THE CHAIRS
by Goldie
The dead of winter and things should have been quiet. The men should have been in the bunkhouse, the horses should have been in the barn, Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry should have been in the leader's cabin. Everyone hibernating. But things weren't as they should be. The only one who was in the right place was Heyes, who was spending the winter formulating plans for bank jobs and mapping them out. The Kid and the men and their horses came and went much of the winter and were absent enough to make Heyes wonder as to their whereabouts. Constantly, in fact. But whenever he asked, the only answer he got was that they were out "keeping the escape routes clear" or "exercising the stock." It was maddening because he knew he was being lied to. At any rate, this was the first winter that anyone felt it necessary to make paths through the snow in the passes or to exercise the stock any more than leading them to the corral. So that meant the men were all lying to him but they all pretended they didn't know what he was talking about. Even the Kid! Why would the Kid lie to him?! His friend, his confidante, his partner, for God's sake!
N o, Heyes was doing exactly what he should be doing and he tried to push everything else to the back of his mind. In fact, his time had been well spent. Although he did not have a suitable writing surface in his little cabin, he put a piece of lumber on his lap and used it as a writing-tray to come up with some pretty good ideas for jobs for the guys. He was especially proud of his plan to break in to the Little Platte Bank. Cracking that safe would be a breeze for him because it was an older Brooker model. He even knew how long it would take – 12 minutes. And he would only need to take one man with him besides the Kid. In the spring the snow-stranded prospectors would come down from the passes and deposit all their nice newly-acquired money in that very safe, and he would be there to relieve them of it right afterward. Every time he thought about that plan, he smiled at the ease and safety involved. It had the possibility of being their biggest haul yet.
But then he remembered the men running around behind his back and he frowned again.
Heyes thought about following them one morning to see exactly where they went, but some of the boys always stayed behind, and they seemed to be watching him. He knew they were up to something, but even his vivid imagination couldn't figure it out. This was the Devil's Hole Gang, for God's sake, an outlaw bunch that wasn't known for their, well, let's just say - astuteness. Hannibal Heyes himself had a well-earned reputation for cleverness and fortitude and was commonly known among lawmen as the man responsible for planning some of the biggest heists in the history of the West. And Kid Curry was equally well-known as the partner who assisted in those heists. Not to mention The Fastest Gun in the West, a title he downplayed although it was true. But the gang themselves were a couple cinches short of a tight saddle. They looked to Heyes and the Kid, but mostly Heyes, for leadership. It just didn't seem possible that they could be coordinating anything – anything! – by themselves.
Heyes tried everything to get information out of his own men – his own men! – but no one would admit anything was going on. He tried honey-talking the gang, threatening to pull out, you name it. But nothing!
So Heyes spent the winter working, biding his time, sneaking secret looks out the window of his cabin, and waiting. Waiting for the Kid to drop a clue, for someone to spill the beans, waiting for someone to tell him what was going on!
But it never happened.
And the worst part of it was the fact that no matter how many times he asked his partner, Kid Curry denied everything, too.
Finally, one cold evening toward the end of February, Heyes had had enough. He made up his mind that he was going to find out what was going on, and it was going to be Kid Curry who was going to tell him. Heyes came up with a plan and a back-up plan in case the first one didn't work. Usually Heyes and the Kid would eat in the bunkhouse with the rest of the men, but sometimes either of them would cook a small meal in the leader's cabin instead. The leader's cabin was furnished spartanly, with no table and only one cushioned chair, so eating a meal generally involved standing or sitting on the end of one of the beds. That day Heyes promised the Kid he would make him one of his favorite dinners in the cabin. Heyes put the ingredients into the pot over the fireplace and made sure that the inviting aroma wafted outside the leader's cabin. Around suppertime the Kid walked in.
"Smells great!" he said. "I'm starving. What's for supper?" Clearly the Kid was interested. He threw his hat and coat into a corner and sat on his bed to await being served.
"Here it is, Kid," said Heyes, spooning a big portion of the concoction onto the Kid's plate and placing it on his lap.
The aroma was inviting, but when Kid Curry took one look at the food in his dish, he recoiled violently.
"Brains! You know I hate brains!"
"That right? Even beef brains?" Heyes played the innocent.
"What's the matter with you, Heyes? You know I can't stand this stuff! I can't even stand to look at it!"
