Tag: 19th century novel
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Fiction: Gaming
“I want to make money and visit with real whores. As the teamster said, life’s short.” Fred gulped his last drink and down the road they went. Quiet, almost sweet, music played somewhere within the gaming hall. “I’ll wait out here, Fred.” “Oh, no you won’t! Don’t be such a prig. Play one hand,” Fred…
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Fiction: Provoking Talk
“Be on alert now, boys,” cautioned the teamster. “This is where the bandits cut my friend down not two weeks ago.” “Be on alert,” Buck remembered. “Be on alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong.” He took a deep breath. He must try to have faith. The huge, dark sky…
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Fiction: Honest Appraisals
A soldier poked his head in to the coach to greet the Crenshaw family when they came to a stop. He scanned the group of strangers. Opening the door, the soldier held out his hand to Buck’s sister Meg. “Allow me to help you, miss.” Despite her best efforts to appear unmoved, she giggled, blushed,…
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Fiction: Family Shots
“Merciful heavens, Graham, look at Buck’s face. It’s worse than ever!” Margaret cried. “Mother, you look well,” Buck said and kissed her cheek. “You look terrible.” “Well, I was shot.” “What?” Fred cried in disbelief. “Who shot you?” “An Apache.” “Damn, you were in a shoot-out with Indians?” Fred asked in jealous awe. “You lucky…
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Fiction: Tangled
“Seems the bit of merriment you boys had got the lieutenant shot,” said the veteran doctor. Buck swung his legs to the side of the bed. “I have to see him.” “No, I’m afraid not, son. Fahy won’t want to see you. He’s upset and angry, poor devil. Says you both stole horses and deserted…
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Fiction: Drawing From Memory
William sat beneath a cottonwood in the searing heat trying to ignore the hordes of flies and eye gnats commuting from breeze to hot breeze. Kenyon gave him the well-kept sable brushes and the vivid oil tubes left by their fallen leader. William flipped through Ignatius’ leather bound sketchbook with sinking heart. Crow warriors, Sioux…