Post by Shane Lawson on May 14, 2008 14:54:27 GMT -5
Monday, March 15th, 1880
1:35 PM
The Old Times Tavern
Thus far Cornelius Barton's time in Lost Haven had been quite utterly hectic, between his arrival and today he'd met and had dinner with his employees, taken a tour of the town with the mayor, toured the mining operations, had drinks with Doctor Franklin and been busy working out solutions to the problems Excelsior Mining faced in this region. During his time under his father, he'd always kept busy with company matters but truthfully the work he did back in Boston didn't compare to this, it was much more taxing yet more challanging. Mostly due the fact he didn't know all that much about how Mining Operations worked so he was learning the game one step at a time which was good in the way he always enjoyed a challange. But given his hectic schedule the past few days it came as a welcome relief to have even a lunch alone for a change. The Old Times Tavern was mostly deserted at this hour, with a few people playing cards, enjoying early drinks and having a bite to eat. Yes, Roses Hotel staff could fix up a good lunch, but Henry did enjoy variety, plus that man with the funny hat and mustache just.. got under his skin. Though in reality he wasn't ever really 'alone' given the fact that one of his Pinkerton Body Guards was seated at another table keeping a careful eye on him. Henry had already seen how rough this town could be, plus that incident with Alex? Yes.. He was going to get his money worth out of his Pinkerton Agents but they were quiet and left him alone when he asked them to.
For the most part he was merely picking at his food with his thoughts far away and seperated from the present. For once his thoughts weren't revolving around Rose which was different. Then again the situation with her was an oddity, why was he so smitten with her? He didn't know really, but it was certainly fun to gossip and joke about for his men. Right now he was more concerned with 'fixing' the problems he saw with their operations here in Lost Haven, in his eyes certain aspects were grossly inefficient and had huge margins for improvement. But what were the answers? Right now he was seriously considering sending for people from back east to come out and help solve these problems, which was really the only suggestion he'd got from Lefcourt a few days prior. The first priority was to get things under control, boost profit and then expand the operation. One of the primary things that was holding them back in his opinion was a lack of railroad connection between Lost Haven and well, anywhere. That meant all heavy equipment, personnel coming in, and all extracted silver, ore and so forth going out had to be moved via stage coach which was costly, slow and vulnerable to attack. Unfortunately for Lost Haven, it was large enough to maybe be the next big city yet small enough that noone wanted to pay the cost to bring the railroad there. It was a fustrating situation, one that he'd discussed with the Mayor the previous Saturday. However Henry knew how to get things done, it'd take political favors, wooing local politicons and Railroad executives and probably a bit of his own money to get it done. That'd be among the top things on his list to get started on personally.
As for expansion? There was no doubt that the Mountains surrounding Lost Haven contained even greater riches that had yet to be tapped, but Barton knew the time wasn't right to go for that just yet. It'd only complicate matters even worse then they already were. However, that didn't stop him from looking to purchase claims and get a hold on those rich veins to tap them later. For the most part it seemed that they had no real compeition locally, with most of the other mines being ramshackle independent operations that were doing well to get by. All true except for this Elliot McMasters person he'd heard about, Marshal Stevens had told him he was second only to them in numbers of claims and actual mining operations, plus he was some sort of unoffical power in Lost Haven, outlaw sort he would guess. But that didn't concern him, McMasters or whoever he was could do his thing and Barton his, there was a lot of silver to go around and he was willing to be diplomatic as long as his company was getting the larger share of things of course. So involved was he with his own thoughts, Henry didn't even notice the man wearing a blue sash who'd popped in for only a minute before leaving and running off down the street, though his body guard had noticed the man he thought nothing of it really.
