said, ‘The woman is too old for such tasks.’
Mayfield shook his head. ‘She is a dynamo. I have tried to assign her simpler, lighter work, but she won’t hear of it. She enjoys industry, is the long and short of it.’
‘I could not see the joy. But perhaps it is the inward kind that strangers can never read.’
‘My advice is to not bother yourself about it any longer.’
‘I would not say I am bothered, exactly.’
‘You are bothering me.’
Charlie said, ‘About our payment for this pelt.’
Mayfield watched me a moment, then turned to Charlie. He tossed five double eagles across the table and Charlie dragged them into his palm. He handed me two coins and I took them. I decided I would spend the money even more carelessly than usual. What would the world be, I thought, without money hung around our necks, hung around our very souls?
Mayfield hefted and rang the third, largest bell. Presently we heard hurried footsteps in the hall and I was half prepared for the trappers to barge through and set upon us. Instead of this, the room filled with painted whores, seven in number, each of them in frills and lace, each of them already drunk. They fell to putting on their playful shows for us, re-creating themselves as curious, doting, loving, lusty. One of them thought it prudent to speak like a baby. I found their presence depressing but Charlie was in highest spirits, and I could see his interest in Mayfield growing before my eyes. I realized that by looking at this boss man I was witnessing the earthly personification of Charlie’s future, or proposed future, for ours was so often in jeopardy; and it was true, just as the dead prospector had said, that Charlie and Mayfield bore a resemblance to each other, though the latter was older and heavier and doubly pickled from alcohol. But yes, just as I longed for the organized solitude of the shopkeeper, so did Charlie wish for the days of continued excitement and violence, except he would no longer engage personally but dictate from behind a wall of well-armed soldiers, while he remained in perfumed rooms where fleshy women poured his drinks and crawled on the ground like hysterical infants, their backsides in the air, shivering with laughter and brandy and deviousness. Mayfield must have thought I was acting without sufficient enthusiasm, for he asked me, in put-upon tone, ‘You don’t like the women?’
‘The women are fine, thank you.’
‘Maybe it is the brandy that makes you curl your lips when you speak?’
‘The brandy is also fine.’
‘It is too smoky in here, is that it? Shall I open a window? Would you like a fan?’
‘Everything is fine.’
‘Perhaps it is the custom where you come from, to squint and glare at your host.’ Turning to Charlie, he said, ‘I must admit I did not care for Oregon City, the one time I visited there.’
‘What was your business in Oregon City?’ Charlie asked.
‘You know, I cannot exactly remember. In those younger days, I followed one mad idea after the other, and my purpose was often blurred. But Oregon City was a dead loss. I was robbed by a man with a limp. Neither of you has a limp, do you?’
‘You saw us come in yourself,’ I said.
‘I was not paying attention then.’ Half seriously he asked, ‘Would you two object to standing and clicking your heels for me?’
‘I would object to that strongly,’ I told him.
‘We are both healthy in our legs,’ Charlie said assuredly.
‘But you would not do it?’ he asked me.
‘I would sooner die than click my heels for you.’
‘He is the unfriendly one,’ Mayfield said to Charlie.
‘We take turns,’ Charlie said.
‘Anyway, I prefer you to him.’
‘What did this limping man get away with?’ Charlie asked.
‘He took a purseful of gold worth twenty-five dollars, and an ivory-handled Paterson Colt revolver that I could not put a price on. The name of the saloon was the Pig-King. Are you boys familiar with it? I would not be surprised
Mayfield shook his head. ‘She is a dynamo. I have tried to assign her simpler, lighter work, but she won’t hear of it. She enjoys industry, is the long and short of it.’
‘I could not see the joy. But perhaps it is the inward kind that strangers can never read.’
‘My advice is to not bother yourself about it any longer.’
‘I would not say I am bothered, exactly.’
‘You are bothering me.’
Charlie said, ‘About our payment for this pelt.’
Mayfield watched me a moment, then turned to Charlie. He tossed five double eagles across the table and Charlie dragged them into his palm. He handed me two coins and I took them. I decided I would spend the money even more carelessly than usual. What would the world be, I thought, without money hung around our necks, hung around our very souls?
Mayfield hefted and rang the third, largest bell. Presently we heard hurried footsteps in the hall and I was half prepared for the trappers to barge through and set upon us. Instead of this, the room filled with painted whores, seven in number, each of them in frills and lace, each of them already drunk. They fell to putting on their playful shows for us, re-creating themselves as curious, doting, loving, lusty. One of them thought it prudent to speak like a baby. I found their presence depressing but Charlie was in highest spirits, and I could see his interest in Mayfield growing before my eyes. I realized that by looking at this boss man I was witnessing the earthly personification of Charlie’s future, or proposed future, for ours was so often in jeopardy; and it was true, just as the dead prospector had said, that Charlie and Mayfield bore a resemblance to each other, though the latter was older and heavier and doubly pickled from alcohol. But yes, just as I longed for the organized solitude of the shopkeeper, so did Charlie wish for the days of continued excitement and violence, except he would no longer engage personally but dictate from behind a wall of well-armed soldiers, while he remained in perfumed rooms where fleshy women poured his drinks and crawled on the ground like hysterical infants, their backsides in the air, shivering with laughter and brandy and deviousness. Mayfield must have thought I was acting without sufficient enthusiasm, for he asked me, in put-upon tone, ‘You don’t like the women?’
‘The women are fine, thank you.’
‘Maybe it is the brandy that makes you curl your lips when you speak?’
‘The brandy is also fine.’
‘It is too smoky in here, is that it? Shall I open a window? Would you like a fan?’
‘Everything is fine.’
‘Perhaps it is the custom where you come from, to squint and glare at your host.’ Turning to Charlie, he said, ‘I must admit I did not care for Oregon City, the one time I visited there.’
‘What was your business in Oregon City?’ Charlie asked.
‘You know, I cannot exactly remember. In those younger days, I followed one mad idea after the other, and my purpose was often blurred. But Oregon City was a dead loss. I was robbed by a man with a limp. Neither of you has a limp, do you?’
‘You saw us come in yourself,’ I said.
‘I was not paying attention then.’ Half seriously he asked, ‘Would you two object to standing and clicking your heels for me?’
‘I would object to that strongly,’ I told him.
‘We are both healthy in our legs,’ Charlie said assuredly.
‘But you would not do it?’ he asked me.
‘I would sooner die than click my heels for you.’
‘He is the unfriendly one,’ Mayfield said to Charlie.
‘We take turns,’ Charlie said.
‘Anyway, I prefer you to him.’
‘What did this limping man get away with?’ Charlie asked.
‘He took a purseful of gold worth twenty-five dollars, and an ivory-handled Paterson Colt revolver that I could not put a price on. The name of the saloon was the Pig-King. Are you boys familiar with it? I would not be surprised
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