Winter in the Sierras

by Kathy Knudsen1

Hired by Soapy to make repairs to his mountain cabin, Heyes and Curry are confronted with a challenge reminiscent of their own youth

I've never been fond of them cold winter nights up in the Sierra Mountains. Even during those rare times when the snow ain't falling, there's always a bitter cold wind blowing, stirring up the snow on the ground and spewing it about, piling drifts high against rocks, creating little whirlwinds of snow that always seem to settle on the back of your collar and chill your neck, or light on your beard or brow and melt from the warmth of your face before freezing against your skin.

I pulled my collar up tight around my neck and tucked my chin down low against my chest. I moved my hat back on my head to help keep my collar in place so the snow couldn't weasel it's way in between my coat and my skin. Raising my eyes I could see Kid had assumed the same posture as we moved slowly higher up the mountain, letting the horses set their own pace.

Ordinarily Kid and me tried to avoid the Sierras in the winter, but our old friend Soapy had a cabin up in the mountains overlooking Lake Bigler. It was a rustic old cabin that Kid and me had visited maybe half a dozen times over the years. Soapy had bought the land and had the place built about fifty years ago and he use to go up there sometimes in the summer just to get away from the city once in a while. But he was getting older now and said he planned on selling the place in the spring. He'd asked me and Kid to go up there and see if it needed any repairs and such. He said we could spend as much time as we wanted to there, the whole winter if we had a notion to do so. Well, still being on the run, Kid and me thought that sounded like a good idea, just staying out of sight and laying low for a while.

It was getting close to dusk, but Kid and me knew these mountains well and we knew we was only a mile or so away from a cave where we would settle in for the night, build a fire to warm our clothes and take the chill out of our bones, brew some coffee and heat up some beans, and get some much needed sleep. We expected to get to Soapy's cabin sometime tomorrow.

We pulled up to the cave and Kid got off his horse and handed me the reins. Then he pulled his rifle from its scabbard and headed into the cave to make sure it wasn't already occupied by some hibernating bear or marauding Indians. When he came back out, I noticed his face looked more white than wind blown red.

"You feeling alright?" I asked him when he reached up to take the reins and lead his chestnut into the cave.

"Yeah, why?"

"You just look kind of pale."

Kid shot me a reassuring smile. "Heyes, everybody looks pale in the winter. Ain't no sun to tan the skin."

I took him at his word and climbed off my sorrel and led him into the cave.

"Look over there Heyes. Either nobody's been here since the last time we were, or somebody was nice enough to replenish any wood they used. If you unload the horses, I'll get a fire started."

By morning I thought Kid still looked pale, but he insisted he was fine so we packed up and started on our way. If the weather held, we'd be at Soapy's cabin by mid afternoon.

I heard Kid coughing a couple of times and that always worries me cause he's so prone to that sort of thing. It's a trait he got from his Pa who, like Kid, always insisted he was fine until it got to the point he'd drop over right where he was standing. Once his Pa collapsed out in the corn field on an August day. Corn was ripe for picking and the stalks were easily six feet tall. When he didn't show up for supper, Kid's Ma sent him over to our place to fetch me and my Pa and the three of us walked up and down the rows of corn with torches held high in our hands to light the way cause there weren't no moon that night. Finally found him near midnight and me and Pa carried him back to his place while Kid carried the torch to light our way. Then Pa sent me to town for the doctor. Kid's Pa almost died that time, took to his bed for three weeks. Doc said he somehow got dust in his lungs. Me and Pa helped Kid and his Ma bring in the crop and Kid came over to our place to help us bring in ours, too. Then my Pa sold both the crops and gave Kid's family their money. Now I know Kid's Pa and my Ma were siblings, but that's just the sort of thing folks did back then, helped a neighbor in need. Folks don't seem so quick to do that no more.

We came to Soapy's place the back way and took our horses into the barn. Kid and me were both surprised to see two horses already stalled in there. They was both geldings and looked to be at least eighteen, maybe twenty years old and a might on the slight side, not the kind you'd want to be traveling with in this cold and snow.

Kid and me just left our mounts in the barn to go check on the cabin. The only tracks in the snow went from the house to the barn, so whoever was inside hadn't been out hunting or chopping wood, at least not since the last heavy snowfall. We walked real quiet up to the door and Kid stood off to my left with his gun drawn. I knocked, but didn't get no answer. Tried again, but still no answer. So I looked at Kid and he gave me a nod. I pulled my gun so as to be ready and I tried the door knob. It turned and the door opened.

I pushed the door slowly at first, then quickly swung it wide and my eyes swept the room. There wasn't a soul in there. So we made our way down the short hall to the first of three bedrooms. I shoved open the door to the first bedroom and stopped dead in my tracks. There was two boys sitting huddled beneath layers of quilts, their arms wrapped around each others shoulders. They looked terrified and just stared at Kid and me, not uttering a sound.

