Moving On Chapter 4 A WEEK LATER It had been a week since Ezra had left Four Corners. Since the other six peacekeepers had seen him. Chris had sent a telegram to the New Orleans train station, asking that they have Ezra contact him when he arrived. But his pleas had gone unanswered. They were all six sitting in the saloon, having an early dinner before Nathan and Josiah started their night patrol. "Well, Cowboy, is one of us goin' after Ez?" Vin asked. Chris thought for a moment, then nodded. "Guess so. Evidently he's not going to answer the telegram." "He might have gone somewhere else," chimed in Buck. "Lord, I hope not," said Josiah. "Well, I don't know about that. But New Orleans is the only lead we have," said Chris. Seeing Nathan roll his eyes, he spoke to him. "Out with it." "What?" asked Nathan. "Out with whatever's bothering you, Nathan," Chris demanded. Nathan sighed. "Fine. I just think that it might be best if we left Ezra alone. He left because he wanted to. I'm sure he's fine and we're fine without him." "Thought you wanted him to come back," said JD. Nathan shrugged. "Might be better if he didn't." "He wouldn't have left iffen it weren't fer us," Vin said in his Texan drawl. "He felt like he wasn't wanted here anymore. And the way you treated him about Mister Woolery's money didn't help any, Nate." Nathan's eyes narrowed. "I was trying to get that farmer's money back! Ezra shouldn't have took it!" "Why not?" asked JD. "He is a gambler, Nathan. Mister Woolery shouldn't have played if he didn't have the money to lose." With that said, JD stood up and put on his bowler hat. "I'm going to head to the jail." After JD was gone, Buck looked at Nathan and asked, "Why do you not like Ezra?" "I like him just fine," replied Nathan. "Bullshit," said Chris. "You always run him down. Make slurs about his heritage and profession." Nathan glared at Chris. "I ain't the only one. I seem to recall you jumpin' in with me about Mister Woolery's money." Chris closed his eyes for a moment, then spoke. "I know and I'm admitting that I was... wrong. But we all need to decide what we're going to tell Ezra when we find him. Decide how we're gonna convince him to come back. To come home." Vin, Josiah, and Buck nodded in agreement while Nathan stood up and stormed out of the saloon. "I don't think this is going to be easy, Brother Chris," said Josiah. "Never said it would be. I think we should all head to New Orleans. We do find him, its gonna take us all to convince him that we need him back." NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA Ezra sighed as he sat down on his bed and took off his boots. He had arrived in New Orleans three days after he had boarded the train. That had been four days ago. He had received a telegram when he had gotten off the train. A telegram from Chris. He looked at the dresser, across the hotel room, where the telegram was. He hadn't answered it and he wasn't planning to remedy that situation. Four Corners and the people there were a part of his past. It was time to look toward the future. He laid on his back, hands interlaced and behind his head. He had been in the casino, downstairs, and had managed to rake in a tidy sum of one hundred dollars. Now that he had nobody but himself to protect it was time that he made his ultimate dream come true. As he closed his eyes, his mind started conjuring pictures of the fanciest and classiest casino that anyone had ever seen. He was through with dusty and small backwater towns. New Orleans was his home, now. Return to Moving On
Moving On
Chapter 4
A WEEK LATER
It had been a week since Ezra had left Four Corners. Since the other six peacekeepers had seen him. Chris had sent a telegram to the New Orleans train station, asking that they have Ezra contact him when he arrived. But his pleas had gone unanswered.
They were all six sitting in the saloon, having an early dinner before Nathan and Josiah started their night patrol.
"Well, Cowboy, is one of us goin' after Ez?" Vin asked.
Chris thought for a moment, then nodded. "Guess so. Evidently he's not going to answer the telegram."
"He might have gone somewhere else," chimed in Buck.
"Lord, I hope not," said Josiah.
"Well, I don't know about that. But New Orleans is the only lead we have," said Chris. Seeing Nathan roll his eyes, he spoke to him. "Out with it."
"What?" asked Nathan.
"Out with whatever's bothering you, Nathan," Chris demanded.
Nathan sighed. "Fine. I just think that it might be best if we left Ezra alone. He left because he wanted to. I'm sure he's fine and we're fine without him."
"Thought you wanted him to come back," said JD.
Nathan shrugged. "Might be better if he didn't."
"He wouldn't have left iffen it weren't fer us," Vin said in his Texan drawl. "He felt like he wasn't wanted here anymore. And the way you treated him about Mister Woolery's money didn't help any, Nate."
Nathan's eyes narrowed. "I was trying to get that farmer's money back! Ezra shouldn't have took it!"
"Why not?" asked JD. "He is a gambler, Nathan. Mister Woolery shouldn't have played if he didn't have the money to lose." With that said, JD stood up and put on his bowler hat. "I'm going to head to the jail."
After JD was gone, Buck looked at Nathan and asked, "Why do you not like Ezra?"
"I like him just fine," replied Nathan.
"Bullshit," said Chris. "You always run him down. Make slurs about his heritage and profession."
Nathan glared at Chris. "I ain't the only one. I seem to recall you jumpin' in with me about Mister Woolery's money."
Chris closed his eyes for a moment, then spoke. "I know and I'm admitting that I was... wrong. But we all need to decide what we're going to tell Ezra when we find him. Decide how we're gonna convince him to come back. To come home."
Vin, Josiah, and Buck nodded in agreement while Nathan stood up and stormed out of the saloon.
"I don't think this is going to be easy, Brother Chris," said Josiah.
"Never said it would be. I think we should all head to New Orleans. We do find him, its gonna take us all to convince him that we need him back."
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
Ezra sighed as he sat down on his bed and took off his boots. He had arrived in New Orleans three days after he had boarded the train. That had been four days ago. He had received a telegram when he had gotten off the train. A telegram from Chris.
He looked at the dresser, across the hotel room, where the telegram was. He hadn't answered it and he wasn't planning to remedy that situation. Four Corners and the people there were a part of his past. It was time to look toward the future.
He laid on his back, hands interlaced and behind his head. He had been in the casino, downstairs, and had managed to rake in a tidy sum of one hundred dollars. Now that he had nobody but himself to protect it was time that he made his ultimate dream come true. As he closed his eyes, his mind started conjuring pictures of the fanciest and classiest casino that anyone had ever seen.
He was through with dusty and small backwater towns. New Orleans was his home, now.
Return to Moving On