Return to Devil's Hole
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"Come on, Kate. It's a half a day's drive and we've already come this far for a once in a lifetime opportunity. Besides, going to the place that Heyes and the Kid considered home for a lot of years, just might get the two of them to start talking to you again," Kate's writer friend Rachel told her.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Kate replied. "I've rather enjoyed these past couple of months of not being interrupted at the most inopportune moments in my life. Why, I've finally found the time to get a puppy and can devote time to taking him out on hourly potty trips..."
"How's that working out for you?" Rachel interrupted.
"Well, he knows he gets a treat for peeing outside, but he's still perfectly willing to go without a treat and pee inside," Kate replied. "I don't remember potty training being this difficult."
"It's like being a mother. It was just as hard years ago, but being younger, you had the energy to deal with all the spills, and pees and poops."
"Well the advantage to being older is the fact the sleep comes naturally in one or two hour intervals, so you don't mind all the middle of the night hours of insomnia."
"So, back to the subject at hand. Shall we take that hike? We're a mile and a half from the original Devil's Hole Hideout. We'll never be this close again."
"I suppose we do owe it to them, to pay some sort of homage, I mean."
"You know, Heyes and Curry have not only giving us a story telling hobby. Why without them, we never would have even heard of each other, let along become friends."
"That's true."
"And we brought our hats and our replica guns, and you have your holster and cowboy boots. Let's walk the hallowed halls of the Devil's Hole Leader's cabin."
"As I recall, there is no hall in the cabin, but I know what you mean...Alright, let's do it!"
Kate parked the Jeep Cherokee along the side of the almost two hundred year old dirt road near the overgrown path that led to the original Devil's Hole compound, and she and Rachel climbed out of the vehicle and walked to the edge of the path.
"I should have brought Andy so we could ride in just like the outlaws did back in the 1880's," Rachel said wistfully.
Kate finished strapping on her finely tooled gun belt and slipped her replica Colt .45 in the holster. "Do you want to do the honors, or should I?' she asked.
Rachel grinned ear to ear and pointed her replica Schofield gun into the air and fired a signal shot. "Damn, that was fun!" she exclaimed. "Kate, are you hiking in those boots? You know what Heyes and Kid always said. You're gonna end up with blisters."
"Oh, you're right," Kate exclaimed and darted back to the Jeep for her Asics. She returned with comfortable walking shoes on her feet and her boots clutched in one hand. "I'll change into these when we get to the compound."
"Yeah, just like the Girl in Boxcar # 3, you want an 'authentic' experience," Rachel said with a bit of sarcasm.
"Exactly," Kate replied.
An hour later two old ladies, one with bad knees and the other a long time smoker, had only reached the halfway point to the compound, but both were eager for a short rest and a long drink of water from the canteens they carried. Finding a couple of rocks, they each sat down for a much needed breather.
"Three leaves and a red stem," Kate muttered.
"Uh?"
"Weren't you ever a Girl Scout?" Kate asked. "Three leaves and a red stem is Poison Ivy."
"I know that. What, you think I'm an idiot?"
"I think we might both be idiots. Look around you. We're sitting surrounded by plants with three leaves and red stems."
"Maybe our boots would be a good idea after all," Rachel suggested. "I think I'd rather have a blister or two than a Poison Ivy rash."
"Yeah, me too. I'm beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea, hallowed halls or not."
"Kate?"
Kate looked up with a start. "Heyes?"
"Is he here?" Rachel asked.
"You don't see him?"
Rachel shook her head.
"Concentrate," Kate urged her. "He's your dream man so...DREAM!"
"Oh, there he is, standing in the path," Rachel exclaimed. "And wearing that fine black hat with the fancy band. We look like twins!"
"Yeah, twins," Heyes replied with a half chuckle. "And 'Im standing in the path so I'm not surrounded by Poison Ivy. Damn, you two ladies don't know much about being out in the wild, do you?"
"I beg your pardon, but I lived in Colorado for a lot of years," Rachel protested.
"In the wilds of Colorado?' Heyes asked.
"Smart ass," Rachel mumbled and Heyes laughed heartily.
"Where's Kid?" Kate asked.
"He's up at the cabin fixing you ladies a true cowboy lunch."
