Since most of you regulars read within two days, I'm going to start posting every two or three days. Thanks for your time and your attention - Pat Gillum
Sam didn’t know that Millie actually had
been hunting the townspeople, often going far off Dudley land to seek them
out. Sam didn’t know Millie had now
killed four men who never stepped foot on Dudley land. And she did it from
three hundred yards away, long before they even saw her. And she did it all
just for fun.
Sam did notice that Millie had disappeared
from the compound. Sam knew that Millie had gone to live with kin awhile. Sam
knew that, because that was what Mama Dollie told her. Sam didn’t know that
Millie had been caught killing a man a little too close to town one day. Sam
didn’t know that Millie was about to be put on trial for murder, because Mamma
Dollie never told her.
Slim came down to talk to Dolly
privately. “Look here, Dolly.
Millie has
made her own bed. Now, she can lie in it, or climb out of it by herself. Millie
kain’t be controlled, and she’ll be a liability ta th’ Clan as long as she
stays around. Someone like her can bring th’ whole family down.”
“Now Sam, she’s another case completely.
She’s a full grown woman now, an we need her. I been patient with her. It’s
time ta send her on a business trip with a couple of th’ men. See if she can
cut it, once and fer all. If she kain’t, I’ll make a peddler outta her. Either
way, she’ll be worth her weight in gold ta us. But she must not find out about
Millie, cause Millie will likely hang, and Sam’s so close to her, she might
kill herself if she ever knows th’ whole truth. I’ll send Sam out with th’ boys
tomorrow, keep them gone from here while all this Millie trouble settles. Then
we’ll see.”
*
It was early
in the morning when Sam was told she had been promoted. She would ride with Doodle
Bug and Darryl, the two most experienced businessmen, to far south Alabama to
see a client.
Sam had been kept completely in the dark
about the true business of the Dudley’s all her life. Usually, a Dudley kid of
twelve or so was brought into this work. But Sam was so tender, so
soft-hearted, that she had been treated differently. Now, it was time. See what
she was really made of. Get her started out on her professional path in life.
Although Slim’s directions were very
specific, Doodlebug and Darryl were totally worn down during the last four
years, and they knew of a nice little farm only ten miles away that would be
just as good, though it was still in the edge of Taladega County. They had no
desire to ride four days right now. If they handled this right, and if Sam
never told, then Slim would never know.
Sam didn’t know that after a thirty-minute
trial, Millie was hanged at three o’clock that same day. By the time she and
her two business associates returned, Millie’s case would be old history. Over
and done with.
At daylight the next day, the three were
hidden up on the hill, two hundred yards above the prettiest little farmhouse
Sam had ever seen. Doodlebug, while very experienced, was not quite as skilled
at handling touchy cases, like Sam, as Billy Boy had been.
“Now see here, Sam. That man down there
robbed a Dudley family two weeks ago, then killed th’ whole family,” he lied. “When
he comes out, I’ll confront him about it. Then Darryl and I will ride down and
sew up th’ loose ends. You stay here on lookout. Then, we’ll head up in the
mountains to a nice little cabin we Dudley’s have, and have a fun vacation,
fishin’ and such for a few days. Simple as that.”
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