I considered what I was seeing, for a few minutes. The evidence of my eyes said there was no snow. I had dug piles of it, with considerable effort, at this very entrance, less than an hour ago! Now... Nothing. I cautiously looked around. I listened and sniffed for smells. People seldom realize the power of smell.
I saw hoof prints on the ground, and knelt to consider them. There had been two horses here, not long ago. I took off my left glove and felt some horse dung with my left hand. It was still moist, which meant it was not more then a few hours old.
I smelled wood smoke, faintly, in the air. Someone had a fire going somewhere nearby. As a matter of fact, it was coming from the direction of my house. There was no fire in my fireplace, so it couldn't be that... could it?
Still, I cautiously made my way towards my place, after re-gloving my left hand. I pulled my cap on over my head. I resettled the earflaps, leaving my ears clear so I could hear the smallest sounds and react to them. I had automatically pulled the cap down over them to keep warm, after exiting the cave.
I heard a voice, and the lowing of a cow. Then I heard a horse neighing as I got closer to my house. What the hell was going on, anyway?
I was starting to get the idea of something wild, but I shied away from it, as being totally impossible. No, it couldn't be what I was now considering. That would be totally impossible! Totally! What I was starting to think, could not happen...
Could it?
I clamped down on my imagination, and kept heading back to my place.
I was being extremely cautious though, which turned out to be a good thing. There was smoke was coming from my place, after all. The cow sounds, and horse noises were there, also.
People were living in my house, and it looked different! The carport I had added was gone, and the fireplace had changed. The barn had a sort of corral built around it, and a horse was standing in the corral, as well as a milk cow.
The gravel road I had added was gone.
The smoke house was actively being used, and the chicken coop was looking like new!
I observed all this while carefully remaining hidden. What the hell was going on? If I didn't know it was impossible, I would have said I had stepped right into the past.
The more I saw, though, the more I was convinced that this was exactly what had happened. But how? What was the mechanism?
Just then a door opened at the back of the farmhouse. A woman came out, dressed in a much patched looking dress of some sort. She went quickly to a pit and dumped a few items into it, then ran back to the house.
I saw a piece of paper fluttering in the slight breeze, and decided to see if I couldn't get a look at it.
I waited a few minutes, and then went next to the barn. I kept it between myself, and the house. I looked carefully around the edge of the barn, and saw that the coast was clear.
I made my way to the trash pit, grabbed the paper, and got out of there.
It was a newspaper!
I made sure I was out of sight of the house, before I looked the paper over. First thing I noticed was the date.
August 4th, 1877.
Yet more evidence that I had somehow stepped back into time. That warrant had been for a later date, so this paper was old. Hell, the weather told me that.
The top story was about a murder committed by a Bill Jacobson. The local town Sheriff, Tom Haydon, was applying for a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Jacobson. I wondered if that was the sheriff, who I had found dead in the cave.
I also read the rest of the paper. It was very informative as to what was happening, locally. Some woman was selling eggs at eight cents a dozen. I didn't know if that was considered expensive or cheap for the area. Personally I thought eight cents was very cheap.
A special election was going to happen on October the fifth, to replace a councilman who had died while in office. Turn out was predicted to be a landslide for Jim Pressman, a local parson.
The Emporium was announcing its doors would open for business in two weeks. This had to be the same Emporium that I went to, whenever I was in town!
While I read the rest of the paper, nothing struck me as memorable, just those first few stories. I folded the paper and put it in my fatigue pants pocket. I withdrew, and then made good time back to the cave, still keeping a wary eye out.
I was now ready to go back into the past for a slightly more extended period, at least I thought so. I had gone into town and traded one of the twenty dollar gold double eagles I had taken from the sheriff's body for a replica Winchester, and Colt. I had also received a holster and some ammunition.
It was a fair deal, I thought, though I did have to pay a bit of modern cash to boot. I got those items from the owner of the Emporium. He dealt in all manner of items. He also had a damned good restaurant/bar on the premises.
I was dressed in some old comfortable field boots, Levi pants, and a flannel shirt. I had on an old coat. My clothes might look a little out of place here, maybe; but they should blend in, for the most part, in the past. At least I would not stand out as totally strange. I also had the remaining money: a gold double eagle, two silver dollars, the three dimes and a quarter.
I hoped that twenty-two dollars and fifty-five cents would last a while in the Wolf Creek of 1877. It should if I watched my expenditures. Who knows, I might even get a job and be able to stay a while! The thought was exciting.
I had moved the body of the sheriff to the "past" section of the cave. I left it near the entrance, where it was a little cooler. It wasn't freezing, but still, it should keep the decomposing down a good bit. I hoped the body would still be there but there was no telling if anyone close by knew about the cave, or not.
I ate a good meal before I left, and made sure my house was set for an extended absence.
