OLD DEADWOOD DAYS (Tales of the Soiled Doves)
Chapter Seven
The Day The Blondes Descended On Deadwood (part three)
“You woulda liked the public bath house, Bill. I remember how you always took pride in how you looked. You and Charlie both. Well, Doc Babcock set up the bath house out back behind Star & Bullock’s Hardwares on Main Street. I guess he worked out some kinda deal with them because he got Sol Star to put in four wooden bathtubs and a stove to heat the water. Of course, they weren’t free baths. Anyone who used ‘em had to pay.” “Clean water, fifteen cents. Hot water, ten cents extra. But we ain’t got no hot water.”
The grizzled old man sat on a wooden stool by the bath house door, his homemade crutch by his feet. Well, it wasn’t really a door, more like a canvas flap. He scratched his scraggly white beard, never raising his eyes to look at the mud-covered blonde standing in front of him. He just repeated in a sing-song voice what he said to anyone who came by looking for a bath.
“Clean water, fifteen cents. Hot water, ten cents extra. But we ain’t got no hot water.”
Silky Heidi muttered, “I heard you just fine the first time.”
Fuming with anger, Heidi dug into her small pink change purse and pulled out three nickels. She thrust them into the dirty open palm of the old man, who blinked at the coins, mentally figuring out their worth. Then he nodded his head, clamped his gnarled fingers around the coins, nodded again and, without taking his eyes off the dirty ground, muttered, “Don’t hardly no men ever come in here. Most just jump in Whitewood Creek.”
Impatiently the muddy blonde started past him. “That’s good to know.”
“Those that can afford it got their own. Baths.”
“Lucky them.”
“Mostly it’s whores come here. And the preacher man.”
That stopped her.
“He’s not in there now, is he?”
“Who?”
“The preacher.”
The old man sighed, scratched his beard again, then spat on the ground.
“They call me Crutch. On account of my crutch.”
Rolling her eyes, Heidi pulled the flap open, muttering “Simple-minded old idiot!”
As she stepped inside, she heard his sing-song voice once again. “Clean water, fifteen cents. Hot water, ten cents extra. But we ain’t got no hot water.”
It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness. She looked around the small bath house. There were four wooden tubs inside, one in each corner. A stove was in the center of the room. One of the tubs was occupied. A woman stretched out inside it, up to her neck in water, her arms draped over the sides. Her head was back, resting against the rim of the tub so Heidi couldn’t see who it was. As the blonde started to take off her mud-streaked clothes, the flap opened again. Thinking it was the crippled old fool, Heidi clutched her skirt to her body. But she didn’t have to bother. A short stout older Indian woman, known as Linda Littletrees, shuffled in holding two buckets full of water. She was sucking on a piece of twisted black licorice and humming a little tune. On her head, she proudly wore a straw picnic hat covered with fake flowers. She put the buckets down, reached her hand into the half-filled tub closest to Heidi and scooped out some dead bugs that were floating on the surface. Then she poured fresh water from the buckets into the tub. Her job finished, she shuffled outside again, the flap closing behind her.
Heidi inspected the tub as she continued to pull off her dirty dress, cursing under her breath at the petite blonde actress who had pushed her in the mud and humiliated her in front of all the lowlifes on the thoroughfare. That bitch will get what’s coming to her, she promised herself as she reached her hand in the tub and sloshed out a few more bugs.
“I could tell you were a little pig but you didn’t have to go rooting around in the mud to prove it!”
Heidi jumped at the sound of the mocking voice behind her, letting go of her dress that then fell to the ground. She turned around and locked eyes with the naked woman in the other tub.
Jersey Jo.
***************
“
Voila merde! I’ll be go to shit! Is that him? It can’t be!”
Tee Poo stared at the tall man with the long handlebar moustache in the telegraph office. She’d only seen him twice before but she was positive it was him.
Wichita, Kansas. 1874. Those blue eyes. That moustache. It HAD to be him!The tall man left the telegraph office and headed for the Bella Union. Tee Poo started to follow but stopped in her tracks when she saw Miss Jenn Fourcade, a murderous look in her eyes, hurrying along the thoroughfare at a furious pace, sloshing mud in her wake, ignoring the fact that the ruffled lace pantalettes she took such pride in were now covered in muck.
Tee Poo knew exactly where Miss Jenn was headed. And she had a real good idea what was gonna happen when she got there.
“Awww,
aborder!” she muttered. Throwing one last regretful look back at the retreating tall man with the moustache, Tee Poo took off in the opposite direction to round up the rest of the girls.
***************
“I think you’re lyin’ to me.”
“Lying about what, Sethro?”
I was still kneeling by Bill’s marker with my back to Sethro, hoping he’d take the hint and go away. But, no, that big dumb goofy farmboy was bent on staying up there with me till the crack of doom.
