After Willy's soul had gone to pass, and I had gotten the hell out of Louisiana, I drifted around the territories for a while, trying to find a place where i fit in.
I was a saddle tramp, taking orders from nobody, and following the path of no man, ended up in a little dirt town in Texas, went by the name of Ponderosa. When i left the Bayou, i neglected to tell anyone where i was headed, or pack anything other than what i had on me after i layed willy to rest. With no money, i went into the Saloon, feeling alone, and sad. Took me some trying, but i started asking around for work, trying to find a way to keep myself a float.
A man at the bar was beginning to tell me where i could find some work, when another man came barging in the door. Now i hadn't been around the way for very long, but this fella was making it pretty obvious that he was looking for trouble. "Everyone but you, step away from the bar. You can stay right there, maybe even order yourself another drink." he exclaimed. With one chuckle, he immediately knew that i wasn't about to take that lightly, "You're looking for trouble, its obvious." I responded; "I'm not one for causing trouble, but im not one for taking disrespect lightly. So, you want trouble, partner you got trouble.". The entire saloon went silent as i stepped away from the bar to meet the man face to face. "Its a pleasure to meet you, Danny Caloway, but to you, that'll be Mister Caloway.". He let out a laugh coming straight from his belly, "Nobody is Mister to me, little man." reaching for the gun on his hip. I quickly yanked the six gun mister benjamin had so graciously given me out of the leather, and sent one shot right through the man's heart. On his side, leather was never cleared, and the man fell limp to the floor of the bar. "Well, hell, look what i gone and did", i said as i started heading for the door, gun still in hand, bar still in shocked silence. Walking over the body of the lifeless body, i turned to the room and said "thanks for the hospitality folks, but it appears that i have to keep moving on." I had done it, i was an outlaw, a gunslinger, a man on the run, all be it, by choice. With nowhere to go, and no money to my name, i decided to head west, to try and seek some fortune. Heard there was some gold out that way, so i figured "hell, ill just take someone else's gold when they find any." I didnt know the first thing when it came to panning, so this seemed like the only real option.
It took me a long while, but eventually i stumbled across a valley out in the California territory, and with luck, started trailing a man. Three weeks, day in and day out, i stayed just far away from him so he wouldn't notice me, but just close enough to where i could still see him, and one lucky day for me, he found some gold flakes, and started digging right along the riverbed, and that's when I made my move. I walked up behind the man as he was digging, hoping and praying he wouldn't notice the click of my hammer as i pressed the barrel of my six gun against the back of his head.
"Hello partner, were gonna make ourselves a little deal," I started. "Whatever you find, you give me half of it, and i don't put six rounds in your head, sound like a good trade?" He nodded and continued to dig. Four hours i had my gun pointed at him while he dug, until he stopped, looked back at me, and motioned me into the hole.
Immediately as i had fully gotten into the hole, the man threw dirt in my eyes and tried to get the gun out of my hands and turn it on me. We struggled and struggled until eventually i managed to get some space between us and wipe the dirt out of my eyes, and with no hesitation, i unloaded every round of that big iron into his chest. Under his body layed a big chunk of gold, and luckily for me, the bastard had dug it mostly out, so i took that chunk of gold, and even got some munitions and a pony out of it.
I headed back to the little mining town, chunk of gold on horseback, and the horse trying to buck me off every so often. Man at the turn-around said he'd give me 200 dollars for the gold, and with that money I was about to begin my new life. No longer as Danny Caloway, a little boy from the sticks who would never be more than a cowpoke, but as "Mister Caloway."
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The Tale of Mister Caloway
General Fiction"The Tale of Mister Caloway" is a gripping wild west adventure that takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the untamed American frontier. Set in the late 18th/early 19th century, the story follows the enigmatic and charismatic protagonist...
