Extract
Tanners Ridge, Wyoming, July 1883
“The Devil Wind is blowing and it’s going to make all those circus folks go mad.”
William English pressed his hat to his head. The wind was blowing devilishly, but he doubted it was going to push anyone over the brink of sanity. Unless, maybe it was the elderly woman leaning on her cane and frowning intently up at him.
“I’m sure they’re no more likely to go mad than anyone else, Mrs. Peabody.”
“If you’d seen the things I have, Mayor English, you would be running for the hills.” She pounded her cane on the boardwalk in front of Tanners Ridge Community Bank. Twice. No doubt the extra thump was to make sure he was paying attention.
A third thump might have been in order, given that he really was paying more attention to keeping his dearly priced bowler hat on his head than to her unrealistic fears.
“I’m sure you’ve seen some interesting things—”
“The skeleton of a three-headed dog,” the woman declared, cutting off his attempt to ease her fear. “And a man swallowing a sword—a flaming sword—and a fellow putting his head in the mouth of a lion! And that happened without the wind blowing. Who knows what might happen tonight.”
“Everyone will have a fine time. Just you wait and see.”
“What I’m waiting for, is for you to hire Tanners Ridge a sheriff.”
William smiled, his lips pressed tight. As mayor—and hopefully future governor—of Wyoming, it would not do to let his emotions show.
The fact that Tanners Ridge had no sheriff was no one’s fault but the good folks living here. He had presented no less than four candidates and they had all been voted down or refused the job because of low pay.
“Will you be at the meeting this afternoon? I’ve another candidate to introduce for the job.”
“Of course—unless I’m murdered by a fat woman with a beard who has gone raving.”
“Would you feel better if I went down to take a look at things?”
“Why, that would be a good idea.” Mrs. Peabody’s smile brought out the charming wrinkles in her cheeks. Her look of relief made the trip down the hill to where the circus was camped seem worth the effort.
He tipped his hat to her, nodded. “I’ll see you this afternoon at the meeting, then.”
“Be careful,” she warbled after him.
Chances were, the only danger in going down had to do with walking the steep, rocky path, not circus folks gone wind-mad.
A quarter of a mile down the path the ground leveled out, giving the traveling circus plenty of room to set up their big tent.
Even buffeted by wind, the huge structure barely moved. Still, it couldn’t hurt to have a look around and make sure folks would be safe inside tonight.
A fair distance from the tent there was a circle of colorfully painted wagons. He supposed this was where the performers and other employees lived.
The scent of baking pastries and simmering stew came from one of them. Had to be the chuck wagon, or the circus version of it.
On the way to the big tent, he passed by a circle of large, wheeled cages. A dozing leopard lifted one eye when William passed. In another of them, dogs of all shapes and sizes barked at him. Other dogs roamed freely about, so he imagined the ones who were confined were not pets but performers.
Within the circle of cages, a pair of elephants were tethered to a pole.
This was something he’d never seen! True-to-life elephants. All he could do was stare in amazement while dust swirled around their big feet and their swaying trunks.
Because he wasn’t paying attention, his bowler blew off. It rolled over
