Miracles and Nitroglycerin (Heath's Story)
Heath was in the line-shack, found some paper and a pencil and started writing his thoughts about a forest fire that came near Stockton a couple of years back. Hey There, Heath here. I just thought I would write about my account of a firebreak that my brothers and I were gonna attempt to create in order to stop a forest fire. This tale takes place a couple of years back when my brothers and I took nitroglycerin up on a mountain.
A few days before our planned trip, three men decided to take nitro up there to do the same, but the nitro blew up on them and they lost their lives trying. So, we, that is, my brothers and myself, decided to take the nitro up and make the firebreak. We had a lot of things going for us really, the Barkley luck, a new hearse and fire horses. Well, before we made the trip up the mountain, the three of us met three very different and interesting ladies. Jarrod met Gail Miller. She was one of the Saloon girls at the Gold Eagle in Stockton. She was wanting Jarrod to get her money that her boyfriend Clem Carter had promised her. He was one of the men that was killed taking the nitro up the mountain. And then, Nick, well he fell for Michelle de LaCaise. She was the daughter of Marquis De LaCaise and he was the man that supplied the nitro for the firebreak.
And then, there is me. I met a pretty young lady named Bridget Wells. She ran the Mission in Stockton. I first met her when two men were roughin' her up and I tried my best to stop them. Oh, I wrestled with them some then they finally left her alone. Which after that she wanted me to leave her alone, and of course I couldn't blame her one bit. Later on though, I saw her again and she wanted to thank me and to talk to me. Through talking to her I found out that her family were missionaries who had been killed by Indians and the only way she didn't go is that she claimed she was sick, which she wasn't, just scared. She was weak at that moment, and in some ways, She did in fact seem to be a weak person. She kissed me thinking that she would get a little piece of my strength. She was just a weak person trying to be strong, and after we were up on the mountain that is when her strength really shined.
When we, that is me and my brothers arrived at the best spot to place the nitro, she was there. Boy Howdy, did Nick get upset, but anyway we made her stay with the horses while we did what we had to do. Well, we planted them and fired up one shot each, but then I became trapped under one of the trees that fell. And, Bridget, bless her heart she tried to help, but just couldn't get the tree off of me, I appreciated her trying. I was just so concerned about her getting hurt. Well, anyway Jarrod and Nick knew something was wrong when I didn't come back to the hearse, so they got there and told her to get out of the way and they lifted it up enough so I could get out from under it and, they also helped me climb on to Bridget's horse and, she got me to safety.
A few days after it was all over Bridget accompanied me to the ranch for a small birthday gathering for our mother. And, believe it or not I was the only one that brought a date with me. I know I shouldn't say this, but I couldn't help but chuckle a little about it. Jarrod had convinced Gail that if she really wanted to make a life for herself she just had to try. So, with his encouragement she moved to San Francisco and opened a dress shop. He laughed and said that he reformed her and seemed to have talked his case right out of court. Now, as for Nick, well now that is a story in itself, but I will say this. Michelle's father had wanted her to talk Nick into taking the nitro up on the mountain. So, she did tell him what she wanted before she knew what the three of us had already planned. And, from what I got from reading between the lines, he had to be mad, really mad just at the fact that the Marquis would ask such a thing, and have his daughter do the asking. He didn't talk about it much and that's ok too cause there are some things that are best left to ones self. So, anyway, we made it through the fire alive, and well. Now, believe me when I say that I know that miracles still happen, because along with them and the Barkley luck we all came home safe and sound.