Summary: Adam Cartwright and Black Bear deal out justice in Carson City. This story was written for the Chaps & Spurs 2025 2nd Quarter Challenge.
\nRating: K+
\nWord Count: 2192<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Where the Cards Fell<\/strong><\/p>\n My naked gun gleamed in the hot noon sun, curls of smoke lingering at the muzzle. My heart pounded in my chest and my legs felt like molasses as I took a few steps towards the body of a man lying on his back in the dirt. Blood seeped from a hole in his chest. There must have been another way…he didn\u2019t have to die…but I\u2019ll never know now.<\/span><\/p>\n A calming hand was placed on my shoulder, but I couldn\u2019t tear my eyes away from the man I\u2019d just killed.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMarty, he left you no choice,\u201d Ben Cartwright\u2019s soothing voice attempted to console me.<\/span><\/p>\n Huh…no choice…in other words…he had it comin\u2019. It was as if the only thing owed to him for his actions was ever going to be a single bullet to the heart.<\/span><\/p>\n A crowd finally gathered around the body, Sheriff Roy Coffee among them.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnyone see what happened?\u201d he asked, looking around at the crowd expectantly.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n *****<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to cash this bank draft, please,\u201d Adam said to the teller at the Carson City Bank. Black Bear glanced over at the two men from her position at the window. The Ponderosa\u2019s revenue had been good that year, but its business matters were tedious, and the window afforded her an entertaining view of the street where she could watch the entire civilization of the big city walk by. The teller looked at the piece of paper that he had been handed before dishing out the amount in gold double eagles.<\/span><\/p>\n Black Bear looked back out the window just in time to see a couple of men being thrown bodily out of a nearby saloon and gambling room.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut he was cheating! I know it!\u201d one of them shouted. This piqued Marty Black’s interest. She loved to play cards every once in a while, but as much as she loved playing, she despised cheaters. She would often enter a game when she noticed someone was cheating and then reveled in beating them at their own game.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMarty?\u201d Adam inquired coming to stand beside Black Bear. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWanna get a drink at the saloon over there?\u201d Black Bear asked without removing her eyes from the two men that were ejected from the establishment.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy? What\u2019s going on in that head of yours?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThose men claim that someone cheated them out of their money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd you want to cheat the cheater?\u201d Adam asked with a knowing smile. Black Bear looked at him and smiled back. Adam had been privy to a couple of Marty Black\u2019s \u201cCheater Hustles\u201d at the Silver Dollar Saloon back in Virginia City, and he was intrigued to see her at work in a new city.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, let\u2019s go then,\u201d Adam quipped and together they crossed the dusty street and entered the Lucky Break Saloon.<\/span><\/p>\n The air inside was thick with the smell of tobacco and whiskey, and from the far corner, the jaunty sound of a tinny piano wafted across the heads of the patrons.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, if they couldn\u2019t handle the loss, they shouldn\u2019t have played,\u201d a man\u2019s voice carried above the music. Black Bear looked over at the table where the voice came from and saw a man in a grey coat gathering a large pot of winnings onto the table in front of him, his black curled mustache twitching with joy.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d Adam whispered. \u201cWhaddya think?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think I\u2019m a little short on pocket money,\u201d Black Bear whispered back.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHere. I trust ya,\u201d Adam replied and handed her the pouch of money they\u2019d just received at the bank. Black Bear smiled her thanks before walking over to the gambling table. Adam casually walked up to the bar and ordered a beer.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGot room for one more?\u201d Black Bear asked as if she were just looking for a friendly game. The man in grey looked her up and down before answering, \u201cSeat\u2019s yours if you\u2019ve got the cash for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis enough?\u201d Black Bear returned, setting down the heavy leather pouch onto the table, coins clicking audibly.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPlenty,\u201d the man grinned. \u201cMy name\u2019s Jack Delaney.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNice to meet you,\u201d Black Bear responded. \u201cName\u2019s Helen Brady.\u201d And with that she sat down, and the game was on.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019ll we play?\u201d she inquired.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFive-Card Draw ok with you?\u201d Delaney offered.