“About how you got that nickname of yours. Tit Bit.”
“I told you, Sethro. They called me that because I’m short. That’s the truth.”
“Well, I don’t believe you. I know for a fact that one time in Yankton you got your little titty bit by some fella. Jelsick Pettis told me. He heared it from that whore Tricksie Lynn.”
I turned to face him. He was grinning from ear to ear, his big old buck teeth sticking out like little tombstones in his mouth. Kinda fitting seeing as how we were in a cemetery.
“First of all, Sethro,” I said, trying to keep calm, “Tricksie Lynn is a dirty lying bitch. If she swore to me on a stack of Bibles that the sun rises in the east and sets out west, I’d have to go outside an’ see for myself before I took her word for it. An’ Jelsick Waddie is almost as gullible as you are. He’d believe anything she told him if he thought it would get him a free poke.”
He was quiet for a minute. I was praying that would be the end of it. No such luck.
“I still think you’re lyin’.”
“Think what you want, Sethro. I really don’t give a rat’s ass.”
***************
“Stop laughing at me!”
Heidi glared at Jo angrily as she gripped the rim of the tub so tight that her knuckles turned white.
“Or what?” Jo taunted. “You gonna beat me up? Looks like you already tried that with somebody else and got your ass kicked!”
Heidi flushed. “That little actress wench hit me when I wasn’t looking! But I’ll pay her back for what she did!”
“Good luck with that,” Jo giggled. “She took down a whole pack of Celestials with Little Bit and Clemmy. The girl can handle herself.”
“Well, so can I!” Heidi hissed. “You’ll find that out if you keep this up.”
Jo threw her head back and laughed. She stretched out in the tub and lifted a leg up in the air, smirking at Silky Heidi as she wiggled her toes at her mockingly. Heidi’s eyes narrowed, her face got even redder, her small hands balled into fists as she snarled, “Why are you being such a bitch? I’m a blonde, you’re a blonde. We should stick together.”
The smile disappeared from Jo’s face. She stood up in the tub and pointed an accusing finger at the other girl as the water cascaded down off her naked body. “Stick together? You, your friend and the wench you work for have been nothing but trouble for me all day. If you think I’m gonna leave Featherlegs, guess again. I’m happy where I am, thank you. So back off! You and your friend, leave me the fuck alone! Stop spreading lies about me to Featherlegs! Just stay the hell out of my way if you know what’s good for you!”
As Jo started to sit down again in the tub, Heidi rushed over in a blind fury, grabbed the other girl’s wet hair and pushed her head down under the water. Jo splashed and struggled, her arms flailed wildly, her legs flying, as the angry blonde used both hands to keep her head under. Heidi was in such a rage, she really didn’t realize what she was doing. All she knew was that Jo needed to be punished, to be taught a lesson.
***************
Miss Jenn stormed up onto the porch and flung open the front door without bothering to knock. She burst into the parlour like a rabid she-cat spitting venom and fire. Lurlene Johnson, the Queen of the Blondes, was sitting regally on an overstuffed red velvet divan, her long toned legs crossed nonchalantly. Her tight red and black satin and lace gown accented her lean but well-rounded body perfectly as she calmly sat there and welcomed the visitor with a sweet small smile.
“I’ve been expecting you, Featherlegs,” she purred.
C.C. Cleever stood behind the divan, a half-filled brandy snifter in his hand. He stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at Miss Jenn as she stood in the archway of the room, radiating class and elegance in her taffeta and lace brocade two-piece traveling suit. His lips moved but no words escaped until he managed to blurt out, “Ladies, please. Can’t we . . . ”
Lurlene cut him off. “Relax, C.C. We’re just gonna have a little chat between friends.” Her smile grew a bit cruel. “OLD friends.”
Miss Jenn bit her lip but made no reply. Lurlene smirked and continued, “Speaking of ‘old’, isn’t it a shame, C.C., how some women let themselves go when they reach a certain age?” She looked up at him. “You were just saying a little while ago how this is a young woman’s game. You’re absolutely right. The old-timers like Featherlegs here are no competition for us.” Her eyes met Miss Jenn’s again. “No competition at all. We’re young and hungry. They’ve gotten soft and lazy.”
C.C. stammered, “Look, Lurlene, I think this is getting outta hand. ‘H’ is not gonna like this.”
“You’re wrong about ‘H’, C.C.,” Miss Jenn cut him off. “We all know how his mind works. I think he was hoping something like this would happen.” Her eyes locked on Lurlene’s. “Why don’t you and I give him what he wants, ‘Queenie’? Settle this once and for all.”
“No time like the present, old woman.” Lurlene handed her empty snifter to C.C. “Be a dear and put this on the bar, C.C.” She smirked at Jenn. “A gift from ‘H’. Would be a shame if anything happened to it.”
