HEYES AND CURRY: HOW IT BEGAN by phoenixbv
XXXXXXXXXX Historical References XXXXXXXXXX
Before, during and after the American Civil War the area along the Missouri-Kansas border was the site of multiple skirmishes accredited, at the time, to differences in political thought. Since an overwhelming majority of Kansans strongly favored the cause of the Unionists, Kansas became the 34th State in the United States of America on January 29, 1861. Sadly, the American Civil War began three months later, April 12, 1861, at Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
Before the war ended, more than 20,000 "Jayhawkers" had enlisted; military records show that Kansas contributed 19 regiments and four batteries to the Union forces. This was and is considered a remarkable showing for an infant state with only 30,000 men of military age on record in 1861. Kansas' soldiers suffered nearly 8,500 casualties and there were few families anywhere in the state that did not feel the toll this savage war took on the entire country.
As is known to happen in any war, regular troops from both the Confederate and Union sides committed crimes as their forces battled back and forth against one another. Typically, they stole food, cash and clothing from any source available. Modern research proves that the majority of the murderous raids, pillaging and atrocities that were committed throughout Kansas were not carried out by regular troops, but by bands of guerilla gangs. The worst example took place in Lawrence on August 21, 1863 when William Clark Quantrill's guerilla gang attacked before dawn. The lawless gang left the town nearly destroyed and 200 men and boys dead.
XXXXXXXXXXX Assumptions For This Story XXXXXXXXXX
This story takes place in the summer of 1863 and:
1) Hannibal Heyes (10) and Jed Curry (8) are cousins whose families live on acreage within the large Curry Farms Estate first settled by their Grandfather Curry and his brothers,
2) Having meet Grandpa Curry's only daughter, his future wife, at a dance while she was back east visiting extended family, Hannibal Heyes' father moved west to marry and start his own family. He brought modern farm techniques from his parent's large farm near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to the Curry's vast farm holdings. He also introduced the Curry clan to his love of books and strong belief in the value of education to the modern farmer,
3) Grandpa Curry's youngest son, Jed Curry's father, and Hannibal Heyes' father became fast friends, as did their wives. Their families grew at a near parallel pace and they spent a lot of time together. All the Curry Farms Estate cousins were split into two groups, the 'older' kids and the 'younger' kids. By 1863, the 'older' boys were off serving in the Union Army and the 'older' girls were married with husbands in the Union Army. As for the 'younger' cousins, the girls romanticized about soldiers in bright blue uniforms while the boys dreamt about the glories of war, and
4) Although raiders had hit farms all along the Kansas-Missouri border for nearly five years, including two years before the war officially started, the area where the Curry Farms Estates were located had remained relatively safe. Just as parents across the county prepared their children for defense against the gangs of raiders, the Curry Farms youth were trained. Their fathers taught them more about guns than farmers needed to know to be good hunters. Their mothers taught them there was no shame in hiding out until danger had passed. Of course, the young boys growing up on the Curry Farms Estate were convinced their parents were wrong … The war's 'excitement' would never come their way.
XXXXXXXX HEYES AND CURRY: HOW IT ALL BEGAN XXXXXXX
XXXXX Chapter One XXXXX
Hannibal Heyes knew there could only be a few more moments left in his young life and wondered how he was supposed to feel. In a book he had recently read, the hero reviewed his life right before going to the gallows. Gosh, at ten years of age, Hannibal decided there wasn't much to review. Well, not much until today. Now, the acrid smell of gun powder hung in the air, his clothes felt heavy and damp from the mixed up jumble of human blood on them, and he was waiting for the last raider to hit their farm that day to finish him off.
His father had warned him that the main group of raiders often rode off, but were followed by stragglers … Men, who spent their lives living like vultures since they went in after the kill and took what was left. Hannibal's Pa had warned him to stay hidden, to be sure before he showed his face, but with his family spread out across the barnyard … Well, Hannibal had come out to see if anybody but himself was alive. They were all gone; Ma, Pa and his two sisters. Pa's death had been quick, but … Well, he didn't want to think on that right now.
Right now, he had to concentrate on staying still. He tried not to breath or move, but his head was aching and his sore ribs made it hard to breath. Even if he was still and quiet, the young boy was certain the raider would hear his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest.
The man, if you could call him that, seemed to sense someone on the farm was still alive. Instead of going in the house to see what was left to steal, he'd headed right out to the barn where Hannibal had run to hide when he heard a horse on the road.
"Com'on out. I won't hurt ya."
Hannibal had seen way too much that day to be convinced a raider wouldn't hurt him. He stayed put.
"I know you are in here."
