Chapter Seven (continued)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.
Jenn Fourcade and Lurlene Johnson glared at each other from opposite sides of the small parlour. Blood trickled down Jenn’s face and from Lurlene’s nose. Both women were breathing heavily, both were in pain, but both would rather die than submit to the other. Lurlene suddenly rushed at Jenn, her sky-blue eyes flashing, her lips curled into a twisted snarl. She threw wild swinging punches at the older woman, in a kind of mindless fury. Jenn bent her legs, hunched her shoulders and brought her fists up by her head. She easily blocked most of Lurlene’s windmill punches and the ones that connected did little damage. The blonde left herself wide open and Jenn took advantage, sending a hard right crashing into Lurlene’s snarling lips. The younger woman staggered backwards into a small spindle-legged wooden end table that collapsed under her weight sending them both crashing to the floor.
Jenn couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. The furious blonde grabbed the crystal decanter that had been on the now-destroyed table and hurled it at the laughing brunette. Jenn ducked and the decanter shattered against the wall.
“Vad som hander har?” (“What is going on here?”)All three in the parlour (Jenn, Lurlene and C.C. Cleever who was still slowly edging his way out the door) turned to see Miss Johnson’s youngest newest girl, Gunilla, in the doorway, a stunned look on her beautiful face. Gunilla had arrived in America just six weeks earlier, a mail-order bride from Sweden who spoke hardly any English at all. The Swedish immigrant who sent for her was a farmer from Mankato, Minnesota, twenty-seven years older than the homesick eighteen year-old girl. She was so unhappy that she sneaked away from the farm one night while he was sleeping. Lurlene found the young blonde waiting on tables in Cheyenne and took her in. Now Gunilla stared in shock at her madam who, seeing Jenn distracted, picked up one of the busted table legs and flung it at her.
Jenn cried out as the broken piece of wood hit her in the forehead, opening a nasty gash that quickly started to bleed. Lurlene scrambled to her feet and charged at her enemy like a blonde bull. Jenn was busy wiping the blood from her face when the younger woman slammed into her, forcing her back up against the wall and began pounding her wildly with her fists. A hard left slammed hard into the brunette’s ribs making her groan in pain. This was followed by an equally punishing right. Then the blonde took a quick step back and her right knee found an inviting target in Jenn’s lower belly. The older woman’s legs buckled but she willed herself to stay on her feet. She tried to cover up the best she could and fired back some hard punches of her own. These punches packed a lot of power, Jenn was able to bury her fist deep into Lurlene’s belly which the blonde left unguarded as she flailed away at her enemy. The younger woman staggered away, clutching her belly with Jenn in hot pursuit.
Gunilla shrieked,
“Sluta med det!” (“Stop that!”) The young girl started to go help her battling madam but Cleever grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the parlour. The fight raged on as he led the confused Swede to the door. He held her shoulders and leaned close, speaking loudly and slowly.
“You. Go. Get help.”
The girl stammered in her broken English, “H-Help?”
Cleever nodded. “Help. You go. Get Kassi. Heidi. Savvy?”
Gunilla worked it out. “Kassi. Heidi. Help.” A loud crash of even more breaking furniture in the parlour made her jump. Then it dawned on her. Her pretty face cleared. “Ah! Help! Kassi, Heidi!
Hjalp!”
The young girl rushed out of the house, her skirts swishing as she ran. Cleever watched her go, then stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind him. He could still hear the snarled curses, cries and crashes coming from the parlour.
“Ain’t no sense getting myself killed trying to break them two hellcats up,” he muttered. “Best I can do is let ‘H’ know the shit he started.”
With that, he sauntered down to the telegraph office.
***************
“I really don’t know how much help Heidi coulda gave, Bill. At the moment, she was in the fight of her life. And not doing too good either.”Heidi struggled as Jo’s wet naked body on her back pinned her facedown on the dirt floor of the bath house. The taller blonde’s mound pressed down on the silk panties covering Heidi’s butt. Heidi cursed below her breath as she thrashed under the weight of the thin blonde on top of her. Jo’s fingers were snarled in Heidi’s curly locks and she pushed down hard with her hand, mashing the smaller blonde’s face into the cold dirt.
Jo snaked her other arm around the squirming girl’s neck and started squeezing as she leaned close and hissed into Heidi’s ear. “You actually tried to fuckin’ drown me!”
Heidi forced herself not to panic, realizing she was in for a serious beating or worse if she didn’t do something fast. Her enraged enemy’s arm was tightening around her throat and she started making hoarse gagging noises as the pressure increased.
“How’s it feel to not be able to breathe?” Jo taunted. “Not fun, huh?”
Heidi decided to risk a big gamble. If it worked, great. If it didn’t, she was gonna end up unconscious anyway so she figured, the hell with it. She let her whole body relax, like she was too weak to fight back. She fluttered her eyes, let out a long gasp, and went limp, hoping to fool the taller blonde. It worked. When Jo shifted her weight to get in a better position to punish her victim some more, Heidi sprung her trap. She bucked up so suddenly that the other girl was caught totally off-guard. As Jo struggled to keep her balance, Heidi grabbed her forearm with one hand and pulled it off her neck. At the same time, she brought her other hand down and behind her back. To keep from falling off, Jo had to brace herself with her arm. Heidi turned her head back and saw that the taller blonde was vulnerable. She reached her hand between Jo’s legs, clamped her fingers on her wet mound and pinched viciously.
Jo’s sudden piercing scream echoed in the small room. Hearing it, Crutch called out from the other side of the flap, “Clean water, fifteen cents. Hot water, ten cents extra. But we ain’t got no hot water.”
***************
“I didn’t like the look on his face, Bill. It really gave me the willies, ya know? An’ all his palaver about titty biting, it just didn’t sit right. I mean, Sethro was acting about as hinky as a plug nickel, he’s twice my size and I was all alone up here with the goofy galoot. He was pissing me off and scaring the crap out of me at the same time. Without thinking, I grabbed hold of the gravedigger’s shovel and . . . ”“I ain’t gonna tell you again, Sethro! You leave me be or I swear to God I’ll brain you!”
