Red
and the man had gone outside, walked off the paces and faced each other. Suddenly,
he had heard Elisa yell for them to stop. Hearing her had began to sober him
up. Red had figured that she had come to apologize to him, because he had been
right all along, but then she ran to the other man imploring him to stop. She
had even gone so far as to plead with him saying that Red wasn't thinking right
because he was drunk.
Elisa's continued pleadings had enraged
him because she was pleading with the other man and she come to spoke to him.
Red had called him out again and told Elisa to get out of the way. The other
man had pushed Elisa aside and they drew. Red had been on the verge of tears
and blinded by rage and continued firing until his gun was empty. When he had
stopped firing, he saw that the other man was down and Elisa was over him. Red
had staggered off angry and upset at the sight of Elisa attending to the other
fellow. He had made it almost two blocks away and then collapsed.
Red had awoken to see Uncle Orrin's face.
He had felt the gentle rock of being on a boat. He had asked Uncle Orrin where
he was, since he hadn't completely sobered up. Uncle Orrin had told him that
he was on a riverboat about to leave for New Orleans. Red had said he couldn't
leave because he had to take care of his mother and he would soon marry Elisa.
Uncle Orrin had reminded him that his mother
had died a year ago still grieving over his father's death. Uncle Orrin also
told him that he had to leave town and he could never come back and see Elisa
again. Red had been too groggy to argue. Uncle Orrin had then told him to go
to California and make his fortune and that he would take care of things with
Elisa.
Red had awoken later to find the riverboat
had set out for New Orleans. He had had no money when he had reached New Orleans
so he had to work. When he had earned enough money, he had bought a railroad
ticket and eventually made it to San Antonio where he would meet Old Man Dawson
and get that job.
The recollection of the dream hit Red with
the weight of the events that he had chosen to forget. He had nearly crossed
the river to the other side when he heard rocks clattering behind him. He pulled
his gun and turned. He saw two men with rifles drawn up on the rise that followed
the river. Red jumped from his horse firing several shots before he hit the
ground. Hitting his head on a rock when he landed, Red lay stunned.