The man was only a few steps from being able to see Hannibal in his meager hiding spot. The young boy closed his eyes and said what he assumed was his last prayer.
Suddenly, there was a noise at the front of the barn, just inside the door. Something, or someone, had bumped over an empty bucket.
"Hold it right there, kid."
The raider turned and walked away from where Hannibal was hiding. He raised himself up to see what had made the noise. From his hiding place, he could clearly see his younger cousin, Jed, standing in the doorway. He was just standing there, covered in blood, with his hands behind his back.
"What'cha doing there? Why don't you come on over and we'll have a talk."
Jed just stood there, motionless; his face a complete blank. Hannibal knew he should try to help his cousin, but that would give away his position. He watched the raider walk right up to Jed and as Hannibal stood up to go to his cousin's aid.
BANG!
Hannibal couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. With lightening speed, Jed had calmly pulled his Pa's six-shooter out from behind his back and shot the raider in the face. Right, smack dab, in the face! Blood, brains and bone flew everywhere, then the raider's body crumbled to the ground.
Just as quick, Jed turned and left the barn. Hannibal called his name, but the younger boy didn't hear him. Trying to ignore his aching head, he rushed out into the barnyard, but Jed was quickly heading for the road. Hannibal could see he had tied off his horse away from view of the main house and barn. Somehow, the boy had known to keep his approach quiet.
"Jed." Hannibal held onto the corral fence for strength, yelling, "Jedediah, wait!"
The world started to turn black around the edges. He couldn't believe his head could hurt this much. Suddenly, a cool cloth was on his forehead and cold water at his lips.
"Jed," he reached out and grabbed his cousin's shirt, "I didn't think you heard me."
Once he felt a bit better, Hannibal's cousin silently helped him up into the saddle of the raider's horse. Jed then walked him down to where one of the unsaddled plow horses, Sam, was tied up on the outer fence. Sam was one of the oldest horses on Uncle Mark's farm and he had always been real friendly and gentle with the kids. Hannibal figured the raiders must have missed the plow horse grazing somewhere out in the fields, but had no idea how Jed would have found it. Luckily, Sam didn't mind Jed using his mane to pull himself onto his back, nor did he seem to mind the loose-fitting bridle the boy had managed to find. As they headed across the estate, Hannibal marveled at his cousin's ability to ride the enormous animal.
Using all of his strength, Hannibal managed to stay on his horse while Jed led the way toward their Grandfather's house. His cousin didn't respond to any of his questions, thus Hannibal saved his strength and rode in silence, too. Along the way, he began to hope the destruction hadn't been as bad on other parts of their family's farmland. When they came around the bend, the main house in view, Hannibal moaned and felt the world turning dim. The raiders had obviously been at Grandpa Curry's main complex, too.
XXXXX Chapter Two XXXXX
"That's the way, Hannibal."
Molly the cook at the main house, started to come into focus.
"Where's Grandpa?
"Not now, boy, not now."
Molly attempted a smile, but he could tell she had been crying. Hannibal looked around and realized it was early morning, just before dawn. He must have passed out when they reached his grandfather's place .. Or what was left of it. The main house and barn had been burnt to the ground, but Molly had a campsite set up under the big shade tree in the front yard.
"Jed nearby?"
"I don't know." Molly wiped her eyes with the end of her very dirty apron, adding, "Never seen a young'un with such a dead look in his eyes. I have no idea where he was off to. He just left after fetching us supplies for the night and a few bullets for this here rifle that we managed to pull out from a pile of ashes. I showed him where I thought your grandfather's body was in the ruins, but we couldn't find anything certain. Maybe when the ashes aren't so hot?"
After he cleaned up and drank some awful campfire coffee, Hannibal ignored Molly's pleas and saddled the raider's horse. He left her sobbing by the fire with nothing to do but hope the sheriff would be out to take them into town soon. Of course, Hannibal wasn't sure there was a town, farm or community left any where near their place. They had more relatives nearby, his oldest sister's place was on the road they took to school, but no one had come to check on them. Riding back across to Jed's folks, his mind had trouble taking in the total destruction the raiders had completed across the entire estate.
For reasons he didn't understand, Hannibal knew to head toward his Uncle Mark's place. Somehow, he figured Jed would have gone back home. As his uncle's place came into view, he was surprised to see the house and barn still standing. The raiders had burnt his grandfather's entire place … He just figured.
"What the …"
Hannibal sat up in the saddle and watched his scrawny eight-year-old cousin shoveling dirt. Instead of getting the heck out of danger .. Was Jed figuring he was strong enough to bury his family?
"Unbelievable."
