Kindred Souls

by Kathy Knudsen1

While there are two schools of thought as to whether Kid and Heyes are cousins, this story assumes they are not, and tells the tale of just how two orphan boys came to become Kindred Souls

Kindred Souls

(While there are basically two schools of thought on the matter, I tend to go with the theory that Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry are cousins. But, if they are not related (the second school of thought), how did they meet and how did they come to be such a perfect fit? It was not some life changing single event, but rather a lifetime of facing life's hardships together. This story tells how the seed was planted and began to grow, but the nurturing lasted a lifetime).

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"Do you go to church regularly?" Sister Julia asked.

"Uhm, we did, back at the home," Kid stammered.

"The home?"

"The Valparaiso School for Waywards," Heyes explained...

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Twelve year old Hannibal Heyes leaned against a corner post on the long porch of the Valparaiso School for Wayards. Almost thirteen, he was one of the oldest boys under the care and watchful eye of the orphanage. While children officially graduated at the age of sixteen, the school did not have a boastful number of graduates as most boys ran away at least once. Those that were not successful the first time, usually continued trying.

With a stick in one hand and a pocket knife in the other, Heyes, as he insisted on being called, whittled away at the piece of wood with no intention other than to see just how thin he could trim the stick before it broke. Today was Tuesday, and every Tuesday the Stable Manager drove a wagon into town to meet the train and pick up however many orphans had been newly assigned to the Valparaiso School.

Heyes took these new recruits very seriously. The new recruits varied in age from six to fifteen, and as the self proclaimed leader of all the boys, Heyes saw the new arrivals as lumps of clay to be molded and shaped. He would study each child as he climbed out of the back of the wagon, gathered whatever meager possessions he might have, and walk in single file up the walk, up the steps, and into the large and uninviting building. This quick evaluation would earn the boy one of three labels: first underling, gopher, or phlebian, a person too common to be deemed useful.

The sound of horse hooves drew Heyes' attention and he looked down the street and smiled as the wagon approached. There were four boys sitting in the back of the wagon. Two of the boys looked to be six or seven years old. They sat side by side, heads down, each clutching a small brown suitcase. The third boy looked to be at or about Heyes' age. He held his head high, his eyes carefully scanning his surroundings.

The fourth boy had a mop of curly blond hair. He appeared to be nine or ten years old but, were it not for his height, Heyes might have guessed him to be younger. He sat at a slight distance from the other boys, but occasionally spoke a word or two to the two huddled close together and they would nod in response. This forth boy revealed no expression on his face, and his notable blue eyes appeared to take in his surroundings with an air of indifference, that is, until his eyes fell upon the boy standing on the porch watching him. This boy did not drop his gaze, and Heyes knew this boy was sizing him up every bit as much as Heyes was doing to the boy. Heyes held the gaze and not until the four boys were instructed to climb out of the wagon and form a single line, did the blond boy look away.

Heyes tossed the stick into the side yard and folded his pocket knife and tucked it in his pants pocket. Then he hopped up and sat on the porch railing and watched the four boys file into the building. Once they were out of sight, Heyes jumped off the porch and ran to a side entrance. He had sneaked out of Study Hall to see the new recruits, but he had to hurry to reach his next class before the classroom door was closed, as children arriving late for class were not permitted entry and instead, spent the hour in the Headmaster's Office.

All the students gathered in the dining hall at the same time for lunch. Six tables, each capable of seating ten students filled the room. On Tuesdays, after each student had picked up his metal tray of food and was seated, the new arrivals were ushered into the room and seated at an empty table larger than the others. One student from each table was then permitted (expected), to move to the table with the new students.

Heyes was the first to gather his tray and move to the new student table. He sat down next to the student who appeared to be near his own age, and directly across from the blond student. Once the table was full, Heyes, being more or less the leader of the boys, took charge.

"I'm Heyes, plain and simple. What's your name?" he asked of the boy seated next to him.

"Jim Lofton," the boy replied without looking up from his tray of food.

"How about you two?" Heyes asked of the two younger children, still staying very close to each other.

The shiest of the two boys leaned in nearer to his brother, but the other gathered his courage to speak. "I'm Frank Butler and this is my brother, Tom."

"How long you been orphans?" Heyes asked.

The question shocked Frank, and Tom looked ready to burst into tears.

"Leave em be," the blond boy said in a soft voice that was not threatening, but showed no fear.

Heyes looked across the table and was himself surprised that the blond boy locked eyes with him. "Who are you?" Heyes asked.

"Jed Curry."

"Well Jed Curry, I was only asking cause I was gonna tell them it gets easier after a little time has passed," Heyes replied, still holding the other boy's gaze.

"You tell him, Heyes," one of the students at the table said. "New kid's got no call to question."

Still staring down the blond boy, a slight smile dusted Heyes' face. "Give him a pass, Billy. He was only looking out for these new kids."

It was Jed who finally relented and dropped his gaze, but Heyes could see he did so out of indifference rather than intimidation.

One of the teachers rang a bell and the students began to stand and file out of the room. Heyes and the other students at the table all stood to leave, but the four new students, uncertain of what they should do, remained seated.

"You fellas enjoy the rest of your tour. Your first two days are easy. Tomorrow you take your aptitude tests, then Thursday you'll start classes," Heyes explained and gave the blond boy a wink before heading off to class.

"What's aptitude tests?" Frank asked.

"It lets the school know how smart you are," Jim replied.

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Late in the afternoon the new students were returned to the dormitory. Most of the other students were already in the dorm and the new boys felt every eye on them as they walked into the room.

Heyes was sitting on his bed with an open book, giving the impression of studying though his attention was actually very much focused on the new boys. The bed next to Heyes had been a vacant bed, but he had noticed the footlocker had been left open and a few items had been placed inside. He was hoping Jim had been assigned to the bed since Jim was the oldest of the new boys.

But it was Jed who dropped the lid of the footlocker and sat down with his back to Heyes so he could see most of the dorm room and he watched Frank and Tom make their way through the room.

The two young boys stopped at the bed beside Jed and hesitated. Jed watched as Frank took Tom by the arm and moved up toward the head of the bed. Frank then nodded at Tom to sit down. Tom sat very stiffly and Frank then glanced down the room toward his own bed at the far end of the room.

"He'll be alright," Jed said quietly. "I'll watch his back."

Frank smiled nervously. "He's scared of strangers," Frank told him.

"Good thing we ain't strangers, then," Jed replied. "We spent the whole day together. Tom and me is the next best thing to blood brothers by now," Jed said, offering Tom a warm smile.

Frank nodded and gave his brother a reassuring pat on the shoulder, then turned and walked down to his own bed.

Heyes had eyed the whole encounter but quickly stuck his nose back in his book when Jed brought his legs up on the bed, clasped his hands behind his head, and leaned back against the headboard.

"How old are you?" Heyes asked without taking his eyes off the page he was pretending to read.

Jed cocked his head and looked sideways in Heyes' direction. "Ten. How old are you?"

"Almost thirteen."

"Almost thirteen ain't there yet," Jed replied and settled his head back down in his clasped hands and closed his eyes.

"You always been soft hearted?" Heyes asked.

"You always been nosy?"

Heyes smiled and closed his book, then swung his legs over the side of the bed to face Jed. "We could go on like this all day, but it wouldn't get us anywhere. Where you from?"

"Lawrence, how 'bout you?"

"Wellington."

"How long you been here?"

"Two years, but I ain't staying."

Jed didn't reply. Having nothing invested in the formation of any friendship, it mattered little to him if Heyes stayed or left. He opened his eyes and took a glance toward Frank. "You ain't nailed to that bed. You can go down to sit with your brother for a while iffin' you're wantin' to."

Frank smiled and headed down to the other end of the room.

"So what's your story?" Heyes asked.

"Likely same as yours and every other boy in this room."

Heyes snorted which caused Jed to cock his head again. "What?" he asked.

"You're a real puzzle. You look all sweet and innocent, You take them two young boys under your wings, and then the next minute you're all cocky and arrogant. Yes sir, you're a real puzzle."

