Bartholomew "Butch" Cavendish was born in a very poor family in Texas and was an only child. He never had the experience of owning his first toy and his mother, Mary Ann Cavendish, wasn't exactly the warmest person ever. His dad, Eli Cavendish, was an alcoholic, very abusive, and never seemed to come home that much, but despite his parents' behaviors, Butch actually grew up a nice kid, one of the nicest. He did attend school, but only up until he was 13. When he became 13, he was forced by his mother to get a job to support the family as a local carpenter. He didn't see a future for himself so he had to leave school anyways. He didn't have that much friends too. When Butch was younger, he usually sat alone from time to time when play time was announced at school while he watched the other kids play with their friends. He was a shy kid and he was always made fun of for being a teacher's pet by bringing his teacher an apple every day that he picked out from a nearby tree out of respect and for being so quiet. He spent each day Monday through Saturday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. working so he could get his weekly earnings. Whenever he would come home at the end of each week, he would say proudly with an achieving smile, "Mama, look! I earned 50 coins for this week!" Butch's mother never showed any sign of acknowledgement toward her only son. "So?" his mother would snap back. "Give me your earnings, boy." His mother said as she put out her hand to collect the coins. Butch didn't want to give them to her because he knew that she would only spend it on beer. Hesitantly, he gave her the coins. "Go to your room." she snapped at him and Butch walked to his room hoping that the next day would be a better tomorrow.
Butch went to work again as usual. He turned 15 the other day, but he had no celebration. He never experienced a birthday. He walked into the carpenter shop to get his work clothes put on. "You're late, boy. " His boss said. "I'm sorry, Mr. Tate, but I woke up late on accident. It won't happen again. I swear." "Okay, but this is your last, you hear?" Butch's boss was sometimes hard on him, but he was also a good father figure towards Butch. It seemed as if being too nice attracted the meanest people. Butch continued carving up an indoor dining table for a customer who requested one a week ago. Butch was almost finished with his masterpiece. He smiled at his work while he made some finishing touches, "Done. It's finished at last." He called up his boss to come inspect it. His boss walked in and carefully observed Butch's work. "Mm…you sure did a good job, son. Keep up the good work. The customer should be coming by soon. Just stay here just in case. I'm gonna go into town to pick up some more carving tools." And Mr. Tate rode into town. Butch smiled and felt proud of himself. This was the first time in 15 years Butch had ever gotten a nice complement and not from his folks. Butch waited in the shop until the customer came in to pick up their order. Suddenly, a knock was made on the door. "Hello? I'm here to pick up my table." a voice said behind the door. Butch got up from his chair and walked to the door. He opened it and there stood a girl about Butch's age. "Hi, my name's Lily. Lily Margaret Perkins." Butch, being the shy boy he has always been, didn't know what to say back to her. Also, he was shy because she was a girl. "Is everything alright?" Butch opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Lily grinned and then gave a sweet, soft laugh. "What's your name?" Butch had to say something eventually. "Mine is Bartholomew Butch Cavendish." "Well how do you do, Bartholomew?" she grabbed Butch's hand and shook it. She was a very friendly girl and definitely not shy at all. "I'm fine, ma'am. Come on in. Your table is ready." Butch escorted Lily inside the shop. "My daddy was the one who ordered this table, but I'm only here to pick it up for him. He's been out hunting for a while now." "That's nice of you." Butch said in a soft tone thinking of his drunken father. "Well, here is your table." "Golly! It sure is beautiful. Did you make this?" "Yes I did." "Wow, thank you, Bartholomew! You have a talent!" she thanked him with a hug. Butch was too shy to wrap his arms around her. "You know, I'm going to need some help to bring back my table. Will you help me?" Butch wasn't allowed to leave the shop until his boss said so, but it shouldn't be bad if he went to help their very own customer. "Sure. How far do you live from here?" "Mm…about 3 minutes away. Not too far." "Your daddy paid beforehand for this?" "Yes." They both lifted the table outside and set it down. Butch's boss got back. "I see you're here to pick up the table. Let me help you." Butch and Mr. Tate lifted the table onto Butch's horse which had a cart attached to the back for transporting wooden creations to customers. "How about you to take the rest of the day off, boy? Your achievement deserves it, but be back tomorrow bright and early, boy. We got more orders in." With a smile on his face he said, "Okay, sir. Thank you, sir." For Butch had never gotten a day off since day one of work. Butch told Lily to go first onto the horse. He helped her up and Butch got on. Off they rode to her house to drop off the order.
