Mail Order Bride: On The Run: A Historical Mail Order Bride Story (Mail Order Brides) by Lily Wilspur Page A
Authors: Lily Wilspur
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height. The older man’s face showed the wrinkles and sun spots of advancing age. His upper lip quivered in a snarl of hatred, and Lou Ann saw a black gap in his mouth where one front tooth was missing.
Lou Ann froze, and at a distance, she sensed the people behind her go terribly still. They didn’t shove any more, and the women’s sobs died away to nothing. Not a horse twitched. Not a fly buzzed.
Suddenly, both men exploded into action. At the same instant, they both sprang into a crouch, their arms cocked out to their sides. Lou Ann saw them both reach for their guns at the same moment. They jerked their guns out of their belts and fired. Two identical plumes of white smoke billowed from the ends of their guns, and two identical voices answered each other from both sides of the General Store.
A silent scream echoed though her brain, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the spectacle. The incident imprinted on her consciousness and haunted her ever after. The smoke from the guns drifted across her view, imparting a dreamy haze to the fight.
The men stood stock still, and for an infinite moment, Lou Ann thought they’d missed each other completely. But then, with agonizing slowness, the older man to Lou Ann’s right wilted, crumpled, and fell. Another plume, this time of dust, rose around his mortal remains, and he lay motionless in the middle of the street.
Chapter 2
The younger man stood still and stared at the body on the ground. His gun still pointed at his adversary, and his left hand hung ready over the holster of his other gun. The whole town watched and waited to breathe.
But the older man didn’t move again. Bit by bit, the young gun fighter in the street lowered his gun and finally relaxed. His shoulders slouched, and his pistol hung from the end of his arm. Lou Ann saw a shudder ripple through his lanky frame. He sighed and cast his eyes down to the ground,
The on-lookers stirred to life. Behind Lou Ann, the other passengers pressed forward. But this time, they didn’t obstruct her efforts to stay inside the car. They streamed around her and flooded out through the door. They didn’t wait for the conductor to put his wooden step down in front of the doorway. They jumped down from the car, man and woman, in their haste to get into the street.
“He’s done it!” one woman exclaimed.
“God bless him!” a man answered.
Lou Ann hesitated. The fear of the previous moment still paralyzed her. She couldn’t understand these people and their strange behavior.
The man who held her back when she first approached the door to leave the train stopped next to her and examined her. “Everything’s all right now, Miss. You can get down.”
Lou Ann cast around, her thoughts a jumble of emotions and confusion. “I just….”
The man turned his attention to the street. Other people emerged from the houses and buildings beyond and rushed up to the young man. People from all directions surrounded him, jostling and embracing him.
The young man stood motionless and downcast in the center of the throng, his eyes still fixed on the ground in front of him and his gun still clutched in his fist. “I’ll be jiggered!” the man next to Lou Ann murmured. “I never thought he’d do it!”
“Where’s the sheriff?” Lou Ann asked. “He’ll be arrested, I guess.”
“Him?” The man nodded toward the street. “Not likely! He’s a hero.”
“He’s a murderer!” Lou Ann exclaimed. “There’s a dead man right over there.”
The man ignored her and jumped down to join the crowd outside.
The moment he left, someone in the throng took off their hat and tossed it into the air. Another person whooped for joy, and others copied them. The scene erupted into a celebration of cheering. Children capered about and two men danced around in a circle with their elbows locked together. Women wiped the tears from their cheeks and reached out to touch the young gun fighter’s sleeve.
Lou Ann couldn’t believe
Lou Ann froze, and at a distance, she sensed the people behind her go terribly still. They didn’t shove any more, and the women’s sobs died away to nothing. Not a horse twitched. Not a fly buzzed.
Suddenly, both men exploded into action. At the same instant, they both sprang into a crouch, their arms cocked out to their sides. Lou Ann saw them both reach for their guns at the same moment. They jerked their guns out of their belts and fired. Two identical plumes of white smoke billowed from the ends of their guns, and two identical voices answered each other from both sides of the General Store.
A silent scream echoed though her brain, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the spectacle. The incident imprinted on her consciousness and haunted her ever after. The smoke from the guns drifted across her view, imparting a dreamy haze to the fight.
The men stood stock still, and for an infinite moment, Lou Ann thought they’d missed each other completely. But then, with agonizing slowness, the older man to Lou Ann’s right wilted, crumpled, and fell. Another plume, this time of dust, rose around his mortal remains, and he lay motionless in the middle of the street.
Chapter 2
The younger man stood still and stared at the body on the ground. His gun still pointed at his adversary, and his left hand hung ready over the holster of his other gun. The whole town watched and waited to breathe.
But the older man didn’t move again. Bit by bit, the young gun fighter in the street lowered his gun and finally relaxed. His shoulders slouched, and his pistol hung from the end of his arm. Lou Ann saw a shudder ripple through his lanky frame. He sighed and cast his eyes down to the ground,
The on-lookers stirred to life. Behind Lou Ann, the other passengers pressed forward. But this time, they didn’t obstruct her efforts to stay inside the car. They streamed around her and flooded out through the door. They didn’t wait for the conductor to put his wooden step down in front of the doorway. They jumped down from the car, man and woman, in their haste to get into the street.
“He’s done it!” one woman exclaimed.
“God bless him!” a man answered.
Lou Ann hesitated. The fear of the previous moment still paralyzed her. She couldn’t understand these people and their strange behavior.
The man who held her back when she first approached the door to leave the train stopped next to her and examined her. “Everything’s all right now, Miss. You can get down.”
Lou Ann cast around, her thoughts a jumble of emotions and confusion. “I just….”
The man turned his attention to the street. Other people emerged from the houses and buildings beyond and rushed up to the young man. People from all directions surrounded him, jostling and embracing him.
The young man stood motionless and downcast in the center of the throng, his eyes still fixed on the ground in front of him and his gun still clutched in his fist. “I’ll be jiggered!” the man next to Lou Ann murmured. “I never thought he’d do it!”
“Where’s the sheriff?” Lou Ann asked. “He’ll be arrested, I guess.”
“Him?” The man nodded toward the street. “Not likely! He’s a hero.”
“He’s a murderer!” Lou Ann exclaimed. “There’s a dead man right over there.”
The man ignored her and jumped down to join the crowd outside.
The moment he left, someone in the throng took off their hat and tossed it into the air. Another person whooped for joy, and others copied them. The scene erupted into a celebration of cheering. Children capered about and two men danced around in a circle with their elbows locked together. Women wiped the tears from their cheeks and reached out to touch the young gun fighter’s sleeve.
Lou Ann couldn’t believe
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