especially trying since the drivers and guards, as well as the men passengers, naturally saw no reason to be modest around Kit.
Taking care of her own needs had also presented problems from time to time, because she could not let anyone see her. It took some doing, and a lot of anxiety, but she had managed.
“Hey, boy,” Hank called as she slipped behind a bush. “You ain’t got to be ashamed around us. We don’t care if you got a little pecker.”
Soon , she told herself, soon all the pretense will be over .
“You think we’ll make Tombstone by dark?” Hank asked Rufus.
Rufus grunted. “We could if we had horses instead of mules. Mules can’t cover eight miles an hour like horses, especially stubborn old bags like these. Right now I just want to get through Dragoon Pass. I’ve heard a band of renegade Chiricahua are holed up in the mountains around there.”
“But there hasn’t been any trouble around here lately. It’s them Mescalero Apache over in New Mexico.”
Rufus allowed that was so but said he would not rest easy till they got through the Dragoons and reached the home station on the other side. From there, he anticipated an easy ride to Tombstone. “And if we’re lucky, they’ll have replacements waiting for us there. Lord knows, I’m worn out.”
He called to Kitty as she came out of the bushes. “Boy, you get back on top with me. I know you’re a paying passenger, and I ain’t got no right to ask you to help out, but I’ll feel better with three pairs of eyes watching for Injuns instead of just two.”
Kitty did not mind. Actually she preferred being up top to know what was going on. She also had confidence in her ability to use a gun and, if the truth be known, figured she was probably a better shot than either of the men.
When they were rolling again, with Hank covering the rear, Rufus said, “I’m probably worryin’ for nothin’. I’ve been through the pass a hundred times and never run up on an Injun. But I’m still not taking any chances.”
He talked on, and Kitty listened. His tales, though sometimes horrifying and oft repeated, helped pass the time. She was also learning things about her new world.
Still, her mind drifted to thoughts of Tombstone, what kind of life she might make for herself there, and how she would try to find the gold. The piece of map was well hidden. She had put it in the bib pouch of her overalls, then sewn it shut. But, without the other part, it might be worthless, which, she cynically decided, was probably the only reason Opal Grimes had sent it to her.
Kitty wondered if her uncle and Opal had been in love with each other. She hoped they had, because then Opal would be more inclined to help her till she got on her feet. If the strike could not be found, then she was going to soon run out of what little money she had left.
She wondered if she could find work on a ranch without having to pretend to be a boy, but the stock tenders she had seen at the swing and home stations were all men. And so far she hadn’t seen a woman who looked like she could tend a horse, anyway. They all dressed so feminine, in fancy gowns with lots of lace and ruffles and bonnets with silk ribbons.
As if he sensed she was pondering the future, Rufus asked, “So what are you going to do in Tombstone? Look for gold like everybody else? You ain’t big enough to be a carpenter.”
She gave a shrug. “Work on a ranch, I suppose.”
“Then you’re headed to the wrong place, boy. Ain’t no ranches around Tombstone. It’s a boomtown, full of prospectors and hell-raisers. You might find work at a livery stable shovelin’ shit, though,” he said with a snicker. “Or at a corral. Other’n workin’ as a store clerk or carpenter, there ain’t many jobs. Now if you was a woman, it’d be different.”
She tried to appear only mildly interested. “How’s that?”
“Oh, you could make money lots of ways. The gambling halls hire women to deal cards. And if a gal
Taking care of her own needs had also presented problems from time to time, because she could not let anyone see her. It took some doing, and a lot of anxiety, but she had managed.
“Hey, boy,” Hank called as she slipped behind a bush. “You ain’t got to be ashamed around us. We don’t care if you got a little pecker.”
Soon , she told herself, soon all the pretense will be over .
“You think we’ll make Tombstone by dark?” Hank asked Rufus.
Rufus grunted. “We could if we had horses instead of mules. Mules can’t cover eight miles an hour like horses, especially stubborn old bags like these. Right now I just want to get through Dragoon Pass. I’ve heard a band of renegade Chiricahua are holed up in the mountains around there.”
“But there hasn’t been any trouble around here lately. It’s them Mescalero Apache over in New Mexico.”
Rufus allowed that was so but said he would not rest easy till they got through the Dragoons and reached the home station on the other side. From there, he anticipated an easy ride to Tombstone. “And if we’re lucky, they’ll have replacements waiting for us there. Lord knows, I’m worn out.”
He called to Kitty as she came out of the bushes. “Boy, you get back on top with me. I know you’re a paying passenger, and I ain’t got no right to ask you to help out, but I’ll feel better with three pairs of eyes watching for Injuns instead of just two.”
Kitty did not mind. Actually she preferred being up top to know what was going on. She also had confidence in her ability to use a gun and, if the truth be known, figured she was probably a better shot than either of the men.
When they were rolling again, with Hank covering the rear, Rufus said, “I’m probably worryin’ for nothin’. I’ve been through the pass a hundred times and never run up on an Injun. But I’m still not taking any chances.”
He talked on, and Kitty listened. His tales, though sometimes horrifying and oft repeated, helped pass the time. She was also learning things about her new world.
Still, her mind drifted to thoughts of Tombstone, what kind of life she might make for herself there, and how she would try to find the gold. The piece of map was well hidden. She had put it in the bib pouch of her overalls, then sewn it shut. But, without the other part, it might be worthless, which, she cynically decided, was probably the only reason Opal Grimes had sent it to her.
Kitty wondered if her uncle and Opal had been in love with each other. She hoped they had, because then Opal would be more inclined to help her till she got on her feet. If the strike could not be found, then she was going to soon run out of what little money she had left.
She wondered if she could find work on a ranch without having to pretend to be a boy, but the stock tenders she had seen at the swing and home stations were all men. And so far she hadn’t seen a woman who looked like she could tend a horse, anyway. They all dressed so feminine, in fancy gowns with lots of lace and ruffles and bonnets with silk ribbons.
As if he sensed she was pondering the future, Rufus asked, “So what are you going to do in Tombstone? Look for gold like everybody else? You ain’t big enough to be a carpenter.”
She gave a shrug. “Work on a ranch, I suppose.”
“Then you’re headed to the wrong place, boy. Ain’t no ranches around Tombstone. It’s a boomtown, full of prospectors and hell-raisers. You might find work at a livery stable shovelin’ shit, though,” he said with a snicker. “Or at a corral. Other’n workin’ as a store clerk or carpenter, there ain’t many jobs. Now if you was a woman, it’d be different.”
She tried to appear only mildly interested. “How’s that?”
“Oh, you could make money lots of ways. The gambling halls hire women to deal cards. And if a gal
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