Kid and me looked at each other and shrugged, then holstered our guns.

"What are you boys doing here?" I asked, but they just kept staring at me, like they was afraid I was gonna shoot em dead and fry em up for dinner.

"It's okay boys, we ain't gonna hurt you. Just didn't expect to find anybody in here," Kid explained. "You see this cabin belongs to a friend of ours so we know it don't belong to you or your family."

"No, Sir. We just needed to get outta the cold," the oldest boy said. By the looks of him he couldn't have been more than thirteen or fourteen. He had light brown hair, green eyes, a bit on the skinny side, and he wore a jacket that weren't warm enough for this weather."

"This one your brother?" Kid asked, giving a nod to the younger boy. He looked about ten, blonde hair that looked like it was last cut with a bowl over his head, and eyes almost as blue as Kid's.

The older boy nodded and Kid smiled.

"You two got names?" Kid asked, his voice so soft and gentle those boys couldn't help but know they weren't in any danger.

"I'm Seth," the older one said. "This is Caleb. We'll leave if you want us to, Mister."

"No, got no intention of booting the two of you out of here. Curious as to how you came to be here though."

Neither child offered any explanation.

"How long you been here?" Kid asked.

"Not long."

"Well. By the looks of your horses and the tracks in the snow, it looks like you've been here quite a spell."

The older boy dropped his head and nodded. "Maybe a month."

"Likely cleaned out most of the food by now?" Kid asked.

Seth nodded again. "We'll pay you back."

"We ain't worried about getting paid back. That food weren't ours either. I'm just thinking about how we can have ourselves a hot supper this evening. Then tomorrow Mr. Smith or me will go in to town and restock the supplies for the four of us. If I bring in some wood, can the two of you get a fire going?"

Seth nodded and Kid looked at me and smiled. "Mr. Smith, why don't you bring in some wood and I'll go hunt us some rabbits."

Kid was gone for maybe a half hour. The boys set to work building the fire and I moved Kid's and my saddlebags into the two spare rooms. Then I checked the cupboards to see what canned foods were still on the shelves

I figured the boys, and I knew the Kid had a distaste for caviar, but judging by the number of tins on the shelf, it was apparent that Soapy certainly liked the high society indulgence. I found he also kept a few bottles of brandy, one of which was only half full and I wondered if those boys had been devilish enough to try it. I finally settled on one of six cans of tomatoes and the last remaining can of peaches.

When Kid got back he cleaned and skewered three rabbits and hung them over the fire to roast. It occurred to me that Soapy likely kept some clothes in the cabin to cut down on baggage when he ventured up here, so I check the room I was occupying first and sure enough I found a drawer full of wool socks, half a dozen pairs of long johns and Henleys, a few wool shirts and even some wool trousers, I took a couple of pairs of the socks and some long johns and Henleys out to the main room and handed them to the boys.

"We might hafta shorten these a might, especially for you, Caleb, but they'll keep you both warmer than you are now. Go in and put them on, then come back out here and we'll see how much we hafta trim," I told the boys.

"Mister, that's stealing," Seth said with quite the look of worry on his face.

I smiled. "I told you boys, the owner is a friend of ours. Before we came up here he told us 'what's mine is yours.' Besides, he knows we'll pay him back."

The boys scampered off to their room and Kid stooped down in front of the fire to turn the rabbits. "Heyes, you got a real kind heart."

Now Soapy ain't a tall man and the underwear fit Seth just fine and really wasn't too baggy or long on Caleb. I handed them both a pair of wool socks and told Caleb to tuck his longs johns into the socks, then sent them back into their room to get dressed.

The four of us sat around the table for supper, eating off of some fine china plates. Kid and me drank coffee and the boys drank heated snow.

"I bet this is as warm and full-bellied as you boys have been in a while," Kid said with a friendly smile. "So how about you boys telling us how you came to be up here, anyway. You orphans or runaways?"

"Half orphaned. Our Pa died three years ago," Seth told us.

"Where's your Ma?" I asked. "She live down in Tahoe City?"

Seth shook his head."Carson City," he replied.

"How long have you been gone? Ain't your Ma likely worried about you?"

I saw Seth give Caleb a nervous look, but Caleb nodded his head. That boy reminded me of Kid at that age, kind of shy in his ways, but trusting of his older brother.

"Ma remarried over a year ago. Turns out the man wanted a wife, but didn't much want the kids that came along with that. Finally got bad enough that Caleb and me run off."

