|
The Long Road
– Part 5 Two
months had passed; Kid's arm and head had healed completely. The group had gotten into a
routine. Heyes continued to teach
Margaret to cook and she was actually getting good. Kid would teach the children card
games; even teaching them how to play blackjack and poker using dried beans
as chips. They did think of using
the payroll but decided it was better not to. Margaret wasn't thrilled about the
last two games, but deciding they really didn't have anything else to do and
it kept them happy. She and Heyes
would even join in the game after they had finished cooking. Rachael was becoming rather good,
often ending up with all of Kid's beans which would frustrate Kid and give
Heyes ammunition to tease Kid with until she beat him. Each
time a sack from the storeroom was emptied, Heyes and Kid worked on the
outfits for the children to wear in the snow. And every night Heyes read ‘The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' as they all sat by the fire before bedtime. "'Goodness
gracious, is dat you, Huck? En you ain' dead -- you ain' drownded -- you's
back agin? It's too good for true, honey, it's too good for true. Lemme look
at you chile, lemme feel o' you. No, you ain' dead! you's back agin, 'live en
soun', jis de same ole Huck -- de same ole Huck, thanks to
goodness!'" Heyes read and
then closed the book. "Don't
stop here!" Rachael
exclaimed. Heyes
chuckled, "I've already gone past ten pages tonight." "But,"
Rachael pleaded. "It's
time for bed Rachael," Margaret said as she stood up from the chair. "Now say good night, it's time
for prayers and then bed." "But
mama," Rachael said, all of a sudden sounding the four-year-old child
she was and not the grown up she wanted to be. "It's Christmas Eve, can't we
stay up a little while longer?
Can't we hear a few more pages of the story?" Tears
welled up in Margaret's eyes as she smiled tightly at her daughter. Catching
Margaret's reaction Kid quickly said, "Rachael, I bet that if you
promised your mother you would go to bed without any more begging," Kid
paused and looked at the little girl.
"Maybe she would let Uncle Joshua tell the story, ‘The
Night Before Christmas'." The
children had started calling Heyes and Kid, Uncle about two weeks after they
were stranded in the cabin. They
had decided that they were becoming more of an extended family and Mr. Smith
and Mr. Jones were just too formal.
Rachael tried just using Joshua and Thaddeus but Margaret stopped that
immediately. Rachael's
eyes grew wide as she turned her eyes towards her mother. "Please," she pleaded. "I promise to say my prayers and
go right to sleep. Please, let
Uncle Joshua tell us the story." "Pleeeezzzz,"
Daniel chimed in too. "Children,
Uncle Joshua has been reading for a long time already. He doesn't even have the book,"
Margaret said and then stopped as she looked at the pleading faces that now
included Kid. She turned to
Heyes, "Do you know the story?" Heyes
chuckled, "Yes I know the story and would be happy to tell
it." Margaret shrugged in
defeat and Heyes began.
"Twas the Night before Christmas...." The
children, Margaret and Kid sat enthralled by Heyes' story telling. He recited the entire story from
memory. When he finished,
"And to all Good Night," they all applauded. "Okay,
children, say goodnight," Margaret said as she once again stood up. Rachael
went over and hugged and kissed Kid and then did the same to Heyes. "Uncle Joshua," she asked as
she looked into his eyes.
"Do you think Santa will know where to find us tonight? Do you think he will bring us
presents?" Heyes
reached over and swept Rachael up onto his lap. He looked into her eyes and quietly he
said, "I think Santa knows where we are but I don't think he will bring
any presents tonight." Rachael's
lip began to tremble. "Sshh,
it's okay, he won't forget you.
He just knows that we have no way of bringing presents down the
mountain when we leave. He
also knows your father wants to spend Christmas with you. I'm sure he will wait until you get
home and then he will bring all your presents to your house." "Really?" Heyes
nodded. "Okay,"
she said and then gave him an extra kiss and hug before bouncing off behind
the curtain. Margaret
looked at Heyes and mouthed ‘thank you'. ***
As
Margaret put the children to bed Heyes carefully put the book away. He made sure to wrap it in the brown
paper every night and place it in his saddlebag under his cot. He put on his coat and without saying
a word to anyone walked quietly out on the porch. Ten
minutes passed as Heyes stood quietly on the porch staring at the stars. The door opened and closed behind him
but he didn't turn and look, he knew who it was. "You
okay Heyes?" Kid asked as he
walked up and stood next to his partner. "I'm
fine Kid," Heyes said trying to regain the voice that had betrayed his
true feelings. Kid
placed his hand on Heyes' shoulder, "She loves you. She'll be waiting for you." "I
know Kid," Heyes said solemnly.
"It's just last year was her first real Christmas since she was
eight. She's back to being all alone." "I'm
sure she's with Walter and Doris," Kid said trying to comfort Heyes. Heyes
chuckled softly. "No, she's at the house," he replied. Still looking off into the darkness he
said, "You know her. Do you
really think she would leave our house?" "No,"
Kid replied. "But I'm sure
they're still there for her." "I
know Kid, I know." Heyes
continued to look forward as it began to ever so lightly snow. "Hey Kid," Heyes
smiled. "Snow for
Christmas. Don't you remember how
we used to love a Christmas snowfall?" "Sure
do Heyes," Kid replied.
"I'm so glad you decided when we finished last week to wait till
Christmas to give the children the snow outfits. I know it's not much, but at least
they will have something special to open." "And,"
Heyes said with the glint of a child in his eyes, "We can go play in the
snow!" "We
certainly can," Kid laughed.
"Now if Santa could just drop off a turkey, things would almost
be perfect." They stood on the porch in silence for a few more
minutes. Kid turned to Heyes,
"Come on Heyes, it's cold, let's go inside." ***
Laurie
sat propped up in bed looking through her most prized possession, "The
Night Before Christmas". It had always been her favorite book and she
would make her father read it to her over and over again, even in July. The book and the locket were the only
two things she had left to remember him by. She closed her eyes and the tears ran
down her face. Last Christmas had
been so wonderful. It was her
first real Christmas since she was eight and her father had passed away. Heyes, Kid, Walter and Doris had all
gone out of their way to make it special. The Hotel was decorated beautifully
and Heyes even put a small tree in their room so they could have their own
special Christmas morning. One
year later and she was all alone again. She missed Heyes so much, but even
more so on this day. She held the book tight to her chest and silently cried.
