Headstall

Awesome, B! That's amazing.

Despite some setbacks, it sounds like a fun day.

Hi, Les! So stoked you found this new story, and that is has your interest. Readers have been slow to find this one compared to others I have written, so hearing from you is much appreciated, my friend. Hope you like the next chapter too... and the next. Please leave Chapter and Story Reactions/Likes if you don't mind. Cheers... Gary

And some need shackles and straitjackets.

Not as far an I'm concerned.

Hello, patients. How was your Jello this morning? Remember, all plastic spoons must be returned to Big Bertha for counting.

Amen to Pennsylvania Avenue. That DL is running rampant, so let's just stick with this journey. Lol. Conniving Cooties... I like it! I hope they aren't contagious. August, fortunately, seems to have developed immunity. Have a great day, my dear friend.

I believe we see here just how messed up and bitter Hank is. He jumped to the wrong conclusion here... should he not consider he might have jumped to the wrong conclusion on that fateful evening? Lol. I can tell you with certainty Dawson was not the man in the stall. You're right, that would be creepy. We can only hope the kindness will come, but endings are often volatile and never truly resolved. Even a sort of friendship might not be in the cards. Thanks, Patrick. I agree this was an intense chapter. It can't have been easy for Dawson either.

I'm so sorry I missed this, Terry. Your observations were really astute. I understand someone taking sides, but it doesn't make much sense at this point. Easy for me to say I suppose. Bad timing is truly in effect in this story at this point. You're so right that neither man is ready, and that what happened in the garage is the exact reverse of what happened in the park. Love that you saw that. The truth is both men are hurting bad, and there are deeper reasns for it. This story ruffled a lot of feathers which was a good thing to me. It showed a fantastic level of engagement and thought. In the end, we have every right to judge characters, but it is also everyone's right to change their minds. Thanks for this, my dear friend. Cheers! Gary

I thought it would be inappropriate to mention you, the head nurse who dishes out the medication. Get's them all rattled, you know.

Greetings to the inmates of the asylum, and to spikey, your leader.

Hey, Doc. I think the letters will become a moot point if August goes ahead and tells Albert his plans. I'm sure there will be sparks though. Whether there is a full blown explosion remains to be seen. August turns twenty in a week, so he is certainly of age to own Barnswallow. We don't know Gran yet, but it would seem to me she is at least as smart as Albert. She has kept this under wraps for the four years the homestead has stood vacant, waiting for August to be ready. They don't see each other often, but they have stayed in pretty regular contact, so probably knew August was ready to stand up to his father. Hopefully, she's right. August may have good intentions not to accept financial help, but would he be able to hold to that? My guess is Gran is a force to be reckoned with. So yeah, he should take the frigging stake. I like the way you think, Doc. Dismemberment? Could be fitting. But... will this writer take the easy way out? Hmmm... maybe. I was the middle brother. My older brother escaped any responsibility growing up, and my younger brother was spoiled as the baby... until my sister came along and knocked him from his perch. Like you, I did the yard work, the dishes, the laundry, cleaned and waxed the floors every week, and looked after my mother when she had severe emotional problems. It was a tough life for a kid, so I understand you. It is hard not to be bitter, but the truth is I was the only one able to hold things together. My stepfather was useless in that regard. When my mother got pregnant with my sister(I was sixteen at the time) she came back to us, all her 'nerve' issues disappearing. I don't begrudge anything or anyone either, but it wasn't an easy time. My older brother is still selfish, but my younger did step up when my mother got sick in her elder years. It was what it was. I don't understand why the oldest son or child gets precedence over siblings though. I treated my four equally, and they will all inherit equally. Albert's ideas are antiquated now, but still we see it. Thanks, my friend. You always get me thinking. Cheers! G

Good tidings to all the folks in the looney bin.

I miss him being around every day.

You certainly are.

Lol. I think you mean creepy Cooleys. It's been pointed out to me those names are too similar. 'Ease on down, ease on down the road' makes me think of that movie The Wiz. Remember that one with Michael Jackson and Dianna Ross? That song was a hit. Yeah, you could be right about a showdown, and I suspect it could be a dangerous one for Fletcher. Still, what can Albert do? I doubt he would tie him up, and that's likely what it would take for a man who is taking ownership of himself. Once that is in a person's head it is a hard thing to back away from. Hurt his horse? Well... they had no trouble hurting those sheep, did they? Would I let them do that? Thank you, my dear friend. Happy you are onboard for this little journey.

That's an easy one to answer. Fletcher picks up the mail at the post office, and letters get sent from there, taken to the train station at regular times. Some post offices were actually right at the train stations in some towns. Others were in banks or Mercantiles. There is no mail delivery, so everyone has to do that. It was a good system. There is also the telegraph where contact is more immediate. Of course, stagecoaches would deliver to towns that weren't close to a train, and take any new mail back with them. It was a well functioning network.