"He hurt you boys?" Kid asked and both the boy's chins dropped to their chests, but neither said a word. Kid looked up at me, real concerned now. Kid always did have a soft spot for those hurting and in need, women, children, dogs. Why he even nursed a baby mountain lion back to health once, even though I reminded him of all the mountain lions we've killed and of the couple that have tried to kill us.

"Well, Mr. Smith and I were on our own when we was about your age, too. In fact, there's a few things we can probably tell you to make your lives a bit easier over the years," Kid said and gave me a knowing kind of smile.

"Like what?' Caleb asked and I supposed he wanted things to be a little easier being as that's what prompted him into the conversation.

"Well, let's see," Kid began. "Like only steal the things you need, never the things you just want. Stealing some eggs from somebody's coop, or some apples from somebody's tree, well that's just survival. But stealing candy is only alright on your birthday or Christmas."

"Anything anybody offers you, take it, even if you don't want or need it. Might be you can sell it to somebody else and put a few cents in your pocket," I added.

"And no matter how bad things get, don't go pairing up with the wrong people."

"Who are the wrong people?" Seth asked.

"Outlaws, gangs, anybody working on the wrong side of the law," I told him.

"Ranchers will often give you a job even if you're young. But when you go applying for that job, don't lie. Don't go telling him you got experience with doing something you ain't. You two ever broke a horse?" Kid asked and both boys shook their heads.

"Then don't tell some rancher you have, just to get on the payroll. Telling a lie like that could end you up dead."

"And a real important thing to know is that in winter weather like this, you're far better off homeless in a city than out here in the mountains. Why if you hadn't come across this cabin, the two of you would likely be froze dead somewhere by now and nobody would find you till the spring thaw," I told them, not wanting to scare them, but wanting them to see the dangers.

"There's a lot of other things too, but it's getting late. You two boys better run out and do your business, then scramble into bed and get some sleep," Kid told them.

An hour later the boys were fast asleep. Kid banked the fire in the fireplace and I poured him and me each a brandy and we sat on Soapy's nice soft leather sofa in front of the fire to drink our brandy and talk quiet.

"What are we gonna do with them?" Kid asked.

"Might as well let them stay as long as we're here. Then I guess we'll get them to a town and give them a little seed money. No sense taking em home. They'll just run away again."

"Heyes, you think their Ma knew that man didn't want the responsibility of them two boys?"

"I like to think not. I like to think she was trying to make her family whole again."

"What kind of man would do that? I mean, marry a woman, but not the whole package?"

"A man I wouldn't want to know."

"You think that's their whole story? You think it's true?"

"I don't know, Kid. I think those boys think it's true and that's what matters.

"How about the four of us go into town tomorrow, Heyes? Their horses could certainly use the exercise and we can use them as pack mules on the way back. The boys can ride double with us."

I smiled as I had thought the same thing. "And maybe buy them both a winter coat and some new boots. Soapy said we could put expenses on his bill and he didn't limit us as to what we considered expenses."

"Kid smiled broadly. "Heyes, I do like your way of thinking."

0-0-0-0-0-0-

Tahoe City is located on the shore of Lake Bigler at the outlet of the Truckee River. Winters are a bit milder there than in other regions of the Sierras with average snowfall being a hundred and seventy inches a season. The town itself is no bigger than a city block and logging is the primary industry in the area with an abundance of Ponderosa Pines.

When we got to town our first stop was the Mercantile where we placed an order for flour, sugar, sodium bicarbonate, bacon, cans of fruits and vegetable, some sweet butter, and a few other incidentals, like a couple of fine cigars, and some feed grain. Then Kid and me took the boys to the back of the store where we got the boys fitted each with a winter coat, a pair of boots, warm scarf and gloves, and a couple of proper fitting pants and shirts. On the way out, Kid made sure to pass the candy counter cause he's always been partial to peppermints.

"What kind of candy do you like?" he asked Caleb who grew suddenly wide-eyed as he studied all the jars on the counter. "Licorice," he said.

Kid smiled and ordered a nickel bag of licorice. Then he asked Seth the same question.

"If it's all the same to you Mr. Jones, candy ain't a necessity and I'd rather have a nickel in my pocket."

Kid smiled and reached into his pocket and pulled out a dime that he handed to Seth. "A little profit for being such a good businessman," Kid told him.

I told the store owner who we were and he said Soapy had wired him about the expense account, so I told him we'd be back in an hour or so to pick up our supplies and things.

Then we took the boys across the street to the Tahoe House which is sort of a combination tavern, hotel, and restaurant and we had a big lunch of beef stew and buttermilk biscuits. The boys each had a tall glass of buttermilk while Kid and me had a beer. Kid and the boys topped the meal off with a piece of apple pie.

After lunch we went back to the Mercantile and loaded up the boy's horses with the supplies and gave the boys their new coats and scarfs and gloves to wear on the trip home. Seth rode double with me back to the cabin while Caleb sat between Kid and the saddle horn.