A
knock on the door brought her back to reality. Quickly wiping the tears from her face
she said, "Come in." Sarah
walked in carrying a tray with Laurie's breakfast on it. She placed it on the table next to the
bed and poured Laurie a cup of tea then handed it to her. "Here's you tea." Laurie
looked at the cup but didn't reach for it. "Take your tea," Sarah said
in a motherly fashion. Laurie
looked at Sarah and Sarah returned it with a stare. Finally, Laurie slowly reached out and
took the cup, holding it in front of her. Her face had taken on the expression
of a young child being told to drink their horrible medicine. She held the cup firmly in both hands,
her lips were pursed and she scowled.
Sarah
looked at Laurie and smiled as she sat down on the bed next to her. She placed her hand on her friend's,
"Laurie, you know you have to drink the tea." Laurie's
looked at Sarah through the corners of her eyes but didn't change her
expression. Then she abruptly sat
up and turned to Sarah offering her the cup. Sarah
giggled, "No, you have to drink the tea." Laurie
pouted. "I
know you don't want to drink it, but I have to make it. It's much quicker to drink it than to
make it." "Wanna
change places?" Laurie said
quickly and playfully without thinking.
As soon as the words left her lips she regretted it. "No, Sarah I didn't mean
it." Sarah
nodded her head and placed her hand on Laurie's arm, "I know. It's okay don't get upset. I know you
don't like the tea but the doctor said to drink it and it is helping." "I
know I'm just tired of it. I
really didn't mean it."
Laurie said and then closed her eyes and took a swig of the tea. She shuddered as the warm liquid
entered her mouth and she swallowed it.
"I will never miss drinking this," she blurted out. "Laurie,"
Sarah exclaimed, "Don't say that." "Oh,
I mean when I don't have to any more," Laurie said. "It is horrible but I know I have
to have it. I won't stop drinking
it until the doctor tells me I can, okay." Sarah
looked at her and smiled.
"Good," she said as she stood up and then turned added,
"You only have to drink it, I have to make it. You should smell the kitchen while
it's cooking. You can drink the
whole cup in a few minutes, I have to smell it for hours!" She
walked over and opened the curtains a little more. "Too much light?" she asked.
"No,
thank you, that's perfect." "Well
you should wait for the tea to settle for a little bit and then eat
something. Father John will
probably be here this morning and I believe Walter and Doris told me they
would be out later this afternoon." Laurie
sighed, "Sarah, when Father John goes to leave, I would like you to go
back to town with him."
Sarah opened her mouth to protest but Laurie continued. "Sarah, you have a family. You should spend Christmas with your
family." "But
who will be here to take care of you?" "I'll
be fine. You can bring the pot of
tea up here and I'll promise to drink it." "No,
I ..." Sarah started to object when Laurie cut her off. "I
can't bear for you to miss spending this time with your family," Laurie
said as tears welled in her eyes.
"I need for you to be there with them. Please. I promise I will be fine. It's only for a day and a half. I will stay in bed and drink my tea
and eat what ever you leave me."
Sarah
looked at Laurie and knew she couldn't change her mind. "Please
do this for me. I don't want to
be the cause of you missing your Christmas." Sarah
finally nodded. "I
also want you to tell Walter and Doris to stay home." Sarah
rolled her eyes at her, "Oh, that's going to go over well." Laurie
smiled at Sarah, "But you'll do it and you'll make sure they stay at the
hotel." Sarah
nodded. "Good,
now go get your things together, Father John should be here soon. He told me yesterday he would be early
because of services tonight." ***
Hannibal
Heyes rolled over in his cot. He
picked up his pocket watch and checked the time, six in the morning. He looked at the heart charm on the
chain and rubbed it between his fingers.
Merry Christmas Sweetheart he thought as he closed his eyes, still
rubbing the heart. He sighed, he
hoped she was alright and that she was with Doris and Walter but he knew
better. They had a home and she
would be there. She would be
stubborn about it and dig in her heels not allowing anyone to talk her out of
it. He smiled and chuckled
quietly as he placed the watch back on the post of the cot and sat up. "Merry
Christmas Heyes," Kid whispered as he too sat up on his cot. "Merry
Christmas Kid," Heyes replied sadly. "We'll
have Christmas for Laurie when we get home. Just like you told Rachael would
happen." Heyes
smiled slightly. "She
knows you would be there if you could." "I
know," Heyes replied.
"I just get this feeling about her. Can't explain it, but it's this
feeling and I can't shake it." "I
know, I think you're just worried about her and feeling bad that you're not
there. She'll understand." Heyes
nodded. "Well
how ‘bout if I take care of the horses this morning and you stoke the
fire and put the packages out for Rachael and Daniel to find." Heyes
nodded and moved to the storeroom to get the two packages, one each for
Rachael and Daniel. It wasn't
much, but it was a surprise. He
placed them on the floor by the fire where the children sat when they get out
of bed. As he was bending over to
put a log on the fire he heard a shot ring out. Startled he dropped the log, grabbed
his gun and ran out the cabin door.
He stopped on the porch and quickly scanned the area looking for his
partner. He was about to run
towards the stable when he saw him walking back. "Kid, you all right? I heard a
shot," he yelled out. Kid
smiled ear to ear and held something high in the air for Heyes to see as he
continued to walk towards the porch.
Heyes looked from Kid's face to, whatever he was trying to show him,
to Kid's gun belt. He snickered
as he put his gun in his waistband, "You wore your gun to go out and
check the horses." Kid's
smile drooped a little as his arm sagged, "You know I feel nekkid
without out it, Heyes." "There's
no one up here but us," Heyes sneered. "Well,
it's a good thing I did," Kid said, sounding annoyed at Heyes. "I just shot us Christmas
dinner." He lifted his hand
high in the air and showed Heyes his catch. Heyes
smiled at Kid. Kid's
smile grew again, "It was the darnedest thing. I was checking the horses
and out of nowhere this turkey just appeared." Kid laughed, "Guess Santa heard
me asking for a turkey last night!" "Kind
of scrawny isn't it?" Kid
stopped on front of the porch and glared at Heyes, "You know you can
just eat...." He started and then stopped as he saw the smile creep
across Heyes' face. "Sure
easy to rile you up, Kid," Heyes chuckled. "Where'd that sense of humor of
yours go?" Kid
shook his head at Heyes and laughed.
