It is better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool!” –Ecclesiastes 7:5 (NLT)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It’s amazing what a difference a week makes. Most of the snow is gone except the snow banks and in the shadows. But my, oh my, the roads are a mess. Muck, slush, horse droppings, mud; Leon Castillo and his boys have been busy cleaning up the best they can. Mateo convinced the city fathers to hire them to clean up the streets. Normally they would do it every other day, however they have been at it steady for the last couple days. I think I’ll drop by to see Parker and Newsome urging them to give them a bonus. They are working hard for the Lord only knows when the next snow will come. It’s only the first of February and there’ll be plenty more before the season is up.
The diner has been exceptionally busy for some reason. Molly has been coming in to work every morning to make pies and work the morning rush allowing Marta to stay home with the baby until around ten. Lola has been working full time and has been joined by Mateo’s niece, Mona. Emelda is the main cook with Molly only helping with pies and other baked goods. She has refrained from making anything else to sell not wanting to start a rivalry with the Williamson’s bakery. Theresa Williamson is the owner, a widow woman with two girls who help her. I want to say that she makes some delicious cream puffs. I stop in whenever I visit Floyd’s barbershop. Old Floyd DePoy has been cutting hair and shaving men since I’ve been in Durango.
The Feeneys have been working well and staying in the jail at night. They’ve been helping Norm Street bring in wood , cutting it, and helping to deliver it to folks in town. There’s talk of bringing in coal. That will save on cutting down the timber; folks need to remember that it takes some time to replenish what has been cut. The mountains up around Silverton and Telluride are bare, the timber being cut for buildings and for use in the mines.
Mateo and Lucas would switch out duties every four days. The two men could barely cover the town by themselves anymore and Lucas was just now coming on as full time deputy. Charlie was gone over half the time with his duties as sheriff; in fact, he was out of town now riding to Mancos. The road to Telluride was still closed, but as soon as it was open he would be traveling there. The telegraph was still open and he was sent notifications by the justice of the peace that several eviction notices were ready for him to serve. Knowing Charlie, he might be dragging his feet there a bit waiting until the hard winter was over before serving those notices.
Lucas was working the night shift. He would come on at ten and work a twelve hour shift. I had worked it out with Mateo to make the rounds with Lucas at night, then first thing in the morning. Help him out, sort of guide him. He was good, a quick learner, and after I left Molly at the diner I went to meet him at the jail. He was taking a final sip of coffee when I entered the office.
“One thing about being cold, Senor Marshal, it keeps the rats from coming out of their el pozo,” he said with a laugh. “Course there is old Muggins who would start something just so he could have a warm jail to sleep in at night and some biscuits and gravy for breakfast.”
I smiled, I knew that Mateo and Charlie both let Theodore Muggins sleep in the jail. He was a broken down, once successful miner, who had gone to the dogs. Wife died and daughter died in a fire that Muggins thought was his fault. He’s slowly drinking himself to death, and I reckon one of these cold winter mornings we’ll find him in some alley frozen stiff.
While Lucas was putting on his coat I glanced back in the cell room. The Feeney brothers were sleeping soundly. They had made quite a change in their demeanor, especially Mort. “Lord, protect us,” I prayed as we went out the door.
“Do you always pray, Senor, when we walk the town?” asked Lucas sincerely.
“Always,” I responded, “if not audibly at least in my mind.”
“It is good that you do. El Dios is excellente, and it is good to have Him walk with us.”
We had just come back from checking the cantina and small market in the barrio. Looked in to see a light on in Moss Vexler’s livery. He would be heating the forge up for Vinnie Scarbo the blacksmith who didn’t come in until eight. We had crossed the street from the livery. I stopped a moment to kick some slush off my boot when a shot chipped the corner of the building sending a splinter into my arm. Lucas stepped up against the building, I fell to the ground in the muck and slush. Lucas had his pistol out, while I was pointing the Greener up the street from where the shot came.
“You okay, Senor Miles?” sounded a concerned Lucas.
Gray light was now upon us. We stayed still for several minutes, then I muttered, “I’m going up the street for a looksee. You follow behind me to the other side.”
Crouching I took a step up the street, then another moving slowly. There had been too much traffic so I couldn’t see any fresh tracks. I was up by Vexler’s corral, and I took another step…