This is not a new verse, but an update to an already existing verse. I have modified some of the details and added some exposition from character development happening in threads and whatnot.
Central City, Colorado 1887*
Initially a booming town now on the downturn, Central City was established as a mining town in 1859. Called a "city" for its housing of many temporary residents looking to dig up their weight in gold in the nearby mines, Central City now houses less than 500 people who have made the place their permanent home.
The town was built rapidly within the span of 5 years, with nearly a thousand men erecting more than 300 buildings. The immediate boom of the city was massive and attracted more young men and their families to travel there to settle down. Just an eight hour carriage ride from the big city of Denver, folks came through in numbers and made their riches.
Now, nearly 30 years later, the mines have dried up and the permanent residents have dwindled. Many of the residential buildings in town have become desolate and abandoned. Rowdiness and crime have increased as the saloons are the hotspots of socialization for those who cannot afford to leave. The towns still hosts many travellers hoping to find troves of gold missed by those that came before them. However, they all leave empty-handed and disappointed. Central City is a pass-through town these days; no one ever visits to settle there permanently.
Character Profile:
FULL NAME. Alice Newbold
ALSO KNOWN AS. Annie Faro
DATE OF BIRTH. January 03, 1854
OCCUPATION. Bounty Hunter / Hired Hand
WEAPON OF CHOICE. Colt .45 Single Action Army Revolver, Model 1873 Winchester Rifle
HAIR. long blonde hair, often worn back in a low ponytail with a Stetson hat
EYES. bright blue
Backstory:
Alice "Annie Faro" Newbold** was born in 1854 to a well-to-do man from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was an honest man with an honest military job; he had money to begin with but the North’s victory during the Civil War secured him recognition and status which elevated his financial and social standings. Even with the success of his career, he married up socially to a Bluestocking lady from England who was the daughter of a viscount. The two educated their only daughter, Alice, well and they made sure that she could want for nothing.
At the age of nine, Alice’s mother died from pneumonia. Her father made well enough money from his military career, but with the death of his wife came a stop to the allowances her family sent over to America from Britain. Despite his respectable status, they had disliked the American military man their daughter chose to marry. They had planned for her marriage to bring their family further status, but instead they gained nothing because their daughter chose to marry for love. There was little they could do from across the Atlantic, so they begrudgingly accepted the union and made sure she was financially well taken care of through her monthly allowance. However, they did not speak to the family in Pennsylvania any further.
Around the same time as her mother’s death in 1863, Alice’s father heard of the booming city in Colorado where many other men were making their fortune. He decided, with little to lose and too many memories weighing him down in Philadelphia, to pack up his things, leave his old life behind, and bring his young daughter out West. He believed they both deserved a fresh start.
♠︎
They lived in the up-and-coming town for two years with the intention of settling down on a large farm somewhere out in the frontier when Alice’s father found his fortune in gold. He worked tirelessly in the mines, earning a decent wage for his work and the promise (the same one extended to all the town’s miners) that he could keep whatever gold he found. The family of two rented an apartment above a saloon run by a sweet middle-aged woman named Elizabeth (though everyone called her Betty) who allowed Alice to help her serve drinks while her father was away in the mines.
Alice’s father had worried about leaving his daughter alone throughout the day and wanted her to be safe and out of trouble. Betty promised him, knowing he had little he could pay her for the service, to keep an eye on little Alice so long as she was willing to pull some weight around the bar. It was not the life he wanted for his daughter, but the arrangement was meant to be temporary and Betty was an honest woman, so Alice’s father accepted the help. The regular patrons of the bar were also kind to the young girl, affectionately calling her “Little Annie” and giving her generous tips to help out her father who had also become a respected member of the community. Occasionally, a few of the men would have the patience to teach her Poker, Brag, or Faro, to which Betty would merely shake her head with an amused smile on her face. If any new strangers came to town and dared to look at Little Annie strange, or got more than appropriately handsy, Betty would strike the men on the back of the head with a harsh whip of her drying rag and threaten to shoot them with the Winchester she kept behind the bar. Despite being the sweetest woman Annie had ever known, Betty instilled fear in and commanded respect from her patrons, which she always admired. Annie herself had a fiery spirit which fit in well with the drunkards and the card players at the bar. Before long, she could hold her own in a battle of wits and didn’t shy away from telling men off when needed. She picked up on tough language and tough mannerisms, which her father heavily disliked but seldom reprimanded. After all, Betty had been very kind to the pair and had kept Annie well looked after. It was a good sign his daughter could fend for herself in the harsh landscape of the West.