"If it includes any critters, I ain't interested," Rachel told him.
"There might be some bacon or some jerky but that's as close to any critters as he'll be serving."
Rachel brightened and smiled, "I always make an exception for bacon," she replied.
"Well, if you want to make it in time for lunch, we best get moving. You leave the Kid alone for too long with food and there won't be any left for the three of us."
Kate and Rachel stood and carefully made their way to the path.
"Being as you're the leader of the gang, you go right ahead and lead the way," Rachel told Heyes.
Another hour of walking and they reached the clearing of the Devil's Hole Compound. Kate and Rachel stood in awe gazing at the place. The cabin, the outlaw bunkhouse, the barn were all in pristine shape.
"How did it stay in such good repair for a hundred and eighty plus years?" Kate asked.
"Kate, you're forgetting that Kid and me are imaginary. That means time really means nothing to us. When we heard you two were coming, we decided to fix the place up so you could see how it looked when the Devil's Hole Gang all lived here."
"But we just decided to come here not more than two hours ago," Kate replied.
"Two hours your time. More than a century and a half to Kid and me."
"About time you all got here!" Kid called from the porch of the leader's cabin.
"Lunch ready?" Heyes called back to him.
"I need another fifteen minutes," Kid shouted then disappeared back inside the cabin.
"Come on, I'll show you the bunkhouse and the barn," Heyes told the ladies and led the way across the compound to the bunkhouse. "Don't expect too much. We really didn't do much as far as cleaning. We figured you'd want to get the feel of how the boys actually lived."
"So what we're seeing is how the bunkhouse would actually look in the 1880s?" Rachel asked.
"What you're seeing is how the bunkhouse actually looked the day the boys all moved out. That was back in 86 or 87, I think," Heyes replied, then swung open the door to the bunkhouse. "Ladies, after you, but watch your step," Heyes told them.
Kate and Rachel stepped inside and stood with mouths agape. A long wooden table with a dozen chairs stood in the center of the room. A black, iron skillet, caked in mold sat in the center of the table. Coffee cups, some erect, some lying on their side were scattered about the table, as were an assortment of wooden and bone handled utensils.
"Looks like the boys didn't waste time cleaning up after breakfast the day they left," Heyes explained.
At the back of the room were rows of wooden bunk beds. Straw and feathers from the mattresses were strewn about on the floor.
"Likely mice or rats," Heyes explained. "Of course mice lived in the cabin with the boys. They didn't just come in after the place was empty. Most folks in the old west shared their dwellings with mice. Raccoons liked liked to pay frequent visits, too. That's why you need to watch your step, if you know what I mean."
Rachel spied something long and narrow under one of the bunks and reached down and picked it up."
"That looks like Wheat's razor," Heyes said. "No wonder he always looked like he hadn't had a shave for days on end."
"Can I keep this?" Rachel asked. "To add to my collection?"
"You collect Devil's Hole items?' Heyes asked, sounding rather impressed.
"Mostly Hannibal Heyes items, but I have some Kid things and, well I'd be honored to add this to my collection."
"Take anything you want, both of you," Heyes replied. "And no Kate, the Kid's bathtub ain't here no more, Sorry."
"On a serious note Heyes, I really am impressed with all of this. And to think it's all in such good shape."
"Oh, it ain't really in this good of shape, Kate. Like I said, it's all imaginary. When the two of you go home, this will all go back to it's natural dilapidated state. You two are just part of our fantasy today, so you're seeing things the way we see them."
"That's sad, Heyes."
Heyes shrugged, "Not to us. It's like when you ladies write your stories, everything comes to life, everything in our era suddenly becomes new again. It's really pretty amazing."
"If we're gonna get to lunch on time, we'd better go get a look at the barn," Rachel said.
"You're right. Let's go," Heyes replied.
Except for some peeling paint, and some holes in the roof, and some broken boards along the stalls, the barn did not look as rundown as the bunkhouse.
"My barn doesn't look any worse than this," Rachel confessed.
"And my garage looks a whole lot more run down," Kate added.
"What is a garage?" Heyes asked.
"It where people keep their automobiles."
"You mean those noisy, crazy vehicles actually caught on?"
