[table][row][cell][h2]John William Henry[/h2][/cell]
[cell][img]https://i.ibb.co/ysDWjzQ/John-Henry-thumb.jpg[/img][/cell]
[/row]
[/table][quote][i]You mark my fuckin' words, before this day is out, we're going to see people wanderin' into Deadwood that we've never seen before, who have no idea that the rock is even here.[/i][/quote]
The steam carriage hissed and rattled to a stop at the corner of Lee and Main.  The oak door shuddered twice before finally swinging open.  One battered workboot hit the ground, raising puff of dust.

The man who stepped out could fool the eye into thinking that he was as wide as he was tall.  Broad black shoulders had to turn sideways slightly to get out of the narrow carriage door.  Under one arm was a soldier's haversack, stuffed to overflowing with worldly goods.  The other arm carried a squirming load of dog, a barrel-chested pit breed sniffing the wind and shaking pricked ears.

[color=92278f]"Well, Polly, we're here.  Now it's time to figure out where 'here' is."[/color]

Post office and hotel offered little to a man like John Henry.  The theater ... would he even be allowed inside?  But a hardware store ... that held promise.

[color=92278f]"C'mon, girl.  Let's go get the lay of the land."[/color]

The front door to the Star & Bullock Hardware Store did not have a bit of stick to it, and the wide-board floors did not squeak under foot.  Henry nodded firmly to himself.  The set of a man's face might lie, but the product of their hands told you their true character.  Someone cared about craftsmanship in this building.

A chill went down his back when he saw the ghost rock equipment lining the shelves.  Slowly and reluctantly he forced himself to examine the new contraptions.  One - a ghost rock powered drill - had an almost repulsive effect on him.  Fighting himself, he made his hands lift the heavy machine and turn it over, memorizing every detail.

He'd left almost everything behind in Mississippi, but it looked like some horrors had preceded him.  There wasn't much farther he could run.  Best to make what he could out of this place, carve something out of this  ... Deadwood.