"Merry
Christmas Kid," Heyes said and patted his partner on his back. "Merry
Christmas, Heyes," Kid replied and then added, "Next time you run
out onto a snow covered porch you might want to put boots on." Heyes
frowned, "Sure, next time I hear a shot and you aren't around I'll take
my time putting my boots on." Kid
chuckled, "Now who's lost their sense of humor?" Heyes
smirked at Kid and they walked back into the cabin. Margaret
and the children were huddled in the corner. When she saw the two of them walk in
she let out the breath she had been holding and loosened her grip on the children. "We heard a shot," she said
meekly. "Thaddeus
shot us Christmas dinner," Heyes said proudly as he pointed to the
turkey in Kid's hand. Margaret
put her hand to her face, "A turkey! Where on earth did you find a
turkey up here?" She got up
and walked over to the men. "It
just appeared out of nowhere," Kid stated. "A
turkey. I can't believe it," Margaret said and then stopped
abruptly. "Do either of you
know what to do with a turkey?" Kid
chuckled, "Sure do, we'll clean it up after breakfast..." "Mama,"
Daniel yelled interrupting Kid. "Look!" he exclaimed holding up a
package. "Santa was
here!" Rachael
ran to her brother and grabbed the other package. The two children jumped up and down
screaming for joy. Margaret
walked over to the children, "Let me see," she said as she reached
them. She looked at the packages
wrapped in old flour sacks and then at Heyes and Kid and smiled. They returned the smile and lightly
nodded their heads at her.
"Well, go ahead and open them," she said as the children
grabbed and pulled at the sack.
They both pulled out the outfits at the same time and became real
quiet as they stared at them. Heyes
looked at Kid and he shrugged his shoulders at him. "They're to wear outside so you
can play in the snow," Heyes said.
The
children started to jump up and down, screaming again. "Can
we play in the snow mama? Can we?"
Rachael and Daniel yelled.
"Please." "Okay,
okay," Margaret yelled over the children's voices. "If you calm down now, after breakfast,
you can go play for a little while in the snow." They
made breakfast and the children ate it in lightning fashion. Heyes, Kid and Margaret watch in
amusement, all wondering if the children even tasted the food, they ate it so
quickly. When they were done,
they pushed themselves away from the table. "We're done, can we go play in
the snow?" Margaret
turned to Kid and Heyes, "Are you sure those outfits will keep them warm
and dry?" "They
did when we were kids," Kid stated. "They
shouldn't be out real long but I think for short periods, it should do the
trick," Heyes stated. Margaret
nodded. Turning to the children
she said, "I can't come out with you so you will have to stay right off
the porch." "Oh,
we plan on going with them," Kid stated. "Yippee,
Uncle Thaddeus and Uncle Joshua are coming with us!" Daniel cheered. "Well,
I think it will have to be just Uncle Thaddeus this time," Heyes said
looking sad. "I have to get
the turkey ready so we can have it for dinner." "Joshua,
you've been doing most of the cookin’. Why don't you go with the children and
I'll take care of the turkey?" Kid said. Heyes'
eyes lit up like a child's, "Really?" Smiling,
Kid nodded. Clapping
his hands together as he beamed at the children he said, "Anyone want to
make a snowman?" The
children cheered and jumped up and down with joy. "Well let's get those outfits on
you and go make one!" Margaret,
Kid and Heyes helped the children into their makeshift snow outfits. When they were done the three stood
back and smiled, trying their best to suppress laughter. Standing before them covered head to
toe were two of the oddest-looking creatures they had ever seen. Their legs were shoulder width apart
and were shoved into sacks that had been tied off at the ankles. The sacks had been stuffed with other
sacks so the legs looked like tied off sausages. Their arms stuck out almost straight
from their shoulders, as the padding on the torso and arms was really
thick. Their arms were lightly
tied at the wrist to make a sort of a mitten on each hand. On top of their heads was a hat made
out of a couple of cut off sacks and then tied to make it snug and not fall
off. Leaning over they helped the
children put their shoes on and then slipped on the makeshift boots to
complete the outfit. The
three stood looking at the children who smiled back at them. "That
really took us two months to make," Kid said under his breath. "We
had to wait for the sacks to be empty," Heyes replied just as quietly. "Yeah,
and we really didn't have anything to sew it with," Kid said
defensively. "Right,"
Heyes nodded. "I
don't know if I can move," Rachael squeaked out. "Oh,"
Heyes said polishing up his silver tongue. "It's a little stiff
now. But I'm sure as soon as you
get out in the snow, it will loosen up.
Just needs a little time.
Just like new shoes, you need to break them in. Well, this," he paused and
wondered what to call the outfit and decided just to gloss over it. "Well, this will have to be broken
in a little too. You'll be real
happy it is so..." he paused again as he looked for a word to describe
it and only came up with, "Big.
Once you're outside and in the snow, it will keep you warm and
dry." He continued to talk
as he buttoned his coat and placed his hat on his head. "Ready?" he said and opened
the door. The two children
struggled, waddling towards the door. Heyes kept his eyes on them as
he caught Margaret and Kid out of the corner of his eye trying desperately
not to burst into laughter. As he
closed the door behind them, he heard a roar from inside the cabin. Not to be discouraged, he continued
talking to the children.
"Here, let me help you off the porch," he said as he picked
Daniel up, placing him down in
the snow. Daniel immediately
toppled over. Heyes had turned
his back to help Rachael off the porch.
Turning back around he saw Daniel flailing in the snow trying to get
up. "Oh here, let me
help," Heyes said as he put Rachael down. She wobbled but was able to keep her
balance. Heyes picked Daniel up,
"Are you alright?" "Yippee!"
Daniel yelled out! "We're
playing in the snow!" Heyes
chuckled. "Let's
build a snowman Uncle Joshua." Heyes
nodded and carefully placed the boy down. He wobbled but was able to stay standing
this time. As the children moved,
slowly at first, the outfits did loosen up and they were able to move around
quite freely. *** Margaret
and Kid went about cleaning and preparing the turkey to be cooked as Heyes
played with the children. They
could hear the laughter from outside. Finishing the preparations, Kid
went to put the turkey on the fire.
