LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 17: Chapter 17
Chapter 17: Life At The Camp (Part 1)
As night fell, everyone returned to the camp. On the way back, they didn't forget to bring along the spoils they had obtained from the O'Driscoll gang, whom Arthur and Javier had eliminated.
Everyone was in high spirits, joking about Cornwall's wealth and the O'Driscoll gang's stupidity.
Thanks to the successful train robbery, the oppressive atmosphere that had hung over everyone due to the failure at Blackwater and the subsequent days of flight had finally lifted.
***
"Mr. Morgan, the young man named Kieran Duffy is waiting for you in the room previously occupied by the Adler couple," Ms. Grimshaw informed Arthur as soon as he dismounted his horse. She wanted to confirm the story about Kieran Duffy. Arthur nodded and took the coffee handed to him by Tilly.
"Thank you, Tilly. Ms. Grimshaw, has the boy caused any trouble? I did ask him to come."
"No, he's been quietly sitting in the room all day. Should I go and open the door for him? Do you want me to arrange a different place for him to rest?"
Arthur always found Ms. Grimshaw to be very reliable. While Susan was talking to Arthur, she was also directing the other girls, serving coffee and helping to organize the spoils onto the correct wagons. Most of the gang's belongings were still on the wagons, as they might leave at any moment and hadn't been unloaded. The small iron pots they were using for coffee had just been found.
Regarding where Kieran would sleep, Arthur said with a smile, "Just give him a sleeping bag. He can stay in my room for now."
Ms. Grimshaw nodded and went about her business without further questions.
Hosea, who had already tied up his horse, walked over to Arthur and patted him on the shoulder.
"Well done, Arthur. Using the O'Driscoll gang as scapegoats? Haha, that was a clever plan. Let's have a drink together tonight."
Dutch, overhearing the conversation between Hosea and Arthur, also came over and said, "Arthur, Hosea, let's celebrate tonight. We're about to leave soon. Pearson told me we have a few boxes of beer left. Let everyone relax a bit tonight."
Arthur smiled and said, "You seem to be in a good mood?"
"Of course, my boy. A successful robbery, targeting a damn capitalist who hoards wealth, and the O'Driscoll gang gets the blame? Haha, this has been our happiest day in a while."
Hosea added, "Let's have a small party."
With Arthur and Hosea's approval, Dutch turned and loudly announced to everyone that there would be a small party in the large room with the fireplace that night, inviting everyone to join. Everyone was excited about the party that night.
After the announcement, Dutch went back to his room with Molly, planning to change clothes. As Arthur was about to inform Dutch about Kieran joining, he realized he hadn't mentioned it yet. He walked towards Dutch's room but stopped at the door upon hearing the sounds inside.
After confirming that Dutch was indeed in a good mood, Arthur decided to wait and discuss it later. Standing at Dutch's door any longer might have been impolite. So, he picked up the rabbits and headed to the kitchen to discuss dinner with Pearson.
In the kitchen, Arthur saw a pot of stew hanging over the fire. Classic Pearson stew, seasoned only with salt, wilted carrots, and some small potatoes, all roughly chopped and boiled together.
This dish had received unanimous "praise" from the camp.
Pearson was standing by the pot, stirring it with a large spoon, occasionally dipping his little finger in to taste and then sucking on it. It seemed he thought it was a bit bland, so he added more salt.
"Mr. Pearson, Dutch said we're having a small party tonight. These are the rabbits we caught on the way back. Please prepare them for roasting tonight."
Arthur had some cooking skills. However, he didn't bother teaching Pearson any complex recipes from his memory, as they couldn't get the necessary ingredients anyway. The only seasoning Pearson had was salt, along with some unidentified plants they collected and ground up as spices.
"Alright, Arthur. I heard from Bill that your mission went smoothly? So, we're finally leaving here?"
Pearson clearly didn't like living in snowy places. Arthur, looking at his bald head, thought it might be because his head wasn't warm enough. Coughing, Arthur stopped his random thoughts.
"Yes, we'll be leaving soon. Don't add too much salt when roasting the rabbits, okay?"
"Leave it to me," Pearson said confidently, patting his chest.
Unconvinced, Arthur emphasized it again before leaving the kitchen.
***
Kieran, hearing the sudden lively sounds outside, guessed that Arthur and the others had returned. He got up from his chair and stood by the window, but he didn't see anyone coming his way. Pacing back and forth in the room, he worriedly thought, could Mr. Morgan have changed his mind?
