen when drunk! Mistake , big mistake! Wiggins jumped! Sheriff , you knew, you knew, Smart! He died!

      Mike the Bartender. Asked,  What did he mean Sheriff , when he said that you knew? What did he mean by that? Did you know these men? Sheriff Gray looked around and said,  What the hell are you talking about? This is the first time I’ve seen any of them! Mike said,  Seems to me that he knew you and what’s this big mistake he was talking about? Gray said,  Look, it was a gunfight! He was talking about the gunfight Damn it! Some of you men give a hand! We’ll get these bodies loaded in a wagon! Boot Hill can wait till morning , but we’ll get’em outta here tonight!Mike the Bartender, was not satisfied with Gray’s explanation , but helped load the bodies . Gray took the three horses to the Livery Stable, unsaddled them and put them in with the rental stock. They would get a little feed and he would talk to Willis in the morning. Three men had died tonight and he figured he was lucky to still be alive!

      A Posse arrived from Del Rio the following morning. Sheriff Jim Downing and members of his posse examined the bodies , identifying all three; as part of the Gang that attempted to rob their Bank. Del Hodges, the banker was with the posse and identified big Ed Blaken as the killer of his wife. He said,  I was hoping to be with the posse when these killers were caught. I wanted to see these murderers hang. Shooting was too good for them! Sheriff Downing identified the gun fighter as Bob Wiggins , a fast gun from up around Dodge City and the third man was Colin Bragg, leader of this Gang of outlaws. Downing said,  Gray you did the Territory a hell of a service taking this gang out of operation! These were some of the most dangerous killers in this part of the country. The outlaw Jensen and one other are still out there. If they come around, you may have some more shootin to do! I can’t see how you managed to get all three at one time! Gray said,  Jim , I just got lucky I guess! Downing replied,  Yeah, lucky like a fox! I can see why this town has such low crime . A Sheriff with your experience and ability is hard to come by. Gray, we’re going over to Austin for a few days and try to round up the other two killers. Should be back in ten days or so. The Posse is headed back to Del Rio, but I’ll swing by and see how things are going. By the way, there’s a Reward out for some of this Gang. I’ll look into it while I’m at Head quarters. Gray said his Thanks and Ride Safe.

      Two days later, Gray is summonsed to meet with the Town Council and this is where he received that curt and surprising, Sheriff! We want you to turn in your Badge! Gray was dumfounded! He couldn’t believe this was happening! Eighteen years and not even a Thank You from any of these dozen businessmen!  Might I ask what brought this all about? asked Gray. George Bolton was the Council President and his reply was, The killings that took place in the Saloon three nights ago were unwarranted in the opinion of witnesses and it’s felt that a younger and more able man could have avoided gunplay. The Council has reviewed the account of all witnesses and we all agree that a new and younger Sheriff would be beneficial for Sweetwater. In all fairness to you, a vote of the members was taken and you lost! You will be paid through the end of the month.  A young lawman from east Texas, Ringo Cauley has been offered and accepted the job!

      Gray was speechless! He finally managed to say, All of you good folk’s took a vote without even giving me a chance to reply and I lost! That’s a joke! None of you voted to hire me! You begged me to take the job! Some of you remember Brown Lee?  Yeah! The killer outlaw that was and still is terrorizing the state, but hasn’t dared to set foot in this County since I ran him out! I should have killed him, maybe your Ringo will make him shiver in his boots! No, I don’t want your pay till the end of the month! Here’s your Badge! Gray threw the badge on the table , spun on his heels and walked out! Bitter anger, disappointment and a feeling of hopelessness followed him to his cottage on the edge of town. What would Margaret , his wife say? No job and fifty five years old! His savings were small! All had been spent for medical attention and medicine for his Margaret! She was doing fine now , but the three years of illness had cost him everything. He knew nothing else but lawman’s work and wasn’t physically able to work cattle again.

      Margaret was upset and shocked by the actions of these folks he had served for so many years, but she was secretly pleased that Austin Gray would no longer have to risk his life . Maybe she could breath easy now when he walked out the door! She accepted what ever came to them without complaining. Gray was so thank full to have a solid woman behind him. This made it easier. He could expect her help rather than complaints! She volunteered to go to the Jail and help him pack up his belongings. By the time they had hitched up his team and wagon, he and Maggie ; as he called her; had decided on a plan of action. They would immediately move to Austin and she would go to work in a Seamstress Shop owned by her sister, Gladys Hammer. She always wanted to do that and her sister was begging her to come. Gray looked at the belongings that they had and decided that two trips would be necessary. On their first trip. He would haul all of Maggies keepsakes and look for a house in Austin. She could stay with her sister for a week or so till he had her sat up. After getting things settled in Austin, he would look for a job. Maggie dearly hoped that it wouldn’t be in Law enforcement again!

      Sheriff Downing was horrified to find out that Gray had been fired ! He demanded to speak

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