Chapter 42 Section VI

The big bus slowly passed the galloping horses.Rothbard was frightened, but he had no will to betray his master on his back and pulling the reins.A dark head poked out from the car window.Her answer came with the airflow from the car. "Yes, Ben Craig, I do." The rider reined in and disappeared into the swirling dust. She wrote a letter carefully.Because she had experienced the other party's temper, she clearly expressed her regret, and hoped that this letter would not offend him and make him lose his temper.After writing the fourth draft, she signed it and sent it off.She didn't hear back for a whole week, and what followed was a brief and unreasonable meeting.

The backbone of the unit was Michael Pickett, president and CEO of Billings Agricultural Bank.On the eve of Pearl Harbor, he started from humble beginnings as a cashier and worked his way up to the position of assistant manager.His hard work, conscientiousness, and natural intelligence caught the attention of the bank's founder and owner, an elderly gentleman who had been single all his life and had no relatives. The old gentleman offered to sell his bank to Michael Pickett when he retired.He was looking for someone to carry on his legacy.So, Michael raised loan funds and bought the property rights of the bank.Most of the loans for the purchase were repaid in time, but some problems arose in the late sixties: overdevelopment, foreclosures, bad debts, and dead debts...Pickett had to raise energy from the public by selling shares. The money that brought the bank back from the dead.The crisis has passed, and the capital turnover has been smooth.

A week after his daughter's letter arrived, Mr Pickett was summoned, rather than invited, to meet his future in-laws.The meeting was arranged at a posh T-Bar Ranch on the Yellowstone River southwest of Billings.They had met once when their sons and daughters were engaged, but in the restaurant of the Cowboys Club. The banker was ushered into a large office with a polished wooden floor, rich paneling, and walls adorned with memorabilia, framed certificates and hunting bulls' heads.There was a person sitting behind the large desk. He didn't get up to say hello, but only gestured to the only empty chair opposite.He stared at the seated guests without saying a word.Mr. Pickett felt very uncomfortable, and he knew there was a reason for it.

The ranch tycoon was deliberately slow.He took out a large cigar, lit it, and after it burned smoothly, he pushed the only piece of paper on the desk over.Pickett saw that it was a letter from his daughter. "I'm sorry," said the banker, "she told me. I know she wrote a letter, but I haven't read it." The rancher leaned forward, raised his index finger, and was about to teach someone a lesson.He also refused to take off his Stetson cowboy hat indoors. The face under the hat looked like a piece of beef, glaring at the banker. "No way," he said, "no way, understand? No girl would do that to my son."

The banker shrugged. "I'm as disappointed as you are," he said, "but young people these days . "Talk to her. Tell her she's made a terrible mistake." "I've talked to her. Her mother has talked to her. She wants the engagement broken." The rancher leaned back in his chair and looked around the room, recalling in his mind the path he had taken from a cowherd boy to his fortune. "There is no going back on my son's part," he said.After taking back the letter, he pushed a stack of papers across the table, "You'd better look at these materials."

William "Big Bill" Braddock has indeed come a long way.His grandfather was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, and moved west.Grandfather was an illegitimate son, whose father had been a cavalry sergeant and had died in the battle of the plains.The grandfather took a job in a store and worked his whole life without being promoted or fired.His son inherited his humble occupation, but the grandson found a job on the ranch instead. The boy was tall, tough, and inherently domineering, often solving problems with his fists, and almost every time he took advantage of it.But he was also smart. After the war, he seized a profitable business opportunity: using refrigerated trucks to transport beef from the place where the cattle were raised to Montana.

He raised money alone, started from buying trucks and getting involved in the slaughtering and processing industry, and developed to control the entire business chain from ranch to barbecue.He has created his own brand: Big Bill Beef, free-range, juicy and flavorful, available in local supermarkets.By the time he moved back into the ranching business, filling the last link in the beef supply chain, he was a big boss. Purchased ten years ago, the T-Bar Ranch has been rebuilt into the most spectacular mansion along the Yellowstone River.His wife was a little woman who never dared to speak aloud, and it was almost rare to see her.She bore him a son named Kevin, but he didn't look like his parents at all.Kevin is twenty-five years old this year. He was spoiled and spoiled since he was a child, and he is domineering.But Big Bill loved his offspring and responded to the only son's request.