Heyes turned away and spooned some out for himself. It just so happened that he liked brains. "Well, Kid, when it's your turn to cook, you can make what you want. When it's my turn, you eat what I make."
The Kid fumed. "What's this all about, anyhow? I hate brains and you know it! Talk, Heyes!"
Heyes turned on the Kid suddenly. "You want me to talk, do you? Why don't you talk first? Tell me what's going on with the men, Kid!"
Aha! So that's what this was about! The Kid thought fast. He looked down at his plate. The brains looked back at him. "I told you before," he said as steadily as he could. "There's nothing going on."
"That's a lie and you know it! I can't even trust my own partner!"
The Kid was determined to change the subject. He stuck his fork into the brains and took a biteful. It tasted just as repugnant as he remembered. He chewed, swallowed, and smiled. "This is pretty good, Heyes! You should make it again sometime!"
Heyes glared at him for the rest of the meal.
L ater that night, the Kid settled into the cushioned chair in front of the fireplace and began to nod off. While the Kid was relaxed, Heyes pulled the Kid's gun from its holster and pointed it at him.
The Kid came to full attention but didn't seem to be taking the assault seriously, which infuriated Heyes even more.
"Are you aware you're pointing my gun at me?" asked the Kid casually.
"That's right, Kid, I've had it," Heyes said steadily. "I've asked until I'm blue in the face and now I want answers. I want to know what's going on. I want the truth and no crap. Now!"
The Kid mulled this over. "All right," he answered slowly. "The truth is you're pointing my gun at me."
"You know what I mean! What's going on around here, Kid? Why all the secrecy?"
"What do you mean?"
This was maddening! "What are the men up to? They've been pussyfooting around and disappearing and when I come around they get all innocent. And you, too! You're hiding something from me and I never thought you'd do something like that!"
"Sometimes things aren't what they seem, Heyes. Now, you're the one who told me that."
"What's going on, Kid?" Heyes was relentless.
"Are you going to shoot me?"
"I think so, yes."
The Kid sighed; maybe he would have to finally relent. "Can this wait until tomorrow?"
Heyes cocked the hammer on the gun.
"All right," continued the Kid, "let's take a walk to the bunkhouse and ask the boys what they're up to."
Heyes carefully replaced the Kid's gun back in its holster. The bunkhouse was close by but the night was cold and they both had to put on their warm coats for the short walk. There was no conversation on the way. Heyes stole a glance at the Kid and noticed a smirk on his face. As they approached, they heard the sound of men's voices - laughter and talking. Lobo could even be heard playing his harmonica.
The Kid opened the bunkhouse door and ushered Heyes inside to a large room full of light and laughter and activity. There were small poker games going on and a couple of the men were standing at their makeshift bar. Lobo was indeed playing his harmonica. But all of that stopped when the men saw Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry standing in their doorway.
The Kid spoke first. "Evenin', boys. Heyes and me thought we'd pay you a visit. Heyes has something to ask you."
T o stall for time, Heyes made a big deal of closing the door behind them. He didn't know what he had expected to see, but it sure wasn't the men doing all the things they normally do to pass the time. He leaned against the door and looked at their expectant faces. He did not read animosity or jealousy or hatred or anything else bad in any of those faces. In fact, it appeared that they seemed happy to see him. Heyes knew the men had always respected him. But these men looked genuinely happy that he was there. He stole a quick glance at the Kid to make sure he wasn't holding a gun on them.
Heyes cleared his throat. "Evenin', boys," he said. "I see you're . . . playing poker." He couldn't think of the right thing to say, and stalling wasn't helping.
They were all still looking at him expectantly. "Evenin', Heyes," said Kyle. The others nodded and grunted.
The Kid was still standing beside Heyes. He whispered, "One of the reasons the men respect you is your way with that silver tongue of yours." He was clearly amused by all of this.
Heyes returned the smirk with a glare. Here were his own men – and the Kid – and they were supposed to be the people he trusted most in the world. But he didn't trust them anymore, and he didn't know how to ask them the right questions. After a minute, he snapped at the Kid, "You tell them why I'm here then."
The Kid hesitated before answering. It appeared he was trying to control his laughter. Finally he said, "Well, boys, Heyes here thinks something is going on behind his back. Is there anything going on behind his back?"
The men started fidgeting and stealing looks at each other. Paydirt! Now Heyes had proof he was right! It was his turn now to wait expectantly.