♠︎
In the summer of 1865, Annie was helping serve drinks to the early evening patrons of Betty’s saloon. Two gentlemen walked in covered in dirt, presumably miners retiring for the day from their long shifts. They stood in the doorway a moment, gave Betty an odd look, one that Annie would later recognize as sympathy or sorrow, then made their way straight to the young girl, now eleven years of age. They knelt before her on one knee to be at her eye level, forced smiles not reaching their eyes. They explained calmly that Annie’s father had been killed in an accident in the mines that afternoon. Annie saw the tears that welled up in Betty’s eyes before she quickly looked away and began cleaning a pitcher, but she herself did not cry, just nodded at their news with a blank, vacant expression on her face. As much as she loved her father, she had toughened her resolve over the short two years that they had been in Central City. Annie had always heard from the men that tears were a sign of weakness. So, not wanting to seem weak to the few men lounging around the saloon, she did not cry.
The next day Betty had arranged for Alice to move in with a local rancher who lived a few miles outside of town (someone her husband was good friends with, apparently) and his small family. Betty sympathetically explained that she couldn’t take care of the young girl, and the rancher needed more help around his land. It was a good fit for everyone, it seemed. When the man came to pick up Annie and loaded her things into his wagon, Betty gave Annie a tight hug and made her promise to visit when she could.
♠︎
The family Annie moved in with called themselves the Masseys. Mrs. Massey took care of the small ranch house and prepared the family’s meals while Mr. Massey and his son Warren herded the livestock and tended the land.
The Masseys were kind to Annie, though they had very little to go around. They were a close family who welcomed her with open arms, and Mr. Massey put her to work immediately. The young girl never complained about the hard work, actually finding enjoyment in the tasks that helped give each day a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
Warren was four years older than Annie, but the two of them became closer than a California collar to a guilty man’s neck. He taught her how to ride a horse and shoot a gun, throw a lasso and expertly bluff at poker. Anything he could do, Annie could do just as well, which made Mr. Massey pleased as his generosity was well rewarded with skilled work. Mrs. Massey taught Annie to sew and cook and even continued to encourage her education. Warren was interested in reading books coming from the east, in topics ranging from politics to science to folk tales. He had taught himself French through his interest in books. He could speak the language too, having met a Frenchman in town once who had helped him study. Annie would tell anyone it was the ugliest sounding thing she had ever heard, his heavy Western twang mingling poorly with the French dialect. Annie also had an interest in art and literature, so Mrs. Massey thought it a good idea to allow the two children to share that passion whenever possible. Annie had always enjoyed reading as a child, though moving to the West hadn’t allowed her the opportunity to do so over the past few years. She was grateful for the Warren’s extensive collection of cloth bound books which he had worked hard to purchase for himself and which he was kind enough to share with Annie.
Warren, despite being extremely protective over Annie, also enjoyed playfully mocking her over her seemingly highbrow tastes which she had never completely abandoned in Philadelphia. He found it amusing how well she could work the ranch without so much as a complaint about the dirt and mud, but also how her face had scrunched up when she had first been gifted a dress to wear into town by Mrs. Massey. Annie had traded her old dresses and corsets for leather chaps, linen shirts, and a Stetson hat. When the Masseys had asked her and Warren to make a run into town, Mrs. Massey thought it more appropriate to send the girl in proper women’s clothing. Annie had outgrown much of the clothing she had originally brought with her, and Mrs. Massey was mindful of the fact that she would begin attracting suitors from town, so she wanted the girl to look presentable and modest.
Annie’s reaction to the simple dress had been an involuntary reaction, having been used to somewhat finer gowns with dyed fabric, ribbons, and lace which she had brought with her when moving West. Warren had laughed at her reaction, and she quickly apologized and expressed her gratitude. Having changed into the dress and boarded the family’s wagon next to Warren, she looked over at her brother to see a mirthful grin still on his face.
“We ain’t got what you blue bloods in Philly got,” he had said to her. “Ma said we should have enough to pick out a few ribbons for ya, though, if ya want ‘em.” Annie had wanted the ribbons. Despite her comfort in her work wear, she still enjoyed feeling beautiful in her women’s wear from time to time.
When they had entered the tailor’s shoppe, Warren jovially announced to the man that “My sister’s a proper royal and needs ribbons fit fer a queen.” After they had bought a couple simply dyed yet beautifully cut ribbons, Annie had thanked her brother for his help in picking them out, to which he responded with an exaggerated gesture where he removed his hat and swept it in front of him, his head and body bowing low to the ground.
Warren always joked of her upbringing which had not been as fanciful as his active imagination led him to believe, and Annie never corrected him, she just laughed along with his antics.
