The Shining Mountains 9: The Shining Mountains, #9

By charles fisher

Becky has a plan for the railroad, and it may be something she can't survive. Setting it in motion is not as easy as she thinks it will be.....carrying it out may be the end of her. First of two parts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: charles fisher
• Release date: Jun 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781533781932

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Table of Contents

The Shining Mountains 9 | The Betrayal

The End | To be continued in The Shining Mountains 10, The Curse of Flathead Lake

The Shining Mountains 9

The Betrayal

Barrett Trading Post West 

Flathead Country

August, 1838

Becky heard Snow Star coming, and hid the blueprints under her mattress. She went over to the dresser and started brushing her long dark tresses. 

You get up early, Snow Star said. Bed on fire?

I couldn’t sleep, Becky said. It’s too hot.

Too hot because you drink all day, Snow Star said. Make you sweat like pig. Have to change sheets and put mattress outside, because very wet.

Is there a purpose to this early morning visit? Becky said as she brushed her hair. Other than criticizing me, that is.

No. I hear noise, think maybe you fall out of bed.

Go have the cooks make some bacon sandwiches, Becky said absentmindedly as she stood back from the mirror. Look at that, she said, pointing at her image. Did you ever see anything that looks like that?

I see before, Snow Star giggled. Pony ass look like this.

I think I’ll go for a swim. This heat is unbearable.

You swim in lake? Snow Star said. No do this.

No, I’ll swim in the river. Just enough to cool off. Get me some new buckskins, these are a year old. They’re beyond cleaning.

Have shit stains, Snow Star said. You make poopy in pants?

That was an accident! Becky laughed. Now get out of here and do your job.

Snow Star left, and Becky took the blueprints and put them back in their hiding place. She had her swim, dressed in her new buckskins, and went into the bar.

Damn, Jake Stanton said. She got new skins. Must be nice to have money.

Prob’ly can’t squeeze her big ass into the old ones, Right Hand Johnson said.

Deer hide only stretches so far, Gwen Harris smirked.

Anybody else want to pile on? Becky said as she grabbed a bacon sandwich. You bastards aren’t exactly high fashion yourselves. Besides, why should I dress up? You want me in a dancing dress so one of you can take me to the cotillion? Then I can do the waltz with Burned Ass Barker.

I’d pay gold cash money to see that, Nickel Jack called out from a table in the back.

You’d pay gold cash money to see a human girl in your bed, too, Becky said. What’s the chance of that happening?

Rock goats ain’t that far apart from humans, Jack shrugged. Specially the young ‘uns. Nice and slippery, he grinned. Long as they don’t kick ya, you got it made. And they don’t ask ya fer a kiss when it be done.

My God, Gwen said, slamming down her fork. Another one? Is there anybody here who hasn’t cavorted with animals or dead girls? Well, is there?

I ain’t had a turn at you yet, Jack said. Can’t say what category you’d be in. Me, I’d rather have the damn goat than a dried up old skunk like you with yer big mouth. Don’t you ever shut the hell up?

No talk when Burt puts penis in mouth, Moon Cloud giggled.

You shut up, Gwen said, pointing her fork at Moon Cloud. I’ve had about enough of you.

Want fork in ass? Moon Cloud said. You point at me, this you get. I no take shit from you.

We be in girly Hell, Johnson said. Doc, I be 63 this year. Take me out to the Wind River Range, put me on a hill where I kin see the Almighty’s mountains, and shoot me. I can’t take no more of this here palaver.

Hawken only got one shot, Jake said. I got to save that fer myself. I ain’t no happier than you about what has happened here in the west. This be a man’s country. Ain’t right that no gals take over.

Shut up, Stanton, Becky laughed, bacon hanging out of her mouth. You never had it so good since I showed up here. Tell me I’m wrong. She slurped at a cup of coffee, and half of it went down the front of her.

Look at yerself, Jake sighed. Bacon in your  hair and  hangin’ out of yer yap, and coffee all over you. What the hell is wrong with you? Can’t you remember how to eat like a regular human?

I’m not a regular human, Becky said quietly. I never was. I’m not supposed to be. Where are the sweet rolls? she said eagerly.

Dan McNeil came in, put his Hawken by the fireplace, and sat down. Damn, it be hot, he said. This be the hottest summer I ever seen. You know what that means.

No, we don’t, Aristotle, Gwen smirked. Enlighten us with your great analysis of the weather.

Only whether you’re gonna get is if I decide whether or not to put one in yer head, Dan said. What’s that in your hair? he said quizzically.

