************************HH*KC*JS*TJ***********************
Santa Fe Trail, Colorado
1871
"You sure 'bout this, Jeddie?" Hannibal Heyes looked his younger cousin directly in the eyes, assessing the slightest changes for signs of trepidation or doubt before he'd give his consent.
"You think I can't do it, Hannie?" Jedediah Curry asked earnestly without showing offense. "I know I can!"
"I know you can, too, kid. It's just that, well..." Hannibal had to hold back before he rubbed his cousin's still juvenile pride the wrong way.
"Bein' in the army probably has lots of benefits, heck, I've considered it, too, you know. Lots o' men our age do. But Jeddie, you ain't eighteen yet. Heck, you ain't been seventeen all that long. Don't you think you should wait a year?"
Or more, he added to himself, hoping this was another of the many passing fancies that beat cow punching his cousin would soon drop.
"Hannie, c'mon! I ain't a kid no more! So you can quit calling me that, too. I have to make my own way like you been doing! An' it's the cavalry! An' the sergeant at the fort is real understanding, he likes my cut an' he knows I'll grow to be a man the army can count on an' there's fellows from all over there, even fellows who just made it here to the United States of America an' speak their old tongue an' I can learn more weapons than pistols an' rifles an' it's only for three years if I don't reenlist an' there's not a lot of Indian wars anymore least ways 'round these parts an' I already have lots of experience with pistols an' rifles an' riding an' they'll teach me to dance more an' the country's pretty settled down after the backlash from the war of the states an' I done all my schooling you saw to that so I'm already a step or more ahead of most so I can have a choice what to go into if it's approved by the commanding officer who's a swell gentleman an' married an' there's dances with the army womenfolk an' three meals every day, Hannie! Three meals! Free! Every day! THREE!"
Hannibal had to admit the recruiting sergeant at Fort Lyon was a very persuasive man to make a hum-drum life of routine and rote interspersed with hair raising scenes of mass murder and battles sound like a socializing cruise down the Mississippi in one of them gambling ships. Come to think of it, river life could be more dangerous than a stint in the army. And three meals a day is almost enough to entice him to join up with his cousin, who could use the extra pounds, he's so thin his ribs poke through his shirt, even. And his cousin could use the kind of discipline that he hasn't been able to achieve with him, being only two years apart in age.
He'd done his level best to raise his younger cousin since they'd both lost their parents in the bloody, Border Wars that preceded the Civil War, but his own life was now taking a turn that neither of them had ever considered and, well, truthfully, he didn't want Jeddie down that road. But, the army? At seventeen? Come to think, they take men at seventeen when it suits them, why does the sergeant need his say? There has to be more to it than this.
"Who's this sergeant at the fort?" A good place to start.
"Why?" Jeddie stood back on his heels, feeling he'd just been taken down a notch after building up his blazing army qualifications to his best friend.
"If he wants my written approval, I got to look him in the eye like you got to, right?"
Jeddie had to concede the sense in that. "Sergeant Quinn."
"Quinn." Hannibal could visualize the big, iconic cavalry man just hearing the surname. "Alright. I got some matters here to see to yet. You got some place to stay? Had anything to eat?"
Jeddie had ridden hard for almost two days searching for his cousin in the area surrounding Fort Lyon, Colorado, only coming on him while passing through La Junta. No mistaking that walk! Hannie was heading toward a doggery up ahead. Spurring his horse to a gallop and bucking to a halt, Jeddie almost dropped off his horse onto his cousin, so carried with the excitement of a new life on his own, he was. Hannie just had to see the sense in this! It was humiliating to have the sergeant require his cousin's signature on the papers before admitting him but he'd swallowed his pride for this chance of a lifetime. He only hoped the army wouldn't fill their ranks before he returned with Hannie!