Jed sat up and threw his legs over the bed and clasped his hands loosely in his lap before addressing the boy who envisioned himself the leader of all the other boys. "Look, we ain't known each other more than a few hours, and ain't talked more than a few minutes. I don't warm up quick to strangers even if they do know their way around the block. Now it's obvious most of these boys look up to you but at the moment I don't happen to be one of em. We understand each other?"

Heyes curtailed a smile. The more he get to know this boy, the more potential he saw in a lasting, maybe even a trusting friendship. "Yeah, we understand each other. Maybe more than either one of us knows."

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After breakfast the next morning, while the students all hurried off to class, Jed, Jim, Frank and Tom were all ushered off to an empty classroom where they spent the morning taking tests for such things as identifying similar animals and shapes by the pictures presented, and choosing the best of four solutions to paragraph long situations.

The afternoon was devoted to a lengthy exam covering subjects such as Arithmetic, Grammar, History, Science, and Literature. These tests were designed to determine just what grade each boy would be assigned.

"When you complete your exam, bring it up to the desk and then you may leave. I will grade the exams and notify you yet today as to what grade you will be placed in. Your regular schooling will begin tomorrow," the teacher explained.

Two hours later, Hannibal Heyes was in the second floor library browsing the shelves for a book, when he happened to glance out the window and saw Jed Curry walking across the very large yard toward the barn. None of the students ever had reason to go to the barn, but Jed was walking with determination in his gait. Heyes stood at the window and watched until Jed disappeared from view inside the barn.

Coming from a farm, Jed was familiar with the workings inside a barn. He knew the smells and actually took a deep breath as he stepped inside as the familiarity was somehow comforting.

"None of you boys has got any reason to be in here. You git now," Amos Cutter, the stable manager called down to Jed from the loft.

"Sir, don't know if you remember me," Jed called back up to him. "But you brung me here from the train two days ago."

Cutter walked to the edge of the loft and peered down at the lanky boy who stood in the center of the barn staring up at him.

"I remember. What do you want?"

"A job, sir."

"A job? Doing what?"

"Born and raised on a farm. I know animals and I know hard work. I was thinking I could help out here after school and on weekends. I ain't afraid of doing the dirtier jobs. I can clean stalls, pitch hay, brush down your horses, or anything else you might need doing."

Cutter had never been approached by a student wanting a job before and was not certain the Headmaster even allowed students to hold down a job. But he was impressed by this boy's willingness to work and earn his own way. "You stay right there," he said and walked over to the ladder and climbed down.

"You got clearance from the Headmaster to take on a job?" Cutter asked as he grabbed an old rag from a peg and wiped his hands.

"My understanding is that our time after classes is our own. We just ain't supposed to leave the school grounds without permission. The barn is on school grounds, so I suppose working here is my own decision, iffin you'll hire me, that is."

Cutter liked the boy's independence and attitude. Unlike the teachers and other employees, Cutter was paid by the state of Kansas, not by anyone working at the school.

"Can you shoe a horse or trim the hooves?"

Jed had never done either and felt the possibility of a job slipping away. "Ain't never done neither, but I can learn," he replied.

Cutter had not expected a ten year old boy to have done such jobs as both required some skill, training, and the strength of a man. He had merely been testing the boy's honesty. "You strong enough to move a bale of hay across the barn?"

Kid smiled. "I can move a whole stack of bales Sir, and like I said, I can feed, brush, harness a horse. I can clean stalls and haul dung with a barrow. I ain't afraid of hard work, Sir."

"Alright. We'll give this a go. Two hours every afternoon after school and all day Saturdays. I'll pay you two dollars a week."

Jed smiled and offered his hand to Cutter. "I'll start tomorrow, then?"

Cutter shook Jed's hand, surprised at how firm the handshake was. "What did you say your name was?"

"It's Jed, Sir. Jed Curry."

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At supper that evening, Heyes made a point to sit with Jed, hoping to discover what he had been up to that afternoon. Added to his curiosity was that fact that near the end of the meal, the Headmaster stopped by and whispered something into Jed's ear. Jed had merely nodded and the Headmaster moved on in search of the other three new students.

"Let's see, you're ten so that should put you in the fifth grade," Heyes said from across the table.

Jed put a bite of potatoes in his mouth but offered no reply.

"Fourth grade?" Heyes asked with mock disappointment.

"You are an inquisitive one, ain't you?" Jed replied.

Heyes' eyes grew wide. "Third grade?" he asked.

Jed put his fork down and clasped his hands as he rested them on the table. "If you must know, he's putting me in the sixth grade."

"You're skipping a grade?" Heyes asked.

"No, I tested into a grade. Seems the school I went to was a bit more advanced than this place."

Heyes smiled. "A regular scholar, you are."

The comment made Jed smile. "More likely I just had a good teacher," Jed replied.

"And likely folks that made you study."

Heyes saw the smile fade from Jed's face and his eyes dropped down to his plate. Not wanting Jed to retreat back behind his self protecting wall of invisible armor, Heyes quickly changed the subject of conversation.

"Sixth grade puts you is Mr. Harborrow's class. You're lucky, he's one of the better teachers here. He likes to do a lot of what he calls 'hands-on' teaching. Like for science, he does a lot of demonstration experiments and a lot of outside teaching."

"Outside teaching?" Jed asked.

"Walks through the woods for tree identification. You'll hafta do a leaf collection. You gather leaves off of trees and paste em to a sheet of paper, then write down what kind of tree they came from, what their Latin name is, what their seeds and fruits look like, that sort of thing.

"Latin name?"

"Like an Elm tree is genus Ulmas."

"I don't know Latin," Jed replied.

"Mr. Harbarrow has got books for you to look up the Latin names. It ain't hard."

Jed looked at Heyes with some curiosity. "You actually like school, don't you?"

"I like learning new things. I like reading about places I ain't never seen. I like figuring out things, like how things work. Yeah, I guess I like school."

"I like doing things with my hands. Comes from farming, I guess. I like to go hunting and fishing. I'm good with a hand gun but not so much with a rifle."

"You got a hand gun?" Heyes asked.

Jed shook his head. "I did. Well, it was my Pa's gun. A Colt .45 but he showed me how to adjust the balance to my own liking. I couldn't find it when we went through the rubble. S'pect soldiers stole it."

"You're folks got raided?" Heyes asked quietly, being careful to tread lightly so Jed wouldn't shut him down.

Jed nodded. "Damn war," he muttered.

"You know," Heyes said, again trying to lighten the conversation. "I know of a great fishing spot. I'll take you there Saturday if you want?"

"I can't. I hafta work."

"Sunday then?" Heyes asked, assuming by work Jed was referring to homework."

Jed raised his eyes to Heyes and smiled. "Sunday would be fine."

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Thursday was the first day of class for the new students and the last day of class for the week. Jed walked down the hall looking for Mr. Harbarrow's sixth grade class when he saw Frank and Tom in the hall, both looking very forlorn. Jed realized that at six years old, it was quite likely that neither child could read and therefore, could not determine which classroom they belonged.

"You feeling as lost as I am?" Jed asked the two young boys.

Tom nodded as he clung to his brothers sleeve.

"What's your teacher's name?" Jed asked.

"Mr. Norton," Frank replied.

Jed looked at the name on the nearest door. It was not Mr. Norton. Let's go back to the end of the hall and work our way down till we find it. I wouldn't want the two of you to be late on your first day."

As it turned out, Mr. Norton's classroom was the third one they came upon. "Right here you go," Jed told them, then bent down so he was eye level with Tom. "I bet you turn out to be one of Mr. Norton's favorites, that is if you raise your hand once in a while, and don't shy away from answering his questions," Jed told him, then gave him a wink and tousled his hair with his hand.

Jed then stood up and ushered them into the classroom. "Tom, I want you to tell me all about your first day tonight, alright?"

"Sure, Jed," Tom replied.

Jed then continued his own search and reached Mr. Hasborrow's classroom just as the teacher was pulling the door closed. Jed reached for the door and kept it from closing and found himself face to face with the teacher.

"I'm sorry sir, but I had some trouble finding the right room."

"You must be Mr. Curry?" the teacher asked.

"Yes sir."

"Don't be late again or you'll spend the hour in the Headmaster's Office."

