The Eastern Dude

Edmund Parker looked out the window as the train pulled into the town of Sable. Sable was a lively town with many prosperous cattle ranches nearby. Edmund stepped down onto the platform looking around for Rowena. HE told the porter to set his bags by the bench and that he did not directions to the hotel. There was someone who would be meeting him here. Edmund sat down on the bench to wait when he didn't see Rowena. Looking about at the horses, cowboys, and dirt roads Edmund began to feel homesick.
"What a dirty, boring place," said Edmund to himself thinking of Bustling paved streets of New York.

Kit Travis watched from the saloon as Rowena Riley brought her wagon up to the train station. He watched as she shamelessly greeted a young man there. The man was dressed in a gray three-piece suit with a funny eastern hat. As Kit watched the brown haired man's arrogant stance he began to feel an immediate dislike. In fact he began to think of shooting the silly hat off the man's head. Kit knew at first glance that this was the eastern dude Rowena had met in New York. One look also told him that the man had never done an honest day's work n all his life. Kit watched Ramon, Rowena's little Mexican gardener and driver, pick up the man's luggage. He watched Ramon start to put in the wagon. At this point Kit was close enough to hear parts of their conversation, having walked down the street to the livery barn across from the station.
Ramon dropped one of the bags and it fell open spilling the contents, white shirts, into the dusty street. The Easterner, whose name was Edmund, hit Ramon and said something about Mexicans being stupid, clumsy, and lazy and he wondered why people tolerated them in this country.
This was the last straw for Kit who had been in bad mood all day. Two seconds later Edmund's eastern hat was drifting lazily to the ground with six holes in it and Kit was holding a smoking gun. Edmund had leaped five feet in the air and then jumped behind the wagon, the cowboys down the street were laughing, and Rowena was glaring at Kit. If looks could kill Kit would have been a dead man, he was sure glad she didn't have a gun.
A minute later Edmund had recovered and picked up his hat. Turning to kit he began shouting, his face flaming red in anger and embarrassment.
"What is the meaning of this!"
"Well I reckon it had to do with yer insultin' Ramon." replied Kit, sheathing the gun.
"Don't you talk to me like that, you ruffian!" Edmund screamed.
"Reckon I'll talk to ya how I like, 'specially if that's the worst you can come up with." Kit replied coolly. He was beginning to enjoy this.
" I don't think you know who you're talking to! I'm Edmund Parker, my father is Lawrence Parker, one of New York's biggest businessmen!"
"Reckon yer right. Never heard o' you, Parker. 'Course I don't really care who you are. You could be the king o' England for all I care." Kit retorted.
"I'll have you locked up for this!" Parker screamed, face growing purple now.
At that moment Sheriff Walker reached the scene.
"What's goin' on here?!" said the Sheriff loudly.
"That man shot at my fiancée for no reason at all!" said Rowena, pointing at Kit.
"That true, cowboy?" asked Sheriff Walker.
"What are you asking him for! Just look at my hat!" cried Edmund.
" Reckon I'll have to lock you up for being intoxicated and disturbin' the peace, Cowboy," said the Sheriff looking at the six holes.
"Well thanks but." Kit began.
Sheriff Walker jerked his gun and pointed it at Kit saying,
"I'd appreciate it if you'd come peaceable."
"I'll come peaceable but if I'm bein' charged as drunk I'd like to get that way first!" Kit grumbled.
Kit and the Sheriff walked back to the jail, once inside the Sheriff burst out laughing. Kit couldn't see what was so funny became even more annoyed.
"What the hell's so funny?" Kit grumbled.
"If that was the funniest thing I ever saw." the sheriff said now laughing too hard to go on. In fact he was laughing so hard he was crying and he had to sit down. Finally he had recovered enough to explain.
"That easterner sure deserved it. I saw the whole thing from down the street." Sheriff Walker said still chuckling. "I never seen someone leap so high and jump so fast in my life."
"If you think that then why in the hell am I here?" Kit replied irately.
"To get you away from that dude before real trouble happened. You can go now."

The next morning kit saddled his horse, Bullet and headed out of town. He wanted to get away for awhile to think over some things. That afternoon Kit was looking at the sky watching the dark clouds billowing on the horizon.
"Looks like we're in for a storm, Bullet," said Kit.
Kit turned his horse and headed for shelter, an old abandoned homestead. He was about half way there when he came upon a riderless horse. Looking at the tack and the brand he recognized it as belonging to Rowena Riley.
Picking up the reins Kit set out to backtrack the horse's trail until he found Rowena. A half-hour later he found her unconscious on the ground, evidently she'd been thrown. Kit bent down and checked her pulse; it was strong and regular. Just then he heard a twig snap behind him. Kit whipped around to see Edmund Parker.
"What did you Do to her?!" Edmund cried.
"Nothin'. Her horse threw 'er. I found the horse and backtracked its trail to here."
"I don't believe you!"
"Reckon I don't give damn whether you do or not. There's a bad storm comin' you need to get to shelter and you'll never make the ranch. I know a cabin where you can wait it out."
"I can take care of Rowena myself. We'll go back to the ranch."
"You know somethin', Parker, yer a real moron, you know that? I just told you there's a storm comin' and that you can't make the ranch before it hits."
"I don't need your help or your advice!"
"Suit yerself but I'm takin' Miss Rowena to the cabin. Hand 'er up to me once I'm on."
"What! I'll do no such thing! You think I'm going to let you carry my fiancée in your arms!"
"You fool. I'd rather you carried 'er but you can't ride and carry the girl. I can."
Parker seeing the logic in this reluctantly gave in. Kit took them to the cabin and deposited Rowena inside. He just finished taking care of the horses when the rain started. Then kit began to cook something to eat. Parker meanwhile sat around complaining the whole time about being sore.
"What are you cooking?" he asked suddenly.
"Biscuits and rabbit stew."
"How can you eat that? There's no way I'm going to eat that."
"Suit yerself. Not my problem if you go hungry."
"I don't see why Rowena tolerates being out here when she could be back in New York. It's so dirty, primitive, and boring. Nothing like New York. In my opinion it's disgusting. All the Mexicans and dirty cowboys. No one of any standing."
"You mean no one born into a life of ease and no work."
"No one out here respects culture and class."
" 'Cause the only things that get respect out here are hard work and guns."
"Honestly I don't see how she stands it out here where everyone is backward and narrow-minded."
"Least we ain't pig-haided and conceited." Kit muttered.
" When Rowena and I are married I shall insist we move back east. Where she can be a proper woman, going to parties and luncheon's with her friends and hosting balls for the important families. Ah, I can see it now oh how jealous all the other boys will be."
"I'm sure she'll be happy to abide by yer every wish, Parker." Kit said sarcastically. But his sarcasm was lost on Parker kept on prattling. Eventually when he could stand it no longer kit left for the barn to sleep with Bullet.
The next morning the storm had passed and Rowena had awakened. She and Edmund were both in a hurry to be away and soon left without a word of thanks.
"A thank you would've been nice. Oh well guess when a lowly cowboy saves yer life he don't deserve no thanks. Guess he's just supposed to do it automatically. Oh well, least Parker's gone. Guess I should be thankful I didn't shoot the bastard outa sheer annoyance." Kit said to himself.