The tall farmboy took a step toward me, then stopped. A puzzled frown came across his face as he thought things over. Or tried to.
(“Brain power definitely isn’t Sethro’s strong suit.”) Then he waggled his bony finger at me.
“Shit, you’re too damn short to reach my head with that thing,” he snorted a laugh. Then he got serious. “Now you stop playin’ with me or I’ll give you what for. You’re just a little whore, you’re supposed to do anything I want without complainin’. Now put down that shovel like a good girl. Don’t make me get all mean on you.”
He started toward me again. I raised the shovel even higher as I took a step backwards. When he got close enough, I swung it at him as hard as I could. But he jerked out of the way and then yanked the shovel out of my hands before I could swing it again. He flung it into a patch of chokecherries as I started to run down the hill toward Deadwood. But my short legs were no match for his much longer ones and he caught me before I even made twenty yards.
Sethro clamped his big hand over my mouth and half-dragged half-carried me over by a gnarled twisting cottonwood tree. I squirmed and kicked at his legs the whole time. My heart was pounding and I swear I’ve never been more scared in my life. I kicked him a good one in his shin that made him grunt and his hand slid across my face just enough for me to clamp my teeth on his finger and bite down as hard as I could.
“Sonofabitch!” he bellowed. He jerked his hand away, grabbed me by the shoulders and threw me down hard on the grass. Then he dropped down to his knees straddling me as I lay on my back glaring up at him. He was shaking his hand and I could see that my bite drew blood. That was something anyway.
Sethro slapped me hard across the face. He snarled, “So you like to bite, huh? Good. I can play that game too.” I started to flail my arms but he got a tight grip on my wrists and slammed my arms down on the grass. My cheek throbbed from his slap, I was praying for somebody, anybody . . . Charlie Utter, the Reverend, the gravedigger, Miss Featherlegs, one of the girls, shoot, even that damn drunk Calamity Jane Cannary . . . to help me. But there was nobody around except me and Sethro, not counting the gray prairie falcon lazily circling in the sky above us. Feeling totally alone and helpless, I started to cry. The grin left Sethro’s face. His grip loosed a bit on my wrists but not enough for me to break free. He had a concerned look on his face now. Maybe even worried.
(Oh, please, God, maybe he’ll let me go!)“Aw, come on, Little Bit. I thought you was supposed to be a fun girl. That’s all I want, just some fun. Hey, how about you an’ me do a little wrasslin’? You win, I leave. I win, well, we’ll worry on that when the time comes.”
I saw his eyes dart down to my tits when he said that, just for a second, then he brought them back up to my face. He was trying to act normal. But the concerned worried expression on his face was gone. In its place was something scary, almost demented. His watery blue eyes were all bulgy and bugged out, his mouth was twisted in a snarling leering grin, his gigantic yellow teeth were better suited in the mouth of a loco horse.
“I knew right then an’ there, Bill, that no matter what happened, by the end of the day, Sethro was gonna make sure my nickname Tit Bit meant something a whole lot different than me being small. A lot more painful too.”With Sethro kneeling over me pinning my arms down to the grass, there wasn’t much I could do to get the hell out of there. He knew it too and was really enjoying himself. So that was when I hawked up a gob and let it fly right in his face.
***************
After making a quick stop at the Bella Union to take care of some business, Kassi continued on her way to the bath house. She passed a wagon loaded with supplies headed in the opposite direction. Miss Jenn’s two associates, the Albino and the Dwarf, were on the wagon returning to the Academy For Young Ladies. Kassi, trying not to look too suspicious, exchanged a glance with the Albino, then both moved on.
On the second floor balcony of the Gem, Al Swearengen watched the scene on Main Street unfold. He had already seen Miss Jenn Fourcade storming down the boardwalk a while before and could just imagine the fireworks going on at Miss Johnson’s. Now he looked down and saw Kassi on her way to the bath house. The wagon with the Albino and Dwarf going back to Miss Fourcade’s. Swearengen turned to look down the west side of the thoroughfare. He saw Cleever crossing Main Street headed for the telegraph office. That young Swedish blonde rushing toward Star & Bullock’s Hardwares. Across the street, the four members of the Pettis gang were just leaving the Bella Union. Then he turned east to witness Miss Jenn’s girls and their actress friend coming his way.
***************
“Holy crap! I won five dollars! I don’t believe it!”
The small weasel-faced man was jumping up and down on the boardwalk, waving a five-dollar bill in one hand. The other held a partly unwrapped bar of soap. Naturally, curious people started gathering around him, like people always do when somebody mentions easy money. And naturally somebody had to ask him how he won it. The weasel-faced man was happy to share his luck with the others.
“I paid two bits for this here bar of soap. Fellow I bought it from said there might be a prize inside it. And damn if there wasn’t! There was five dollars inside the wrapper!”
Well, this got everybody buzzing. It wasn’t long before the obvious question was asked.
“Where did you buy that lucky soap, stranger?”
Weasel Face pointed across the thoroughfare at a fat sweaty man with piggy eyes standing behind a small table by a hitching post. There were some brown-paper wrapped bars of soap on the table.
“That’s the fellow over there,” Weasel Face said. Curious onlookers crowded around him, blocking the boardwalk. He noticed four young women hurrying toward him and turned to share his good luck with them. “Fellow said there might be a prize in this bar of soap and ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh . . . . . . .”
Whatever word he was planning to say next will never be known. It disappeared in a long drawn-out groan of total anguish. The reason for the groan was simple. Seeing her path on the boardwalk blocked, “Lady” Gemm did the first thing she could think of to clear the way. Without breaking stride, she kicked Weasel Face square in the balls.
“Bloody toss-pot!” Gemm muttered as she breezed past the man who slowly sank to his knees. Clemmy was right behind her.
