[Short Story] Mr. Seven

Once, in a little farming town in the state of California, there lived a man called Tom, and his wife Jane. They were content with the five acres of land that they tilled, and lived happily together. However, good times never last long, and one year, a drought struck, devastating their fields, and making them fall on some very lean days.

"This will not do," said Jane to her husband one day, "We must find means to support ourselves until we can wait for the next planting season. What say you sell one of our oxen, to tide us through the year?"

"A good idea," replied Tom, who decided to leave the very next morning.

The next day, as he was walking to the market, he was accosted by two men, who claimed to be cattle dealers. After taking a look at the animal, the older man said, in a gruff voice, "Say, partner, how much do you want for this beast?"

Tom proudly replied, "$200, and not a penny less. He's a fine critter, worth every dollar. He was well taken care of, and never fell sick at any time."

At this, the younger man laughed, as though Tom had told him a huge joke, and said, "200 dollars for this weak, unhealthy varmint? Son, at the most, he's worth a hundred bucks. Take it or leave it."

However, Tom refused to agree, and they began to quarrel. After some exchange of heated words, the elder man said, in conciliatory tones, "Instead of fighting, why don't we go and see someone who's expert in the trade? Our father is nearby, and he'll decide on the final price."

Tom agreed, and the brothers walked forward for some distance with Tom and his animal in tow. Before long, they came across an aged man seated on a rock, wearing a brown leather jacket, a bandanna, and faded jeans. He had graying hair and a large, gray handlebar mustache. On seeing the group, he hailed them to stop, and hearing their story, began examining the animal. Once he was done, he said, in a sad voice, "Sorry, young feller, the ox you've got here's only worth $100. That's the most someone will pay." So poor Tom had to give them the ox and return home with only $100.

His wife was furious, and shouted at him for returning with only half the price. Then, he realized he had been cheated by the three men. Telling his wife his suspicions, he made a plan to teach the rogues a lesson they would never forget in all their lives, especially the old man. So, he painted his face black, and tooled on various designs in white on the background. Then, he tied his hair in a ponytail, and wore a white mask and kerchief to better conceal his features. He dressed himself in a black leather shirt and pants, and selected a thick stick from his firewood pile. So armed, he left the house to track down the three con artists.

Soon afterwards, he reached the spot where he was accosted and conned by the men. Casting about, he could make out a trail of footprints leading into the nearby hills. Following the trail for about two miles distance, he could discern a large board shack from which smoke emanated. He noticed the two brothers on guard outside, and he started making noises to distract them. Hearing the sounds, they began following them into the hills, which was what Tom had intended. He entered the house, and observed the old man lying down on a pallet next to the stove. It was then that the old man saw him, and babbled, "Who...who are you?", then he recognized Tom.

Tom laughed and replied, "Me? I am Mr. Seven!" He had taken this name as he saw people rolling dice on his way saying "Six! Seven!" rather loudly. Then, he proceeded to give the man a severe thrashing with his wooden log, all the while shouting, "Six! Seven!"

"Stop! Stop!" pleaded the old man at last, "I will give you much more money than you ever would have got for the ox," So, Tom stopped beating him, and collecting a bagful of notes and gold coins, ran out, and returned home with his ox, and his booty. His wife was very happy to see all the money.

Then, Tom spoke again to his wife, "I have to still punish these people for their other crimes, they have cheated and robbed too many people already."
So, the next night, he disguised himself as a doctor, and made his wife wear the clothes of an assistant. He found the brothers moving around town, looking for someone to treat their father. On seeing him, they asked him to come and help their father recover from his injuries. Tom readily consented to come along, and some time later, arrived at the hut.

On entering, he was treated to the comical, yet pitiful sight of the old man's moaning, "Oh! my back is broken! my feet are killing me!" He made a show of searching for the medicine, then said, "Dear me, I seem to have forgotten to get it. Please go with my assistant to the general store and see if he has the necessary ingredients for me to prepare your father's medicine." The brothers consented, and left with the disguised Jane.

Once the brothers had left, he pulled out his thick stick and once again began beating up the old man, all the while shouting, "Six! Seven!"

"Stop!" the man begged, "I'll give you all the jewels in the house!" So, Tom collected the jewels in his bag and ran away again. Before long, the brothers returned to the house, angered that the assistant had somehow given them the slip. And when they returned, they were very angry to discover that Mr. Seven had once again entered the house when they were away, and had once again beaten up their father.

The brothers vowed, "We will not leave our house again, come what may, if only to catch the wretch who hurt our father!"

The very next night, when Tom returned, he was dismayed to see that the brothers were both standing guard outside the house. As he was pondering on a way to get in, he saw someone pass by. Hailing the man, he said, quite cheerfully, "What brings you to these parts, stranger?"

The man replied, "I'm here to buy a horse. Know anyplace I can get one?"

"Of course," said Tom. "See that shack there? Go up to the men guarding it, and say, 'I'm Mr. Seven, can I have my horse?' and they'll give you one for free."

The man was a bit simple-minded and accepted the proposition. Walking up to the men, he asked them for a horse. They seized him and began thrashing him soundly with sticks of their own. The poor man, not knowing what to do, ran away, with the brothers in hot pursuit. This was all the time Tom needed, and, entering the house, he declared, "I'm the real Mr. Seven," and took out his stick.

"Please, no!" said the old man, knowing he would be unable to withstand the next beating, "Take all the wealth here and leave me alone."

Tom replied sternly, "Do you promise to never steal or cheat anyone again?"

"Yes, yes!" said the old man, who promptly ran away.

So, Tom searched the house thoroughly, and routed out all the buried and hidden loot - money, gold, silver, jewels, etc. and filled several sacks with it. He then loaded them onto the six horses in a makeshift stable, and rode back to the town.

The next morning, Tom visited the sheriff, and showed him the loot he had taken from the thieves. The sheriff rewarded Tom, and gave him a cut of 25% of the found goods as well as the horses. Putting together a posse, he then went to catch the crooks in their hideout and bring them to justice. And so, with the reward money, Tom and his wife lived happily ever after, as prosperous farmers and horse breeders.

The End.

R&R, people, and tell me what you think.