Margaret began to clean up the table area. Noticing something on the floor she
bent over and picked it up. She
looked at it and walked over to Kid who had just swung the pot with the
turkey over the fire. Standing up
and turning around he almost ran into her. "Mr.
Curry," she said quietly as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry, I don't know what
your friends call you." Looking
at her, he searched her face, looking for a meaning of the question and the
name he responded, "My friends that know call me Kid." "And
your mother?" "When
she was alive, Jed." "I'm
sorry she's not with you any more." "It
was a long time ago," he said quietly. "Margaret, what's the
matter?" "I
don't understand," she said as she looked at him. Kid
stood there looking confused. "I
mean," she turned and started to pace. "You and Hannibal Heyes are
outlaws. Some of the best outlaws
ever." Kid
smiled and puffed out his chest slightly. "I
was always taught how horrible the two of you were. Mean, nasty," she turned and
looked in Kid's bright blue eyes, "and you're not. I don't understand. First you risk your necks to come save
my children and me. You get hurt
almost falling to your death. The
way he took care of you. You have
taken care of us. You have been
nothing but gentlemen, kind and wonderful. You made snow outfits for my children
and Hannibal Heyes is outside playing with them. I haven't heard them laugh like that
in a long time and now I find this," she held up an old telegram. "Obviously the same person that
gave him the charm on his watch wrote this," she paused and quietly
added, "I don't understand." Kid
looked at telegram and read it.
It was the telegram Heyes received telling them to go find the
hostages. "You should really
put that back where you found it.
Heyes would be upset if he knew you read it." He paused, "Margaret, there are a
lot of things you don't know about us." Margaret
walked over and placed the paper under Heyes' cot where she found it. She stood up and turned around,
"Please tell me then." Kid
looked at her and then at the door to the cabin wondering what Heyes would
say. He knew Heyes kept things
close to heart, but after all the time they had been together, he thought she
deserved an answer. He motioned
to the chairs by the fire and sat down.
"You see Margaret, Heyes and I don't rob banks and trains
anymore. We haven't broken the
law in over three years." "But
why? You're still wanted. You're
both still worth ten thousand dollars each." "Yeah,
I know," Kid sighed.
"See what you don't know is that we made a deal a long time ago
with the Governor that if we stayed out of trouble he would give us
amnesty." "You,
amnesty?" Margaret laughed and then saw the expression on Kid's face and
stopped. "Yes,
us, amnesty. We had to prove we
could stay out of trouble. That
was with Governor Warren, and as you know he's been replaced." "But
he's Governor again." "Yeah,
and we have hope. That's one of
the reasons we took the job to guard the payroll. Lom Trevors the Sheriff in Porterville
is an old friend and asked for our help.
He knows who we are and is actually trying to help get us the
amnesty. Anyway, he thought if we
helped keep the payroll safe, the Governor might decide it was time. Thing is, he has to convince some
other people." "Like
my father." "Like
your father and all the others that have the reward on us." Margaret
sat and thought for a few minutes.
"Does she know who you are?" Kid
nodded. "She
must really be special. I see him when he doesn't think anyone is
around. He plays with the
charm. Sometimes he has the
saddest look and other times a smile that I have never seen or couldn't
imagine anyone giving to me." "She
is very special and Heyes will do everything to protect her and me for that
matter. That's why he won't talk
about her to you. He doesn't want
her to be used to get to him or me.
We are his family and he will do anything for us even if he has to
sacrifice himself. That's the way
it is with him. Right now I think you and the children fall into that
category too." Margaret
opened her mouth to say something, when the cabin door burst open. Heyes peered in and looked
around. Spotting the two sitting
by the fire he called out sounding like a young schoolboy, "Come over to
the door. You have to see the
snowman we built!" He
left the door open and ran back to the children. Kid
and Margaret walked over to the door and laughed. The three were standing next to a very
large and lopsided snowman and had almost as much snow on them as the snowman
did. "Ta-da," they
yelled in unison and put out their arms to show their accomplishment. "Wonderful!" Margaret clapped as she laughed at the
site. "Bravo!" She laughed. Kid
stood looking at Heyes and the smile on his face; it reached all the way to
his eyes. It had been months
since he had seen it. He smiled back
and clapped. "Now
I think you should shake off some of that snow and come in to warm up. You have been out there for a
while." "But
mama," the children cried out. Heyes
held up his hands, "Hey, hey, your mother is right. We have been out for a long time and
the suits kept you dry! Just
cause we have to go in now doesn't mean we can't play in the snow
again." "Really?"
they asked wide-eyed "Really,"
Heyes chuckled. "Now let's
shake off and go get some sassafras tea!" The three ran stumbling to the cabin
door. "Whoa,"
Kid said holding up his hands.
"Shake off before you come on the porch or you might bury us in,
there is so much snow on you."
They all stopped and started to brush off. Kid looked at Heyes, "You know
Joshua, if you just rolled down the mountain, you might collect enough snow
to clear a path for us," Kid chuckled. Heyes
looked up at Kid and glared then as he was brushing off the snow he gathered
a handful. His glare turned into
a devilish grin and Kid stopped laughing. "Nooo," he yelled before
the snowball hit him directly in the chest. Heyes'
grin became wider and the children laughed. Kid
looked at the snow on his chest and slowly lifted his head to look at
Heyes. Suddenly, he burst into
the snow grabbing a handful and throwing it at Heyes. In no time, a full fledge snowball
fight erupted with the four throwing snow at each other. Margaret
stood on the porch and laughed.
About fifteen minutes later as they all appeared to be exhausted she
called out, "Tea and coffee are done! Time to come in." They
all stopped throwing the snow and slowly trudged towards the door, making
sure to shake of the snow before going into the cabin. As they walked in Heyes looked at Kid,
"You know Thaddeus, the next time you get into a snowball fight, might
be smart to have a coat on!"
Kid chuckled and shook his head at Heyes. Later
that day, they all sat down to a turkey dinner eating so much they felt like
they would burst. After that they
sat by the fire and Heyes read ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'
until the exhausted little eyes could no longer stay open. After putting the children to bed,
Margaret peered out from the curtain.