Hannibal rode up and called his cousin's name, but it was as if he was talking to his horse. The silence continued when he walked up and confronted Jed directly. The boy simply kept digging.
As he walked around, Hannibal noticed that Jed had used the plow horse to drag a number of bodies into the barn. It was ridiculous to think he wouldn't recognize the people under the tarp, but he walked toward them with that hope in mind. Sadly, his uncle laid stone cold dead with his youngest child, Nellie, securely beside him on one side and Victoria, Jed's older sister, on the other. Letting out the air he hadn't realized he had been holding in his sore chest, Hannibal walked back over to the tarp-covered corpse near where his cousin was working.
As he walked, dreading what was under that next tarp, picture after picture of his Aunt Jenny, Jed's ma, flashed through his mind. She was the prettiest woman he'd ever seen and her Swedish accent hadn't left her in all these years on the Curry Farm. Light wavy hair that washed out in the summer sun, piercing blue eyes, a smile that lit up a room and her laugh … She had the best laugh. Of their five children, Jed took after his ma the most. And it wasn't just his looks, he had her personality, too; in school, he was the class clown. The teacher never could stay angry with him when Jed flashed that smile and laughed; the class simply laughed with him, and their teacher would join in.
"I know you're trying to do the right thing by your folks, but remember what the army men told Grandpa about these raids."
Hannibal waited, but there was only the sound of his cousin shoveling.
"We're supposed to leave things put so the sheriff can show the army folks the 'evidence.'"
Shoveling. Shoveling.
"Supposed to help them catch these …. "
Shoveling.
Hannibal shrugged his shoulders and sat down to watch for a while. He wondered if he should head over and use tarps to cover his own family. The morning was well underway and it was going to be hot real soon. He wasn't an expert, but every farmboy knows that bodies and heat were a bad combination. Bodies … Hannibal closed his eyes and tried to recover from thinking of his family as bodies.
He stood up to fight off a desire to sob; something deep inside warned him that if he started, he would never be able to stop crying. Slowly, he gathered himself and walked over to the tarp covering his Aunt Jenny. Jed was so intent on digging, he didn't notice what Hannibal was doing. In an instant, Hannibal regretted his decision. His beautiful aunt was hardly recognizable. Naked, bloody, face all tore up and …. Obviously, she had been … It had to have been a slow torturous death. He ran to the corral and choked up bile along with Molly's coffee.
Once Hannibal rinsed his mouth at the well, he scrounged around in what was left of the tack room until he found another shovel. Without speaking, he jumped down in Jed's hole and helped him finish his mother's grave. It would have to be a shallow grave, but Jed was digging in wet soft ground under a shade tree, which would help their efforts. No one, not sheriff or army man, was ever going to see his Aunt Jenny this way … No one.
When they finished, the sun was high in the sky. He tried to talk to Jed as they rinsed off, but his cousin seemed far, far, away. Molly was right; Jed's eyes were dead and he seemed to be a mute, too. They rode in silence to Hannibal's place only to find that Jed had been there sometime during the night. The raider's body had been left to fester in the sun out back near the empty pigpens. His father, mother and sister had been dragged into the barn and they were lying together covered by a tarp.
Jed had waited outside while Hannibal sat next to his family for a long while. Then, in silence, they started back to stay with Molly. It was twilight when they headed into their grandfather's front yard where the campsite had been set up. Light enough to see the blood, the scattered remnants of supplies and to note Molly was missing, along with the rifle Jed had found for her.
They rode around the entire area, fearing being caught off their horses if the raiders were still on the property, but there was no sign of Molly. Hannibal was nearly out of energy; twice, he had nodded off in the saddle. But the little guy, well Jed didn't seem tired and his eerie silence was driving Hannibal crazy.
"Let's go, Jed." Hannibal turned his horse back to the road, adding, "There's enough light for us to find our way to town. We'll go by way of my sister's place, but I'm not sure … Well, we can't stay here."
Without exchanging any words, the two exhausted boys turned away from their family's farms, their homes, and headed toward town. They had no way of knowing they would never be back this way, not ever again.
XXXX Chapter Three - Two Weeks Later XXXX
What a mess the train station had been all this long hot day; they had been standing in line since breakfast and, now, it was nearly suppertime. The building was noisy, dirty, and full of people trying to ignore the long lines of children waiting to be assigned to trains. In the middle of it all, the army supply folks were pushing through toward the 'priority' trains that would be leaving first.
