Chapter 5

Buck was due to return and but was late. Teaspoon debated if he should send out the other riders to look for him or wait another day. He decided to return to Mr. Tompkins' store to see if the missing purse had been found. Upon entering Mr. Tompkins seemed frustrated and flustered. One of the local farmers stood before him asking for credit to buy some supplies.

The young farmer wore a white shirt and tan trousers with matching suspenders with dirty boots. He had curly light brown hair and begged, "Please Mr. Tompkins. I need the supplies."

"You haven't paid me for last months' supplies." he rebutted.

"I will as soon as I can." he promised. "Just add it to my account."

The shopkeeper scowled, "You already have over a months' worth of supplies on that account."

Teaspoon approached, "Is there an issue here?" he casually asked.

The farmer glanced at Teaspoon and feared he would be arrested for the debt. He stammered, "No!" He then marched off but as he approached the door he huffed, "I'll get your money…somehow…" he barged through the front door to figure out a way to pay the debt.

Tompkins shook his head, "He's already a month behind and wanted me to give him more credit."

Teaspoon reminded him, "This here drought is affecting the farmers. Crops don't grow without rain."

"I can't keep getting supplies without money." he rebutted.

"You find that missing purse by any chance?" Teaspoon wondered.

H shook his head, "No! It was an expensive purse. I'm out a whole dollar and twenty five cents plus the cost of shipping. I don't make a lot of money running this shop, Teaspoon. My profit margin is very small." He shook his finger, "That boy stole it and now I'm out more money. Then the drought has affected the locals and everyone wants everything on credit." He threw up his hands, "I can't afford that!"

"You have no proof that Pip stole it," he rebutted.

"He stole it!" he insisted. "He was looking at it and he must have taken it. I'm not sure why but it must have been him."

Teaspoon shook his head, "I don't think it was him."

"Well, he's not allowed back in this store!" Tompkins proclaimed. "Neither is the one who was with him…Lou."

"Lou didn't take it either!" Teaspoon replied.

"Maybe the two are working together?" he suggested. "Things are tight enough as it is and now I have to watch out for thieves." he complained.

Teaspoon simply shook his head, "I'm sure you'll find that missing purse." He then added, "Ease up on the farmers. Everyone is being affected by this here drought." He was about to leave the store when the other riders walked inside.

Jimmy spied Teaspoon and called, "Buck ain't back yet, Teaspoon."

"I know he's late." he agreed.

Kid asked, "Should we go look for him?"

"Let's give him a little time. It's not like any of you boys haven't been late before." he soothed hoping Buck would ride back into the station soon.

Lou walked in behind Kid as she wondered if the missing purse was found. As she stepped foot inside the door Mr. Tompkins hollered at her, "You're not allowed in my store!"

Lou stood shocked, "What?"

"When your friend brings back that missing purse then you can come back in. Until then, you and that bad influence are not allowed in my store."

Lou proclaimed, "Pip didn't steal it! I was there! We didn't take it."

He huffed, "Prove it!"

"We proved it last night." she rebutted.

"No ya didn't," he waved the claim off. "That little pipsqueak just gave Teaspoon a hard time." He shook his finger, "You get that purse back and then you can come back into my store."

"Fine," Lou turned and barged out the door upset. She knew they were innocent but Mr. Tompkins seemed determined to insist that Pip stole the purse.

Inside the store Kid huffed, "Lou didn't steal anything!" He looked to Teaspoon for answers.

"I can't go through Pip's personal things without a search warrant." he reminded him.

Kid grew frustrated and marched out the door with the other riders behind him. None of the boys felt welcomed as long as Mr. Tompkins had forbid Lou to come into the store. Kid figured Pip must have hid the purse somewhere and was going to find it and return it to Mr. Tompkins himself to save Lou's reputation.

Kid soon arrived back at the bunkhouse and went right to Pip's things. He started rummaging through the clothing and personal belongings. He found the small blue box and opened it wondering what was really inside. He spied the silver baby spoon and just shrugged it off for it didn't seem like much to him. He handed it to Jimmy who wanted to help.

Jimmy look at the spoon, "It's not a silver bullet. It's a baby spoon!" he sounded disappointed. He really wanted to see a silver bullet.

Billy laughed, "You really thought it was a bullet made out of silver, Jimmy?"

He shrugged, "It could be."

Kid found a small blue velvet pouch with something inside. He opened it and discovered a silver locket. He handed it off still searching for the missing purse.

Billy looked at the locket, "Just some old locket."

Kid found a wooden box next and opened it to reveal an ivory handle pen and ink well set. He stated, "Just some pen!" he handed that off to Jimmy.

"Nice handle on it." he noted. "It's like one of them professional pens."

Billy smirked, "He said he's an accountant."

Kid then found twenty dollars but no purse. He began searching feverishly but so far he turned up nothing.

Rachel walked into the bunkhouse and discovered Kid and the boys going through Pip's bed and things. She huffed, "What are you boys doing?"

Kid explained, "Mr. Tompkins won't let Lou in his store unless we find that purse."

"Pip didn't steal it!" she told them. She got to Kid and grabbed the clothing from his hands, "Enough of this! You have no right to go through her things."

The boys paused and traded glances.

Jimmy asked, "Her?"