"You won't believe this, Heyes, but keeping horses is expensive. Not many people have horses nowadays," Rachel explained.
"World's gone crazy, ain't it?" Heyes speculated.
"Crazy doesn't even begin to describe it," Rachel told him and Kate nodded in agreement.
"Lunch is ready!" Kid called from the porch of the Leader's cabin.
"Well ladies, shall we go get washed up?" Heyes asked.
Inside the Leader's Cabin Kate and Rachel were again brought to an abrupt halt as their eyes slowly swept the room. Everything was just as they had seen the cabin in one or two episodes. Kate's eyes came to rest on the closed door to the right of the entrance.
"Yes Kate, that's my bedroom," Kid announced. "And no, you're not going in there."
Kate turned and glared at Kid. "You don't mind barging into my bedroom. Besides, this is Rachel's and my daydream and I'm going in there if I damn well please!" she announced and marched over to the door and turned the knob.
Rachel followed right behind her to peer over her shoulder.
The room was spotless and sparsely decorated with only a bed and a dresser and a small mirror over the dresser.
"That's it?" Kate asked as she turned to stare at Kid.
"What did you expect? It's an outlaw cabin. There ain't never been a lady in that room," Kid replied. "Not even once."
Heyes quickly cleared his voice to signal Kid.
"Until now, that is," Kid quickly added. "Now, ladies, if you'll have a seat, we can have some lunch."
"What did you fix?" Heyes asked once they were all seated.
"Biscuits and lots of bacon so there's plenty of bacon grease to sop up with the biscuits, and fried eggs and of course, Heyes' coffee. You gotta try Heyes' coffee so as to better appreciate my opinion of it."
"I have to say the two of you have really gone above and beyond with the hospitality for the two of us," Kate told them. "I'm impressed. This is a side of you that I haven't seen before."
"Well Kate, we heard about them anniversary parties the two of you throw for Kid and me every year, so when we heard you was planning on visiting Devil's Hole, well we just thought we'd make it something to remember."
"Do you and Kid have that picture that Clem also kept in the bank vault in Denver?" Rachel asked.
Heyes smiled. "This is your fantasy, you tell me if we have it."
"You do," Kate said. "It's in the top drawer of Kid's dresser."
Heyes looked at Kid questioningly and Kid got up and went to his room to look. Sure enough, he returned with the picture in his hand.
"Do you have a pen?" Rachel asked.
Heyes again looked at Kate. "Pen and ink are on that desk near the fireplace."
"This time Heyes got up and brought the pen and ink to the table."
"Sign it Kid. And write something nice to Kate on it," Rachel told him.
Heyes handed Kid the pen and Kid reached over and dipped it in the ink well. He thought for a moment, then scribbled something on the picture and handed the picture to Kate.
Kate read the scribbles and smiled. To Kate, sorry it took me a hundred and eighty-six years to give you an autograph. Jedediah "Kid" Curry.
Kate smiled. "Now I know where Ben gets his procrastination habits from."
"What do you think, Rachel, does this lunch beat the Olive Garden?' Kate asked when they had fin finished their greasy meal.
"It's certainly one I'll long remember," Rachel replied, staying politely noncommittal about the food.
"Kid and me will go saddle up his chestnut and my sorrel and give you ladies a ride back down the path to your vehicle," Heyes announced and Kate and Rachel smiled at the opportunity of riding double with their two favorite outlaws.
"This was one of the best days of my life," Rachel exclaimed when they reached the Jeep and Heyes helped her slide off the saddle.
"How about you, Kate? One of the best days of your life?" Kid asked.
"Ah Kid, the best," she replied
"If you want to loosen your grip around me, I can help you down, too," Kid told her.
Reluctantly Kate let her arms drop from around Kid's waist and he took hold of her wrist to let her slide easily off the saddle.
Kate and Rachel stood beside the Jeep and watched as Kid and Heyes turned their horses, tipped their hats to the two ladies, then disappeared up the path.
"Only one thing missing from an absolutely perfect day," Rachel mused.
"What's that?" Kate asked.
"Chaps," Rachel replied. "We forgot to imagine them in chaps."
Kate smiled. "We'll have to do that another day, Rach. Something to look forward to."
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