A couple of the men started saying something, but Wheat held out his hands for them to shush. He said slowly in that drawl of his, "Well, now, Heyes, you might be right. Might, I'm saying. There might be something going on." He turned to the rest of the men. "What do you think, boys? Is there something goin' on?"
The Preacher asked, "What day is it?"
Surprised, Heyes answered, "Thursday."
"No," said the Kid with a smirk. "Tomorrow's the right day."
"It is?!" said Kyle happily. "It's the right day?!" This statement seemed to make the men happy and excited. They all started talking at once.
Ignoring them, Wheat stepped forward and drawled to Heyes, "The men have a surprise for you, Heyes. On account of your birthday tomorrow. On account of they like you."
Heyes's mouth dropped open and for the first time in his life, he blushed. "Uh …"
The Kid finally laughed. "It hasn't been easy keeping it from you. You've been snooping around like an old hound dog sniffing a 'coon." He looked at Kyle. "But I think we got him!"
"Woo – eee!" All the men whooped and hollered to think that they had put one over on their leader.
"The surprise ain't here," continued Wheat. "Tomorrow when it's light we'll take you to it." After a second, he added, "'Bout time you figured out somethin' was goin' on, Heyes. You're getting' a mite slow!"
Later that evening, after Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry had retired to their beds for the night, Heyes said, "Kid? You asleep?"
"Yes," mumbled the Kid.
"I was wondering. How much of this were you in on?"
"Mmmm?"
"I mean – was this your idea?"
The Kid leaned up on his elbow. "Not really. Why?"
"You and me – we've never celebrated our birthdays. I didn't think you even knew when my birthday was. Whose idea was it?"
"Oh, I knew when it was, all right. And the boys asked me. But the idea for the surprise – that was all their doing. I think maybe Kyle's. Kyle and the Preacher. But all the rest of the boys jumped on it."
"Kyle and the Preacher…" Heyes mulled this over.
"They like you, Heyes. That's all this is about. They like you. Your good plans made them rich men this last summer and they're appreciative, that's all. They think you're a good leader."
"Well, maybe not Wheat," Heyes laughed.
"Well, maybe so. But they still all asked me if I had any ideas for something they could do for you."
Heyes looked at the Kid expectantly. "And you told them what?"
The Kid cozied back down into the blankets. "You'll have to wait 'til tomorrow to find out."
"You were in on this all the way, weren't you?"
"Yep," said the Kid softly. "G'night."
Heyes smiled. Across the room, he could see his friend's face against the firelight. After a minute, he said, "Kid, when exactly is your birthday?"
Mid-morning, everybody who could be spared saddled up and prepared to make a little trek through the passes. They told Heyes exactly where they were headed and he knew the place well. It was a clearing about three or four miles away that they all sometimes used in warmer weather for clandestine meetings with women from the area. Heyes smiled to think that the pretty little clearing was at least getting some kind of use in the deep of winter.
Some men had to stay behind to guard the Hole, of course, but, in all, there were maybe a dozen men riding to that clearing. Kyle led the way and Heyes was somewhere in the middle and the Kid brought up the rear. Joe was leading the two-horse wagon, somewhere behind. Heyes was somewhat pacified to hear the voice of the Kid behind him, because, believe it or not, he didn't completely trust that crazy gang of his. When they were getting close, everybody stopped and Wheat said, "Heyes, we have to blindfold you for the rest of the ride."
"What?" exclaimed Heyes.
"Yep," said Wheat, grabbing Heyes's own neckerchief to tie over his eyes. "You can't see the surprise until you're right there."
Just before his eyes got covered, Heyes looked to the Kid, who was nodding "yes." So he acquiesced.
In a few more minutes' ride, they all stopped. Heyes heard, "You can dismount, Heyes." He stepped gingerly off his horse, testing the uneven ground beneath his feet. He felt someone take the reins from him and men grab him on each side and propel him forward a few paces. He felt the snow beneath his feet, but it had been tramped down, like a number of people had been there recently. Suddenly the cloth was pulled away from his eyes. And the first thing he saw . . . . . . .
With the bright Wyoming winter sun shining down on them, there sat a beautiful wooden table and one chair. In the middle of the clearing. In the snow. The sun accented the beauty of the workmanship. The intricacy of the design that had been carved into the wood by a gifted craftsman was very obvious. The table and chair were sturdy and the wood was a natural color.
