He accepted it and took a swig before handing it back to Joe. "Maybe more than halfway to Dodge, I think. Still a while to go to Denver, though. That's the end of the line for us. What about you?"

"Oh, me and my nephew have a long ways to go yet." Gabby chuckles. "Headin' to Californy, we are. Over the Sierra Nevadas to the Maze, gonna try our luck pullin' Ghost Rock out o' the ground." He stretches, then pats the seat. "I been that way afore, you know. Way back when I was a damn sight younger. And lemme tell ya, this is goin' in style compared to what ya had to put up with then. Why, ya'll had to travel hundreds o' miles by hoof, or the heel-toe. Couldn't take a wagon across the mountains, no siree. No trails, you see, 'cept what the injuns had. Ain't modern convinces grand? This whole marvelous machine done pull our bones halfway 'cross the land in weeks instead o' months." he took another swig of his flask. "So, what d' you boys hope to find in Denver, if you don't mind me askin'?"

For the last hour, Morgan's attention had shifted between his copy of the Salina paper and the grassland passing outside the window. He had long felt a duty to study what the newspapers said regarding the events in Kansas. Although most newspaper writers' pronounced tendency toward exaggeration was a source of amusement to him, Morgan recognized that there were times when they would report a matter of importance, some outlawry that had escaped the notice of the law. The stories in the Salina paper were mercifully tame, mostly concerned with farming and high hopes for a strong harvest.

The tameness of the news had found him gazing out the window, silently marveling at how quickly the landscape rolled past. How many nights had he spent under the Kansas sky? The war and the years after. Always hunting. Despite the hardship, the land was comfortingly familiar. He had bled for it and seen other men yield their lives for it. And it hid secrets, things that Morgan earnestly wished he had never known. But for everything gained and lost, it was home.

Morgan folded the paper in his lap, listening to the men question how far they were from Dodge. The marshal had enjoyed the luxury of the ride, a rare trip that wasn't made on horseback. Gazing down the aisle, he frowned, realizing that one of the men conversing was someone of his acquaintance. A man he hadn't laid eyes on in nigh on two years.

He politely waited for a break in the miners' discussion before asking, "Gabby Clarke? Is that you, old timer?"

Gabby blinked at the familiar voice, looked up, and his face buried itself beneath the wrinkles of a beaming smile. "Why, Marshal Morgan! Hot damn, son, ain't seen you in a month o' Sundays!" He nudges the dog at his side to try and make a space, but the yellow lab gives him a lazy look and refuses to budge from her comfortable spot. He sighs, and holds out his flask. "Imagine seein' you here! You hopin' the James Gang pays us a visit so you can give 'em what for?"

"I thought you had the look o' the mines in you. Californy, eh? Ghost Rock...Hmmm...Well, maybe one day. Me and Bill is headin' to Black Hawk, down near Denver. Heard there's some silver minin' up there. Figured we'd get up there afore the big outfits snatch it all, and if we gotta work one of 'em if they're already taken." As Gabby entered into conversation with the man seated nearby, Joe let off, seeing as how the two men seemed to know each other.

The handsome man leaned across the table, shuffling his deck of cards, which seemed to be a habit of his. The deck had a slightly used look to them, though the bright red checkered surface on their backs didn't look overly worn. Randolph's fumble with the playing cards seemed to catch his eye. "Looks like they got a card game over there. I think I might go see if they'd mind another hand at the table." He gestured towards the table where Randolph and Coraline sat, just across the car.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:43, Tue 14 Aug 2012.

Jenny smiled prettily and shrugged. "I play cards with my husband sometimes, but not really all that much. I might come along and watch," she said. Just like that, she took the lead though, approaching the other table.

"Hello," she said, approaching Coraline and Randolph and favoring each of them with a bright smile. "I'm Jenny, and this is Darrel, and I think he wants to come play cards with you two. And I'd like to watch. Not much of a card player myself, although I do occasionally play a hand with my husband if he asks, though that hasn't happened in a while since he struck out for Denver, but now that he's settled I'm headed west to join him. Oh, sorry, we were talking about cards. Would you two mind a little company?"

Daniel had briefly been sitting apart from his uncle while Gabby had been dozing the miles away. His attention had briefly been captivated by a distant, shining, silvery ribbon that indicated a large stream or small river near the edge of his visual range.

His attention on the scenery wavered briefly as his uncle started making small talk with those around him, though his uncle was always making small talk with something, so his gaze returned to the picturesque Kansas countryside.

However, when he heard Caleb question Gabby, Dan left his seat and went over toward where the other men were. "Good ta see ya again, Caleb. What brings ya out this way? Chasin' down somebody that's done no good?"

