THE BEGUILEMENT OF KID CURRY
Kid didn't remember collapsing. His last memory was throwing a shovelful of dirt then nothing. His exhausted body just gave out.
When he woke, Heyes was sitting vigil by his bed.
"Looks like we've changed places," Heyes said softly. There was relief on his face and in his voice. Kid tried to struggle to an upright position, before Heyes' hand stopped him. "Rest..." Heyes said, giving him a reassuring pat on his shoulder. "Just rest."
"The girl's alright?"
"They're fine. You rest."
Kid settled back and closed his eyes; asleep before his head hit the pillow.
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"Do you girls have any family?" Heyes asked, as he pushed a plate towards Kid. Kid rubbed a tired hand across his face, and rubbed at his weary eyes.
They one by one raised their heads from their plates, each shaking their heads no slowly.
"But we're not staying here." Marie said with confidence, as she pushed her untouched plate aside.
"But...it's the only home…" one of the younger girls started to protest.
"It's never been a home," Marie said angrily, "It's a graveyard and you know it. I'd burn it to the ground and never look back."
Some of the other girls stared at Marie. Her meek, shy nature had given way to a confident leader.
"A graveyard," Marie hissed. "And you...and you...and you" she said as she pointed to each of the older girls, "And me...looked the other way." She turned to Kid then Heyes, "I see the guilt and pain in your eyes. You cannot blame yourselves. For Amy...for any of this."
Kid started to open his mouth to protest before Marie cut him off, "She would have killed everyone in her path eventually...including us."
Heyes gave Kid a long look before he nodded in agreement.
"How can we help?" asked Heyes softly.
"We have money," Kid offered. His eyes meet Heyes. Although they had not discussed it, Heyes nodded his head in agreement. Kid thought for a moment, "Last time I was in town some folks were talking about needing a new school. During the war weren't much need, but it's been long enough and seems like...well you girls are educated and...I ain't telling you what to do. Joshua and I will help you any way we can."
"I guess we need to discuss whether we want to stay in this area. Thank you Thaddeus and Joshua. Maybe we could go into town tomorrow?"
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Heyes remained behind with the two youngest girls who chose not to make the trip. He wasn't sure when the last time they had left the property. By their reaction...years.
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"Tragically, Miss Martha died. Fell and hit her head." Marie told the storekeeper, her tone telling him not to ask any further questions."Where might we inquire about the school?"
The storekeeper stared at Marie, before answering. "Church folks are the ones trying to get a new school started. Church is getting too small for schooling. Go talk to Preacher Fletcher."
The storekeeper followed Kid to the door and allowed Marie to exit first before quietly saying, "Might be a sin to say this but no one's going to miss that woman. She was quarrelsome...weren't pleasant to be around. Folks steered clear of that place. Something dark about it."
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Preacher Fletcher was a tall, thin older man with a headful of white hair and bushy white eyebrows to match. His eyes were a faded blue that bore the weariness of the war and its aftermath, but still held the promise of hope. He was delighted when Kid started to explain the reason for them being there, before Marie interrupted with an apologetic smile to Kid, and continued their story with the hope that there would be no objection to all the girls being involved in the school and its development. They were "family" and would not be separated.
Preacher Fletcher insisted that he take them to the property that he hoped would serve as the new school. It was a small farm that lay just on the outskirts of town. There were two buildings on the property plus an old barn on ten fenced acres with a slow moving creek that bisected the property. One would serve well as the school house and the other would make quaint living quarters for the girls. The Preacher apologized profusely about the condition of property which was in serious need of repair and cleaning. The girls wandered in and out of the buildings and walked along the creek imagining what their new lives would look like.
The Preacher and Kid stood side by side and watched them as they explored; allowing them their privacy.
"You don't seem to be kin, although I can see a genuine fondness for these young ladies. Might I ask how your paths crossed?"
Kid told the Preacher an abbreviated sanitized version of how they ended up on the porch of the Martha Farnsworth Seminary for Young Ladies. The Preacher smiled, not pressing Kid for more details, knowing he had not been told the whole truth...maybe not even half the truth.
"Son...You don't need to pretend with me."
Kid's head snapped up.