“Holy jumping catfish,” C.C. mumbled as he brought the glass over to the bar. He knew that, short of killing them, there was no way he’d be able to stop the two of them from fighting. “Well, hell, let them kick the crap outta each other. If that’s what ‘H’ wants, I’ll be damned if I try and stop it.”
Lurlene stood up slowly from the divan, taking her time, stretching out her tall body like a mountain cat.
“I tell ya, Bill, Miss Jenn is no way what you’d call a small lady. Shoot, she’s taller than the rest of us. But that Lurlene had a good two, maybe three inches on her. She’s gotta be six foot, easy. Or pretty close.”Miss Jenn glared at the younger woman. Then she started moving toward her. The tall blonde stood her ground. The two faced each other, less than a foot apart. Both bodies tense, ready to attack.
“I shoulda done this years ago,” Miss Jenn hissed. “That first day I laid eyes on you.”
Unafraid, the blonde said quietly, “Now’s your chance.”
Just then, Lurlene suddenly looked off to her left, her eyes widening. As Miss Jenn followed her gaze, Lurlene attacked, throwing a short hard right hand punch to the older woman’s jaw. Miss Jenn took a couple of stumbling steps backwards, furious at herself for being suckered, falling for that old trick. With a growl, she lunged forward, crouching as she moved in, firing quick punches to the tall blonde’s breasts and belly. Lurlene gasped, doubling over a bit. The punches hurt but she quickly recovered and used her arms to block Miss Jenn’s wildly swinging fists. She brought her left knee up, connecting with the older woman’s lower belly. Miss Jenn grunted, started to move backwards, slashing her right hand up at the blonde’s pretty face as she did, leaving angry red claw marks on Lurlene’s cheek.
The blonde cried out, her blue eyes wet with sudden tears. She reached a hand up, lightly touching her scratched cheek. Her face contorted in anger, she snarled, “I’ll kill you for this, you old fuck!” Transformed suddenly into a wild savage animal, she flung herself at Miss Jenn. The two women, clutching each other, fell to the floor with a crash, arms and legs tangled, rolling around, bumping into tables and chairs, spitting, biting, scratching, punching, pinching each other wildly.
***************
It all happened so fast, Jo was caught by surprise, she wasn’t able to close her mouth in time before her head went under the water. Coughing, gurgling, gagging, she thrashed and lurched, splashing water everywhere. Her talon like fingernails latched onto the smooth skin of Heidi’s forearm and and dug deep, slashing for all she was worth. From like in a fog, Jo could hear the crazed blonde screech in pain. Heidi was forced to loosen her grip, giving Jo the chance to escape and pull her head out of the water. Gasping for air, she got to her knees and leaned over the rim of the tub trying to catch her breath. Heidi quickly grabbed Jo by the hair and dragged the now screaming nude girl out of the tub down to the dirt floor.
Wearing only her unlaced brocade corset, silk lacy panties and black silk stockings with a ruffled red garter, Heidi kicked and stomped at the fallen blonde who curled up on the floor and tried to crawl away. Jo was finally able to breathe again and starting to get her senses back. The kicks from Heidi’s stocking-clad feet hurt a bit but by twisting her body and curling up even more, she was able to deflect most of the impact. Jo waited for her chance and, when Heidi lifted her foot up for another hard stomp, she took it. Jo quickly snaked her left arm around Heidi’s left ankle and jerked hard. Off-balance and only on one foot, Heidi gave a surprised cry and fell, landing on her butt in the dirt. Jo scrambled up to her knees and pushed Heidi down onto her back, straddling her, sitting on her tummy.
Heidi hissed and bucked up as hard as she could but Jo pressed her thighs tight against Heidi’s body and rode her like a wild bronco. Jo was so angry and wanted to pay Heidi back for almost drowning her that she forgot how vulnerable she was with no clothes on. Heidi took advantage of that by reaching up her left hand and digging her nails in the tender flesh of Jo’s right breast. Jo gasped as the smaller blonde used her free hand to slam a punch flush into Jo’s slightly open mouth. Jo lurched backwards and Heidi pressed both hands onto Jo’s chest and shoved hard. Jo fell off, landing on her side on the dirt floor. Heidi sat up, swung her legs under her and quickly straddled Jo, bouncing her panty covered butt down on Jo’s bare breasts, flattening them. Jo squirmed as Heidi grinded down on her and she planted her bare feet on the ground in an attempt to buck her off. But Heidi started swinging both hands wildly at the other girl’s face, slapping and punching her at will.
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” Heidi snarled as she continued to rock Jo’s head from side to side with one vicious slap after another. “Although by the time I’m done with you, you’ll be too ugly to be much use to us!”
