Running for Their Lives Chapter 1 REDO Part 2
“Can’t believe we didn’t see it before,” the driver, affectionately nicknamed Charlie, chuckled as he handled Louise a canteen of water. They had just stopped for a midday break to each lunch and water the horses. When Louise stepped down from the stage, she stumbled, causing her hat to fall, revealing her true gender immediately to both the driver and his conductor.
“Ain’t that the truth,” the conductor said. “Ain’t that unusual for young woman to disguise themselves out here for protection but don’t worry, your perfectly safe with us.”
Louise simply nodded, still a little uncertain. Experience told her she needed to stay on guard around these three men, but something about them made her feel safe. She nibbled on her johnnycake silently as the men talked.
“So Mr. Dewitt how’s business these days?” Charlie asked.
“Fairly well for this time of year, several shop owners in St. Joseph purchased policies this trip. Course the recent robberies might have something to do with that.”
“If you ask me, this here is the best insurance for a man out here,” Jack pulled his jacket open to reveal a revolver resting on his hip.
“On the stage maybe, but that gun won’t cover the expense of your material losses. Insurance will do that,” Dewitt called out as the two men got up to take care of the horses.
“Insurance?” Louise looked at Dewitt quizzically. “What’s that?”
“Basically insurance helps people pursue their dreams while reducing financial risk in the event of unforeseen circumstances.”
“Huh?”
He smiled realizing his simple explanation was too complicated for the girl. “Say a bank owner is worried his bank might get robbed and he would lose all of the bank’s money. The company I work for sells the bank owner insurance policy in which we will reimburse him for his losses if he does in fact get robbed.”
“You mean you pay him back all the money that was stolen?”
“Yes.”
“You must be rich!”
Dewitt chuckled, “No, not me personally. The company I work for does.”
“Still, can’t see how you can make money by givin’ back what someone else stole.”
“Giving back,” he corrected her with a warm smile.
“Where are you from?” Louise looked at him curiously.
“What makes you think I’m not from Missouri?”
“You talk funny, I mean different, nicer than most folks ‘round here.”
“Why thank you, I’m from London, England.”
“England! Ain’t that who we fought to get our freedom in the Revolutionary War?” She looked at him dumbfounded.
Despite the improper broken grammar, Tyler was pleasantly surprised to see she must have had a decent education. “Yes, it was but I assure you the United States and England are on friendly terms now.”
“Oh, that’s good I guess.”
Something about this girl intrigued him from the moment he saw her at the bordello. It was not unusual for him to have a fleeting fascination with the young ladies but something about Louise and her angelic innocence enticed him to no end. “But that’s enough about me, what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Well, for starters, what is a charming young lady such as yourself doing travelling alone to a big city such as St. Louis?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “Just lookin’ to make a fresh start.”
“What about your parents?”
“They’re dead,” she said softly. In truth, her mother was dead but she had no clue about her pa. Her father had been a gun runner and swindler. When Louise and her ma witnessed him whipping one of his men, Mary Louise took off with her children. Louise knew the truth but little Jeremiah and Teresa believed their father was a good man and had died. Louise had promised her mother to keep the truth from her siblings and she had.
“You ran away from that orphanage in St. Joseph?”
She nodded silently.
“Well, what are your plans when you get to St. Louis?”
“Don’t know,” she shrugged. “Find a place stay, get a job.”
“You mean to say you don’t know anyone in St. Louis?”
“No, sir.”
“Well, you do now.” He smiled, this was trip was working out much better than he had expected. “And I know of a nice boarding house.”
“You do?” Louise asked hesitantly remembering how Wicks told her he ran a boarding house for woman.
Dewitt sensed her uneasiness. “Yes, it is a very respectable boarding house, I assure you. It is run by a dear widow, Mrs. Jacobs. She has strict rules about fraternizing. Men cannot call on her women patrons in their rooms and the male patrons are restricting from accessing the women’s floor.”
“I see,” she said starting to feel a little more comfortable. “Is that where you live?”
