Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005 03:08:21 -0400 From: carl5de@netscape.net Subject: HIGH PLAINS DOCTOR - 12 HIGH PLAINS DOCTOR - 12 Copyright 2005 by Carl Mason and Ed Collins All rights reserved. Other than downloading one copy for strictly personal enjoyment, no part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, except for reviews, without the written permission of the authors. However based on real events and places, "High Plains Doctor" is strictly fictional. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. As in real life, however, the sexual themes unfold gradually. If you would like to read other Mason-Collins stories, you might turn to "Out of the Rubble," "Castle Margarethen," and "The Priest and the Pauper" which are archived in Nifty's "Historical" section. Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to the authors at carl5de@netscape.net This story contains descriptions of sexual contact between males, both adults and teenagers. As such, it is homoerotic fiction designed for the personal enjoyment of legal, hopefully mature, adults. If you are not of legal age to read such material, if those in power and/or those whom you trust treat it as illegal, or if it would create unresolvable moral dilemmas in your life, please leave. Finally, remember that maturity generally demands that anything other than safe sex is sheer insanity! CHAPTER 12 (Revisiting Chapter 11) The enthusiasm of the audience seemed to push the performers to do their absolute best. >From the tuxedos and finely beaded gowns and plumed chapeaux of the rich to the modest "go to meetin'" clothes of the poorest immigrant dirt farmer, the feeling was the same. Besides the Opera House, they had a fine hospital, an impressive bank, and several other new structures, public and private. This was the frontier no more! (Concluding Our Story - Southwestern Visitor) During the last week of August, a lone, dusty cowpoke rode up to the surgery. Chip, a.k.a. Rawhide, whom Ben had treated for a gunshot injury during his first year in Shiloh (see Chapter 2), was on his way from Texas to Lincoln in the eastern part of the state. Finding him the same bright, inquisitive kid that he remembered, Ben wasn't at all surprised that he was on his way to the University. "But why the University of Nebraska? Why so far from home, Chip?" he had asked in some amusement. "Well, sir, I'm told they're building a good 'Cattle Management' program - and it IS a long way from home!" the lanky young Texan exclaimed with a twinkle in his eyes. Ben grinned and simply said, "Yep." Adding that the boy was always welcome in Shiloh, he introduced him to Jon and Kelly, closed the surgery for lunch, and loaded the kids into the buggy for the short trip home for lunch. Chip followed close behind on horseback. Jon and Kelly were much taken with the handsome 18 year-old, and the feeling seemed reciprocated. (Kelly was a bit amused when the saw the lad whom he insisted on calling "Rawhide" standing next to Tyler. Two good-looking strawberry blonds... "Dad, you old fox!" he thought.) Tyler, who had been at home hard at work on the office books, was similarly affable and lunch was a pleasant affair. Afterwards, Ben returned with Kelly to the surgery, leaving Jon to get Chip settled in. (He insisted that he had to ride on in the morning.) "The doc is going to adopt y'all?" Chip asked as the boys sprawled about in Jon's room. "Man, you're lucky! He's one fine human being!" Jon went on to tell the young Texan a bit about the circumstances of their meeting and their adventures during the past year. "Man," he complained, "I had to work cattle all last year! I would have given my right nut to see Scott's Bluffs or hike in the Tetons! My dad just ain't much for adventure," he murmured sadly. When Jon gave him a highly expurgated version of their week at the Crystal Palace (Chapter 6), Chip collapsed into giggles. Looking into each other's eyes, the boys suddenly, spontaneously knew they were "family." "Tell me more, Jon," Chip commanded in a husky voice. For the first time able to give someone the FULL story, Jon obliged. Chip lay sprawled out on his back, laughing until his eyes watered, occasionally rearranging his package. "And she covered Kelly's stuff with a tiny lace handkerchief?" he howled. "Why don't I think that quite worked?" "That, sir, was exactly the idea," Jon responded in his driest voice. Dr. Cabot's elder son suddenly reached over and covered Chip's mouth with his own. The response was instantaneous. Unfortunately, at that very moment, the boys heard a buggy roll up to the entrance and Ben and Kelly's voices call out to Tyler. "Ah shee-it!" Chip complained. "Later, dude, later," his companion on the bed murmured, giving the Texan's bulging crotch a light squeeze. Dinner was a delight, for five good conversationalists