The Bad Bet

by Lubrican

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Chapter Five

They were delayed while a soldier adjusted the stirrups on AJ's horse so that they fit Frank Jr.'s legs. He was ecstatic, now that he could ride the big animal without fear of falling off every time it changed direction.

They started off again, with a line of soldiers flanking each side of the wagon. The wagon bumped and jarred as Becky and AJ tried to decide what to do.

"You look enough like a girl that you might pass in the dark," she said. "But we must do something about this." She reached for the limp bodice covering AJ's flat chest and pulled it away. Her action created what looked like a single breast as AJ looked down.

The girl rummaged around in the clothing stores and came up with two wads of cloth. She lifted the front of the dress, exposing AJ's groin again, but AJ was so distracted by the soldiers and his fear of imminent discovery that he didn't notice. Becky did, though, and used the opportunity to surreptitiously examine the fascinating thing that made AJ a man.

As she reached under the dress to stuff the bodice with cloth, she stared at the second one of these she had ever seen. Her father had showed her his on more than one occasion when he was drunk, trying to get her to touch it. She'd been disgusted by that one, but this one was much more interesting for some reason. It looked, to her eye, like a poorly stuffed sausage with an exceedingly odd casing. It lay on a round mass that sprouted hairs in every which direction. She knew those were his 'nuts,' because her father had showed her his nuts, which had looked somewhat similar, except were much more baggy. Her father had drunkenly told her there was something in that droopy sack for her. None of it had been interesting when her father had displayed it. She had learned that if she encouraged him to drink more, eventually he would fall asleep and her ordeal would be over.

This man was different though and, while she couldn't have explained why, she wished she could examine it more closely.

There was a tie that went around the dress just under the bodice and, once she got the cloth stuffed in the loose bodice, she tied that behind his back. Then she had to push and pull to arranged the "breasts" so that they looked smooth, instead of lumpy. AJ looked down, watching her manipulate things and felt his face flame.

"This is ridiculous," he whispered. "If I'm found out they'll not only hang me, they'll be laughing as they do it!"

"Nonsense," she said, standing back and examining him. "Just stay in the wagon until it's dark and don't talk to anybody. I'll tell them you're shy or something. As soon as supper is over I'll say you're not feeling well and you can get back in the wagon."

"What about tomorrow?" AJ asked nervously.

"We'll say you're still not feeling well. You can ride on the seat instead of walking. Don't worry. We can do this. Now, stand up so I can see the bottom of the dress."

She saw, with relief, that the dress was long enough that it dragged the floor. At least his hairy legs wouldn’t show. She couldn't find shoes. Even if she did they wouldn't fit. He'd just have to go barefoot.

Frank Jr. was on cloud nine. He was riding free in the wind and, in his own eyes, had been accepted as a man by the soldiers. He wished he had a gun belt like AJ had, but his father had only owned a rifle. He glanced at the rifle in the scabbard on AJ's horse. He was tempted to pull it out and carry it, so he'd appear to be in readiness for trouble. He decided not to hazard the wrath of his mother, though.

He was distracted by a smudge of brown, off to one side in the distance, and urged the horse toward it. It was another cow. He thought carefully about what AJ had taught him. He was taken aback when the horse began acting on its own. Astonished, he found that all he had to do was hold onto the saddle horn as the horse did the herding, jumping and dodging as the cow bawled, its eyes rolling, as it was forced closer and closer to the wagon. Then the beast saw its kin and trotted to join them.

Just like that, another cow had been added to their herd.

Sergeant Dickerson rode up beside the Lieutenant again. He nodded in the distance.

"That ain’t no farmer's horse," he said. "That's a cow pony if I ever saw one."

"It appears that way," said Lieutenant Dobbs, who had lost interest in the family once he determined there was no exploration of the woman's soft body in the offing.

"We're looking for a cowboy, Sir," said the Sergeant, thinking for perhaps the thousandth time what a waste officers were in general.

"If he's with them why wouldn't he show himself," said the officer. "He's due a reward."

"He might not know that," said the Sergeant. "Why would he light out after bagging such bad men otherwise?"

"Perhaps he was afraid of retaliation by the men's friends," said Dobbs. "You know how anyone with a reputation as a gunslinger is always sought after by those who would boast of beating him."

"The man we're looking for bested three bad men, Sir," said the Sergeant patiently. "He didn't stay around to brag. There's something funny going on."

The officer shrugged. "Our mission is to sweep the area. If we find him, fine and dandy. If not, then nothing is lost. If he wishes to hide from us, that's not our problem. It's his. Why are you concerned about this, Sergeant?"

"I just like things to add up," said the veteran. He knew that when you heard a story on the frontier, you likely only heard part of the story. He also knew that when an officer made up his mind, there was little chance that common sense could be brought to bear. Colonel Custer was a textbook example of that.

"This is the frontier, Sergeant," said Dobbs. "Nothing adds up in these parts. Life is hard and people do the best they can. Take this woman, for instance. She sets out to make a new life and loses her husband in the process. But does she give up and go back home? That would add up. Instead she becomes a cattle herder and drives on, doing the best she can. She is the kind of woman that makes America strong, Sergeant. She is the kind of woman we're sworn to protect, so she can go on building a new life."

The sergeant knew that if he stayed there, the lecture would go on, possibly for hours. He nodded curtly, said "Very good, Sir!" and wheeled his horse to go 'inspect' the columns.

He watched the horse work the cow into the herd, though, and wondered what was inside that wagon.

END OF PREVIEW

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