Forbidden Valley

Jonas Ward sat in his seat looking out the window of a fast moving train. The pretty woman across from him saw a big man with rugged good looks; a nose that may have been broken a time or two, and auburn locks dangling over his forehead from under his hat. He was dressed in clothes that would have made him a fashion plate on the European continent. He didn't look western, she thought. On the other hand, it was only the lack of tanned skin and the clothes that made him appear otherwise. She knew she was a beautiful woman, and it most definitely cut against the grain to admit that though they had traveled westward on this train for hours, he had not once bothered to look in her direction. He did nothing but stare at the scenery passing by. Six feet tall standing up, was her guess, but so broad in the shoulders that he would probably appear shorter. The upper arms she noticed when he bent his elbow, were enormous and, this through a fashionable broadcloth suit jacket. Kathryn Wayne was a beautiful woman in her own right, and to be ignored completely was an effrontery not to be tolerated. She was about to cross the aisle and approach this stranger when she noticed an absolute giant approaching from the forward section of the railroad car. She would have ignored this six foot eight inch wonder, except for the fact that he was leering at her with an appraising look that she recognized all too well. This one was going to be trouble, she further considered, and immediately forgot about the strange sightseer across the aisle from her. The man coming was indeed over six and a half feet tall. His head was almost scraping the top of the railroad car, and there was little doubt in the mind of Kathryn Wayne that this immense human was about to infringe upon her privacy. She gave one last fleeting regard to the stranger across from her, hoping for someone, anyone, to run interference, then came back to grips with her immediate problem. The giant, with a lustful leer on his face, sat directly across from Kathryn and grinned. "You look lonesome, girly,” the giant said. “You obviously need a man,” he continued, “and this is your lucky day, cause here I am."

Kathryn had some difficulty holding down her noon meal; the man was that gruesome, and she couldn't help looking at his mouth. He had teeth that were significantly distanced from one another to remind her of headstones in a graveyard, to say nothing of his black, straggly hair and pocked marked complexion. The conversation between the giant and this saucy and lovely blue-eyed, blonde woman went down hill from their original meeting. The giant was disgusting and crude, and he made overtures that most men wouldn't make in an undignified saloon. Kathryn could handle most situations verbally, and if worse came to worst, she carried a Forty One caliber pistol in her purse, but the massive creature had so shocked and revolted her that she was completely stunned. No past experience in her sheltered life had prepared her for such a nauseating encounter. He continued to make suggestive remarks that were beyond the young woman's comprehension, and in actuality, were down right filthy. A twenty seven year old Jonas Ward sat watching the grandeur of this magnificent world he loved go by. He did not want or require company. He had noticed the lady next to him, and admitted to himself that she was a poised and gracious beauty. But this was his first trip west since he was sixteen years old, and he planned to miss nothing as he absorbed the spectacular view. With the absence of people in this particular car, and the constant thrumming and clicking of the iron wheels, along with the continual swaying from side to side, the effect was almost hypnotic, and as a result, Jonas had been dozing off and on for hours. He knew the only other passenger in this car was about to approach him, and resented the intrusion. He was almost grateful for the appearance of the grotesque giant, until that man began to speak.