Jason & Josh

Josh walked into the tent area and spotted Jason leaning against a tree, looking out at the scenery, but it was doubtful if he saw any of it. "Hey."

Jason didn't respond.

"Hellooo? Jason?"

Jason shook his head. "Sorry. Been there long?"

"Long enough. What's going on?"

"I'm not sure."

"Something is. Since when do you stand around doing nothing?"

"Every now and then, Joshua. Every now and then." He moved away from the tree. "I'm thinking of giving myself a break. I've been working hard today."

"And arguing harder, no doubt. What did Stempel want?"

"Mister Stempel, Josh. Can't have you boys being disrespectful to the town's self-appointed royalty. He upped his offer."

"How much?"

"Not enough." Jason grinned. "He's up to a full half of what we'll take."

"Yeah? He was taking his time leaving."

"Probably assessing what we have on hand. He needs to make sure he – we – have what he needs if he lands that furniture supply contract. We're the only ones who can supply the variety that's needed to start off, and he knows it."

"I'd like to know how you find out this stuff."

"Funny the things people will tell you during an evening of camaraderie and entertainment."

"You haven't been to town for a month."

"Joshua, why do you think we came back when we did? Because I got all the details, and plan to stay ahead of the game."

"Oh. Business reasons, only, right?"

"You sound like you don't believe me, brother."

"I wonder why." Josh laughed. "So what are you going to do with this break you're giving yourself? You're the boss, you know."

"I do know that. And the men can take their own breaks as they finish what they're doing. That includes you, of course, but since you're here talking to me…"

"Pretty pleased with yourself, aren't you?"

"This may be the first time we actually get paid what we should and show a profit, too."

"Don't get too sure of yourself. You'll give it away."

"I hope not. I never figured I'd have to do or know so much about this bidding stuff. Just want to cut trees and turn them into things of beauty, or at least something useful."

"You going to go look for Jeremy?"

"Might run across him. Thought I'd just look around a bit."

"Uh-huh. You're the one said to let him play."

"Guilty. Guilty for not watching him and guilty for watching too closely."

"What are you worried about?"

"He's been telling me he wants to chop a tree. He's taller than the axe this year."

"Doesn't mean he can swing one."

"Oh, he can swing one alright. Problem is, it swings him, too. Round and round. He made a good job of throwing it once he stopped."

Josh laughed. "Made him mad, did it?"

"You know it."

"You're afraid he's going to try and end up hurting himself?"
"Not as long as he knows I'm sneaking around checking up on him."

"Maybe you should start teachin' him."

"Josh."

"Or I could."

"I'll think about it. We both have enough to do right now."

"That's why you're taking a break, right?"

Jason smiled, and shouldered his axe. "Caught me out again, didn't you? Back to work I go. You'd better, too."

"Yeah, I will." Josh watched Jason walk away.

Evening at the camp

Jeremy came in, got his food and went to the table where his brothers were eating. Well, they were mostly looking at their food and breathing. They looked tired.

Jeremy sat down with them.

Jason smiled at him. "There you are. Glad you made it. I might not be up to looking for you tonight."

Jeremy studied him gravely and didn't reply.

"So what have you been doing today,little brother? You're wet."

"Jus' my hair. I was watching the b-boats."

"And your pants. What boats?"

"Th-the ones for p-pilings. H-how come we weren't there?"

"I didn't know they were there."

"Wh-why n-not?"

"Been working too hard, I suppose."

"It's something we usually hear about at Lottie's," Josh said.

Jeremy stirred his food, and studied it. "J-jason, I seen some w-water c-coming outta the g-ground, like a spring. And it ran down the h-hill and the hill started up ag-gain, and the w-water disappeared."

"Probably went back underground."

"Th-there wasn't a hole or cave or anything. D-did it just soak back in? Why? Why did it c-come out if it was gonna go back in?"

"Maybe it just wanted some fresh air and sunshine," Josh suggested. "We go in and out and in and out of our houses and things all the time."

