Forgotten Episode [Juneau, Alaska - l884-85] The Man called Arizona - Blue The man called Arizona Blue was a man by himself and before him laid another town, this time in Juneau, Alaska. Behind him were scars and memories. Each one had a name. He forgot them, but he remembered the count. It was thirty-six dead. He was known as the fastest gunfighter that ever lived. He had come up river from Seattle, heard about some gold up in the hills, over in the Yukon, area. He figured it would all become bigger as time went on: should someone hit a big strike, then half of San Francisco and Seattle both would cross the ocean to get here. In any case, he was now in Juneau, and would get supplies in a week or so, cross the Canadian boarder and find his way. But first things first he said, to the Red Dog Saloon. He had not been in Juneau for more than a few hours and had noticed bears lingering out the outskirts of town, eating garbage from a few neighbors' garbage cans. Brown bears. He was a gunfighter, but panning for gold could be a new beginning, so he thought: thinking if a farmer really put his mind to it, he could be a bank president, maybe, in any case he'd find out. So to the Red Dog he went. Not many people up her he told himself should have heard of him, this was a new beginning. Tammy Oakley, was in the back kitchen making breakfast for the a few of the hunters. "Close the door," said the bartender to Blue, as he waked in, leaving the door opened a bit and the cold air come in. "Can't you fellow's ever read the damn sign," said the bartender. Blue looked around, no one paid any attention to him, or what the bartender said. "Sorry," said Blue, with cough, hoping no one would recognize Him, trying not to make a disturbs, lest he be the spot light, and he had too more of that in his life time. "What can I get you stranger?" said the bartender. Tammy nodded to Henry, the barkeep, saying: "here, here's the food, got to get the rest ready, come and get it..." it wasn't his job of course to dish out the food, but he had a yearning for Tammy, and didn't mind helping. "You think a moment what you want stranger, and I'll be with you in a minute." And Henry went to fetch the dishes and handed them to the hunters sitting at a table nearby. "Oh, now what were you going to have?" asked Henry to Blue. He looked at Tammy, Tammy looked at him, Henry looked at both of them, thinking, here we go, more grief has been caused by such smiles and looks than gossip. "Does it concern Tammy, because if it does, you best hightail it out of her stranger!" said Henry. Blue looked into the bartenders eyes, there was no fear there, and he didn't know Blue, in a way, Blue liked his reputation: it got in his way, but he liked it, and now would he have to tell him who he was? I mean this was not expected, no peers here, or fearing someone. Tammy didn't say anything. Should he say he was "Arizona Blue," they might laugh and put some of those big guns in front of his face. "No Mister Bartender, it only concerns my two shots of whisky, and where can I buy some equipment for going north to the Yukon to pan for gold?" "Well, here's the whiskey," he said "and as for the information, find it in another bar, after you're done drinking these two drinks." "Another whisky," said Blue. "You didn't here me stranger, beat it" "You mean you're involved with Tammy?" Blue said, rudely, looking him straight in the eyes; His hand by his gun. Henry's face got all red, several of the guys in the bar looked at Henry, started laughing: said a voice, "Even strangers got you figured out, but not Tammy yet." "Get out of here strange,." Said Henry, "before I..." "What?" said Blue? Henry went for his gun under the bar, and put it in Blue face. Now the bar was looking at Blue, and Henry, and no one was laughing. "Better beat it Mister, Henry is pretty good with that gun, and started laughing." At this point Blue had to face the question, is it worth it, thinking about it, the man started to pull back the hammer; scandalous it could be, thought Blue; if I kill him, the hunters could kill me, follow me up to the Yukon. Blue shook his head, and with the long part of his eye saw the hunters, and when Henry went to blink his eyes, Blue pulled his gun out so fast no one saw it coming, and shot Henry in the head. The several folks in the bar looked about to see who was with Blue to have done the shooting, and noticed his gun smoking. They started to shift their rifles, and Blue, shot a hole through one of the palms of the hunters, and everyone throw their rifles and guns on the wooden floor. Said that same voice, "It was self defense, stranger, but we liked Henry I'd not go up to the Yukon if I was you." Blue walked out of the Red Dog, and just narrowly caught the same boat going back to Seattle, and got a ticket. Said Blue to himself: perhaps a farmer can never be a banker. |
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