Heyes spent a moment admiring the beautiful table and chair from where he stood and then he turned to look at his men. The Kid and Kyle were standing right next to him and the rest of his men were fanned out on either side of him, each looking at him expectantly. "Happy birthday," said Lobo and Pres and the Preacher and most everyone else.
Kyle was excited. "Do you like it, Heyes? That was made just for you by that German carpenter in town. That Schultz. You said once you liked his work."
"And you needed a table and a chair in that cabin of yours," added HogNose.
Wheat said, "We've been bringing him out here 'bout every day for the last month or so just to make this. Blindfolded, o' course." He was just as excited as everybody else. Except Heyes.
Heyes looked at the Kid longingly and a certain understanding passed between them. The Kid made an almost imperceptible nod toward the table.
Heyes walked over to the table and ran his hands over it. "It's beautiful," he fairly breathed. "Just beautiful. That German does wonderful work. And you commissioned him?" He turned to look at Wheat, who nodded proudly. "There's just one thing," Heyes continued.
"What's that?" asked Kyle.
"There's only one chair, Kyle."
Kyle and Wheat recoiled a little bit. "You're only one person, Heyes," they said in unison.
"But what about the Kid? He lives there, too. And what about the men?" He spread his arms out. "What if everyone comes in to see us? Where do they sit then? There's only one chair."
Kyle looked nervous and so did most of the men, for that matter. That hadn't occurred to anyone. Heyes saw the Kid smirking a little bit and realized it hadn't occurred to him, either. Heyes didn't want to appear ungrateful but he couldn't imagine a table with only one chair – especially a table as large as this one.
No one said anything. The men began to shuffle their feet and look at each other. The sudden realization that he had insulted his entire gang suddenly occurred to Heyes. He certainly hadn't intended to do that. He spent a moment to look – really look – at the gang. He saw HogNose and Dutch and Pres, who had been with the gang long before he joined. He saw Lobo, so named because of his wild mane of hair. He saw Dick, who was so proud that his family had been in Wyoming for a long time, and Joe, with his clever riddles, and Scat, with his crazy temper. He saw the Preacher, who had been a real minister before he had joined the Devil's Hole Gang. He saw Wheat, who wanted to be leader and gave Heyes some grief, but really liked him, down deep. And he saw Kyle, probably his best friend after the Kid, who was simple and always honest. In an instant, so many things went through Heyes's mind. He reflected on the good qualities all these men possessed, how they had always backed any of his ideas for bank jobs and train jobs, how they had never failed him (well, maybe not Wheat, but everybody else!), and he suddenly decided that he had failed them. Here he was, complaining that there was only one chair! He thought quickly.
Heyes sat down on the chair and pretended to be spreading out plans on the tabletop. He pretended to write and fidgeted on the chair and tried to look like he was really comfortable. "Say," he said, "this is a pretty comfortable seat! Just the right height. Looks like I'll be able to really use this table! Should be able to plan some good jobs from here."
It didn't work. The damage was done. Kyle looked longingly at Wheat. Wheat cleared his throat and kicked his toe against a small rock. He said, "Looks like we're gonna have to get us some more chairs, boys."
A couple of the men agreed but most said nothing.
"We can do that," said the Kid cheerfully. It was the first time he had said anything in a while.
Heyes stood up suddenly. "No!" he exclaimed. "I like it just the way it is!" All eyes were on him, and it was hard for him to say, but he continued. "I said the wrong thing. I was … overwhelmed. I haven't had a birthday present in … since I was a kid." He swallowed hard. "The truth is … I like it. Thank you. All of you."
That's what they wanted to hear! All the men let out a big cheer. Heyes had his table (and chair) and he liked it!
Heyes was slapped repeatedly on the back and the table and chair were lifted into the wagon as carefully as such miscreants as the Devil's Hole Gang could manage (Heyes flinched when the edge of the table hit a low-lying tree branch, but he figured the resulting gouge would give the table character) and they rode back to the Hole. The table and chair were placed in the middle of the leader's cabin and Heyes was commanded to sit in the chair, where it was pronounced he looked "natcherl."
That night, Heyes and the Kid had a private conversation about the new furniture.
"You know, Heyes," said the Kid, "We thought about having more chairs made."
Heyes turned abruptly to look at the Kid, surprised. "You did? What happened? Did the boys already run through all that money from the jobs last summer?"
"Nah, but Wheat didn't want to pay what the carpenter was asking."
