Posted by Gail on 1/1/2002, 6:44 pm --Previous Message--
OOOOOOHhhhhh.....Ez is sneaking in a little schoolin (VBG)
Gail
: Hello, all, and Happy Happy Day! 
: I've been cleaning, as one is wont to do at
: this time of year, and ran across a
: "writing excercise", just
: screwing around with the characters. It's
: not really a story, it's actually usually
: just a way to kill 15 minutes, but I
: thought you might like to read this one.
: Eleanor
: A Writing Exercise
: 12 September 2000
: Chris Larabee paused in the doorway to the
: saloon, barely resisting the urge to rub
: his eyes in astonishment at the sight that
: met his gaze.
: It seems they have taken the Lords
: admonition to go forth and multiply,
: Josiah rumbled from behind him.
: Good morning, Mr. Larabee, Mary Travis
: smiled. Mr. Sanchez, Mr. Jackson, as you
: can see, the saloons not open yet.
: Needed ttalk tEzra, Chris told her,
: realizing that Mary was stationed by the
: door as the bouncer.
: Do their parents know whats going on
: here? Nathan demanded, wondering why the
: hell they hadnt.
: Their parents know that their children are
: receiving an education that would
: otherwise be beyond their reach ~ and
: their wildest dreams.
: How muchs he chargin folks to teach their
: children how tcheat at cards?
: A fair price.
: Nathan snorted and Mary bristled. And just
: how would you feel if someone tried to
: thrust their charity on you, Mr. Jackson?
: Something tells me you wouldnt care for
: the condescension ~ these parents can and
: want to pay a fair price for what theyre
: receiving from Mr. Standish.
: I aint talkin about charity, Maam ~
: seems tme a man like Ezra owes
: somethin.
: To whom, Mr. Jackson? To the people who
: ~choose~ to gamble with him, to the
: citizens of this town that he has more
: than once nearly died protecting? Or to
: you?
: Chris gave Nathan a look that said hed
: really like to hear Nathans answer.
: It aint like that! Nathan protested.
: It never is, Mary pointed out. So, unless
: this is an emergency, gentlemen, youll
: have to wait until class is over.
: It can wait, Chris told her, deliberately
: not acknowledging the presence of Vin
: Tanner in the shadows by the stairs.
: Cant it, Nathan?
: A warning look from Mary made Nathan
: reluctantly to nod. He led the way out of
: the saloon, a Josiah behind him. Chris
: lingered a moment, enjoying the sight of
: happy children. The wistful smile on his
: face melted Marys stern resolve to the
: point where she would have let him stay,
: if he asked.
: He didnt, pulling himself inward instead. A
: quick tug of his hat brim between his
: thumb and forefinger in her direction said
: goodbye, and he left the saloon.
: He didnt go far, settling into Ezras chair
: on the porch and putting his heels up on
: the rickety old one the rest of them used.
: He could hear Ezras voce from inside the
: saloon, and somehow the numerical
: equivalents of cards had given way to
: history, as the fortuitous combination of
: an Ace of Spades, A Queen of Diamonds, and
: a Jack of Hearts had reminded Ezra of
: Queen Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh,
: Grinning, Chris leaned his against back on
: the top rung of the chair back. Pity the
: poor schoolteacher when they finally got
: one ~ every kid in town would argue to
: their last drop of blood that the pilgrims
: were nothing more than carpet-bagging
: squatters whod descended on Plymouth Rock
: like uncouth locusts when Europe could no
: longer stand their dour presence, and thus
: had made them the problem of the sovereign
: country of Virginia, whose had suffered
: greatly for their gallant and generous
: hospitality ever since.
: God help them if theyre from South
: Carolina, he chuckled to himself.
:
:
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