“That’s getting to be a habit with you, Gemm,” Clemmy said with a giggle. “How many is that now since we got here? I lost count.”
“Beats talking to them, doesn’t it?”
Clemmy looked back at the scene. “I don’t think he’ll be talking much for a while.”
The injured man’s moan had turned into a high-pitched squeak
(“You know, Bill, the kind only dogs can hear.”) and his mouth was open wider than his now bulging eyes. Tee Poo snatched the soap from his hand, finished unwrapping it, and crammed it into his gaping mouth. Miss Sara Atherton picked up the five-dollar bill that fell onto the boardwalk by Weasel Face’s knee. Before he could grab it back, the actress had already handed it to Reverend H.W. Smith who happened to be passing by.
“This is for you, Reverend,” Miss Sara smiled. “To help you do the Lord’s work.”
“Why, thank you, sister,” Reverend Smith pocketed the bill. “Maybe you would like to join me in a prayer of thanks?”
But Sara had already moved off, catching up to Gemm, Tee Poo and Clemmy on their way to the house of the Queen of the Blondes.
“I swear to God, Gemm,” Tee Poo was saying, “it WAS him! I know it was. Wyatt Earp! Right there in the telegraph office, big as life!”
“Oh, bollocks!” the British girl snapped back. “Get your head out of your arse, will you now? You’re an even bigger star fucker than Little Bit with her bloody hero Bill Hickok!”
Now that the show was over, the crowd went about their business. Even the fat man selling the soap had vanished. Weasel Face was left all alone, on his knees, gurgling and frothing up foam, clutching his ravaged balls.
***************
“You bloody couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you?” Jenn panted. “I left Virginia City, it was all yours,” she continued as she stalked her younger rival. Both women were exhausted, bleeding, hurting all over. Only hate and adrenaline were keeping them on their feet. Jenn moved in closer. She faked a punch and when Lurlene lifted her arm to defend, Jenn lashed her foot out instead, smacking her boot heel just below the blonde’s knee. Lurlene yelped in pain and crumpled to the floor on her knees. The brunette grabbed the blonde’s hair and used it to drag her enemy across the floor. Lurlene cried out in anger and shame as she stumbled along on all fours. Jenn was having a great time humiliating the young blonde bitch she hated with such passion.
“You finally got what you wanted out there. The number one house in the territory. Why the hell did you come here to Deadwood?” she asked as she continued to pull the younger woman around. Lurlene’s blue eyes, wet with tears, flashed angrily as she glared up at Jenn from her hands and knees. Her scalp was on fire and she saw long strands of blonde hair slowly fluttering down to the floor. Her eyes came to rest on one of the broken table legs close by. She quickly grabbed it and swung it hard at Jenn’s knee. A loud thwack filled the room as the hard wood met hard bone. Jenn screeched, let go of Lurlene’s hair, clutched her knee and stumbled backwards, sitting heavily on the yellow and brown leather settee.
Lurlene managed to pull herself up to her feet, favoring her leg. “You think I wanted to fucking come here?” she yelled. “This was all H’s idea, not mine!” She dove onto Jenn with such force that the settee tipped over backwards, sending both women to the floor in a heap. The blonde ended up on top but not for long as Jenn rolled her over. Lurlene reversed it and once again regained the dominant position. Her fingers clutched at Jenn’s hair and, securing a good grip, she used the brunette’s hair to lift her head up off the floor and smash it back down again. Once. Twice. Knocking Jenn woozy. Before she could do it a third time, Jenn’s talon-like nails once again found the blonde’s face and neck and she clawed away as if her life depended on it.
***************
As Kassi got closer to the bath house, she heard a tortured shriek coming from inside. A grizzled dirty old man sat on a stool by the flap, drawing circles in the dirt with the tip of a wooden crutch. He was humming a tuneless melody, totally oblivious to the commotion.
Inside the bath house, Jo sprawled backwards and tried to scoot away on her butt. Unfortunately Heidi wouldn’t let her do that. She had a death grip on the taller blonde’s kitty and was pinching it as hard as she could. Jo leaned back, braced herself on her elbows and desperately swung her long right leg at Heidi. Her foot slammed into Heidi’s jaw hard enough to force her to let go. Jo scrambled to her feet as the dazed Heidi slumped over on her side, shaking her head trying to clear away the cobwebs. Crying openly now, with tears streaming down her face, the furious Jersey girl started to move toward her fallen rival.
But she never got there. From behind, a firm hand got a tight grip on her wet hair and she was jerked backwards, her arms flailing. Before she could react, a boot smashed into her lower back, knocking her to her knees with her tormentor’s fingers still in her hair. A hard knee to the back of the thin blonde’s head made her cry out, a long gurgling sound that turned into a heaving guttural moan as her body sagged.
“You okay, Heidi?”
The woozy blonde looked up, her eyes focusing. Jo was slumped on her knees, her eyes glassy, her limp arms by her sides, with an angry-faced tall blonde behind her, holding her up by her hair.
“Kassi? Oh my god, I’m so glad you got here.” Heidi slowly pulled herself to her knees, breathing hard. She leaned forward, her hands resting on her thighs as she caught her breath. She gasped when she noticed her torn ruined stockings and got to her feet, wincing in pain. “Look what the bitch did to my stockings!” she wailed in fury.
Kassi’s eyes narrowed as she saw her best friend’s cut bruised face and body, her mud-stained skirt and bodice, the shredded stockings. She cruelly yanked Jo up to her feet by her hair as she hissed, “She will pay for this!” The beaten blonde was pretty much out of it, her head lolled, her arms dangling uselessly, her wobbly legs barely able to keep her standing. Kassi pulled Jo’s arms behind her back and held her up. Her entire naked body was vulnerable and open for attack.
And that’s just what Heidi did. While Kassi kept her trapped, Heidi punished the beaten blonde, slamming hard punches into her breasts and belly. Both girls couldn’t help but laugh at Jo’s soft moans and whimpers.