"No sir, I won't be late again."

Mr. Hasborrow stepped back, giving Jed the room to enter the classroom and take an empty seat.

The remainder of the school day went more smoothly than the beginning and as soon as class was over, Jed ran upstairs and dropped his books on his bed, then darted out again and ran across the yard to the barn.

"Where do you want me to start Mr. Cutter?"

"You said you was good with animals, so you can start by cleaning the stalls."

"Yes sir," Jed replied and set to work.

Despite working only two hours, Jed was tired when he headed back to the school for supper. He picked up his tray and started to head to his usual table with some of the older boys, but spied Frank and Tom sitting at a table with just two other boys.

"You mind if I join you?" Jed asked as he slid into a seat next to Tom. I believe you was gonna give me a full report about your first day of school. You two like your teacher?"

Frank and Tom looked at each other but said nothing

"What's the matter with Mr. Norton?" Jed asked.

"He won't let Tom and me share a desk," Frank confessed.

"Was there an empty desk the two of you could share?" Jed asked.

Frank nodded. "Three of em."

"Did he tell you why, then?"

"He said we gotta learn to dance in our pants," Tom replied.

"What?" Jed asked with a completely confused expression.

"He said we gotta be in the pants dance."

"In the pants dance," Jed repeated. "in the pants dance...in da pen dance... Oh, he said you gotta learn independence?"

Both boys nodded and Jed bit his lip to keep from smiling.

"You know what independence means?" Jed asked.

Both boys shook their heads.

"It means he wants you two to learn to stand on your own two feet and not rely on the other so much."

"So we don't gotta learn to dance?" Tom asked with some relief.

"No. He just wants you to be able to do things on your own. Seems to me he might be jumping the gun a bit but I guess he knows what he's doing. You still get to be with each other at lunch and recess, right?"

The two boys nodded.

"Try it his way for a week and see how it goes. I'm guessing it'll get a bit easier as you go along. You willing to do that?"

Both boys reluctantly nodded.

"If it ain't no easier at the end of next week, you let me know," Jed told them, though he knew there was not much he could do about their situation.

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While Jed maintained a quiet control that never gave hint to what he was thinking, dreams haunted him in his sleep as he often relived the horrors of what had come to be known as Bloody Kansas. More specifically those dreams focused on the events that he himself had witnessed. They followed a specif pattern from start to finish and always began with his terrifying run from the back window of the family cabin to the woods just a few yard away, then moving deep into the thick forest to make his way through six miles of trees and overgrown brush, all the while keeping a watchful eye for soldiers. Always he heard the snorting of horses just before he threw himself down a ravine to hide in the underbrush, then peeked through the brush to watch the soldiers astride their horses, making their way toward the Curry farm before moving on to all the surrounding farms to pillage for food, gold or silver coins, pewter, and other valuables. The dream continued as he reached the town, panting from exhaustion, and notifying the sheriff of what was happening at his home. Always the dream concluded when he, the Sheriff, and his randomly sworn deputies arrive back at the Curry farm only to find his home in flames, his family dead, his childhood abruptly destroyed. Jed often mumbled, occasionally cried out, and always woke in a cold sweat, but all he remembered of the nightmares was the feeling of dark emptiness he felt when he woke.

Heyes, always a light sleeper was usually privy to these restless fits of anguish. But he always feigned sleep and never offered even a hint of any knowledge of Jed's internal anguish, and once Jed was fully awake, he'd look in the moonlit shadows of the dormitory room to the person sleeping on either side, then settle back down in the bed for the remainder of a now sleepless night.

On one such occasion, Jed saw the silhouette of Jim Lofton sitting on the sill of the window, staring out into the darkness. Jim was a quiet boy who kept mostly to himself. He wasn't unfriendly by any means, but never initiated a conversation with any of the other boys or instigated any mischief. Jed watched him for several minutes while the boy never moved a muscle from his perch, and Jed knowing that each boy in the room had a story, wondered what demons taunted Jim in the dark of the night.

Little did Jed know that Heyes was keeping a watchful eye on both boys.

As always, morning brought some clarity of thought, stowing the memories into the mindful recesses where the realities of life kept careful guard. Jed had a full day of work ahead of him and at the first sign of dawn, he pulled back the blankets and slipped from his bed to dress for his first full day of work. He glanced down the long row of beds to the window and saw that Jim was gone, having returned to his bed sometime in the night. Even Heyes had drifted off to sleep, and Jed picked up his boots and quietly padded across the room in his socks and slipped out the door.

It was nearly suppertime when anyone in the school finally saw Jed Curry that day. His boots and fingernails were thick with dirt, and smudges adorned his face when he picked up his supper tray and slipped into his usual seat at the table.

"I thought you said you had to work today," Heyes declared before Jed had eaten even one bite of his food.

"That's right," Jed replied.

"Where did you study? You weren't in the dorm, and you weren't in the library. I didn't see you on the porch or under the oak tree."

"Who said I was studying?" Jed asked.

Heyes looked at him with some curiosity. "Then what was you doing?"

"You suddenly my keeper?" Jed asked.

Exasperated with what he saw as Jed's evasiveness, Heyes picked up his tray to leave. "You do know nothing stays a secret around here, don't you?"

Jed looked up though he continued to eat. "I don't harbor no secrets, but I don't go poking into other people's business neither."

Frustrated with Jed's arrogance, Heyes glowered at him. As the senior elder of the boys in the dormitory, Heyes had assumed a certain level of responsibility toward them and most all the boys held some level of respect toward Heyes. Jed was not interested in usurping this hierarchy, but neither did he care about engaging in it.

"We still going fishing tomorrow," Jed asked as Heyes walked away.

The question brought Heyes to a halt and he turned back toward the boy who presented Heyes with a charming smile. "The fish are biting early," he replied, then walked away.

Jed finished his meal, then headed out the front door, intending to find an oak branch suitable to whittle and shape into a fine fishing pole. Stepping out on the porch, he spied Jim sitting on the porch swing, reading a book. Jed considered speaking to the boy, but Jim had not so much as glanced up from his book at the sound of someone stepping out of the building and, having just told Heyes he was not inclined to poking into other people's business, Jed decided to let sleeping dogs lie, and he jumped over the two front steps and headed across the yard to the oak tree.

Returning a few minutes later with a six foot long and quarter inch round oak branch, Jed sat down on the porch steps and pulled out his pocket knife and began whittling away at the branch. Occasionally he'd give a quick glance in Jim's direction but always, Jim's nose was in his book. But as the sun began to set, Jim closed the book, the sound of which startled Jed who was now engrossed in his own project.

"What are you reading?" Jed asked without looking up from his work.

"It's called Uncle Tom's Cabin," Jim replied.

"I've heard of it," Jed replied. "S'pect most folks have, but I ain't read it. Any good?"

"Yeah. It tells a tale I never really much thought about being as Kansas never had a lot of slaves."

"Ever knowed one?" Jed asked.

"Me? No," Jim replied.

Jed finished his whittling and held his pole up for inspection. "You like to fish, Jim?"

Jim smiled. "Is that what you're doing, carving a pole?"

"Heyes and me are going fishing in the morning. You wanna come along?"

"Maybe another time."

Jed stood and leaned his newly carved fishing pole against the post, then walked down the length of the porch and leaned against the baluster wall so he was facing Jim.

"I didn't mean to wake you last night," Jed said.

Startled knowing Jed must have seen him at the window and not knowing what Jed meant by waking him, Jim must have looked surprised. "You didn't wake me," Jim stammered.

Thinking Jim was just being polite, Jed offered him a somewhat sad smile. "It ain't always easy, is it?"

"What?"

"Growing up like we are and being on our own... trusting anybody." Jed replied.

Slowly Jim's head shook. "No, it ain't easy."

"And you and me, we're still new at it. Heyes says it gets easier with some time behind you. Maybe that's true and maybe it ain't, but..."

"Time will tell?" Jim asked, feeling a bit of a kinship with the blond boy.

Jed smiled. "Sounds kind of corny, but I guess there might be some truth to it. Why don't you reconsider about the fishing? I'll go cut you a pole if you'd like."