"Your southern accent...I know there are folks that wouldn't let it lie, but it's time to heal."
"That bad?"
The Preacher laughed and nodded his head.
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Kid had watched the girls quietly, almost timidly, unload from the wagon when they arrived. By the time they returned from examining the property and a glimpse at what could be their new futures, there were smiles on each of the girl's faces.
The Preacher reassured the girls that although money poor, they had a dedicated congregation that would be more than willing to provide the much needed manpower and sweat; whatever was needed to make this a reality. The property had originally been owned by a family that had been misplaced by the war and chose not to return. Surviving kin had told the Preacher their selling price, when he had managed to track them down and even though the price was more than fair he knew it would be a hardship to come up with the money. He hoped they would be amiable to monthly payments until the balance was paid.
Kid excused himself from the Preacher and gathered the girls together to talk privately with them.
There was excited chatter amongst the girls. Kid laughed, "I'm assuming…"
"Yes," the girls said in unison. It was the first time Kid had seen hope in their young faces.
Kid returned to the Preacher and pulled him aside. They quietly spoke, then suddenly a wide grin crossed the Preacher's face. He extended his hand out and vigorously shook Kid's hand. "You know son, even in the darkest of night a beacon of light can shine. I think that's what I'm witnessing here."
Preacher encouraged the girls to attend the Sunday service in several days so introductions could be made and details could be finalized.
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When they returned, Heyes was asleep on the porch swing, with the two younger girls wrapped in his arms.
Heyes and the girls woke when they rode up. Kid saw Heyes grimace in pain as the younger girls leapt from the swing, unaware of Heyes' badly bruised chest. He bowed his head and coughed hard, still trying to clear his lungs. He wiped a quick hand across his mouth.
Kid looked concerned, but Heyes reassured him with a wave of his hand that he was okay. The girls were all talking at once as they jumped from the wagon and raced into the house.
Once all the girls were gone, Kid asked "You sure? I can take you in to see the doc."
Heyes quickly shook his head no, "That's a lot explaining that I'm not interested in doing. Too many questions...I'm okay" Heyes saw the doubt in his partner's eyes. "Really...I'll be fine."
"Let me put the horses up and I'll tell you how it went."
"Well...judging by the girls' reaction…"
Kid smiled before he steered the horses and wagon to the barn to unharness the horses. He didn't want the girls having to go anywhere near Martha's grave.
Heyes waited for Kid to return from the horses and slid over as Kid took a seat beside him.
"You up for church on Sunday?" Kid asked.
"Both of us in a church...at the same time? Ain't you afraid it'll be struck by lightning? God's wrath and all."
"Well, God is suppose to be forgiving...at least I hope so. I think he'll look on us in a more favorable light after our recent land purchase."
"Are we the new owners of a new school?"
"Temporarily. Giving it to the girls once I...we...receive the deed. Hope you don't mind since I made the decision without asking ya."
"I'd done the same thing. We got enough money to get across the Mississippi?"
"Mississippi...yes. Buy into a river boat high stakes poker game...no."
"That's okay. Don't have the appeal it once had."
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When they entered the house, the girls were busy packing.
"Slow down," Kid laughed. "I don't think you all should do anything until you talk to them church folks."
"We don't want to sleep here another night." Marie stopped to say.
"It needs a lot of work before..."
"We don't care. We'd sleep on bare floors with a leaky roof not to sleep in this mausoleum another night."
"How about a compromise?" Kid said, "We'll head back tomorrow. You see how much you can get cleaned up in a day...Then we'll talk about it."
Marie started to open her mouth to protest, but stopped when she saw the genuine concern on Kid's face.
What were another few days?
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Everyone had gone into town to start the cleanup and repair process. Heyes and Kid marveled how hard all the girls worked. Around lunchtime, a buggy pulled up. It was Preacher Fletcher and a woman who was introduced as his wife, Beth. They began unloading several baskets of prepared food.
"Thought you might be needing a break." Beth said.
She smiled warmly at the girls that were covered head to toe in dirt. Beth and her husband repeated the girl's name in their heads as each introduced themselves, mentally trying to memorize them. They hadn't realized there were so many girls still left at the school.