sat around the table - and the grub, as Chip insisted on calling it, was delicious. The lanky one told them more about his college plans and what he wanted to do with his life. For the first time, Jon joined in and openly talked about his desire to be a teacher and how he thought he had to have some "higher" education to top off his home schooling. "It's been great working with Dad and Tyler," he murmured between bites of a nice leg of lamb, but if you're going to make a career out of teaching - especially in high schools - you've got to have a little more. "Maybe you could join me at UNL (the University of Nebraska at Lincoln)," Chip murmured. "We could room together and raise all kinds of hell...in addition to studying," he finished lamely. As Jon grinned positively, he attempted to draw attention away from his slip of the tongue by asking Kelly about his plans. "Well, Rawhide, they've never really changed. I want to be a doctor like my dad." "That's a long, hard road," Ben murmured. "Yep," Kelly responded. Smiling at his older brother, he added, "but like a dedicated teacher, it's a job where you can really make a difference in people's lives." A little surprised at his brother's freely given support, Jon grinned appreciatively at the auburn-haired hunk who sat across the table. Realizing how Ben must be feeling at that moment, Tyler reached down under the table and affectionately squeezed his partner's thigh. The evening of cards and good conversation passed quickly. All too soon, everyone trudged up the stairs to bed. Standing on either side of the bed, Jon and Chip stripped quickly. Suddenly, Jon turned to see Chip staring at him, an expression of awe on his face. "God Almighty, Jon, you're beautiful!" the young Texan exclaimed as his long cock rose and stood out straight in front of him. "I think you've got the best body on any guy I ever did see!" For a moment, "Doc Jon" almost felt as if he were back in the surgery with the adoring Hans. Masterfully, he strode over to the older youth and took him into his arms. "You're something yourself, Rawhide," he murmured, allowing his hands to glide down the young cowpoke's broad back and onto his nice rump. As he softly squeezed the warm globes, he felt his own monster erect right under Chip's balls. Slowly, his big hands pulled the boy into him, kissing him deeply and exploring with his tongue. As he gasped, shivered, and surrendered control, the young Texan's whole body simply melted into the muscular hunk. Slowly thrusting his cock between Chip's legs, Jon's hands explored the boy's exquisite slimness...the trim waist, the sides of his stunningly defined lower torso, the smooth upper thighs. "Jon," Chip gasped, "please. I want you more than I've ever wanted anyone in my life." Holding the youngster's face between his hands, Jon growled, "Come on over to my bed, Rawhide." In the morning, Ben realized much of what had happened without a word being said. Chip had lost much of the assertiveness with which he had ridden into Shiloh. Rather, he cast quick furtive glances at Jon with puppy dog eyes and even blushed and giggled when Jon grinned at him. Although Ben's elder son was a little embarrassed, he was also on top of the world. He had promised Chip that it would not be long before he joined him in Lincoln. Above all, he suddenly realized that he had become a man. It had been some time in coming, for he had paid a heavy personal price for the protection that he had been able to give his younger brother - but he had made it. He had become a man. (A Proud Day) In earliest September, Simpson Broderick, Ben's Omaha lawyer, called him with exciting news. All adoption papers had been received, were in order, and had been submitted to the county court. (They were all highly supportive.) Ben's petition for the adoption of Jon and Kelly McNulty would be heard by Judge Henry Bryson at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 1874, at the country seat. If Ben wished, he would gladly travel west to be present at the hearing, though, given the distance, he would understand if Ben preferred to depend on a local attorney. (Ben wired immediately that he wanted Broderick in that courtroom! "I'm going to owe that man half the Denver Mint in any case," he grumbled to Tyler.) When they heard the news - about two minutes after they finished treating a ten year-old who had fallen and scraped his knee - Jon and Kelly were beside themselves. As a matter of fact, they had to work off a LOT of energy in Jon's bedroom that night! Kelly was firm on only one point: He had to have a new suit. It seems that he had grown a full INCH while in the Tetons! When Mrs. Parsons and Mrs. Culpepper heard of the coming event - probably through an innocent remark made by Tyler - they immediately asked if they might be in the courtroom. At first, Jon and Kelly