From what Hannibal had been able to ascertain from the adult's conversations, the State of Kansas was overwhelmed with a large number of homeless children. It seemed the gangs of raiders were hitting deeper and deeper into the state; most recently, they had been as far west as Lawrence. Hannibal was glad he and Jed weren't as bad off as the kids in their group who had been totally orphaned. Their parents were gone, but they had brothers and cousins in the Union Army; Hannibal had repeatedly answered questions regarding their family's situation while watching non-descript people write names and such down over and over, again.
Their living situation hadn't been too intolerable until this morning. Two weeks ago, after they rode by Hannibal's sister's place and couldn't find anyone alive there, he and Jed had headed into town. Town had been hit hard, but they were directed to an army desk where Hannibal had given the man information about what had happened on the Curry Farms Estate. Next, they were sent to the Baptist church's basement where folks had a doc look at them, cleaned them up, fed them and took down even more information. Hannibal had explained he and Jed weren't Baptists, but the lady in charge just smiled and told them to stay put.
Throughout it all, Jed never left Hannibal's side, nor did he speak a word. Hannibal did all the talking and Jed seemed to have perfected a nasty glare to use on folks who thought he should have something to add to the conversations. Finally, early this morning, the nice lady who had been in charge walked around and put strings with placards around their necks. The placards had their name, first and last, plus where they were from printed on it. Next, they were loaded into wagons and driven to the train station.
When they arrived at the station, the boys were told to stand in one line and the girls in another. Since then, the lines had slowly been easing forward as children where assigned the few empty seats on departing trains. Around noon, Hannibal had decided that despite the high volume of train traffic on the lines due to the war, there was no way they were going to get assigned to a train that day. Then, two trains pulled in with extra cars due to the heavy ridership on the lines. Their line moved forward much faster once those trains pulled in.
"Name?" The man was checking papers against placards and what each boy told him, then asking, "Age?"
The boys who were under ten years old were being put on one car, heading east; the same car the girls seemed to be leaving on. Someone said that train was going all the way into Kansas City. But the boys who were ten and older were being directed to board a train that was heading west. No one was discussing where that train might be going.
"Well, Jed," Hannibal put an arm around his cousin's shoulders, "I guess this is where we split up. Don't worry, the army will find our brothers and they'll come get us. We just have to stay with these folks until they've had time to get back to Kansas and find us."
Jed looked up at Hannibal and for the first time a slight hint of fear raced across his face. It was only a glancing moment, only Hannibal could have seen it, but then the dull blankness returned and Jed returned his gaze to his feet. Hannibal gave his shoulders a reassuring squeeze and, once again, shook his head in amazement. For the entire two weeks, he hadn't seen his younger cousin close those eyes. The kid simply hadn't slept, unless he had done so with his eyes open which Hannibal wasn't sure was possible.
"Name?"
"Hannibal Heyes"
The man looked through his papers and made a check mark next to Hannibal's name.
"Age?"
"Ten."
"Take a seat on the westbound train, son. Good luck."
"Thanks."
Hannibal stepped past the desk, but waited in case he would have a chance to talk to Jed once more before they boarded. He sure wished they weren't being separated; it could be weeks, maybe months, before their brothers were home from the war. It sure would be easier on everybody if the boys were kept together.
"Name?"
The man looked up and gave Jed a stare.
"Name?"
Jed simply glared back at him, so the man looked for his name on the list using only the information on the placard around his neck. The 'C's were on the bottom of the first page so it didn't take long for the man to check off Jed's name.
"Age?" The man tried to smile, repeating, "Age?"
"Ten."
Hannibal nearly jumped back to the other side of the desk; it was so good to hear Jed's voice, plus he never knew his cousin was such a calm liar.
"Com'on," the man smiled while shaking his head, asking, "how old are you, really?"
"Ten."
The man was about to argue when Hannibal stepped in.
"Oh, he's a runt, Sir, but he's ten. I ot'ta know. We're cousins and I'm always stuck taking care of him … He's so scrawny and all."
The man shook his head and moved Hannibal aside to take a longer look at Jed.
"The whole family, we all call him 'Kid' cause he's always looked young for his age. Such a 'baby face' my Ma always says."
The man suspected what the cousins were up to and, frankly, he couldn't blame the boys for wanting to stay together. All of these children had been through horrific experiences. The reassurance of being with a friend, or a cousin in this case, would certainly help them on the long road they had to travel.
"Don't know why the placard says 'Jedediah,' doubt he'd answer to it on the first call."
Hannibal moved closer to his cousin, and then flopped an arm around his shoulders.
"Isn't that right, Kid? Don't' we call you 'Kid' most of the time?"
Hannibal made eye contact with the man at the desk and made sure to flash his best smile.
"Why your Pa …"
"Enough!"