Sitting in the chair as he did every night was Heyes, once again
rubbing the heart charm between his fingers. She watched for a moment as she could
see the dimple on his face appear.
She knew he must be thinking of a good memory. She smiled and went to sleep. ***
Laurie
swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
She reached for Heyes' dark blue shirt that she had hanging on the
bedpost. She held it to her face
and smelled it; his scent was fading.
She closed her eyes and gently rubbed it on her cheek and smiled. She stood up slowly and put his shirt
on. Then, having been cleared by the doctor to move around a little each day,
Laurie carefully walked downstairs to the den. She smiled when she saw the fireplace
all set and ready to be lit along with the pot of tea and biscuits Sarah must
have left her. Guess Sarah knew
where she would be spending her alone time. Laurie lit the fire and walked over to
Heyes' favorite chair. Standing
there smiling, Laurie ran her hand along the back and the arms of the chair
before settling in. She curled up
and spent Christmas watching the flames dance as she absently played with the
heart on the necklace Heyes had given to her. ***
The
next two and a half months flew by amazingly fast. The children loved playing in the snow
and to the amazement of all, the suits actually kept them warm and dry. Margaret practiced cooking and was
getting quite good at it. She
even branched off on her own, trying to create something, anything different
than the same old boring food every night. Of course, every night they sat by the
fire and Heyes would read them ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'". Even Kid had to admit he was enjoying
it. "But
I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt
Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can't stand it. I been
there before. The
end." Heyes said, as
he closed the book. "That's
the end?" Rachael said sounding
very sad. "What is Uncle
Joshua going to read tomorrow night?" "Don't
worry," Kid said, "I'm sure Uncle Joshua has a few stories in his
head he can tell us." "It's
time for bed now children, we'll worry about tomorrow night, tomorrow
night," Margaret stated as she stood up. "Say good-night and I'll tuck you
in." Margaret
tucked the children in as Heyes and Kid sat quietly by the fire. "So how much longer do you think
it will be until we can get through the Needle?" Kid asked keeping his voice quiet. Heyes
shook his head, "Don't know.
It's getting warmer but I don't know how long it will take." Kid
turned to look at his partner, "You know Heyes you get on my nerves
sometimes." He
turned to look at Kid. "You
have been out ‘exercising' the horses the past three mornings. You aren't gonna sit there and tell me
you haven't been down the mountain to take a look." Brown
eyes stared back at blue eyes and tried to conceal a smile,
"Me?" Kid
glared at him. "If
we want the horses to get us off the mountain, they need some exercise. They've been cooped up all
winter." Kid
didn't blink. "Okay,"
Heyes said holding his hands up in front of him. "I've been down the mountain and
the pass is still snowed in. I
can't tell how much snow is on the ledge." Blue
eyes continued to stare at him. "I
didn't say anything, cause I didn't want anyone to get their hopes
up." Kid
kept staring at him. "Okay,
if it continues to get warmer, a couple of weeks." "Didn't
want to get our hopes up?"
Kid said looking at Heyes.
"Or didn't want to get your hopes up?" "I'm
going to bed," Heyes said avoiding the question as he stood up. Kid
looked at Heyes, sighed and then followed him to bed. ***
Kid
rolled over to see Heyes carrying his boots across the dimly lit cabin. "Heyes," he whispered
loudly. He
turned to look at him. "You
can wait until the sun comes up to exercise the horses." "Can't
sleep," Heyes said. "No
reason to wait. No reason for you
to be awake either. Go back to
sleep," he said as he quietly left the cabin stopping on the porch to
put his boots on before heading to the stable area. He saddled the horse and headed down
the same path he had taken the last three days. Today he hoped would be luckier. ***
Laurie
walked out the kitchen door to the porch. She stood there for a moment and
breathed in the chilly air and then looked at the mountains. They were still covered in snow. The last of the snow in Small Falls
had melted a few weeks ago but she knew where Heyes and Kid were, there was
still snow. Sarah
pulled the wagon up along the porch and stopped. "You shouldn't be out here, it's
still cold," she said to Laurie as she got down. "I
just came out. I heard you coming
as I was heading back upstairs," Laurie smiled slightly at her
friend. She was so grateful Sarah
had stayed with her all these months.
Besides taking care of her, her company was much appreciated. "It's not cold, it's just chilly
and it gets the blood moving." "I'm
glad your blood is moving," Sarah said as she began to unload the
supplies from the wagon.
"But you look really tired.
I think you should lie down and get some rest." "I
will," Laurie replied.
"Did you send Lom the telegram?" Sarah
nodded. "Did
he respond?" Laurie said
holding her breath as she realized if it was good news it would have been the
first thing out of Sarah's mouth. "Lom
responded," she replied as she handed the telegram to Laurie. "He said there was still a lot of
snow in that area of the mountain but he hadn't lost hope. He would continue to check and let you
know when he heads out to find them." Laurie
looked at the telegram as Sarah told her what was written. She nodded her head, "I think
I'll go rest in the den." Sarah
turned to Laurie and put her hands on her arms, "I really think you
should go up to bed and rest." Laurie
shook her head as tears filled her eyes, "No, I need to be near Joshua
and the closest thing is his chair." She blinked back the tears. "His shirt doesn't even smell
like him anymore." She
turned, walking back through the kitchen and into the den. She paused as she did every time she
entered the room and imagined Heyes sitting in his chair. She touched the heart on her necklace
and smiled before walking to the over stuffed chair and curling up in
it. Sam, who had not left her
side since the initial telegram, came over and sat on the floor in front of
her. Laurie reached down to pet
his head, "He'll be home soon Sam.
I know no one else believes it but I know it. They'll be home as soon as they
can." Sam licked her
hand and she smiled at him. ***
Kid
stayed in bed until he heard Heyes' horse leave. He then quietly got up and after
leaving a note for Margaret telling her they would be back, he followed Heyes
down the mountain. As he
approached the passage to the Needle, Kid saw Heyes' horse tied off to the
side and snow flying from the passage.