were resistant. "It's our moment, Dad! It's ours!" they exclaimed. When Ben talked to them about the many obligations of friendship - and the fact that many people in Shiloh loved them as he did - they relented. The two women immediately began to arrange a reception at a local restaurant to follow the Court proceedings. Only Ben knew of the planning - and he wasn't talking! Other than for the fact that the adoption hearing had to be moved into a larger courtroom due to the outpouring of people from Shiloh (including Cindy Sue from Amarillo and Bettsy from the Crystal Palace), the Court appearance went off like clockwork! Exactly as their father had promised them months ago, Judge Bryson, a rather stern looking man in his black robes, asked each of them in turn if this is what he really wanted. Somewhat nervously, each boy said that it was. He asked them if they wished to retain their original names or if they preferred to change their family name to "Cabot." Without a moment's hesitation, they both firmly chose to assume "Cabot" as their last name. The judge sat silent for a moment, thumbing through the thick sheaf of papers before him. Abruptly, he turned to Jon. Rather sharply, he asked Jon why a 17 year-old on the verge of manhood would want to be adopted. "I can understand why a child, perhaps even a 14 or 15 year-old, might want to be adopted, but why you?" he asked. When Mr. Broderick rose immediately to object, Judge Bryson waved him off. "Hold on a minute, counselor. I want to hear the young man's answer," he said, a softer note entering his voice. "If you still wish to object after I have heard it, I shall have both my question and his answer stricken from the court record." Broderick whispered in Jon's ear and then sat down, a somewhat disturbed look on his face. As is the case with most attorneys, he did not like surprises. Jon rose, handsome in his new suit purchased at the same time as Kelly's, swallowed, closed his eyes for just a second, opened them, and looked the judge right in the eye. "Your Honor," he said in a surprisingly firm, adult voice. "Mr. Broderick tells me that you have my full record in front of you. Thus, you know where I was born and grew up. Along with my brother, I came here on the Orphan Train full of hate, hated for others and, worse, hatred for myself. While Dr. Cabot was drawing infections out of people in Shiloh, he was drawing the hatred out of me and nursing me back to health. I love him beyond all other human beings. If I live to be eighty, I shall never be able to repay him. I intend to become a teacher and, in my own way, carry on his work. I beg you to let it be done in the name of 'Cabot'." With that, Jon sat down. As every single human being in the courtroom exhaled simultaneously, Kelly found his brother's hand and covered it with his own. "Is there anyone in this courtroom who can give cause why I should not rule on Dr. Cabot's petition at this time?" Judge Bryson asked. (Pause.) "Very well. It is my ruling that Jon and Kelly McNulty are now the legal sons and heirs of Benjamin Cabot. Furthermore, their legal names will henceforth be 'Jon Cabot' and 'Kelly Cabot'. On receiving notice of this ruling, the State of New York will issue new birth certificates with revised data. May I compliment you, Dr. Cabot, on having two sons in whom any man would be proud." Hidden from all eyes other than those of the judge and court officers, two young men - each strikingly handsome, magnificently developed, and nearly as tall as the man standing between them - rested their heads on their father's chest as might children much younger. Gently, he kissed each on the forehead before wiping the tears from his own eyes. Fortunately, given the crowd, the reception planned by the wives of Harry Parsons and Sam Culpepper was by invitation only. Judge Bryson actually attended to the visible surprise of Simpson Broderick. "A rare compliment to you and your sons," he said to Ben. "He's actually known as a 'hanging judge'," he added calmly. (Ben noticed the twinkle in Simpson's eyes and refused to touch that one.) There was an elegantly catered luncheon with Champagne, followed by gifts. Linda Culpepper brought out two small boxes for Ben, explaining that they were given to help "make up for events that he had missed." Opening them, he found two silver baby cups, one engraved with Jon's name, one with Kelly's. As one might guess, the boys absolutely cracked up. Holding the little cup on which his name had been engraved, Kelly chortled gleefully, "Dad, if anyone ever saw anything like this in Five Points, he would LIFT it!" (Judge Bryson joined in the merriment over that one!) However rare, Jon and Kelly were literally speechless when they were led into a lot that adjoined the fine restaurant to meet two magnificent Arabians decked out in hand tooled saddles and