Morgan accepted Clarke's flask, taking a sip before returning it. He smiled warmly when d'Alex greeted him. "It is truly good to see you both. It's a been a bit of a spell since I last saw some friendly faces."

He gently shakes his head in response to their questions. "I'm just headed to Dodge. No special reason. And I'm enjoying the fact that, for once, I'm not getting there on the back of a horse." He grins before adding, "'Course, in my line, Dodge is a place where there's always business to be done."

"Enough about me. What takes the two of you to Dodge City? You found some gold or ghost rock to chase, Gabby?"

"Well I surely wish you both well." Gabby says to Joe, who has clearly underestimated his ability to hold multiple conversations at once. "Trust me, you don't ever want to see the big outfits get hold o' everythin'. When you stake your claim, get it iron-clad. There's some snakes out there who'd steal it from ya afore you could blink, and I ain't talkin' 'bout regular claim jumpers, neither."

He takes his flask back from Caleb, caps it, and puts it away. "Oh, not yet. Just followin' my nose right now. The plan is to reach Lost Angels and head up the Maze from there. Heard tell a place called Gomorra's the center o' the Ghost Rock trade. Might be a destination to look up. But we might just reach the end of the Denver-Pacific line and head on through the Sierra Nevadas...I still know a few routes we can use to get through, if they ain't all been swallowed up by the Rail Barons."

Dan nodded at Gabby's response, "And I'm lookin' ta set up a barbershop wherever we land. Never was much one fer minin', but cuttin' hair, well, even the old ones that done lost their hair still need a shave and a friendly face ta chat with. Mebbe that'll be my own little gold mine. Or at least enough to make a livin'."

He paused for a couple moments, then turned the conversation back to Caleb, "So whatcha been up ta these past couple o' years?"

"Just what you'd expect, Daniel," Morgan replied, "Rounding up outlaws. Tryin' to keep the peace. Even having done this for years, the things that people will commit violence for still manages to surprise me. This country's got a long way to go before it's truly civilized."

Morgan glanced out the window. "I've never gotten as far as California. You fellas are much better traveled than I am. I think, for a long time, I honestly believed I'd never leave this territory. But of late, it seems I keep getting further and further from home. Did you two find California to your liking when you were there last? Heard there's a lot of odd business going on out that way."

Randolph regards the young woman and her companion with a friendly smile as he rises to his feet and tips his derby to Jenny, "My name is Randolph Darling. This is Miss Hawthorne.

"We were wondering if anyone might want to make up a game of whist." Turning to Coraline he asks, "What do you think?"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:26, Mon 13 Aug 2012.

Daniel shook his head, "I ne'er been to Californy like muh Uncle. Only heard all th' stories 'bout the gold paved streets." He turned a little and gave Gabby a wink before returning his gaze to Caleb. "Sounds like yer life has been fun though. Do ya think ya need some help with ne'er-do-wells in Dodge? You can count on Gabby an' I if ya do while we're in town. We're helpful sorts."

Dan nodded at his own proclamation of being helpful and then looked at Gabby for confirmation and a little more information on California itself.

Gabby grins. "Now, hold on there! Never went s'far as to say that, but when I first got there y'all could reach into the streams an' pick out nuggets the size o' your fist! 'course, that were during the early days. Took a mite more effort once the easy stuff was gone, but if'n a man knew what he was doin', and struck the right claim, well he could set hisself up right pretty. I spent the best years o' my life doin' just that. Things changed a bit when the quake come through, but I was up in the mountains, and I'll tell you, you ain't seen prettier peaks than the Sierra Nevadas. can't speak to weird stuff, though...you hear all kinds o' tall tales and such, but when you dig deep down in ANY place these days you hear o' weird stuff. Now, I like the Epitaph as much as the next fella but y'all need to take it with a grain o' salt. Good readin', but them folks is somewhat deranged."

he nods at Danial's pronouncement. "Sure enough! I know we're southern boys, supposed to be all in a twist whene'er the Yankees show up, wavin' the Stars 'n Bars and hollerin' 'Dixie' at the top o' our lungs, but hell, I didn't start this war, and law is law, no matter which side o' the M-D you're on. Y'all can count on us if you need help in Dodge. hopefully it won't come to that, but, well, they don't say 'git out o' Dodge' fer nothin, no they don't."

"I believe that Whist takes four, and if Jenny is inclined to watch rather than play, then we should pick another game, Mister Randolph.  I know how little you enjoy poker, but perhaps this gentleman could show us a thing or two about cards?"  She eyed Darrel appreciatively, giving a slight nod to the cards in his hands.  "What game do you favor, sir?  You seem like a poker player to me, if I ever saw one."