♠︎
Growing up, Warren had always dreamed of becoming a lawman in Central City. He never stopped talking about it, completely enamored with the heroic fantasy of serving as the town’s sheriff. The glory of catching tough criminals and bringing them to justice cemented itself in Annie’s brain as well, and she wanted to prove herself as a capable lawman, too.
“Reckon they’d never let a lass into that kinda work,” he said, “But I’ll vouch for ya once I build my reputation.”
Warren was right, of course. A career as a lawman was, well, a man’s job. Warren quickly earned himself the respect he deserved within the town, his peers only somewhat mocking him at his high praise of his sister’s capabilities with a gun and her tough attitude. They all knew Annie, though, and knew she was tough when she needed to be.
♠︎
He had become deputy of the town by age 22 and had moved himself into an apartment by the jail house, his stature earning him a decent wage. In 1873 Mr. Massey died from a heat stroke (“He always worked himself far too hard…” Mrs. Massey had said between tears) which caused Warren to return home for an extended period of time.
The reunion between he and Annie was bittersweet.
“You oughta get married.” He had said seemingly out of the blue. The two had sat themselves in the shade of their favorite tree where they often played and talked when they were younger, looking mournfully over the land of the ranch. With a puzzled look from Annie he clarified, “Yer nineteen now… and I’ll be damned if I don’t admit yer the handsomest woman anyone has ever seen in that town. It wouldn’t be a chore to find a good husband, lotsa fellas have been askin’ after you as it is, and you can’t run the ranch on yer own…”
“Ma says she wants to sell it…” Annie had no intention of getting married, it was a notion that had never crossed her mind, mostly because none of the boys in town had much to offer her. But she didn’t quite know how to express those thoughts to her brother.
Warren just sighed and patted Annie on the shoulder before standing up. “We’ll talk about it more later.”
In her grief, Mrs. Massey had neglected her own health and four weeks later joined her husband in the grave. After the passing of both their parents, Warren and Annie reluctantly decided to auction the land after all. With the money they received, Warren put Annie up in her own apartment and promised to look after her until she found herself a husband.
♠︎
She never liked relying on her brother’s money, so she returned to the saloon where her father and she lived for those first two years in Central City. She had visited Betty many times before, but now she sought her out for work, which Betty gladly gave to her. The next few years, Annie served drinks and manned the bar when Betty needed a break. Betty often stated how the saloon had gained far more regular patrons since Annie began working there, to which Annie simply laughed and carried on with her work, pretending not to notice the many young men who had become regulars. She wore her nicer gowns to serve the men at the saloon, her brother helping her purchase a couple from the town’s tailor. They were plain compared to the clothing worn by ladies in the East, but they did well to provide her with a more feminine and modest facade. Despite her extremely feminine appearance, she was still able to wrestle out the rowdy patrons and keep up with the men at the Faro table, a favorite game of hers. She could hold her liquor and shoot straight whiskey without so much as scrunching her face, which eared her even more fans from the bar’s common crowd.
She received many marriage proposals, but she refused every single one of them, much to her brother’s displeasure.
Warren continued to press the issue of marriage, but she paid him what she could from the wages and hefty tips she received working at the saloon and told him she could care for herself. She knew his insistence that she marry came from a place of concern, but she assured him time and time again that he had nothing to worry about.
In 1877, Warren became the town’s sheriff. Through him, Annie learned of the many criminals who seemed to constantly outmaneuver the law, and who all had massive bounties on their heads in numerous counties. Annie was fascinated with the stories Warren would tell her, intrigued even further by the many faces plastered on the Wanted wall of the saloon. She held the fantasy for a long while that she would be the one to capture these villains and help clean up the area.
♠︎
That same year, when Annie was 23 years old, she still received a number of suitors (whom she refused), but she was quickly reaching an age where she was no longer desirable as a wife among the pool of promising men. It bothered her no bit; she still attracted attention from the men and they still did not impress her enough to return such lustful glances.
One day, a stranger arrived in town. Central City was accustomed to receiving travelers, but even those non-locals did not pique Annie's interest as this stranger had. He was dressed in all black, boots polished, and clothes pressed. He presented himself as a proper gentleman, though the style of his clothes and his neatly trimmed mustache and beard suggested he was a bit more rough around the edges than one might anticipate. She had been infatuated immediately, especially when he had asked Becky for lodging in that smooth dulcet voice of his. He had caught her eye, to which she simply smiled and he nodded his head, before he disappeared up the stairs to his room.