tack. Ben had all he could do to persuade them not to jump on their glorious steeds - new suits and all - give a "Yippie-Ki-Yay!" and take off in the direction of Shiloh! Later that afternoon, however, . . . That evening, Ben told them that he also had a present for them - a celebratory trip to complete their journey west from the Atlantic to the Pacific, a trip to SAN FRANCISCO! At first, Ben spoke as if Tyler wouldn't be coming, but given their cries of outrage ("He's one of the FAMILY, Dad!"), he relented. When he heard the full story, Tyler hugged and kissed the two of them as he danced them around the room! (At the End of the Rainbow) ALL ABOARD! With those words, Ben, Jon, and Kelly (together with their beloved Tyler) resumed an Odyssey that had begun on the Atlantic and would not end until it reached the Pacific. At 22-23 miles per hour, the train would take a good three days to reach its destination, keeping them glued against the windows for much of the way. They were fascinated by everything - the excitement of sleeping on a train, the great lunch baskets (which, when most of their contents had been consumed, were generally thrown from the train, often to disconsolate remnants of a once proud native people), the animals, especially the prairie dogs, antelope, and occasional carcasses of slaughtered buffalo. Sleeping in the Silver Palace Cars presented some special challenges. (After all, they couldn't spend three full days glued against the windows without having SOME "innocent" diversions, could they?) For some time, the train was quite full. While two elderly passengers were willing to trade seats during the day, neither was willing to give up a bottom bunk at night. Thus, Tyler slept above Ben (in whose wider bunk he was usually found at night), but Jon had to sleep above an old gentleman whose legs were none too steady. Kelly had to sleep above a very old and rotund woman who was returning from Ohio, where she had gone to see her grandchildren. On the first night, Kelly successfully navigated the journey down from his bunk and up into Jon's. The next morning, however, saw the old gentleman lodging a firm protest with Ben. "Though there was a great deal of movement and noise in the upper bunk," he stated, "I want to believe that nothing was going on other than innocent fun between two spirited teenagers. On the other hand, sir, at times I feared that the upper bunk would collapse! Surely, we can't have that sort of thing, can we?" Ben didn't think so - and he firmly shared his (somewhat vitriolic) thoughts with the boys. Jon and Kelly realized that a new route had to be found, and Jon was elected to explore it. At around 2:00 am, he quietly used the facilities before returning through the curtained car. Sleepy, he became confused and climbed into that which he thought to be Kelly's bunk. When a sweet young thing suddenly saw the big oaf's head poking through her curtains, she let out a piercing scream. The conductor came running, but he needn't have bothered. As Jon lay sprawled in the aisle in his short drawers, the young lady's aunt stood over him, beating him about the head and shoulders with her parasol! A very grumpy and agitated father came running, apologized profusely, grabbed his son by the neck, and led him back to his bunk. As we know, however, one of Jon's more endearing qualities was his persistence. Indeed, he was the epitome of the nineteenth century African explorer! When all was quiet and dark again, he ventured forth. Quietly, he found the ladder to Kelly's bunk, moved it into place, and began his ascent. It may well have been that a curse was on him that night, for halfway up, he slipped and fell struggling through the curtains into the fat lady's den. She resisted with all the strength and guile of a female wrestler. Screaming her bloody head off, she tore the curtains down around their heads, continuing the struggle for her virtue in a tangled mass of legs, curtains, curlers, and blankets! Again the conductor came running while an assistant lit lamps throughout the car. A grim faced conductor and an even grimmer faced father escorted the boys to a baggage car in which several large felines were being transported to a private San Francisco zoo from Chicago. Sleepily, they looked at the boys, licked their chops, and snarled. The culprits were shown to two open cages that sat near the very smelly cats. Only when they swore fealty to the ideal of chastity were they let out in time for breakfast. At the highest point of the trip in the Rockies, the train actually stopped and allowed the passengers to disembark and pick up a few souvenirs such as pebbles and, for one lucky traveler from the East, a horseshoe. Mountains, mountains everywhere, down into the Salt Lake Basin with the great lake on their left, alkali flats, the desert, the final climb across the Sierra