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Ahead, the deserted street narrowed with distance to a dead end at the rail station… with most of the platform in shadow. The westbound was there, along the platform, but the engine and most of the cars were hidden by the station house.

At this moment in the story, Scallen and Kidd have just departed the Republic Hotel, after warning Moons not to move from the room until the train to Yuma has left and are making their way toward the train station. As they head for the station, they are on the watch for Charlie Prince, the posse, and any other hidden attackers. Contention has the feel of a desolate, abandoned town, with very few people around. There are no visible attackers, but also no visible helpers or supporters. The street being a dead end has a double meaning. There is nowhere to go beyond this point, except to the train station and the train to Yuma. In this way, it is a point of no return for Scallen. The dead end also represents death, either for Scallen or members Kidd’s posse, or both. The station platform is covered in shadow, and the train is mostly hidden by the station house, which suggests the outcome of this showdown is anyone’s guess.

An iron bed was placed the long way against one wall and extended to the right side of the window, and along the opposite wall was a dresser with washbasin and pitcher and next to it a rough-board wardrobe. An unpainted table and two straight chairs took up most of the remaining space.

Scallen and Kidd have just arrived at the Republic Hotel to wait out the time until they have to leave for the train station. The description of the room calls to mind a jail cell, appropriately so since it is a place of temporary imprisonment for both Scallen and Kidd. The room is a reminder to Kidd about his ultimate destination at the Yuma jail, and that he is a convicted criminal. The room is somewhat of a jail for Scallen as well. He is trapped there for a time and may never get out, if Kidd’s posse has its way. The room is plain and still, which adds to a feeling of tension as the time ticks down to when the men must make the dangerous journey to the station.

There was a whisper of wind along the ramadas. It whipped sand specks from the street and rattled them against clapboard, and the sound was hollow and lifeless. Somewhere a screen door banged, far away.

Scallen and Kidd have just left the Republic Hotel and are on their way to the station to meet the train to Yuma. More than any other moment in the story, this moment drives home the isolation and eerie silence that hang over Contention. The town of Contention, though it has signs of habitation like saloons and cafes, may as well be a ghost town. There are no other people in sight, which is a warning sign for Scallen. The only movement is that of the wind blowing down the street, whipping up specks of sand. The slam of the screen door heightens the uncertainty.  Scallen must wonder whether the person who went through that door was coming out or going in, and whether they are friend or foe. The setting in this moment underscores the fact that Scallen is not out of danger yet, which makes the uncertainty of the eerie silence more frightening than the sound of gunfire.

Next section Paul Scallen

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