He stayed in town for three weeks. Over that time, he had spoken to Annie, introduced himself politely as Jack Grant, and slowly lured her in with his charm. He was charismatic; though he seemed intimidating in appearance, he was a welcomed addition to the surrounding community, making friends and helping neighbors. One night, when Annie was not working, she still appeared at the saloon because she knew Jack would be drinking and gambling with some of the other men. He smiled when he saw her and motioned for her to join him at one of the wooden tables.
"You play Draw Poker, Little Annie?" He asked, causing the two other men sitting at the table, who knew her, to snicker.
"It's my favorite after Faro," she replied, taking a seat by him at the table. He dealt her in and she won the next five hands.
"You're a lucky lass," he said to her after the other men departed.
"Seems almost too lucky," she remarked with a knowing smile.
He laughed, flipping the cards idly between his hands. "I can teach ya how I did it." He handed her the deck, explaining the intricate system of tactile markings which allowed him to manipulate the game.
Somehow, his persistence to cheat at cards did not make her suspicious. She was enamored that he had allowed her to win the game, and even more intrigued by how he had done it. She practiced with Jack, becoming just as quick with the cards as he had been.
"Some folks like to call me 'Sly,'" he told her one night, a knowing smile on his lips, "Because of the cards, I think."
♠︎
During the three week that Sly Grant stayed in town were pure bliss for Annie. She had mentioned him to her brother who had been understandably skeptical at first. However, after sharing a drink with the traveler decided he was good enough to be hanging around his sister.
"He's a real charmer," Warren had said, "So long as he make ya happy, that's all I care about. Just be careful, alright?" Annie promised she would be, though she left her heart completely unguarded. It had been such a short time of knowing the man, but she convinced herself she was in love. The nights spent playing cards were wonderful, and the late nights in Jack's bed were even closer to a dream.
♠︎
Jack left town unexpectantly. A small posse of outlaws on horseback ran through town, stopping only to warn Jack of pursuing lawmen and urging him to move along. He had kissed Annie farewell, and the next moment he was gone.
A couple hours later a Sheriff from a neighboring town came through and warned Warren of Sly Grant, a notorious bandit whom they had been tracking for months now, but was cunning and manipulative so had evaded them at every turn.
That night, under the dull light of the moon, Jack returned to Central City and found Annie as she left her shift at the saloon. She attempted to slap him across his face, but he caught her arm and pulled her into a passionate kiss, which she immediately melted into. Somehow, he had convinced her to run away with him and the next ten or so months were spent by his side.
♠︎
Annie enjoyed the travel, enjoyed the new experiences that Jack had introduced her to. Him and his posse robbed banks and trains, though she never got herself involved with their schemes. Though she wore a gun on her hip, now dressed in the cowpoke attire fit for riding horseback, she never suggested how well she actually knew how to use the weapon. She would help the men from behind the scenes, but never involved herself heavily in any of their jobs.
She got along well with most of the posse, though she began to suspect they grew tired of her un-involvement in their plots. Perhaps they even saw her as a distraction for their precious leader Sly Grant.
Over time, Annie began to suspect that even Jack tired of having her around. In many towns they stopped at, she would catch Jack flirting with some of the barmaids, luring them in with the same tricks he had used on her. She confronted him about it every time, and every time her would kiss her and bring her to bed and she would forget her anger completely. During on of their arguments, he had swiped a gold locket while robbing a train and had given it to her as a gift. The locket was engraved with an elegant floral pattern on the front and a message on the back that read To My Dearest. The inside was empty, and she had never bothered to fill it. Jack had such a knack for convincing her that he loved her as deeply as she did him, though she would only realize in hindsight how much of a farce it was. Still, she carried that locket with her long after they had separated.
♠︎
What caused Annie to finally end things with Jack was the incident that caused his arrest. Jack was wanted in multiple counties at that point, and Annie hid her face as best she could so she did not end up on those Wanted posters next to the rest of the gang. Sly Grant, notorious flirt, strayed one evening. Annie knew he had done so multiple times in their relationships, but this time he was careless. The woman he had slept with was the daughter of the town's deputy and a prominent member of society. She had enjoyed her time with Jack, but as soon as the evening was over, she had turned him in to her father who was none the wiser of their previous rendezvous. Jack was locked behind bars and, unable to be consoled this time, Annie expressed her rage at Jack's infidelities. She staged a small brawl in the middle of town to draw the deputy from the jailhouse and, upon seeing Jack in his cell, the fire burned even brighter in her eyes.
"Sorry it had to end like this, sweetheart." The satisfied yet defeated smile on his face cause her blood to boil even further.
