| Western Fiction posted June 9, 2020 | Chapters: |
...10 11 -12- 13... 
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Doo has to set the tone
A chapter in the book Wilderness Redemption Road
Attitude Adjustment
by Earl Corp
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
| Background More Frontier Hijinks and Shenanigans |
Chapter 11
Carter Holler, Kentucky
1860
Roseanna rocked back a little bit as she heard axes biting into the wood. She reckoned the boys could be getting a mite thirsty from the hard labor she had sentenced them too.
She decided on a course of action then came to her feet.
“Caleb, you and Dan’l come with me mind you fetch the jug too,” she said.
“Where we goin’ Granny?”
“If’n you can’t just follow me without asking fool questions you can just stay here Dan’l.” Roseanna adjusted her gaze and said, “Henry, fetch that jug and follow me.”
“Yes’m,” Henry replied without a hesitation or questioning tone.
She walked to the well. It felt good to get up and stretch her legs and feel the warm August sun on her face. She let the bucket drop and was rewarded with a splash when it hit the water.
After a minute she started cranking the bucket back up. Once the bucket reached the top she detached it from the pulley. She snagged one of the dippers and put it in the fresh water.
“Caleb, grab that bucket and we’ll tote it over the boys chopping wood.”
Caleb grabbed the bucket and was careful not to let the water splash out, lest he have to get another bucketful.
They approached the wood chopping area. Roseanna came in the small clearing and took a seat on a maple stump.
Nate noticed her first.
“Hey Ma, it looks like we got a winter’s worth of firewood cut for ye,” he said.
Roseanna gazed appraisingly at the growing stack.
“You barely got enough to make it through Christmas, keep going. Though you can take a break, I brought you some refreshments,” Roseanna said.
All three of her sons had removed their shirts off to work. They displayed all the muscles and scars that had come with frontier life.
Zack took ahold of the dipper and poured water over his head, he looked at his son, Henry, who seemed mesmerized by the bullet scar under his left collar bone. Nate went for the jug.
“You just take one pull from that jug, Nathan,” Roseanna instructed.
“Aw Hell, Ma.”
“You keep a civil tongue, Nathan, you ain’t too old for lye soap.”
“Yes’m.”
Zack saw the questioning look Henry had.
“You want to know the story about the bullet son?”
“Yessir,” Henry answered.
Zack cut a glance to his mother who was shaking her head side-to-side.
“That’s a tale for another day, son.”
Nate took the dipper from his older brother and scooped it into the bucket.
“Where are you on the story, Ma?”
Daybreak
The growl Rogers let loose was similar to his namesake, the bear.
Doo took a side step to the left, gripped the barrel of his rifle with both hands and brought it down on the hand holding the knife, Rogers howled, but more importantly he dropped the knife. Now he and Doo were both unarmed.
Rogers turned around and rushed Doo with his arms open wide. With his arms spread Doo knew if Rogers got him in a hug that would be all she wrote.
Doo sidestepped the rush again, he resisted the thought of just shooting him and get it over with. Shooting an unarmed man, even a giant man, is a quick way to get hung.
“I’m gonna kill you with my bare hands if you stand still,” Rogers roared.
Doo wasn’t about to be caught in Rogers embrace. He fended of two more charges then he slipped on a root as he was backing up. Rogers took advantage and got Doo in a bear hug. Almost immediately Doo felt the breath being squeezed out of him. His rib cage started creaking.
“Thunderation! I ain’t going to last long like this” he thought.
Doo drew back his head and brought it forward with a mighty thrust into Rogers’ nose. He was rewarded with a warm spray across his face, and even better, Rogers let go. He brought his hands up to his ruined nose which had been flattened across his face. Blood leaked through both hands, as he tried to stem the crimson flow.
Doo drew a couple deep breaths into his lung then waded into finish Rogers off. He jabbed with his left, then danced back lest Rogers get another chance to bear hug him. For his part, Rogers dropped his hands from his nose and swung a haymaker at Doo’s head which was out of reach.
“I’d better finish this quick,” Doo thought.
He stepped up and threw a left into Rogers gut. It was like punching the wall of a cabin, he felt the shock all the way up his shoulder. Doo backed away. Once he was the proper distance he let fly with a kick to Rogers’ crotch, which connected.
Rogers squealed shrilly, used both hands to grab his damaged tally whacker, and fell to his knees.
Doo saw his opening and stepped up and threw a left into Rogers’ ruined nose. He followed up with a right uppercut to Rogers chin. Rogers head snapped back so violently Doo thought he’d broke the man’s neck.
Incredibly, Rogers attempted to regain his feet. Doo stepped back and looked into Rogers’s eyes, the man was out on his feet. Doo threw a right into the man’s mouth and felt Rogers’ lips pulp up against his teeth.
When Rogers went down for good it sounded like a tree crashing in the forest and raised a cloud of dust when he landed. He didn’t move, he was out cold
Doo stepped back, bent over and placed his hands on his knees, and when he heaved air in and out his chest and sides it looked like a bellows pumping.
