Late in the afternoon on the last day of spring semester exams, there was a soft knock on the door of Charlie Homer's office. "Come in." called the professor.

Paul Huxtable put his head in the door. "I know it's late, Professor, but I just finished my last exam. Hope I did alright. But I'd like to talk to you about . . ."

"Sure, Paul. Why do I think I know what you want to talk about? Or rather, who."

"You know . . . what happened?" Huxtable was startled.

"Sure. Smith came and talked to me." Homer motioned for Huxtable to sit down in the chair opposite his desk, under the print of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

"After he made me promise not to tell anyone." the young man was a bit miffed.

"He's knows I'm safe – just like you do. But cut him a break - he was scared, Paul! He is scared."

"Him? He's never scared of anything." scoffed Huxtable.

Homer shook his head, "You're wrong about Smith. He doesn't want you to be afraid of him – but he is afraid of you. Of what you know – and what you might guess."

Huxtable looked anxious. "Well, he scares me still. He answered some questions, but those were pretty bad answers. I asked every bad question I could think of and he answered 'yes' to almost every one."

"He's human, Paul. His past is bad. He knows that. You know he's changed a whole lot, after that posse put a bullet in his head."

"Gosh! Is that what happened?" Huxtable's blue eyes were very wide.

"I thought you knew that."

"I knew he got a bullet in the head – I didn't know it was a posse."

"It was. He was riding for his life." Homer carefully disguised, as Heyes always had for the Columbia crowd, even the existence of Heyes' partner. "The posse was out for the reward. But let me tell you this. I'm taking an awful chance with him. I'm staking my career on our friend 'Smith.' If he stays on the right side of the law and keeps doing so well in school, I look like a genius. But if he goes bad - the university president let him in on my word. It would be all over for both of us."

"Over? Maybe for Smith – he'd go to jail. If they could keep him in any jail! But no one is going to fire you, Professor!" Huxtable's trust in his advisor knew no bounds.

"Wrong, again, Huxtable. I'd go to jail, too – for aiding and abetting a fugitive from the law. So I guess you could say I trust your friend Smith," Professor Homer said with careful calm.

"Wow! I guess so! Does he know that – what a chance you're taking on him?"

"He's a pretty smart guy, Huxtable. I haven't laid it on the line for him like I just did for you, but I think he can figure it out. It puts a lot of pressure on both of us."

"He wouldn't be mad at you for telling me this?" Huxtable was anxious again.

"He trusts me, too. And we both trust you. Smith isn't my only top student, Mr. Huxtable. I think you know who the other genius is in this department." Professor Homer gave his star student a friendly wink.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooo

As April came to an end, a telegram arrived in Louisville for Thaddeus Jones. It was delivered to him as he was prowling the saloon one late afternoon, watching a couple of shady types who had joined some locals for a poker game. So the Kid snuck a peek at the slip of paper and, seeing the closing from Joshua Smith, he kept it in his pocket unread until the wee hours past closing time.

As Curry and Cat Christy prepared for their usual late bed time, the Kid read the telegram aloud to Cat.

"Can I please bring a phys . . . physics student with me query please procure for me 2 crates dynamite 14 ounces nitro 1 carpenter 1 photographer 2 mules and 1 quiet valley where can explode things safely stop will reimburse with interest stop thank you stop

Joshua Smith, Columbia University"

"Have you lost your mind!?" yelled the Kid, just as if Heyes was in the room with him.

"Quiet, sweetie. Don't want to wake the customers. Sounds like a Hannibal Heyes plan to me." laughed Cat as she combed out her long blonde hair.

"He really has lost his mind, Cat. Nitro? A quiet valley? A photographer? Sounds like a nice summer disaster to me." The Kid was pacing up and down in as much agitation as Heyes ever had. But then he stopped and laughed at himself as much as at his partner. "He really is nuts, Cat. Just like he always was. Never occurs to him to wonder if his plans might go wrong - for both of us."

"Simmer down, honey." soothed Cat, "I'm sure he can explain. You know for sure he's not stealing anything."

"Do I? Sounds just exactly like one of his lists from the Devil's Hole days. Except the photographer – that one's really weird! But I know, I know. He's not planning to break the law. But if I buy that stuff, the Sheriff's gonna hear about it and he's gonna wonder. I wonder."

"And a physics student? Must be for school. I'm sure it'll be perfectly innocent when we find out what it's really for, Jed. But I got to admit, I'm pretty curious," said Cat.

"Me too."