“Looks like we missed one hell of a show!”
Four men had entered the bath house. They stood by the flap grinning at the sight before them. The one that spoke, the leader, was a short man with spectacles and a light gray city-style bowler hat. A taller younger fellow stood at his right, his eyes wide, drool dribbling down his bearded face. A swarthy man with the cold dead eyes of a killer slouched next to a big heavy-set brute with a surprisingly gentle face.
“About time you got here,” Kassi said. She turned to Heidi. “You remember the Pettis gang, don’t you, sweetie? I asked them to drop by, just in case.”
“Of course I do,” Heidi said. “They can help us get rid of the trash.”
“We’d be happy to,” the bespectacled leader snorted. “As long as Mister You-Know-Who rewards us for our efforts.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll be taken care of.”
Kassi suddenly whirled around and, without warning, flung Jo into the side of the tub. The blonde’s head cracked against the wood and she flopped in an unconscious heap on the ground.
Spectacles turned to the drooling man. “Jelsick, go rustle up some towels and blankets from that old bastard out front. And wipe that damn drool off your face!”
Jelsick grinned. “Sure thing, O.W.” He rubbed his big paw across his lips and left through the flap.
Kassi asked, “You think that old man is going to . . . ?”
O.W. shook his head. “Nah, you got nothin’ to worry about. He’s bull simple.”
“Bull simple? What’s that?”
The heavy-set man answered with a laugh. “Got himself kicked in the head by a bull calf one time. Was knocked loopy. Lucky it wasn’t a growed bull or he’d be dead instead.”
Jelsick returned with a handful of blankets and a dirty bedsheet. “I stole these off a China woman down the alley.”
O.W. nodded. “That’ll do. Wrap her up in them. Moze, help him. Ringo, you keep a look-out.”
Jelsick and the heavy-set man moved to the unconscious blonde and rolled her up in the bedsheet as the swarthy dead-eyed man slipped out the flap.
“Where you taking her?” Heidi asked.
“Up the Spearfish Road. I know of a place. Quiet. Safe. Off the beaten path.”
“Good.” The two blondes shared an evil smile. “Old Featherlegs will just shit when she finds out about this!”
The four horsemen took off down Main Street at a furious gallop, showering Miss Jenn’s girls with a fine spray of mud and muck as they passed.
“Fucking tosspots!” Gemm screamed at them shaking her fist at the riders who were fast disappearing into the distance in the same direction the girls were heading.
“
Fils-putain, that
cuillon Pettis gang,” Tee Poo muttered, wiping her face.
“Who are they?” Sara wanted to know.
“Four bad hombres,” Tee Poo replied. “Sometimes do business with Porterhouse and Cleever, they.”
“What kind of business?”
“You don’t wanna know,
cher. Trust me.”
“Fuck the wankers,” Gemm interrupted. “We going or not?”
The girls started to continue on their way to Lurlene Johnson’s but Clemmy, who’d been quiet the whole time puzzling something over in her head, suddenly called out, “Stop!”
Gemm threw up her arms in exasperation. “Now what?! You know, we don’t have to go help Featherlegs. If you want, we could head back home for tea and bikkies!”
“I do want to help her,” Clemmy answered. “But was I the only one who noticed what O.W. Pettis had slung over his saddle?”
The girls were quiet for a minute.
“They rode by so fast it’s hard to tell for sure, but I think it was a bed roll,” Tee Poo said finally.
“A big bed roll,” Sara added.
“Looked like it was packed in a hurry,” Tee Poo continued.
“All right, so it was a bloody bed roll,” Gemm said with growing impatience. “What of it?”
“I only got a quick look,” Clemmy said slowly, “but I could swear I saw a woman’s foot sticking out of the thing.”
The girls looked at each other.
“Anybody see Jo?” Tee Poo asked with dawning suspicion.
Sara stared at her. “Wait, you don’t think . . . ?”
“
Cher, I wouldn’t put nothing past the Pettis boys, me.”
Gemm turned to look up the thoroughfare. “Most likely they came from there.” She pointed. “By Star & Bullock’s.”
Clemmy added, “And the bath house.”
Tee Poo said, “Featherlegs can take care of herself for a bit. If those
cuillons did take Jo, maybe we can find out what they up to.”
Gemm nodded. “Right. Let’s go.”
***************
“Either she goes or I go!”
The angry woman wildly waved the poster featuring the smiling pretty face of Miss Sara Atherton, then she dramatically ripped it in half and flung it at her astonished husband. He looked at the torn poster on his desk, then up at his furious wife, as she paced back and forth in the small office of the theatre.
He tried to reason with her. “Jeannette . . . Angel Face . . . ”
“Don’t give me any of your nonsense, Jack Langrishe! I won’t have it! I mean it this time! I am sick and tired of that little bitch getting more applause than me every performance! It’s not fair! I’m your wife! How come she gets all the good parts?”
“Because your better days are behind you, my dear. She’s younger, prettier and a damn finer actress than you ever were.”
This is what Jack Langrishe wanted to say. He was sick and tired of his wife’s diva tantrums. But he wisely kept his mouth shut. He just smiled a tired smile and shrugged his shoulders. This did little to appease the ranting woman. The smile was almost as bad as the words he had just swallowed down.
“You think this is funny? You won’t be smiling after I’ve packed up and gone. How are you going to get along without me? Will your precious Miss Sara Atherton be able to coordinate the costume making like I do? I sure hope she can handle the day-to-day running of the theatre. You’ll be lost without me, Jack Langrishe, and you know it.”
He did know it. He also knew that he’d give in to his wife’s demands. Sara Atherton would have to go. Nothing he could do to stop that.
He sighed and raised his hands in surrender. “All right, Jeannette,” he announced dramatically. “I shall terminate the little wench’s contract and cast her out into the cold night to please you, my dear.”