"Why am I not surprised?" Heyes smiled.
"That's why they were upset. They wanted to have a few more chairs made, but the carpenter wouldn't budge on the price, not even when Wheat showed him the business end of his six-gun."
"Good man," said Heyes, smiling.
"Just thought you should know."
They were quiet for a while, studying the fire, the Kid from the cushioned chair, and Heyes from his new chair. Suddenly Heyes said, "We're going to get more chairs, Kid!"
A few days later, Heyes called all the men in to the leader's cabin and had them stand around the table. There being no chairs except one, there was plenty of room for everybody to stand. Heyes spread out a couple large sheets of paper on the new table and proceeded to explain their next job. As he spoke, he pointed to various things on the paper with his pencil.
First, he announced that they were going to pull another job. After the cheering died down, he told them it would be the Little Platte Bank.
"Now, Heyes," said Wheat thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "Why wouldn't the Grand Platte bank down the road make more sense? It's lots bigger."
"Wheat, a bigger building doesn't mean more money. Remember last year about this time when the Kid and I took off for a couple weeks? That's where we went – to check it out. I stayed in Little Platte and the Kid stayed in Grand Platte. As soon as the first thaw comes, all those prospectors come down out of the hills and put their money in the Little Platte Bank."
The Kid cut in. "Some go as far as Grand Platte, but most don't go that extra ten miles. They don't get any farther than Little Platte. We checked it out."
Heyes continued, "There's an assayer's office in each town, but most of them stay right at the foot of the hills and cash their ore in there. And that Little Platte Bank safe is going to be just bursting with money! Right after the first thaw."
Heyes waited for the cheering to die down before he continued.
"So the Kid'n me are going to head down to Little Platte next week. The weather's starting to break and we want to get in there right away. I'll just need one more man for guard. Who's interested?"
Several of the men expressed their desire to participate but Kyle spoke first so Heyes chose him.
It wasn't long before the weather broke and Heyes called Kyle into the leader's cabin. He allowed Kyle to sit in the special chair and he and the Kid stood while he explained the bank job to them. The next morning they took off for Little Platte and arrived there three days later.
Normally Heyes used all his men for a train robbery but needed only the Kid to assist him in a bank job. This bank was different. Although it was a small town and a small building, the bank was placed at the end of the street instead of in the middle, and Heyes needed an extra man who he could place on the outside. An outside man, and the Kid was his inside man.
The three of them camped outside of town because they were only a few days' ride from Devil's Hole and might be recognized. They slept during the day and that night they rode into town stealthily.
The first thaw had indeed happened. The saloon was bursting with the sounds of newly-wealthy prospectors spending some of their new wealth – voices, music, chairs scraping on the stone floor, even dogs barking. Heyes, Kyle and the Kid surveyed the street to make sure it was empty except for the saloon down the other end of the street.
"There's one sheriff and one deputy," said Heyes in a low voice. "One works during the day and only one works the night shift. Take the horses, Kyle."
The plan had been rehearsed at the Hole and they all knew their jobs. He and the Kid dismounted and Kyle led the horses around the back. He led them off to a group of trees near a house and came back to guard the side window, where the Kid had placed a bar spreader and was in the process of facilitating their entry into the bank for a night withdrawal. Heyes was the first to crawl in through the window and the Kid followed. Kyle crouched down to make a low profile and stood guard by the window.
Heyes kneeled by the safe and waited for the word. The Kid pulled down the shades on the windows and went to the front door to watch the street. "Clear!" he whispered.
H eyes looked at the watch he pulled out of his pocket. He put his ear to the safe and started turning the tumblers. The noise they made was almost imperceptible but he heard it. First right, then left, then right – very slowly - until all the numbers of the combination fell into place. He pulled the handle – bingo! The safe door was ready to open! He looked back at his watch – 12 minutes exactly! He gave the Kid a broad grin and the Kid nodded back. There was nothing like a successful bank job to get the blood flowing!
The Kid handed Heyes a carpetbag and then he went to the window to inform Kyle to get the horses. By the time Heyes had filled the bag with the contents of the safe, Kyle and the horses were in place and the three of them slowly and quietly walked out of town. They galloped after a short ways, and by the time they reached the hills, they split up and took three different routes back to the Hole. Heyes held on to the money.
The Kid got back first, then Kyle, and Heyes was a little late. He rode in around midnight of the third day.
