EXCERPT : TWO GUNS FOR PARADISE

You ever been to Yuma? It’s quite a place, really. Quaint little frontier town, sits there in the desert looking all solid and pretty, right next to the big old Colorado River. It’s down there in that odd part of the country where the Great Bear State juts into Arizona Territory from the west. If you can throw a rock across the water, it’ll land in California.

The climate’s pretty agreeable in the winter, kinda like a spring day in Tennessee, or so I’m told. Summertime? Well, that’s a different matter. I’ve seen five of them go by, and I’m trying to describe it in a way good folks wouldn’t mind hearing. How about this—It’s hotter’n blue blazes. Yeah, that might be close.

Since there’s no timber hereabouts, they built most everything out of the one substance they’ve got an endless supply of: rocks. I oughta know; I made my share of them—rocks, that is. You look at this town, and it looks, well…secure. Rocks do that. And they keep the insides of these nice little homes cooler when it’s a hundred and fifteen degrees outside.

But they do something else. Somehow or other, making houses and stores and such out of stone seems to make a place look more respectable. Don’t ask me how, I just know that it does. Rocks do that too, I guess.

But no amount of window dressing can make a hell-hole respectable, and that’s exactly what the Yuma Territorial Prison was. Conjure up the worst possible image you can, and you’re pretty close to half the reality of it. Five years I spent the days of my ‘incarceration’ swinging a sixteen-pound double-jack under a red-hot sun and the whip of sadistic guards. ‘Makin’ little ones outta big ones,’ as the saying goes. Hard labor, they call it. Ball and chain.

Nights, I made another scratch on the wall.

They said I killed a man up in Prescott—and that’s true—but what they didn’t say was, he had it coming.

“However,” the judge said, “there bein’ mitigating circumstances, I’m only givin’ you five years”. Then he shook his finger at me. “You oughta be thankful!” he said, but I’m not sure I was. Could’a hung me, he said, and that much was true.

So there I was, breaking rocks in the blazing sun.

Toward the end of my time, I started getting in a better mood. That bothered the guards considerable, so they beat me up until my attitude improved. It was hard, but I didn’t fight back. If you did, you got more time added to your sentence, and right about then, that’s the last thing on earth I wanted.

So I took that beating and lay on the hard rock floor of my cell next to the Colorado River and hoped I wouldn’t have any scars, at least on the outside. Inside was a different game altogether, but I figured that’d change once I got out. At least I hoped so.

The day of my release, they took their sweet time about it. But when they finally came for me, I laid that big hammer down for the last time. Done.

The guards ‘escorted’ me into the Warden’s office, where much to my amazement, he actually had the nerve to ask if I was rehabilitated. I said “Yes sir” for the last time, and he threw my old clothes at me—which were now full of holes and looked way too big. Then the guards gave me a going-away present I wouldn’t soon forget, the warden looking on the whole time from the comfort of his big leather chair with his feet propped up on the desk. Two of them held me while the officer of the guards gave me his best.

It was a helluva beating, and when he was done, they held me up while the sweating officer took the chains off. Then the two assistants clobbered me with their billyclubs because they, too, wanted to say goodbye; and besides, I took too long taking that rotten prison garb off and putting my old clothes on. I was about half-through when they whacked me to the floor and took turns kicking me.

That’s the last thing I remember about Yuma…

* * *

I woke up in the back of a wagon. Some Mormons found me laying in the street in front of the prison. I think that was yesterday.

They couldn’t believe it, they said. There were plenty of tracks where people had simply ridden around the body and left me lie. No, they didn’t know how long I’d laid there.

I was in bad shape, for the people of the territory, through their penal system, had done quite a job of reforming me. My lips were split and swollen, and I had a hard time talking. One eye was so puffed up I couldn’t open it. By the feel of it, I had quite a few busted ribs. I guess it’d be fair to say that just about everything hurt, and I sure couldn’t move much. But I was alive, and I was free.