"Me too." Annie lifted her gun, aimed between Jack's eyes. She saw the look of surprise on his face as she pulled the trigger once, her shaking hands causing the bullet to miss him completely. His expression shifted to fear as her second shot hit his shoulder and her third hit it's mark through his skull. The last thing Sly Grant saw was the ire of a broken-hearted woman. It felt a fitting end for the man.
Annie quickly fled town after she murdered her lover, no one the wiser that she had been there to begin with. After a few days when she arrived back in Central City, she broke down in her brother's arms, though never shared all that had happened in the near year she had been gone.
♠︎
Annie settled back into her old life, though the desire to travel never left, and the rage that filled her haunted her daily. One day, she had heard from Warren how he and his posse narrowly avoided death as they chased after a man called Gore McDaniel, an outlaw who had robbed three stagecoaches and killed four people in the last six months. Annie decided to investigate the Wanted posters plastered on the wall of the saloon the next day, taking note of the last known sighting of McDaniel, a new initiative of vengeance inspiring her actions. Annie took her horse, an American Paint named Lorelai, from the town's stables and rode three miles southeast in hopes of encountering McDaniel. Her ride that day was a failure, but she went out as often as she could and eventually was approached by him and two of his men.
She had dismounted her horse when they approached. The three of them likely saw a pretty face and assumed she was an easy target. She was dressed in her trousers, her Stetson hat, and her frock coat which covered the revolver holstered to her hip. She smiled at them, pretending not to recognize the face of the man she had been hunting, his confident stride reminding her so much of Sly Grant. When he made a move to grab her arm, she quickly drew her gun, shooting the three of them in succession with incredible accuracy that killed them all instantly. Her hands, even after the fact, were steady.
Upon returning to town, she headed for the Sheriff’s office where Warren, suspecting she was up to something, narrowed his eyes at her. She simply handed him the coat and the gun of Gore McDaniel, explaining precisely where she had left the bodies.
“Ya killed all three of 'em?”
“McDaniel was wanted dead or alive, right?”
“You killed 'em?”
Annie put her hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised in slight annoyance. “You know as well as anyone that I can shoot. You didn’t think I’d let myself get out of practice these past few years, did ya?”
Warren chuckled humorlessly and set out to check for the bodies himself the next day. Upon returning to town, he relented and admitted his astonishment at her capabilities. “I know I said way back when that I’d vouch for ya, but I never expected you’d actually be able to do it.”
When he presented her with the bounty she had earned, she gave it right back to him.
“I’m buyin’ myself out of my debt to you.”
Warren didn’t argue.
♠︎
Over the years, Annie quit working at the saloon and instead patroned the bar as a regular. She wore her men’s clothing as she played Faro, drank whiskey, and helped Betty keep order among those who got far too violent or rowdy. Central City was becoming less of a hotbed for gold (the mines yielding less and less fortunes) and more of a town for the restless and the uneasy. With more crime and disturbances occurring in town, Warren had little time to focus on the big bounty game.
Annie had taken those matters into her own hands, creating a reputation for herself as the quickest draw in Colorado. If anyone needed someone hunted, she could track them down and bring them in.
“Who woulda thought,” Warren had said over a drink at Betty’s saloon one evening, “that my highbrow sister would have such a knack for roundin’ up criminals.”
“Here’s a toast to Annie, keepin’ these townsfolk safe!” A man next to them had announced and lifted his drink to the air, others following suit. Soon, Annie became known as the town’s go-to bounty hunter and a reliable hired hand for any job requiring such skills. The townsfolk began calling her Annie Faro, because if she was not working and travelling, she could often be found at the Faro table winning a hefty sum of cash.
♠︎
Over the years, Annie had traveled to other towns and counties, collecting bounties on their wanted criminals. She never broke the laws of the towns she visited, but the local lawmen did often question her methods. Many distrusted her, but a bounty could never be placed on her own head. While on the road, she was sometimes sought out by individuals hoping to track down people that had wronged them or loved ones that had gone missing, promising a hefty reward if she succeeded. More times than not, she would.
Annie still spent most of her time in Central City, but now, by 1887, at age 33, she lived comfortably on her own. She only took jobs now that piqued her interest. Gone were the days when she stood by the wall of Wanted posters and steadily crossed each one off. Now, people sought her out for her skill, and she decided which bounties to hunt and which ones to let go. Warren was often suspicious of her as many others were, but he never worked against her. Still, he always felt the need to keep his eye on her when he could.
♠︎
*This town is very loosely based on the actual Central City of Colorado est. 1859Also note: timeline is more for my own personal organization. It can be adjusted as needed.
**Surname has changed to make it more fitting for the setting
having already talked to @themadvigilantist mun, we're combing all of our blogs under a new verse. this is a new closed verse for just us as writers and our muses.