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After several days of hard work, the property showed real promise. A large pile of debris burned in a cleared area as the girls added to the ever growing heap. Periodically through the day, townspeople would show up to lend a hand or bring food and drink to the weary workers.
Heyes slowly took a seat in the tall grass, wiping a bandana across his brow as he stopped from fixing fence with Kid.
"Sorry Kid, I ain't much help."
Kid stopped and took a seat beside his partner, slowly pulling his gloves off.
"You're doing fine Heyes."
They turned their attention towards the house as they watched people move around the property. The smell of burnt wood hung in the air and the sharp rhythmic banging of hammers on the roof and deep inside the buildings, cut above the voices and laughter.
Kid and Heyes sat quietly next to each other in an awkward silence; both reflecting on the events of the last two months.
"As I recall...didn't Big Mac call this a simple job?" Heyes finally said quietly.
Kid snorted, "Yep."
"And are we in agreement the next time Big Mac…"
"Ain't going to be no next time, Heyes. Not in my lifetime...no matter how much money he's willing to pay us. Not enough money in the world."
"That we can agree on. This was my doing...after all our dealings with him...you'd think I would have known better since I'm suppose to be the brains…"
Kid turned, cocked an eyebrow at his partner and smiled.
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On Saturday, since most of the congregation was helping with the cleanup, an informal meeting was held at the end of the day to the relief of Kid and Heyes. The idea of attending a church service, would have brought back memories they would prefer to remain buried...memories of family...death...the orphanage...
Members of the congregation eagerly introduced themselves to the girls, as they each added a new dish of food to the ever growing line laid out on the porch. Many of the ladies offered tatted curtains, crochet doilies, and other such small incidentals to help turn the house into a warm and welcome home.
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Several days later, the girls returned a final time to the school, gathering the remainder of their necessities and meager personal items before loading them into the wagons.
Kid and Heyes maintained some distance, letting the girls decide for themselves what they would take from the house and only occasionally suggesting some items of practicality such as shovels, hammers, rakes and whatever tools they could squeeze into the wagons. They crated Amy's beloved chickens, and tied the two milk jerseys behind one of the wagons.
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As they headed down the long drive for a final time, Marie yelled, "STOP!"
"WHOA!" Startled, Kid pulled the reins back hard on the horses. He looked at Marie seated beside him.
"It doesn't deserve to stand. It needs to be destroyed and forgotten." She said as she looked back at the other girls.
Kid looked at Heyes who drove the other wagon and started to set the brake.
"No, it's for us to do. Us alone."
All the girls entered the house and began pulling flammable material into a pile in the center of the house. They splashed lamp oil over it, and watched as Marie lit the match, tossing it as they quickly exited and climbed back into the wagons without a backward glance.
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After they finished unloading the wagons before they lost the last light of the day, they all took a seat on the edge of the porch.
Kid looked at Heyes who gave him an approving nod. "Girls, while you was packing your things, Joshua and me went through Miss Martha's belongings and ..." Kid reached into his pocket and withdrew a small cloth bag cinched tight with a string. "We found these," he said, placing the bag in Marie's hand.
Marie opened the bag and poured the contents into her palm, a diamond ring, a pearl necklace, and a jade broach.
"We don't want anything that belonged to that evil woman," she replied. "You've done enough. And you've suffered enough too. You keep them." Marie said, trying to press them into Kid's hand.
Kid vigorously shook his head no.
"That's what we figured you'd say," Heyes said. "We also figured you could sell these things to help pay for some of the repairs to the house. Think of it as...sweet revenge."
Marie relented. She stared at the gems in her hand before raising her eyes to meet Kid's, then Heyes' silently thanking them with a long look.
"Someone must be missing you two." Marie said softly.
Yeah...the state of Wyoming. Heyes thought.
"I don't know where home is...," Marie continued, "But...it's okay to go. We will be fine."
All the girls smiled warmly at Kid and Heyes.
They were ready to go "home"...Anywhere west of the Mississippi minus the Wyoming Territorial Prison, suited them fine.
"Thanks to both of you," Marie said. ''We're free...free." Tears glistened in her eyes.
All the girls nodded their heads in agreement, as they brushed tears away before taking their turn to give each man a grateful hug.
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