They had separated early this spring for each to try his own hand in the world but kept in touch regularly with agreed upon meeting times and spots, either in one of the villages or camped out near a recognizable natural location. Jeddie had found work on a ranch which he found overall satisfying but with no possibility of advancement in the group, and that's probably the way it will be in all ranching jobs. Some day he might be a rancher himself, maybe horses instead of moody, horned cattle, but now, with very little jingling in his pockets and nothing in a bank, dreams were all he had. Getting paid by the army for working, sleeping, and eating, he could save up most his pay and come back to Hannie with a nice sized bank account to start on their own by the time he was twenty. Hannie was going to be so proud of him!
"Just got into town, Hannie. No to both." Jeddie reddened as with just the mention of food, his stomach noisily proved the one.
"More like just fell into town," Hannie mused, rubbing his shoulder where his cousin had made first contact.
"Huh?"
"Let's get you situated in my room at the Red Posada. You can wash up while I handle some things in the saloon and then I'll buy you a steak supper. We'll head out to the fort in the morning. How's that sound?"
The toothy grin from one ear to the other was all Hannibal needed to know that his cousin was on board with the idea.
************************HH*KC*JS*TJ************************
"So that's it? That's why I had to ride all the way out here, because you didn't believe my cousin?"
Hannibal stood in the office of Captain Mathias E. Roberton of Fort Lyon, seated at his desk with Sergeant Quinn standing before it on his right. The trappings of military surrounding him and the sounds of soldiers drilling outside the open window put Hannibal on edge, and that surprised him. Why should he suddenly have a wariness in the presence of lawful authority? Could it be the new job he'd shaken hands on in the saloon last evening?
"I t'ink you can understand the reason why, Mr. Heyes." Sergeant Quinn stood a full head and shoulders over Hannibal and appeared to have over twice his chest size, attributes he used to his advantage in any conflict - actual, potential, or hopeful. The perpetually smiling face and amiable personality added to the threat of physical superiority, as if the man knew he'd always come out the winner and relished the chance to prove it, holding malice toward none.
Hannibal wasn't threatened. He had his cousin's welfare at stake and no one was going to force him off-track.
"I think you can understand, Sergeant Quinn, that I have to question the willingness of my cousin's potential sergeant to give him a fair shake in army life when he can't even be trusted to divulge his age. Starting off bein' accused of lying ain't exactly the best way to start off when the sign-on is three more years of that treatment, or worse. We got lots more ways of making a livin' other than the army, so if you want to make an army man of my cousin then you better explain yourself and real quick. We got other plans we can make."
No response prompted Hannibal to defend his cousin further. "My cousin doesn't lie. He said he is seventeen years old, seventeen he is."
An exchange of looks between the two military men resulted in their slight smiles and relaxed shoulders. Hannibal stood solidly and unmoving, waiting for his answer.
"Beggin' yir pardon, Captain, I need to check on the drillin', sir." Sergeant Quinn gave a quick nod to Captain Roberton's approval and turned toward the door, filling the entire opening as he exited the building.
"Privates Schmidt! Evans! Proulx! On the double!" Three anxious young men broke ranks and ran onto the CO's office porch, saluting Sergeant Quinn uneasily.
"Put them hands down, yeh ejits! See these stripes? I'm a soldier on pay same as ye, don't try salutin' me again, hear? Inside wi' ye, now!" The three men scrambled into the office hoping to please their sergeant and impress their captain, standing at off-kilter attention before the desk.
"HE'S THE ONE NEEDS SALUTIN'!" Confusion and fear keep the men still. "NOW!" The order is followed immediately, if not professionally.
"At ease, men." Captain Roberton waited for Sergeant Quinn to continue the explanation Hannibal had demanded.
"Mr. Heyes, meet t'ree of our newest recruits, fresh wit' dew, straight off the farm! Aye, in a few short months they'll be grand fine army men fit for any fightin' comes Uncle Sam's way. Show the captain's guest some respect, men! Introduce yirselves to Mr. Heyes."
"How do you do, Mr. Heyes." The one called Schmidt stepped forward extending his hand, grinning in friendship.
"Ye've not be given order to break ranks, Private!" Schmidt snapped back into place. "Rank, name an' age is what Mr. Heyes wants to hear from ye!"
"Private Schmidt, age..."
"CURRY! YOU, TOO! ON THE DOUBLE!" Sergeant Quin bellowed from the still-open doorway.