"Yeah, why don't you go do that, Jed."

0-0-0-0-0

Heyes felt himself feeling a bit perturbed when, after he woke Jed early Sunday morning, Jed then padded down the aisle and woke Jim. But he said nothing about the twosome becoming a threesome, and the three boys dressed, gathered what items they deemed necessary, and Jed and Jim followed Heyes out the door, across the yard, and down a narrow, winding path that led them nearly a mile from the the school to a wide, calm alcove in the river.

"This is it," Heyes exclaimed. "The best fishing spot in all of Kansas. The fish must gather here to take a break from bucking the current, cause all you gotta do is drop a baited hook in the water and the fish swim up and French kiss the worm like a virgin to a whore."

Jim chuckled at Heyes' description, but Jed looked at him without amusement or understanding.

Heyes saw the confusion on Jed's face. "Never mind, you're still a kid. You'll understand it in a couple of years. Lets go over there. That willow tree will give us some nice shade when the sun's up full," Heyes added.

The three boys spent the entire morning fishing and talking and living a carefree life. Their laughter floated across the water and sometimes a light breeze carried it well beyond the river's edge. Had anyone observed them, he would have sworn these were well adjusted boys who has never experienced the horrors of war.

By the time they grew tired of fishing they had a dozen catfish hanging from a heavy string, some motionless and some still flopping about in a struggle for life.

"Time for a swim," Heyes announced as he pulled off his boots and jumped to his feet to shed his clothing. "Last one in has got to carry the sinking fish back to the school."

Moments later the boys were splashing and giggling in the water, their clothes in three lumpy piles under the willow tree.

"How did you find this place?" Jed asked.

"I rather enjoy going exploring," Heyes replied. "You never know what kind of adventure you might find. I know where there's a cave not far from here. If this was Saturday we could spend the night in the cave and eat the catfish for supper. In fact, why don't we do that next Saturday?"

"Count me in," Jim replied.

"How 'bout you, Kid?" Heyes asked.

"What did you call me?"

Heyes shrugged. "Just seems like a good nickname. You don't mind, do you?"

Jed gave the name a few moments of consideration. "S'pose not," he replied.

"So, you in for next Saturday?"

"I could come after work," Kid replied.

Heyes stopped treading the water and dropped his legs to stand upright in the river. "Spill the beans, Kid. What do you mean by work?"

"I got a job working for Mr. Cutter two hours after school every day and all day Saturdays."

"Who is Mr. Cutter?" Heyes asked.

"He's the stables manager. The work ain't hard and I'm earning some money."

"What do you need money for?'" Heyes asked.

"Can't run away from this place without having some sort of nest egg," Kid replied.

Like Heyes, Jim now took an interest in what the blond boy was saying and he too stood with his feet planted in the murky river bottom to pay better attention to the conversation. Seeing them both now motionless, Jed too stopped moving about and stood up in the waist deep water.

"How much do you make?" Jim asked.

"Two dollars a week."

"So in a year's time, you'll have over a hundred dollars?"

Kid nodded.

"When do you plan to run away?" Jim asked.

Jed shrugged. "When the time is right"

"So you don't have your escape planned out yet?" Heyes asked.

"What's to plan? When I have enough money to last me a while, I just walk away."

Heyes looked at Jim who grinned as both the older boys knew there was a lot of planning to be done.

"Tell you what, Kid, all three of us go and I'll manage the planning, Jim will start collecting food that won't spoil, and you share some of your earning with the two of us."

Jed was not convinced he wanted or needed company. "How much of my earnings?" he asked.

"Once you've got enough saved up as we think we'll need, you give each of us say... twenty percent."

Jed did some rapid calculation in his mind. The amount didn't seem unreasonable for what he'd be getting in return. "I'll give it some thought. I ain't sure I even want the added baggage of a couple of partners."

"There's safety in numbers," Heyes reminded him.

"I'll be buying myself a good Colt .45 and that's safety enough for me," Jed told him.

"Alright. Alright," Heyes replied. "You think on for a spell. But if you decide on including us, that's the deal. Agreed?"

"I agree to think on it," Jed replied.

The boys all waded out of the water and sat down to let the sun dry their skin before getting dressed.

"If we're thinking of being partners, I think we ought to know each other a bit better," Jed told the other two boys.

"What do you want to know?" Heyes asked.

"Well, first off, before we tell each other anything, we gotta all swear that anything we say stays right here between the three of us, and if one of us breaks our word, he ain't included in the escape no more."

Heyes looked at Jim who nodded hesitantly. "Agreed," Heyes declared. Now what do you want to know?"

"Let's start with what brung each one of us here," Jed said.

"Being as it's your idea, you start," Jim replied.

"Alright," Jed agreed. "Soldiers raided our farm and killed everyone but me. I managed to escape and get to town to notify the sheriff. When I got back, everyone was dead, the house was burning, and all the horses and chickens was gone. Now it's your turn."

"I'll go next," Heyes said. "My story is a lot like yours, a soldier raid. I actually took a bullet in the back of my shoulder and played dead. When the soldiers left, I was the only one still alive."

Jed looked at Heyes with honest empathy in his eyes as he discovered a bit of kinship in the commonality of their stories. For a brief moment their eyes locked and they both understood the unspoken words they shared.

"Now you, Jim."

"It stays just between the three of us?" Jim asked just to be certain.

"We can swear it in blood if you want," Kid replied.

Jim shook his head and looked down at the ground. "No need for that... Either of you ever kill anybody?"

Neither boy uttered a word, but their attention was glued to to the quiet and aloof boy.

"It was a Tuesday morning, just three weeks ago now. My folks had taken the buckboard over to the Brighton house as Mrs Brighton was about to have a baby and Ma was going over there to help. I was walking down the road to school when a unit of soldiers rode by. Two of the soldiers moved out of ranks and blocked my path in the road. They asked me where the nearest farm house was. Well I knew that was our house and I knew it was empty, and I figured they would go there and take everything we had. So I told em to take the fork in the road cause that would take em to the Affolder farm. They thanked me and went on their way. When I got outta school that afternoon, the Sheriff was waiting and told me I couldn't go home that night cause several of the farms had been raided. He said the Affolders were dead. So was the Brighton's, and so was my folks. If I hadn't told the soldiers to take the fork in the road, maybe at least the Affolders wouldn't have been killed."

Neither Heyes nor Jed knew what to say, but both knew they had to say something.

"You can't carry that kind of burden, Jim," Heyes said, being the first to speak. "You said yourself they was hitting all the farms."

"I tried to save chickens and horses over people," Jim replied.

"No you didn't. You tried to save what was yours," Jed told him.

Jim stood up and grabbed his clothes and started dressing in a frenzy and he tried desperately to keep the tears from streaming from his eyes.

Heyes stood and squirmed into his long johns and Jed did the same.

"Jim, every one of us carries the guilt of surviving. That's what it is you're dealing with. But the only people who should be feeling any guilt at all is the soldiers. Most of them are farmers themselves. They know the struggles and the hardships and all they looked out for was themselves. You wanna put some blame on somebody, you put it on them."

"Heyes is right, Jim. We all survived outta pure luck or sheer determination, and when we all meet our maker one day, he'll decide who needs punished and who don't. It ain't up to you or me or anybody else to carry such a burden."

"And I hear Jed in his sleep some nights. You two are rowing the same boat," Heyes added.

Jed's head jerked as he turned and stared at Heyes. "You know?" he asked.

"Jed, I sleep in the bed next to you every night. How could I not know?"

Jed's head dropped and he stared at the ground. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Sorry? Ain't neither one of you got nothing to be sorry for," Heyes said in a raised voice. "You're both victims. We're all victims, and we can choose to live our lives as victims, or we can choose not to. The choice is up to each one of us. It's up to every kid in this school, every kid in every orphanage in this state. I'm choosing not to live as a victim, and I hope the two of you do, too."

A silence spread among them and they quietly finished dressing, then gathered their belongings.

"You know, maybe we really should swear our silence in blood," Heyes suggested.

Jed and Jim slowly raised eyes toward the other and both boys nodded.

