{"id":130,"date":"2021-06-15T08:42:52","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T08:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.novelty-fiction.com\/gazette\/?p=130"},"modified":"2021-06-15T08:42:52","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T08:42:52","slug":"roman-trend-headed-due-west-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novelty-fiction.com\/gazette\/roman-trend-headed-due-west-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Roman Trend &#8211; Headed Due West Way"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/s4.hubimg.com\/u\/4038459_f260.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cray Boys were taking it nice and slow in Sandbar, near the Forth Wolls \nmountain range. They sat alongside the rails, their mood getting more and more \ntoxic as the day went along. Jump on that train and it\u2019s straight down the wire, \ndue west.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This they did. When Steamy Mary came huffing and puffing from afar, they got \non their feet; their undernourished bodies swaying a bit with fatigue under the \nblistering Sun. The freight train was moving ever so slowly, that\u2019s how it \nappeared, and they started running in parallel with the tracks feeling pretty \nconfident they\u2019d be fine jumping on. Only when the train passed them did they \nrealize how fit the \u201cbloody Mary\u201d was in her old age, she was rolling about \ntwice as fast as they could run. They jumped on haphazardly, landing themselves \nshoulders first on the bare wooden floor of one of the last wagons, knees \nbloodied and pants torn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the next several days, Gregory sits and stretches out besides Wilmar all \nthe way. They are hungry and sleepy. Sing about every morning and night to hold \nhopes up, even play the odd old harmonica as the Sun sets behind these \ntime-tested mountains. Dusty trails fly by, sometimes slow rivers are \nflowing.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/s1.hubimg.com\/u\/4038464_f260.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The banker sat out front in the first class compartment, smoking expensive \ncigars, drinking three-star whiskey, and playing cards with his associates and \nany well-to-do stranger willing to join. It\u2019s not that he was a better player \nthan most \u2013 he wasn\u2019t \u2013 but his deep pockets gave him the firepower to go on \nplaying for hours and hours until he won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Jefferson despised cheaters, but not as passionately as he hated winners \nwho quit when their pockets were full. \u201cThem venom spitting snakes,\u201d he\u2019d \nsay.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not coincidentally, Gregory and Wilmar were headed for the same place as the \nbanker and his entourage: The well-developed pioneer town of Alberqerque, New \nMexico. The two drifters had been all ears when they heard about some odd jobs \nthey\u2019d like to look into. Mr. Jefferson resided and worked in the town, where he \nwas a member of \u201cpolite society\u201d \u2013 a better class of people who weren\u2019t always \nvery friendly or courteous. Had he known the Cray Boys were on the train, he \ncould have changed their lives forever simply by waving of a hand, had he wanted \nto. He hadn\u2019t a clue how many blind passengers there were on Steamy Mary; his \nsubconscious mind sensed there were at least ten, but he didn\u2019t care either way. \nThe banker rested well in his seat knowing that for him safety was assured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cray Boys weren\u2019t safe. Food was scarce and had been so for a long time, \nas their marked facial features revealed. How to get the next meal was a joke \nthey could laugh at hysterically for a long time, even though their \nundernourished bellies kept aching.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was really strong once, when I was young!\u201d Wilmar often said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYeah, like 5 weeks ago, buddy?\u201d his friend retorted. \u201cWe had it good in them \nold days, didn\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh yeah, I guess,\u201d Wilmar would respond without confidence. He was close to \ngiving up hope; if it hadn\u2019t been for his friend, he might well have been dead \nalready. They\u2019d gone four days straight without food, and he had been whining a \ngood deal about wanting to die, except his pal wouldn\u2019t let him and kept \nslapping his face to keep him awake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a chunk of beef, bro!\u201d Gregory would tease. \u201cRight down the hatch it \ngoes!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh, don\u2019t torment me like that! I\u2019ll never live to set foot in New \nMexico.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSure you will, brother. Days getting much better straight ahead!\u201d<br><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/s3.hubimg.com\/u\/4038474_f260.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p> \n\nSource: By Calistemon\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not really. Money men, very good at what they were doing, had been busy \nspreading rumors that Alberqerque\u2019s economy was glowing hot, there were lots of \nvacant jobs for everyone, and those who proved themselves trustworthy could get \nwork in the gold streams for a 50-50 split. Self-proclaimed millionaires were \ntraveling around to major cities, signing up investors and recruits, spreading \nthe word with fanatical energy. They used posters, speeches, demonstrations, \nmouth-to-mouth to spread their lies. The ensuing gold rush was like a disease \nwhich infested a town so recently known for its placidity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Jefferson sometimes went to visit the local sheriff at the county jail, \nwhere he got to personally meet a good many treasure hunters, drifters, and what \nhe called \u201ccow-ards.\u201d He deliberately put emphasis on \u201ccow,\u201d which usually made \npeople laugh the first time they heard this joke. He also called some men \n\u201ccowgirls\u201d and \u201ccow lickers\u201d to their face, something the banker felt safe doing \nbecause of the thick bars that separated him from them. His deputies had heard \nthese jokes too often, but they looked down on the inmates with a vengeance and \nhappily accepted their boss\u2019 repetitive and inelegant style.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDarn be them rumors!\u201d the sheriff would say. \u201cWhen Judge Simmons and I find \nout who those money men are, we\u2019ll see to it that they are hung by the \nneck!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHumph-yeah!\u201d Mr. Jefferson would laugh, pretty sure it was a lie. The judge \nand the sheriff knew damned well who was behind the rumors, but were doing \nabsolutely nothing about it, because those two were on the take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Business was good in the town, because a man always needs a bed for the \nnight, something to eat, and new clothes for the job. There was the county jail \nfor those who couldn\u2019t afford to pay for such things, taking to stealing and \nrobbing instead. Crime had skyrocketed, and Sheriff Karlson\u2019s jail was \noverfilled with an average of 2.5 men in every cell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/s2.hubimg.com\/u\/4038465_f520.jpg\" alt=\"The Cray Boys in their Heyday\"\/><\/figure>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cray Boys were taking it nice and slow in Sandbar, near the Forth Wolls mountain range. They sat alongside the rails, their mood getting more and more toxic as the day went along. Jump on that train and it\u2019s straight down the wire, due west. This they did. When Steamy Mary came huffing and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-transparent-header":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-quarterly-magazine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novelty-fiction.com\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novelty-fiction.com\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novelty-fiction.com\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novelty-fiction.com\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novelty-fiction.com\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novelty-fiction.com\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novelty-fiction.com\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novelty-fiction.com\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novelty-fiction.com\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}