the Daybreakers (1960) by Louis - Sackett's 06 L'amour Page B
Authors: Louis - Sackett's 06 L'amour
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chuckled. "Seems the women like you too. They tell me you provided more entertainment in one afternoon than they had in years."
"Now, look--!" I could feel myself getting red around the ears.
"Don't let it bother you. Folks enjoyed it, and they like you. Don't ask me why."
"You seem to have learned a lot since you've been here."
"Every man to his job, mine's politics. First thing is to listen. Learn the issues, the personalities, where the votes are, where the hard feelings are."
Ollie Shaddock tasted his whiskey and put the glass back on the bar. "Tyrel, there's trouble brewing and it will come from that Pritts outfit. That's a rough bunch of boys and they'll get to drinking and there'll be a killing. Chances are, it will be a riot or something like that."
"So?"
"So we got to go up there. You and me and Orrin. When that trouble comes Orrin has to handle it."
"He's no officer."
"Leave that to me. When it happens, folks will want somebody to take over the responsibility. So Orrin steps in."
He tossed off his whiskey. "Look ... Pritts wants Torres killed, some of the other key men. When the shooting starts some of those fur thieves and rustlers he's got will go too far.
"Orrin steps in. He's Anglo, so all the better Americans will be for him. You convince the Mexicans Orrin is their man. Then we get Orrin appointed marshal, run him for sheriff, start planning for the legislature."
Ollie made a lot of sense, and it beat all how quickly he had got hold of the situation, and him here only a few weeks. Orrin was the man for it all right. Or Tom Sunday.
"What about Tom Sunday?"
"He figures he's the man for the job. But Tom Sunday can't talk to folks like Orrin can. He can't get down and be friends with everybody the way Orrin can.
Orrin just plain likes people and they feel it ... like you like Mexicans and they know it. Anyway," he added, "Orrin is one of ours and one thing about Orrin. We don't have to lie."
"Would you lie?"
Ollie was embarrassed. "Tyrel, politics is politics, and in politics a man wants to win. So he hedges a little."
"Whatever we do has to be honest," I said. "Look, I'm no pilgrim. But there's nothing in this world I can't get without lying or cheating. Ma raised us boys that way, and I'm glad of it."
"All right, honesty is a good policy and if a man's honest it gets around. What do you think about Orrin?"
"I think he's the right man."
Only as I left there and started to see Ma, I was thinking about Tom Sunday. Tom was our friend, and Tom wasn't going to like this. He was a mite jealous of Orrin. Tom had the best education but folks just paid more mind to Orrin.
Ma had aged ... she was setting in her old rocker which Ollie had brought west in his wagon, and she had that old shawl over her knees. When I walked in she was puffing on that old pipe and she looked me up and down mighty sharp.
"You've filled out. Your Pa would be proud of you."
So we sat there and talked about the mountains back home and of folks we knew and I told her some of our plans. Thinking how hard her years had been, I wanted to do something for her and the boys. Bob was seventeen, Joe fifteen.
Ma wasn't used to much, but she liked flowers around her and trees. She liked meadow grass blowing in the wind and the soft fall of rain on her own roof. A good fire, her rocker, a home of her own, and her boys not too far away.
Ollie Shaddock wasted no time but rode off toward Mora. He was planning on buying a place, a saloon, or some such place where folks could get together. In those days a saloon was a meeting place, and usually the only one.
Of the books I'd bought I'd read Marcy's guide books first, and then that story, The Deerslayer. That was a sure enough good story too. Then I read Washington Irving's book about traveling on the prairies, and now was reading Gregg on Commerce of the Prairies. Reading those books was making me talk better and look around more and see what Irving had seen, or Gregg. It was mighty
"Now, look--!" I could feel myself getting red around the ears.
"Don't let it bother you. Folks enjoyed it, and they like you. Don't ask me why."
"You seem to have learned a lot since you've been here."
"Every man to his job, mine's politics. First thing is to listen. Learn the issues, the personalities, where the votes are, where the hard feelings are."
Ollie Shaddock tasted his whiskey and put the glass back on the bar. "Tyrel, there's trouble brewing and it will come from that Pritts outfit. That's a rough bunch of boys and they'll get to drinking and there'll be a killing. Chances are, it will be a riot or something like that."
"So?"
"So we got to go up there. You and me and Orrin. When that trouble comes Orrin has to handle it."
"He's no officer."
"Leave that to me. When it happens, folks will want somebody to take over the responsibility. So Orrin steps in."
He tossed off his whiskey. "Look ... Pritts wants Torres killed, some of the other key men. When the shooting starts some of those fur thieves and rustlers he's got will go too far.
"Orrin steps in. He's Anglo, so all the better Americans will be for him. You convince the Mexicans Orrin is their man. Then we get Orrin appointed marshal, run him for sheriff, start planning for the legislature."
Ollie made a lot of sense, and it beat all how quickly he had got hold of the situation, and him here only a few weeks. Orrin was the man for it all right. Or Tom Sunday.
"What about Tom Sunday?"
"He figures he's the man for the job. But Tom Sunday can't talk to folks like Orrin can. He can't get down and be friends with everybody the way Orrin can.
Orrin just plain likes people and they feel it ... like you like Mexicans and they know it. Anyway," he added, "Orrin is one of ours and one thing about Orrin. We don't have to lie."
"Would you lie?"
Ollie was embarrassed. "Tyrel, politics is politics, and in politics a man wants to win. So he hedges a little."
"Whatever we do has to be honest," I said. "Look, I'm no pilgrim. But there's nothing in this world I can't get without lying or cheating. Ma raised us boys that way, and I'm glad of it."
"All right, honesty is a good policy and if a man's honest it gets around. What do you think about Orrin?"
"I think he's the right man."
Only as I left there and started to see Ma, I was thinking about Tom Sunday. Tom was our friend, and Tom wasn't going to like this. He was a mite jealous of Orrin. Tom had the best education but folks just paid more mind to Orrin.
Ma had aged ... she was setting in her old rocker which Ollie had brought west in his wagon, and she had that old shawl over her knees. When I walked in she was puffing on that old pipe and she looked me up and down mighty sharp.
"You've filled out. Your Pa would be proud of you."
So we sat there and talked about the mountains back home and of folks we knew and I told her some of our plans. Thinking how hard her years had been, I wanted to do something for her and the boys. Bob was seventeen, Joe fifteen.
Ma wasn't used to much, but she liked flowers around her and trees. She liked meadow grass blowing in the wind and the soft fall of rain on her own roof. A good fire, her rocker, a home of her own, and her boys not too far away.
Ollie Shaddock wasted no time but rode off toward Mora. He was planning on buying a place, a saloon, or some such place where folks could get together. In those days a saloon was a meeting place, and usually the only one.
Of the books I'd bought I'd read Marcy's guide books first, and then that story, The Deerslayer. That was a sure enough good story too. Then I read Washington Irving's book about traveling on the prairies, and now was reading Gregg on Commerce of the Prairies. Reading those books was making me talk better and look around more and see what Irving had seen, or Gregg. It was mighty
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