Daniel turned toward Coraline, "I'd be happy ta carry yer things an' get 'em loaded up, ma'am. Jus' lemme know what's yers an' I'll see to it. I gotta bedroll ya can cover yerself with if ya don' have a blanket of yer own."

He clapped Caleb on the shoulder, and then got up onto his horse that he had lead up there. "I know you folks are gettin' in late and probably gonna need a place to stay. I don't know if y'all have been there before, but I can recommend the Dodge House. The doors lock and it seems they actually change the sheets. Thus allowing for both privacy and the freedom from wondering what slept in the room before you. I don't know about you, but I prefer my rest to be uninterrupted. Fella that owns the place is kin to me, Jake Phelps. He'll give you a good rate if you mention we worked together. Used to do some lawin' himself, back in the day, so he takes kindly to that."

The Kinsley marshal looked over at the buckboard. "Where you gonna keep him overnight?"

Morgan nodded at Darling's request. "I'd be proud to have you come along, Mr. Darling. Brave men like you are hard to find."

Morgan smiled at Phelps. "I'll have Daniel check his dressings before everyone retires and chain him to a bedpost, if that's what it comes to," Morgan tells him. "But I doubt it will. There'll be someone associated with the local law I'll be able to wake up. We'll get him in a cell before dawn."

Tipping his hat to Phelps, Morgan set off to retrieve his horse. Leading the animal back to the buckboard, he climbed into the saddle. Looking to Clarke, he asked, "You ready to set out, Gabby?"

"I need to hitch Bessie to the buckboard...can't leave her behind." Gabby says, heading over to the livestock car.

He returns, tugging at the reigns of a very stubborn mule. "Come on, Bessie..." He cajoles. "We done gotta be goin' now."

"That's very kind of you, Mister d'Alex.  Let me show you where my trunks are located.  I'm sure a strong man like yourself will have little trouble moving them."  She smiled at Phelps as she passed.  "Thank you for your assistance, Marshal, and the information about the boarding house.  I detest sleeping in filth."  Heading back to the train, she followed the other passengers to the baggage car.

Randolph recovers his duster from Coraline with a tip of his hat. He gives the brakeman two bits to carry his trunk from the baggage car to the wagon and lash it tightly, stowing his Gladstone bag beside it (with his Gatling pistol inside). Once Coraline's luggage is aboard, Randolph clambers over the tailboard and perches atop his trunk, holding tightly to the lashing.

Daniel gave Randolph a slightly suprised look, "Coulda carried yer stuff too, Mister Darlin'." With a shrug he checked how well fastened everything was. He took a couple of minutes to check the dressings on the prisoner and then went to retrieve Jacque from where he had been impatiently waiting in the railcar.

The chestnut stallion shook his head from side-to-side as Daniel led him toward where his uncle was hitching the mule to the buckboard. He climbed atop Jacques in a few easy movements. He gave a nod to his uncle, "Ready whenever ya are, Uncle."

Gabby collects his gear, his mule, and his faithful dog, and gets settled in the driver's seat after tying his mule to the side.

Clementine hops up into the Buckboard and sits by Radcliffe, snarling gently.

"Right!" He says, taking up the reigns.

A couple hours past midnight, the small caravan of buckboards and horses made its way to Dodge City, carrying most of the passengers that had been scheduled to arrive earlier that night by way of the Union Blue railroad. They had followed the railroad tracks on their way in to avoid getting lost in the dark, and to take the most direct route, and the journey was far less problematic than the one by train had been. Late at night, the town seemed to be fairly dead, though as they pulled up by the Railroad Depot, some light spilled out from the shutters of the Occident Saloon across the street and the sounds of merriment, intoxication and some drunken singing drifted out into the night.

Radcliffe had come to not long before their arrival, but bound and gagged as he had been left, his contribution to the remainder of the evening had been marginal. Clutching a letter given them by the Union Blue guards, one of the Kinsley men that had driven the other wagons wandered up to the doors of the depot and knocked to collect the remainder of the payment promised for the drop.

"Well, I suppose it's time to find somewhere to sleep," Jenny said, approaching the others. As had been amply evidenced on the way over here, the press of the evening's events combined with the late hour had been insufficient to quell the loquacious nature of Jenny Lynn Linkous.

"I just thought I should thank you all one more time for not letting that man take me out of the train earlier. That would have been most unfortunate indeed. Where are you all staying? How long are you going to be in town? I suppose till whenever they can get the next train in, which I guess depends on how long it takes them to fix up the one we were just on. I really hope my next train ride doesn't go as badly as that one did."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:21, Tue 11 Dec 2012.

"Well, ma'am, you don't have to worry none about the big fella." Gabby says. "He ain't gonna be gettin' up again 'til Judgement Day, and the fella that turned him all crazified is gonna be stuck in jail fer the rest o' his days." He absently kicks Radcliffe in his wounded leg. "Unless they decide to hang him, which wouldn't bother me none."

He yawns a bit, no doubt thanks to the lateness of the hour, but like Mrs. Linkous his own chatterbox was still wound up. "I reckon me an' Danial will be around town a couple days...I suspect I'd like to take a gander at that sitiation in Hays, if Marshal Morgan needs a deputy or two when he heads out that way. Eventually we'll have to move on, though...Californey's still a long, long ways off."