She smirked at them, "In case you haven't noticed…Pip is a girl too. That's why she and Lou get along so well. They are both in the Pony Express together." She scolded the boys who stood looking a bit dumbstruck. "Pip is helping Lou set up a savings account in the bank. Do you really think someone who has a degree in accounting who is helping her friend set up a savings account in the bank is gonna go about stealing things?"

Kid and the boys traded glances. He shrugged, "I guess not." He squinted, "Any of you all know she's a girl?"

Jimmy admitted, "I didn't but I'm glad."

Rachel spied the things sitting on the table. She noticed the spoon in the small box and picked the article up. She looked it over, "This is what is in that little box she was so concerned about? A baby spoon!" She lifted the tiny silver spoon out and examined it. The initials A.H. were engraved on the back. "This is just a baby spoon." she couldn't figure out why it was so important.

Teaspoon walked into the bunkhouse next to call on the riders to go search for Buck. He found Rachel and the boys looking at the items that Kid found in Pip's things. He gave a heavy sigh, "What ya all doing?" he asked suspiciously.

Rachel informed, "I found the boys going through Pip's things. They were looking for that missing purse. It's not here." she assured him.

Teaspoon stated, "I knew that from the get go. But I had to prove it to Tompkins." His eyes settled on the baby spoon that Rachel held in her hands. Gently he grasped the spoon for he recognized it. "Where did you get this?" he gasped. He then realized they found it in Pip's belongings.

Kid replied, "That was what was in that little blue box that you found last night."

Rachel found Teaspoon's reaction very telling. She asked him, "What is it, Teaspoon?"

He was nearly in tears as he swallowed hard. "I need to know where Pip got this."

"It's just an old baby spoon!" Kid told him. "It's not worth that much."

"It's worth a lot to me." he stated. He wiped the tears from is eyes and spied the locket. His thick finger grasped the jewelry and he gently opened the locket and found two hand-painted miniature portraits: One of himself and the other of his first wife. He gathered himself wondering how Pip got the articles.

Pip walked in with Lou next as she had opened a bank deposit box for her time in the station. She came to gather her silver spoon, locket and pen when she found Teaspoon and the riders had her prized possessions laid out on the table.

Lou stood dumbstruck at the sight.

Pip huffed angry, "What are you doing?" She couldn't believe the scene before her.

Rachel tried to explain, "Mr. Tompkins won't let Lou or you back into his store unless we find the missing purse. The boys started going through your things looking for it."

Teaspoon turned and looked at her. His eyes narrowed, "Where did you get this locket and this spoon from?"

"It's mine!" she told him.

He grew angry for he figured this young rider must have stolen it. He tried to keep his calm but anger bubbled up inside. "Where did you get this from?" he growled.

"It belonged to my mother." she told him. "It's all I got left of her."

He held the locket before her, "This locket doesn't belong to you. Neither does this spoon. It belonged to my late wife…My first wife…Isabelle."

She cocked an eyebrow, "First wife! How many times were you married?"

He growled, "That's none of your business! Now, how did you get this?"

"Mabel gave it to me when I was old enough." she replied. "She was my mother's housekeeper…"

"Mabel was a slave that worked for my wife's father in the homestead." he recalled.

Pip tried to explain the story, "She got me out and brought me to New York."

Teaspoon snorted, "Mabel stole my wife's belongings and gave them to you?!"

"No," she shook her head. "The ranch was under attack and my mother told Mabel to get me to safety and gave her the locket and spoon to give to me. I was a baby."

"The baby died in the attack." he rebutted. "After I got back from the Alamo, there was nothing left of the ranch. My wife and my new born baby were murdered."

"Mabel saved me and got me out!" she tried to tell him.

"My baby was a girl." he shook his head.

"I know," she nodded.

Rachel gasped as she figured the situation out. She took a deep breath and stated, "Teaspoon! Pip is your daughter."

"My daughter's name was…" he stood befuddled. Daughter! How could this rider be his daughter?

"Agnes," she stated.

He nodded, "Agnes!" Slowly his mind put the pieces together.

She removed her hat and looked at him. "I'm not a boy! I'm a girl dressed like a boy. I came out here to meet you. I didn't steal anything and my bosses know I am here and that I am riding and that you are my father." She then stated, "I didn't know that you thought that I was dead. I assumed you knew Mabel got me out."

"I thought Mabel was sold and I had no idea you were alive." he confessed. He shook, "I'm your pa. You're the baby that was killed…wasn't killed…Mabel saved you and got you to a safe place."

"Mabel raised me. She took me to New York City through the underground and landed a job working for a lawyer as his housekeeper. She told him the story and he helped me as much as he could. His first wife wanted to adopt me because Mabel and I thought you and my mother were both dead. She died and his second wife didn't like me much so I was never adopted by him but he raised me as part of his family. I only found out you were alive a few months ago. I told my bosses that I found your name on the payroll and what had happened. I wanted to meet you so they let me come out west as a rider so I could work under you."

A smile crept across Rachel's face, "You dressed up like a boy, got assigned to ride just so you could meet your father who you thought had died when you were a baby."

She nodded, "I did." She looked about the riders, "Lou and Rachel figured me out right away. I'm not sure why it took you boys so long."

Rachel stated, "I think Lou had an advantage over the boys."

Teaspoon stood beside himself as his mind churned the information. The baby girl he thought had died was alive and well and standing before him. "I guess we got a lot to catch up on, Agnes." he sniffed feeling overwhelmed.

"We do," she agreed with a soft smile.