The sound of all of that was strange to Slim… strange was an easy way to put it. He sat up with a groan and brought his head to focus.
"Mister…" he moaned, bring the anger back into the others face. "Harper I'm pretty sure ain't no kin of yours."
That drug Tilbit to his feet and over to Slim.
"Tilbit, boy," he sputtered, bring a frown to Slim's face. "The name's Tilbit, and don't you forget it."
He looked as though he might throw a punch or kick him or something, and Slim very quickly got ready for a fight, but nothing happened and the barn seemed to ease up.
"Jesse Thorn Tilbit. Thorn for his grandfather." His eyes drifted to Jess with a strange loving sort of glow, that didn't seem like it really was for Jess. "Mother died early on, and I brought him out here after the war broke out. Weren't no sense in staying up in the hills of Kentucky, all the kin had died or moved on anyway. He was just a boy then, no older than sixteen itching to get into the war, but I needed him…"
His voice trailed off as his feet shuffled around the barn a moment and Slim and Jess exchanged a look. Tilbit went and lowered himself before Jess, his hand just lightly touching his cheek. Jess moved back and Jefferson drew his hand away.
"I needed you boy. With your mother gone, and the kin all gone…" he sighed, his eyes closing with pain. "I couldn't lose you too." Tilbet's hand landed on Jess' knee and his head moved about as he fought away the tears. "But you were bent on going, bent on fighting some darned war that wasn't your own. Bent on gettin' yourself killed…" His voice softened and he stood looking around the barn. "One day you ran off. Took my best mare and that huntin' rifle of yourn and was gone."
His eyes landed on Slim's rifle and stooping he picked it up, looking from Slim to Jess. They finally settled on Sherman and grew cold as ice.
"Here to take away what ain't yours, here to take away all that's mine, you Yankees are all the same. Took my boy and my kin. The very last thin's I had and love…" his voice caught. "Well this here is one fight you won't win!" The rifle was just as suddenly brought up to his shoulder and his finger wrapped around the trigger.
"No!"
Jess lunged, the rifle thundered and Tilbit hit the ground with a thud. Slim bolted and Jefferson snapped Jess off with a struggle. A hand curled around the cool butt of a Colt, and Jefferson brought his finger around the trigger again…
It sounded liked there had been an echo. The rifle sounded first and the Colt sounded only seconds later. Tilbit froze looking at his shot. Jess Harper lay flat on his back, staring up at the roof top, and Slim swayed to his knees.
"Slim…!" Harper groaned, pushing himself up and trying to make it over to his partner.
"I'm alright, Jess…" Slim mumble, and his gun pointed to Tilbit before slipping from his hands as he fell to the floor.
Tilbit's hand was pressed against his chest, blood seeping through his shirt. He was still sitting upright with the rifle clutched in his hand, but all the hate had drained from his eyes. He gave a half cry as Jess returned to him, and gripped Harper's arm as he slowly fell to the floor.
"He died…" Tilbit whispered.
A frown crossed Harper's face as his eyes darted back to Slim and then to Jefferson.
"Take it easy, old man," Jess mumbled softly as Tilbit coughed, choked.
"No…" he sputtered. "Jesse, my boy, he died, battle of Gettysburg…." A small whimper passed through his lips and he struggled with pain. "He was so…"
"Easy…" Jess urged softly, knowing the time was soon.
"I'm sorry…" Tilbit whispered. "I'm sorr'…"
Jess flicked a half smile of his, eyes darting back to Slim.
"There is…" Jefferson gripped at Jess with surprising strength capturing his attention. "A box, over in the stall yonder. Under the straw. Take it… Take it…"
His bloodied hand dug into his pocket and out came a key. It was pressed into Jess' hand and Tilbit smiled lightly.
"You are so much like him…" His hand swept Harper's face leaving a streak of blood. "So much like him…"
His eyes grew still and his hand slipped away. The soft smile was frozen on his face, and his hand fell to Jess' shoulder. The last little bit of air pushed pasted his lips, and grimly Jess took the hand folding it over Tilbit.
War did funny things to a great many people, and somehow Jess couldn't bring himself to be angry with the man. No he actually felt great pity. There had been something so very kind about Jefferson Tilbit, and if he hadn't lost his son, maybe things would have been very different for this old man on the mountain. War did a great many things to a great many people, and Jess had never known very many of them to be nice.
Slim's groan brought his head around, and that time, like it or not, he was coming over.
"Dead?" Slim moaned, as Jess lightly touched cupped his hand round the back of Sherman's head to get a look at the bloody patch on the side.
"Yeah…" he answered softly. The pain and sorrow was creeping into his voice as exhaustion took his life away. But there was Slim to look after. Only then…
"Where you hit…?" He mumbled looking down the length of the tall rancher.
" 'm fine." Slim mumbled and struggled up.
Whether he really was or not, Jess never found out. Swaying dangerously he landed into Slim's arms and didn't remember the rest as the world got warm and black, and his partner's hands had him. It didn't really matter…
Slim sighed, the weight falling on him, and he caught it with a troubled ease. Rising, Jess was put on a bed in the house and after a moment or two of Slim's attention was left to sleep.
There was the matter of a grave to be dug, and a body to be buried. The ground would be hard as rock, and covered in snow. But there was a body, and it needed to go somewhere. He was out until the sunset taking care of it, and finally finished carving into a tree the date of death. He had no year of birth, but after a bit of investigation, he had a full name, and year of death. With a very tired sighed he stumbled for the house, eyes focusing in and out, and the headache of his hurting to the point of passing out. He stumbled into the cabin and fell into a chair next to the merry fire. Jess still slept and Slim rested his head back with a sigh. Tomorrow he would start them for home. But tomorrow presented a whole new set of problems Slim couldn't will himself to consider…