Nevada - often through great tunnels and across trestles that soared over deep chasms - and into Golden California. Finally they would cross San Francisco Bay on the Overland Ferry. Indeed, it was a grand adventure! After all, who could cross the country and take part in an African safari at the same time! They stepped off the ferry into a world that they hadn't exactly expected. Two hundred thousand strong, the people of San Francisco - stimulated by the Gold Rush, the Silver Era, constant emigration, and a fortuitous climate - had created a city that was simultaneously alive, bustling, and intensely colorful. It had already become the merchandising and financial hub of the West, as well as a cosmopolitan window on the world where one glimpsed peoples from every land. Its streets filled with fashionably (though rather soberly) dressed people were bright with flower stands and fruit stands. One could even wait for a covered wagon to clatter up, climb into the rear where there was a table and chairs (plus a stove and a cook), and enjoy fresh baked goods! (Tyler pronounced the muffins the best he had ever eaten!) A loquacious staff member at the fine hotel at which they were staying told them - with the unreasoning pride that seem to characterize every San Franciscan they met - that the "City" (as he called it) contained 90 hotels, 350 restaurants, 42 breweries, 260 bakeries, and 13 great public markets! On every side, the somewhat awestruck little party from the High Plains encountered parks, churches, synagogues, schools, libraries, and academies. Even the former Bostonian and New Yorkers were impressed - and the young man from Laramie was open-mouthed! Speaking to everyone he could find who had visited the City, including Simpson Broderick, Ben had planned well and filled their days with adventures. For instance, they took a ride on the cable cars that had begun public service only three days before their arrival. Kelly even tried to help turn the car around at the end of the line, but, unfortunately, the greenhorn stood on the turntable! As other passengers and employees tried to turn the car (with the added weight provided by the hunky youth), he drew shouts from every direction. Confused, he wished that his beloved Arabian, Diya, would just appear and get him out of there! They visited a building where jeans were being manufactured. Using bolts of canvas sailcloth, Levi Strauss, the son of a Bavarian dry-good peddler, had made what he called "waist overalls" (Strauss hated the term "jeans") that the miners found to be nearly indestructible. Now made of a sturdy fabric called "denim," they were incredibly successful and demand was rising throughout the West. Earlier that year, he had further reinforced the garments by placing rivets at points of greatest stress. Only Jon had a reservation. Having tried on a pair, he crouched down and showed them one of the rivets, the one that had been installed in the crotch. "What would happen," he asked with a smirk, "when they crouched as close to the fire as possible on a frigid night on the Plains and it heated up that rivet?" Everyone giggled, but the fascinated youngsters still went home with several pair for riding. With the assistance of the hotel (which provided a guide and a giant of an "assistant" who the boys thought looked suspiciously like a policeman), their next adventure took them into the Chinese quarter. Chinese had come to California in droves to work in the gold fields and on the overland railroad. Their guide told them that they now formed nearly 20 percent of the City's working population. Ubiquitous, relegated to the lowest stratum of society and subject to constant harassment, informally and by repressive laws, they were allowed to do little other than fish and do laundry. One might suspect that there would be trouble when they wanted more - and were willing to work hard and for low wages to get it. It was Kelly who muttered, "There always has to be someone," a comment that drew an angry, disgusted look from the "assistant." Entering the Chinese district, the company found itself suddenly transported to a completely different world. One rarely heard a word of English in this "New Cathay;" one rarely encountered the sights that had theretofore delighted them in their short visit in San Francisco. Rather, they entered an area of crowded alleys from which doors led to little bazaars, teaming rookeries of sleeping places, restaurants, teahouses, opium houses, and smoky gambling dens. The sights and smells - even the colors and sounds of the Chinese Theater and a great temple - struck them as...foreign...and more than a little sinister! Even so, they were unwilling simply to dismiss the adventure, as was their "assistant" who frequently muttered comments about the "Heathen Chinee." Ben thought it time for a change of pace. Perhaps, they