Free The Rider of Phantom Canyon by Don Bendell Page B

zere injuries.”
    Joshua felt horrible.
    He said, “I am very sorry, Lucky. I will pay Pinkerton Agency back for the three hundred dollars.”
    Lucky interrupted. “Zee Pinkerton Agency deed not pay it. Zey do not know about thees. I paid eet, and you weel pay eet back, and your five-hundred-dollar fee for damages I paid to zee judge. You weel pay eet back each paycheck, one hundred dollars at a time, to me.”
    Joshua said, “Thank you very much, Lucky. I mean it. I will pay back two hundred dollars out of each paycheck, and I will never get into that kind of scrape again. I will never take another drink the rest of my life.”
    His own words hit him suddenly, and he shivered, but he had given his word and that was that. If he dared ever break his word, he knew the ghost of Marshal Dan Trooper would come back to haunt him. The man’s stern lessons had stuck, especially about keeping your word, and would remain with Joshua Strongheart all his days.
    Then he thought to himself what a skinflint he had been as they walked along.
    He said, “Lucky, I have money, plenty of it, in the bank in Denver. I will repay you within the week every penny. It is not necessary to deduct any from my paycheck.”
    Lucky said, “
Sacre bleu
, Joshua! If you have plenty of money, why do you work for zee Pinkerton Agency?”
    Strongheart said, “Lucky, I have not been with you long, but this job is a career for me, not a job. I love the work and the potential for the future. I was left an inheritance, so I do not have to work. I simply do not want to sit in some parlor every day listening to piano recitals and poetry readings, or sit on a slow-moving horse gathering cattle for market on some big ranch. I am proud to be a Pinkerton agent.”
    Lucky said, “Eef you ever drink like zat again, you weel not be a Pinkerton agent anymore.”
    Strongheart said, “I give you my solemn oath, I will never taste alcohol again, ever.”
    Lucky knew how strongly Joshua felt about always keeping his word, and that did it for him.
    Strongheart looked over at Scottie and thought about how his uncle had hurt the young lad with excessive drinking. He was so glad that he had been able to recognize his own weakness early on and do something about it.
    â€œWhere are we going, Mr. Strongheart?”
    Joshua said, “This is your first day of training.”
    â€œTraining?”
    â€œTraining,” Joshua repeated. “You said you want to be a Pinkerton agent, right?”
    â€œYes, sir,” Scottie said enthusiastically.
    Strongheart said, “We’ll start off with a new rule. You’re what now, fourteen, fifteen years old?”
    Scottie proudly said, “Fifteen, sir.”
    Joshua said, “In many tribes, you would be fighting in battles and stealing horses, and might even be married with kids. You want to be a man, we’ll help you become one, if you can handle the training.”
    â€œI can,” Scottie boasted proudly, although inside his stomach he could feel butterflies flying upside down and sideways in anticipation of what lay ahead.
    They had ridden uphill for eight full miles and were now one thousand feet higher than the Arkansas River, which was flowing a mile to their left down through a magnificent Arkansas River canyon that would become world famous for its pristine beauty, thousand-foot sheer cliffs, and the winding, churning, angry whitewater rapids that ran the length of the canyon. Before dark, they were riding down a long, winding hill, and Scottie could see the Arkansas River down below them. The area had been called Parkdale. At the bottom of the hill, there was a bridge and they rode across the river.
    Scottie looked to his left and watched the churning water as it plunged into the steep-walled canyon. Now they rode west through a valley with rocky ridges in every direction with the river to their right. Strongheartspotted a grove of trees near