Michael Pickett turned pale after reading these materials. "I don't understand," he said. "Look, Pickett, it couldn't be clearer. I spent a week buying every piece of property you own in this state. That means, now I own a controlling interest in your bank. That's Cost me a fortune. All because of your daughter. She's beautiful, I admit, but stupid. I don't know or care who the other guy she met, but you gotta tell her, gotta put He shakes it off." "Let her write another letter to my son, admitting the mistake she made. Their engagement remains the same."

"But what if I fail to convince her?" "Then tell her she'll be responsible for your total destruction. I'll take over your bank, your house, I'll take over everything you own. Tell her you don't even have a cup of coffee in this county Can't pay on credit. Do you hear me?" On the drive back, Michael Pickett was in a bad mood.He knew Braddock wasn't joking.He had done it to those who opposed him.Pickett was also warned the wedding would have to be brought forward to mid-October, which is a month away. The family meeting was not pleasant.Mrs. Pickett reproaches, reassures.Did Linda understand what she was going to do?Did she realize that she had made a huge mistake?Marrying Kevin Braddock would give her instant access to all the things that other people wouldn't necessarily get in a lifetime of work: a nice house, big gardens for the kids to play in, the best schools and society status.How could she throw it all away for a goofy actor with no education and no regular job who just plays frontiersmen and scouts for the summer?

Her two elder brothers who work and live locally also came to the family meeting.One of the elder brothers proposed that he go to Heritage Fort and have a face-to-face talk with the third party.Both young men feared that the vengeful Braddock would get in the way and cost them both their jobs.The older brother who spoke worked for the state government, but Braddock had friends in Helena, the state capital, with a lot of money and power. The distraught father wiped his thick-lens short-sighted glasses over and over again, pain on his face.In the end it was his pain that made Linda Pickett give in.She nodded, stood up and went back to her room.This time, she wrote two letters.

