Incidentals

by Kathy Knudsen1

Every episode has both major and minor characters and sometimes there is more to a minor character than meets the eye. Each Chapter will be about one such character. Not all chapters will fall in the same order as the series episodes, and likely one or two episodes will be skipped over (i.e. Return to Devil's Hole because I never watch that one).

1. Chapter 1

Miss Birdie (from the Pilot)

"I suppose you're wondering what a little old lady from Boston is doing way out here."

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Now I know those two sweet boys that called themselves the leaders of the Devil's Hole Gang just weren't cut out to be outlaws. In fact, the only member of that gang that was cut out for that kind of work was a little older than most of the others. He had a week's worth of hair on his face and he kind of mumbled when he talked, but he brandished a gun like an expert. Now I've read that a lot of outlaws have nicknames that reflect something about them, and I think this older man might be a vegetarian because the others all called him Wheat.

But, getting back to the two leaders, I must say that both of them were actually very polite and quite patient with a little old lady getting her first taste of the wild west. The dark haired one seemed very preoccupied with something the other one called 'the tumblers.' Well, to a true Bostonian, tumblers are rather tall drinking glasses and are often used to serve iced tea, usually with a little lemon and perhaps a cube of sugar. So, as you can see, I really hadn't the foggiest idea what they were talking about or why the dark haired one had his ear pressed to the door of that safe.

The lighter haired one was especially patient and so polite, even when scolding me for talking too loud. I still don't know why he was so concerned with a little noise because, if I understood correctly, those boys had originally planned to blow up that safe with dynamite, and surely that would have made a great deal more noise than my talking in a normal voice. I noticed he had a bit of an accent that I couldn't quite place. He dropped his R's much like we do in Boston, but he also left the G's off of most words that ended in 'ing.' He'd say words like 'afta,' and goin,' but the quality of his voice was so melodic and rich, that it easily made up for the faulty grammar.

You know, it's really rather interesting, but those fliers were stacked inside a notice box at the train station. I don't know why I picked one up as it's not like it provided any quality reading. But I picked one up and slipped it into my purse, and I think now it was an omen. Yes, it was meant to be that I have that flier to give to those young men. I mean, just think about it. What were the odds that I would be in that train station when those fliers were in that box? And what were the odds that the very train I was boarding was going to be held up? And what were the odds that those two leaders would be so ill suited for that line of work? Why, if I were a betting woman, (and I must confess to attending the Sisters of Charity's monthly bingo game in the cellar beneath the sanctuary at the Boston Cathedral), I would not wager money on the two leaders of the Devil's Hole Gang finding a way to negotiate an amnesty deal with the governor of the Wyoming Territory. It must have been an omen, yes indeed.

Now, almost three years later, I understand that vegetarian is the leader of that gang, and I'm sure he is every bit as good of a leader as those two young men, maybe better because he did appear much more menacing...

Though I'm really not sure he was any smarter