Jeddie, who had been leaning against a wagon taking in the drilling of recruits so new they wore the clothes they'd just walked in with, men who could be his fellow soldiers if Hannie saw the sense to it, jumped up at the sound of his name and ran toward the source, almost tripping on the steps and then the threshold in his desire to impress with his swiftness.
"Yes, Sergeant Quinn?" Jeddie looked around at the assemblage of faces and ranks both military and civil, wondering just where he fit in. He relaxed seeing his cousin's eyes settle on him.
"Yir cousin is just bein' introduced t' some of our newest."
"Yes, sir," Jeddie replied as if he understood the sergeant's explanation. He didn't.
"Ye were sayin', soldiers?" Quinn stared down at the recruits.
"Private Schmidt, age 18 years, sir."
"Private Evans, age 18 years, sir."
"Private Proulx, age 18 years, sir."
Hannibal looked at the three men, just a year younger than himself, and then to his cousin. Jeddie stood three inches shorter than the shortest recruit, who Hannibal would have pegged as seventeen.
It'd been just two years since Hannibal had gone back to the Valparaiso Home for Waywards when Jeddie was fifteen and helped him run away, just as he had run away at the same age two years before then. He saw to Jeddie's last year of school in Laramie, Wyoming while he took on as a ranch hand, after which they'd traveled to San Francisco and were taken under the wings of Soapy and Silky. And in those two years, Jeddie had grown out of his clothes each year. Hadn't he? Or, maybe he was too close to Jeddie to see him clearly? He looked from the recruits to his cousin.
Jeddie's blue eyes were wide in anticipation, of what he didn't know, but he was going to please everyone there who had any hand in his future, that much he knew! Turning his eyes upward, he quickly grabbed his hat from atop his head and held it at his chest with both hands, hoping this was the acceptable action of a civvy to the military. Wanting to appear worthy, he kept a straight face and his head still, though he glanced repeatedly between his cousin and the others, his blue eyes large and darting about the room.
God, he looks like he's fourteen years old! Hannibal groaned to himself. When was his cousin going to grow up and look his age? Well, his mother had said when they were boys to be patient with Jeddie, it'd take him longer to grow up.
A smile crept onto the captain's face as he watched Hannibal's reaction to the sergeant's demonstration. "That will be all, men. Dismissed. You, too, Mr. Curry."
Jeddie made sure he was the last to leave, being the last one Captain Roberton had dismissed. Hannibal watched him standing there looking like a little boy holding his favorite blanket, faced with strangers in the house and wanting to appear capable of defending kith and kin. He gave a slight nod reassuringly to Jeddie, who then turned and left.
Sergeant Quinn closed the door after Jeddie. "Well, now, Mr. Heyes. Ye were sayin' somet'ing about unreasonable accusations, I t'ink it was?"
************************HH*KC*JS*TJ************************
"Alright, you got the address for Jenny Black? She's my good friend an' she'll hold your mail for me so you can write to me at her address whenever you want, as many letters you want. And you got the money I gave you? I'll send on your ranch pay as soon as I see Mr. Greeves. So, if you transfer, be sure to write me about that, too, OK? OK? And you'll write enough so I know how it's going? I'll come visit when I can, this new job will take me away lots, too, but I'll have lots of time to get to Jenny's an' read your letters, lots of time. And you can count on me writing you. I'll send you money, too. Let me see the paper I gave you with Jenny's address."
Jeddie was used to his cousin going on like this, it's the way his mind works, everything comes out his mouth that's busting around on the insides, lots of times in the middle of the night. Most of the time in the middle of the night! He sure was going to miss that! Heck, he was really going to miss his cousin, they'd been glued at the sides since they were tykes growing up together.
That must be why Hannie is rattling on like this, he's going to miss me, too. Oh, this hurts!
Jeddie's eyes moistened and he couldn't hide it before his cousin took notice, bringing the lecture to a quick halt.