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSounds good to me,\u201d was the answer.<\/span><\/p>\n Jack Delaney dealt quickly, hand after hand. Black Bear noticed that he was faster than most in dealing from the bottom of the deck or sliding favorable cards into his sleeves. But her hawk-like eyes saw every bit of it. Most every round she lost, but there were few times that she won and that frustrated Delaney to no end.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not bad,\u201d he commented at one point. \u201cBetter than most I\u2019ve played today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not so bad yourself,\u201d Black Bear replied, \u201cBut I\u2019ve seen better.\u201d By now, a crowd had begun to gather around the table.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBetter?!\u201d Jack fumed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes. Places like New Orleans and San Francisco boast some mighty fine players.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Delaney smoldered in silence as the next hand progressed. Black Bear could tell he was getting sloppy in his double dealing and began to bait her trap by winning the next several hands.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think that\u2019s enough for me,\u201d she said casually. \u201cI don\u2019t want to deprive you of all your money in one go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Jack Delaney\u2019s face was red with anger, mustache drooping furiously, and he was sweating profusely.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHow about this,\u201d he said, trying to keep an even tone. \u201cOne more hand, winner takes all?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOk. You have a deal,\u201d Black Bear agreed and pushed all of her remaining money into the center. As Jack Delaney followed suit and began to deal the final cards, Black glanced over at Adam and gave him a quick wink to reassure him that she wouldn\u2019t lose his hard-earned money.<\/span><\/p>\n She picked up her hand and was surprised to see that she held three queens and two other cards that were useless to her. She was sure now that Jack Delaney had slipped up.<\/span><\/p>\n Delaney looked at his cards and quickly exchanged two of them. Black Bear\u2019s keen sight saw that one of the cards came from his sleeve.<\/span><\/p>\n So<\/span><\/i>, she thought, <\/span>you\u2019re going for a straight while I try to buck you with a three of a kind. A good hand in any other situation, but not this one<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, Miss Brady, how many for your last hand?\u201d Jack Delaney inquired. He tried to sound confident, but there was a shakiness to his voice that told Black Bear that he was worried.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cJust two,\u201d she replied coolly, setting down her useless cards. Delaney was visibly shocked as he fumbled to give her her cards.<\/span><\/p>\n Oh\u2026you didn\u2019t mean to give me three queens, did ya?<\/span><\/i> Black Bear thought with amusement. As she looked at her new cards, it took everything she had to suppress a smile. The fourth and final queen. The queen that was only supposed to help out a pair of pocket queens. But somehow, in his nervousness, Jack Delaney had slipped up and had given her a queen too early out of his very own sleeve stash. Black Bear let her face fall slightly, and her opponent breathed a sigh of relief.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cStraight,\u201d Delaney triumphed. \u201cWhat do you have, Miss Brady?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Black Bear then looked him straight in the eyes and smiled her mischievous smile.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGee, all I have are two pair,\u201d she said as she laid out her four glorious queens. \u201cA pair of queens and another pair of queens.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The room erupted with cheers while Jack\u2019s eyes blazed.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut-but-that\u2019s impossible!\u201d he seethed.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOh, but it isn\u2019t,\u201d Black Bear replied calmly. \u201cThat\u2019s what happens when you try to deal cards from the bottom of the deck instead of the ones in your sleeve.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The crowd now murmured, and someone pulled up Jack\u2019s sleeve.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s right! He’s been cheatin\u2019!\u201d the man declared. Another man picked up the deck and exclaimed, \u201cHey! These cards are marked!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cJack Delaney, your poker playing days are done in Carson City,\u201d Black Bear informed the cheater as she gathered up her winnings. \u201cAnd, by the way, your cheating is an abomination when you get worked up. You should really learn to control that temper of yours…makes ya sloppy.\u201d She could sense Delaney\u2019s fury trying to burrow holes into her, but Black Bear was far too levelheaded to care. Adam walked up to her.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou ready to go?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSure am,\u201d she replied, and together they left Carson City.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n *****<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam and I rode into Virginia City and were greeted by his father Ben Cartwright.