"Being as the four of us are going to be spending most of the winter together, I reckon we ought to be on a first name basis," I told the boys. "My name's Joshua and my friend here is Thaddeus."

Kid smiled. "You can call me Kid, except when we're in town, then it's Thaddeus," he explained. "Don't want to confuse people with the two of you calling me the Kid in the group," he added with a wink and a smile in my direction.

When we got back to the cabin we all carried in the supplies, then Kid took the boys and led the horses to the barn to get them unsaddled and fed.

"While you fellas was out, I had an idea," I told the three of them when they returned to the cabin.

No one asked just what the idea was, but after a rather long bit of silence, Kid finally offered some indication of interest.

"Well, we're waiting," Kid said and then sneezed several times. "Sorry."

"Kid and I came up here for a reason. You see the man that owns this place is wanting to sell it..."

"You already told us that," Seth interrupted.

"Well, we're up here to fix the place up, you know, repair any broken boards, make sure the pump's working, the shutters close tight, the roof's in good repair, all that sort of thing. Now the roof will have to wait till spring when the snow melts, but the indoor jobs we can all do this winter. Then, when we're all ready to leave this place, we'll pay you for your work. You'll have some money in your pockets when you start out on your way."

Both boys smiled brightly and Kid and me looked at each other and grinned. We knew the value of a dollar at that age, well at any age really.

We started the following morning with a tedious but relatively easy job that the young boys could do with great efficiency, chinking the few cracks they found in the cabin walls. The boys shoveled through the snow, then dug into the frozen ground, piling chunks of dirt into buckets that they then hauled into the cabin. Kid had carried a bale of straw up to the porch and once the dirt had thawed they added water and straw until they had a thick paste to use to fill the small gaps.

We spent a month doing many minor repairs. I bought wood planks and Kid and me showed the boys how to pull up splintered or otherwise weakened floor boarding, how to look for joists, how to measure and cut the replacement wood and where to place the nails. Both boys worked hard and long and at the end of each week, me and Kid treated them to a fine supper at the Tahoe Tavern.

"Thaddeus and me are making sure you boys know a thing or two about the carpentry trade when you leave here. Might come in handy when you're looking for a job down the road sometime."

"When was the last time you boys was in school?" Kid asked

"We know how to read and write," Seth replied defensively.

"You good at ciphering?" I asked and saw Caleb shaking his head.

I smiled. "While we're in town, we'll stop at the Mercantile and see if they got a McGuffey reader, maybe an Arithmetic book. We can work on those things in the evenings."

I heard Kid coughing again, a dry cough so I didn't think much of it. But I also knew Kid pretty consistently got at least one bad cold or one bad bout of the flu every winter. It didn't seem to matter if he stayed indoors or not.

Kid must have seen some worry in my eyes cause he looked at me and frowned. "Would you stop it. I'm fine," he told me.

"Why are you doing all this for us?" Seth asked.

I saw Kid smile a kind of sad smile. "Well, let's just say we want to save you some of the hardships we had at your age."

"So, you're not going to make us go back to Carson City?" Seth asked.

"Thaddeus and me don't think that's up to us to decide. Only the two of you know if that's the best road to take. No, we're not making the two of you do something you don't want to do, but we want to help you be prepared for being on you own," I told him.

"Thaddeus," Seth said real hesitantly. "Will you teach me to shoot? Enough so that I can hunt small game? You know, make sure Caleb and me don't go hungry."

Kid smiled and patted Seth's shoulder. "That's one of the lessons on our list, son. We want you to be able to shoot game...want you to be able to defend the both of you if need be. When we look for them school books, we'll look an see if there ain't a decent used gun for sale, too."

Kid and me both noticed Caleb looking up at Kid with those big, inquisitive blue eyes. "You know, Caleb, I knew how to handle a gun by the time I was you age. I suspect we ought to include you in those lessons."

Caleb smiled ear to ear. "Thanks, Thaddeus."

At the Mercantile I hunted for the learning books I wanted and Kid took the boys over to the gun counter. Now I think Kid could easily be considered an expert on hand guns and he carefully examined several of them before asking to actually hand hold a couple. He wanted one lightweight enough for both the boys to handle and he wanted to find as good a balance as he could. When he got it narrowed down to two, he handed one to Seth and asked him how it felt in his hand, then he did the same to Caleb. He let both boys handle and examine both the guns and decide amongst themselves which of the two they preferred.

"Anytime you're holding a gun, whether it's got bullets in it or not, you treat it like a loaded gun. And you never, never point a gun at something or someone unless you are willing to shoot it," Kid told them.

"We like this one," Seth said, holding the barrel and handing Kid the butt of the gun.