Hannie's face softened as he looked down at his younger cousin, his almost constant shadow throughout his life, and he found it difficult, almost impossible to let him go. He looked all of fourteen, staring down at his boots and biting his lower lip to keep the tears from breaching.
This is how Uncle Dan would have felt if he was the one here instead of me, watching 'Baby Jeddie' take on a man's duty. Hannibal felt the weight of paternal responsibility on his young shoulders.
His own eyes began to fill, but he didn't hide it.
"The paper?" Hannie spoke gently.
Jeddie looked from his boots to his his jacket and from the inside pocket withdrew the leather folder Hannie had given him. "Here it is." He opened the case, looking up at his cousin as he held out the paper. The sight almost poleaxed him.
Hannie smiling and with tears in his eyes! Is that for me?
"Don't lose this now, will you?"
"I got it memorized, Hannie. Never know what's going to happen when you're thrown in with folks from all over. But I'll keep it right here for safety, with the money you gave me" Jeddie replaced the folder and patted his chest.
A soft nod and smile from Hannie. Now that's a reward!
"I'm going to miss you, Jeddie."
"Me, too, Han..." Jeddie was stifled by the the shoulder Hannie had pulled him into. His cousin's arms around him in a tight squeeze, Jeddie was beginning to wonder if he'd made the right decision.
The embrace was broken when Hannie pulled back and held his hands on his cousin's shoulders. "Your father would be so very proud of you, Jeddie. Do you know that?" His right hand moved to Jeddie's neck, his thumb giving a caress of the youthful face.
The memory of his beloved father raised too many deep and long-buried feelings. Jeddie had to swallow hard not to burst out crying like a girl. "Would he, Hannie?"
The smile. The brown, nearly black eyes. "He would. An' I know, because I am so very proud of you!"
If cavalry life turned out to be the worst idea in the history of Clan Curry, it was worth it to hear his cousin say those words to him.
A few more exchanges between the two, then Hannie mounted his horse. "Good luck, Jeddie." he said holding his right hand down to his cousin.
Jeddie reached up for his cousin's hand in friendship, with love, and shook it warmly, enclosing it with both his hands. "See ya in three years, Hannie!"
Hannibal Heyes rode toward the gates of Fort Lyon like a general, Jeddie watching him with pride. Hannie turned his horse to look back at him one more time, then galloped through the yard and out the gates.
A sharp pang coursed through Jeddie's chest and he felt his eyes moistening again.
"Private Curry! On the double!"
"Yes, Sergeant Quinn, sir!"
"Don't 'sir' me, Private! See these stripes? I'm a paid soldier same as ye! Now fall in line, chin up, chest out..."
The sound of the well-worn routine followed Hannibal as he galloped out of Fort Lyon, leaving his cousin behind for the second time in his life.
"I know you're proud, Uncle Dan, an' I hope some of that's for me, but... DAMN!"
Hannie spurred his horse and rode hard into the wind to dry the tears that refused to quit.
************************HH*KC*JS*TJ************************
Captain Roberton watched the two young men saying their good-byes out front of the office, just as he'd done so many times in his career as families separated. Somehow, these two were different. They'd go far together, in whatever they chose in life, each with fine qualities shared and opposite. As much as the younger one had impressed both himself and Sergeant Quinn with his enthusiasm to learn and to please, add in his weapons and riding experience, the elder cousin had traits he couldn't hide during their brief encounter, ones that would take him high in the military.
Very few can stand up to Sergeant Quinn and make demands the man had to fulfill. His defense of his cousin and his innate desire for his welfare showed a young man with huge possibilities in army life in the West, where each man depended on the other for his very life. And it didn't escape his notice, either, that their newest recruit didn't leave the office when dismissed until given permission from his elder cousin with the slightest of nods. A natural born leader, he is. And sharp! Unfortunate that both he and Sergeant Quinn had failed in their attempts to enlist him along with his cousin. The army would never be the same if those two were in the ranks together!
Captain Roberton watched the young man on his mount pass through the gates of Fort Lyon as regally and as free as the Irish kings of lore.
"Best of luck to you, Hannibal Heyes, wherever you ride."
************************HH*KC*JS*TJ************************