TEMPERANCE
TEMPERANCE 
Kid urged his horse on until he was riding alongside Jimmy, who hadn’t slowed his pace in response to Kid’s calls.
“You gettin’ tired?” he asked, squinting into the sun as he looked over towards his friend.
Jimmy replied without turning his head. “Nope.”
“Well I sure am. How about we stop in Yellow River for the night?”
“How about we don’t?”
Kid bit his tongue to keep from snapping back at his friend. It had been a long ride, they were both tired, and Jimmy’s foul mood was trying his patience.
They’d left Rock Creek four days ago to deliver the special message Teaspoon had given them and now, with the letter safely delivered and their noses turned towards home, they were beginning to feel an ache in their muscles and joints with each stride their horses took. But there was more than that to Jimmy’s surly behaviour.
He’d been irritable before they even left Rock Creek and had only grown more so as the ride continued. At times Kid had felt like he was talking to himself, as Jimmy mostly ignored what he had to say and responded as briefly as he could when asked a direct question. After a while Kid had given up - he didn’t see why he should have to spend the whole ride trying to improve his fellow rider’s mood. But with the sun dipping towards the horizon, his body pleading for rest and Rock Creek still many miles off, Kid was willing to brave Jimmy’s mood for the sake of a soft bed and a long night’s sleep.
“It wouldn’t slow us down much if we stopped there for the night,” he pointed out mildly.
“Yeah it would.”
“There’s a cheap hotel with some good beds. I stayed there once a few months back. The one on the corner?” he prompted.
“It’s a dump.”
Kid rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to reach out and smack Jimmy in the head. “Would I be right if I said you were just disagreeing with everythin’ I say?” he asked innocently.
“No.”
“Oh, that’s alright then,” Kid nodded, a note of amusement evident in his voice.
Jimmy’s brow wrinkled in an irritated frown as he heard Kid’s tone. He almost felt like saying he was right just to prove him wrong. Instead he threw Kid a quick scowl.
“So we’re keepin’ on riding?” he asked, hoping Kid would give in.
“You can if you like. I’m gonna stop at that hotel, take a hot bath and get me a good night’s sleep,” Kid answered, his placid demeanour unruffled by Jimmy’s aggression.
“Fine,” Jimmy snapped.
They rode on in silence
and Kid only just managed to bite back his laughter when, instead of taking
the trail which lead past the town, Jimmy stayed by
his side and continued on into town, staring grimly out in front of him as he
did so. Kid knew that that was as close as Jimmy Hickok got to admitting he
was wrong.
Kid walked into the
room to find Jimmy sitting by the window staring blankly out at the street below.
The bath he’d just had had restored some of his
patience and Kid regarded his friend thoughtfully for a while as he rubbed his
hair dry with the towel he’d brought up with him.
“Everythin’ alright, Jimmy?”
Jimmy looked up as though he hadn’t noticed Kid standing there before. “Yeah, fine,” he said, getting up from his seat and reaching for his dust covered jacket as it lay on one of the two beds. “I’m gonna go for a walk.”
“Want some company?” Kid asked.
“No,” Jimmy said quickly, before stopping and throwing his friend a half-hearted smile. “Thanks anyway.”
Kid nodded and watched Jimmy head out of the room. With a shrug of his shoulders, he cast the towel away and threw himself back on his bed with a long, contented sigh.