That evening Jed was dressed for bed and resting his back against the bedpost while finishing some homework when he felt a pair of eyes staring at him. Without moving a muscle, Jed's own eyes moved to his right where he saw Tom lying on his left side with the covers pulled tight to his shoulders, watching Jed like a hawk.

Jed closed his book and turned his head toward the boy. "You alright?" Jed asked.

Tom first nodded, then slowly shook his head.

"You worried about school tomorrow?"

Again Tom's head nodded.

"You gonna do like I told you and raise your hand once in a while and answer the teacher's questions?"

Tom's head didn't move and Jed frowned, then pulled back the side of his covers. "If you promise to raise your hand at least once in class tomorrow, you can bring your pillow over here and sleep in my bed with me. I told Frank I would watch your back and I plan to keep my word, but you told me you would try to show a little independence in school this week, and I expect you to keep your word, too. So how 'bout it?"

Tom hesitated for a moment, then reached for his pillow and pulled back his own covers and crawled into Jed's bed. Jed moved to his left as far as he could without tumbling out of the bed. As he reached up to the nightstand to snuff the oil lamp, he saw Heyes watching him. Jed stopped with his hand midair toward the oil lamp. "What?" he asked.

"Is there no end to your wisdom?" Heyes asked jokingly.

Jed chuckled. "That's why I got to skip a grade, Heyes. I'm just wise beyond my years," Jed quipped, then turned out the light and settled in for a good night's sleep.

0-0-0-0-0

The next week moved along quickly. As was his habit, Heyes ducked out of Study Hall on Tuesday to watch the arrival of the new students. There were only two new boys arriving, both no more than eight. But that only left two empty beds in the dormitory and then there would be no more new arrivals until someone graduated, or someone ran away. Heyes smiled knowing one day he and Jed and Jim would be leaving three beds vacated for new arrivals.

Jed worked in the barn every afternoon and again on Saturday and when Mr. Cutter paid him, he was given three dollars instead of the two he was expecting.

"That extra dollar is for the ten hours you worked the first week," Mr. Cutter told him.

As they had planned, Jed headed to the fishing spot right after work on Saturday. Jim and Heyes had spent the day fishing and when Jed arrived, Heyes led the boys to the cave he had discovered. There they built a fire and cleaned and fried the catfish in a frying pan Heyes had borrowed from the school's kitchen. He had also borrowed some apples, a basket of eggs, some biscuits leftover from breakfast, and a blueberry pie he had discovered cooling on a kitchen windowsill. What he had forgotten to bring along were plates, utensils, and something for the boys to drink.

"What's gonna happen when they find these things missing and put two and two together to figure out who stole em?" Jim asked as he plunged his fingers into the blueberry pie and scooped out a large mouthful.

"I suspect we're gonna be facing some sort of reprimand," Heyes replied.

"We?" Jed asked. "Might I remind you that we didn't steal these things."

"No, but might I remind you that the three of us are partners now," Heyes replied.

"Business partners or partners in crime?" Jim asked, taking another helping of the pie.

"Any way you wanna look at it. We sealed the deal in blood last week, remember?" Heyes replied.

"I don't think you covered all the rules too well before we did that," Jed added.

"Nevertheless, we done it and now we gotta live with it," Heyes told them.

"So being as you're the one to steal all the loot, does that mean you consider yourself the leader of this little gang of outlaws you've organized?" Jed asked and helped himself to some pie.

Heyes smiled broadly. "I guess maybe it does."

"We'll be sure to point that out to the Headmaster, right Jed?" Jim teased.

Jed grinned and shoveled another handful of pie into his mouth, then licked his fingers as clean as he could. "With these blue stained fingers and faces, I think we'll all be found equally guilty," he laughed.

Sunday morning they cooked the eggs and warmed the biscuits, then gathered what needed to be returned to the school before heading back to the river for some more fishing and swimming. Having had nothing for lunch, their stomachs won the argument for returning to the school in time for supper.

But such was not their fate when they got back to school and discovered all the teachers and all the students had spent the day searching for the three boys. Because all of their personal items were still in the dormitory, they had been presumed lost rather than runaways, and though their afternoon swim had erased the blueberry evidence from their hands and faces, the frying pan as well as the egg basket were proof enough of their guilt.

Missing supper was just the first taste of their punishment. The three boys were escorted to the Headmaster's Office where they stood at attention for nearly an hour until the Headmaster had finished his own meal, then returned to the office to hear their story and render punishment.

"It was my fault, sir," Heyes said, taking one step forward toward the Headmaster's desk.

"Offer you explanation, Mr. Heyes," the Headmaster replied.

"The three of us were planning to do some fishing and bring back some catfish like we did last week. Jed had to work so we waited till afternoon and he joined up with us later..."

"Stop right there," the Headmaster said and turned his attention to Jed. "What does he mean, you had to work?"

"I work Saturdays and a couple of hours after school every day for Mr. Cutter, taking care of the horses and cleaning the stalls mostly," Jed explained. "Sir," he added as an afterthought.

"Why? Did you do some damage to the barn and you're paying off your debt?"

"Uh, no sir. I work for cash money, sir."

"How long have you been doing that?"

"I started the week I came her, sir."

The Headmaster turned his attention back to Heyes. "You may continue."

"Well, it got dark before we knew it and we couldn't see our way back so...so we spent the night out there."

"Eating food you had stolen from the kitchen?"

"We planned on replacing it all, sir," Jim piped up and said.

"How?"

"Ah, with the money Jed had earned," Heyes said quickly and although he couldn't see Jed standing behind him, he could feel Jed's glare against his back.

But despite his anger with Heyes at the moment, Jed quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out the three silver dollars. He took two steps toward the desk and set the money down in front of the Headmaster.

"Do any of you boys have anything else to add to your story?" the Headmaster asked.

"I think that about covers it," Heyes replied while the other two boys shook their heads.

The headmaster picked up the three silver dollars and jingled them in his hand. "Because you paid your restitution, your punishment will only be two-fold. First, you will go without supper tonight. Second, you are all confined to the dormitory for one week. You may attend classes and meals, but all other time will be spent in the dormitory. Is that understood."

Three heads nodded.

"And if you ever pull a stunt like this again, you will bear the scars for life, gentlemen. You're dismissed."

The three boys filed out of the office, down the hall, up the stairs, and went directly into the dormitory and flopped down on his respective beds.

"You're a real genius Heyes," Jed said, his words coated with anger. "I'm out a week's wages and will likely lose my job altogether when I don't show up for work tomorrow. And on top of all that, I'm hungry!"

"I'm sorry, Kid..."

"Stop calling me Kid! I ain't the one that came up with this silly, childish idea! I hope you are smart enough to know this partnership is over!"

"That how you feel too, Jim?" Heyes asked.

Jim nodded. "I figure if you hadn't stolen all them things, we likely wouldda just had to go without supper. I'm with Jed on this."

Heyes got up and walked to the foot of his bed and opened his footlocker. He scrounged through the contents and, finding what he was looking for, he pulled out a sack of jerky, a sack f apples, and a small sack of peppermints. "Then I guess the two of you ain't interested in a little food to tide us over till breakfast."

Jim got up from his bed and walked over to Jed's bed and sat down with a smile on his face. "Where did you get that?"

"A good leader takes care of his gang. I've been saving these things up for just such a situation," Heyes replied and doled out an apple to each of them.

"That still don't make up for my lost money," Jed said and sunk his teeth into the apple.

"I'll tell you what, Kid," Heyes said, ignoring Jed's order not to call him that. "I'll sneak out tomorrow and let Mr. Cutter know what's going on, and if I get caught, well I'm the only one that'll hafta take the lashes. How's that? Is that alright with you?"

"It's alright with me if Mr. Cutter agrees to hold my job for me," Jed replied. "That money is gonna buy me a gun like the one my Pa had; a Colt .45, cause a man ain't safe in the world unless he's got the means to defend and protect himself."

"Your pa tell you that, too?" Heyes asked.

"It's the truth Heyes. You mark my words."

0-0-0-0-0

Heyes woke at the same time he did every school day, exactly one half hour before breakfast. Since his Study Hall was his first period, he had every intention of slipping away to the barn to have a chat with Mr. Cutter, certain he would be able to retain Jed's job for him.