He politely waited for the torrent of words coming from Jenny to cease, and smiled genially at both Randolph and Coraline while they spoke, though his smile for the latter was definitely warmer. "It is most assuredly a pleasure to meet you both, Mr. Darling and Miss Hawthorne," he said, speaking with the languorous drawl of an aristocratic southerner. "As Mrs. Linkous has just informed you, I would indeed have some interest in a game of cards, if you wouldn't mind another hand at the table."

As he spoke, he shuffled a deck in his hands quite expertly, as if it were a habit for him. His clothing looked well made, with buttons that had a golden shine to them. "I must confess only a passing familiarity with whist and as the lovely Miss Hawthorne pointed out, Mrs. Linkous here isn't much for cards. But you are correct, ma'am - poker is certainly the game of choice for me. I wouldn't be so presumptuous to say that I could show y'all a thing or two about cards, though I do upon occasion have a good night," he said, lowering his voice a bit and tilting his eyes heavenward for a moment before bringing them back to level, "if the spirits favor me." He winked and then flashed a smile.

"Pardon my poor manners. I'm Darrel Parkins, but seeing as we're among friends, y'all can just call me Darrel."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:43, Tue 14 Aug 2012.

"You two'll be the first I call on if trouble comes," Morgan answered with a smile. "Are you two planning on staying in Dodge long? You have any business there, or are you just passing through?"

Daniel shrugged. "I don' know nobody in Dodge, but it'll be a nice place ta relieve muh bladder, stretch muh legs, and maybe get a drink 'r two while gittin' some sleep on somethin' that ain't movin' so much. Might get a chance ta visit the local barber ta catch up on th' town gossip. Mebbe I'll even git some interestin' news fer ya, Caleb. Course if Dodge is borin' or unwelcomin', well, we'll be gittin' outta Dodge soon enough, like Uncle Gabby says."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:03, Tue 14 Aug 2012.

"And I'm rather eager to be headin' on myself. Weren't plannin' on stayin' more than a day or two, rest up for the next leg o' the journey." Gabby says. A word from the other end of the car catches his attention, though. "Say, would you mind excusin' me for jest a moment? Sounds like someone's organizing a game over there...I figger I might try my luck for a few hands." He stands, and nods over to Caleb and Danial. "I'll catch up with you in a bit. Good evenin'."

he heads over to the seat with the card players. "'Scuse me. Hi. I don't mean to intrude none, but did I hear you folk say you was plannin' a friendly game o' poker? If I'm buttin' in where I ain't wanted, well, I can just mosey off back the way I come, but if'n you folk are looking for another fella, well, I knows a thing or two 'bout cards and wouldn't mind a play to pass the evenin'."

"Well, hello, mister!" she said, greeting Gabby with a smile, and then began talking again. Jenny seemed to have a friendly and infectious manner, even if she was prone to talking a lot. Gabby might finally have met someone who shares his penchant for being voluble. "I think they're going to start a game here, but I'm not sure yet because they haven't really decided but they're talking about it. Mr. Darling over here wanted to play a game called whist, which I haven't really heard about - but they need four people for that, so maybe they can play now. I don't play much in the way of cards, you see. My husband taught me about poker, though I'm not very good at it. But Mr. Parkins and Miss Hawthorne both seem to know about poker, and so do you, so maybe that makes a game of that too, if everyone wants to do that."

Randolph extends a hand to the older man, "I'm Randolph Darling, pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. --"

"I ain't heard o' whist afore, but I reckon I'm up for anythin'" Gabby says to the woman. "Heck, I played a lot o' strange games in my day, and I'm eager to learn. Once played poker with some Chinese who had some odd rules--you drew 13 cards and had to split your hand up into 3 piles, and bettin' was done on all three hands. Very strategic, it was, though I dunno if it was real rules or just some men having fun with a foreigner."

He shakes the offered hand with a grin. "Pleased to meet ya, Randy. I'm Gabriel Clarke, but most everyone calls me Gabby, and I'd take it as a kindness if you do the same."

Cora had to smile at the old coot's nickname for Randolph.  She patted the seat next to her for Darrel to take, wanting to keep a better eye on him as they played.  His flash was false enough, but she wanted to know why.  "Well, welcome over Mister Clarke.  I'm Coraline Hawthorne, but you may call me Cora, if you like.  Everyone usually does."  She made sure that her warm smile included Darrel as well.  "Please sit and we can play a hand or two.  Darrel, would you like to shuffle up and deal or shall I?"

Darrel was never one to need a second invitation to sit next too a beautiful woman. He slid casually into the seat without appearing to be over eager. He slid his deck of playing cards back into his inside jacket pocket and spread his palms. "Ladies first, Cora," he said, gesturing to Coraline indicating that she should begin.

"Shall we make a little friendly wager, just to keep things interesting?"