The first letter was addressed to Kevin Braddock.She admits she made stupid and childish mistakes for a young horseman she came across, but that's over.She told him how stupid she had been to write him, and hoped he would forgive her.She hopes to maintain their engagement and expects to be his bride by the end of October. The second letter was addressed to Ben Craig via Fort Heritage in Bighorn County, Montana.Both letters were mailed the next day. Although Professor Ingalls was keen to restore the life in the castle at that time, he still made concessions to two modern facilities.Although no phone lines went to the castle, he kept a wireless phone in his office, powered by nickel-cadmium batteries.In addition, there is the postal service. The Billings post office agreed to hand over all mail addressed to the castle to the largest tour bus company in the city, and the mailbags to be handed over would be taken by the next driver.Four days later, Ben Craig received a letter addressed to him. He tried to read the letter, but had difficulty.Thanks to Charlie's tutorials, he could already read capital letters and even lowercase print, but he was blindsided by the young lady's flamboyant handwriting.He took the letter to find Charlie.The female teacher looked at him regretfully after reading it once. "I'm sorry, Ben. It's from the girl you like. Linda?" "Please read it to me, Charlie." "'Dear Ben'," she began to read, "I did a foolish thing two weeks ago. When you yelled at me from the horse and I yelled back at you from the coach, I said We were getting married. But when I got home, I realized how stupid I was." "In fact, I've been engaged to a nice guy I've known for a number of years. I realized you can't just break off the engagement. We're getting married next month." "'Please wish me happiness in the future, and I wish you the same. Kiss me good-bye, Linda Pickett'." Charlie folded the letter and handed it back.Ben Craig looked at the mountains in the distance, lost in thought.Charlie put her hand on his. "I'm sorry, Ben. Things like this happen from time to time. You met by chance and she obviously took a liking to you on impulse. I can kind of understand that. But she has now decided to stay with her fiancé." Craig stared at the mountains in the distance, then asked, "Who's her fiancé?" "I don't know. She didn't mention it." "Can you find out?" "I said, Ben, you ain't going to make trouble, are you?" A long time ago, there were two young boys who were jealous and fought over Xia Li.She also felt that she was very popular and beautiful.But, now and then, she didn't want the young student to hurt his fragile feelings by fighting over a girl who had only been to the castle three times. "No, Charlie, not to mess with. Just curious." "You're not going to ride to Billings and find a fight?" "Xia Li, I just want to get back what belongs to me in the eyes of the world and the ubiquitous gods. The gods said so long ago." He was talking riddles again, and she stood her ground. "But not Linda Pickett?" He chewed a grass stalk and thought for a while. "No, not Linda Pickett." "You promise, Ben?" "I promise." "I'll find a way to find out." Charlie Bevan had a journalist friend at Bozeman's college who worked for the Billings Journal.She called her and asked to see as soon as possible what had been in the back issues of the engagement of a young lady named Linda Pickett.The news was found out quickly. Four days later, Charlie received an email containing a newspaper clipping from early summer.Michael Pickett and William Braddock are delighted to announce the engagement of their daughter Linda and son Kevin.Charlie raised her eyebrows and whistled, no wonder the girl didn't want to break off the engagement. "That must be Big Bill Braddock's son," she told Craig. "You know that beef king?" The scout shook his head. "No," Charlie said regretfully, "you're just wishful thinking, and it's a disgraceful thing. You see, Ben, the man's father is really rich. He lives on a ranch up north, near the Yellowstone River. You know Yellowstone River?" Craig nodded.From Ellisburg, the confluence of the Tonge River and the Yellowstone River, to the point where they turned back east of the Rosebud River, he had traveled with General Gibbon to every inch of the south bank of the Yellowstone River. "Charlie, can you find out when the wedding will take place?" "Do you remember your promise?" "I remember. Not for Linda Pickett." "That's right. So what's your plan? A little surprise?" "Ok." Charlie made another call.September is over, October is here.The weather remains sunny and mild.The long-term weather forecast says that early autumn will be sunny and pleasant, and the fine weather will last until the end of October. On October 10 the tour bus brought a copy of the Billings Gazette.Due to the early opening of the school, the tourist group has been greatly reduced. In the newspaper brought by her friend, Xia Li found a special report written by a columnist of the social edition.She read it to Craig. The columnist wrote about Kevin Braddock and Linda Pickett's impending wedding with excitement.The wedding was scheduled for October 20 at the majestic T-Bar Ranch just south of Laurel.As the weather continues to be fine, the wedding ceremony will take place on the