should sample the reputedly wild nightlife of a city also known as "Baghdad by the Bay"! Needless to say, the boys were all grins. As soon as a little money had changed hands at the hotel desk and a carriage called out front, they quickly found themselves on the sidewalk before an establishment that had been described to the good doctor as "well regarded." The boys immediately began muttering. Obviously, something didn't feel right! Tyler was game to enter, but even Ben had his reservations as he saw the crowd that was entering and departing. Finally, the foursome positioned themselves in front of the large entry doors. As the doors opened and closed, they got nothing more than fleeting peeks - and the hawker out front wasn't particularly interested in giving them a better look. In some disgust, Jon finally exclaimed that all the performers appeared to be women...naked women! "It's a big city, Dad," Kelly grumbled. "Can't we do better than that?" As he spoke, they were approached by a rather sleazy type who suggested that he could possibly provide some entertainment more to their taste. After a short carriage ride, they found themselves in an area of the San Francisco waterfront known as the "Barbary Coast." Ah, this felt better! One couldn't see much more than the faint glow of lights in the thick fog shrouding the area. Even the street sounds were muffled, although they occasionally heard the moan of a foghorn. Ben explained that the Barbary Coast was a remnant of the Gold Rush Days. All sorts of low-life flourished - gamblers, gangsters, prostitutes, confidence men...you name it. Named after the pirate coast of North Africa (the "shores of Tripoli") that Commodore Stephen Decateur and his marines had to clean out in the early 1800s, its brothels, saloons, and disreputable boardinghouses were notorious throughout the world. "Looks like a good place to get Shanghaied," Tyler murmured nervously. At the urging of their "guide," they descended into a basement where a little gold gave them admission to an ongoing gay floorshow. Ben told them to drink nothing - and the two men remained alert to what was going on around them. (To anyone who looked, it was apparent that both Ben and Ty were armed. "Way to go, Dad and Tyler!" Jon thought.) Talk about wild! No member of the party had ever seen anything like it! The performers - probably ranging in age from 17 through the earliest 20s, beautiful beyond belief, and naked as the day they were born - danced, sang, and performed gravity- defying acrobatics. Our boys were in seventh heaven! They - and most of the rest of the audience - sported prominent hard-ons. Ben, whose tastes had changed a bit in recent years, was actually sweating! No one was willing to take his eyes off the youths long enough to look at or say something to anyone else at the table. The next group regaled the audience with a Can-Can, reputedly straight from Gay Paree. "Ah shit!" Tyler complained, "I thought we came here for some REAL entertainment!" "Hold on a minute, Ty," Kelly said. "There's something strange about those girls!" Secure in their adult wisdom, neither Ben nor Tyler would agree and finally told the boys to "put up or shut up". Losing patience, J&K called one of the girls over to the table during a short break - a particularly lusty wench with long golden hair, bulbous accoutrements, and a great deal of war paint. (For a goodly piece of gold, a girl would dance at your table, ending by flipping up her skirts and displaying her...feminine charms.) Suzie danced long and hard. When, however, she flipped her skirts, she was shown to have "something familiar" at the juncture of her thighs and lower torso. Reluctantly, Ben and Tyler admitted defeat and paid up to the party's experts on such matters. "I still would like to see more of the group that was dancing when we came in," Tyler grumbled. He was in luck. For the finale, the original group of young men offered a dance set against a waterfront mural. Ten dancers wore only skintight striped shirts that ended at the navel. Sensually, they undulated around the stage to a hauntingly beautiful song that carried images of foreign shores, palm trees and danger. Suddenly, from the wing, a new performer danced onto the stage, an absolutely gorgeous young blond lad - who looked all of 13 or 14 - clad only in a tight shirt and the white canvas pants favored by sailors. The house erupted into cheers and lewd shouts. Dancing a sprightly step that conveyed youth and purity, he slowly wended his way between the other dancers, oblivious to their gestured enticements. Suddenly, as the others fell back, the largest of the dancers stepped in front of the lad. Forcing the boy to his knees, the dancer offered him his swelling cock. (Hearing a loud grunt next to him, Ben turned to Kelly. The red- faced lad was busy tucking a