"We passed that Dodge House place on the way over here. I think I'm going to go see about a room. I overheard Marshal Phelps mention that they've got clean rooms over there, or something like that. I think that's the kind of place I need to stay. Well, maybe I'll see you folks around town. Who knows, maybe we'll even be on the same train once you all are ready to leave this place! Unless you're staying in which case probably not, but it would be lovely to have some familiar faces around whenever it's time for me to leave to Denver. Well, anyhow...thanks again, and goodnight!"

With that, Jenny went to make her goodbyes to the miners and the card player, before making her way down the street towards the Dodge House.

"I'm going to ride a little further into town," Morgan told Gabby. "See if I can find someone to help us get Radcliffe in a cell."

The weariness of the eventful day had settled on Morgan. Sleep would be welcome, but not until his prisoner was secure. Morgan urged his mount forward toward the heart of the city, in search of assistance.

Gabby nods. "Sounds good. I'll wait here and watch him, then find a place to stay once we get him settled."

He tips his hat to Mrs. Linkous. "Well, ma'am, it was a pleasure makin' your acquaintance, and I surely do hope our paths cross again."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:34, Tue 11 Dec 2012.

Daniel frowned momentarily. "Marshal Phelps said the Dodge House'd be a good one fer us as well. Somethin' bout Jake Phelps ownin' the place and bein' kin ta him. If ya think ya can watch the one-leg prisner without me I c'n walk with Missus Linkous an see 'bout gettin' us all some rooms." He waited to see if Gabby was amenable to such and if the others had anything to say.

From his perch on his trunk overlooking the prisoner, Randolph says, "Mr. d'Alex, I would be greatly obliged if you would get a room for me and one for Miss Hawthorne." He digs a ten-dollar gold eagle from his pocket and hands it down to Daniel.

"Cora, perhaps you would want to walk down to the hotel with Mr. d'Alex and Mrs. Linkous. Mr. Clarke and I will be along with the luggage once we've seen to the jugging of Radcliffe here. There's no point in you sitting here in the chill. It's been an exhausting night."

In reply to Daniel d'Alex (msg # 66):

Gabby nods. "That sounds good, and I thank you, Mr. Darlin', fer helpin' me watch him."

Coraline nodded at Randolph's suggestion.  "Yes, I think I will head for the boarding house and see about obtaining rooms."  It had been a very long, uncomfortable night and she was more than ready for a good night's sleep.  Sidling up to Daniel, she slid her arm in his.  "You don't mind me walking with you, do you Mister d'Alex?"

Daniel smiled broadly at Coraline, "I'd be delighted if ya did, ma'am." His arm naturally moved up slightly so that she could curl hers about the crook of his elbow, while his other hand grasped Jacque's reins.  "Hope ya don't mind walkin' with Jock as well. He gots ta get a place, too."

He took a few steps, his pace slow enough to match whatever Coraline found comfortable, "Mebbe ya could tell me a bit 'bout yerself an' where yer from while we walk. I dunno hardly nuthin 'bout ya, 'cept yer good at cards. Speakin' o' which, are ya lookin' fer a game here in Dodge? I c'n stop by the barbershop tamorra an' see if there's any good game in town. People'r always chattin' with their barber. They don'tell 'em everythin', but they tell 'em somethin'." It sounded more profound in his head than it did after it passed through this lips. He shrugged and peered at Coraline's face to see if she would respond or just laugh at him. He tried his level best to ignore Jacque whickering over Daniel's other shoulder.

She smiled at Daniel as they strolled toward the boarding house, not at all bothered by the pace he set.  "Oh, I am always up for a card game, Mister d'Alex."  Her voice dropped a fraction.  "And I don't mind visiting less than reputable establishments to find one.  If you hear of anything interesting happening, do let me know."

"I'm from New York, though have visited Europe a time or two.  My father has passed, but my mother still lives in New York City.  Exactly what else would you like to know about me?  I'm sure my life is fairly uneventful up to this point by comparison.  It sounds as if your and your uncle have traveled around quite a bit."

When Bessie whinnies at Jock down the street, Darling says, "That's a mighty fine mule, you got, Mr. Clarke. I never knew an animal so patient. Trudging all that way from the train and a water trough just down the block, she's got to be thirsty, but she's not even tugging at her lead.

"Yep, mighty fine mule."

Gabby gives Danial a faint smile as he and Cora walk off arm in arm. "Good on you, boy." He says quietly, and slips into a fond remembrance of a long-ago romance of his own.

His revere is broken by Randolph's Comment. "Huh?" If there was one thing folks didn't normally call Bessie, it was "patient." Mighty fine perhaps, but patience wasn't high on Bessie's virtues. It did seem like there was a faint tug there, come to think of it, but Gabby searched his soul a little and found he did not trust Mr. Darling. Not enough that he wanted to leave Mr. Darling alone with the prisoner, at any rate.

"I reckon you're right about that. Say, you wanna lead her to the trough? I reckon I can watch Radcliffe long enough by my lonesome. I doubt he'd get very far."

Randolph smiled faintly at the coot. "Never been much good with animals, myself. I'd probably spook her somehow and you'd have to chase her across the prairie.

"I'm glad to keep a close eye on this desperado though, while you take care of her needs. Yessir, mighty fine animal. Deserves good treatment."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:21, Thu 13 Dec 2012.

"I thought as much." Gabby says. "You all ain't as slick as you like to think ya are, Mr. Darling, and I reckon I don't feel inclined to mosey away and let you do whatever it is you were plannin' to do while my back was turned."

"Suit yourself, Mr. Clarke. I think that's the Marshall coming back with the local law."