"I'll take this one, and a box of bullets, and do you happen to have a used holster that might fit these boys?"

The clerk came up with a pretty tattered holster that he said he would throw in for free. Kid was pleased to be able to get all his purchases for under fifteen dollars.

"Thaddeus, would you mind taking the boys back to the cabin? I thought I might stay in town for a spell," I said as we crossed the street to our horses.

"You planning to compensate me for my expenses with your winnings?" Kid asked with a knowing smile.

"Might even be able to pay the boys some of there wages," I replied.

Kid and me had decided weeks ago not to leave the boys alone at the cabin. Those two young ones just reminded us too much of ourselves at that age and, although we was willing to see them on their way in the spring, we wanted them leaving with a bit of knowledge and know how to make it on their own. But we also knew the boys, especially Seth, might tire of our company and up and decide to move on and neither Kid nor me gave them much chance this high in the mountains in the dead of winter. We knew if they did decide to up and leave, we'd decide we would have to go after them, and we didn't much cherish the idea of wandering those snow covered mountains either.

Kid packed the gun and supplies in his saddle bags, then reached for my package of books and stuffed them in there, too.

"Okay, we'll head back, but I might not be waiting up for you," Kid said, then coughed that dry cough again. "It's nothing," he said emphatically.

I nodded. "You do look a bit tired," I replied.

"I've been working all day. If I'm feeling sick ever, I'll tell you."

"Okay. Don't wait up. Get some sleep, all of you."

0-0-0-0-0-

I woke the next morning to find Kid and the boys sitting around the kitchen table with the boys "new" gun all laid apart in pieces and Kid carefully cleaning and explaining each piece and showing the boys how to piece it all back together again. Then each of the boys took a turn disassembling and reassembling the gun and naming each part as they went along. It was a meticulous process that took a good two hours as Kid saw no value in running through the process quickly. Kid insisted that knowing all there was to know about a gun was just as important for a boy as reading and writing and 'rithmatic.

I fixed us all some lunch but afterwards we figured the boys had sat still long enough for one day, so Kid and the boys bundled up against the cold and went out for an hour of practice shooting which, being their first lesson, pretty much meant the boys watched and Kid did the practicing.

We had pretty much done all the fixing up there was to do inside the house so after target practice, we all headed to the barn to start a list of what needed to be done in there.

The whole month of January passed pretty quick what with fixing up the barn, shooting practice, and school learning from the books I had bought. Since Kid was doing the gun teaching, I focused on the book learning and we'd spend an hour of two in front of the fire every night with a glass of milk and some store bought cookies or some pan cake me or Kid cooked up, working mostly on reading and figuring.

One evening, early February I think it was, I was having Seth and Caleb take turns reading aloud from one of my Mark Twain books. Kid was sitting in one of Soapy's soft cushioned chairs with his feet up on the ottoman, his eyes half closed and looking real comfortable when Seth quietly closed the book, set it on the table, and just started watching the flames as they crackled and popped.

"Something bothering you, Seth?" I asked.

"It just weren't never like this at home, not after Pa died."

"You missing your Pa?" I asked and noticed Kid moved his feet to the floor and sat up and took notice a bit.

Seth nodded.

"You too, Caleb?"

Caleb nodded and got up from his chair and wiggled himself into the chair with his brother.

"I guess you two missed your folks too when you was our age," Seth said.

I looked at Kid and saw a sadness in his eyes that I hadn't seen in years.

"We did," I told the boys, wanting them to know it was alright to feel the way they did.

"Still do from time to time," Kid added.

"How did you do it?" Seth asked. "I mean, not having a home to go back to?"

"You boys got some good memories of when your Pa was living and you was all a family under one roof?" Kid asked and both boys nodded their heads and then Caleb rested his head on Seth's shoulder.

"You hold on to those memories," I told them. "Talk about them to each other. That's how you keep those times alive. That's how you keep your Ma and you Pa alive, in your hearts," I said, looking at Kid and regretting that I really hadn't done a good job of that when we were growing up.

"Joshua and me spent a couple of years in an orphanage and while it wasn't a real good place to be, we did have the advantage of having other boys around us that were in the same situation as us," Kid said and looked at me kind of hesitantly. "You know, if you boys would like, Joshua and me could talk to the ministers of some of the churches in town. Maybe there's a family that might want to take the two of you in, give you a home. As you get a little older, you're near enough that you could kind of keep tabs on how things are going with your Ma."

"I don't know," Seth said. "We'd have to think on that a while, talk it over just between the two of us."

"Seth, we ain't gonna do anything you don't want us to do," Kid reassured him."If you and Caleb decide to just stay on your own, when you go on your way this spring, Joshua and me will give you a way to get in touch with us if you ever need any help or anything. That's another thing Joshua and I learned along the way, there's a lot of good people in this world and when you find them, hold on to them and be good right back to them. That'll serve you well in life."

