Act IV
Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4
Scene 1
three months ago he
wandered south and west, out of
the territory
and into the open range
from town to small town looking
for a sign from God
but none came and Jimmy White
continued southward
until he happened
upon a cattleman’s home
Henry J. Stulltan
a scotsman who had sought the
frontier, came west from Boston.
looking him over
Henry asked if perhaps he’d
take a job with him
Jimmy had money
left by his father, it was
quickly dwindling
he told Stulltan he didn’t
really know a puncher’s work
“I’m a good horseman,
I can shoot if I need to
and I’d like the work.”
Henry says “I can
see a bit’a cowboy in
ya. don’ worry, you’ll
learn fast.” that was three or four
weeks ago. he’s learned a bit
about cows, calves, some
roping, some branding. wearing
borrowed cowboy boots
Scene 2
he’s making coffee
the sun hauls itself above
rolling barren hills
his fellow cowpokes also rise
rubbing the sleep from their eyes
cracking hard ground out
of their backs, stretching cold night
air from their stiff limbs
he says a soft “good
morning” to each as they wake
move to the fire
Lucky, up first, grumbles, takes
the proffered coffee away
from the fire to
noisily relieve himself
several yards off
Beau wakes next, his large
frame folded by the fire
returns “good morning,”
and thanks him for the coffee
with equal seriousness
Beau’s hands engulf the
steaming tin cup, tiny scars
cover his knuckles
“what tha fuck’s so good
‘bout it?” Percy, who Lucky’d
named Rabbit, asked with
a sleepy grin on his face
he was only a few years
older than Jimmy
playful and energetic
joking and singing
Handsome Pete was, next
to Rabbit, the friendliest
he woke, sat up, stretched
laconically, almost
lazily, offered up an
easy smile, took his
coffee and wandered away,
sighing as he pissed
breakfast is beans from
the night before reheated
over the fire
jerky pulled from saddle bags
the sun had just come free of
the horizon, the
cowboys mounted their horses
started the days work
the five men ride west
the rising sun at their backs
no talk this morning
they ride apart: Beau ahead
playing scout, Pete hanging back
Jimmy rides center
keeping at least one in view
Rabbit whistling
first week or so there’d
been a flurry of stories,
shared and personal,
most told by Rabbit and Pete
Lucky might grumble “heard it
hunert times,” ride off
from the group. Beau might offer
details, corrections
Scene 3
he’d told a story
one night around the fire
he started, Lucky
didn’t say a word, Rabbit
grinned and sat a bit closer
“I don’t know in what
year I was born, in what place
or my parentage”
“I was an orphan,
my earliest memories
contain only the
St. Ignatius School for Boys,
City of San Francisco
most of them involve
beatings at the hands of the
older, bigger boys”
after a time I
became weary of being
beaten, decided
I should better myself in
the martial ways. one day as
I was practicing
one of the Jesuits saw,
noticed my efforts
later he would say
he saw something in me then
convinced him to take
me into tutelage, teach me
to box, wrestle, even fence
within the year I
could defend myself ‘gainst boys
twice my size and age
“I was perhaps eight
at the time.” he let a small
smile across his lips.
“I was a good student with
an excellent teacher, in
another year’s time
I was able to protect
the smaller children”
“tell about Bishop!”
said Rabbit eyes wide, grinning
Beau fixed him with a
look that Jimmy couldn’t read
he didn’t say anything
not right away, then
he nodded, “Bishop was a
cold brute of fifteen”
“Bishop was not his
given name, but he required
the other boys to
call him Bishop, it gave him
some power, not just the name
but the act of renaming
I have not remembered his
given name for years”
“it did not sit well
calling myself protector
of the smaller kids
perhaps he saw an affront
or a challenge. either way
one day he approached
flanked by two cronies, at lunch
in the dining hall”
“he stood ramrod straight,
looking down his crooked nose
‘this is a challenge’
he rapped the table thrice as
was the custom, to seal his
statement. ‘in one weeks’
time you and I will meet just
before morning mass—’”
“’is this to be to
the death?’ I interrupted
Bishop scowled, ‘no, you
simpleton. until either
combatant surrenders.’ ‘I
accept.’ knocking thrice
in reply. ‘though I do not
know what is at stake.’”
“’nothing but the thrill
of a win.’ a moment where
his eyes leave mine, look
elsewhere, then return to mine
‘seems you’ve forced yourself into
our hierarchy.
I feel it falls to me to
truly welcome you.’