"How much did we get, Heyes?" asked the Kid excitedly.
"Believe it or not, Kid, I haven't counted it yet." While the Kid re-built the fire in the cabin, Heyes dumped the money-bag on the table and they both commenced counting the haul.
"Over twenty-five thousand dollars!" announced Heyes to the Devil's Hole Gang the next morning in their bunkhouse.
"Woo – ee!" went the general cry! Everyone talked at once. Heyes and Kyle got plenty of hugs and backslaps, although everyone generally avoided slapping the Kid, him being a gunslinger and all.
"What're we gonna do with all that money?" cried Kyle.
Heyes said, "We're gonna divide it equally, like always." And he spread the money out on one of their poker tables and divided it equally into the same number of piles as men in the Devil's Hole Gang. And then he handed it out, feeling a bit like God.
"'S'all yours, boys," he said, amidst all their whooping and hollering. "Just be careful now."
Later, after most of the celebrating had died down, Heyes and the Kid were relaxing in their cabin once again, warmed by the glow of a friendly fire, good company, and pockets full of anticipation.
"What are you going to do with your share, Kid?" asked Heyes of his partner.
The Kid was relaxing on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. "Well, I think the first thing I'm going to do is go visit Arlene and buy her a red dress and watch her try it on." He smiled broadly at that.
So did Heyes. But he was thinking of Vivian, not Arlene.
But Vivian would have to wait. Heyes had something else in mind for his share of the money.
When the Kid arose the next morning, Heyes was gone. The Kid assumed his partner had gone out for a short early morning ride, not an unusual occurrence. He made coffee and walked over to the bunkhouse to try to talk someone into making flapjacks. The men were only beginning to stir, and the Kid noticed that Wheat was missing.
In town, Schmidt the carpenter arose at dawn. He was awakened by a pounding on his door, although he would have gotten up around then anyway. He was a tall lanky man with a strong German accent and a moderate grasp of the English language. He ran his hand through his long hair, pulled on his pants and suspenders and answered the door.
A man he'd never seen before was standing there. It was Hannibal Heyes. "Mornin,'" Heyes said, tipping his hat.
"Yeah, mornin'. Vat iss it?"
"My name is Smith and I would like to commission you to make me some chairs."
"Oh, come in, come in." Schmidt ushered Heyes inside and showed him to a chair with cushions on it while he threw some logs on the fire to re-kindle it. Heyes looked around the room, completely fascinated by the quality of the furniture he saw. Everything had been hand-made and was beautifully, intricately done. "A short while ago you made a table and chair for my men – that is, for some friends of mine – and I would like you to make three more chairs to match that one."
The carpenter sat down near him. "Three chairs? Like that one? The same?"
"Yes, exactly."
"So – you like my vork?"
"Very much. I would like to pay you for three more chairs. But I don't want you to mention to anyone that you are doing this; I want it to be a secret." Heyes put his finger to his lips in a gesture of silence and then produced a wad of money. "How much?"
The carpenter calculated a price and Heyes unrolled the exact amount for him.
"I'll be back in a month to pick them up."
The carpenter was very happy with his new job, not to mention being paid in advance. "They vill be done before then."
"Doesn't matter, I'll see you then." And Heyes left the carpenter's house, feeling good about himself and thinking he was doing the right thing. He rode around the corner and down the street to the hotel restaurant, which was just beginning to serve breakfast, and treated himself.
A few minutes after Heyes left, Wheat pulled up at the carpenter's house and dismounted. His knock at the door produced the carpenter, who recognized him and tried to slam the door in his face. Wheat stuck his foot in the way and pushed the door open. "I'm here on business again," he said with authority. "I want you to make me three more chairs."
When the carpenter looked skeptical, Wheat fingered his gun in the holster and said, "And you better charge me a fair price. You don't want me to 'commission' you again, do you?"
After breakfast in the bunkhouse, the Preacher announced that he was going for a little ride. A couple of hours later, HogNose and Swinny got together for a little ride, also, after spending some time talking together in low voices. In the early afternoon Lobo felt the need to take a little ride, too.
Heyes arrived back at his cabin later in the morning and lay down for a nap since he had gotten up so early. He didn't see anything his men were doing. The Kid, however, had been hanging around the bunkhouse all day and noticed all the rides everyone felt like taking. The Kid figured out right away what was going on and was completely amused by it. Gunfighters try to keep a saturnine disposition, but the truth was – no one appreciated a good laugh more than Kid Curry. He figured he'd keep his mouth shut and wait to see what developed.
