Best Medicine: Part Four – the final chapter, Ida's Letter

Alias Smith & Jones Story

Eighth of August 1864

Greetings to you Ms. Jane,

I thought long and hard on it and I figured I should write to you. Tell you of all that happened. I wants you to know I ain't one to nose through another's belongings but when I seen your name on that letter. Well, I just knew I had to see why you would be a writing Milton.

Ms. Jane I can't tell you how very remorseful I am your letter did not come sooner. I am also potent certain that man wrote you some sort of fib. I know you always said not to speak poorly of him. But, Ms. my blinders were never on to him as they were to you. He is just a despicable man and that is all I can say nice about him.

Let me put your heart ease right off though by telling you, Heyes and the Kid, too are both still walking this here earth. But bless their souls I surly do not know where. You see they fled this here place. And, I hope they get a good long ways away too.

What came to pass was this . . . ol' Heyes he turned into an all-fired bag of trouble once you lefts for home. I ain't blaming you. I know you had to go back and them boys did too. I don't rightly think he planned on causing trouble but he sure did step right up and invite it to him whenever it brushed near. Always telling Milton his opinion even got to correcting him in the classroom too. Those two was just a cussing match waiting to happen around every corner.

But Ms. Jane, Heyes just went too far. See that man had lined up what he calls adoptions for a handful of the boys with a gent who needed more riders for a trail drive. When this gent, speaks to Heyes. Well that silver-tongued imp he goes on abouts how he don't know nothing about cattle, how he's right scared of sleeping outdoors and just generally stupid when it comes to horses. And not only that, but Heyes gets the other boys chattering on with the same type of fibbing tales.

Well, that gent tells Milton off, uses some right handy language too, about how he wasted his time and he'd make sure to tell others.

Which confuses Milton worse than a lost chicken, cause he'd been figuring to earn a healthy fee from this gent as he'd hand-picked boys, he rightly knew had spent a part of their lives around farm animals. So he up and queried the gent as to why his boys weren't good enough.

That's when he finds out what Heyes and the boys were saying. He tried, and do mean tried, to explain to that gent how them boys were from right here in the West and that they were only funnin' him. But, the gent, he was twisted up and a bit scared of where the boys might have actually come from, so he skedaddled on down the road.

I never seen a man so red under the collar as that man when he stormed up onto the porch to confront Heyes. And, Ms that boy was standing there sporting one of his big-dimpled gloating grins. Milton he stepped right up on him, looked him in the eye, and reared back laying a blow onto Heyes that sent him flying all the way down to the lawn.

Then here comes Kid barreling across the grass bearing straight for Milton, but blessed be heaven, my Lewis was handy and grabbed Kid by the back of his shirt and jeans, pulls him up before he can even reach the steps.

Will say, the rage boiling from Kid, did shake Milton up a bit, I could see it because his eyes rolled like nervous cow. But it don't stop him none from turning back on Heyes who was picking himself up off the ground. "You damnable skulking, lying coward. You have ruined the last adoption ever. I will see you get your dues." Is what Milton squalled at him, shaking his fist, but he sure didn't inch himself down them steps any.

Now we all know Heyes has is devil stubborn. Take on anyone, no matter who, what or size and I tell you, he looked mad enough to swallow a horny toad backwards but his voice sounded as smooth as churned cream when he said, "Is that so Mister Milton . . . well I would never be so bold as to pass judgment on a person, I don't know or understand. But I've have come to see you're filled with such hubris that making assumptions is as easy as breathing for you. So if'n you think you can take me and give me my dues then Mister, step right on down."

"You watch yourself boy. I will have my way."

But before he could storm back inside, a chuckled laugh floated eerily across the space between them. "Mister Milton have you forgotten how much we are worth to you?"

Now Ms. Jane, I don't know what Heyes meant by that. Them words has haunted my nights and days because I never seen such pure evil as the smile which appeared on that man's face as he turned to eye Kid, "Oh but Hannibal there is more than one way to be rid of vermin and still get paid."

Well, Ms. it was that very night Heyes and Kid came a knocking at our door in the darkest of hours. They had with them a wad of papers. Heyes, he said, he took'em from that man's safe. Did you know Heyes could open a safe just by as he called it, manipulating the tumblers? Told us, he taught himself out of necessity and boredom. Don't that beat all? Anyways, those papers, every one of them, were death certificates. Most of them, children who had been adopted away. Then he showed us a ledger of payments from government for medical and burial fees for those children. Lewis saw right away, that man, has been making money not only from his adoptions but also in their deaths. Like I said, despicable, I would use harsher words but I know you don't take kindly to it. And, would you believe, that man already had certificates filled out on Heyes and Kid.

My Lewis, he said that was bad news straight out. Heyes he felt the same and said it was time for them to be quit of this place. I wanted to argue with them but there weren't no way. Not when I could see right there on my kitchen table how that man had something awful planned for them. Well, Lewis he loaded Heyes up with an old Navy Colt. Would you believe he then rigged Kid up with the new Colt Army, I gave him for Yule last year? I wanted to argue over that too but Lewis he gives me a look that said I should keep it in. That was when I saw Kid draw a gun for the first time as he tested the weight of the Colt. Did you know he can drag a barrel quicker than you can spit and holler howdy? Them boys always was full of surprises.

We sent them out into the night on a good horse, a canvas bag of food and me and Lewis stood there listening till we couldn't hear that horse no more. So that's that Ms. Jane. . . They is gone. I sure do wish your letter had arrived earlier, I know they would have been plumb tickled to have your family adopt them. Now all we can do is pray the good Lord watches over them and that they survive this world and the war surrounding us all.

Lewis and I have moved and are no longer working for that man. Because we know, somehow what he's doing isn't as right as he likes to make out. God speed and bless you, I surly didn't mean to hurt you any by being so truthful in this here letter but I felt you would want to know everything.

Ida Rhendt

Northfield, Minnesota