Five minutes went by before Henry finally looked up from his meal and when he did he noticed a trio of armed men waltz past the window and stop just outside the door. "Thats curious." he mused to himself, watching with mild curiosity. One of the men was more well dressed then the others, wearing black pants, black frock and a white shirt with a rather nice looking hat. Henry leaned forward some, supporting his weight on his elbows and lacing his fingers together as he watched the tall man in black waved his hand in a dismissive gesture before letting himself in through the door. The Pinkerton agent sat up a little, his interest now keen on the new comer. Both he and Henry both noticed a slight change in the atmosphere of the room when he entered, the man carried himself not with confidence but with arrogance. As he approached Henry checked him over from head to toe, noting the spotless shine on the mans boots and the Revolver he carried in a fast draw holster on his hip. Henry cocked his head for a moment observing the firearm from a distance. 'Colt Model 51 Maybe?" he wondered, though his skills with a weapon weren't anything to brag about, he certainly knew his revolvers. The heavy footfalls grew closer until the man was standing over him gazing down. Henry looked up at the man to maintain eye contact, obvious that he was here for him for some reason. "Well well well.. Cornelius Barton, I've heard quite a lot about you in recent days." he said with a sneer.
"And is that a good or bad thing?" Henry responded with a bit of humor to his voice. The man chuckled a bit, then offering his hand. "Elliot Mas.." Before he could finish Henry cut him off with a handshake and curt smile. "Elliot McMasters Yes I've heard a..." and in turn Elliot corrected him, waving his finger at him. "No.. No.. Elliot Masters, Not McMasters." Obviously the mistake had iritated him. Henry chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Oh, my mistake.. Please.. have a seat." he gesutred to the empty seat across from him. Elliot nodded politely, removing his hat as he accepted the offered seat. "Thank you."
Allowing himself to relax a little Henry leaned back in his chair while keeping a watchful yet curious eye on Masters. "I suppose you didn't come here for the lunch menu, did you?"
"Of course not." Masters smiled. "Having heard so much about the man who's going to change Lost Haven from a small mining town to a sprawling city.. I just had to come see him for myself." The condescending tone was blatantly obvious to Henry yet he couldn't understand the problem, atleast not at first. "Oh, I don't know about all of that.. I'm just here to inspect our operations." In contrast to Masters, Barton maintained a cool and pleasant tone of voice, keeping his smile in check at all times. "Eh.. From what I've heard you're looking to expand and possibly invest in our fair little town?"
Henry shifted in his seat some, his brow raising just a hair. "And what of it? The Mountains are loaded with silver, its a logical step.. and if there is something worth investing in here.. Then that's logical as well." It was then that it became clear to Henry what the mans problem was.. He was actually intimidated by Henrys presence in Lost Haven! Henry Barton, the man who'd never intimidated anyone was now the big bad boogie man for this outlaw prince of Lost Haven? Oh the thought tickled him to the core, and it took every ounce of will to keep from either laughing or atleast smirking. Masters remained tense as he spoke. "Sounds fair enough however, I don't believe you usee the full picture Mr. Barton.. I've been in this country for many years now, I've seen a lot of these boom towns and enough men like you to know that your intent is to come in with your money and 'influnce' to make it better in yor eyes.."
"That's progress." Henry said smiling. Masters cracked a chuckle while shaking his head. "Progress? Don't kid me Mr. Barton, trying to turn this place into your home of New York is not progress." Still Henry continued to smile. "I wouldn't know, I'm from Boston." Oh, was he trying to wisecrack Masters? Possibly, either way it iritated him further. "I came to this country on the hopes and promises of freedom, freedom to shape a new life for myself.. Men like you are destroying this nation Mr. Barton. Lost Haven will grown into a city of its own someday, I have no doubt about that.. But it will be in the image of the men who gave birth to it, not those men who wish to twist it into their own likeness.. Men like you."
"And I take it you're one of the men who gave 'birth' to a town like this?'
"Of course," Masters responded quickly, though relaxing a little as he came up with his next question. "I see how you carry yourself, how you carry that revolver on your hip.. Like you're one of us, thinking your some gunfighter who's going to clean up this town!" Masters said scoffing at the man. "Don't patronize me Barton, You're just a ignorant rich kid from Boston who' read the dime store novels about the west and decided to come out here, Am I right?" He was actually, though Henry didn't admit to it optting to remain quiet instead. Masters smirked at the man across from him. "Let me tell you about the west Mr. Barton, It's dying.. It's been slowly fading away every since the day Wild Bill Hickok died.." he paused for a moment, his eyes half shutting for a moment as that event replayed once again in his mind. "I was there, I witnessed the shot that'd bring this time to an end.."