“And I will take over her roles?” Jeannette asked eagerly.
Langrishe thought quickly. “I believe it’s time for us to introduce a new piece. I believe our audience is growing tired of the sad plight of the poor orphan child. We need a piece more suited for an actress of your years . . . and talents.”
Jeannette moved to the door. “I’ll go through the trunk and pull out some scripts.”
“Fine, my dear. Get Hellawell to assist you,” Langrishe leaned back in his chair. “Pity about Sara,” he said to himself quietly after his wife left. “But that’s life in the theater.” He slapped his palm on the desk as he realized something. “Damnation! Now we’ll be one girl short. I’ve got to find another pretty face out here in Deadwood to get a crowd!”
With a grin, he put his Mexican hat on, grabbed his fancy walking stick and, after a quick check in the mirror, left the building to do some recruiting.
***************
Lurlene screeched as Jenn’s nails ripped into her face and neck. Jenn continued to buck up and twist her body as much as she could to get Lurlene off her. But the blonde managed to stay on top and she grabbed at Jenn’s wrist with one hand to pry the brunette’s claws from her bloody ravaged cheeks. Jenn realized she was using up too much energy trying to dislodge the younger woman so she stopped thrashing and focused on attacking the blonde where she knew it would do the most damage, both physically and psychologically: Lurlene’s pretty face that she was so proud of.
“YOU FUCKING HAG!” the furious blonde screamed as she desperately tugged at Jenn’s wrist. But Jenn hung on, tenaciously digging and twisting her nails into the tender flesh, drawing even more blood. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY FACE?! I’LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!”
Lurlene’s other hand had been clutching Jenn’s brunette locks but she now let go of the older woman’s hair and slammed her fist down flush into the bridge of her rival’s nose. Jenn let out a gurgled cry as the back of her skull cracked against the floor, her eyes filled with tears, and like hundreds of shocking volts of pain shot through her head. She lay there in stunned silence, which gave Lurlene the chance to finally smack her hand away. The blonde, blood streaming down her face, twisted her features into a horrible sadistic grin and reared her right arm back for another devastating, possibly fight-ending, blow. But Jenn’s wits were slowly returning and, as Lurlene leaned back, she quickly viciously brought her right knee up into the blonde’s lower back. Lurlene gasped and lurched forward. Jenn was able to squirm out from under the blonde and rolled a safe distance away.
The brunette wiped the blood and tears from her face. She knew from the pain and the sudden swelling of her eyes that her nose was probably broken. And her body ached from the effects of the battle. But she was far from finished. A lifetime of fighting to survive in Australia and on the Barbary Coast made Jenn tough. Tough and hard. Mean and smart. She knew if she kept her wits, she could defeat her mortal enemy.
As her vision cleared, she saw the blonde pull herself up to her knees. The younger woman was a mess. Her face, so refined and beautiful only minutes earlier, was slashed and swollen, covered in blood. Her hair was snarled and disheveled, her clothes torn and shredded. Jenn knew that she didn’t look much better than her rival. She was still lying on her side facing Lurlene. She knew the blonde was watching her like a hawk, tensing herself, ready to resume the battle. Their eyes met. Both still proud and defiant. Both filled with hate. Both ready to kill or be killed. If necessary.
***************
“I guess Sethro wasn’t expecting me to spit in his face like I done. Took him by surprise. Pissed him off too.”Sethro roared like a wounded bear and back-handed me across the face with all his might. My god, how it hurt, but I bit my lip so hard that it drew blood, and I forced myself not to cry out. No way was I gonna give the big son-of-a-bitch the satisfaction of hearing me cry. Even if he killed me. Which, judging from the wild look on his face, was a possibility. I mean, there we were, hidden from view under the twisted cottonwood.
“You dirty little whore, you done it now,” Sethro rasped as my own spit dripped off his beaky nose down to my forehead. He grabbed my wrists again and pinned them down before I could do anything. I decided to try reasoning with him, hoping he’d buy it. Then when he got off me, I’d do my best to get the hell away from him.
“Awww, Sethro, you don’t have to be so rough now,” I purred. “Why don’t you get off me an’ we’ll go back to Miss Fourcade’s. I’ll give you a poke. Or two. As many as ya want. Free. No charge.”
“Oh, you’re darn right you’ll give me a poke, you will. But right here, right now.” Sethro leered down at me. He was breathing hard. Not because he was tired from me struggling against him. Oh, no. He was breathing heavy for one reason and one reason only. “You had your chance, bitch, an’ you done fucked it up,” he continued. “I’m done bein’ nice.”
“FUCK YOU, SETHRO!” I yelled in a rage. I started thrashing wildly again but he was twice my size and nothing I tried did any good. I was trapped, pinned under him, helpless. He was totally getting a kick out of watching me squirm and struggle, the rotten bastard.
(God, if you really do exist, please PLEASE grant me one miracle and sent Bill Hickok back down long enough to rescue me!)Sethro pulled my arms down to my sides and pinned them with his knees. His hands free, he grabbed at my bodice and was just starting to rip it open when a commanding voice barked out from Hickok’s grave.
“Boy, you best get off that girl while you’re still able to.”
***************
Heidi relaxed in the tub while Kassi picked up Jo’s clothes and bundled them up in the corner.
“You think we should head back to Miss Johnson’s?” she asked.
Heidi leaned back and closed her eyes, letting the cool water wash over the cuts and scratches on her body from the fight. She murmured, “She doesn’t need us. She can handle that old cow, no problem.”
“What if her girls show up?”
“Gunilla is there. And so is Cleever. Let them deal with it for now. I’m tired. All I want is to sit here in this tub.” She turned her head and opened one blue eye. “There’s room enough for the both of us,” she whispered with a giggle.
The taller blonde smiled at the invitation. In a matter of a minute, her clothes were on the floor and she was easing herself into the tub with Heidi.