When they arrived to her house, they both got off. "Do you need some help with putting the table inside, Bartholomew?" "No I'm good. I got it." Butch struggled with the table. He didn't want to seem weak right in front of her. "You look like you need help. Here." Lily took the other side of the table and helped Butch take it inside her house. Lily's mother, Anna Beth Perkins, was there. "Oh, Lily, I see you got the table…Why hello there young man, I'm Lily's mother, Anna Beth." Lily's mama noticed Butch. "Hello ma'am." They set down the table into place. "Oh it is absolutely stunning. Whoever crafted this has a God given talent." "Mama, Bartholomew was the one who made this." Lily pointed at Butch. "Really? Oh, bless your soul young man. You have a knack." "Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate your acknowledgement." "Surely we must do something to repay you—" "Oh no thank you ma'am. You already paid for this table. That's enough." "I know, but we surely must give you something more than just money to thank you. How about you stay for dinner?" Butch didn't know what to say. He has never been given this much hospitality in his life. He didn't know if he was able to have dinner. He'd have to let his mother know, but it's not like his mother cares about him. "Thank you, Mrs. Perkins. That sounds nice." "You're very welcome dear. In the meantime, you can be with Lily as I prepare the food. It'll take a while. Go on now, you two." Butch was shy to be with Lily; for this is the first time he has ever been alone with someone around his own age. Lily took Butch outside in their front yard to sit down and talk on the porch. "So, Bartholomew, how old are you?" "I'm 15 years old. And you?" "I'm 15 too!" she smiled and Butch smiled back, but in a very shy way. "So what do you like to do, Bartholomew? What are your interests?" "Lily, don't call me Bartholomew, please. I'd like to be called Butch." "Oh, I'm sorry, Butch, anyways, what do you like to do in your spare time? Hobbies?" Butch thought about what he liked to do. He wasn't a very active and productive teenager. "Do you hunt?" "Yeah, of course I do." "Well, that's a hobby! What do you hunt?" "Anything really like rabbits mostly." "Swell." "What do you like to do?" Butch asked. "I like to play the violin. I also like to sing. I sing in the choir for our town's church." "Really? Can I hear you sing?" Lily had a sweet, yet soft laugh that Butch seemed to love hearing. "I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm really that good." "Oh I'm sure you are. Come on, for me?" Lily grinned. "Okay." She started singing a flowing melody that everyone in Texas knew. It was an old folk song called "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms". Butch was mesmerized by her angelic voice. It seemed everything about her was angelic the more Butch looked at her. Her eyes, voice, laugh, even her face. Butch came to like her. Really like her. This was the first time he liked someone in his life. Lily was done singing. "There. I sang, tell me how bad I was." she said in a joking manner. "You weren't bad at all! You have a very beautiful voice, Lily." Lily blushed. "Thank you." Butch saw a pretty flower in her garden nearby and got up to rip it off the grass. He put the flower behind Lily's ear. "For you. A beautiful flower…for a beautiful girl." Butch didn't know he had charm until he used it on Lily, and it worked. Lily blushed and took the flower from behind her ear and smelled it. She smiled and Butch and her continued talking for an hour or so holding each other's hands.
Dinner was ready in the Perkins' house. "Bartholomew! Lily! Dinner is ready!" Lily's mother called out and the two walked in. Butch realized Lily's father wasn't home yet. They both sat down at the table and prayed. "Lord, thank you for giving an amazing talent to this young man and thank you for giving us this food which we will feast upon tonight. In His name, Amen." And everyone began to eat. Butch was hungry. He was never fed too much at his place. "So, Bartholomew—" "Mother, he prefers being called Butch." Lily interrupted her mother. "Oh, well then, Butch, where do you live?" "Oh not too far from here, ma'am. Just a couple miles." Butch stuffed his face with the food provided. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm very hungry." He wiped his face with a piece of cloth. "That's alright, dear. There's plenty of food for you to eat. This was made for you." Lily's mother smiled. "So, Butch, did you have a good time talking with Lily today?" "Oh yes, ma'am. Your daughter is nice. She sang for me." "Yes, my daughter has a nice voice doesn't she? She's in the choir at the local church." "Yes, ma'am. Indeed she does." Lily smiled. "Lily, did you have a good time talking with Butch?" "Oh yes, mama, we had a good time talking about each other's hobbies and what not. We're good friends now." "That's good. So when's the wedding?" Mrs. Perkins said jokingly. Butch choked on his food. Lily spit out her water. Mrs. Perkins laughed. "Oh you two, I'm kidding!" Butch and Lily looked at each other in an affectionate way. "Mama, I just met Butch." "Oh I know that, but Butch is such a nice, handsome young man for you. It would be a shame if you two didn't get married." "Mama!" Lily looked down in embarrassment. Butch, on the other hand, kept smiling. "It's alright, Lily, I would make a good husband for someone and you, you would make a great wife for someone someday." Lily looked back up at Butch and her cheeks were as red as tomatoes. "Mama, can we change the subject before this gets uncomfortable?" "Oh alright, I was just having a little fun with you two. I was just teasing!" The rest of the dinner, they talked about miscellaneous topics. When they were finished eating, Butch helped Mrs. Perkins with cleaning up. "Well, it was sure nice of you to give me a dinner. It really made my day and it makes up for my birthday." "It was your birthday? When?" Mrs. Perkins asked as if she was going to throw another dinner for that. "Yesterday, but this was a celebration to me. Thank you again for the lovely dinner." Mrs. Perkins smiled at Butch for being such a respectful young man. "Any time. Thank you again for the table. It's a nice piece." "Well, I must be off now. It was nice meeting you. Enjoy your table!" Butch started heading out the door. Lily escorted him out. "When will I see you again?" "You'll see me sometime. If you ever want to see me, I'm always at the carpenter shop. You can stop by once in a while." Butch smiled. Lily held onto his hand. Butch then leaned in to kiss her on the lips. "See you soon, flower." He said as he held her face. And Butch rode back home looking back as Lily blew him a kiss with the flower still behind her ear.