Henry damn near jumped up in his seat with Masters admission of being there with Hickok, the man he'd read so much about. "You knew him?" He asked eagerly, wanting to hear some real stories from the west. Masters nodded in confirmation. "Oh yes, I was in Deadwood at the time, trying to make my fortune.. There were many interesting people there, Bill told me many interesting stories during my time there.. But the one thing I'll not forget till my dying day was that night on the second of august." At this point Henry was hanging on every word, so very curious. "I was there at the bar enjoying a drink.. It happened quite quickly, I looked away for a split second and.. when I looked back towards him siting at his table? There was a man pointing a gun at the back of his head, before I could open my mouth I heard the shot.. And it was over, the deadliest pistoleer of our time was dead without a fight." He trailed off shaking his bowed head, it was a shame really. After a few moments he looked Henry in the eye again. "It was at that moment I knew things would never be the same, that the wide open frontier would close soon.. And so far nothing has disprove this belief."
Though the story was interesting despite its lack of details, it was quite puzzling. What was his point? where was he going with this? Henry straightened up in his seat, his expression showing his puzzlement. "And your point is? Change is inevitable, noone can stop it." And that was a point Masters agreed with him on. "You're right Mr. Barton, Very right.. I realized I would have to change with the times if I were to survive, thats why I came here.." he said with a small smile and chuckle. "To be ready for the change in times and carve out my future in this brave new world.." he paused for a moment while staring at Henry for a few moments before his gaze narrowed even further. "You shouldn't have come here Barton, This isn't your world, It belongs to us as we're the ones who are destined to carve out its future place and push forward.. It is a war in itself, a war for the future of this town and the Arizona territories, one that belongs to us and not you. My best advice is to keep what you have, and find your way out of this town."
Cocking his head to one size Henry sat for a moment in silience, trying to add it all together. "Is that a threat Mr. Masters?' Which got him a smirk and chuckle as a response. "Take it for whatever you think it is, But I've had to fight for every thing I've ever had, including my place in this town.. And I won't lose my place without a fight." It was a threat, no doubt about it and at first Henry was unsure of how to respond, it took a moment but he started laughing lightly. "Oh Gee, Elliot McMasters is afraid of a rich boy from Boston.. Imagine that." Whether or not he'd intentionally gotten his name wrong didn't matter, the effect was the same and he was purposly poking fun at him which infuriated Masters.
The reaction was clear as day as the little blood vessels popped out from his temples and his face turned a slight shade of red. "It's Masters.." he said growling through his clenched teeth. "Oops, Sorry.. But seriously there is no reason to get worked up.. If Lost Haven is going to be the next big city I would say there is plenty of room for both of us right?" Though he didn't like the fact that his man was threatening him, he wasn't going to out right antagonize him and if they could be friends, smooth this over? Great. "I don't think so.. Not when I hold all of the cards and sway in this town," On that note he stood up from his seat, rather abruptly. "I am a fair man Mr. Barton, I've given you a chance to avoid any unfortunate problems.. I suggest you heed my advice."
Right there was where Henry had had enough. It struck him at the very core, how dare this man challange him in this way especially when he'd done nothing to him! Henry rose up from his seat, looking Masters square in the eye as he spoke. "I don't take kindly to threats Mister Masters, If anything perhaps I should invest even more money then I'd originally intended.. Perhaps I should just buy the goddamn town and be done with it.. I'm quite happy here Mister Masters, If you can't accept that fact.. Then I'm quite sorry.. Now Good day." At this point Henrys Pinkerton agent had joined him at his side, both men were staring down Masters now.
There was a short burst of laughter from Masters as he plucked his hat from the table. "Remember this day Barton, Remember it.." Then he turned on his boot heel and coolly left the tavern, leaving both Barton and his Body Guard looking at each other in bewilderment.. "Such a pleasant lunch..."