The Mormons—who were real decent people—said they were on their way to Salt Lake City, and that I’d better come with them. Seeing’s how I had no shoes—they'd been stolen—and nothing but the clothes on my back—and therefore couldn’t just up and walk away—I agreed that it was a probably a good idea.

Really, they were just about the nicest folks you’d ever want to have pick you up in the street when you got beat out of prison, and they took real good care of me—feeding me and treating my wounds and such. Didn’t preach at me, neither.

Joe Frazier was the man’s name. Joe was an older fella, and he had quite a few guns, I was pleased to see. He only had one wife, a wholesome woman with the name of Emily; but together they had five kids, and one on the way.

The oldest was a girl of perhaps seventeen, and Jenna sure was pretty. Thin and very well built, she had long black hair and the face of an angel. Demure and proper, yet she had this look. Maybe it’s just because I hadn’t set eyes on a woman in five years, but every once in a while, I fancied she was watching me when she figured I wasn’t looking. At least that’s what I thought. More than likely, it was just curiosity, I told myself. And what with the circumstances and the calluses on my wrists from the shackles, I kept my distance.

The first few nights, they all slept on the ground and left me alone in the wagon. But it wasn’t long and I was starting to get up and around, helping with the chores as best I could. Still, it was hard. Every once in a while when I’d move wrong them sharp pains would hit me, and I’d just have to lay down and breathe easy. Those dog-goned ribs were going to give me trouble for a while, I guess.

Jenna, she tore up a perfectly good bed sheet one day, and then Joe come in the wagon to help me wrap my ribcage with it. That made things a whole lot better, and I was sure to thank them properly.

Them good folks picking me up and helping me like that sure was a Godsend, I know that. They were an upstanding, hard-working family, and about the only thing I didn’t like about them was the fact that they didn’t drink no coffee in the morning and didn’t have any tobacco whatsoever. Of course, I hadn’t had either in Yuma, and I guess that’s why I was looking forward to it so much. Well, I figured I’d live a little longer without it.

One evening, Joe got me away from the camp and we had us a talk. Here it comes, I figured, but I was sure as hell surprised, because he didn’t ask me why I’d been in Yuma or anything about it. First, he asked, “Are you saved?”

I said, “Yes”, that he and his family had done it, and I was sure beholden to them. Joe took that real well, and we both had a good laugh. I guess he must have decided to drop it, because he just looked at me and kept on chuckling. Not only did I take that for a good sign; I appreciated it, too.

Then he got serious. “What are your plans?”

At that, I had to give it some thought. Oh, I knew alright, for I’d had plenty of time to think about it. It was just figuring out what to tell him that was the dilemma. Mulling it over, I came to the conclusion that he really wouldn’t want to know. “Well,” says I, “Got me a little ranch outside of Prescott—if it’s still there. Guess I’ll go back and try to pick up the pieces if I can.”

In my mind, I’d have liked to ride on out of there if I could only get my hands on a horse and outfit, but I didn’t say that. Right then, Surprise Number Two come when old Joe up and says, “When we get to Salt Lake City, I’ll be happy to give you a horse and gun if you’ll just hear me out. May not be the best, but assuredly better than what you’ve got.”

Me, I didn’t know what to say to the man. They’d done so much already. When you come right down to it, I figured they’d out-and-out saved my life, and here he was offering to do more. I looked him square in the eye and shook hands and thanked him from the bottom of my heart, for it’d certainly be worth the time.

The next morning, we got back to goin’. Along the way, we run into some others headed for the same place, and pretty soon we had us a regular wagon train, bound for glory. Every one of those families were good people, and none of the Fraziers must have said a word about where they found me, because everybody treated me real nice and called me Brother.

They were a real God-fearing people, those Mormons. Straight and sturdy. Clean, orderly, and decent. I know I’ve said that word already about them—decent—but it seems to fit real well.

Well, we were four and a half weeks getting to Mormontown. Part of that’s because they wouldn’t travel on the Sabbath. Said it was unholy, or something like that. The rest was due to that mile-deep gash in the earth that cuts all the way across the northern part of this country—wagons and gorges never did mix too good. So we’d had to swing northwest first, and then turn right to salvation.