“Damn, it’s cold!” she gasped as she slid down into the water, facing Heidi. The other girl giggled, lifted her bare foot up and playfully splashed Kassi. “Hey, no fair!” Kassi laughed and splashed back. Then both blondes stopped playing and started caressing each other gently with their fingertips under the water. Soft moans of pleasure filled the bath house as the caresses grew hotter and more intimate. Neither blonde was aware of the canvas flap being jerked open but the loud voice that followed jolted them out of their reverie.
“Well, isn’t this just the prettiest little picture!”
Heidi and Kassi whirled their heads around to see Gemm standing in the opening, her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed, a cruel smirk on her pretty face. Flanking her were Tee Poo and Clemmy. Miss Sara slid inside the bath house and moved off to one side near the scattered clothes.. All four girls glared at the blondes in the tub.
“Oh shit,” Heidi muttered under her breath. Totally vulnerable in their nakedness, both girls stole a quick look at their clothes and realized there was no way to reach them without a fight.
“Word of this should get out,” Tee Poo laughed. “Then maybe more men would be taking baths here.”
Clemmy added, “We could sell tickets. We’d fill the house.”
Sara giggled, “Standing room only!”
Kassi found her voice. “All right, you had your laugh. Now get out so we can dress.”
“Not bloody likely,” Gemm snapped. “Not till we get a few answers. Where is Jersey Jo?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We didn’t do anything to her.” Heidi said quickly. Too quickly.
Jenn’s girls looked at each other. They each gave a quick nod, then turned their attention back to the nude blondes, who seemed to shrink a little bit in fear.
“We seen that bunch of jackals, the Pettis boys, riding like bats outta hell from here,” Tee Poo said. “Looked to be carrying something, or somebody, under a blanket. You wouldn’t know nothing about that now, huh?”
“No,” Heidi spluttered.
“I swear,” added Kassi.
Sara looked down at the heap of skirts, bodices, panties and stockings on the dirt floor. She suddenly picked up a blue satin ruffled skirt from the pile.
“Clemmy, this is Jo’s, isn’t it?” the actress asked, holding the skirt up for everyone to see.
The Southern girl nodded grimly. “It sure is.” Then she turned to face Heidi and Kassi. “Where is she?”
“I promise you I don’t know!” Heidi cried.
Kassi nodded vigorously. “That was already on the ground when we got here!”
“Bollocks,” Gemm snapped. “I’ve been spoiling for a fight! I say you’re lying! And we’re gonna beat the truth out of you!”
The dark-haired British beauty charged toward the tub, viciously grabbed Kassi’s long blonde hair and yanked her, screaming, out of the water onto the floor. The blonde’s long legs kicked wildly in the air, splashing water everywhere. Heidi managed to scramble out of the tub but Tee Poo tackled her before she could take a step. The angry Cajun girl and the frightened blonde landed in a tangled heap of arms and legs on the ground.
Kassi somehow was able to twist her body around and slam her foot hard into Gemm’s belly. The British girl groaned and stumbled backwards, getting her feet tangled up in her long skirt. She lost her balance and fell hard on her ass.
The tall blonde got to her feet in a flash, moved toward her seated foe and smashed her foot into Gemm’s face. As the Brit fell on her back, Kassi hissed out,
“Swinia!” (“Pig!”) through her clenched teeth. When she lost her temper, the blonde sometimes lapsed into Polish, her native language. That’s what happened now. She turned to help Heidi who was taking a furious pounding from Tee Poo on the other side of the room. The smaller blonde was on her back, her hands covering her face, her bare feet kicking up dirt, as the Cajun girl sat on her belly and rained down punch after punch. Since Heidi was doing a good job blocking them, Tee Poo stopped punching and turned her attention to the blonde’s vulnerable naked breasts. With a snarling laugh, she sank her nails deep into them, hissing out, “That’s right! Scream,
putain! Scream for Tee Poo!”
“
Moj piekny Heidi!” Kassi cried out as she hurried to help her friend. But she was blindsided by Clemmy before she got halfway there. The Alabama lass used the blonde’s hair to whip her around and send her careening toward Gemm who was now back on her feet with the help of Sara. The two stood shoulder to shoulder, the blonde actress and the dark-haired soiled dove, as Kassi got closer, unable to stop herself.
“You take the high road . . .” Gemm hissed.
“You take the low road . . .” Sara finished.
As Gemm slammed her fist into the oncoming blonde’s belly, causing her to gasp and double over, Sara connected with a short right to her jaw. Kassi’s beautiful blue eyes rolled up, her body stiffened, and she toppled over onto her back.
“And I’ll be in Scotland before ye,” Gemm smirked as she looked down at the fallen blonde.
***************
Jenn swung her legs out in front of her as she watched the panting blonde on her knees facing her. Jenn was breathing hard too, her sweaty matted hair plastered to her red face. The blonde’s eyes flickered as she glared at the older brunette.
The old cow is exhausted, Lurlene thought to herself with grim satisfaction. Now’s my chance to finish her off, once and for all.
With a great effort, the blonde heaved herself to her feet. Jenn still lay there, resting on her arms. She planted her hands on the floor and tried to pull herself up but her arms buckled and she collapsed back down. The blonde’s smile grew bigger. Her eyes met Jenn’s. the brunette blinked, then looked down, her face registering resignation and defeat. I’m done, her expression seemed to say.
Lurlene moved in, supremely confident. Already her mind was working out the wicked details of how she was going to humiliate the older bitch. As she got closer, Jenn sprung her trap. Her body, slumped n total defeat just seconds earlier, suddenly coiled into action. Her right foot lashed out like the strike of a rattler. The heel of her boot connected with the blonde’s left kneecap. Caught totally off-guard, Lurlene howled in agony as her leg buckled and she collapsed in a heap, clutching her knee.
Jenn stood up and kicked the blonde in the ribs. “Young and stupid,” she hissed. “That’s why you’ll never beat me.”