It's a heck of a comment for this chapter.

Yeah, I wouldn't hold my breath either. That confrontation shows(to me) a man who is getting ready to flex his wings. That's a hard thing to contemplate under such a domineering father as Albert is. I see a young man who is taking ownership of himself. Is there hope for Rob? Who knows... except me... but one talk won't do it. I think you're right about the jealousy, but even more right about using August as a deflection for his own shortcomings. He might have more to lose than Albert if/when August takes flight. It would not occur to Albert to 'treat August nicer'. He is king and the boys need to do what he says. Still, he is a father, and it remains to be seen what his reaction will be to his youngest wanting to break away. He sees August as a commodity, his good looks something to take advantage of, not much different from a fine horse or prize bull. You ask a good question about if August was the first born. Albert has strong feelings about firstborns, and we can only wonder why. Is he a second born who proved something, or a firstborn who inherited. With the conundrum that Albert is, I wouldn't be surprised if he was a second born son. Does he actually identify with August, and is resentful of that? If so, the man needs therapy. Yeah, when did the hate start for Albert from the Faulkers. We learn more over time, but we all see what Albert is like. Being so successful, he is likely a smooth talker, so it's a good bet they were fooled at first. If their daughter and Albert were in love, what could they do? Sure, he is controlling, but many men were back then. He might have seemed a good choice. No reason for withholding the names, other than I prefer a slow reveal over info dumps. August is a mess of feelings and confusion and uncertainty. He is having trouble understanding Fletcher's motives, since he is conditioned to 'not trust a Crawley'. I would suspect the doubt is killing him, and that new strength he found with Rob is wavering somewhat. As he said to his horse in the last chapter, he doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground... but we can at least see he does want to e honest. It is just a matter of whether he can be. In his mind, his decision is made... he's leaving for a place far away, so what effect will that have on what he says? Seems I've put these two fellas in a bit of a mess. Thank you, my dear friend. I always look forward to your takes on a chapter.

I doubt it too, centex. I believe Rob was taken aback by August fighting back, and maybe he even felt a little shame. He wasn't used to being talked to like that, not from his 'little' brother, but no one changes after just one confrontation... especially not if they are an asshole like Rob. We don't know how Albert will react to news of Harriet's offer to her grandson. I'm sure he would hate the fact she is giving August Barnswallow. Yes, he would lose his workhorse, but Albert is an incredibly wealthy man. He can hire a handyman. You are more right that he doesn't want Harriet to 'win' his son away. That would irk him. As far as Fletcher and August, they have always been enemies, so it would take some courage for August to answer that question. There would be no going back from it, if he chooses to be honest. Some habits are really hard to break. Thanks for the support, friend. It's like good food to this old writer. Cheers! Gary

That's if August tells him the truth about who he was looking at. He would be a fool not to take his gran up on her offer... he needs to get away from his father. That man is scary. As far as Rob, I'm not so sure he cares about his brother. He seems too bent on pleasing his pa. Who knows, though. People can and do change, though I wouldn't hold my breath. Maybe he will think about how he treats August, and that would be a good sign. Thanks, my friend. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Cheers! Gary

Lol. I used to winder about that too. Good job of explaining it, dad. We used to walk three and a half miles to school when I was a kid. It never seemed that bad, but it was a whole group of us. My seven cousins lived right across the road, and the one-room schoolhouse had seven rows, each one a grade.

I find this fascinating, Sherye. Thanks very much for this comment. It is so validating for you to say it is still common that people treat their kinfolk the way August is treated. I have experience with domineering fathers who felt like they were entitled to act however they wanted. I'm sure they exist still all over the world. In some countries women are treated like second class citizens... or worse, and children are expected to follow whatever path their parents set them on. Sorry you weren't treated as well as you should have been. The south has always felt unique to me... in their customs and adherence to certain ideals, and you have just backed that up. I would love to hear you and your family and friends talking in Old West speak. That would be my happy place.

Thanks very much, Albert. I appreciate the support and the very kind words. It's a very different kind of tension from the first part with Rob to the second part with Fletcher, that's for sure. What will August do? Will he close back up again, or stick his neck out? I agree there is chemistry happening in this chapter... frontier drama? Definitely. Cheers, my friend.

Yes, it is, dugh. It's one thing to face it yourself, and quite another to open up. That feeling of vulnerability is a powerful one. You're right too that Fletcher is an anomaly... asking that question is really pushing the envelope, but I do admire his courage. There appears to be a dance going on here, and neither one is sure of the steps. Will some feet get stepped on? We... shall... see.