Vin knew, if he was to think about it, that he'd be able to recall times in his life when he did stupid things for stupid reasons. There'd been times when he did things he wasn't proud of, or things that seemed right that later on turned out to be wrong. After which, especially when he was younger, he spent a lot of time and effort trying to hide whatever it was he done. Usually it worked; he was good at covering his tracks, blending in, making people believe he was what he wasn't.
But dammit if he wasn't tired of it all now. Especially now. He couldn't read, and he was getting plum tired of trying to hide it.
He rode into Eagle Bend only because he hadn't turned his horse in any other direction. He only cared to get away from town. All he could hear was Mary's words, 'You can't read, can you?' All he could feel was the flare of shame and panic that he'd been caught out. He knew all in an instant that he was found out good and there'd be no way to hide it or cover it up from her. So he did the thing that shamed him most of all - he wadded up his fear and threw it right at her.
After that, he had to get out of town.
Lots of folks don't read, he knew that. It even happened sometimes that the few words he could eke out made him the smartest fella around. But that was changing as more and more folks came out to settle the territory. The folks he spent time with these days - judges, preachers, newspaper editors, and schoolboys - could read more in one sitting than he'd done in his whole life.
So for the first time in his life, he was truly ashamed that he couldn't read.
He thought about just heading through Eagle Bend, not stopping, but a glass of whiskey sounded pretty good right now. Maybe it'd clear his head as well as his throat and let him figure someway to cover his tracks one more time.
If he hadn't a'yelled at Mary, it mighta been easier. He coulda just pretended she was wrong until maybe she'd believe it, or at least give up the hunt. Wasn't like she made it easy though. Vin Tanner had took a lot things in his day, but pity wasn't one of them, and that sure was pity he heard in her voice. He wouldn't take pity.
One whiskey, or maybe two, and he'd figure a way out of this.
"Hey mister - stable your horse for you?" A young voice asked him as he swung off in front of the saloon.
"No thanks kid, I ain't stayin' that long." he answered, barely looking at the person doing the asking, until he heard a muttered,
"I ain't a kid."
"I don't care." Vin spit out. The voice belonged to one of two young men, standing on the boardwalk. Not kids, probably somewhere between him and JD in age. But he called pretty much anybody younger than himself 'kid'. It was a habit he'd gotten into. It didn't change his mood. "And don't touch my horse."
"We work for the stable, we was headed that way anyway..."
"Kid, I can tell you speak American - 'no' means 'no'." Vin knew he'd been gifted with many things - a sharp eye and a sharper ear, a true sense of direction, and a steady hand. The one thing he wished he had right now was Larabee's ability to chill people frozen with just a look. Whenever Vin tried that glare, folks still took a minute to size him up.
So after that minute, the two young men nodded, and walked away.
Hell, one more damn thing happened and he was gonna buy himself the whole bottle of whiskey.
*+*
Vin got a glass and a bottle that was maybe a quarter still full, and took a chair that put his back against the wall. The first shot went down fast and burning, but it felt good. A couple more like that and maybe he'd stop caring whether he could read, and whether anybody knew. He wouldn't take pity, and he sure dreaded the looks and whispers he'd get from the other fellas.
Hell, Ezra was already making fun of him for writing poetry. All these years he'd had words like that tucked away in different corners of his brain. Didn't nobody ever tell him it was poetry. Never said it was something he shouldn't be reaching for.
Wasn't like he didn't want to know how to read - he just knew there comes a time when you're too old to try anymore...
The second shot of whiskey went down pretty good too.
"Mister?" the same voice interrupted his thoughts again. Lord he hoped those boys were wanted men, 'cause he sure did want to shoot 'em. Only the one was in the saloon though, standing at the table with his hat in his hands. "Mister - my brother Lennie said your horse is about to throw a shoe. Got a crack in his hoof that'll lame him up if that shoe comes off..."
"Kid - so help me - get away before I do something I don't regret." Vin warned him. Larabee woulda had the kid running from the first second. "I been taking care a'my horse since before you was born." That was plain untrue, but this kid didn't look like the type would spend much time mulling it over.
He didn't either. He pulled his cap back on and walked out of the saloon.
The third shot of whiskey didn't go down quite so good.
*+*
Finishing the whole quarter bottle took quite a spell of the afternoon. But it didn't give Vin any better idea of what to do or say so Mary wouldn't let on to anybody else that he couldn't read. That's all he wanted, if she just didn't tell anybody else that he couldn't read, he could go on hiding it. Maybe he'd think of something on the ride home.
Two steps out the saloon door and Vin stopped dead - his horse wasn't there. "Hellfire and damnation I'm gonna skin those two alive." He took determined strides down the boardwalk toward the livery. Horse thieving was a hanging offense – if he couldn't shoot those two, at least he could hang 'em.