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. By the time Arthur arrived, Kieran had already imagined various ways he might die and prepared his final words.
When Kieran saw Arthur walk in, his first words were: "Mr. Morgan, please, I don't want to die. I'm useful. I can ride and care for horses. If necessary, I can use a gun. I promise to take care of everyone's horses! Please give me a chance!"
Seeing Kieran's state, Arthur realized he had misunderstood and handed him a set of relatively new old clothes he had found in the wagon.
"First, call me Arthur. Second, no one is going to kill you. You're already one of us, and I've got your back. Lastly, change out of these ragged clothes. There's a party tonight. Change quickly, and we'll go together."
"I'll wait outside. Hurry up," Arthur said and went outside to wait.
That night, the wind at the camp was quite strong. Arthur struck a match with his boot sole, shielded it from the wind, and lit the cigarette in his mouth. After a deep drag, he slowly exhaled. Maybe it had been too long since he last smoked, but this cigarette hit him hard.
As he was smoking, Arthur saw Dutch approaching him from across the way, wearing a new outfit—a handsome red and black suit.
"Arthur, didn't you quit smoking?"
Arthur smiled and said, "I did. Here's a tip, quitting smoking means you should still have a cigarette occasionally, always carry one, and tell yourself you can smoke anytime. That way, you won't feel the urge to smoke. You should try it."
Dutch shook his head and said, "That's nonsense. By the way, I came to confirm something with you. I heard from Javier that you took in an O'Driscoll gang member?"
Arthur nodded, surprised that he hadn't mentioned it to Dutch yet, but Javier had already informed him.
Dutch, with an exaggerated tone of disbelief, said, "I can't believe it. On my turf, a living O'Driscoll? Are you really planning to keep him?"
Taking a deep drag and exhaling the smoke, Arthur handed the cigarette to Dutch and said seriously, "I guarantee he's a good kid."
Dutch looked at Arthur with suspicion. He could tell Arthur genuinely intended to keep the boy. Reorganizing his words, Dutch said, "Since you're willing to vouch for him, we'll keep him. But I'll be keeping an eye on him too."
"I don't trust O'Driscoll gang members, but I trust you, Arthur."
Dutch took a puff from the cigarette Arthur handed him and then returned it, the two standing in front of the house in silence for a moment.
"I understand."
Soon, Kieran came out of the room, dressed in the new clothes, and saw that there was someone else outside besides Arthur. He looked a bit awkward, unsure of how to address Dutch. He sought help with his eyes, looking at Arthur.
"This is Kieran, Kieran Duffy. And this is the famous Dutch Van Der Linde," Arthur didn't keep him waiting long.
"Hello, Mr. Van der Linde, I'm Kieran. Nice to meet you," Kieran said, extending his hand.
Dutch glanced at Kieran's outstretched hand, then turned his head towards Arthur, telling him to hurry up as the party had already started, and left on his own.
Watching Kieran's awkwardness, Arthur thought that Dutch didn't necessarily dislike Kieran, but rather disliked the fact that Kieran had once been a member of the O'Driscoll gang. If there was a distinction between the two, it wasn't much, and in the end, Dutch disliked Kieran just the same.
Arthur gave Kieran a firm pat on the back to snap him out of his daze and led him into the cabin, following Dutch.
Inside, Javier was sitting by the fireplace, strumming a guitar and singing a Spanish folk song whose melody was so lively that it conveyed a sense of joyful rural life. Later, Arthur learned from Javier that the cheerful song was actually about a jailed unfortunate soul.
Nearby, Tilly was pulling Mary Beth, who had been reading a book, up to dance. Karen was sitting at the table, drinking with Bill, and even John, who was still recovering from his injuries, had been brought over and placed on the floor. Davey's injuries were more severe, so after leaving a bottle of beer for him, they didn't force him to come over. In the center, Dutch was dancing happily with Molly to Javier's music.
Arthur told Kieran to go to the table with the food and eat something first, while he picked up a bottle of wine and wandered around the room. Everyone was holding a beer, either sitting or standing, chatting in small groups.
Arthur felt a strange, inexplicable emotion as he looked at the scene before him. He couldn't quite describe it, but it felt like the happiness of having a big family. Arthur raised his bottle and nodded to every companion who greeted him. As he made his way around, he muttered to himself:
"No matter what, I love you bastards. Cheers."
***
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