"Would he send you a telegraph across country to notify you that he was turning bad? Come on, Jed!" Cat ran her hand down her lover's back. He turned and kissed her, forgetting his wayward partner for the moment.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next morning Thaddeus Jones went to the telegraph message and sent the following message to his friend in New York:

"To Joshua Smith, Columbia University

Are you nuts query physics student yes stop no to rest until you explain stop No HHP here stop

Thaddeus Jones, Louisville, Colorado"

"Joshua Smith," on receiving this message laughed for some time. He hadn't seen the abbreviation HHP in years, but immediately and with delight recognized his partner's reference to that infamous phenomenon, the Hannibal Heyes plan. He replied:

"To Thaddeus Jones, Christy's Hotel, Louisville, Colorado

Not nuts stop physics experiment to test equations stop may be MA thesis for me and physics man stop alright query new kind of HHP And thanks stop

Joshua Smith, Columbia University"

He ran the New York reply past Cat and returned to the telegraph office to send their reply back to Heyes.

"To Joshua Smith, Columbia University

If you must stop we will get what we can including room for physics student stop come on stop are 2 nuts stop

Thaddeus Jones and Cat Christy, Louisville, Colorado"

The Kid chuckled wickedly as he shared the news with Cat in the Christy's back room. "Oh, does Heyes owe us for this!"

"Yeah, but he knows it, Jed. Rest assured, he knows it."

"I ain't assured and I won't rest." the Kid stated with emphasis. "He's taking us for granted, Cat. Let's see what we can do about that. What Kid Curry – Cat Christy plan can we come up with?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooo

A week and half after his unfortunate escape, and just after completing this exchange of telegrams with Colorado, Heyes carried a flat envelope with him into Beth's office at the clinic at closing time. This was his report card for the spring semester. He looked Beth in the eye and took a deep breath.

"Well?" she asked "are you going to open it or do you want me to?"

"I'm perfectly capable of opening a letter, thank you. If you'll just hand me that letter opener," said Heyes, sounding a bit testy. "I sure hope this doesn't damage my grade average too much."

"Stop dithering and open it." urged Beth as she handed him the miniature sword she kept on her desk.

Heyes slit the envelope with a single graceful motion. There was a tense moment as he read down the list. A smile broke out on his face, more of relief than of triumph. "All As, but a low one in . . . aesthetics. A pretty fair grade for the work, really. Reynolds didn't short me – not really."

Beth smiled, "After all that work, I hope we can get to some art exhibitions over the summer, after you get back from Louisville."

"Yeah, and you'll have to listen to . . . Plato with every painting." Heyes winked at Beth, who frowned mockingly at the thought.

Beth kept her voice light, "So, you won't be leading the class rankings this semester. It's not the end of the world, honey. Sometimes I think you obsess over your scores and your academic standing too much."

"Well, I am a math guy. I love scores," Heyes' eyes sparkled at his fiancé.

"You love them when they're high." Beth chuckled.

"Yeah." He grinned at her. How well she knew him! "But mostly, you know I've got to b . . . build up my record any way I can to offset the other thing the schools I apply to will be hearing." This subject tended to bring out his aphasia.

"That awful name." Beth hated to think of what would happen when it got out.

"You got it." Heyes grimaced in anticipation.

Beth stroked his hand, "If only you could just keep being Joshua Smith. Maybe they'll let you keep that name. I do like it. I know Lom Trevors gave you the Smith part – where did Joshua come from?"

Heyes' eyes looked distant for a moment and his voice went flat. "My father."

Beth knew better than to ask any further in that direction, much as she would like to have. She brought the subject from the difficult past to the more enjoyable present, "Well, now you get a couple of weeks in Colorado. I hope you and Jed can get some time to just enjoy riding around the mountains. Just relax."

Heyes smiled ironically, "Relax. Don't know if I know how anymore. I'll be doing . . . experiments, actually – for that stuff on explosion stresses for my MA thesis. Want to see if it really works. Don't know what I'll do it if doesn't. Jed and I just had a kind of proddy telegram exchange over it. He's not real happy with me . . . my asking him to get nitro and exploding things. But it'll be fun. The Kid likes blowing things up just like I do. But, Beth, I wish you could come. I mean, not for blowing things up, but I'll be lonesome without you." He reached for her hand.

Beth took his hand and rubbed her soft cheek on it. "It's just two weeks – between train rides. I'll be here when you get back. And I'll go to Louisville with you at Christmas."

"I'm kind of looking forward to the intensive French class when I get back here this summer. I've got such a lovely tutor." Heyes smiled at Beth, who had taken on the assignment as a contract job.

She smiled back suggestively, "I'll enjoy it, too, Heyes. Mon cher amor."

"Oh stop it! I don't know what you said yet." Heyes crossed his arms and playfully pouted at his sweetheart and tutor. But there was some reality to his hurt - he hated to be out of the know on anything.

"Then come here and let me demonstrate, darling. Mon - my (masculine singular) . . . cher – dear (very dear) . . . amor – love (hmn)," Beth murmured with a tender kiss between each translation and its low-voiced commentary.

"Hmn," moaned Heyes, putting his arms around her, "I might enjoy these lessons even more than I thought . . ."