It was Scott. And Murdoch, as well. They were wearing long rain slickers, and Charlie went to pull the door open

before they were even off of their horses.

As soon as they were inside, and the door was closed again, against the wind and the rain, Charlie flung herself at Scott.

"Are you alright?" Scott was asking.

Charlie was nodding yes to that, and Teresa said, "We're alright."

Murdoch gathered Teresa up into a hug. "We were worried about you two. I'm glad you decided to wait the storm out here."

"Where's Val?" Scott asked, and Charlie looked to Teresa to explain.

Teresa did explain, telling them about what had happened, and where Val had gone. Murdoch looked stern and

forbidding, but Charlie knew by now that that oftentimes meant he was worried, and concerned.

Charlie kept her fingers hooked in Scott's belt loops, listening as Teresa explained it all; Burl's sudden appearance, with a

gun that Val knew nothing about; the two men's dark presence; all of it.

"Alright, you girls stay right here," Murdoch was saying.

Charlie held onto Scott's waist, reluctant to turn loose.

"We'll be back, quick enough," he told Charlie, and then, they were gone, out into the torrent of rain.

"What a day," Teresa said, standing at the window and watching them go.

"I wish we had some hot chocolate," Charlie said.

"I wish we were all at home in the kitchen drinking the hot chocolate," Teresa said.

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It grew later and later, and though Teresa tried to get Charlie to go and lie down on one of the cots in the cells, Charlie

refused. She began to walk back and forth, picking at her cuticles.

"Charlie, come and sit down with me," Teresa urged, patting a spot on the bench.

"I want Scott," Charlie said, so softly it was nearly a whisper. She didn't think Teresa heard her, but she had because

she said, "Scott will be alright."

The door burst open and was closed, and another man stood there, wearing a rain slicker.

Both girls ran to him, clutching and talking at the same time.

"Just a minute," Johnny said. "One of you at a time do the talkin'."

Johnny listened while Teresa explained things, and then he said, "Alright. Here, pequeno, turn me loose a minute."

"Are you going, too?" Charlie asked, anxiously.

"Yeah, I'm goin'-"

"Don't, Johnny!" Charlie protested, clutching him.

"Charlie-" Johnny began.

"Don't," Charlie said, again, and suddenly she was frantically pulling at him. "I don't want you to go!"

Johnny bent so that he was on eye level with Charlie, and took hold of her shoulders. "Stop it, Charlie!" he ordered, and she

paused, taking in a deep breath. He shook her, but lightly, not harshly.

"I know you're scared, but it's gonna be alright," he said. "Now I want you to stay strong, and hold it together, you hear me?"

Charlie looked into his blue eyes, and found a way in them to calm down. She took some deep breaths, and

managed a nod of agreement. "Yes, Johnny."

"Alright," he said, standing to his full height again. "Take care of Teresa, alright?" he said, with a bit of a joking smile.

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Charlie finally consented to sit beside Teresa, and they sipped at coffee, heavily laced with sugar, as the wind blew and

the rain fell outside.

When the door opened, and all five men came in, dripping wet, Val and Dan had Burl by one arm each, and, as Charlie jumped

up, they went past and toward the cells in the back.

Murdoch was the one who closed the door against the weather, and Teresa went to him. He took off his slicker and then tucked

Teresa close to his side. Scott was shucking his slicker, as well, and Charlie went to stand beside him, her eyes wide

with worry.

"What happened?" Teresa was asking, as, from the back there arose a horrible hollering. Caterwauling, Val would call it.

A sound of a human being in anguish. Charlie bolted to go towards the cells, but Scott reached out to catch her around

the waist.

"Scott-" Charlie protested, wriggling.

"Quit," Scott said. He said it kind enough, but he meant it. There was no mistaking the authority in his tone, and in

his hands, and Charlie stopped struggling.

Johnny went to close the door that separated the office from the hall to the jail cells, so that the noise from there

was muffled somewhat. But, only somewhat.