“Thunderation! I’m going to feel this in the morning,” Doo thought.
“You probably should have killed him, Hoss,” Clancy whispered as he came to check Doo for injuries.
Surprisingly, Doo hadn’t sustained an injury in the quick, violent scuffle. He wasn’t bleeding anywhere, though his ribs were sore, and he didn’t think he had any broken bones.
By contrast, Rogers’s nose was flattened across his face, he had lost his left front tooth, and his wrist was broken.
Roseanna stepped up to Doo with a dipper full of water, which he took and drained in one gulp.
“Thanks Miss McCallister.”
Roseanna’s eyes shone as she took back the dipper. She couldn’t explain it, but when she watched Doo in combat she felt an unexplained tingle down her spine and a warmth which started in her stomach and spread through her body and flushed her face.
“That was something to behold, Mr. Carter, by the way you may address me as Roseanna,” she said.
Richard looked back and forth between Doo and his sister. It was clear by the way she carried herself she was smitten with Carter. Either Carter was unaware or he didn’t feel the same way.
Smythe’s eyes got big and round with surprise at both the savagery and the outcome of the short fight. He had hired Rogers for just this situation, to beat Doo within an inch of his life.
“We’re now down a man, it’ll take us awhile to get Bear to the doctor and packed up,” Smythe said.
Doo fixed Smythe with a stare that caused him to take a step back.
“Yore down to 25 minutes, leave him lay with the rest of the trash.”
Godfrey started to sputter.
“Surely you can’t be serious.”
“As a heart attack, 24 minutes,” Doo straightened up and turned on his heel towards where the mules were picketed.
“I can’t be ready in that little time,” Smythe whined.
“23 minutes,” Doo said over his shoulder.
For better or worse the caravan pulled out 27 minutes later leaving Bear Rogers laying where he had fallen.
Doo and Clancy had already been gone five minutes
Carter Holler, Kentucky
1860
Roseanna rocked back a little bit as she heard axes biting into the wood. She reckoned the boys could be getting a mite thirsty from the hard labor she had sentenced them too.
She decided on a course of action then came to her feet.
“Caleb, you and Dan’l come with me mind you fetch the jug too,” she said.
“Where we goin’ Granny?”
“If’n you can’t just follow me without asking fool questions you can just stay here Dan’l.” Roseanna adjusted her gaze and said, “Henry, fetch that jug and follow me.”
“Yes’m,” Henry replied without a hesitation or questioning tone.
She walked to the well. It felt good to get up and stretch her legs and feel the warm August sun on her face. She let the bucket drop and was rewarded with a splash when it hit the water.
After a minute she started cranking the bucket back up. Once the bucket reached the top she detached it from the pulley. She snagged one of the dippers and put it in the fresh water.
“Caleb, grab that bucket and we’ll tote it over the boys chopping wood.”
Caleb grabbed the bucket and was careful not to let the water splash out, lest he have to get another bucketful.
They approached the wood chopping area. Roseanna came in the small clearing and took a seat on a maple stump.
Nate noticed her first.
“Hey Ma, it looks like we got a winter’s worth of firewood cut for ye,” he said.
Roseanna gazed appraisingly at the growing stack.
“You barely got enough to make it through Christmas, keep going. Though you can take a break, I brought you some refreshments,” Roseanna said.
All three of her sons had removed their shirts off to work. They displayed all the muscles and scars that had come with frontier life.
Zack took ahold of the dipper and poured water over his head, he looked at his son, Henry, who seemed mesmerized by the bullet scar under his left collar bone. Nate went for the jug.
“You just take one pull from that jug, Nathan,” Roseanna instructed.
“Aw Hell, Ma.”
“You keep a civil tongue, Nathan, you ain’t too old for lye soap.”
“Yes’m.”
Zack saw the questioning look Henry had.
“You want to know the story about the bullet son?”
“Yessir,” Henry answered.
Zack cut a glance to his mother who was shaking her head side-to-side.
“That’s a tale for another day, son.”
Nate took the dipper from his older brother and scooped it into the bucket.
“Where are you on the story, Ma?”
“We were jest fixin’ to leave Pittsburgh.”
*****
Field 5 miles north of Pittsburgh*****
Daybreak
The growl Rogers let loose was similar to his namesake, the bear.
Doo took a side step to the left, gripped the barrel of his rifle with both hands and brought it down on the hand holding the knife, Rogers howled, but more importantly he dropped the knife. Now he and Doo were both unarmed.
Rogers turned around and rushed Doo with his arms open wide. With his arms spread Doo knew if Rogers got him in a hug that would be all she wrote.
Doo sidestepped the rush again, he resisted the thought of just shooting him and get it over with. Shooting an unarmed man, even a giant man, is a quick way to get hung.
“I’m gonna kill you with my bare hands if you stand still,” Rogers roared.
