Hardly Quicksilver Jones

 

 

Hardly Quicksilver Jones was not a cowboy per se, although he did live primarily in the west. His half-brother, Mostly Mercury ran his Ranch. Their father had an oddball sense of humor. Their youngest brother escaped their Dad's naming, because his momma gave birth when he was off hunting. He is Joshua Micheal Jones. Hardly  goes by H.Q. Jones. Mercury goes by M.M. Jones. Josh is Josh. 

 

Hardly tried to keep up with the current times. The railroad was almost completed. California was becoming a real state. Everything was changing. He was a bounty hunter, or had been most of his life. He was successful. That is how they had money to run the ranch. It was almost paying for itself now, and with the railroad able to take goods to market quickly, they would continue to do well. 

 

But, he had one last pesky problem to deal with. Delmar and Rance Fuller. They had been unhappy when he captured and turned over their brother, Lester to the law for hanging. They took it real personal.

 

Lester had grabbed up the sheriff's daughter and had his way with her. And, when she started screaming he backhanded her so hard she fell wrong and broke her neck. His reasoning was that Clemmie was an Indian and therefore was up for grabs.

 

There was one punishment for rape, the same one as for killing. You hang from the neck until dead. His brothers are of the opinion that they can do as they please without consequences. They also believe that Hardly is the one to blame for their brother's death.

 

Hardly talked with the sheriff who gave him the okay to shoot to kill, as those two boys had  taken several potshots at him and his brothers already. Hardly rarely had to shoot anyone with the intention of killing them, but, he was a very good shot. He knew they were near.

 

All the years of hunting bad guys down had grown him a third eye so to speak. He felt being watched as a real thing. And he listened to it and believed in it.

 

His brothers and him had set small traps all over the ranch. They did not like using them on wild animals, but they did not mind using them on those two varmints. They both had prices on their heads like their brother. 

 

Delmar had shot a man in a saloon in Mesquite for staring at him too long. He shot him right in the eyeball, and that killed him dead.  He finished his drink and left. No one followed him. The thought occurred to him, that they all appreciated that he was in a bad mood.

 

Rance was quiet, but just as mean. His brothers eclipsed him in raising a fuss. Rance told you once to do something and then shot you if you didn't follow his instructions. No yelling at all.

 

Lester was the odd one. Well, they all were odd, but he was odder still. When he was ten, he decided he wanted fancy snakeskin boots  like he had seen in the general store once. So, he went to a vipers nest and got him six of them, cut their heads off, and proceeded to skin them, and never got bitten. An old miner made him the boots. But he made him swear he wouldn't bother the vipers again.

 

When the lad was thirteen, he discovered girls. He found out about "ladies of the evening". He also found out that you had to give them money. So, he walked up to the owner of the "Silver Spur" Cleveland Whitlock, and asked him what chore could he do to earn a poke?

Cleveland was so surprised that he said he would give him the first one for free. But after that, he would have to empty all the slop jars twice a day, every day for a week, to earn the next one.

 

Little Lester met Tillie and she took care of him. Then, he learned how to take care of her. After a few months of this he got the idea that she should just be his. At thirteen years old he was already six feet tall and fully developed. Tillie liked his visits. 

 

However, Cleveland told him that all the girls belonged to him. His friends surrounded Lester and held him down. Cleveland told him he was no longer welcome here, and would be shot on site if he ever came through the door.

 

As you might expect, Lester took offense at that, and that night he broke his word to the miner. He went back and got some viper snakes and put them in Mr. Whitlocks bed. The new owner let him see Tillie every time he came by. 

 

Tillie moved away quietly when Lester was fifteen. Lucky for her he never found her. Lester continued to raise hell until at the age of nineteen when he raped and then killed the sheriff's Indian daughter.

 

Hardly was tasked as a personal favor by the sheriff to track him down. It took him two months, but he found him across the border in Mexico. In the town of Miguel,you give the head honcho of the town his fee, and he lets you snatch up all the bad guys you want without any fuss, they didn't like Lester anyway. He was way too rough on the ladies. And broke up too many cantinas. He cost them money.

 

So, without much ado, Hardly walked into the cantina, and paid the accordion player and banjo picker to play as loudly as they could. He crept quietly up the stairs and busted in on Lester. He knocked him in the head to daze him. Then he tied his hands up, and led him to his three horses. One for him, one for Lester and one for carrying various goods. His brothers were waiting across the border in San Diego. Then, home to San Louis Rey. These days, it is an hour-long trip. Back then, three days. They took it easy, and took turns being on point.

 

They tied Lester cross ways over the horse, like a butchered steer, and threw a blanket over him for the ride into town. They wanted no fuss. And, the hanging went off without a hitch. The tree in front of the  Church did just fine. Two weeks later his brothers came into town and started raising hell.

 

You would think that the boys would have shot the sheriff for hanging Lester. But, he guessed the sheriff got a ride because Lester killed his daughter. They announced to all and sundry that Hardly Quicksilver Jones was going to pay! 

Hardly and his brothers had moved the cattle to the caverns for cover so that the Fuller brothers would not shoot them up out of spite. They had made several hidden bunkers on their property with water, food, guns and ammunition. They felt prepared.  

 

Late Tuesday, the Fuller boys came riding in hooping and hollering and shooting. Mostly shot Rance right between the eyes. Hardly and  Josh both shot Delmar. Josh got him in the shoulder, and Hardly shot him in the head. Well, that took all of five minutes. The boys were kind of disappointed to tell you the truth.  

 

But,they decided to leave the bunkers stocked for a while, in case they had cousins. The sheriff asked Hardly if he would be his replacement for sheriff, as he wanted to leave all these memories behind him. He talked it over with his brothers, and it was decided that Mostly was a better choice. Besides, Hardly could not be a bounty hunter and a sheriff. And being a bounty hunter pays better.