"Th-that makes sense." The boy went back to sorting his beans while his tired brothers watched.

One of the men brought around the coffeepot and refilled everyone's cups.

Josh teased Jeremy about playing with his food and trying to stay up late by eating slow, but Jason remained silent. Joshua wondered what he was thinking about NOW, but didn't ask. He was tired, too.

It was fully dark before Jeremy finished eating, but it did finally happen, and the brothers moved from their table to their tent and their beds.

Jeremy asked Josh if Jason was mad at him.

Josh shook his head.

It was a good thing they were all exhausted, or it would have been a long time before any of them got any sleep.

The next day

Jason woke before dawn, but the dark had passed. That would change as spring progressed into summer and the day would break earlier, but that was a good thought. They could get a lot of work done on the fine summer days. Sunshine, blue skies, flowing water, and falling trees. That was a way for men to spend their days.

And now, to start this one.

Jason sat up and threw his blanket aside.

Well, he tried to. It didn't move much.

He reached down alongside his bed and smiled when his fingers came into contact with a headful of hair. He wondered what had disturbed the boy so much he'd wrapped up in the trailing edge of the blanket and slept on the ground.

Jason gently tugged the blanket out from under the boy, and finally succeeded in sitting up. He wrapped his youngest brother up in the warm blanket and lifted him onto the bed. "Wore yourself out yesterday, did you? I think we all did."

Josh sat up when he heard Jason's voice. "We got a lot done yesterday, though."

"Mmm."

"You gonna wake him up?"

"No, let him sleep as long as he needs to."

"Lucky dog."

"Well, Josh, if you'd like a sleep in, you've earned one. Make yourself happy." Jason couldn't remember the last time Josh had stayed in bed after waking up.

"Oh, god, no. I mean, I don't want to sleep in. I just want him to have to get up when I do." Josh jumped out of bed, reaching for his clothes.

Jason almost laughed out loud, before remembering he didn't want to wake Jeremy. "I'll go light the fires and start the coffee."

"I'll be along," Josh said.

Jeremy knew it was late before he opened his eyes. It was kind of muggy inside the tent, with the doors all still closed, but the sounds he could hear were farther off, and were the sounds of work, not of getting ready for work. Except for people walking through, getting tools or drinks or whatever.

He sat up. It was kind of gloomy inside, too, but not dark like at night. As warm as it was , probably the sun was up.

The first thing he did was to hold the back of his hand to his forehead (like his brothers did for fever) to see if he was sick, although he didn't feel sick.

He didn't feel hot to himself, and he wasted some moments wondering if he would feel hot to himself. If he had a fever, wouldn't his hand have a fever, too?

He didn't remember having nightmares, which was the second reason why Jason would let him sleep.

Was Jason mad at him? Josh had said he wasn't last night, just tired, but that didn't make sense. Why would Jason let Jeremy stay asleep if Jason was the one tired?

Oh well, he guessed he'd find out. He sure didn't want to be asleep anymore. He wanted to breathe some real air and have something to eat, besides the other normal waking-up stuff.

Was things going to be this complicated for always?

He scrounged up something to eat, and observed the cook area. No fires left, and the equipment was clean and cold. Usually they left a fire burning and something warming on the griddle-plate. And coffee. That meant they'd be eating wherever they were working.

Jeremy shrugged and built a small fire to cook up some coffee for himself, and he stuck in a couple of potatoes, too, just in case no one came to see if he wanted any lunch. Staying here was a better idea than going into the work site by himself, especially if Jason was already mad at him, whether that made any sense or not.

He checked for tools that needed sharpened or roping that needed repaired; the stuff he was supposed to do when he was in camp. All he found were a few blades that needed filing, and he got a rasp and did that job.

Josh came into the camp area while he was doing that, and he stopped to watch his goofy little brother rasping axe blades as if he were playing a fiddle. The illusion was stronger when he heard the boy hum/singing to himself as he worked, and Josh laughed out loud when Jeremy started tapping his foot to his own music. "What are you doing?"