The blacksmith had his mount out front at the forge. He was just finishing nailing a shoe onto his left back foot.
"That's my horse." Vin said, ready to hang anybody who had a hand in it.
"Yeah, Lee and Lennie brought him over. Good thing too. See?" the blacksmith lifted the horse's foot again. "If that shoe come off, woulda taken a goodly piece of the hoof with it. Horse woulda been lame for weeks."
Sure enough, Vin could see the crack in the hoof. But dammit, that didn't change anything.
"Are they hereabouts?"
"Inside."
"I 'preciate it." Nowhere near as calm as he sounded, Vin went into the stable. He followed the sound of voices toward the back. They must be in a stall where he couldn't see 'em yet - he stopped when he heard a familiar name.
"Larabee..." It must be Lennie talking, it wasn't the other kid's voice. "...pulled...his gun..." It didn't take Vin long to realize they were reading from one a'them damn penny dreadfuls. "in the...the..."
"Burning." the other voice, Lee, offered.
"...burning...noonday...sun..." A pause while it sounded like someone took a deep breath.
"His furry -."
"Fury."
"Hunh?" he heard Lennie ask.
"You pronounce it 'few-ree'." was Lee's answer.
"Nuh unh. Yesterday you said f-u-r was fur. Hows come if f-u-r is fur, this ain't furry?"
"It's 'cause furry gots two R's."
Another pause while this seemed to get pondered.
"Hows come?"
"Well 'cause furry means you got more hair, so it needs the two R's to remind you."
"Oh." This answer apparently made a whole buncha sense to Lennie. He sounded like he thought it was all the wisdom in the world. Then he started reading again. "His...few-ree..." and Vin could hear the pride in Lennie's voice as he pronounced the word correctly. "was like the...the...c-c-call...c-c-cow..."
Along with Lennie's stammering attempt at pronouncing another word, Vin could hear Lee's echo, trying to coax the right word out of his brother. "C-c-cold. That's right Lennie. Cold..." The realization hit Vin like a fist.
The boy Lee was teaching his brother Lennie how to read.
"Cold." Lennie said. "I wisht I could read like you Lee. I wisht I was smart like you."
"You're smart Lennie. You're acres and acres smarter than me."
"I am?"
"Why sure." Vin heard some movement behind the stall divider, but couldn't see what they were doing. "I know you're older, so Ma and Pa sent me to school so's you could work the farm. But ain't nobody as good with horses as you are. That's something that just can't be learnt. Anybody can learn to read Lennie - you're doing it right now. I wisht I was as good with horses as you are." Lee said. "Reading ain't nothing. What you're smart at Lennie, ain't nobody else smart like that. Smart as you are, learning to read ain't gonna be nothin' for you."
Another pause, and Vin figured he'd forget his dander, and go collect his horse. One final exchange though, made him stop one more time.
"Ma'll be real proud a'me, won't she Lee? When I knows how to read."
"She's already proud a'you Lennie. Ma and Pa. Me too. You learn how to read, you be proud for yourself."
Vin decided to leave then. He walked quiet as he could to the front of the stable. There he saw a familiar horse - and a familiar friend standing beside it.
"Thought you mighta wandered this way." Chris said. "Everything all right?"
"Yeah, just - something I gotta apologize to Mary for is all." Vin looked over his shoulder into the darkness of the stable. "Just needed a little more room to think on it." He was grateful when Chris didn't ask what he was talking about.
"You in a rush to get back? Got time to stop for some supper?"
"Reckon I could eat something..." Vin said. They started to move off when Lee and Lennie came out of the stable - and stopped dead, staring at Chris. They looked like fawns who were too close to a bear; they figured they were in trouble, but didn't know how to get out of it. Lee shot a stunned look at Vin.
Vin saw Lennie still carried that worn penny dreadful he was learning to read out of.
"Chris -." he said. "I'd like you to meet two friends of mine, Lee and Lennie...they work here at the stable." Half out of admiration, and half to gauge Larabee's reacion, Vin added, "Lee here is teaching Lennie how to read."
"Good for you son." Chris said, as he offered Lennie his hand. The look of terror on Lennie's face as he fearfully took Chris' hand, was replaced with a look of pure astonishment and pride at Larabee's praise.
"You too." he added to Lee. 'That's a thing to be proud of."
"Yessir!" Both Lee and Lennie stood at least a good foot taller. Vin didn't feel so bad either anymore.
"What was that all about?" Chris asked, as they walked to the restaurant.
"Nothin'...they was just taking care a'my horse...hey Chris - you know why there's two R's in furry?"
The End