"Is he hurt? Did he get shot?" Charlie said, and Scott, still carrying her under one arm, went to sit down in one of the

office chairs.

"No. He didn't get shot. He's alright," Scott said.

"Why is he hollering that way?" Charlie asked, as he pulled her down to sit on his knee.

"He's just upset," Scott said. "He'll settle down."

Teresa was bringing cups of the strong, hot coffee to Murdoch, to Johnny, and to Scott, who took it from her

with a quiet, "Thank you, Teresa."

For a few moments, the five of them listened as the hollering from the back continued, and then the door opened,

and the doctor came inside.

"They're back there," Murdoch said, with a nod of his head.

The doctor walked past them all, thru the closed door, and then to the back.

Again, there was silence. And, then, Johnny spoke up, standing, and making his spurs jingle, "It's not a funeral. Everybody's

actin' as though it is."

"What happened with those two men?" Teresa asked.

"They're out there. At Burl's old place," Murdoch said.

"Was one of them the owner?" Teresa asked.

"No. His sons, from what I understand," Murdoch told her.

"Burl was just trying to help Teresa and me," Charlie said. "Is he in trouble?"

"Val's going to lock him up for the night," Scott said. "Have the doctor give him something to call him down."

"And then what?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know, kiddo," Scott said.

"I'd really like to go home," Teresa said, with a sigh.

"Then we shall," Murdoch said, standing up, and going to retrieve his slicker. "Put this on, sweetheart."

Teresa struggled into the man-sized slicker, as Murdoch said, "We'll take the buggy home," and Scott and Johnny nodded.

"Come on, darling," Murdoch said, motioning with his fingers to Charlie.

Charlie had her mouth opened to protest, when Val, Dan and the doctor came from the back.

The doctor stayed for a few minutes, saying that what he'd given Burl should have him sleeping thru the night in peace.

"The outbursts," the doctor said, with a shake of his head, "They seem to be getting worse."

"Yeah," Val said, with a sigh.

When the doctor had gone, Dan followed behind him, heading home for the evening to his wife, and Val went to pour himself

a cup of coffee.

"We'll be heading home," Murdoch said, his arm around Teresa's shoulders. "Teresa's weary. Ready, Charlie?"

Charlie turned to Scott, pleading with her eyes. "May I ride home with you?" she begged. "Please?"

"There's not gonna be any talking to Burl tonight, J.C.," Val warned.

"That's alright," Charlie said. "That's not why I want to stay-" She looked at Scott again. "I just want to ride with Scott."

"We'll see you at home, Murdoch," Scott said then, and Charlie knew she had permission.

After that, she sat on Scott's knee, while he drank cups of the coffee, and the three of the men talked quietly. Not

about Burl, or what had happened. A short while later, Johnny and Scott prepared to leave, as well. Instead of having Charlie

attempt to wear his rain slicker, as Murdoch had done with Teresa, Scott had her wrap it around herself, and then had

Johnny hand her up, to sit in front of Scott in the saddle.

"You'll get so wet," Charlie protested, as they set out. The wind had died down, so her voice carried.

"Maybe I'm part duck," Scott said, near to her ear. "And the rain will just roll right off my back."

Charlie twisted to look back and up at him in the lights of the street. "A duck?" she asked.

"Right." As soon as he'd put the horse into a gallop so as to get home swiftly, Scott leaned to her ear again.

"Quack, quack," he said, and Charlie giggled, feeling safe for the first time since the altercation with the men at Burl's.

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At home, while Johnny prepared hot chocolate and they all sat in the cozy kitchen, drinking it, and talking quietly.

Charlie was still nearly attaching herself to Scott's side. She was warm now, and dry, but still reluctant to get too far from

him. She was mostly quiet, listening as the four adults conversed.

Teresa asked Murdoch to talk to the Silverman's, about renting to Burl. Talk turned to work for the next day, and

Charlie sighed, not realizing that she'd done so.

