What Child Is This

The horses' hooves splashed the pooling water, as they trampled in the muddy waters flowing down the slope, across the deck, in front of Morgan's front door, increasing an intimidating threat of harm. Morgan, standing at his door now fully open, cocked his weapon, and addressed the men as if he knew there was no good thing they could have possibly arrived there for. To deescalate, he rested the butt stock end of his rifle to the floor while holding the barrel, insisting “Judge, you're more than welcome to come up onto the deck with your horse, and get on up, outta the rain.” “Reese, what are you doing here,” turning to Reese, whom he knew best, and then onward towards Rudy and the Judge, “why are you with them? You’re not due back ‘til tomorrow.” “Never mind now, Randall,” the Judge interrupted, his hands crossed, holding reins, resting forearms on his saddle horn, restraining a Spencer rifle laying across his saddle, tucked tight against his belly. “I’m here to be discussing some business with ya now, Randall.” The Judge was considerably shorter than Randall, but nevertheless seemed like a giant upon this horse in this terrible weather, as the three men pushed in under the roof of the porch. Randall’s typically genial facial expression turned cold. His tired eyes narrowed. He straightened up, remembering his height. He glared at the water pouring off the Judges hat. “What business would I possibly have to be discussin’ with you now Kensington!” Randall’s voice turned cold as he turned to Reese again, evidently hoping his right-hand man would have some answers for him. “Reese, what are you doin’ here?” refocusing to stare down Rudy, “Why did you bring this drunkard of a man ‘round my place for? Now I’m not goin’ to ask you again. Whatchya’ with these men for.” Morgan tightened his one-handed grip around the barrel of his rifle, raised the butt from the floor, and secured the gun in both hands.. “Why, that’s a mighty disrespectful there, mine owner Morgan,” Rudy spouted sarcastically, taking off his hat and bowing his head at Morgan, in reaction to the move Morgan had made with the rifle, while in the same breath, acknowledging his previous statement, which he took very personally as the town drunk. The Judge kicks the side of his pony, and steps the horse up further onto the wooden deck, making himself even bigger to Morgan. His horse stomps a hoof which gets the Judge smiling. “Why are you getting’ all worked up for now Randall? I’ve come here friendly like. You know, we’ve had some unfinished business for years, and I think it’s about time we settle it up.” Morgan seemed genuinely trapped in a memory. He looked at Reese, who averted eye contact, then he beamed his eye back at the Judge. He was looking for an answer since nobody would explain. “The only unfinished business we have, is that you never gave me my reconveyance for the deed to MY mine years ago when YOU was too lazy to work it any further. Wanted no more of it!” “Now wait a second,” the Judge, still smiling. “Why you gettin’ all hostile for now, Randall?” “Well, the way I remember it, I bought your half, at your request, Judge. You wanted out for a thousand dollars. Did I not give you a thousand dollars?” Randall, now highly aggressively, questioned. “Well, that’s actually why I came on up here Randall. I wanted to sit down and talk about that very subject, Randall.” continuing, “Ya see, that’s not exactly the way I remember it. I remember LOANING you a thousand dollars, and I’m here to collect that money. From what Reese has been sharing with me, you seem to have stumbled upon quite a find up here, in our shared mine claim. The new north vein, Ring any bells? I’m just here to see my half and how it’s become profitable it seems. Seems you might now be owing me a lot more than a thousand dollars, now Randall.”, leaning in pouring water from his hat all over Randall’s feet, splashing it into his house. “Now wait a second!” Randall exclaimed. “Boss, man,” Reese interrupted in his deep, long, drawn out drawl, hoping to negotiate some sense into the argument. “I’d hear him out now. Should, let him finish.” “Well, if I sold him anything as he is claiming, I certainly don’t remember any conversations about any north vein,” the Judge further motioned.. Randall fixed his glare at Reese, trying to figure out what was going on at such a late hour, then in increasing crescendo, with every word.. “Why are you here Reese? for this?? Is this your doin’? You put him up to this?” “Now Randall, that’s no way to talk to our workers now, is it now boys?” Judge Kensington remarked arrogantly, backing his horse off the deck and looking at the two men in the process. In his mind, these were his men. “Wait a second, I see now,” Randall extended. “Reese done told you there was some kinda’ thing up here. And you, bein’ so lazy, didn’t wanna stick around here and work this mine, you took a thousand dollars from me for your half, and walked away. You think yer just gonna waltz right back on up here, on your own merit, and take that claim back?” Randall pointed his finger at the Judge in anger. “I ain’t ever gonna have a change of heart on that. You walked away, Judge! Took a thousand dollars from me to do so, and any court will see you ain’t put a nickel of blood, sweat, or money into this here mine, or into the wages of these here men. Now, workin’ here, or not workin’ here. North vein, or no north vein.” Looking at Reese and the Judge, he continued, “any worker over the past year who worked here, is gonna attest, you ain’t, you ain’t never even been up here in a year!”