Chapter 10

The silence was deafening. Big Swede stood next to Miss Shelly; Joshua was standing next to another couple of guys holding a gun on them to be sure that they had not fired. Willy was underneath, as soon as the trap had been loosed, he had grabbed Jeremy to keep him from hanging. He cut the rope and set him down on the ground gently. Jason had fought with the Sheriff and the judge until they were subdued. Bob had also fought helping Jason as well. There were some other Pinkerton detectives who had been watching the sheriff and judge and they had arrested them when the fighting was over.

"Jeremy, Jeremy" Jason said as he went to kneel beside him. Willy was scared.

"I thought I caught him good! Honest Jason!" He shouted. Jason looked up and shook his head. It's okay Willy, he is breathing. Miss Shelly ran over to Jeremy herself. She looked at him and remembered when they were just kids.

"Jeremy, Jeremy, it's your friend Miss Shelly!" She bent over to give him a kiss. It was a sweet soft kiss on his lips. His eyes opened and saw her. At first, he thought she was an angel but then he saw his brothers and everyone else.

"Welcome back, Jeremy!" Joshua said. Jason looked happy.

"Well, I suppose I missed all the fun!" Jeremy said as he sat up.

"Only a little, you were hung and lost consciousness for a while there, but you were still breathing." Jason said. As he helped his brother up from the ground. Jeremy saw Miss Shelly standing a little ways off from the group. She had kissed him but was not sure what to do afterwards. Jeremy looked at his brothers and then went over to Miss Shelly.

"Thank you, Jeremy." She said.

"I didn't do a-an-anyth-thing." He said.

"Oh yes you did, you gave me the strength to keep on going. You had so much love in your eyes and life, that I felt that strength and I was determined to stay alive and do what I know my parents wanted me to do!"

Jeremy looked at her and smiled. Then he said:

"You kept me f-f-f-foocused, while I was up th-th-there. Wh-wh-when I looked at you, I-I-I saw the 'life' i-in you as well."

They both looked at each other, then Jeremy said:

"Do you r-r-r-rmember that little -f-f-lowe-flower I g-g-gave you?" he ooked at her and she nodded her head yes. That flower had died many years ago, but it was a symbol of their friendship.

"W-w-wwe w-wi-will always b-b-be fr-fr-fr-friends!" He smiled and she smiled, and they hugged each other. Then the detective took her away, she would be in court and perhaps in jail because of being an accessory to the judge and the sheriff.

"Goodbye Jeremy, my good friend, Thank you." She said as she was helped into the wagon.

He waved goodbye to her and then walked over to his brothers, and they all stood together with their loggers.

"Jeremy, we have a new logger joining us, I don't know if you met him before, but this is 'Big Swede'" said Jason. Jeremy and 'Big Swede' shook hands and smiled. Jeremy then said to Jason:

"Well, Fr-fr-frank did not g-g-get m-m-m-me a girl, bu-bu-but I-i-i-I st-st-still g-g-g-got k-k-k-kissed!" Jason and the rest all laughed as they went to the hotel and prepared to go home.

Jason had to go over to the law offices where Mr. Coswell had worked and make sure that the false copy of the deed was destroyed. When that was done, he had a new lawyer, one whom he could trust. He missed the lawyer his father had but people get old and sometimes you have to look around for a good lawyer not just pick anyone who seems to know what they're doing. He had learned his lesson. He had already made inquiries as to who would be a good lawyer through the bank manager there in Olympia and was recommended by Mr. Mason. He was a good lawyer and an honest one at that.

"Mr. Bolt, I will be happy to be your lawyer. If there are any challenges to this deed, I will take care of it for you. I understand that Mr. Coswell, had signed the other deed do you have a copy of that one?"
"No Mr. Mason, I do not. As soon as I could I destroyed it!" said Jason.

"I hope there were no other copies sir. If there are copies to be found, they will turn up at the most inopportune moment and I assure you it will not be easy to defend. If you hear of these extra copies or if I hear of someone trying to claim your mountain, I will inform you immediately as I hope you would inform me as well."

"You can count on that!" Jason shook Mr. Mason's hand as well as Jeremy and Joshua shaking Mr. Mason's hand. Jason brought the brothers in so that Mr. Mason would know what his brothers looked like and who they were. Jason was always ready for any contingency.