"What is it, darling?" Murdoch asked.

There was so much on her mind, and so much that she was thinking of, and worrying, but Charlie only

sighed again, and said, vaguely, "I don't know."

The adults exchanged glances and Scott said, quietly, "You're tired." He patted her hip. "Go up and get ready for bed."

"Okay," Charlie said, and stood up, going to give Teresa, Murdoch and Johnny hugs. She went up the stairway, still thinking. Once in her nightgown, she began to

count out her money that she'd saved into tidy rows on the bed.

When Scott came up, he paused at the door. "Did I leave the book up here last night when we read?" he asked.

"Yes," Charlie said, gesturing to the night table. "It's there."

Scott came and sat down on the edge of the bed, as Charlie began to pick up her coins again.

"You've saved some, huh?" he asked. "That's good."

"Sixty-five cents," Charlie said.

Scott nodded in approval. Then he reached into his pocket and sorted thru the coins, handing her two dimes and two nickels.

"There. Add that to it. It's close enough to tomorrow for your allowance day."

"Thank you," Charlie said. "Ninety-five cents, now."

"What are you going to do with all those riches?" Scott asked, teasing. "Keep saving, I hope?"

"I was just thinking-" Charlie began, and then paused. She put the money back into her small coin purse, and laid it on

her night table. "I think I'll save it for a little while."

"Good."

He took the book, opened it to the marked spot, and began to read. When he stopped, he said, "Get settled in."

Charlie scrambled to get underneath of the quilt. Then she sat, twisting the fabric between her fingers.

"Do you think the Silverman's will rent their house to Burl?" she asked. "If Murdoch asks them?"

"I don't know. There's a possibility that they won't want to."

"If they don't, then what can he do?" Charlie asked, biting at her bottom lip.

"I don't know the answer to that, either, kiddo. I wish that I did have an answer."

There was quiet for a couple of moments, and then Scott said, "Sometimes, when a person suffers in the way that Burl

is right now, with confusion, and outbursts, they go to a place called a sanitarium."

"What's that?" Charlie asked.

"It's like a hospital, but for the person's mind," Scott said.

"Oh," Charlie thought about that for a moment. "And they get better, like people get better at a regular hospital?"

"Sometimes, they do. And, sometimes," he added, "They don't."

"Why?"

"Doctors don't know a lot about certain problems of the mind," Scott said, choosing his words carefully. "Sometimes, it's

just luck if a person responds to treatment."

"Do you think Burl should go to a sanitarium?" Charlie asked, watching his face carefully.

"I-" Scott began, and then he seemed to hesitate, looking considering. "I don't know, Charlie."

"If he did, there's a chance at least that he would get well, right?"

"There's a chance," Scott said, in reply. "Lay down now."

Charlie obediently laid down, and Scott tucked the quilt up around her.

"If I ask you something, will you tell me?" Charlie asked, tentatively.

"If I can."

"I mean, you won't think I'm too young or that I wouldn't understand?" Charlie persisted.

"I guess I won't know all that until you ask me the question," Scott said.

"Why was Burl hollering and wailing like that tonight, when you all got back?"

Scott regarded her seriously for a long few moments. "Once Val convinced him to lower his gun off the two men, then he

asked them to ride out for a bit, and he let Burl go inside, and look around. Sort of a 'goodbye' to the place. It was as though

Burl understood in that moment that he wouldn't be able to come back there to live. When it was time to go back to town,

he got more upset. He started asking where he'd be able to take Lettie, since they couldn't stay there any longer."

"Oh," Charlie said, in a small voice.

Scott waited, quiet, as she turned that over in her mind.

"He really thought that Lettie had been there with him?" Charlie asked.

"I guess he did."

"Who do you think Lettie was?" Charlie asked him. "His wife, or his sweetheart? Or his daughter?"

"I don't know. Whoever she was, he surely loved her with everything he has," Scott said. He leaned over to turn down

the lamp.

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