"Like the two of you," Seth said.

I smiled to think these two young boys thought of us as friends. "Yeah, like the two of us. Kid and me will always be there for you. Think of us as... your older brothers. If there's anything you want to know, we'll always give you an honest answer."

"You think we should go home? Back to Ma?" Seth asked.

I looked at Kid. Neither one of us knew what to say to that. We certainly didn't want to send those boys back into a bad situation, but the truth was, we really didn't know if it was a bad situation, or if it was just an adjustment, losing their Pa and having another man move into the house in that role.

"I'm going to give you the same answer you gave me a while ago," I told Seth. "I think Kid and me need to think on that, talk about it. Understand though that whatever decision is made, it's made by the two of you. Kid and me will just do our best to get you two ready to face whatever road you decide to travel."

Seth nodded and gave us a smile that told me he took us at our word.

The subject didn't come up again for several weeks. February was a little milder than most and there were several days warm enough for a little snow melt. Near the end of the month the snow was gone from the roof so we hauled the ladder from the barn and Kid and Seth climbed up to inspect the roof. They only found one area over the kitchen that was needing some repair. The damage wasn't so bad that the roof was leaking through, but it was obvious that was just a matter of time. On Friday after we went to town for supper, we ordered the boards and nails and tar paper needed for the roof repair.

The next day Kid had been out with the boys for the better part of an hour doing some target practice. Seth was consistently hitting at least four out of six cans, and Caleb was usually hitting two or three.

"You know, I think it's time we go hunting. Let's see if either of you can get us a rabbit of two for supper," Kid suggested and both boys smiled with glee.

"But first, let's go back inside and get warmed up," Kid added.

We was sitting near the fire drinking coffee and warm milk when Seth turned to me with a real serious expression on his face.

"Caleb and me have been thinking and talking about what we're gonna do."

I gave Kid a glance and saw he was looking real interested.

"We'd like to know our Ma's alright, but we don't plan to go back there."

"You want one of us to try to find out?" I asked. "We could do that without breathing a word about the two of you," I told him and I could see Caleb was eager to know about his Ma.

Seth nodded that he was agreeable to our finding out what we could.

"We don't want to be taken in by strangers, either, so you don't have to go talk to any of the ministers."

"Alright," I told him.

"Seth," Kid said. "If you want Joshua or me to find out about you Ma, we don't even know your last name."

"Trevors."

Kid and me shot astounded looks at each other.

"Was that your Pa's name or this new fella's name?" Kid asked.

"That's Caleb's and my last name. Ma's new husband's name is Johnson."

"You don't happen to have an uncle by the name of Lom, do you?" I asked and both boys nodded their heads.

"You like him?" Kid asked and again both heads nodded.

Kid and I felt like we'd just won a jackpot. "Boys, Kid and me know your Uncle Lom. He's a good friend of ours."

"He is?" Caleb asked, so I knew he was happy with the news.

"In fact, he's even been to this cabin," I told them. "How about if I ride into town tomorrow send him a telegram and invite your Uncle Lom up here for a visit?"

"He won't make us go back, will he?" Seth asked.

"No," Kid told him. "We'll explain things to him. He'll understand."

The boys looked at each other, talking without words the way Kid and me do sometimes. Then they both nodded their heads.

"Why not tell him you'll meet him at the train station Hey...Joshua," Kid suggested.

I uttered a chuckle. "I'll do that. I'll go in to town tomorrow and send him a telegram."

"So boys, shall we see about shooting us some rabbits for supper?" Kid asked and the three of them put their coats back on and headed back outside.

0-0-0-0-0-

It was a week later when Lom Trevors arrived by train. I took him first to the Tahoe Tavern to let him know the situation and what Kid and me had been doing all winter with his nephews.

"It wasn't till the night before I sent you the telegram that Kid and me learned you're the boy's uncle," I explained.

"My brother, Abe died sudden, a heart attack I think it was. This Johnson fella was a friend of Abe's but when I met him, it was obvious he had a drinking problem. I suppose that hasn't improved." Lom explained. "Shirley, my brother's widow has never said he was a mean drunk or anything. Of course, she never told me the boys were having a hard time of it either, at least not until they up and disappeared. I've had every Sheriff in the west looking for those boys."

"Well they've been safe all winter, Lom. Kid and me have kept a close eye on them. They're fine boys. They remind me and Kid of us when we were kids."

"Yeah, under the circumstances I suppose they do."

"Lom, they don't want to go back to Carson City and, not knowing they was kin of yours, Kid and me promised not to make them go back."

Lom sighed heavily but nodded that he understood our situation.

"You say you have all been up here at this cabin all winter?"

