The Diary of Jerrod Bently - J.W. Osborn (mobi ebook reader TXT) 📗

Hinkely was getting frustrated. He had been searching for the buried treasure for weeks, but turned up nothing more than a few cracked and broken Indian pots, a cow skull and a few live rattle snakes. He was furious that there had been no word from Ned Travis in weeks. He’d haunted the telegraph office over near Waco just in case there had been word that the job he’d hired him to do was done. Nothing. No letter, no Ned, no news. If Sam Dodge and her grandfather were still alive they’d be completing the drive soon and returning to Grants Creek to take possession of the ranch and Roger could not let that happen. Time was running out and at this point, the low life had no idea that his plan had been discovered and that Ned Travis was in jail .
“It’s legend, Mr. Hinkey,” the bar keeper at the Painted Pony said “That silver or gold or whatever it is, is just one of them injun yarns.” Roger dropped two bits onto the bar and lifted the foaming mug of beer. “Indian’s are always talking about it, Jesse,” he said as he took a drink, “They’re talking for a reason and I know that treasure is out there somewhere on the ranch and I am going to find it. “
”You’ve not heard about it from the young ones,” the bar keeper said “It’s the old ones who would remember it. You should have talked to Scrub Pot Dodge before he left with the herd.”
“That old man gives me the creeps,” Roger said “Besides’s I don’t trust Indians.”
“Rumor was years ago that he and his son found a treasure and knew where it was.”
It was obvious that the bartender was enjoying seeing Roger Hinkly on the edge of his chair. He knew little about the legend of the Grants Creek hidden Spanish treasure., but he knew enough to spike Roger Hinkley’s greed and desperation of finding it.
“The old man has a son?” , Hinkly questioned.
“Had.,” Jesse replied “Joe Dodge has been dead for nearly twenty years.”
That was better news than Hinkley had expected to hear, He did not want to have to deal with any more of Scrub Pot’s descendants than he had to. However, a man who had been dead for nearly twenty years could not tell him where to find buried or lost treasure.
“You heard anything from Ned Travis?” Hinkly asked the bar tender. Jesse took up a wet rag and began to wipe down the bar in front of him. “You’ve been asking me about Ned Travis for weeks now,” he said “I have no idea where he is.”


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Jake Titus met Doc and Nate Travis at the jail. Jake was dressed in his white high collar shirt, tie and Sunday suit. “Sorry I took so long, gents,” he apologized, “I’ve been over at the court house all morning. The circuit judge is due and I had to get things set up for him. What is this I hear about a prisoner?”
Jake looked around at the faces of the people who were standing around the office. “ Please allow me to introduce myself.” he said, “ I am Jake Titus, acting sherrif or Portersville.”
“And a few other titles as well,” Doc added as he gestured toward Sam. “This young lady is my niece, Samantha Dodge” he said . Sam smiled “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Titus,” she said. Jake tipped his hat. “That old coot over there,”Doc continued as he pointed to Scrub Pot “Is the Reverend Zachariah Dodge.”
“Call me Scrub Pot” the old man replied as he offered Jake his hand. “Glad to meet you Reverend,” Jake said as the two men shook hands. As Titus turned to me, I stuck out my hand. “I am Jerrod Bently,” I said and as we greeted each other, I wondered if this busy, rushed lawyer could be J. W. Titus I was hoping to meet. “And the man in custody is my twin brother, Ned,” Nathan added as he turned from where he’d been looking out the window to the street. “And he is probably the same man who robbed the freight wagon and cold cocked Mrs. Bradford’s brother.”
“It sure has been a busy morning,” Jake declared “ For a town that usually pretty quiet, this is a lot of excitement.”.
“The judge got here yet?”, Doc asked.
“ Judge Douglass is due to arrive soon.” Jake replied “I am sure he will be interested in hearing all about our guest.” He then turned to Doc. “Has Victoria decided what she is baking for the social?” he asked.
“I think she said it was some kind of cake she was planning to donate for the prize,” Doc replied.
“I’ll be going to the church social,” Nathan added “Going to meet Miss Victoria there.” He did not catch the narrowing of Doc’s eyes as he spoke. This was not good. Was Nathan planning escort Victoria at the church social? Now , no one would have thought anything of it, had Nathan mentioned that he was meeting Mrs. Langford there to help her get set up and hopefully enjoy the company of her friend, Frances Bradford while they worked. All Doc heard was that the ranger had asked Victoria to the social when he was planning to ask her himself. “Well,” Doc said as he rose from the chair he’d taken at the desk. “Think I’ll head over to the bake shop. Coffee sounds pretty good this morning.”
Jake grinned. “When I passed by there earlier, it looked like Miss Victoria had a full house.”
Doc put on his hat and walked out of the sherif’s office , heading up the street. He’d been courting Victoria Langford pretty steadily since he’d arrived in Portersville and he intended to keep on courting her.


Meanwhile back at the herd, things remained peaceful under the watch of Ely Jax. Grazing was good for the cattle and there was still a long way to go before we’d reach Kansas. As I walked down the street to where I’d left Mud tied near the Black Smith Shop . I heard a rider coming hard up the street and looked up to see a cowboy in a cloud of dust as he reined his horse to a halt. It was Floyd Jax. “Howdy, Jerrod,” he drawled “Where is Sam Dodge?”
“She is at the Sheriff’s office with Scrub Pot and Doc.,” I replied “What is wrong?”
“Nothing wrong, Jerrod,” Jax said as he wound his reins around his saddle horn. “Just something peculiar so to speak. Ely sent me to talk to Sam about it.”
“Peculiar?”, I asked “What has happened?”
“Well, “ Jax replied as he tipped back his battered hat. “It’s Watson. He come back to camp last night. Seemed to be in a daze too.”
“Was that woman with him?”, I asked.
“Yes, it is that old squaw.,” Floyd replied “She ain’t stopped talking since they got there either.”
I tried to keep a straight face as Floyd dismounted and tied one rein to the hitching rail in front of us. “Well, I guess the mystery of where our trail boss disappeared to is now solved. “ I said.
“So it seems,” Floyd answered with a wide grin on his face.
“I was getting ready to ride back out to camp,” I said “Better tell Sam about this first.”
“Hey Jerrod,” Floyd said as we started toward the sherif’s office. “She sure is a pretty woman, ain’t she.”
I felt a stab of that old familiar jealousy again. “She is very pretty,” I said “But she is all business, Floyd. She will get this job done and then she’ll go back to Texas to run her ranch. She’s got no time for courting.”
I had just stepped in it with both feet and as the words came out of my mouth I knew I had said way too much. Floyd glanced back at me as we made our way down the creaky boardwalk. “You’ve got it bad for her, ain’t you, Jerrod.”, he said.
“Shut up, Floyd,” I stated as I pulled open the door of the sherif’s office.

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Victoria put the finishing touches on her three layer jam cake and smiled , satisfied with her creation. It was to be the grand prize for the raffle at the church on Sunday. Her long blonde hair was caught up in a net and her apron was dusty from working at her counter and stove most of the day. She heard the bell ring as some one entered her shop. “I’ll be right with you,” she called out. A young man seated himself at a table by the window. “Got the coffee on, Vic?,” he called out.
“Hello, Kane.,” Victoria called back “I sure do.”
Kane Wolf was the new farrier in town. He was in his early thirties, a man of Native American decent with his black shining hair and dark soulful eyes. He was as handsome as any