Jo was reeling from the non-stop beating but she was far from finished. All the fights she had back in Five Points made the thin blonde tough. She was a survivor. She covered her face as best she could, then used her long leg to slam her knee hard into Heidi’s lower back. Heidi fell forward and Jo slithered out from between her legs, turned quickly and dove onto Heidi’s back, slamming her face-down in the dirt with Jo on top of her.
***************
“So . . . Would ya ever let anybody do that to ya?”
“Do what, Sethro?”
(God’s Teeth! Won’t this ever end?! Why can’t he just leave me the hell alone?)“You know . . . Give ya a little bite. Down there. On your titty.”
“No, Sethro.”
“Don’t have to be very hard. Wouldn’t hardly hurt at all. Just a little pinch, really.”
“I said NO, Sethro. Now either talk about somethin’ else or please go away.”
“Shit, I bet you’d do it if you got paid. You bein’ a whore an’ all.”
I stood up to face him. Embarrassed and angry that he was talking this nonsense at Bill’s grave. I had to make him shut up. I just had to. I stood up straight as I could, hands on my hips, and gave him my meanest stare.
“That’s a bet you’d lose, Sethro. Now I ain’t gonna tell you again. Shut up with that foolishness right now.”
“Looking back, Bill, I guess I’m really not all that intimidating. I wish I could be more like you. One look from you an’ you got them peeing their pants, they’re so scared. Nobody is gonna be scared of a half-pint half-breed whore.” Sethro thought it was the funniest thing he ever saw. He rocked back and laughed so loud I could swear they could hear him for miles.
“Damn, Little Bit,” he cackled between laughs. “I am so scared of you! Can’t you hear my knees knockin’? Please don’t hurt me now.”
“I wasn’t thinking, Bill. It just happened. He made me so darn mad, next thing I knew I had the gravedigger’s shovel in my hands.”***************
Kassi couldn’t find Heidi. She had no idea where she was. After her run-in with Jersey Jo in front of the Bella Union, Kassi walked from one end of the main thoroughfare to the other. There was no sign of her friend. Kassi debated going back to Miss Johnson’s and was just about to do that when she saw Tee Poo hurrying down the other side of the street with Gemm, Sara Atherton and that giant Albino.
“Oh, this doesn’t look good,” she muttered to herself. “I’ve just got to find Heidi!” In frustration, she said this louder than she intended and was surprised when a voice behind her answered.
“Girl with yellow hair. Like you?”
Kassi turned and saw a short stout older Sioux woman in a silly flower-covered straw picnic hat sucking on a piece of black licorice. She nodded.
“Yes. Girl with yellow hair. You see her?”
Linda Littletrees nodded. “Covered in mud. Went to take bath.” She pulled the licorice stick from her mouth with a wet smack and pointed at Star & Bullock’s with it. “Over there.”
Kassi hurried off with a quick “Thank you!”
The Indian woman put the licorice back in her mouth. “Okay.”
***************
A small table went flying as the struggling women rolled into it, sending an expensive French vase crashing to the floor where it shattered into pieces. Miss Jenn was trying to use her weight advantage to pin Lurlene under her but the younger woman fought like a wildcat to keep that from happening. She had her hand clamped on Jenn’s face now, pushing her head back with the bridge of her palm, while digging her sharp nails by Jenn’s eyes and into her cheeks. It was a miracle Lurlene didn’t put out the older woman’s eyes. Jenn tightly clamped her eyes shut and cried out in pain but stayed on top of her thrashing opponent. She drove her knee down hard into Lurlene’s crotch and managed a grim smile at the strangled cry that escaped from the blonde’s mouth.
Lurlene dug her nails in even harder and twisted them into the flesh. Small trickles of blood dripped down from Jenn’s face onto the blonde. She threw a wild punch that landed on Jenn’s ear, stunning her long enough for Lurlene to twist her body hard enough to send both women on their sides. Using both hands, Jenn finally yanked Lurlene’s hand from her face. Seeing an opening, the older woman, no stranger to dirty fighting, suddenly jerked forward, savagely butting her forehead hard against the bridge of Lurlene’s nose. The loud smack of bone meeting cartilage made C.C. Cleever wince as he tried to edge his way out of the parlour.
They are really out to kill each other, he thought. If that happens, I want to be as far away from here as possible.
Lurlene gasped as the blood started streaming out of her nose and into her mouth. She spit out a crimson gob into Jenn’s eyes, blinding her for a bit. As Jenn wiped her face, Lurlene scrambled back on the floor and drove the heel of her boot hard and deep into the Australian madam’s belly. Jenn grunted and rolled away. Both women, scratched, bruised and bloody, pulled themselves back up to their feet and faced each other across the room. Their labored breathing filled the air. Both were still seething with hate for each other, but there was now also a bit of mutual respect. They both also knew there would be no compromise here today. This was a fight to the finish.
TO BE CONTINUED