And in town, Schmidt the carpenter wasn't able to work on the chairs Heyes commissioned because people kept visiting him with orders. All the orders were for three chairs exactly like the one he had already made. And all the order-placers asked for secrecy on his part. All the order-placers said they'd pick up the chairs when they were done, in about a month. But by the end of the day, he was beginning to wonder if he could manage it, with all those chairs he had to make.
One month later – to the day – Heyes again awoke the carpenter early in the morning to pick up his chairs. The carpenter had put them in his parlor right by the front door and Heyes admired how nice they looked in a real house with real furniture. He tied them to the packhorses he had brought with him, two on one animal and one on the other. He then covered the chairs with blankets so the men guarding the entrance to Devil's Hole could not make out what they were when he rode back in. He still wanted the chairs to be a surprise. He didn't care if the Kid knew about them, but he wanted to surprise the rest of the men. While riding back to the Hole he had taken great care to make sure the chairs did not hit any low-hanging tree branches or anything. When he got close to his cabin, he looked to make sure none of his men were watching when he dismounted and quickly moved the three chairs inside. The Kid wasn't there.
A ctually, the Kid had taken the wagon into town. He had announced to the men the day before (with a straight face, which wasn't easy to do) that he was planning on going into town for supplies the next day and was taking the wagon. He waited as, one by one, HogNose and the Preacher and Lobo and Wheat all came up to him and asked him to stop by the carpenter's house and pick up something they had ordered for Heyes. The Kid was having trouble keeping a straight face and almost had to think of being involved in a gunfight in order to stay serious.
The carpenter was a little surprised to see one person picking up all twelve chairs, but he helped the Kid load them into the wagon. The Kid covered them with blankets so he could get past the checkpoint without anyone suspecting anything, just like Heyes had. When he got close to the cabin he shared with Heyes, he pulled up and tied the reins to a tree, walking in the rest of the way. Instead of entering the cabin, he went right to the bunkhouse and announced to the men who were there that he had seen the legendary 18-point buck they always talked about near the checkpost on his way in and they'd better get going if they expected to bag it. He watched with satisfaction as every man in the bunkhouse grabbed his rifle and ran out, each yelling out bets at the rest and bragging about individual marksmanship abilities. The Kid gave a thumbs-up sign to HogNose, Wheat, the Preacher and Lobo as each gave him a questioning look on their way to the barn.
Then he walked back to the cabin, where he saw Heyes standing outside, wondering about all the noise the men were making.
"Guess that story about an 18-point buck is true," he said. "I saw it near the checkpoint as I was coming back from town with supplies."
Heyes looked at him in contempt. "Don't tell me you believe that old tale. Even if there ever was such an animal, it's long dead."
The Kid walked past his partner into the cabin. He stifled a smile when he saw the three new chairs. "Looked healthy to me. Big as life, standing there begging me to take a shot. Maybe only ten yards away."
Heyes had completely forgotten about the chairs. He was watching the men as they ran to the barn to saddle their mounts. They were all in a hurry. "So why didn't you? Take a shot at it, I mean."
The Kid yawned. "Too tired. Couldn't sleep much last night so I went in to town early for supplies. Think I'll take a nap." He stole a sideways glance at his partner and was satisfied that Heyes was becoming interested in the buck story.
The Kid sat down on his bed and slowly started removing his jacket, then his boots. He watched as Heyes suddenly reached inside the cabin to grab his rifle and jacket.
"Think I'll check it out to see if it's true," Heyes said in a rush. "Get some sleep, partner." And he ran for the barn, too, not to be outdone by his own men.
The Kid watched out the single window and waited until all the men had disappeared from sight. It was then his turn to hurry. He had to work fast, before they realized that there was no buck and returned.
The boots, gloves and jacket came back on quickly. Then the Kid propped the door open and ran back to the wagon. He pulled it up in front of the cabin and unloaded the chairs carefully, one by one, and placed them around the table. The table was large, but not large enough to accommodate sixteen chairs. Some of them had to be placed in a second tier away from the table.
The Kid stood back and admired his work. For a cabin with only one person in it, it now looked crowded. Their old chair with the cushion was pushed closer to the fire and their beds had to be pushed closer to the walls, but everything somehow fit. It just looked – well – full.