Lurlene whimpered and tried to curl up in a ball. But Jenn grabbed her hair and yanked the sniveling blonde up to her feet. Lurlene’s arms waved helplessly as she tried to favor her injured leg. Still holding the younger woman’s hair firmly, Jenn paid her back for the earlier punch by slamming her fist into the blonde’s nose. Lurlene wailed and started to sink to her knees, the fight pretty much beaten out of her, but the evil brunette wouldn’t let her fall. Instead she dragged the screaming stumbling blonde out of the parlour, stopping only to yank her back up every time she fell. Jenn opened the front door and stepped out onto the boardwalk with Lurlene in tow.
The thoroughfare was teeming with people, all busy with their personal affairs. Jenn pulled the blonde out in front of her by her hair, standing her upright. Lurlene’s arms dangled at her sides, her eyes were half-closed, gurgling blubbering sounds escaped her swollen lips. The onlookers gaped in surprise at the two bloody disheveled women, their expensive dresses torn and ruined. Then their surprise turned to astonishment when Jenn lifted her foot and kicked Lurlene so hard in the ass that the blonde pitched forward off the boardwalk, landing facedown in the mud.
***************
(Bill? Is that you?)Sethro straightened up and turned his head toward the voice. I was able to lift my head too. It wasn’t Bill Hickok standing there by his grave. He didn’t come back to save me. I guess maybe that woulda been too much of a miracle, even for God.
No, it wasn’t Bill. Standing by Colorado Charlie Utter’s marker was a young man in his 20’s, with a strong handsome face and steel gray eyes that were fixed on Sethro. He nonchalantly lounged against the wooden marker, chewing on a long blade of grass, his right hand resting lightly on the handle of the Colt Navy 1851 in his holster.
(He’s got a Colt 1851 just like you, Bill! Except for the fancy pearl handles on yours.)“Boy, I’m not gonna tell you again.”
His voice was low, quiet, barely above a whisper. But there was power behind it. You could feel it.
Sethro felt it too. But he still tried to bluster his way out of it.
“This here ain’t none of your business, buddy. So why don’t you just move on along?”
The young man spat out the blade of grass. He straightened up and took a step away from the marker.
“I’ll move on along once you get off the young lady and leave her be.”
Sethro’s eyes bugged out, his mouth opened and closed a couple times before he was able to splutter, “Lady? Shit, she ain’t no lady! She’s nothin’ but a damn whore!”
The man’s gray eyes flashed dangerously. His body tensed. Sethro was too damn stupid to see that he was about to step into a world of shit.
“Everybody’s gotta make a living,” the man said. “Don’t give you the right to be disrespectful. Now this is the last time I’m gonna tell you. You get your scrawny ass up off that girl. While you still can.”
Nobody moved a muscle for what seemed like forever. Although I could feel Sethro trembling slightly on top of me.
(Oh God, please don’t make him pee himself now!) His watery blue eyes darted down at his own gun, then back up to the man standing in front of us. His gray eyes seemed to be inviting Sethro to take a chance. His right forefinger tickled the handle of his Colt.
Finally Sethro slid off me. Without a word. He stood up and shuffled a few feet away, never taking his eyes off the silent young man.
“Don’t know what the damn fuss is all about,” Sethro muttered. “She’s only a whore.”
“Next time pay for it, instead of trying to take it by force.” The young man turned his attention to me. “You all right, miss?”
“I’m fine,” I said quietly, trying to keep my voice from shaking. Grateful for the rescue, still scared half to death and also a little embarrassed over the fuss.
“He won’t bother you any more.” Just as the words left his lips, the young man whirled toward Sethro and his gun was out of the holster in a flash. He fired and I turned in time to see Sethro’s gun fly out of his hand. His palm filled with blood and there was a small gaping wound where the bullet went clear through. Sethro clutched his hand and stumbled down the hill toward Deadwood. He tripped and fell, picked himself up and hurried away without looking back.
“I never saw him again, Bill. Some say he lit out that night, leaving his claim and grubstake for anyone who wanted it. Dumb titty-biting son-of-a-bitch!”I looked at the young man as he holstered his Colt.
“You . . . coulda killed him.”
He smiled. It was an easy smile. A friendly smile. His gray eyes met mine. There was a light twinkle to them now, one that hadn’t been there a minute ago.
“You’re right. I coulda. But that woulda been more trouble than he was worth. I knew I could make him skedaddle if I just winged him.”
He walked over and extended a hand. I took it. His grip was strong, secure. I felt safe. He helped me up to my feet, then watched as I brushed the grass and pine needles from my clothes.
“Thank you so much. I don’t know what woulda happened if you hadn’t come by when you did, Mister . . .”
“Tyree. Ryan Tyree. Call me Ryan.”
“Thank you, Ryan. I’m Laurel Luckett. Everybody calls me Little Bit.”
“I’d rather call you Laurel. If that’s okay with you.”
***************
The battle in the bath house was fast and furious. And very one-sided. Outnumbered four to two, Heidi and Kassi were beaten worse than they had ever been beaten before. Their vulnerable nude bodies were ruthlessly attacked with punches, slaps, pinches and kicks. Nipples were cruelly twisted. Bare butt cheeks were spanked till they turned bright red. Blonde hair was pulled out by the roots. Miss Jenn’s girls were very thorough. And sadistic. Even Sara seemed to enjoy her role in the beating.
Powerless to defend themselves, Heidi and Kassi endured even more punishment. They knew Lurlene was busy with Jenn. But where the hell was Gunilla?
***************
“Goddess come to earth!”
Gunilla gaped at the strangely dressed tall man who had stopped her on the thoroughfare and grabbed her arm. He was wearing an enormous Mexican sombrero with a huge brim, a flowery ascot around his neck, a gray vest with pearl buttons, leather chaps over his trousers and was carrying a fancy walking stick.
She stammered,
“Forlata mig?” (“Pardon me?”)My dear, your beauty is breathtaking! Enchanting!” He bowed deeply and kissed her hand. “You deserve to be on the stage! Allow me to introduce myself. John Langrishe, at your service.”