1:35 PM
The Old Times Tavern
Thus far Cornelius Barton's time in Lost Haven had been quite utterly hectic, between his arrival and today he'd met and had dinner with his employees, taken a tour of the town with the mayor, toured the mining operations, had drinks with Doctor Franklin and been busy working out solutions to the problems Excelsior Mining faced in this region. During his time under his father, he'd always kept busy with company matters but truthfully the work he did back in Boston didn't compare to this, it was much more taxing yet more challanging. Mostly due the fact he didn't know all that much about how Mining Operations worked so he was learning the game one step at a time which was good in the way he always enjoyed a challange. But given his hectic schedule the past few days it came as a welcome relief to have even a lunch alone for a change. The Old Times Tavern was mostly deserted at this hour, with a few people playing cards, enjoying early drinks and having a bite to eat. Yes, Roses Hotel staff could fix up a good lunch, but Henry did enjoy variety, plus that man with the funny hat and mustache just.. got under his skin. Though in reality he wasn't ever really 'alone' given the fact that one of his Pinkerton Body Guards was seated at another table keeping a careful eye on him. Henry had already seen how rough this town could be, plus that incident with Alex? Yes.. He was going to get his money worth out of his Pinkerton Agents but they were quiet and left him alone when he asked them to.
For the most part he was merely picking at his food with his thoughts far away and seperated from the present. For once his thoughts weren't revolving around Rose which was different. Then again the situation with her was an oddity, why was he so smitten with her? He didn't know really, but it was certainly fun to gossip and joke about for his men. Right now he was more concerned with 'fixing' the problems he saw with their operations here in Lost Haven, in his eyes certain aspects were grossly inefficient and had huge margins for improvement. But what were the answers? Right now he was seriously considering sending for people from back east to come out and help solve these problems, which was really the only suggestion he'd got from Lefcourt a few days prior. The first priority was to get things under control, boost profit and then expand the operation. One of the primary things that was holding them back in his opinion was a lack of railroad connection between Lost Haven and well, anywhere. That meant all heavy equipment, personnel coming in, and all extracted silver, ore and so forth going out had to be moved via stage coach which was costly, slow and vulnerable to attack. Unfortunately for Lost Haven, it was large enough to maybe be the next big city yet small enough that noone wanted to pay the cost to bring the railroad there. It was a fustrating situation, one that he'd discussed with the Mayor the previous Saturday. However Henry knew how to get things done, it'd take political favors, wooing local politicons and Railroad executives and probably a bit of his own money to get it done. That'd be among the top things on his list to get started on personally.
As for expansion? There was no doubt that the Mountains surrounding Lost Haven contained even greater riches that had yet to be tapped, but Barton knew the time wasn't right to go for that just yet. It'd only complicate matters even worse then they already were. However, that didn't stop him from looking to purchase claims and get a hold on those rich veins to tap them later. For the most part it seemed that they had no real compeition locally, with most of the other mines being ramshackle independent operations that were doing well to get by. All true except for this Elliot McMasters person he'd heard about, Marshal Stevens had told him he was second only to them in numbers of claims and actual mining operations, plus he was some sort of unoffical power in Lost Haven, outlaw sort he would guess. But that didn't concern him, McMasters or whoever he was could do his thing and Barton his, there was a lot of silver to go around and he was willing to be diplomatic as long as his company was getting the larger share of things of course. So involved was he with his own thoughts, Henry didn't even notice the man wearing a blue sash who'd popped in for only a minute before leaving and running off down the street, though his body guard had noticed the man he thought nothing of it really.