It was a Friday when we finally come into Zion, and everybody was feeling pretty darned good. We spent most of the day walking around and talking and meeting people, me waiting for that horse the whole time. Finally, Joe and five or six more ganged-up on me and sat me down. I was in for the lecture of my life.

Man, it took hours. I won’t go into everything they said, but suffice it to say, it was rather… interesting. At least that’s what I pretended to show, although a few of the high points really did get my attention. They tried to get me to talk some; but I kept it brief, knowing that anything I said might only urge them on to even greater proselytizing—I think that’s the word.

So I sat there fidgeting under their gaze, listening, and was awful glad to hear when one of them said that this story did have an end, alright, and that it was surely coming soon. They all got a chuckle out of that—and I did too, truth-be-told. When they finally come to the end of speaking, I sure was glad; but then it got quiet a while. Then they asked me what I thought.

“Boy!” says I, like a schoolboy who doesn’t know the answer to the question. “That sure is a lot to digest in one sitting. I’m gonna have to think about it.”

Then they fed me again and I bedded down with the Fraziers for a good night’s sleep. In the morning, they give me a helluva good breakfast, and Joe was true to his word. He cut a big gray horse loose and handed me a good rifle. Suddenly—I guess that must’ve been the signal—a bunch of people showed up to say goodbye. Fortunately for me, they came bearing gifts.

I tell you, stuff seemed to come out of nowhere. Clothes, and even a hat, were placed in my hands. Some Brother walks up with a saddle and bridle; another, an old gunbelt with a pistol and knife in it. Blankets and gear come through the crowd; saddlebags appeared full of ammunition and things I’d need. Seemed like everybody put up some food.

I was truly stunned. These Mormons are really… uh… what’s the word I’m searching for? Good. That’s what they are. Good, indeed.

Before I left, my savior insisted on a prayer, and we all held hands in one big circle, every man, woman, and child. It was touching, all the good things they had to say to the Man Upstairs; all the good things they asked Him to do for me in particular. I gotta tell you, all-in-all, I was mighty impressed with these people.

Joe went kinda long-winded with the prayer, but it, too, had an end, and all at once, everybody said “Amen”. I wasn’t used to that, and so was the last one. Then all the Brothers and Sisters come up with their sincere handshakes and pats on the back and such, and told me to stop back again whenever I could. Frazier was the last in line, and I thanked him from the depths of humility. He said, “You’re a good man, friend. You’ll always have a place to stay if you ever need it.”

I mounted up, gazing upon these people and waving. I really was thanking them, but I was also looking for Jenna, and I did not see her.

When I rode away, I was sure sorry. But I hadn’t gone far when there she was, standing in the shade of a cottonwood with some books nestled securely against her ample bosom. She appeared to be waiting. What for, I didn’t know. Maybe the Second Coming. But deep down inside, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was me.

When I reached the tree, I stopped the horse next to her and tipped my hat. “Jenna.”

She smiled shyly, looking up at me with that certain beauty only religious women possess.

“Brother,” she said in that enticing, young-womanly voice of hers. “My family would like you to take these with you,” and handed me those books. “Keep them,” she said, “and think of me when you read them.”

I sat there with those good books feeling rather awkward in my convict hands. “Thank you, Jenna. I do believe I’ll do just that,” though I was referring to the ‘thinking of her’ part.

Jenna Frazier said one more thing. “I hope you’ll come back.”

“Count on it,” says I.

Now, either it was my imagination, or she really did blush a little. Then she turned and walked quickly back to camp.

I moved my horse to watch her go; a stunning figure, clean hair flowing in the breeze. My thoughts weren’t none too pure, but I sat there anyway, watching her until she blended into the crowd and disappeared. Stuffing them books in the saddlebags, I give out a final wave and turned my horse.

Yes sir, I left those good Mormons with two things: a complete outfit, due to their overwhelming generosity; and fond memories, due to their inherent goodness. If there was a God in heaven, I certainly hoped He would smile on those people.

Myself, I had a man to kill…