But when he turned his head toward Jed's bed, he was surprised to see the bed both empty and made.

"Jim, come here," Heyes called to the third member of the trio. "You see Kid slip out this morning?"

Jim shook his head. "You think he went to talk to Mr. Cutter?"

"If he did, he's takin' a mighty big risk," Heyes replied.

Fifteen minutes later Jed walked into the dormitory, still dressed in his night shirt.

"Where have you been? You had us worried sick," Heyes said.

"Been to talk to Mr. Cutter."

"In your night shirt?" Heyes asked.

Kid pulled the bottom part of his nightshirt up to reveal his pants. "I figured our confinement don't apply to the outhouse. So, I got dressed and sneaked out and left my nightshirt behind the outhouse. Then I sneaked to the barn to talk to Mr. Cutter."

"I told you I was gonna take care of that," Heyes scolded.

"That's the point Heyes, you told me. You already managed to cause me to lose over a week's wages, then you told me you was gonna make everything right with Mr. Cutter. I'm the one holding the job, and it was my doing that got me in this situation. Just so you know Heyes, I can hold up my end of responsibilities."

Jim half expected Heyes to flatten the Kid right then and there, but instead, Heyes patted Kid on the back. "You might be young, but you've got a good, sensible head on your shoulders and you took good precautions hiding that nightshirt to slip into before you came inside."

"Heyes, you just might want to save all this adulation for another time. If we're not downstairs in five minutes, we'll miss breakfast," Jim told them.

Kid pulled off his night shirt and tossed it on the bed, then picked up his school books and headed out of the room.

"Hey, you never told us what Mr. Cutter said," Heayes called after him.

"Told me I can keep my job, but I'd best stop listening to you," Kid shouted back to him.

0-0-0-0-0

The week passed quickly and the restrictions came to an end at midnight on Friday, so Saturday Jed was back at work, and Saturday evening he was back at the cave with Heyes and Jim.

The two older boys had caught and cleaned four fish and Heyes had them frying in a pan on the fire in the cave when Jed arrived.

"You did clear it with the Headmaster for us to be here tonight?" Jed asked.

"A couple of things you'll come to know about me is that I am a good planner and I don't make the same mistake twice," Heyes assured him.

"Time will tell about that."

"Hey, I got a surprise for you, Jed," Jim said with some excitement and reached into his pocket and pulled out the three silver dollars Jed had given the Headmaster.

"Where did you get those?" Jed asked with some astonishment.

Jim beamed. "I figured if Heyes could pilfer some food and a frying pan, I could sneak into the Headmaster's office in the middle of the night and get back what belongs to you."

"Now that's just out and out stealing," Heyes said, but purely as an observation and with no apparent reproach.

"I thank you Jim, but I can't take this back to the dorm. When they discover that money is missing, they're likely to do a room search of the entire dormitory. We'll all three be in for them lashes that was promised."

"Keep it here in the cave, under a rock maybe," Heyes suggested. "Nobody would ever think to look here."

"You know what this makes us," Kid said. "It makes us thieves."

Heyes smiled. "Or one thief and two accomplices."

"You talk like there's a difference but I bet the Headmaster won't see it that way," Kid replied.

Heyes pulled a blue bandanna from his pocket and handed it to Jed. "Here, wrap the money up in this and find a good place to hide it."

Jed took the bandanna and wrapped the three coins plus the six bits he had earned for his day's work into the bandanna, then slipped it back into his pocket, planning to find a proper hiding place before they headed back to school tomorrow.

"That ain't all I took," Jim said and reached back into his pocket and pulled out three individually wrapped cigars."

"Where did you get them?" Heyes asked.

"Same place I got the money," Jim replied.

"You stole em from the headmaster?" Jed asked.

"Uh-uh. You ever stole anything, Jed?"

Jed shook his head.

"It's... it's thrilling," Jim replied. "You tell him Heyes?"

Jed looked inquisitively at Heyes.

"I have to admit Kid, he's right."

"Now Heyes has stole something and I've stolen something, I guess it's your turn to steal something," Jim as a challenge.

"I don't know," Jed replied. "It don't seem right to me."

Heyes liked the idea as it thickened their obligation toward each other. "You'll eat stolen food, take back your money even though you know it was stolen to get it for you, but you won't steal to help the cause?' Heyes asked.

"What cause?"

"Why tightening the bond between us. If we have all been guilty of stealing, we ain't apt to go telling on each other, cause we all know we can drag the other two down with us. It's just a matter of being fair and equal," Heyes explained.

"What would I steal?"

Heyes thought for a moment. "Maybe something from the barn. It don't hafta be nothing big, but it should have some sort of value."

"A saddle?" Jim suggested.

Heyes shook his head. "That's too big to lug around. Someone would surely see him."

"How about a horse?" Jim asked.

Again Heyes shook his head. "If a saddle is too big, then a horse is too big."

"And they hang men for horse stealing," Jed added.

"How about a pair of stirrups?" Heyes suggested. "They ain't too big and we might even be able to sell em."

Jim nodded his head, approving the idea.

"Then it's settled. "Bring em here next week," Heyes told Jed.

"So, are we all ready to enjoy a fine cigar?" Jim asked with a smile.

By midnight three very sick boys all lay on the floor of the cave near the fire.

"How do men smoke these?" Jim asked, keeping one arm tight against the bottom of his belly.

"I think I'm gonna puke again," Jed said, slowly pulling himself to his feet and rushing toward the entrance of the cave.

"I ain't never going near a cigar again," Heyes croaked.

"Maybe we should try rolling cigarettes next time."

"Oh shut up, just...shut up."

0-0-0-0-0

Returning to the school the next afternoon, the three boys were met at the steps of the front door by the Headmaster. He stood at the edge of the porch with his arms folded across his chest. They stopped at the foot of the steps and the Headmaster towered over them with a stern look on his face. He sniffed the air just once, but they knew exactly what he was trying to detect.

"I want to see you boys in my office immediately," he said, but did not move so much as an inch from where he stood.

Heyes, Jim, and Jed remained silent and quietly filed past him and into the building.

They were left standing at attention in the Headmaster's office for a full five minutes, not one of them daring to speak. When the Headmaster stood in the doorway to his office, all eyes shifted toward him and followed his every footstep as he walked to the desk. His chair creaked as he sat down, accentuating the boy's silent apprehension.

"There is no need trying to deny what what we all know you have done. Now which one of you sneaked in here and took the money and the cigars?" the Headmaster asked.

All three boys remained silent.

"I can smell the cigar smoke on your clothing and no one but you three knew of the coins. I can punish the culprit, or I can punish all three of you. The choice is yours."

Heyes cleared his throat but it was Jed who spoke first. "I did, sir."

"It was the both of us, sir," Heyes spoke up.

The headmaster looked directly at Jim. "And you had no part in this?" he asked.

Jim chose silence over the lie of a denial.

"That's right, sir. He didn't know anything about it," Heyes confessed.

"Mr. Lofton, you're dismissed. But no supper. Go directly to the dormitory."

Jim hesitated but Heyes gave him a quick jerk of his head, telling him to leave and he quickly left the room.

The headmaster waited until the office door closed behind Jim, then turned his attention back to Heyes and Jed. "Where is the money?"

"It's... It's hid," Heyes replied.

"Where?"

Not wanting to reveal the existence of the cave, Heyes offered no information.

"He don't know," Jed replied. "I hid it."

"Where Mr. Curry?"

"Down by the river," Jed replied.

"A little more specific, Mr. Curry."

"I... I wouldn't know how to explain just where, sir," Jed replied.

"But we can go fetch it for you," Heyes quickly offered.

The headmaster considered this for a moment. "You have one hour. If you are not back by then, the theft will be reported to the Sheriff. Do you understand?"

Two heads nodded.

"One hour, gentlemen,"

Both boys moved sideways toward the door and as soon as Heyes turned the knob and opened the door, they darted from the room, down the hall, and out of the building, and didn't stop running until they reached the path in the woods.

"Why did you do that, Kid?" Heyes asked as they walked briskly toward the cave.