It took Butch about 8 minutes to get home from Lily's house. When he finally arrived home at about 7 at night, his mother was waiting on the porch with a mad expression. Butch got off his horse and tied it to the stable. "Where were you, boy?" Mrs. Cavendish said to her son in an intimidating way. "I was eating dinner at a customer's house. They offered it because I made them a table at work." "You're not allowed to eat at others houses. You eat here and only here." "What are you talking about, ma? You don't feed me. You never cared when I was hungry. You never cared at all. I was hungry, so I said yes." Butch had to stand up to his mother. He walked past her and went inside the house. "What did you say, Bartholomew?" her voice rising higher and meaner. "I said you don't care about me. You never cared about me since day one." His mother began being verbally abusive towards her own son. Butch knew she was drunk because she looked unstable and she smelled of liquor. "Bartholomew Butch Cavendish, are you listening to me? Whose house were you at, boy?" "I told you! I was at a customer's house. Their daughter came and picked it up from the shop and I came all the way with her back to her house to drop it off. Her mother thanked me and appreciated my work so she offered dinner. The mother's name is Anna Beth Perkins and her daughter's name is Lily." Butch's mother stopped for a moment. She looked at Butch. "Did you say Anna Beth?" "Yes." "She has long blond hair and blue eyes?" "Yes." "You stay away from that no good woman. We had bad times together when we were teenagers." "She is such a nice woman though." "No she ain't. She's a devil. She was always tryin' to out do me. She was always doing one more better than me. She was such a show off. You stay away from her and her daughter. I reckon she's a devil too just like her mama." Butch got furious. He didn't want to hear such a bad thing said about his precious Lily. "Her daughter is not a devil, mama. And neither is Mrs. Perkins. You're just jealous. I can't wait to get out of here. I'm gonna marry Lily Perkins to get away from you and this wretched house!" Butch's mother got furious and picked up a kitchen knife off the table and held it towards Butch. "Damnit, Butch! After all I've done for you." "After all you've done for me? Name one thing you've done for me that was so great. You're nothing but a no good person. You were never there for me, you were never proud. Why should I stay here?" Butch's mother was becoming steamy with anger at what her son has said. She started violently approaching Butch with the knife. She put it near his face. "I'm gonna cut off your mouth, boy, if you don't shut it!" "Go ahead! I don't care!" "Why you little—" And Butch's mother swiped her knife at Butch's face accidentally cutting open the top right of his lip all the way from the bottom of his nose. Butch screamed. "Agh!" Butch felt the blood dripping from the cut his mother gave him. Butch furiously went to his room to pack up his clothes and grabbed his gun to put it in his pocket. "I'm leaving. I'm leaving this hell hole! I'm running away! Far, far away from here!" Butch's mother realized what she done and tried to apologize to Butch hoping things would be better. "Butch—I'm sorry—I didn't mea—" "Don't you say another word, you devil!" And Butch grabbed his bag full of clothes and walked right out the door not turning his head to see his mother crying. "Butch! Come back here!" He got onto his horse and rode off. After all these years, he felt strong and powerful for the first time in his life. For he did not care anymore. About his mother. His father. His past. His job. Or where he grew up. He had to leave.