He maneuvered his horse to the entrance of the five-foot narrow
passage and was greeted with a shovel full of snow to the face. "Heyes!" Kid yelled
out. Startled,
Heyes turned around to see Kid wiping the snow off his face. Holding
in a chuckle he asked, "Sorry, I didn't hear you. What are you doing here?" "What
am I doin’ here?" Kid
yelled back. "What do you
think I'm doin’ here? I'm
your partner. I came to back you up." "Oh,"
Heyes said and turned back around, continuing to dig and clear the passage. Kid
dismounted and tied his horse next to Heyes' and then walked back to the
passageway entrance. He stopped
before walking into it as snow was still flying in the air. "Heyes!" he yelled, "Can
you stop so I can get to you?" Snow continued to fly. "Heyes!" Kid yelled louder. The
snow stopped flying and Heyes popped up in front of Kid. Kid jumped back being startled. "You say something Kid?"
Heyes asked innocently. Kid
rolled his eyes, "Yeah I said," he began loudly and then in a
normal tone continued, "I asked if you could stop so I could get in
there." "Oh,"
Heyes said. "Well come on in." Kid
looked around, he figured over three feet of the passageway had been dug
out. He looked in front and
saw a wall almost five feet high of snow in front of him. "This what you've been doing the
past few mornings?" Heyes
nodded. "Why
didn't you say anythin’?" "Didn't
want to get anyone's hopes up," Heyes said. "See, I got to thinking, the
passage gets snowed in because the rock goes straight up so all the snow just
slides down to this one place.
The rest of the mountain is melting. Up by the cabin there is still a good
two maybe even three feet to go; but down here, ‘bout a foot. Now, if I can break through the
passage the ledge might not have so much. You know, nothing to hold it where it
is, could just slide off down into the gorge. So, I figured I got nothing better to
do, might as well see what's on the other side of the wall." Kid
smiled, "I like it when you're thinkin' Heyes! So how do we clear the area?" "I've
been digging with this little shovel I found in the corral and then when I
get a pile built up by where you were, I scoop that out over by the
horses. That's what's taking so
long. It's like digging out twice
but the passage is too narrow to pack it on the sides. I figured a little more and I can
start throwing it forward towards the gorge." Kid
looked at him and nodded.
"Well now that there are two of us, it should take half the
time. Let's get diggin'. Got another shovel?" "Over
by my horse. Handle broke on it,
but it's better than using your hands." Kid
nodded and walked over to retrieve it and then they both started digging. The
two worked for hours digging the heavy ice and snow from the passage. Finally Heyes stood up and just pushed
on the top of the wall. It fell
forward and they could see the gorge.
"You
did it Heyes!" Kid yelled out in excitement. "We're through!" "Just
the top Kid," Heyes cautioned as he looked into the gorge. "But look, there's not a lot of
snow on the ledge." Kid's
eyes grew wide, "Let's dig!" He yelled out as he bent down to scoop
up the snow throwing it forward towards the gorge. With
renewed enthusiasm the two went back to work. About an hour later, they stood with
the passage open, surveying the gorge. Breathing
hard, Heyes looked on.
"Looks to be about a foot on the ledge." "How
long before it melts?" Kid
asked out of breath. "Not
sure, not much sun gets to the ledge," Heyes replied. Still studying the ledge, he took a
couple of steps towards the rock wall that went around the gorge. "You know Kid, if it was just you
and me, we would be careful enough we could leave." He turned to look at Kid, "Do we
take the chance with Margaret and the children?" Kid
looked at Heyes and then the ledge.
"What if we walked the horses and stayed close to the wall; like
you are?" Heyes
tilted his head slightly at Kid. "Daniel
will have to be carried, I think Rachael could walk, but if we stay
close." "You
know Kid, I thought we had an agreement about you thinking," Heyes
smiled and his eyes sparkled.
"Sounds like a plan to me.
I'll go first. I'll either
carry Rachael or hold her hand.
Then my horse, then Margaret followed by her horse, then can you carry
Daniel." "Heyes,
I'd carry you through here to get off the mountain!" "Let's
go get the Brewster Family!"
Heyes exclaimed. ***
Rachael
woke up and ran out of the curtained area followed closely by Daniel and
stopped abruptly. No Uncle Joshua
or Thaddeus by the fire. She
looked at their cots and they weren't there. She twisted her face as she thought
and looked around the room. She
spotted the storeroom door and walked over to it. She quietly knocked on the door,
"Uncle Joshua, Uncle Thaddeus, are you in there?" When she got no response, she knocked
again and then opened the door.
Sighing she closed the door and walked over to the cabin door, opening
it. She took a step out onto the
porch and looked around. "Rachael,
Daniel," Margaret called.
"What are you doing?" "Looking
for Uncle Joshua and Uncle Thaddeus," she replied. Margaret
peered out from the curtain as she smoothed her hair, "What?" "Uncle
Joshua and Uncle Thaddeus are gone," Daniel told his mother. "Gone?" Margaret repeat sounding somewhat
panicked. "They
aren't here," Rachael whined.
"Mama, where did they go?" "Are
you sure?" she asked as she looked around the cabin and then spotted the
note on the table. She quickly
walked over to the table, and picked it up, "They'll be back in a little
while." "Where'd
they go?" Daniel asked. "I
don't know Daniel but the note says they will be back in a little while. Why don't you and Rachael sit by the
fire and I'll make you some tea and biscuits," Margaret said. "Mama,
I'm so tired of tea and biscuits," Rachael said quietly. "I
know dear," Margaret said hugging her daughter. "Hopefully we won't have to have
them much longer." She
paused and sighed to herself. She
hoped it wouldn't be much longer.
The storeroom was almost empty.
Patting Rachael's back she said, "Run along and play with Daniel
while I make breakfast." The
three stayed in the cabin, taking turns peering out the front door and down
the mountain. Margaret tried
everything to keep the children's minds off the fact that Joshua and Thaddeus
weren't there. As the day went
by, Margaret began to fear they had left them in the cabin. She tried not to show how worried she
was to the children, but in the back of her mind she was panicking. By four o'clock she sighed and
resigned herself to the fact that Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry were the
outlaws she had been taught about.
She walked into the storeroom and saw the two small sacks of flour
left along the wall. As she was
turning to close the door she saw the payroll sacks. She stared at them for a minute, if
they had left her, would they have left a note saying they would be back
soon? Would they have left the
money? Maybe something had
happened to them. Maybe they were
no longer alone on the mountain.