Five minutes went by before Henry finally looked up from his meal and when he did he noticed a trio of armed men waltz past the window and stop just outside the door. "Thats curious." he mused to himself, watching with mild curiosity. One of the men was more well dressed then the others, wearing black pants, black frock and a white shirt with a rather nice looking hat. Henry leaned forward some, supporting his weight on his elbows and lacing his fingers together as he watched the tall man in black waved his hand in a dismissive gesture before letting himself in through the door. The Pinkerton agent sat up a little, his interest now keen on the new comer. Both he and Henry both noticed a slight change in the atmosphere of the room when he entered, the man carried himself not with confidence but with arrogance. As he approached Henry checked him over from head to toe, noting the spotless shine on the mans boots and the Revolver he carried in a fast draw holster on his hip. Henry cocked his head for a moment observing the firearm from a distance. 'Colt Model 51 Maybe?" he wondered, though his skills with a weapon weren't anything to brag about, he certainly knew his revolvers. The heavy footfalls grew closer until the man was standing over him gazing down. Henry looked up at the man to maintain eye contact, obvious that he was here for him for some reason. "Well well well.. Cornelius Barton, I've heard quite a lot about you in recent days." he said with a sneer.
"And is that a good or bad thing?" Henry responded with a bit of humor to his voice. The man chuckled a bit, then offering his hand. "Elliot Mas.." Before he could finish Henry cut him off with a handshake and curt smile. "Elliot McMasters Yes I've heard a..." and in turn Elliot corrected him, waving his finger at him. "No.. No.. Elliot Masters, Not McMasters." Obviously the mistake had iritated him. Henry chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Oh, my mistake.. Please.. have a seat." he gesutred to the empty seat across from him. Elliot nodded politely, removing his hat as he accepted the offered seat. "Thank you."
Allowing himself to relax a little Henry leaned back in his chair while keeping a watchful yet curious eye on Masters. "I suppose you didn't come here for the lunch menu, did you?"
"Of course not." Masters smiled. "Having heard so much about the man who's going to change Lost Haven from a small mining town to a sprawling city.. I just had to come see him for myself." The condescending tone was blatantly obvious to Henry yet he couldn't understand the problem, atleast not at first. "Oh, I don't know about all of that.. I'm just here to inspect our operations." In contrast to Masters, Barton maintained a cool and pleasant tone of voice, keeping his smile in check at all times. "Eh.. From what I've heard you're looking to expand and possibly invest in our fair little town?"
Henry shifted in his seat some, his brow raising just a hair. "And what of it? The Mountains are loaded with silver, its a logical step.. and if there is something worth investing in here.. Then that's logical as well." It was then that it became clear to Henry what the mans problem was.. He was actually intimidated by Henrys presence in Lost Haven! Henry Barton, the man who'd never intimidated anyone was now the big bad boogie man for this outlaw prince of Lost Haven? Oh the thought tickled him to the core, and it took every ounce of will to keep from either laughing or atleast smirking. Masters remained tense as he spoke. "Sounds fair enough however, I don't believe you usee the full picture Mr. Barton.. I've been in this country for many years now, I've seen a lot of these boom towns and enough men like you to know that your intent is to come in with your money and 'influnce' to make it better in yor eyes.."
"That's progress." Henry said smiling. Masters cracked a chuckle while shaking his head. "Progress? Don't kid me Mr. Barton, trying to turn this place into your home of New York is not progress." Still Henry continued to smile. "I wouldn't know, I'm from Boston." Oh, was he trying to wisecrack Masters? Possibly, either way it iritated him further. "I came to this country on the hopes and promises of freedom, freedom to shape a new life for myself.. Men like you are destroying this nation Mr. Barton. Lost Haven will grown into a city of its own someday, I have no doubt about that.. But it will be in the image of the men who gave birth to it, not those men who wish to twist it into their own likeness.. Men like you."
"And I take it you're one of the men who gave 'birth' to a town like this?'
"Of course," Masters responded quickly, though relaxing a little as he came up with his next question. "I see how you carry yourself, how you carry that revolver on your hip.. Like you're one of us, thinking your some gunfighter who's going to clean up this town!" Masters said scoffing at the man. "Don't patronize me Barton, You're just a ignorant rich kid from Boston who' read the dime store novels about the west and decided to come out here, Am I right?" He was actually, though Henry didn't admit to it optting to remain quiet instead. Masters smirked at the man across from him. "Let me tell you about the west Mr. Barton, It's dying.. It's been slowly fading away every since the day Wild Bill Hickok died.." he paused for a moment, his eyes half shutting for a moment as that event replayed once again in his mind. "I was there, I witnessed the shot that'd bring this time to an end.."