ranch's huge lawn at two o'clock in the afternoon. Thousands of guests will be invited, including Montana's socialites and business elite.She read the news in one breath.Ben Craig nodded, taking it to heart. The next day, the resident commander called all the staff together and gave a speech on the parade ground.Heritage Fort's summer antiques show will end on October 21, he said.The event was a huge success, with congratulatory letters from educators and legislators from across the state. “There is still a lot of hard work to do in the four days before the end,” Professor Ingalls told the young staff. “The salary will be paid the day before the end. Pack every nook and cranny for the harsh winter." After the meeting, Charlie pulled Ben Craig aside. "Ben, it's almost over here, Ben," she said, "and when it's over, we can all go back to our normal clothes. Oh, you're wearing your normal clothes, I suppose. Then you'll collect Get some money. We can go to Billings and get you shoes and clothes and a warm coat for the winter." "Then I want you to come back to Bozeman with me. I'll find you a nice place to live and introduce you to some people who can help you." "Okay, Charlie," he said. That night, he knocked on the professor's door.John Ingalls sits behind his desk.A wood fire burns in a corner stove to drive away the evening chill.The professor warmly welcomed the guest in a buckskin suit.He was impressed with the young man and his knowledge of the Wild West and the old frontier.With his knowledge, plus a college degree, the professor could find him a job on campus. "Ben, boy, what's the matter?" He hopes that he can be like a loving father, giving young people some advice about future life. "Have you a map, Major?" "Map? My goodness. Yes, I think I should. What area do you want?" "Here at the castle, and as far north as the Yellowstone, sir." "Good idea. Knowing where you are and what's going on in the surrounding area will come in handy anyway. Here, here." He spread the map on the desk and began to explain.Craig had seen combat maps before, but they were mostly blank save for a few markers from trappers and scouts.The map is full of lines and circles. "Here's our castle, on the north side of the West Pryor Mountains, with the Yellowstone River to the north and Mount Pryor to the south. This is Billings, and that's where I came from -- Bozeman. " Craig's fingers moved between the two towns, which were a hundred miles apart. "Bozeman Trail?" he asked. "True, but that's what it used to be called. It's an asphalt road now, of course." Craig didn't know what an asphalt road was, but he figured it might be the long strip of black rock he'd seen in the moonlight.Dozens of small towns are marked on this large-scale map, and on the south bank of the Yellowstone River where it meets Clark Creek, there is a house called T-Bar Ranch.He figured it was due north-west of the castle, some twenty miles further across the country.He thanked the major and handed back the map. On the evening of October nineteenth, Ben Craig went to bed early after supper.No one is surprised.On this day, all the young people are cleaning, oiling metal parts against winter frost and snow, and putting tools into the log cabin for use in the spring.The others in the bungalow went to bed around ten o'clock and fell asleep quickly.No one noticed that their blanket companions were sleeping together. He got up in the middle of the night, put on a fox fur hat, folded two blankets, and left quietly.No one saw him go to the stables, slip in, and harness Rothbard.He had equipped it with double oatmeal rations for the extra stamina it needed. Saddled, leaving the horse where it was, he entered the smithy himself and fetched the few items he had noticed the night before: a handaxe in a leather sheath, a crowbar, and A pair of iron shears. He broke the padlock on the armory door with a crowbar and entered, and quickly snipped the chain that held the rifle with iron scissors.They are all replicas, only one is the real gun.He retrieved his Sharps Model 52 rifle and left. He led Rothbard to the back door next to the chapel, unfastened the wooden bars on the door, and walked out.His two blankets were tucked under the saddle, and his buffalo dressing-gown was rolled up and tied behind him.The rifle hung in a holster in front of his left knee, a leather barrel with four arrows stuck in it hung from his right knee, and a bow was slung across his back.After leading the horse quietly for half a mile from the castle, he mounted the horse. And so Ben Craig, frontiersman, scout, and sole survivor of the Little Bighorn Massacre, rode out of 1877 and into the 1970s. He estimated from the setting moon that it should be two o'clock in the morning.He had enough time to walk the twenty miles to T-Bar Ranch and save Rothbard's strength.He found the Big Dipper, and under its guidance, he walked westward on the path due north. Grasslands gradually turned into farmland, and wooden poles were inserted from time to time on the road in front of them, and iron wires were still pulled between the poles.He cut it with scissors and moved on.He crossed the county line from Dajiao County to Huangshi County, but he didn't know anything about it.At dawn he found Clark Creek and followed the winding stream