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, did ya get the money?\u201d Ben asked.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir,\u201d Adam replied, handing his father the pouch.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy\u2019s it so heavy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA little side business venture,\u201d I answered with a smile as I dismounted.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d Ben returned, but he couldn\u2019t help smiling as he said it.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, ya see, Pa, there was a cheater in the saloon, and she just relieved him of his winnings,\u201d Adam answered, with a smile on his face too.<\/span><\/p>\n I was about to smile as well, but then I noticed Ben\u2019s face change from one of amusement to one of concern.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t happen to have been that man coming down the street, would it?\u201d he inquired, wagging his finger in the direction of his gaze.<\/span><\/p>\n As I stepped out from behind my horse, I saw Jack Delaney riding hell bent down the street towards me. He stopped in front of the hotel a few yards away and dismounted.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHelen Brady! I want my money back!\u201d he shouted angrily.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGo home, Jack Delaney, you lost fair and square albeit you were trying to cheat me,\u201d I answered calmly. Delaney took a few steps towards me.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not leaving till I get my money back!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d I thundered darkly. \u201cNow go home before you do something that you might regret.\u201d I turned my back to him, and perhaps it was a tenderfoot mistake, but it was the only way to diffuse the situation.<\/span><\/p>\n It didn\u2019t work.<\/span><\/p>\n I heard the creak of leather and the hurried angry shuffle as Delaney got his revolver out of its holster.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMarty!\u201d I heard Adam\u2019s voice call out, but I was already moving. I whirled around to my left and onto my knee as I pulled my own gun from its place at my hip.<\/span><\/p>\n A shot rang out, and I felt Jack Delaney\u2019s bullet graze across the top of my left shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n Two more shots rang out, one more from his gun and one from mine. His bullet kicked the dirt up at my feet, but mine was too accurate and struck him square in the chest. Jack Delaney gasped and looked shocked as I stood to my feet. Then he collapsed onto his back and lay still and unmoving.<\/span><\/p>\n Commotion filled the street as I took a few unsteady steps towards the man. Scattered thoughts flew about in my mind. Surely there must have been another way to avoid this.<\/span><\/p>\n Ben tried to comfort me, but it didn\u2019t help much. I’d never killed anyone in a showdown before. I\u2019d wounded a few but never killed. That was one of my stepfather\u2019s rules to keep me out of a hangman\u2019s noose.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnyone see what happened?\u201d Sheriff Coffee inquired of the crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis man tried to shoot her in the back,\u201d Ben explained.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy? He seems to be a complete stranger here. What would he have against her?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBlack Bear won money from him in Carson City by exposing him for the cheater he was,\u201d Adam added. I nodded my agreement slowly, unable to tear my eyes away from the slowly spreading red stain on Delaney\u2019s grey coat.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSounds like a clear case of self-defense then,\u201d Sheriff Coffee concluded. \u201cAlright, folks, show\u2019s over. Let\u2019s get this body off the street.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n And with that, it was all over and Ben, Adam, and I rode back to the Ponderosa. Little Joe and Hoss listened to the tale as we ate dinner. I tried to pretend that I was unfazed by the needless death of the gambler and told my side of the card game as best I could.<\/span><\/p>\n But truthfully, I was tormented by the thought that even though a city may very well be called civilized, abominable acts could still be carried out without a second thought by anyone with a naked gun. Someone like me.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMartina,\u201d Adam whispered to me as Hop Sing cleared away the dishes. \u201cYou may have shot the gun, but Delaney killed himself when he pulled his own.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n His words sunk in and slowly began to soothe my soul. I began to understand that there was a difference between a cold-blooded killing and self-defense. But I\u2019d like to think there might be a better way, and that maybe someday in the future I\u2019ll be able to find it.<\/span><\/p>\n –The End–<\/p>\n Author’s note:\u00a0 The challenge words were: Abomination, Civilization, Revenue, Molasses, Naked<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Summary: Adam Cartwright and Black Bear deal out justice in Carson City. This story was written for the Chaps & Spurs 2025 2nd Quarter Challenge.
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