With tears rushing down his face, he rode back to Lily's house hoping they'd be awake. When he got there, he got off his horse and he knocked on the door. He saw lights being turned on. Lily opened the door. "Butch! Why are you—" She noticed his lip. "Oh my goodness gracious, what happened to you?" She touched his lip. "Nothing, nothing. Don't worry about it. It will heal." Lily's mother ran to the door in her night gown. "My word, Butch! What in heaven's name—" "I'm fine, Mrs. Perkins. It was an accident. Listen, Lily. I'm running away. From here. From this town. I came here to say goodbye." He held her hand. Lily looking upset and helpless. "You can't leave, Butch. I'm your flower, remember?" "You are, Lily, you are. But I have to go. I can't stay here. My mama will come looking for me. She knows I had dinner at your house. She knows whose house I had it at because I told her. She knew your mama a long time ago and she does not like her. She got so mad she gave me this cut." "Who exactly is your mama, Butch?" Lily's mother interrupted. "Ma'am, my mama is Mary Ann. Mary Ann Cavendish." Mrs. Perkins looked at Butch. "Your mama…is Mary Ann?" "Yes ma'am." "And you're her son?" "Yes." She took Lily by the hand and pulled her inside slowly. "I'm sorry, but stay away from here and my daughter." "What?" Butch looked confused. "Stay away. Your mama and I were in bad terms before and even now. I don't wanna do anything with her or her family. You might hurt my daughter. So leave, boy." "But Mrs. Perkins, after all I did. I made you a table. I came in to your house with respect and courtesy. I never did anything to harm your daughter or you. I would never." "Please. Just leave, Butch. I'm sorry." And Mrs. Perkins closed the door, but Lily opened it back up and walked towards Butch and hugged him. "Lily Margaret Perkins! Come back inside and leave him be!" "No, mama! Butch, please don't leave." Lily began to cry. "I have to. I'm sorry. I have to run away from this town. No one here likes me, not even your own mama, not even my own mama. You're the only one that likes me here, but one person cannot change my mind. I have to go." And Butch took her hand and kissed it. He pointed at the flower behind her ear. "Keep that flower I gave you so it will remind you of me every day. I love you." He kissed her cheek and walked away. Tears fell down her cheek as she watched Butch get onto his horse. "Never forget me." And he rode off. She reached for the flower he gave her and held it close to her heart as she walked back inside her house.
Butch ran away from home as far away as possible and every single day he thought of Lily and only her. He missed her, but he had to leave. He didn't see a great future for himself in that dead beat town of his. Throughout the years, Butch had been roaming around Texas finding different places to sleep and to eat. He became corrupted gradually. He came across another run away by the name of Latham Cole. He was about Butch's age. They both were 17 and the two became instant friends. "That cut on your lip makes you look fierce." Latham said as he pointed at Butch's lip. They both found out that they came from the same background. Both once having abusive and neglecting households. As the two got older, the worse they became in soul. Butch wasn't nice anymore and became a thief. He robbed and killed anyone without feeling anything. Him and Latham were slowly shaping themselves into outlaws. Butch realized that in life if you're too nice, you'll be stepped all over, but if you seem intimidating and mean, you will be feared and get whatever you please. He also realized that the world was a cruel place. So Butch has become that way. Greedy, disrespectful, and he has forgotten about Lily. For he did not care for her anymore. Latham was a bad influence on Butch and has corrupted him. He taught him how to swear, to steal, and to do the unimaginable. Butch was nice from time to time, but when he didn't get his way, he became real nasty. He still fancied girls, but he was taught how to be a player from Latham. When Butch and Latham ran out of food, Butch would come across dead bodies in the desert and eat their body parts. He had no choice and became a cannibal. Latham didn't eat human flesh. That was the only good thing about him while on the other hand, Butch became an animal. The two rode off together wherever they could go. One day, they were riding through the desert on a hot day and the two passed out because of the heat. An Indian boy named Tonto found them and took them back to his village/tribe. The two awoke and the tribe greeted them with food and hospitality. As the two were eating by the river, they found chunks of silver in the ground. Latham asked the boy where the silver was. The boy refused to tell him and Latham pulled out a cheap pocket watch to trade with the boy for the location of the silver. The boy gladly took the watch and showed them the way. He led them to where the river began and Latham and Butch saw millions of valuable silver chunks. Butch and Latham now knowing where the silver was at, killed off the Indian boy's tribe so that only the two would own the silver to themselves leaving the Indian boy alone and deserted as they rode off as they devised a plan to get the whole lot of silver.
(Play "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" on YouTube while reading the rest of this. Keep letting it play throughout the whole entire song. It gives me chills and I almost cried.)
Back in Butch's childhood town, Lily was now grown up. She was 17 like Butch and still remembers him. She has an admirer now, but sometimes when she missed Butch, she would pick another flower from her garden and put it behind her ear pretending that the flower was from Butch as she softly sang and hummed "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" as she sat on her front porch where the two fell for each other couple years ago. She hasn't seen Butch ever since he ran away, but every single day, she waited by her front porch hoping he would come back.
He never did. And so her garden was filled with many unpicked flowers. Not one flower was picked off the ground… for now Butch is just a distant memory in her thoughts.
Lily fell to a high fever and died from it by the age of 19. Before she passed away, she softly told her mother these exact last words by her bedside, "If Butch comes back for me, mama, tell him to pick every single flower from our garden and put them on my grave."
And then she drew her last breath.