northward.As the sun came up behind the hills to the east, he spotted a long white wooden fence with a sign nailed to it: "T Bar Ranch. Private property. No entry." He figured it out. What the words mean, keep going until you find a private road that leads to the gate of the ranch. He could see the gate from half a mile away, a grand house surrounded by stately barns and stables.A striped wooden pole ran across the road by the gate, and there was a guard house beside it, with a faint light in the window.He retreated half a mile to a bush, unsaddled Rothbard, and let him rest and eat some autumn grass.He had been resting all morning too, but not asleep, vigilant like a wild animal. In fact, the newspaper reporter had underestimated the pomp of Big Bill Braddock's wedding for his son. He insisted that his son's fiancée undergo a physical examination by his family doctor, and the humiliated girl had no choice but to agree.When he read the detailed medical report, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Her what?" he asked the doctor.The doctor looked in the direction the sausage-like finger was pointing. "Oh, yes, there is no doubt about it. Absolutely intact." Braddock squinted knowingly. "Okay, Kevin is lucky. What about other situations?" "Impeccable. She is a very beautiful and healthy girl." Transform that mansion into a fairytale castle with the trendiest interior designer money can hire.Outside, on an acre of lawn, a chancel had been erected twenty yards from the fence, facing the pasture.In front of the altar are rows of comfortable chairs for guests, leaving an aisle in the middle for the newlyweds to walk, first Kevin and his best man, and then the bride and her useless father will follow the "Wedding March" The melody walks down this aisle. The wedding banquet dishes will be served on a trestle table behind the chairs.The place where the money should be spent is in place.Crystal wine glasses containing champagne are piled up into pyramids, and all kinds of eye-catching famous French champagnes and fine wines merge into seas.He wanted to make sure that even the most world-savvy guests couldn't find a single fault. Arctic prawns, crabs and oysters were flown in from Seattle in ice boxes.For those who don't like champagne, there are cases of Chivas Regal.After climbing into the four-poster bed the night before the wedding, Big Bill's only concern was his son.The kid was drunk again and needed an hour-long shower to wake up in the morning. Before the newlyweds change clothes and prepare for their honeymoon on a private island in the Bahamas, Braddock has arranged for a Wild West rodeo next to the garden to entertain guests.These competitive actors, like waiters and workers, are all hired.The only thing Braddock didn't hire was a security guard. He is very particular about personal safety and has a private army.Three or four personal bodyguards stayed around him all the time, and the rest usually took the cover of horse herders on the ranch, but they all had received firearms shooting training, all had actual combat experience, and they would strictly follow orders.That's what they get paid for. For this wedding, he arranged all thirty soldiers around the house.Two guard the gate; his personal bodyguard, led by an ex-Green Beret Special Forces soldier, follows him; the rest act as waiters and ushers. Throughout the morning, a steady stream of limousines and vans picked up the guests from Billings Airport, drove to the gate of the ranch and stopped, and passed through after inspection.Craig watched from deep in the bushes.Just after noon the priest arrived, followed by a troop of musicians. Other food trucks and rodeos entered through another gate, but they were out of his sight.Just after one o'clock the musicians began to play.Craig readied the saddle. He directed Rothbard's head out into the open prairie and rode along the fence until the guard house was out of sight.Then he faced the white wooden fence and accelerated from a walk to a canter.Rothbard saw the approaching fence, adjusted his steps, and jumped over it.The scout found himself in a large paddock, a quarter of a mile from the nearest barns.A herd of horned cattle grazes nearby. Farther down the field, Craig found, was the gate to the barn area, which was still open.Two patrolling guards greeted him as he walked through the barn and past the patio stone yard. "You must belong to the dressage team?" Craig looked at them and nodded. "You're in the wrong place. Go over there, your men are behind the house." Craig walked down the alley, waited until they had moved on, and turned back.He walked towards the music, but he didn't know it was "Wedding March". At the altar, Kevin Braddock stood with his best friend in a pristine white tuxedo.He was eight inches shorter and fifty pounds lighter than his father, with narrow shoulders and broad hips.There were still a few abscesses on his face, but he dabbed on his mother's loose powder to cover them up. Mrs. Pickett sat in the front seat with Braddock's parents, separated by the aisle.Across the aisle, Linda Pickett appeared on her father's arm.Her white silk wedding dress was custom-made by Balenciaga and flown in from Paris. She was as beautiful as a fairy on her body.Her face looked pale and solemn.She stared