I also called the local Sheriff's office, and told them I would be gone for a few days, or perhaps a few weeks. I asked if a deputy might be sent to look my house over from time to time. They agreed. Small town police rocked, as far as I was concerned.
It had been an interesting two days, but I was very anxious to get back to the past. I mean, I had my own personal doorway to the past! How many people could say that? I made my way to the cave, and was soon inside it. I activated my chem light, and used it as a guide to the wall that was my key to the past.
I went through the wall and made my way to the entrance. I dug a small hole and buried my chem light. The body was still there. I dragged it out and carefully threw him over my shoulder in a sort of fireman's carry. While he was a bit stiff, he was not totally stiff with rigor.
Holding my rifle in my gloved left hand, I balanced the body over my right shoulder. I stabilized it with my right arm and hand. My damaged left shoulder would not have lasted long with his weight on it. I made my way with my cargo, to 'my' house (well, it would be mine, in about one hundred and forty years in the future), to see if I could not get a ride to town.
It turned out that for a dollar, the man... Sam Caldwell... was more than happy to give me and my grisly cargo a ride to the sheriff's office in town. As a matter of fact, he even identified the body as that of the sheriff, so the identity was confirmed.
Listen! Riding in a wagon might seem romantic, but it sucks if the road is rough. You bounce on the seat! No springs, and no shock absorbers. Well, at least nothing that was effective, anyway.
We pulled up in front of the sheriff's office, after about an hour and twenty minutes of driving on what would become County Road Three, in my time. My sore ass was MORE than ready to climb down!
An hour later, I was finally released, after giving my statement on where I found the body. I told a little lie about the exact location, but I gave them my real name, Steve Anderson. No reason not to, really.
I asked the deputy sheriff if there was a good place to get a room for the next few days. I was told that there were a couple houses that boarded people... or I could try at the emporium, which had rooms to rent. I was advised that the boarding houses were a better deal.
After getting directions to a couple of them, I walked out and stopped at a store, to break my twenty dollar gold piece. This meant I had to buy something.
I settled on another hat with flaps for my ears. Cost to me: seventy cents. A dollar was an average day's wages in 1877. I also bought a few pairs of socks, a couple shirts, a pair of old fashioned Levi pants, and a small valise, in which I would store my clothes. Total cost of the transaction: four dollars and thirty cents.
After I put everything in my new bag, I left the store and headed for the first boarding house on my list.
It was run by a very sour faced woman. She had the peculiar idea that I was going to work for her, as well as pay her rent. I passed.
I headed for the second place on my very short list, and it was much more agreeable.
For fifty cents a day, breakfast and the evening meal were included. Lunch I would have to take care of myself. It was very agreeable to me.
After I settled in, I discovered that my new landlady would sell me a lunch, for a nickel extra, if I wanted it. That was not bad at all, really. I paid her for three days in advance, lunch included.
After paying her, I decided I really needed to find a job, or some way of making money, quickly.
I looked into jobs and discovered that there was not much to be had. In the spring and summer, jobs on farms were plentiful. Some farmers took in hands for room and board through the winter, but not many.
A lot of people had left the area to go to Denver, which was experiencing a boom due to mining. Still, there were plenty of people left, and I was sure I could find something.
I spent my first night in a chilly room, but I was toasty under the blankets and comforter. I had a breakfast of pancakes, coffee, with honey instead of syrup.
I was told that lunch was going to be a stew, and that it would be served at twelve sharp. If I was late, then I was out of luck. I said I would most likely be there on time. Then I left to find work.
I went down the main street, asking about work. I didn't find anything. I wandered over to the Emporium. This Emporium was definitely different from the Emporium in my time. While it did have a dining room, a lot of space was given over to the bar area, and that seemed to be very busy indeed. Well, I guess no one really had a lot to do in the cold months, except to drink.
I made it back to Mrs. Pennington's, my rooming house, in time for lunch. It was a very good stew. She had also baked fresh bread! The butter melted on the warm bread. It was heavenly!
A pot roast was in store for us tonight, with cold pot roast for lunch, tomorrow. After eating, I left again to job hunt. I ran across the deputy sheriff, who was now sporting a sheriff's badge.
He asked me how I was and what I was doing. I informed him of where I was staying and that I was job hunting.
I politely noted his promotion and said it was a shame to be promoted in such a fashion. He agreed, and informed me he was going to be looking for Bill, and that he still had to go look at the murder site of the sheriff. He asked if I would accompany him the next day. I said that I would.
I finally landed a job that night, at the Emporium's saloon.
A fight started, and it was starting to look bad. The bartender and the owner looked to be losing, when I stepped in.
My military training took over, and I ended the fight quickly, efficiently, and with more than a bit of hurt on the combatants.
When the dust had settled, I had incapacitated six men, to the owner and bartenders two, in about as many seconds.
I now had a job that paid me fifty dollars a month, as 'bouncer', and handler of rowdy patrons.
Edited by TeNderLoin
Volentrin