I nodded.

"How much longer you plan on being there?"

"We can stay as long as you need us to."

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. I'll have to go have a talk with Shirley at some point, but I'll do that without the boys. If Johnson is still a heavy drinker, I don't want the boys raised in that environment. I'll raise them myself first"

I smiled. "That's what me and Kid were hoping you'd say, Lom."

When we got to the cabin, Kid and Seth were up on the roof replacing a couple of boards and applying the tar paper. Caleb was at the kitchen table working on his Arithmetic.

Kid looked up and saw us first. He stood up and smiled.

"Hey, Lom, good to see you," he called down. "You can go ahead down the ladder, Seth. I'll finish up."

Seth scurried down the ladder but stopped hesitantly.

"It's alright, Seth. Joshua told me what was going on." Lom said and held out his arms and a smile spread across Seth's face as he ran into Lom's arms.

"Caleb! Come on out here! Your Uncle Lom's here!" I called as loud as I could through the closed door.

It wasn't any time at all before Caleb came running out of the cabin, not wearing a coat, and threw himself into Lom's open arms.

"I was worried about you boys. I'm glad you're alright and I'm glad you met up with some friends of mine," Lom said as he carried Caleb into the cabin and Seth and me followed, leaving Kid to finish the roof repairs.

About an hour later Kid was finished with the roof and after putting the ladder and supplies in the barn, he came walking into the cabin and stopped dead in his tracks and looked over at me with a grin. The whole room was full of laughter like neither one of us had heard out of them boys in the entire three months we had come to know them. Caleb is the one that surprised the both of us. He was a downright little chatterbox, telling Lom about all the things he had learned to do, how Kid had taught him to shoot a gun. Lom listened real intently but every so often, he raised his eyebrows and gave me or Kid, or sometimes both a real skeptical look. Kid and me would just shrug or Kid would put on that real innocent look he's got.

After supper Kid moved his things into my room and changed the sheets on his bed so Lom would have his own room. Then all five of us sat around that warm fire and started making some serious plans. Kid and me stayed quiet most of the time, unless some question was directed right to us.

"I think boys, I'm going to have you stay here for maybe another week while I go have a talk with your Ma, and then maybe make a quick trip back to Porterville to see what kind of arrangements can be made," Lom explained

"We're not going back to Carson City so long as Mr. Johnson is still there," Seth said emphatically.

Lom had a look of confusion on his face. "Does he make you call him Mr. Johnson?" Lom asked and both boys nodded.

Lom sighed and gave Kid and me a real knowing look.

"I can't promise you boys, cause I ain't talked to your Ma yet, but... would you boys be willing to come live with me in Porterville?"

Caleb and Seth looked at each other and smiled, then turned to Lom and both agreed that they liked that idea.

"I'll be able to see that you see your Ma on a regular basis, without the influence of Mr. Johnson," Lom added.

"Lom, that sounds like a great idea!" I couldn't help but say and I saw Kid nodding in agreement.

Lom rubbed his hand across the stubble on his chin. "Well, there's somebody else I gotta ask to, and if that person is agreeable, then I think we're going to have to arrange a meeting with the both of you," Lom told the boys.

Kid and I could guess what Lom was referring to, but neither one of us knew who exactly it was he was talking about.

"This other person got a name?" Kid was bold enough to ask.

Lom indirectly ignored Kid and turned his attention back to the boys."You two might not remember cause it was kind of a hectic day as I recall, but... do you remember the lady I brought to your Ma's wedding? Miss Porter?"

Seth smiled and I could tell by the expression on his face that he remembered her, likely even admired her. Poor Caleb didn't recall the lady at all and timidly shook his head.

"Ah, Caleb, you remember. She was that real pretty lady with that hat that matched the blue dress she was wearing. She had long dark hair and a real friendly smile. She sat with you and me at the picnic for a spell and was real impressed with what a fine gentleman you were."

Caleb still shook his head.

"She's the lady that spied that slingshot in your back pocket and walked over away from the others with you so she could see just how good a shot you were"

Caleb's eyes brightened and he smiled. He did recall that lady. She was real nice and praised him for being such a good shot.

"Okay Uncle Lom, Caleb remembers her now."

"Well her name is Caroline Porter and she and I are planning to be married in the spring. I'll have to ask her, but I'm sure she would love to have you boys live with us."

"And being as the boys know Kid and me pretty well now, Lom. We'd be happy to stay with them if you and Miss Porter are planning a trip after the wedding," I said, volunteering Kid's services but seeing no sign of objection from him.

"Alright then," Lom said. "How about I spend the day here tomorrow and Kid and Joshua can maybe go into town for some rest and relaxation while the three of us get to know each other a little better? Then the day after that, I'll take the train to Carson City and be back here within a week?"