ahead without a smile. A thousand heads turned to look at her as she began to walk towards the altar.There are some waiters behind the rows of customers, and they also stop to watch.Behind them, a lone rider appeared. Michael Pickett asked his daughter to stand next to Kevin Braddock while he sat next to his wife.She is wiping the corners of her eyes.The preacher raised his eyes and began to speak. "Guests, today we are gathered together to participate in the sacred wedding of this man and this lady." After the music gradually stopped, he began to speak.He was puzzled to see a man on horseback fifty yards away in the walkway, but he didn't react.A dozen attendants were pushed aside as the horse took a few steps forward.Even the twelve bodyguards around the lawn were staring at the couple facing the preacher. The preacher went on talking. "...on this sacred ground, these two are now about to be united." Mrs. Pickett wept in public.Braddock glared at her across the aisle.The missionary was amazed to see that two tears welled up from the bride's eyes and flowed down her cheeks.He just thought it was tears of uncontrollable joy. "Therefore, if anyone can say that they cannot legally join, please say so now, otherwise, you will have to keep silent." He looked away from the book in his hand, looked up and smiled at everyone. "I want to talk. She is engaged to me." The voice was young and strong, and as the horse charged forward, the voice carried to every corner of the lawn.The waiter was thrown to the ground.The two bodyguards tried their best to rush at the rider, but they were kicked in the face each, and fell on their backs on the last two rows of guests.The men were shouting, the women were screaming, and the preacher's mouth was gaping. Rothbard quickly accelerated from a slow walk to a canter, and then to a quick run.The rider reined in it and pulled the rein to the left.He leaned over to the right, lightly stretched his right arm, wrapped his arms around the girl's slender waist in a silk wedding dress, and hugged her up.She was still lying in front of him just now, but now she has slid behind him, and after sitting firmly with one leg across the roll of cowhide, she hugged his waist with both arms. The horse dashed across the front seat, over the white fence, and trotted away across the waist-deep grass.There was chaos on the lawn. The guests all stood up and shouted loudly.The beef cattle turned the corner and came to the flat lawn.One of Braddock's four bodyguards, who had been seated at the far end of his master's row of chairs, ran past the preacher, drew his pistol, and took careful aim at the receding horse.With a "no..." cry, Michael Pickett lunged at the shooter, grabbing his arm and thrusting him into the air.The moment they jostled each other, the pistol fired three bullets. The crowd and the herd were in disarray, all running around in panic.Chairs were overturned and plates of prawns and crabs were knocked over and onto the lawn.The local mayor was thrown over a pile of pyramid-shaped champagne flutes for an expensive bath of glass shards.The preacher bent down and got under the altar.There he met the groom. On the main driveway outside were parked two patrol cars of the local police, flanked by four mounted police officers.They're there to clear traffic and have free fast food for lunch.They heard gunshots, looked at each other, dropped their hamburgers and ran to the lawn. One of them hit a running waiter at the edge of the lawn.He grabbed the man's white suit. "What's going on here?" he asked.Three other policemen stared gapingly at the frantic scene on the lawn.After hearing the attendant's answer, the senior officer turned to one of his colleagues, "Get back in the car and tell the sheriff we've got a problem here." Sheriff Paul Lewis is usually out of the office on Saturday afternoons, but he wants to get some paperwork done before the new week begins.At around 2:20 in the afternoon, the deputy director on duty came to his office door. "There's a problem at T Bar Ranch." In his hand he held the telephone receiver. "You know about the Braddock wedding? Officer Ed called and said the bride had just been kidnapped." "What? Put him on my line." The red light flashes when the call transfer is complete.Sheriff Lewis grabbed the receiver. "Ed, I'm Paul. What's going on with you guys?" He listened to his men reporting to him from the ranch.Like all law enforcement officers, he abhors kidnapping.Because first, it's a nasty crime, usually against the wives and children of rich people, and second, it's a violation of federal law, which means the FBI will go after him.In his thirty years as a police officer in Carbon County—including ten years as sheriff—he had heard of three hostage-taking incidents, all resolved without incident, but never a kidnapping.He guessed that there should be a group of gangsters, using high-powered cars and possibly even helicopters. "A lone horseman? Are you crazy? Where did he go... across the prairie over a fence. Well, he must have hidden a car somewhere. I'll ask the assistance of the neighboring county police and seal the Main road. Listen, Ed, ask everyone who saw this and take notes: how he got in, what he did, how he overpowered the girl, how he got away. Then report back to me. "