The man shook his head and couldn't hide a smile as he reached across to remove the placard from the younger boy's neck. Right between the 'Jedediah' and the 'Curry,' the man added 'Kid' in great big letters. Pleased with his work, he replaced the placard around Jed's neck.
"Go on, you two, before I change my mind. Go get on the westbound train together."
Hannibal nodded his thanks, then pulled Jed by the hand and raced onto the train. He didn't stop moving until they had found a small space where they could sit down together. Once they settled in, it felt as if the train would never be leaving the station.
The two boys sat close, leaning on each other hard, and watched as people walked by checking name lists, over and over. Quite a few of the paying adult passengers seemed agitated as more and more children were stuffed into the already overfull car. Finally, the train appeared as if it would pop if one more person tried to get on. The heat, noise and overstuffed conditions were getting on everyone's nerves.
"Hey, you!"
A teenage boy who was obviously in a bad mood was pointing at Jed.
"Get up and give me your seat. Now!"
Jed stayed solid against Hannibal's side and shook his head.
"I said," the older boy began to lean in.
"Now, wait a minute," Hannibal made eye contact and tried to smile, calmly offering, "we've been sitting here a good hour, nearly two. Go find your own seat."
"There aren't any. Besides, I want the runt's here by the window."
The older boy stepped closer to read Jed's placard.
"Kid? Now, ain't that appropriate? GET UP AND MOVE … KID!"
The menacing face leaned way in toward Jed while Hannibal looked around for an adult to help them. He didn't dare get up because Jed would fall right over since he was leaning his entire weight into Hannibal's flank.
Making a mistake he wouldn't soon forget, the teenager stepped in to lift Jed from his seat.
"!"
The teenage pulled back, doubled over in the aisle, and held his hands to his groin.
"What's going on over here?"
The train conductor stepped in to stop the commotion from further upsetting the passengers in his overstuffed car.
"He kicked me in the … He kicked me."
The teenager was kneeling in the aisle and trying not to cry.
"Did you kick him?"
Jed glared over at the hurting teen, then turned a softer gaze toward the conductor and shook his head in the affirmative.
"The other boy started it."
"Ma'am?"
All around Hannibal and Jed, there were children stuffed into the seats. All around, except for the older woman who had taken the seat by the window on the other side of the aisle.
"Those boys were sitting quiet, but that one," she pointed to the teen still hurting in the aisle, frowning she explained, "he tried to make them move from their seats."
"I see."
The conductor said no more. He simply waved a finger in the teen's direction, lifted him by his shirt collar and walked him off the train. From their window, Hannibal and Jed could see the conductor talking to one of the adults still checking children in at a desk. That man made the teen sit down next to him and proceeded to ignore him while he finished his work.
A few minutes later, the train started to gear up to leave the station. The heat remained stifling and, now, the train's smoke began to fly in the windows. A hush came over the passengers as they all attempted to not breath until the train left the station. Once the train built enough steam to start, they slowly began to move out of the crowded station. Hannibal looked over and nodded his appreciation to the woman on the other side of the aisle. She smiled back before turning to watch out her window.
"So, Jed," Hannibal whispered as he looked out their window, "you plan to stay this ornery?"
"For a while." Jed's leaned toward Hannibal's ear so he could hear him over the train's noise, admitting, "I figure one of us should until our brothers find us and we get back home."
Hannibal leaned back and thought through what Jed said. For some time now, at least the past few days, he had a strange feeling growing in his gut that told him they weren't going to get home anytime soon. But, he would never have admitted how he felt to Jed. He was just a kid and …
"Jed?"
He smiled and didn't mind as the full weight of his cousin's body relaxed into his side. For the first time in weeks, Jed had fallen asleep with his head on Hannibal's shoulder. He leaned back and tried to find a comfortable position to sleep himself. The recent past was too raw, too painful, so Hannibal refused to let his mind wander there. No, he decided to concentrate on the future and realized just how grateful he was that Jed lied about his age back at the station.
As he began to drift off, Hannibal smiled thinking of this new Jed Curry by his side. He was probably right, they might need him to stay ornery, especially since that glare he'd been sporting made him look … Nah, there was no way Jed looked ten, glare or no glare.
Whatever the future held, wherever it might lead them, Hannibal knew they were better off having each other to lean on. They better stick with the story Hannibal had sold the man back checking the lists and assigning seats on the trains. The name Jed answered to was 'Kid' and he was ten years old, same as Hannibal, and that was how it was going to be from now on.
The End
Thank you for reading my story. Please forgive typos, grammatical errors and/or Alias Smith and Jones mistakes. Comments are always appreciated.