“he walked away then
his cronies sneering at me
the week went by fast
filled with normalcy of prayers,
meals, classes, studies, training
with Father Gynter
he knew of the coming fight,
did not dissuade me”
Beau paused, looked into
the night sky, “the day came clear…”
Jimmy looked ‘round
the silence went on until
Rabbit said, “come on, tell how
you beat him.” “soundly.
I’ll not elaborate more.”
with that he was done
Jimmy slept fitful
that night; dreams of bandits mixed
with bullies. his dream
cast him as the defender
of the weak, fighting for good
but his Bishop wore
his father’s face, and he woke
with a start, a shout
Scene 4
almost evening,
when the cowpokes find the herd
they are looking for:
a hundred-fifty or so
mothers and their calves spread in
a shallow valley.
against the dying light the
five men start to work
making their way through
the herd, checking for sickness,
lameness and wounds, calves
abandoned by their mother
‘tis almost dark when the work
is done. the herd is
healthy, nor have many of
the stock gone missing
the cowpunchers bed
down for the night just below
the valley’s west ridge
to be close to the herd but
not in it. as Jimmy lays
drifting into sleep
he is comforted by the
lowing of cattle
the next day Lucky
and Handsome Pete head westward
towards a meet-up with
the ranch’s food wagon to
re-supply. leaving Rabbit
with the herd Beau and
Jimmy ride out a spiral
searching for stragglers
they ride in silence
for an hour before Beau
speaks “why are you out
here?” Jimmy, caught by surprise,
said nothing. lost in thoughts of
land, cattle; watching
Beau scan horizon, gullies
attentive, patient
“I’m not sure if I
could say for certain. nothin’
stopped me before I got here.”
“I have the sense that you have,
much like myself, run from a
violent event
of some kind.” “I’d say running
would be the wrong word.”
Jimmy's voice held a
questioning anger, trying
to determine if
Beau was mocking him or not
he settled on not. “before
coming here I was
shot, my father was killed by
a group of outlaws."
"I didn’t run, but
I couldn’t stay in Holman."
Beau asked "why have you
not told this story to us?"
"figure all sorts of folk have
hardships, mine didn't
seem that much, 'sides that I've no
talent for stories."
“figure if God had
wanted me to stay, He’da
told me to stay put
Holman was a mess after
what happened, I don’t belong
to that place no more.
I wandered, stopped here. does that
answer your question?"
Beau nods, lets this sit
as they ride scanning grassland,
shadowless under
noonday sun and cloudless sky
Jimmy does not feel much like
elaborating
content to let his mind drift
away from his past
Caroline winnies
clearing Jimmy's reverie
suddenly alert
he rechecks his surroundings
but sees no danger near by
he sees not riders
nor buffalo herd stampede
nor coyote pack
finally he saw
shadowed by a lone birch tree
a calf prone and still
Jimmy calls Beau's name and points
he looks, follows the line of
Jimmy's outstretched arm
he nods, spurs his horse
and pulls on the reins gently
towards the tree and shade
as they near the calf
it thrashes, groans, struggling
upright, it's eyes wide
putting weight on a broke leg
the calf screams, slumps to the ground
Beau pulls his Henry
calmly shoots it in the head
it spasms, goes still
Jimmy knows nothing
of raising cattle, but knows
they fetch a goodly
deal of money at market
Beau says, "if we were closer
to the ranch we could
have splinted its leg, then limped
it back to the barn.”
“we would fatten it
for slaughter for the ranch, but
we are too far out.
even with a splint it would
not have lasted the summer
out here on the range"
Jimmy nods, surprised that Beau
seems to read his mind
"when Lucky gets back
to the camp tonight we will
tell him, for he may
want to butcher some of it
for the group. let us keep on."
Beau pulls a strip of
red cloth from a saddlebag
ties it to a branch
so they ride, scanning
they eat hard tack and jerky
still in the saddle,
stopping once at a stream to
refill canteens and water
the horses. grateful,
Jimmy is still not used to
so much time ahorse
towards dusk Beau turns them
back towards the camp, making small
course corrections as
they go. the smoke of a cook
fire makes their bellies growl.
they arrive as the
sun touches the rolling line
of the horizon
Rabbit’s fortunate,
fresh food puts everyone,
including Lucky,
in a goodly, talking mood
willing to listen as well
there’s even hard sweets
a treat from the cook who Pete
say he’s friendly with
that night Jimmy dreams
an endless range, hills rolling
onto forever
Jimmy and four cowboys herd
cattle for eternity
content underneath
an open sky. in a blink
lightning rips the sky
he is suddenly
on a train watching the storm
destroying the land,
the cattle and the cowboys
Jimmy cries out for Rabbit
but he’s on the train
waving at Lucky tossed, torn
by the raging storm