handkerchief down under pants that already showed a widening stain.) Virtuously, the young blond shook his head in refusal. The dancer who had accosted him picked him up, held his horizontal body high in the air, and THREW him to his companions. As the lad was borne about the stage, he was slowly stripped. When naked, he was thrown back to the leader of the pack. As the boy held onto his neck and clamped his legs around the man's waist, the leader fucked him on his immense pole as he danced him about the stage! (He never missed a beat! In fact, none of them did.) That would have been enough, of course, to bring the house down, but the leader finally threw him to another dancer...and he to another...each of whom repeated the fucking. The audience rose as one in a roaring tribute to the sweaty dancers who bowed low before them. (Ben noticed that both Jon and Tyler had reacted to the spectacle as had most of the rest of the audience. That is, they had simply pulled it out and relieved the tension manually! "God, I'm getting old!" he thought as he sniffed the distinctive odor that permeated the room.) During the intermission, one of the dancers came over to the table...a black-haired 17 or 18 year-old, his entire body smoothly shaved and lightly oiled...handsome, muscular though sleek and defined, hung like their Arabians. They invited him to sit - which, after they paid the "House fee," he did, sitting back from the table and splaying his legs widely in front of him. "Danny" made it entirely clear that he'd be happy to go with them "after the show" - and, if they wished, bring some of his friends. He pointed to a couple of the teens who were also working the audience. Beautiful kids... For an extra fee, Pauli, the blond 14 year-old, was available. Each of them did...everything. When he asked if there was anything else he could do for them, the three younger members of the party put their heads together. Giggling, Tyler motioned for Danny to come closer. Receiving three gold coins that he placed in an ankle holder, the stunning youngster went over to Ben and whispered in his ear. At first the pater familiis looked up with a dubious expression on his face. When confronted by three absolutely intransigent expressions, however, he sighed and "permitted" Danny to open his fly and give him an thoroughly professional blow job. As might have been expected, the boys kept up a running line of expert commentary throughout the whole affair! Obviously tired from his exertions and nervously keeping an eye out for the boss, the lad began to ask Jon and Kelly about their lives. Jon was going to become a teacher; Kelly, a doctor? And they came from Five Points (which he knew by reputation)? When the boss signaled that the intermission was over, he stood for a second between the boys, lightly touched their shoulders, and smiled sadly before silently departing. (With a twinge of regret - and a final spasm - Ben watched a truly memorable set of buttocks disappear into the curtains.) Jon and Kelly looked at each other white-faced. Realizing that the boys had just seen themselves as they might have been, Ben wasn't surprised when Kelly turned to him and choked, "Dad, I want to go back to the hotel. Please!" Once in their rooms, Ben couldn't pry Kelly off him, and Jon had forsaken his brother to glue himself to Ty. Fear...gratitude...pain...it all spilled out - plus, before sleep relieved their tension, a bit more. Ben woke up holding a beautiful, auburn-haired 15 year-old who had slept like a rock once he had propelled what seemed to be a quart of cum into his mouth. Suddenly aware that the boy's eyes were open and watching him, he turned his face and planted a kiss on the very tip of his nose. "Good morning, Sunshine! What's your pleasure?" At first, the boy smiled softly, returned his father's kiss, and murmured, "You were there again for me, Dad. How I love you." Then, assuming the more natural tones of the adolescent, he complained bitterly that he was HUNGRY and had to be fed before he DIED a horrible death! From an adjoining room came the brotherly cry, "FOOD!" Yes, they had a good breakfast in a nearby cafe, but, in truth, it was only the latest in a long line of superb meals. Even Ben who knew the finest restaurants in both New York and Boston was amazed. Never had he tasted so many imaginative meals of such exquisite quality in his life. The meats, the fish, the shellfish from the Northwest such as Dungeness crab, the vegetables and the fruit, not to speak of the sourdough bread were beyond belief. They even enjoyed some excellent pasta prepared by Italian immigrants from Genoa who were beginning to be noticeable in the City. When Shiloh had grown to the point where it could support such an establishment, he knew exactly where he would suggest they turn for their chef! In the meantime, everyone was complaining