"My j-job," Jeremy answered. "W-what are you d-doing?"

"Seeing if you're awake. Do you want to have lunch with the crew?"

Jeremy shrugged.

"Yeah, me neither." Josh sprawled out on whatever was handy. "If you don't want to, I'm to stay here with you. Or we can go to the cabin. Stay away from the work area. Blaah blah." Josh kicked at the ground. "I hate being treated like I'm a dumb kid."

"M-me, too."

Jeremy grinned and Josh laughed.

"So, dumb kid, what are we going to do?"

Jeremy laughed. "D-don't know." He put the rasp and the axe away. "Is he m-mad?"

"Not at us. I think missing the sale of pilings yesterday bothered him. We could have used some ready cash."

"Oh."

"He did say we need to discuss some changes so we don't miss out on stuff like that. That's why he said go to the cabin. 'We have things to discuss'."

"Ugh."

"Yeah and he wants us to think if we can think of any way to solve the problem."

Jeremy poured them both some coffee, raked his potatoes out of the fire, and looked sadly at his fire before NOT adding to it. "G-guess b-better let it go. Y-you want a potato?"

"No, I made lunch while Jason and the men cut trees. Hey! I know! I can teach you to cut a tree down."

"C-can't. The axe is t-too big."

"Yeah, you do know we can shorten the handle, right?"

Jeremy looked at him doubtfully.

"And I can practice." He pretended to swing an axe. "Then maybe Jason will be amazed and sorry that he keeps telling me I can't – yet"

"I th-thought you did."

"Nope. Trimming and holding ropes and dumb stuff that you can do."

"Or c-could, if I was 'llowed to."

Josh sobered. "We'll have to hide a short axe, though. God help us if Jason finds such a thing."

"There's lots of hiding p-places."

"Yeah, but Jason showed us most of them."

"N-not all. Th-there's b-ben floods an' av'lanches , and stuff."

Josh lit up at that comment. "Yeah! And you prob'ly know some new ones, don't you. Hurry up and eat, so we can get out of here. We got a plan! It's just for us, for now, but it's a plan."

Evening At the Cabin

Jason approached the cabin slowly, tired from another day's hard work, plus an additional scare that could have had bad results. Maybe even fatal. For the first time he was seriously considering Joshua's insistence on what-iffing. Maybe he had a point.

He was glad the boys hadn't come back to the work site. They would have been too much to deal with during the accident; moreso if it had gone as wrong as it could have.

What would happen to his underage brothers if he was severely injured or killed? He was going to need some advice, that was sure.

As soon as he figured out the right questions to ask, and to whom would he ask them.

It was nice coming home to the lighted cabin, with the door standing open and hearing his brothers' voices. Sounded like Josh was teasing Jeremy about something, and Jeremy was responding in sort. (That was good. Sometimes Josh went overboard or sometimes Jeremy overreacted. Good that they weren't fighting.)

At the thought, a wet –very wet – towel flew out the door, followed by a knot of wood, and some sounds from both the boys. Jason stopped short of the porch, and stepped to the side.

The boys, in a clinch, but both more laughing than angry, erupted from the door. They tumbled one another over a few times, rolling down a slight incline, but it of course ended up with Josh on top. He had physically matured so much recently that an undergrown child like Jeremy didn't have much of a chance.

Unless he used his brain. As Jason watched, Jeremy stayed submissive, until Josh stood up, dusted his hands and looked down on his little brother and began to walk away.

Jeremy moved only his legs and feet and tripped Josh, who managed to fall in Jeremy's direction, but the younger boy had rolled away as soon as his feet hit Josh's.

Josh laughed and said "Good job. You're getting closer to throwing me." He put out his hand to help Jeremy up.

Jason watched, sure he could predict the next move, but in that he was surprised.

Joshua did tug Jeremy to his feet, and tugged again once he was up, but not to throw his little brother, but to pull him into a quick hug, before they both headed back inside.

They stopped dead in their tracks. "How long have you been here?" Josh demanded.

"Long enough. Looks like you two had a –pleasant – day."