As she was about to start a full-fledged panic Rachael called out. "They're
back, mama, Joshua and Thaddeus are back!" Rachael screamed as she stood at the
door of the cabin looking down the mountain. Margaret
ran to the door and looked down.
In the distance she could see the partners riding up the mountain. She brought her hands up to her face
to wipe the tears away and then hugged both children. Heyes
and Kid rode up to the cabin and dismounted quietly. Looking at Margaret's red eyes Heyes
said, "I'm sorry we were gone so long." Margaret
forced a tight smile and then looked down at the ground. "It's
just we were busy," he said stringing them along. When Margaret looked back up he said
very calmly, "We were clearing the passage. We're going home." Margaret
stared at Heyes and then looked at Kid with a completely blank expression on
her face. The words Heyes had
just told her didn't register.
Finally she whispered, "What?" "Were
goin’ home!" Kid
yelled and a huge smile appeared on both Kid's and Heyes' face. Margaret
looked at Kid and then at Heyes who nodded. Putting
her hands to her face, she began to sob and then her legs buckled. If Kid hadn't been quick grabbing her,
she would have collapsed on the porch.
"We're going home?" she cried out. She regained her balance and knelt
down next to the children drawing them into a hug. "We're going home to your
papa," she said as she held them tightly. "Now?"
Rachael cried out. Margaret
looked up at Heyes for the answer.
"Tomorrow. It's too late to make it down the
mountain tonight. We'll leave
first thing in the morning." Margaret
nodded and for the first time noticed how wet both Heyes and Kid looked. "Oh my," she said standing
up. "Your look soaked to the
bones. Let's get you in the cabin
and by the fire. I'll make coffee
and something to eat. You can
tell us all about your day."
***
They
sat and talked by the fire until it was time to go to bed. As Margaret got up to put the children
to bed Heyes looked up at her from the chair he was sitting in. "Margaret, can we have a few
words with you after you put the children to bed?" She nodded and went to put the children
to bed. "Heyes,
do you really think it's necessary?" Kid asked quietly. "I
still think it's better to be safe than sorry. I don't want to take any chances. I just want to get home." Heyes paused. "It's one thing to be up here
with only the five of us. It's a
whole other thing to be back in town with her family, with her father. Even if they're not in town, they're
still around. We're worth twenty
thousand dollars Kid and a lot of that reward is from her father." "You
worry about that but not about the payroll," Kid said. "Well
Kid, like you said. We've been
getting along real good with Margaret and the children. I can't see her keeping the money,
that would be stealing and we know what she thinks about outlaws. I don't think she's the type that
would blame something on us that we didn't do. I just don't want to take the chance
that her family loyalty will win out when we're there." Kid
nodded as Margaret came out from behind the curtain. "I'm not sure how much sleep they
are going to get. They're both
rather excited. So," she said sitting down, "What did you want to
talk to me about?" They
sat in silence for a moment and then Heyes leaned forward towards Margaret
and spoke quietly, "Margaret, do you know a family outside of town that
we can drop you off at tomorrow?" She
looked curiously at Heyes, "I don't know. Why?" "It's
just that we've been gone a long time. We know you know who we are," Kid
began. "I
wouldn't say anything," Margaret gasped as she sat up straight in her
chair. Heyes
placed his hand on hers.
"It's not that," he said sounding convincing, "It's we
don't know if they've figured out who we are." "Oh,"
Margaret said leaning back.
"I hadn't thought of that." "It's
not something most folks have to think about, but unfortunately for us, we
do," Kid explained. Margaret
nodded. "So
do you know a family that we can take you to that will get you into town
safe?" Heyes asked again. Margaret
sat for a moment and thought.
"The Johnsons live on the far side of town. I know Martha and Thomas would get us
to town." "Good,"
Heyes said. "Now the next
question might be a little more difficult." Margaret
looked at him. "Can
you get the payroll to the Sheriff's office?" Margaret
stared at him, taking in what he was asking. "We
wouldn't ask if it wasn't really important." Margaret
sat quietly. "You
see," Kid added, "It wouldn't look too good if Hannibal Heyes and
Kid Curry dropped you off at a farm and rode away with the payroll, even if
they intended to turn it in, in the next town." "He's
right," Heyes said. "We
would be hunted down and probably shot before we made it to the next town." Heyes paused and then continued,
"I was hoping that we've become friends enough that you wouldn't want
that to happen." "Of
course I don't want either of you to be hurt," she said sounding very
defensive and a little hurt. She
sat and thought a little while longer then turned and looked at Kid,
"You're right, it wouldn't be a good idea for you to leave with the
money. I'll make sure it gets to
the sheriff." "Thank
you, we appreciate it," Heyes said.
"It's going to be a long journey tomorrow, you should try to get
some sleep." "I
will," she said standing up and turning towards the curtained area. Turning back around she walked over to
Heyes and gave him a kiss on the cheek and then did the same to Kid. "Thank you, thank you both for
saving me and my children.
We would never have made it without you. I will never forget either of
you. Good-night Joshua,
Thaddeus," she said and disappeared behind the curtain. "Good-night
Margaret." ***
The
entire cabin was awake at first light as the excitement of leaving and going
home had gotten to all of them.
Heyes and Kid went to saddle the horses while Margaret got the
children ready. She tried
desperately to put on their snow outfits for the journey as they continually
tried to run out the door. She
wrapped herself in blankets as Heyes doused the fire. Turning to look around
the cabin before they left she giggled. Heyes
tilted his head at her. She
saw him looking at her and smiled.
"I just usually have to go searching the room before we leave any
place to see what the children have left behind." She paused and giggled again. "They're dressed, so nothing
could be left behind." Heyes
smiled, "I saw Rachael with Penelope in her arms so you're safe
there." Margaret
rolled her eyes and sighed, "We would have had to come back here if she
had left Penelope. I don't know
if I ever thanked you for finding her." Heyes
nodded. "Oh,"
Margaret remembered suddenly, "Your book, do you have your book?" "Yes,
I have my book. Ready to
go?" Tears
filled her eyes as she nodded her head.