Nothing, Gwen said quickly. Must be soap. What is this you said about the weather?

We is in for a bad winter. Hot summer, bad winter. I learned that in school. Perdition, they called it.

Good grief, Gwen sighed. Perdition is Hell. You mean prediction.

I don’t know about no dick, Dan huffed. I be a real man, not no pantywaist.

This is why I am so cranky, Gwen said. I am an intelligent person surrounded by idiots. This is very frustrating.

You been frustrating with  Burt  every night from what I hear, Dan grinned. The good book says frustrators is bad.

I give up, Gwen said. This man has the intelligence level of a possum. I cannot deal with him.

Possums ain’t stupid, Dan said as he took a bacon sandwich. They been around longer than you.

So is that old Flathead you screw, Becky said. "When God said let there be light, she lit the lamp."

Don’t start in on my gal, Dan said. She be younger and prettier than you. I told ya this a hundred times.

Where is she? Becky said as she took a sweet roll off the tray Barizini’s cooks had just brought out. Nobody here has seen her. Why don’t you bring her over for dinner? We can give you a litter and a couple of people to carry it. Barzini can make some chicken soup for her. He’ll save the grease for you, she giggled. You might need it.

The hell with all of ya, Dan said. I ain’t never been so insulted in my life.

Yes you has, Right Hand said. And it ain’t gonna get no better. There be things growin’ under rocks what got more sense than you. Remember the oak fryin’ pan you made?"

That were a good pan, Dan grinned. Gave a nice smoky taste to my steak.

Dan went to school, Gwen said. It really shows. What kind of school was it, Dan? Dog school? You learn how to sit up and beg?

Ain’t nobody ever begged for anything  you got, Dan said. Prob’ly beg ya to keep it.

Dan, Dan, chicken dick man, Snow Star keened. Take down pants, girl have no chance. Girl want man, get stuck with Dan. She started laughing and had to run into the wash room.

Damn dirty mouth Injun bastard, Dan grumbled, trying not to laugh. She been on my ass for six years. And you bastards let her get away with it. Ain’t right that  a mountain man has to take this from no kid.

Show us, Becky said, pointing her Black at Dan’s pants. You like to brag about what you got, let’s see it. We been through this before. Only thing you showed us was a little tiny pecker when we yanked your towel off you. Even Stinky has more than you.

Ain’t none of your business what I got, Dan huffed. It were cold that day.

Does anybody have anything of value to talk about? Gwen said.

Doesn’t look like it, Becky said. Things have been quiet. I think our opponents learned their lesson.

Don’t bet on it, Gwen said. These people hate you. They’ll do anything to get rid of you. As if that’s a big surprise.

You don’t like me? Becky said. Hit the trail. We don’t need you.

You’re tolerable, Gwen shrugged. In a primitive sort of way. You are just misguided.

By whose standards, yours? You live in peace and quiet without a care in the world because of what I and others have done. You have a nice room, food, Shirley, and you can screw your brains out every night and keep everybody awake, which is going to change very soon. You are abusing the privileges of this post. If you don’t like it here, you can leave anytime you want.

I am not leaving, Gwen said. I would rather stay so I can see what you are going to do. I may chronicle all this insanity  in a history book. It should be quite interesting to people of intellect.

Which of course would be you and the rest of  your do-nothing college friends who think they know more than the rest of us poor mortals who do all the work. They sit in their cobweb covered libraries, reading about what real people did that resulted in their ability to freely criticize that which they refused to participate in, because they are filthy, low cowards hiding in some university, protected by the same people they hate. I know all about you and your pals. I spit on them.

You could never match intellects with a college professor, Gwen said.

Maybe not, but I could climb through his window at night and cut his throat, and there wouldn’t be a thing the little panty wearing child molester could do to stop me. I know about professors, she nodded. They spend half their time trying to fill their students’ heads with bizarre ideas about how everybody alive owes them a free ride, and the other half trying to get them into a closet with no pants on.

Phineas Parsons, Johnson cackled. He taught English at William and Mary. Never got out from behind his desk. One day two of us grabbed hold of the desk and moved it away. There he was, naked from the waist down.

There’s your towering intellect, Gwen, Becky laughed. Dirty perverts looking to have sex with kids.

I never saw anything such as you describe in any university.

You didn’t look in the right place, Becky said. They don’t advertise.

We were routinely subjected to physical assault by our so-called teachers at the Academy, Josiah Cannon said as he sat down at the table. Wretched, disgusting slime, all of them. They worked at the Academy because they knew it was full of young boys who had no recourse against the attacks. At least that is what they thought, he smirked.