"When Jim didn't fess up, I couldn't let you take the fall all alone."

"You were watching my back?" Heyes asked with a good amount of admiration for the young boy.

"You'd of done the same for me. In fact, you did when you said the both of us could fetch it."

"You know we're likely in for a whooping, don't you?" Heyes asked.

Jed nodded. "You ever been whooped, Heyes?"

"No. You?"

Jed shook his head. "We could just keep going, you know. I got almost four dollars."

"No, that wouldn't get us very far. We will run off one day, but let's wait till the time is right."

"What do we do about Jim? He sold us out."

"I've already been thinking about that. It seems to be a pattern with him. Remember he sold out them neighbors to the soldiers."

"Uh-uh. So what do we do?"

"We think on it for a while."

They returned to the school fifty-seven minutes later and once again stood silently in front of the Headmaster's desk, the three silver coins stacked on top of each other on the desk.

"And you both still contend that Mr. Lofton was not involved?" the Headmaster asked.

Two heads nodded.

"All three of you children are bright, intelligent individuals. You do well in your classes," the Headmaster said. "But each of you appear to act as a negative catalyst toward the others and by your own admission, the two of you seem to be the instigators of behaviors you all know are not appropriate. Being as this is your first offense Mr. Curry, you will be given five lashes. You, Mr. Hayes are developing a pattern and therefor, you will receive seven lashes. Do you see that rail attached to the wall?"

Both boys turned their heads toward the wall and nodded.

"Go stand at arms length from the rail."

With unrehearsed, synchronized motion, both boys turned and walked to the rail, then reached out with their right arms to determine the exact place to stand. The headmaster picked up a long hickory stick that he kept in a corner of the room, then moved to stand well behind the boys.

"You may prepare yourselves now, and assume your positions."

Both boys closed their eyes and dropped their arms to their sides.

"We're ready," Heyes replied.

The fact that they had not followed instructions surprised the Headmaster rather than angered him.

"Have neither of you ever received a lashing before?" the Headmaster asked.

Heyes opened his eyes and turned his head toward the Headmaster. "No sir. Are we doing something wrong?"

The Headmaster was struck with a twinge of guilt, but he was not about to appear overly permissive or lenient to the boys. "Drop your pants to your ankles and lean over and grab the rail with both hands."

As Heyes turned his head back, he caught sight of Jed's astounded expression, but as he began to unbuckle his belt, Jed did the same.

Once the boys were in position, the Headmaster began administering the lashes, first one across Jed's bottom, then one across Heyes' until Jed's five lashes had been dealt. The Headmaster then administered an additional two lashes to Heyes. Neither boy had uttered so much as a whimper although, unbeknownst to them, the Headmaster had not used his full force to deliver any of the lashes.

"You may stand and pull up your trousers now."

Once dressed, Jed and Heyes turned to face the Headmaster once again.

"Neither of you are to return to the river for six months. You may tell Mr. Lofton that the same applies to him. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," they replied in unison.

"You may return to the dormitory now."

Both boys waddled out of the room, trying hard to keep the wool of their long johns from scratching against their reddened backsides.

Without so much as a glance in the other's direction, both boys stopped at the top of the stairs to compose themselves before entering the dormitory. Two right arms raised simultaneously to dab away the tears welling in their eyes. Then each boy reached around to his backside to give the seat of his pants a tug to pull the material away from his tender skin. Finally, each boy looked at the other and both agreed their efforts had been successful. In perfect harmony they each threw their shoulders back, took a deep breath, and marched into the dormitory, confident that they presented an air of triumph, having faced the music like men rather than boys.

Every eye in the room fell upon them and they knew they had one last show of bravery to to exhibit. Without so much as a wince, Heyes and Jed walked over to the study table and sat down on the hard, wooden chairs. The rough wool of their long johns stung their tender bottoms but they clenched their teeth hard and maintained perfect poker faces.

Within seconds they were surrounded by all the other boys and they planted their feet firmly on the floor to steady their bottoms while receiving multiple congratulatory slaps on their backs.

"What happened?"

"Did you get a whooping?"

"Did you two really steal the money and the cigars?"

"What did the Headmaster say?"

"Did you get grounded?"

The questions abound, and they answered most as best they could.

Heyes looked through the crowd of boys and saw Jim sitting on the side of his bed with his head bowed and the corners of Heyes' mouth turned upward with some satisfaction that Jim knew he was unworthy of joining the group.

"Okay fellas, enough already. Jed and me still have some homework to do for class tomorrow, so let's break it up," Heyes told them and the boys slowly dispersed.

With a heavy sigh of relief, Heyes and Jed got up and changed into their nightshirts, grateful for the relief of having the long johns finally off.

0-0-0-0-0

Weeks passed without the boys getting into any trouble and after two months time Jed had finally saved enough money to buy a gun. It took him another week to muster the courage to ask Mr. Cutter for an afternoon off work, but when he did get a day off approved, he and Heyes got permission to go into town to do some shopping.

Jed spent over an hour in the gun shop and it soon became obvious to Heyes that Jed was well versed in the handling of a firearm. The first thing he assessed with each gun was the tightness of the closure of his hand around the butt of the gun.

"The tighter the closure of the hand, the tighter the grip," Jed explained to his less knowledgeable friend."It's important that the hand be closed well enough that it don't take much effort to move the gun, and the grip should be as slim as possible. I can make some adjustments after I buy it, but I want as best of a fit as I can to start with. Once I've got the right balance, the gun will feel twenty percent lighter in my hand."

"Where did you learn so much about guns?" Heyes asked.

"My pa. When the soldiers started showing up and looting some of the farms, he figured it was important for me to know how to handle a gun proper."

"Are you fast with it?"

Jed smiled. "I can draw faster than most and I don't often miss. I ain't as good with a rifle as I am with a hand gun."

Finally deciding on a gun, Jed then asked the owner of the shop for the price.

"That's a second hand one, but you can see it's been well cared for," the owner told him.

"How much?" Jed asked.

"Thirteen dollars," the owner replied.

"I can buy a new one for seventeen. I'll give you eleven. But you throw in a box of bullets."

"I'll come down to twelve," the owner replied.

"Eleven and that's my final offer. You ain't the only shop that sells these."

"Alright, eleven."

"Fine, now let me see what you've got in the way of holsters and belts."

Ten minutes later Jed walked out of the store with bag containing a Colt .45, a box of bullets, cleaning oil and a soft cloth, and a slightly used holster and gun belt.

"I wanna see how fast you really are," Heyes said as they headed back to the orphanage.

"I'm pretty sure the Headmaster ain't gonna let me set up target practice on the school grounds," Kid replied. "He likely ain't gonna be happy I even got a gun."

"Where you gonna hide it?"

"I'm gonna clean it first and then I'm gonna ask Mr. Cutter if I can keep it in the barn, maybe up in the loft or in his office safe."

"He ain't gonna object?"

"He told me once he gets paid by the State of Wyoming and not by the school itself, so he can make up his own rules. I don't think he'll say no."

"Kid, you might not be able to shoot that gun on school grounds, but we could sneak down to the river and set up some tin cans for you to practice."

Jed grinned. "I already thought of that, Heyes. After all, rules were made to be broken."

"I do like you're thinking."

0-0-0-0-0

Jed stowed the gun in his footlocker under his long johns and socks and when the other boys went to supper, he stayed behind and used the time alone to carefully clean the gun to it's original pristine shine. He held the gun in his hand to carefully determine what adjustments he'd make to obtain a balance suitable to his wide palm and long, slender fingers. Before any of the boys returned to the dormitory, he carefully stowed it away again, then climbed up on his bed and opened a book while he waited for Heyes to return with whatever he had been able to pilfer for Jed for supper.

The next morning Jed dressed for work, then slipped the gun into the paper bag, leaving all the other items in his footlocker. By the time Mr. Cutter arrived to unlock the barn and begin the day's work, Jed was waiting for him at the door.

"You're up early. Making up for yesterday?" Mr. Cutter asked.

"I've got another favor to ask of you, but I'd rather do my explaining inside the barn," Jed replied.

