Post by Sarah Bennett on Feb 3, 2008 17:40:15 GMT -5
Sarah's release from the jail house had not come soon enough. She was filthy from the cell and went straight home to wash up, skipping church this morning. By the end of the bath, she had calmed down a great deal. She even had begun to consider apologizing to John, although how he could accept such an apology after she'd basically tried to kill him was something of a mystery.
"No, apologies can wait," she thought as she walked out the door and headed back to the Horsehead streets. They were very quiet, probably because some of the citizens were busy listening to what was probably a hellfire and brimstone sermon by Reverend McJames. She wouldn't be following him if she didn't need a legitimate face to put on during the day when she wasn't information gathering. For all his faults, John had him figured out. He was indeed crazy.
She made her way past the Saloon, and picked up her pace when she saw John sitting out front of the Jail House. Even as she walked, she could feel his eyes on her. She ignored the feeling and continued past. As she walked, she heard something. It was so soft that if the streets had not been so quiet, she might have walked past without so much as a thought. However it was undeniably there and it caused her to pause and look around. It took about a minute more for her to realize the sound was a child's sobs.
She looked down next to her and found its source. A small child was huddled next to a stairwell holding a puppy. The animal was bleeding from one of its hind legs and the child was cradling it in his arms.
"Oh my," she said softly and went to kneel next to the child. "What happened?"
The child told her that the dog (who's name was Abby) had accidentally run into one of his father's traps and he had run the animal into town to look for someone to help mend the leg, which it turned out had surprisingly only a cut and minor fracture. Sarah smiled softly at him and said, "You know, I might actually be able to help. I was raised on a ranch when I was a girl. May I see her?"
The child reluctantly handed the puppy over to Sarah, and she took it into her arms. It was so warm, this creature, truly one of God's miracles. The leg, she thought, was easy enough to fix up. All she needed was a needle and thread which she just so happened to have in her handbag (a saloon girl by night needed to be ready in case she got into trouble).
She sat on the ground, not really worrying about her dress being dirty and started work. She asked the child to help her hold it still so she could try and reset the bone, she knew from experience how much squirming they did. Once this was done (and yes the puppy did squirm), she began to stitch the wound and cleaned it with a small flask of liquor. Realizing she needed something to protect the wound until it healed fully, she tore part of her skirts and gently wrapped the fresh stitches in them and instructed the child to make sure it was cleaned every day.
It was payment enough to see the little one's eyes light up when she handed the dog back to him. What she hadn't expected was the small kiss he gave to her in lieu of money which he claimed he had none of (she would have refused it anyway). After he had run along home, Sarah sat there for a moment and held her gloved hand to her cheek. A smile crossed her face when she considered the innocence of children and what love they eminated from their tiny bodies. She would love to have them some day, but for now there was work to do. For now she was content being the ice queen. With that, she stood and began her walk towards the general store to pick up some items before she went home.
"No, apologies can wait," she thought as she walked out the door and headed back to the Horsehead streets. They were very quiet, probably because some of the citizens were busy listening to what was probably a hellfire and brimstone sermon by Reverend McJames. She wouldn't be following him if she didn't need a legitimate face to put on during the day when she wasn't information gathering. For all his faults, John had him figured out. He was indeed crazy.
She made her way past the Saloon, and picked up her pace when she saw John sitting out front of the Jail House. Even as she walked, she could feel his eyes on her. She ignored the feeling and continued past. As she walked, she heard something. It was so soft that if the streets had not been so quiet, she might have walked past without so much as a thought. However it was undeniably there and it caused her to pause and look around. It took about a minute more for her to realize the sound was a child's sobs.
She looked down next to her and found its source. A small child was huddled next to a stairwell holding a puppy. The animal was bleeding from one of its hind legs and the child was cradling it in his arms.
"Oh my," she said softly and went to kneel next to the child. "What happened?"
The child told her that the dog (who's name was Abby) had accidentally run into one of his father's traps and he had run the animal into town to look for someone to help mend the leg, which it turned out had surprisingly only a cut and minor fracture. Sarah smiled softly at him and said, "You know, I might actually be able to help. I was raised on a ranch when I was a girl. May I see her?"
The child reluctantly handed the puppy over to Sarah, and she took it into her arms. It was so warm, this creature, truly one of God's miracles. The leg, she thought, was easy enough to fix up. All she needed was a needle and thread which she just so happened to have in her handbag (a saloon girl by night needed to be ready in case she got into trouble).
She sat on the ground, not really worrying about her dress being dirty and started work. She asked the child to help her hold it still so she could try and reset the bone, she knew from experience how much squirming they did. Once this was done (and yes the puppy did squirm), she began to stitch the wound and cleaned it with a small flask of liquor. Realizing she needed something to protect the wound until it healed fully, she tore part of her skirts and gently wrapped the fresh stitches in them and instructed the child to make sure it was cleaned every day.
It was payment enough to see the little one's eyes light up when she handed the dog back to him. What she hadn't expected was the small kiss he gave to her in lieu of money which he claimed he had none of (she would have refused it anyway). After he had run along home, Sarah sat there for a moment and held her gloved hand to her cheek. A smile crossed her face when she considered the innocence of children and what love they eminated from their tiny bodies. She would love to have them some day, but for now there was work to do. For now she was content being the ice queen. With that, she stood and began her walk towards the general store to pick up some items before she went home.