Everyone agreed that sounded like a fine plan and I know Kid and me especially liked the part about our spending the day in town.

Well, the next couple of weeks progressed nicely. Lom sent his former sister-in-law a telegram telling her he was going to be in town and had a private matter to discuss with her. He told me and Kid privately that he pretty much laid down the law to her, but that she was really in full agreement with the plan, cause she loved them boys and never dreamed she was putting them in the situation that developed. She said it set her mind at ease knowing they weren't off drifting around on their own; that they was safe and soon to be in a loving home.

And Caroline, well she's just a very special lady. Hell any woman willing to take on the challenges of running a bank, especially one that gets blowed up, well, she was more than up to the challenge of raising two fine young boys. She even suggested they move the wedding up so their newfound family could all be together sooner.

In fact, Caroline returned with Lom to Tahoe City. She stayed at the hotel for matters of protocol and to give the boys time alone with Lom, but she and Lom and the boys had supper together every night and Kid and me joined them a couple of times.

At the end of the week, the boys returned to Porterville with Lom and Caroline; while Kid and me stayed a couple of days and sold the boys horses and made arrangements to board ours, and then we took the train to Porterville ourselves to attend the wedding. We then stayed with the boys for a week while Lom and Caroline boarded the train for Cheyenne for a few days.

Kid and me and the boys stayed at Lom's cabin while he and Caroline were gone and we gave each of the boys fifty dollars and told them it was the wages they had earned over the winter. Seth said he and Caleb were going to put their money in their Step-Ma's bank.

When Lom and Caroline got back, Kid and me said our goodbyes and took the train back to Tahoe City to close up the cabin till Soapy and the Realtor could get together for a go-through inspection before Soapy put it up for sale.

All in all, it was a pretty interesting winter for me and Kid and as it turned out, it was a pretty interesting winter and spring for a whole lot of people. Certainly one we won't forget anytime soon.

0-0-0-0-0-0-

EPILOGUE

Sure enough, just as I had been predicting all winter, the day after Kid and me got back to Tahoe City, and just one day before Kid and me had been planning to head to San Francisco to report to Soapy, Kid comes padding bare-footed out of his room in the morning for coffee. He no more than sits down at the table and he starts coughing and sneezing, and sounding all stuffed up and nasally, face as red as a beet, and running a fever.

"I knew it. I knew it. What have I been telling you for the past three months?' I scolded as I set a cup of coffee down in front of him.

Kid just raised his eyes up over the rim of his cup and glowered at me.

"I've been telling you 'Kid you look pale,' and 'Kid, hows that cough?' Do you listen to any of my warnings and even try to take care of yourself?"

Kid set his coffee cup down and looked across the table and sneezed, but I wasn't done with him yet. I'd seen this cold coming on months ahead of time and tried to warn him, but he was just too damn stubborn to take any heed.

"You know that's why I was the leader all them years, Kid. Cause I could think ahead. I could see the danger before it was upon us. Three months ago I told you I could see this coming."

Kid was breathing through his mouth though he tried unsuccessfully to sniffle, then he took another sip of his coffee and acted like he was ignoring me.

"Why do you always have to be so gall darn stubborn?" I asked.

"You knew three months ago that I was coming down with a cold today?" Kid asked and every word dripped of sarcasm and maybe even a little phlegm.

I felt affronted. Here I had been trying to warn him and all he does is question my ability.

"Not the specific day, no," I said, matching his sarcasm.

"But you are telling me you can see at least three months into the future?"

"Common sense told me," I said defensively.

"It weren't no common sense, Heyes. You was just betting the odds.

"Betting the odds? You're crazy."

"I have gotten a cold every winter since I was three years old. It just stands to reason."

"Kid, I worry about you. I try to help you. Why... I'm just plain insulted."

"Heyes, if you want to go gambling on things, why don't you just go place your money on something worthwhile, like a deck of cards? A sure thing like my getting a cold is just even money at best."

"You just won't admit that I was right, will you?"

"I think I just did you lame brain!"

"Lamebrain!"

Heyes. Stop. Now I'm sick and I'm going back to bed. You can sit in here and feel all pious if you want to, but it just seems like a waste of time to me. So go into town and have yourself some fun and just let me get some sleep."

I looked at Kid and suddenly realized how pointless this argument was, and then I started feeling sorry for the poor boy. He was sick after all. I felt a smile starting to creep across my face and I stood up and gave Kid a pat on the back.

"You're right, Kid. You're absolutely right. It is a waste of time. I'll stay out of your way while you're sick and let you get the rest you need."

Kid looked at me and I know he thought I had some anterior motive, but I just smiled and pretty soon he pulled himself out of that chair and padded off to bed.

And I headed to town for some serious poker.