Doo wasn’t about to be caught in Rogers embrace. He fended of two more charges then he slipped on a root as he was backing up. Rogers took advantage and got Doo in a bear hug. Almost immediately Doo felt the breath being squeezed out of him. His rib cage started creaking.
“Thunderation! I ain’t going to last long like this” he thought.
Doo drew back his head and brought it forward with a mighty thrust into Rogers’ nose. He was rewarded with a warm spray across his face, and even better, Rogers let go. He brought his hands up to his ruined nose which had been flattened across his face. Blood leaked through both hands, as he tried to stem the crimson flow.
Doo drew a couple deep breaths into his lung then waded into finish Rogers off. He jabbed with his left, then danced back lest Rogers get another chance to bear hug him. For his part, Rogers dropped his hands from his nose and swung a haymaker at Doo’s head which was out of reach.
“I’d better finish this quick,” Doo thought.
He stepped up and threw a left into Rogers gut. It was like punching the wall of a cabin, he felt the shock all the way up his shoulder. Doo backed away. Once he was the proper distance he let fly with a kick to Rogers’ crotch, which connected.
Rogers squealed shrilly, used both hands to grab his damaged tally whacker, and fell to his knees.
Doo saw his opening and stepped up and threw a left into Rogers’ ruined nose. He followed up with a right uppercut to Rogers chin. Rogers head snapped back so violently Doo thought he’d broke the man’s neck.
Incredibly, Rogers attempted to regain his feet. Doo stepped back and looked into Rogers’s eyes, the man was out on his feet. Doo threw a right into the man’s mouth and felt Rogers’ lips pulp up against his teeth.
When Rogers went down for good it sounded like a tree crashing in the forest and raised a cloud of dust when he landed. He didn’t move, he was out cold
Doo stepped back, bent over and placed his hands on his knees, and when he heaved air in and out his chest and sides it looked like a bellows pumping.
“Thunderation! I’m going to feel this in the morning,” Doo thought.
“You probably should have killed him, Hoss,” Clancy whispered as he came to check Doo for injuries.
Surprisingly, Doo hadn’t sustained an injury in the quick, violent scuffle. He wasn’t bleeding anywhere, though his ribs were sore, and he didn’t think he had any broken bones.
By contrast, Rogers’s nose was flattened across his face, he had lost his left front tooth, and his wrist was broken.
Roseanna stepped up to Doo with a dipper full of water, which he took and drained in one gulp.
“Thanks Miss McCallister.”
Roseanna’s eyes shone as she took back the dipper. She couldn’t explain it, but when she watched Doo in combat she felt an unexplained tingle down her spine and a warmth which started in her stomach and spread through her body and flushed her face.
“That was something to behold, Mr. Carter, by the way you may address me as Roseanna,” she said.
Richard looked back and forth between Doo and his sister. It was clear by the way she carried herself she was smitten with Carter. Either Carter was unaware or he didn’t feel the same way.
Smythe’s eyes got big and round with surprise at both the savagery and the outcome of the short fight. He had hired Rogers for just this situation, to beat Doo within an inch of his life.
“We’re now down a man, it’ll take us awhile to get Bear to the doctor and packed up,” Smythe said.
Doo fixed Smythe with a stare that caused him to take a step back.
“Yore down to 25 minutes, leave him lay with the rest of the trash.”
Godfrey started to sputter.
“Surely you can’t be serious.”
“As a heart attack, 24 minutes,” Doo straightened up and turned on his heel towards where the mules were picketed.
“I can’t be ready in that little time,” Smythe whined.
“23 minutes,” Doo said over his shoulder.
For better or worse the caravan pulled out 27 minutes later leaving Bear Rogers laying where he had fallen.
Doo and Clancy had already been gone five minutes
I know it's been awhile since I posted a chapter, I'm going to do better over the summer. If you haven't read any of the other chapters please take a look at the past posts. Thanks for reading.
Cast of Characters
Roseanna Carter- narrator
Doolittle Carter-Extremely lucky frontiersman.
Janie Wolfe- Heroine, wise beyond her years, intuitive, follows her instincts
Roseanna McCallister- Heroine
Mighty Beaver- Delaware Warrior, funny sense of humor
Clancy Sinclair-Happy -go-lucky friend of Doolittle
Godfrey Smythe- Ferret faced cad
Richard McCallister- Roseanna's older brother
Bear Rogers- Thinks he's the toughest man on the frontier
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Cast of Characters
Roseanna Carter- narrator
Doolittle Carter-Extremely lucky frontiersman.
Janie Wolfe- Heroine, wise beyond her years, intuitive, follows her instincts
Roseanna McCallister- Heroine
Mighty Beaver- Delaware Warrior, funny sense of humor
Clancy Sinclair-Happy -go-lucky friend of Doolittle
Godfrey Smythe- Ferret faced cad
Richard McCallister- Roseanna's older brother
Bear Rogers- Thinks he's the toughest man on the frontier
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