“Jag forstar inte . . .” (“I do not understand . . .”)Langrishe bellowed, “Can somebody please find me a squarehead to translate to this beautiful goddess that I wish to make her a star?”
He kept his grip on her arm and led the perplexed young blonde down the thoroughfare back toward the Langrishe Theatre, chattering at her every step of the way. Gunilla kept looking back over her shoulder toward the bath house but couldn’t escape the strange man’s clutches.
***************
Finally it was all over. The nude beaten blondes huddled on the ground in the corner, whimpering and pleading for mercy. The four vicious vixens stood over them in triumph, not even breathing hard, with barely a scratch on them, savoring their victory.
“Well? We’re waiting. Where is Jersey Jo?” Clemmy demanded.
“The Pettis boys took her,” Heidi sobbed.
“We bloody know that!” Gemm snapped. “WHERE did they fucking take her?”
“I . . . don’t know . . .”
Bullshit!” Tee Poo hissed.
“I swear . . .” Heidi cried.
“It’s true!” Kassi added. “All they said was they were going up the Spearfish Road. Honestly!”
“Please! Don’t hurt us any more!” Heidi whimpered piteously. “We’ll do anything you want!”
“Anything!” Kassi sobbed.
The four girls exchanged evil grins. Tee Poo walked over to the flap and opened it. Linda Littletrees was standing there, sucking on her ever-present licorice stick.
“Bath house is closed for the rest of the day. Don’t let anyone in.”
The Crow woman nodded. “Okay.”
***************
Lurlene was sprawled out in the mud, spluttering and gasping. A crowd started to gather. Jenn took her time, slowly parading around her fallen enemy. Then she reached down and grabbed the younger woman’s mud-caked hair, pulling her up to her hands and knees. She used the blonde’s hair to drag her down the thoroughfare on all fours. Lurlene’s palms slapped down noisily in the muck as she crawled along in total defeat and humiliation. Jenn smiled and nodded her head pleasantly at the spectators as if she was just taking a leisurely afternoon stroll. Startled horsemen reined in their mounts as they gaped at the spectacle.
C.C. Cleever was smoking a long thin cigar in front of the telegraph office. His eyes grew wide and the cigar nearly fell from his slack mouth as Jenn approached, pulling the sobbing beaten blonde behind her. Jenn threw Lurlene down at Cleever’s feet and gave her one final kick in the ass for good measure. The blonde crumpled in a motionless heap and lay there, gasping and moaning.
Jenn looked up at Cleever and said in a calm quiet voice, “Send this baggage back to our friend Mister Hearst with my fondest regards. Tell him the better woman prevailed.”
She nodded again, took a last look at the so-called Queen of the Blondes lying on the ground, then turned and walked back toward her house.
***************
“And that’s pretty much the end of the story, Bill. It sure was a long day.
After Sethro high-tailed it down the hill, Ryan and I stayed up by your marker and talked a while. He told me he came here to see your grave. So I guess in a way you WERE kinda responsible for him being there to rescue me.
I think he kinda likes me, Bill. Said he wants to take me dancing over at the Bella Union this Saturday. I really like him too. I hope Featherlegs says it’s okay. I sure hope she doesn’t charge him. You think she would?”I did say this was the end of the story of the day the blondes descended on Deadwood. Well, that’s not altogether true. One more thing happened. At least I THINK it happened. I really don’t know for sure.
See, I was just about to head back down to town. Except for the thing with Sethro and Ryan, I missed most of the excitement of the day. The girls all filled me in later.
As I started to bend down to pull one last weed from Bill’s grave, I suddenly became aware that I was being watched. I coulda sworn I was all alone. Ryan had gone. Sethro was God knows where. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was up here with me. Then I heard the horse snort.
I looked up. About fifty yards from me was a brown Appaloosa horse with snowflake spots. Sitting on it bareback was a blonde in an Indian buckskin vest and fringed skirt. Even sitting on the tall horse I could tell right away that she was a small blonde. Smaller even than me. A real half-pint. She didn’t move, didn’t speak, just stared at me. Then she brought her right hand up and, with her eyes never leaving mine, slowly slid her thumb across her neck.
A cold shiver ran through me. I had no idea who this tiny blonde was, had never seen her before. Before I could speak, the sun, which had been hidden behind a cloud, suddenly burst through, blinding me. I blinked and raised my hand to shade my eyes from the glare. When I could finally see again, the blonde on the horse had vanished.
(“Little Bit” Luckett’s Deadwood story ends here. A catastrophic fire erupted in Deadwood around this time, devastating the town and destroying over 300 buildings, including Al Swearengen’s Gem Saloon, the Langrishe Theater and Miss Fourcade’s Academy For Young Ladies.
Miss Jenn “Featherlegs” Fourcade was still out in the Nevada Territory when the fire broke out. When she got word that her lifelong associate The Albino was killed trying to put out the fire, she was so heartbroken by his death that she never returned to Deadwood. She stayed in Virginia City for a few months, then went back to The Barbary Coast and opened a new house, becoming one of those most respectable and successful madams in the territory. She never told a soul that the Albino was her younger brother.
The rest of the Soiled Doves scattered after the fire, leaving the Dakotas. No one knows for sure what happened to them, they all pretty much dropped out of sight. Did they change their names, get arrested, get religion, get married, end up in jail?
The only one who stayed in the territory was Little Bit. She never got to see the Pacific Ocean. She stayed in South Dakota the rest of her life. She moved back to Yankton and eventually took over the orphanage after old Mrs. Booker died, keeping her time in Deadwood a secret. Many years after all this happened, after she learned how to read and write, she decided to chronicle the early wild days in the Badlands. Those memories became The Tales Of The Soiled Doves.)Thank you all for reading 'n all the comments. I hope everybody enjoyed the story!
xoxo
~Laurie~