The two looked at one another and laughed.

That meant they'd been up to some sort of mischief, but Jason didn't care about that. It was something boys did when left on their own, and they knew the risks here at home. As long as the wind didn't blow and trees didn't splinter into pieces when another tree hit them. But that was why he'd sent them away this afternoon. The wind had been getting playful, and then really picked up while they were eating.

Good call on his part, he congratulated himself as he followed them into the cabin. The table was set and supper was ready on the stove. Despite the wrestling, the place was as clean and neat as a pin. Good boys, Jason thought, even though Josh wasn't exactly a boy any more.

They ate, and chatted, and cleaned up after supper, before going outside to sit on the porch. Jason sat in a chair, Josh sat on the edge of the porch, and Jeremy perched on the railing, digging into his pockets and pulling out a handful of flutes and whistles.

Jason and Josh watched what was left of the sunset darken, and Jeremy played with his music.

The stars came out, except for a blur toward the northwest. Where the wind had been blowing from, and still was, with some hefty gusts.

Eventually, Josh turned towards Jason and said, simply, "Well?"

Jason half-laughed. "Brothers, we have a problem. We need to figure out what to do about it."

"You mean you haven't?'

"I've an idea or two, maybe, but I want to hear what you two think."

"About what?" Jeremy moved to the railing on the side of the porch Jason was on.

"Missing the pilings?"

"Yeah. I was already thinking we're missing a lot staying up here all the time. Some of the things the men say…" Jason shook his head. "What else have we missed?"

"Lot of drinks, lot of meals, lot of talk, lot of games, lot of church."

"Lot of f-friends."

"All pleasant things," Jason agreed. "Not particularly important to our business or profits, possibly important to our – um – community relationships."

"Community servitude, if you mean all the volunteer stuff Da had us doing whenever he wanted to get us away from him."

"That too. That's something important to growing our business, I do know that."

"Yeah that's one way Stempel – Mister Stempel gets away with stuff, because he does stuff for the town."

"Exactly. I think we can be just as generous, if that's the word."

"M-magm-mam-m-minous," Jeremy said suddenly. "I like that word."

"You and your words." Josh threw a pebble at him.

"Magnanimous," Jason corrected. "Yes, the grand gesture that surely everyone will see and remember. It's a good word. Maybe not a good attitude."

They fell silent for a few minutes

"So, any ideas?" Jason asked.

Josh snorted. "Other than the obvious. Somebody should go to town, every now and then."

"N-not me! N-not b-by m-myself."

"Yeah, I gave up on that idea when you didn't want to go to school. People have a way of talking in front of you."

"It's still a good idea."

"Except that Jeremy doesn't want to do it."

"We – me and him could go in for supplies every now and then."

"That's doable."

Josh glanced at his older brother suspiciously. "Or we could go in on the weekends, all of us, like all of our men do."

Jeremy made a dissenting noise, but didn't speak.

"I had that same thought. But I wanted to know what you think before making any decisions. This is the kind of thing we agreed to decide together."

Josh shrugged. "You were the one who brought us up here to hide out. You didn't ask us then."

"No. But something needed to change. After Jeremy cried himself into that fever, and we didn't even know he was crying –" Jason shook his head. "Somebody had to do something, fast, and that somebody was me."

"Yeah, that was bad," Josh agreed soberly.

"It will probably happen again. There are going to be decisions that need to be made,often on the spot."

"And you'll have to make them. I know."

"B-because you're old."

"Thanks a lot, baby brother."

Jeremy scowled.

"So is that what we're going to do? Go to town when we're not working?"

"I think so. If it doesn't work, we can try to figure something else out."

"Then I think we should try it."

"Jeremy?"

"I g-guess you w-on' let m-me stay here b-by myself."

"You guess right."

Jeremy smiled. "That's okay. I don't want to, mostly."

"Does that mean you agree to the plan?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good. We're agreed then." Jason put out his hand. "Shall we shake on it?"

His brothers stumbled over themselves to do so.