"Let's go then," Mr. Cutter said and headed straight for the small tack room he had converted to an office. "Now, what's on your mind?"

Jed pulled the Colt gun from the bag and held it out for Mr. Cutter to see. "I bought this yesterday with the money I've been saving while working here. It's second hand, but it's in fine condition."

Mr. Cutter took the gun and examined it carefully. "Been cleaned recently."

Jed nodded. "Cleaned it last night as soon as we got back from town. I gotta adjust the balance a bit, but overall, it's in fine condition."

"What did it cost you?" Mr. Cutter asked.

"He wanted thirteen. I told him not a penny over eleven and he threw in a box of bullets."

"A Colt .45 is a sizable gun for a boy your age."

"I've been using one since I was eight. I know how to handle it, sir."

"So, what's the favor you wanna ask?"

"Well, I don't think the Headmaster would take too kindly to my having a gun in the school."

"I think that's sensible thinking, Jed. There's a lot of young-ins in that school."

"Yes sir. So I was hoping maybe I could store it in here. Maybe up in the loft."

"I tell you what, Jed. You can keep it here, but I'm storing it in my safe. I just wouldn't feel right having it loose here in the barn where anyone might find it."

"I appreciate that, sir. I'll be wanting to take it from time to time to do some practice shootin' down by the river, but I'll always bring it back with the cartridge chamber empty."

"You've been a good worker, Jed. You're responsible and you're good with animals, and you're respectful. You don't see that much in children anymore. Because of all that, I'll do you this favor."

"Thank you Mr. Cutter."

"Now, we'd best get to work."

0-0-0-0-0

Months passed and the autumn rolled into winter and the winter into spring. Heyes was thirteen going on twenty, and Jed was eleven but still looked nine despite the fine light colored peach fuzz that was beginning to sprout on his chin and cheeks.

Their ban from going down to the river had long since concluded and Jed and Mr. Cutter had worked out a system whereby Mr. Cutter left a back window unlatched and left Jed's gun in the top drawer of his desk every Saturday night, so come Sunday morning, Jed could pick up the gun and he and Heyes would head to the river and set up cans for target practice.

By this time Jed had finely honed the balance of the gun and could draw faster and shoot straighter than anyone Heyes had ever seen. The two boys were inseparable and while they were friendly toward the other boys, seldom did they ever include any of the others in their activities. The two exceptions to this were Tom and Frank who were both now eight years old. Of the two, Frank remained the more outspoken, but Tom was no longer the scared young child he had been when he arrived. In fact, he had proven to be independent enough in the classroom that the teacher no longer separated the two. Even in the dormitory, Tom had moved to the bed next to his brother when the bed was vacated by yet another run-away.

Heyes and Jed did occasionally invite Tom and Frank along to go fishing and swimming, but Kid never brought his gun on these occasions as he didn't want word to get around that he even had a gun, let alone how fast and accurate he was.

To Heyes and Kid, Jim was now just another boy in the school. They spoke and were friendly enough, but Jim seemed to understand he was no longer part of a trio. But one Saturday night as Heyes and Kid were about to get ready for bed, Jim cautiously approached them.

"Don't suppose you're planning on going fishing tomorrow?"

Heyes and Kid exchanged quick glances of the silent communication that had developed between them.

"We're taking Frank and Tom," Heyes replied.

"You got room for one more?" Tom asked.

"We ain't particular," Kid replied.

Tom nodded. "So I can take that as a yes?"

"It's a public fishing spot, Tom. You're welcome to come along," Heyes told him.

Again Tom nodded. "I think I will," he replied, then turned and walked back down to his own bed.

The next morning the four boys all gathered their fishing poles and cans of worms and set out for a day of fishing and swimming. They settled into the alcove area where they knew the fishing was good, but after about an hour Frank and Tom were eager to explore nearby spots.

"I'll just tag along with you two for a while," Kid told them and he and the two younger boys ventured downstream and settled on a spot near a large willow tree with branches that hung out over the water.

Heyes and Jim fished in silence for the better part of an hour until Jim pulled his line out of the water and laid his pole on the ground beside him. Sitting close to Heyes, Tom drew up his legs, wrapped his arms about his knees, and rested his chin on his knees as he looked out over the water.

"I'll be leaving school in a few days," he said quietly.

"So you're next on the list of runaways?" Heyes asked.

Jim nodded and continued to watch the rays of sun dance on the water. "I'm sorry Heyes," He said softly. "I shouldda spoke up and been honest. I was just too scared."

"A man makes mistakes when he lets fear take over," Heyes replied.

Jim knew Heyes was talking about more than a few coins and cigars. The guilt Jim carried about sending the soldiers to another family's home just to protect his own family's livestock was a guilt he knew he would carry all his life.

"But there's a difference between the mistakes of a man and the mistakes of a boy," Heyes continued.

Startled, Jim straightened his spine a bit and turned his head to look at Heyes who was casually baiting his hook.

"You're thirteen. You know the difference now," Heyes told him as he cast his line back into the water. "Cut that boy some slack, he's been feeling guilty long enough. Just don't let the man keep making the same mistake."

A look of relief spread across Jim's face and he saw Heyes offer him a warm smile. Heyes then reached for his can of worms and held them out to Jim. "You can't catch any fish with a grounded pole," he said.

Jim reached for the can and dug his fingers into the mud for a worm. "Jed feel the same way?" he asked.

"He's still young, but he's growing up quick. In fact sometimes he surprises me with just how wise he is. He'll come around once he realizes he ain't a boy no more."

"He was more of a man than me in the Headmaster's office that day."

"Maybe. But you've grown, Jim. Now tell me, where are your figuring to go when you leave school?"

With his hook now baited again, Jim tossed his line into the water. "I'm thinking east, maybe St. Louis. I was thinking maybe I could get a job on a riverboat and see a bit of the country while I earn some money."

"You going alone?"

"No. Mick Taylor is going to," Jim said, referring to another student. "Mick says there's always jobs open on the riverboats. His pa worked on one before he married Mick's ma and they moved to Kansas."

"It's always good to partner up with someone, as long as he's the right someone."

Jim smiled. "Like you and the Kid?"

Heyes instinctively glanced down the riverbank to the spot where Kid was fishing with the boys. "That day the four of you arrived at Valpo and I saw him looking out for them two boys, he glanced up at me standing on the porch, and he wasn't really paying me no mind, but I seen something in his eyes, maybe, and I knew right then we was kindred souls. Hell, we've gotten to the point now that we can just look at each other and know exactly what the other is thinking. We've both got some growing up to do yet and I suspect we'll stay here while we do that, but the day will come when it's our turn to run away."

"Maybe you'll head to St Louis and join a riverboat," Jim said wistfully.

"I suspect we'll go west and maybe work for a railroad and ride the rails, or maybe lawmen and track down all the outlaws," Heyes said with a chuckle.

"The two of you are lucky to have found each other."

"It's circumstance that brung us together, hardship and war. I hope the hard part is over, but I guess only time will tell."

A squeal, followed by the splashing of water and giggles of children drifted across the water and both Heyes and Jim looked downstream to see three heads bobbing in the water with arms sending great splashes of water in each other's faces. Heyes and Jim looked at each other for just an instant before two fishing poles were thrust to the ground and both boys leaped to their feet and raced down the river bank to join the others in a carefree swim.

Heyes was the first to wade out of the water and climb the riverbank to let the sun dry his skin. He lay on the ground, propped up with his elbows and watched the others still splashing in the water. Jim would be leaving in a few days, setting out for a life of his own. With the Kid and some teacher's help, the two young boys had emerged from their shells and were adjusting well to the life they had been dealt.

Heyes attention was drawn to the sound of Kid's laughter. Appearances could be deceiving and Heyes knew by the continued nightmares that beneath Jed's charming smile still lay a dark undercurrent flowing through Jed's veins. But he also knew he had found a lifelong and trusted friend in Jed Curry, the kind of friends where one picks up where the other leaves off. He had once described Jed as his kindred soul and he was certain Jed felt the same.

Two boys who would one day soon be men, would share a lifetime of watching each other's backs, tending each other when sick, perhaps changing the course of their futures. Through good times and bad...

They would always be partners.