"Mr.... uh... Mr. Van der Linde, I am truly grateful! I don't know how I can ever repay you for the assistance you gave to little Jenny!
Oh, you must understand the heartbreaking agony of a father watching his child get separated from him. That feeling, it's as if the whole world collapses in an instant, twisting your heart and making life unbearable!"
Dutch van der Linde spoke with deep emotion, simultaneously reaching over the roaring fire to pick up the Coffee Percolator, carefully pouring the scalding coffee into a waiting cup.
Then, with a smile, he gently handed the cup full of hot coffee to Johnny.
Seeing this, Johnny quickly reached out with both hands to steadily receive the steaming coffee and immediately replied:
"Oh, Mr. Van der Linde, you give me too much credit! I believe no person with a conscience could ever choose to stand by idly when they see such a beautiful and charming lady in distress.
What I did was merely a small favor, hardly a great kindness! If we're talking about real, significant help, that would be Mr. Morgan. If it weren't for his assistance, I might not even have seen the sun rise tomorrow. So, Mr. Van der Linde, just call me Johnny, it sounds more familiar!"
Johnny raised the steaming cup of coffee, took a sip, felt the warmth slide down his throat and into his stomach, and then smacked his lips in satisfaction.
He glanced around at the Gang members sitting around the bonfire and said with a smile:
"Attendants, don't worry about the cold tonight; I've also brought plenty of blankets and bedding for everyone! With these, we are sure to have a warm and comfortable night."
After saying this, Johnny carefully placed his coffee cup aside, stood up, clapped his hands, and stretched his muscles.
Next, he strode toward the nearby Stable, preparing to retrieve the items that would bring warmth to everyone.
At that moment, Jenny, who had been standing quietly beside Johnny, brushed the hair from her ear and whispered, "Wait, Johnny, I'll go with you. It'll be faster if two people carry the things."
However, before she could take a few steps, Arthur reached out and stopped her.
Arthur shook his head, looking at Jenny seriously, and slowly said, "Little Jenny, leave this heavy work to us men. You just rest here and take care of the other women and children."
After hearing this, Jenny hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded and sat back down in her original spot.
Before long, Arthur and Johnny returned carrying a pile of thick bedding. Upon reaching the center of the crowd, the two began systematically distributing the bedding to every woman and child present.
Those who received the bedding cast grateful glances toward Johnny and thanked him in hushed tones. For a moment, the entire camp was filled with a warm atmosphere.
However, a single sentence from Dutch van der Linde broke the pleasant atmosphere. "Gentlemen and Ladies, although I know everyone is exhausted from traveling for days! Please cheer up, as we are here to send off our comrade, Davie Callander, one last time"
After speaking, he led everyone into another room, where a solitary figure lay quietly on a bed frame.
The two gold coins placed over his eyes seemed to indicate that his soul had already gone to heaven.
(The author is a novice and couldn't portray the image of these two classic Western outlaws, so the plot to save Davie Callander and Mike was not included. Furthermore, this novel does not have the setting of heaven-defying medicine, where one can recover instantly from dozens of gunshot wounds by drinking a potion.)
Everyone worked together to send off their comrade one last time. On the front of the tombstone, they wrote 'Davie Callander's Grave,' and on the back, 'Bravest Brother.'
Dutch van der Linde first lit three cigarettes and placed them beside the tombstone, then opened a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon, Davie Callander's favorite drink, and poured it onto the ground.
Everyone lowered their heads in low spirits; even little Jack nearby seemed to realize what was happening.
Afterward, Dutch van der Linde led everyone back into the room and spoke passionately:
"Listen, everyone, hear me out. We have been through some very tough days. I love Davie Callander, Sean, and Mike. Maybe they will pull through, maybe they won't. But we have lost some comrades. If I could trade my own life to bring them back, I wouldn't hesitate for a second.
But our tomorrow will be better, everyone. We are safe now. No one will pursue us in a blizzard like this, and even if they do reach this place, we will have long since fled. We have been through harder times than this.
Now, everyone, use this warm bedding to get warm, be strong, and trust me—this is not the end for us."
Dutch van der Linde then stated that he hadn't rested for three days and needed to take a break, instructing Miss Grimshaw to arrange everyone's accommodation.
Susan Grimshaw stood up and said:
"Mr. Morgan, you and Hosea will sleep on the floor here; Mr. and Mrs. Adler will stay in the room next to Dutch van der Linde; the remaining Gentlemen will stay in the small house next to the Stable;
All the Ladies and children will stay in the small house across from this room; finally, Johnny will sleep on the floor in the Workshop behind this house."
(Actually, the original plot was ridiculous. There were only two largest rooms—one for Dutch van der Linde and Miss OShea, and one for Arthur alone, meaning Hosea had nowhere to stay. Furthermore, while the Ladies' cabin was okay, the place where Micah stayed was tiny, yet it was supposed to house Lenny, Bill, Javier, Micah, Charles, Pearson, the Priest, Uncle, and Strauss—9 people! That's insane, even discounting those who needed to stand guard.)
Following Miss Grimshaw's arrangements, everyone dispersed to attend to their own affairs, except for Micah, who kept shouting his resentment about why Arthur got his own room.
But no one paid him any attention. Seizing this opportunity, Johnny planned to view the character entries of everyone at once, but when he opened the Panel, he found he couldn't view them.
[Ding! You cannot view additional targets until you have acquired the entries for the current two viewed targets.]
[Ding! The Host may choose to forgo acquiring the entries of the viewed targets to view the next target.]
"Alright, looks like I can't satisfy my curiosity," Johnny said, immediately closing the Panel, shutting the door, and preparing to sleep on the floor in the Workshop.
(Most of the entries in this novel are related to the Van der Linde Gang; if I write them all out at once, I won't be able to write the later parts. I'll make the protagonist suffer a bit more and take the blame.)