Chapter 4
The regulators met in the saloon the next afternoon. "They were stealing Peso?" Buck snorted.
"Dang mule was helping 'em," Vin fumed. "He had his head down so's they could bridle him. Like he was some ole plow horse," Vin growled. Disbelieving eyes turned to Vin, everyman there had suffered at the teeth or feet of Vin's ornery horse. JD was drowning his sorrows in a glass of milk.
"Locked in your own jail cell, Sheriff?" Buck chortled. Ezra squished in the door and up the stairs to his room.
"What happened to Ez?" Buck frowned.
"Bath time," Chris growled as he dripped just inside the door.
"Unca Chrith, yer thpoth ta take off yer clotheth for ya get in tha tub," Beau explained. Choked off snickers were heard all over the saloon. Vin quickly escorted the boys out to put them down for a nap, before Chris committed murder.
Seven grown men met that night while Netty Wells sat with the boys.
"How'd we let two little fellers get control like this?" Buck asked as he rubbed his bruised shin. Nathan admired the bandaging job Josiah had done on his left hand.
"How's the hand?" Vin asked in an exhausted sigh.
"Shoulda jest let Dev slide down that banister maybe he'd be easier to catch if he'd caught this splinter," Nathan growled.
"They look just like real boys," Josiah said.
"Mr. Sanchez what perchance did you mean by that remark?" Ezra questioned.
"Has it occurred to you that we may have died in one of our shoot outs and we've all gone to hell," Josiah rumbled as he attempted to find a comfortable position for his ankle. Looks were exchanged among the seven finally eyes lit up in smiles.
"They's been a lot of fun," Vin admitted with a silent chuckle.
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Vin stood in the doorway of his room at the boarding house. Chris suddenly felt guilty leaving the old woman alone with the demon spawn. Looking in he sighed in relief at the woman calmly rocking by the window. Identical curly heads were barely visible peeking from under a pile of quilts.
"Ya all righ' Miz Netty?" Vin asked softly.
"Little angels never had a bit of problem with 'em," she smiled softly. Chris and Vin exchanged suffering glances. Chris stayed to guard the horse thieves, while Vin walked Netty to Mary's house.
When Vin returned he discovered Chris had pulled the quilts down enough to see Dev and Beau's faces. "Making sure it was really those two," he explained to the puzzled tracker.
"Buck, Ezra and Josiah have that prisoner pickup for the judge tomorrow," Chris reminded Vin.
"JD and Nathan's goin' out ta tha Lancaster Place," Vin reviewed. Mr. Lancaster had broken a leg while chasing some rustlers. Nathan was checking on the leg and JD was getting information as the Sheriff.
"I gotta go afta that crippled griz fer Samuel for somebody gets kilt," Vin said uneasily. Chris blinked and gritted his teeth. "Ya got tha boys in tha mornin' Chris," Vin stated. Chris cursed softly as he headed for his room.
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Vin was obviously shaken when he dumped the boys in Chris' room at dawn and left town before breakfast.
"What's wrong with Vin?" Chris asked the boys bouncing gently on his bed. Chris quickly removed the razor from his throat when Beau replied.
"Don' know we only wanted ta thee tha conthtalathionth," Beau said cheerfully.
"Constellations? like stars?" Chris asked.
"Yeth Thir," Beau answered.
"When was this?" Chris questioned.
"Lath night after Unca Vin come back ta the room," Beau investigated Chris shaving gear. Chris quickly moved the straight razor out of reach.
"Did you ask Vin if you could go watch the stars?" Chris demanded.
"No thir, It wath wrong ta do that," Beau replied. "Reckon tha'th why he wouldn't talk to uth afther he comed and got uth?" Beau asked sadly
"Maybe," Chris replied as he finished shaving.
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Josiah was shaky and off his feed at breakfast. "Josiah are you sickening?" Nathan asked in concern.
"I'm fine," Josiah said.
"Thank ya fer catching me Unca Jothiah," Beau said softly.
"Catching?" the remaining men blurted.
"I thlipped on tha ladder when Unca Vin thpooked me," Beau answered.
"The boys decided they wanted to watch stars last night," Josiah told the others. Shocked eyes locked over the boys heads. "They were on the church roof," Josiah ran a trembling hand through his hair.
Chris was thinking quick when the others left that morning. A pleased expression was on his face as he led the boys to the jail after breakfast.
Mary was furious when she discovered the boys locked in a cell before lunch. "Chris they're just little boys," she stormed. Chris sat calmly tilted back on two chair legs.
"Yep," he responded quietly.
"You can't lock them in a cell just because it's more convenient for you. It's not that hard to watch children," she declared.
"You can have'em after lunch," Chris answered. Mary stormed out by the time she got to the newspaper office she was feeling a little concerned.
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Mary returned the boys at suppertime. Her hair was mussed she had ink on her face, hands and apron. She looked completely frazzled. Billy was excited and bouncy.
"Chris did you know the twins can juggle?" Billy enthused. "They were real good until momma yelled then the peaches got dropped in the printing press."
Chris closed his eyes and frowned. "Mary?" he asked softly.
"Don't," she threatened as she turned and stumbled out pulling Billy with her.
"Chrith whath a thin againth nature mean?" Beau asked.
"What?" the disturbed gunfighter asked.
"Miz Mary thaid it juth before them wordth we ain't allowed ta uth," Beau's lip quivered. Chris cuddled the boys
"Reckon she was some upset," Chris declared.