Bellas Song

Weekends, dusty cowhands from parts far and wide would drag themselves to town to get their guns cleaned. That was what the girls called it. They was all darn good at it too.

It was a lot for a small town. Sometimes the ladies had their hands full, word would go out to the woman folk -- there was work for anyone who wanted it. Good money too. When jobs was hard to come by, folk tended to look the other way when it came to gun cleaning. Nothing wrong with it really, every gun needs a cleaning once in a while. During real busy times, even daughters would answer the call. Filling the family cupboards with food and supplies that would take them through hard times ahead.

That was how she started.

You'd know her as Bella, or Bella Rose. Tight Bella to some. She worked at Lil's, out West.

It was harder to do than most would 'spect -- gun cleaning. The girls did their best to learn the new ones, even offring half price on Sunday mornings as long as the customers knew they were getting a trainee. The preacher didn't like that, not so much 'cause it was during his sermon, but 'cause he liked to save a copper when he could. Some beginners even had to 'prentice a spell fore setting out on their own.

That wasn't Bella though. She was as a quick a learn as they'd ever seen. Even faster than Daisy Mae, that was what Lill said. Bella just took naturally to gun cleaning, and everything 'bout it.

There were so many different kinds of guns. Some had long barrels, some, big grips. She liked the snub noses too. The ladies made sure she learned how to handle them without accidentally makin'em go off -- "safety first!" they'd say. But some guns were downright dangerous and could go off when you weren't near 'spectin it. That was always a rodeo when that happened. But she noticed the gun owners right liked it if a gun blast dirtied her skirt or her bloomers. She did it sometimes on purpose if she knew that. Other times she was just too tired or busy to change so she would sometimes clean them topless. Dang it if that didn't lead to more gun accidents though.

Other customers weren't in so much a hurry. She liked cleaning those guns too. With practice Bella could polish a gun barrel for right near a full hour, just the right way. She still liked to pretend it weren't her fault when they got real rowdy and rare'en to go. She'd be hearin'em a roaring like a cyclone as she worked the barrel, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, makin sure to polish it all up nice and pretty, until the barrel was mighty shiny and clean.

Bella's other favorite part was draining the guns.

That was when she learned she didn't have to always clean'em by hand. She just took to it naturally. The first time, she'd be darned if the gun wasn't looking right delicious as she polished the barrel. She couldn't right stop herself from giving its tip just a small kiss. That cowhand got to hollerin so that she just up and gave it her best long lick. It didn't taste bad, and it weren't many more licks until that gun went right off. Most of it on the front of her dress, dripping down on her chest. A few stray rounds even hit her in the face. Darned if that one didn't became a regular, and his buddies too. The other girls made Bella teach them, and it weren't long fore every night was as busy as the weekend after round up.

She had the other ways of cleaning'em course. Girl ways. She liked that way a lot, and took to doing it as much as she could. All that practicing and cleaning built up her grip and she was damn near able to clean most guns right quick. Those guns would leave Lil's a-shining like a pay day silver dollar after she had'em. If they didn't come back for more, it was usually cause they were dead.

One time, a Colt she was working was bout to go off, she was too quick on the draw and it ended up in the wrong holster. It was strange at first, but it weren't a short spell till she was riding it like a christmas pony.

That was her favorite way sometimes, and it wasn't a hen's age fore she figured out how to clean two guns at the same time. The other girls weren't handy at that. It don't hurt to be special in the gun cleaning business, and Bella moved to Lil's best room.

Bella came to enjoy her work.

Once in a while a fancy city man would show up with a covered wagon and hire Lil's whole second floor. The girls said it paid pretty well, and once they knew she was interested, they was sure to tell him about her special ways. The fancy city man showed up one night with a foreigner and paid her to clean both their guns. They kept her up all night, not that she was complaining. She soon had herself a special invitation to take the carriage to his house any night. Bella would call upon him often and sometimes she'd just talk with his visitin city folk friends all night and not be asked to clean any guns. The city wives specially enjoyed talkin and they was specially curious 'bout gun cleaning. She'd answer their questions the best she could.

A few even asked her if they could try gun cleaning too. There was plenty of work. She ranged for them a nights work every once a while, and darned if those city girls didn't take to it right well too.

She still worked at Lils. Her favorite time, she jumped out of a birthday cake for the mayor of one town over. They all got real quiet seeing her in her birthday suit. Then if they didn't all rush her at one time. They was all so darned impatient, a few times she was a-cleanin three guns at the same time while everyone else was a-watchin, adrinkin, and a-smokin their cuban cigars.

After that she was popular with the city folk; you'd think she had rhinestones on her behind. She didn't have no time to work the farm or with the wranglers no more, so she bunked in a bedroom the fancy man gave her. It weren't long fore he asked her to sleep in his bed, and soon enough she was cleaning only his gun. She right liked that, and it weren't long before there was wedding bells and little ones under foot.