Henry damn near jumped up in his seat with Masters admission of being there with Hickok, the man he'd read so much about. "You knew him?" He asked eagerly, wanting to hear some real stories from the west. Masters nodded in confirmation. "Oh yes, I was in Deadwood at the time, trying to make my fortune.. There were many interesting people there, Bill told me many interesting stories during my time there.. But the one thing I'll not forget till my dying day was that night on the second of august." At this point Henry was hanging on every word, so very curious. "I was there at the bar enjoying a drink.. It happened quite quickly, I looked away for a split second and.. when I looked back towards him siting at his table? There was a man pointing a gun at the back of his head, before I could open my mouth I heard the shot.. And it was over, the deadliest pistoleer of our time was dead without a fight." He trailed off shaking his bowed head, it was a shame really. After a few moments he looked Henry in the eye again. "It was at that moment I knew things would never be the same, that the wide open frontier would close soon.. And so far nothing has disprove this belief."
Though the story was interesting despite its lack of details, it was quite puzzling. What was his point? where was he going with this? Henry straightened up in his seat, his expression showing his puzzlement. "And your point is? Change is inevitable, noone can stop it." And that was a point Masters agreed with him on. "You're right Mr. Barton, Very right.. I realized I would have to change with the times if I were to survive, thats why I came here.." he said with a small smile and chuckle. "To be ready for the change in times and carve out my future in this brave new world.." he paused for a moment while staring at Henry for a few moments before his gaze narrowed even further. "You shouldn't have come here Barton, This isn't your world, It belongs to us as we're the ones who are destined to carve out its future place and push forward.. It is a war in itself, a war for the future of this town and the Arizona territories, one that belongs to us and not you. My best advice is to keep what you have, and find your way out of this town."
Cocking his head to one size Henry sat for a moment in silience, trying to add it all together. "Is that a threat Mr. Masters?' Which got him a smirk and chuckle as a response. "Take it for whatever you think it is, But I've had to fight for every thing I've ever had, including my place in this town.. And I won't lose my place without a fight." It was a threat, no doubt about it and at first Henry was unsure of how to respond, it took a moment but he started laughing lightly. "Oh Gee, Elliot McMasters is afraid of a rich boy from Boston.. Imagine that." Whether or not he'd intentionally gotten his name wrong didn't matter, the effect was the same and he was purposly poking fun at him which infuriated Masters.
The reaction was clear as day as the little blood vessels popped out from his temples and his face turned a slight shade of red. "It's Masters.." he said growling through his clenched teeth. "Oops, Sorry.. But seriously there is no reason to get worked up.. If Lost Haven is going to be the next big city I would say there is plenty of room for both of us right?" Though he didn't like the fact that his man was threatening him, he wasn't going to out right antagonize him and if they could be friends, smooth this over? Great. "I don't think so.. Not when I hold all of the cards and sway in this town," On that note he stood up from his seat, rather abruptly. "I am a fair man Mr. Barton, I've given you a chance to avoid any unfortunate problems.. I suggest you heed my advice."
Right there was where Henry had had enough. It struck him at the very core, how dare this man challange him in this way especially when he'd done nothing to him! Henry rose up from his seat, looking Masters square in the eye as he spoke. "I don't take kindly to threats Mister Masters, If anything perhaps I should invest even more money then I'd originally intended.. Perhaps I should just buy the goddamn town and be done with it.. I'm quite happy here Mister Masters, If you can't accept that fact.. Then I'm quite sorry.. Now Good day." At this point Henrys Pinkerton agent had joined him at his side, both men were staring down Masters now.
There was a short burst of laughter from Masters as he plucked his hat from the table. "Remember this day Barton, Remember it.." Then he turned on his boot heel and coolly left the tavern, leaving both Barton and his Body Guard looking at each other in bewilderment.. "Such a pleasant lunch..."