I assume that means somebody got even, Becky said.

A boy named Tommy Macgregor got even. He took one of the math teachers down to the wood shop and sawed him in half.

Bet he graduated first in his class, Becky laughed.

Third from last. He was later hanged for murder. He wasn’t very smart, and they caught him. The attacks stopped for quite a while after that, however.

We might send Snow Star to law college soon. That should be fun for those bastards. I want to see what happens when some smarmy little creep in a tweed suit grabs her ass.

No grab anything again after that, Snow Star nodded. Have big knife in face.

You will not be allowed to carry that knife in college, Gwen said.

No? Who take it away from me? Tough guy girly man professor?

They have rules, you know.

Me too, Snow Star said. Touch ass, lose face.

You’ll be thrown out and arrested.

Sure, Snow Star laughed. You dream, you think this. I kill many men. Nobody catch me. Man do bad, I ignore. Man go home, I come for him in night. No more man. Nobody see anything.

We do this a lot, Moon Cloud shrugged. No have problem. You think Indian stupid? Indian is expert killer. Especially girl Indian. Never get caught. Never.

I prove for you if you want, Snow Star said. Give name of bad professor. I fix him good.

I told you, I never saw any of this.

That because nobody want old skinny ass you have, Moon Cloud giggled. Want beautiful girl, like Piegan Princess.

Piegan is shit girl, Snow Star laughed. Real man want Pawnee girl. Piegan have face like bullfrog and make poopy in pants.

No do this! Moon Cloud yelled. Pawnee girl lick pony ass and chew on dingleberries.

Eeeeuw, Becky sighed. That’s a bad one. I think she got you there, Snow Dummy.

She no do nothing to me, Snow Star smirked. I see Piegan girl come to Pawnee village one time. Sell pussy to every man for one dollar. Horse cost fifty cents, dog for free. She make three dollars. No man want her, smell bad like old cheese.

Moon Cloud leaned over and sniffed the air. You have dead trout in pants? she giggled.

Enough, Becky said. "I’m still trying to get over the dingleberry comment. What say you, Say When Gwen? You don’t know any child molesting professors? Come on, that’s like Right Hand saying he doesn’t know anybody who ever screwed a dead girl."

Never said that, Johnson said. Just said it were justified. Mountain men got a saying. Dead pussy don’t ask fer dinner.

You are a sick, twisted man, Gwen sighed.

Maybe, but I ain’t never made  dinner for no dead gal, Johnson cackled.

He’s just playing games with you, Becky said. He couldn’t even get a dead girl to say yes to him.

Stiff Sally Smithers says otherwise, Johnson grinned. Settler gal. Crow got her on the Snake. Then she got my snake.

Forget this liar. What about these professors? Becky said.

Well, there were some rumors, Gwen said. The College  of Louisiana at Jackson. I was there for one year, then we moved. Some of the girls complained about the Political Philosophy Professor. They said his philosophy was in the front of his pants.

You see this man? Know his face? Snow Star said.

Yes. I can see him very clearly in my mind. He never tried anything with me.

Prob’ly because he couldn’t bear to hump a chicken, Jake mumbled.

Drop dead, Stanton, Gwen snapped. The last girl you had was named Mary Palm.

Leastwise she done a good job, Jake said. Ain’t no way no mountain man would trust his rattler to some old buzzard like you.

Name, please, Becky said.

Professor Boris.......I can’t say it, Gwen giggled. It’s too funny. I think that’s the reason he did what he did."

Name. I won’t ask twice.

Kokoff, Gwen giggled. He was Russian.

Cock off? Becky laughed Like I’m going to cut your.....

Yes. Like that. How would you like to go through life with that name?

Is he still there?

Probably, he was only about thirty years old.

What did he do?

The other girls said he would feel them up when they weren’t looking, or try to get them into the coat closet. He was very free with his hands. He would also.............you know, expose himself.

He’d pull out his snake and show it to the girls? Jake laughed. I seen this before, in St. Loo. We called ‘em weenie wavers.

Jesus, Right Hand keened. I just remembered. We had us a mountain man who would do that. Pink Pecker Parris were his name. He’d just walk right up to a gal in the tavern and lay it on her shoulder to look at.

I hope he’s dead, Becky said. That would save me the trouble of killing him.

Could still be around, Right Hand shrugged. Last we seen of him he married up to a Cree gal.

"Lucky her. Louisiana is a long ride down the river just to