He admired the handiwork on the chairs. They were very nicely done, with beautiful carvings and no obvious flaws. The carpenter was indeed very professional.
After a minute, the Kid chuckled and worked his way around the chairs until he could get out the front door. He returned the wagon to the barn and unhitched the horses. Then he walked back to the cabin and grabbed the chair closest to the door to put out on the front porch. He sat down and propped his feet up on the railing. Kid Curry lit up a cigar and waited for everyone to come back.
He didn't have long to wait. The men at the checkpoint had told the rest of the men that they hadn't seen such an animal as that buck and they thought maybe the Kid was losing his mind. After some searching of the nearby woods with nary a sign, all the men, including Heyes, returned to the clearing where the cabin and bunkhouse were. They were all wondering about Kid Curry's sanity (but, of course, not willing to confront him about it).
The Kid was there to greet everyone when they rode up. Heyes asked him why he had placed the new chair on the porch.
"I didn't," said the Kid. "It's still inside." He chuckled when he saw the men exchanging glances and he had to work hard to stifle a laugh when he saw Heyes glaring at him.
The men began to mumble among themselves and lead the horses to the barn. Heyes handed his reins to Kyle and started walking toward the cabin, never taking his accusing eyes off the Kid.
Now was the time! As Heyes stood on the porch, he gave the Kid one more withering look and turned to go inside. The Kid jumped out of his chair and waved wildly at the men to come to the cabin. They saw it and, curious, started walking back. Unfortunately, Heyes saw it, too, and said, "You know, Kid, you're been acting a mite loco lately. You should've checked in with the doc when you were in town this morning." Satisfied with that barb, Heyes opened the front door and took a step inside.
One step was about all he could manage because of all the chairs blocking his path. He ran into the nearest chair and hit his knee. He cried out, presumably in pain.
All the men came running to protect their leader.
Heyes had run into a chair where no chair had existed before. He stood just inside the doorway and stared, open-mouthed, at all the new chairs in his little cabin. They were everywhere! There were chairs around the table, and chairs by the window, and chairs by the fireplace, and there was even a chair sitting on his bed!
And when the men got there, they saw sixteen sparkling new chairs crowding the little room, each identical to the next. Except for the gasping, there was dead silence. Lobo and the Preacher and Wheat looked like they were incredibly confused (not necessarily an abnormal occurrence) and HogNose and Swinny exchanged astonished looks. Most of the rest of the men exchanged glances with each other. But Heyes stared at the chairs and began to doubt his own sanity.
"The chairs arrived," the Kid deadpanned, leaning lazily against the doorframe. An entire outlaw gang and its leader, open-mouthed, turned to look at him.
Sixteen chairs were apparently more than Hannibal Heyes was willing to live with in his little leader's cabin. He gave it a good effort, trying for a week or so to maneuver around the chairs. But after a week of tumbling out of bed into a chair, and not being able to reach his new table because of chairs, and having to walk over chairs to get to another chair, he finally gave up. He gathered all his men together, thanked them profusely one more time, and asked them if they would mind if he donated some of the chairs to a worthy cause, like the local orphanage.
Most of the men thought it was a great idea, and, after voting on it, determined that the worthiest cause they could think of was themselves. So they moved all of the chairs except for four of them over to the bunkhouse. This made pretty much everybody happy. Heyes and the Kid could maneuver around in the leader's cabin again and still have a place to sit for meals and planning, and the men had extra chairs in the bunkhouse for their poker games.
Everyone seemed happy. But one bad thought kept nagging at the back of Hannibal Heyes's mind. He kept remembering how Kid Curry, his own partner, had continued to deny knowing that anything was going on, when in fact the Kid knew everything that was going on! Heyes understood the reason, which was a good one, of course, and he felt that he could continue to trust the Kid, as always, but he still wanted to get at least a little bit of revenge. He thought about it for a while and then came up with a plan. Heyes was very good at coming up with plans.
One day when the Kid was out riding, Heyes spoke to all the gang members who were in the bunkhouse. He thanked them again for all the chairs, and then the subject of birthdays came up, and then he let drop that the Kid's birthday was coming up soon. The gang was still enthusiastic over the great results that came about from wanting to celebrate Heyes's birthday, and they asked Heyes what he might suggest that they get for the Kid as a gift.
Heyes pretended to think about it for a minute and then he said, "The Kid would love it if you made him his favorite meal. He's partial to brains."
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
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