that he had put on so much weight that he had to get back to some hard exercise. Otherwise, Levi Strauss & Company would have to insert multiple rivets into their clothing simply to resist the added stress! Not that everything in Baghdad by the Bay was sweetness and light. On their trip out to the new Golden Gate Park and the Seal Rocks that lay beyond, for example, the always-perceptive Tyler commented about the tremendous disparity in San Francisco between the haves and the have-nots. "I've seen too many homeless children to be comfortable," he stated, "and even the newspapers suggest that young hoodlums are becoming a serious problem." The boys from the lower East Side of New York were quick to chime in. "It's just like New York, Tyler," Jon had growled. "There's so much wealth and so much promise in this country, but a handful of people seem to be cornering most of it - and the Government does little but protect them! We saw the Stanford and the Mark Hopkins mansions the other day. How do they compare with the buildings in which most San Franciscans - or New Yorkers - live?" Though he tended to sympathize with Jon, Ben was from wealth and had seen the good uses to which it could be put. Always ready to play the devil's advocate, he asked, "In the far West, Jon, you rode on the tracks of the Central Pacific. Leland Stanford and Mark Hopkins were two of the four men most responsible for that part of the transcontinental railroad. Didn't their energy and their money deserve to be rewarded?" "Does that justify Danny?" Kelly asked quietly. "Would their right to 'rewards' have justified Jon and I being up there on that stage?" And so the discussions - and occasional arguments - went as the boys gradually defined who they were and the goals they wanted to set in their lives. In truth, it was not a discussion that ended with the San Francisco trip. Indeed, it was a discussion that continued throughout their lives - and throughout our nation's history. On their last day in San Francisco, the travelers visited the historic Presidio. Established in 1776 as a military post by a Spanish expedition from northern Mexico, it came under control of the United States in 1846. Actually, Ben did not bring them to the Army post to view the many artifacts. Rather, the hotel had recommended that they spend some time on a bluff near the fort that lay at the northernmost end of the Presidio, a bluff that overlooked the narrowest part of the Golden Gate. Even though it was early September, climactic conditions were right to view a City phenomenon that was far more common during the summer. It began during the afternoon. At first there was only a haziness over the Pacific in the western sky. Then a great bank of fog became visible, making its way towards them. Slowly, it began forcing its way into the narrow Gate, only about a mile wide at that point. Ben, Tyler, Jon, and Kelly stood, arms around each other, as the sun shone down on the advancing force. "Strange," Ben thought, "it's not just gray." Indeed, the wind constantly caused wisps of white to lighten the appearance of the billowy mass. As the sun reflected off the surrounding land and water, other colors - lilac, mauve...even touches of crimson and gold - were mixed into the kaleidoscopic display. "Oh, man, it's beautiful," breathed Kelly. "Is this the place where the rainbows all come down to earth, Doc?" Tyler asked. "Yeah, maybe" Ben answered. "A lot of people around here seem to think so, but I'm inclined to think they come down to earth wherever one's heart is." He sighed and grinned at Jon who was vigorously nodding his head in agreement. "I, for one, am ready to head back HOME! Are you guys with me?" THE END (AUTHOR'S NOTE: For the history buffs among our readers - and it wouldn't be surprising to find a few, yes? - your authors would like to share a rare treat. All too often, eyewitness accounts of earlier events occur only as brief excerpts in other texts. In writing this last chapter, however, we came across a major exception. In the mid 1870s, Benjamin F. Taylor - a freelance writer and poet - took a trip by rail from Chicago to San Francisco. His observations gave rise to a book titled, BETWEEN THE GATES. Fortunately, the entire book is in the Library of Congress and, more, online! Even to the initiated, the Victorian prose is occasionally...heavy, and initially the browser isn't the easiest to use. Nevertheless, it is an absolutely glorious account and we recommend it to you most heartily. Access it by: - Clicking on www.perseus.tufts.edu (to access the Perseus Table of Contents Browser), - Clicking on "California" in the left-side menu, - Scrolling down to (and clicking on) "Between the gates. By Benjamin F. Taylor," (Do NOT click on "search this work"), and, - Following the arrows and the left-side menu to move through the chapters.)