“I used to before my company decided to build a permanent office form me in St. Louis. I now live in the quarters above my office but I do frequent Mrs. Jacobs’ several times a week still for a good meal.”
“It’s sounds nice,” Louise smiled, hoping her luck was changing for the better.
“Ain’t that the truth,” the conductor said. “Ain’t that unusual for young woman to disguise themselves out here for protection but don’t worry, your perfectly safe with us.”
Louise simply nodded, still a little uncertain. Experience told her she needed to stay on guard around these three men, but something about them made her feel safe. She nibbled on her johnnycake silently as the men talked.
“So Mr. Dewitt how’s business these days?” Charlie asked.
“Fairly well for this time of year, several shop owners in St. Joseph purchased policies this trip. Course the recent robberies might have something to do with that.”
“If you ask me, this here is the best insurance for a man out here,” Jack pulled his jacket open to reveal a revolver resting on his hip.
“On the stage maybe, but that gun won’t cover the expense of your material losses. Insurance will do that,” Dewitt called out as the two men got up to take care of the horses.
“Insurance?” Louise looked at Dewitt quizzically. “What’s that?”
“Basically insurance helps people pursue their dreams while reducing financial risk in the event of unforeseen circumstances.”
“Huh?”
He smiled realizing his simple explanation was too complicated for the girl. “Say a bank owner is worried his bank might get robbed and he would lose all of the bank’s money. The company I work for sells the bank owner insurance policy in which we will reimburse him for his losses if he does in fact get robbed.”
“You mean you pay him back all the money that was stolen?”
“Yes.”
“You must be rich!”
Dewitt chuckled, “No, not me personally. The company I work for does.”
“Still, can’t see how you can make money by givin’ back what someone else stole.”
“Giving back,” he corrected her with a warm smile.
“Where are you from?” Louise looked at him curiously.
“What makes you think I’m not from Missouri?”
“You talk funny, I mean different, nicer than most folks ‘round here.”
“Why thank you, I’m from London, England.”
“England! Ain’t that who we fought to get our freedom in the Revolutionary War?” She looked at him dumbfounded.
Despite the improper broken grammar, Tyler was pleasantly surprised to see she must have had a decent education. “Yes, it was but I assure you the United States and England are on friendly terms now.”
“Oh, that’s good I guess.”
Something about this girl intrigued him from the moment he saw her at the bordello. It was not unusual for him to have a fleeting fascination with the young ladies but something about Louise and her angelic innocence enticed him to no end. “But that’s enough about me, what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Well, for starters, what is a charming young lady such as yourself doing travelling alone to a big city such as St. Louis?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “Just lookin’ to make a fresh start.”
“What about your parents?”
“They’re dead,” she said softly. In truth, her mother was dead but she had no clue about her pa. Her father had been a gun runner and swindler. When Louise and her ma witnessed him whipping one of his men, Mary Louise took off with her children. Louise knew the truth but little Jeremiah and Teresa believed their father was a good man and had died. Louise had promised her mother to keep the truth from her siblings and she had.
“You ran away from that orphanage in St. Joseph?”
She nodded silently.
“Well, what are your plans when you get to St. Louis?”
“Don’t know,” she shrugged. “Find a place stay, get a job.”
“You mean to say you don’t know anyone in St. Louis?”
“No, sir.”
“Well, you do now.” He smiled, this was trip was working out much better than he had expected. “And I know of a nice boarding house.”
“You do?” Louise asked hesitantly remembering how Wicks told her he ran a boarding house for woman.
Dewitt sensed her uneasiness. “Yes, it is a very respectable boarding house, I assure you. It is run by a dear widow, Mrs. Jacobs. She has strict rules about fraternizing. Men cannot call on her women patrons in their rooms and the male patrons are restricting from accessing the women’s floor.”
“I see,” she said starting to feel a little more comfortable. “Is that where you live?”
“I used to before my company decided to build a permanent office form me in St. Louis. I now live in the quarters above my office but I do frequent Mrs. Jacobs’ several times a week still for a good meal.”
“It’s sounds nice,” Louise smiled, hoping her luck was changing for the better.