"I'll never be able to thank you enough, both of you. No one else would have..." she
started as tears fell down her face she reached out and hugged Heyes. "Just
keep being a good mother," Heyes said as he hugged her back. "We
didn't do anything anybody else wouldn't have done." Kid
appeared in the door, "Horses are set and the children are waiting. Ready?" Heyes
tilted his head and looked at Margaret, she nodded. "Let's move out," he said. ***
The
ride down the mountain was slow. Rachael rode with Heyes and Daniel rode with
Kid. It was early in the
afternoon when they finally reached the area before the Needle. Heyes pulled his horse to a stop. Margaret
looked around and saw the piles of snow they had made by digging out the
passage. "You really worked
hard," she said looked at the amount of snow that had been moved and
then added, "Thank you." "We're
going to walk through the Needle," Heyes said as he dismounted and then
helped Rachael down. Kid
dismounted, got Daniel down and then went to help Margaret. "There's
still about a foot of snow on the ledge.
We'll stay as close to the wall as we can. I'll go first." Bending down to Rachael he asked,
"Can you walk or do you need to be carried?" "I
can walk," she replied meekly trying to be as brave as she could. "I
can walk," Daniel shouted. "No
Daniel, the snow is a little too deep for you and it's slippery," Kid
said. "And I need you to
help me hold the reins of my horse, okay." Daniel nodded. "Margaret,
you're in the middle," Heyes said.
"Any sign of the horse being in trouble drop the reins. There's not a lot of room in there for
error. There's nothing any of us
can do if the horse starts to go over the side and we don't want to go over
with them." Heyes held his
breath for a second and then added, "Let's go." Heyes
led the way, holding Rachael's right hand behind him and leading his
horse. He stayed along the right
wall followed by Margaret, her horse, Kid holding Daniel and finally Kid's
horse. They inched their way on
the ledge around the Needle as tension filled the air. Rachael squeezed Heyes' hand
tight. "Don't look over the
side, just watch where your feet are going." After
what seemed to be hours but in reality wasn't that long, Heyes emerged from
the Needle followed by Margaret and then Kid. As they all reached the woods on the
outside there was a huge sigh of relief.
Margaret began to sob as she placed her had over her mouth. "We're really going home aren't
we?" The tears streamed down
her face. "We're
really going home," Heyes said as he walked over and touched her
arm. Daniel and Rachael ran to
their mother, hugging her.
"There's still some snow but I think this might be a good place
to take a few minutes before we go on." "Sounds
like a plan," Kid stated.
"Been sitting on the horse for a long time, still have half a
days ride. Might be a good time
for some of those biscuits we brought." Heyes
looked at Kid and rolled his eyes.
Kid
shrugged his shoulders. "Sounds
good to me," Margaret said composing herself. "I don't know if I'll ever eat
another biscuit again but right now it sounds pretty good." "Now
Margaret," Kid said, "Won't you make your biscuits for your husband
when you get home?" "I
will if I'm allowed," Margaret said sheepishly. She straightened herself up and added,
"I will. I believe I have
earned the right to make biscuits and anything else in my kitchen." "You
certainly have," Kid stated.
"And don't forget about your coffee!" Kid looked at Heyes who sneered back
at him. "Joshua, I hope you learned a few things about making coffee
from Margaret." Heyes'
sneer turned into a glare.
"We should get moving soon," he huffed. Kid
chuckled, pleased with himself for getting under Heyes' skin. ***
It
had been dark for almost two hours when they arrived about a mile out of
town. Heyes pulled up his horse
and turned to Margaret.
"Over there," she said pointing to the left. "You can just make out the
lights." "Are
you sure the Johnson's will get you to town tonight?" Kid asked. "I'm
sure," Margaret said.
"I've known them for a long time. They're good people." "Aren't
you coming to town with us?"
Rachael asked. "No
dear," her mother replied.
"Uncle Joshua and Uncle Thaddeus need to get home to their
families." "Don't
leave us," Rachael said as she turned in the saddle and clung to Heyes
as she began to cry. "Hey,
don't cry," Heyes said.
"You're going to see your pa. He needs to spend time with you. You're not even going to know we're
gone." "Yes
I will," she cried. Daniel
grabbed Kid and started to cry too. "It
doesn't mean we will never see you again," he said as he rubbed her
back. He looked at Margaret
hoping she wouldn't mind a little white lie under the circumstance. She
smiled and nodded. "Of
course it doesn't. We'll give
your father time to be with you and Uncle Joshua's and Thaddeus' family time
and then maybe they'll be able to visit." "Really?"
Rachael said sounding hopeful as she looked up into Heyes' eyes. Heyes
smiled at the little girl.
"If you're ma and pa invite us, we'll find a way to get to
you. Okay." She
smiled and shook her head yes. "Now,
I need you to be strong and a big girl.
You have to help your ma out alright?" She
nodded her head. "Me
too," Daniel yelled out. "You
too," Kid replied and hugged the boy. "Well, let's get you
home." At
the edge of the path to the house Heyes and Kid dismounted and helped the
children and then Margaret down.
They hugged and said their good byes. "I
will never forget you Joshua, Thaddeus," she said emphasizing the
names. "If it weren't for
the two of you, I don't even want to think of what those horrible men would
have done." "It's
over," Heyes said.
"None of those things happened." She
nodded. "Now
are you sure you don't mind taking the payroll to the sheriff tonight? If you think it will be a problem,
we'll hold onto it." "No,
I can handle it. I'm not even
going to tell the Johnson's what's in the bags. Just that I need to get to town." "Okay,
we'll wait to leave until we know everything is alright," Kid said. They gave each other one last hug and
kiss. Margaret held the children's hands as they walked up to the porch. Kid and Heyes moved back from the
property but were still able to see the door. Margaret
knocked on the door and they saw the light move to the door. When it opened they heard screams of
joy and could see the Johnson's hugging them. With one final wave to the darkness
from Margaret, they entered the house and the door closed. A minute later, they saw a man emerge
and watched as he began hitching the horses to the wagon. "Well,"
Heyes said, "Guess we better get moving." "We
did good Heyes, real good," Kid stated as they turned their horses
around. "That
we did Kid, now let's get home," Heyes said. "Which
way?" Kid asked. "I
know it's going to put extra time on the trip, but you're right, we have to
go see Lom. I figured following
the rail around the gorge and then cutting through the hills is the shortest
way back to Porterville. We can
send a telegram to Laurie and then head home." Kid
smacked the back of Heyes before he kicked his horse and said, "Sounds
like a plan!" |
|