Winter's Refuge

Chapter Two Hundred Ten

HEYES

"Heyes, please go see Father Patrick now. See if he go to Philadelphia, get Charles McNamara," Chrissy asked. Then suddenly she said, "I'm tired. Going to rest on the couch until you come back."

I was about to tell her she'd be more comfortable in her own bed upstairs when I realized I could still hear a commotion up there. Vince and Ribs must still be after that elusive mouse. I started upstairs but decided to leave the job to them. When I turned back to talk to Chrissy, she was already settled on the couch with her eyes closed and Angie was laying a quilt over her.

"I'll watch over her and the little kids," my wife told me. "Take the letter and go talk to Father Patrick."

"I'm worried about her. Don't ladies move furniture when they are near to having their babies?"

Angie smiled at me, and I knew she remembered how she moved the furniture around the living room just before Nettie was born. She wanted our baby so much but was terrified of childbirth. "We'll have to wait and see if she was looking for the mouse or that. It's about four to five weeks early for the baby to come, so I wouldn't worry."

"Is Auntie still upstairs with Vince and Ribs chasing that mouse?" I asked as the noises continued.

"No, she wasn't feeling well and went home to rest. She thinks she's coming down with a cold. I worry about her health," Angie replied. "And the guys up there say there are at least two mice and that banging you hear is them nailing up the holes they found in the wall." She handed me the letter from Father O'Brian and kissed me. "Don't be too long. Chrissy wants to finish the reply to that letter today."

My ride into Three Birds went quickly as I was thinking the best way to approach Father Patrick. When I got to the church, the priest was officiating over something, so I went for a walk and found Aiden leaving his office.

"Heyes, how are doing?" he asked.

"Good and, before you ask, Chrissy is doing good too. How's Miss Denise?" I asked as he fell into step with me.

Grinning, he answered, "Fine. Cranky. She still has about six weeks to go. I got out here to check to see if I got a letter from my brother."

"When's he coming back out west?" I said.

"I always ask. If his wife Nancy writes our letters, she says soon but Oliver is dragging his feet. He's always been good at procrastinating. I'm surprised he took the leap and moved out here before." Aiden shook his head. "Truth is, I miss my brother."

I looked at the letter in my hand and a Hannibal Heyes plan jumped to mind. And it felt good, like more of the old me was back.

"Aiden, what if you could visit your brother and father and do me and the Kid a favor? We'd pay for your trip," I talked fast without looking at his face.

Stopping in front of the mercantile, he turned and forced me to face him. Taking a deep breath, he put a hand on each of my shoulders. "Heyes, explain yourself," he said firmly.

I felt myself tremble. He hasn't taken this position with me since I was in prison in his office. I closed my eyes. I'm not in prison now. Stepping back and away from his hands, I handed him the letter. I gave him a minute to read it. "I thought maybe with the Kid gone and all, you could go and check out this Charles McNamara…and maybe bring him here to Phoenix." Aiden was quiet. That made me nervous. "You don't have to go. It was just a thought," I muttered softly.

"Heyes, I'm sorry if my actions upset you. I didn't mean them to. When you said you;d pay, I got suspicious of your motives. I was thinking about my brother. I need to talk it over with Denise, but I think you are right. I need to go see Oliver and father and talk to them in person. I'm intrigued by this letter. If I read it right, Jed might have an Uncle Charles back east."

"Yes, he included a picture of the Kid as a little boy with his ma," I answered.

"If Denise agrees, I'll leave tomorrow. I want to return with plenty of time before the baby arrives. Dr. Crehan can see to my practice while I'm away. But there's no need for you to pay for my passage." Aiden walked with purpose back to his office. "I must send a telegram to Oliver, and you need to telegram this Father O'Brian."

"Thank you and I insist on paying. You going is a relief to us. And I will give you money for Mr. McNamara, either to settle him there or bring him to Phoenix," I told him.

"Well, alright. I don't have time to argue," he said. "Not sure how to broach the subject with my brother about coming back here without him getting defensive."

"Want to practice what you'll say to me? I used to be pretty good with words to persuade people," I told him.

Smiling, he answered, "Heyes, you still are pretty good at persuasion."

JED 'KID' CURRY

Lom couldn't get to sleep or even rest. He kept talkin' about what might happen on our third night in the bank…and he wouldn't stop drinkin' coffee. I finally took his cup and what was left in the pot to the privy and dumped it. Then he got to what was really on his mind. He was feelin' too old and out of practice to do this. It got me to thinkin'. Lom must be in his middle fifties by now. I never really look at him when I'm with him but I did now. Ageing has treated him gently. He's still in shape but there's more gray in his thinnin' hair.

"Lom, speculatin' about what will happen is useless now. We've reviewed all the scenarios we could think of. We know what we're gonna do tonight. We watch - you outside at the water closet window. I'll make sure it is open. I'll be looking in the alley window on the other side.. We let them rob the bank and follow them to their hideout. Lyons will be stationed on the roof across the street with a rifle and Josephs will be hidin' about five miles out of town and to help us trail them to the Black Brook hideout. He has a pretty good idea where it is. We've been over all this and are as prepared as we can be. Now lay down, close your eyes, and try to sleep. If you can't do that, rest," I told him firmly.

LOM

I did what the Kid asked and took off my boots and laid down. It was about five in the morning. I don't think I slept more than twenty minutes at a time. I had my pocket watch under my pillow and checked it often. I hadn't done anything like this in over ten years. And now I have Wayne to raise alone. I don't move as quickly as I used to, so I have to be very alert and prepared. By ten, the sun shone in my face through the thin checked curtains, and I was awake for good.

Walking to the diner on the other end of the street with Kid, I took a sideways look up to the roof where Lyons has been hiding the last few nights. It has a good view of the bank if there is any moon and no clouds.

We ordered sandwiches to go for tonight and went back to the bank to make our final preparations. We presented ourselves there at exactly seven for the third night. We'd been bringing the needed supplies into the bank in our bags hidden under our sandwiches. As this was Sunday, nobody but us and the bank president had been there since Friday afternoon at three when the bank closed. This time we pulled the comfortable customer chairs to the middle of the bank and sat down. The Kid had the hunch that tonight the bank president and his shadowy companion would check on us soon after we were locked in here.

And, as usual, the Kid was right. When we heard the lock open twenty minutes later, we were ready, and each had our weapon pointed at the door.

"Just me, fellows," the bank president said in a voice meant to be reassuring that actually sounded strained. He held his lantern high to see us clearer. What he saw was the two chairs pulled out for us to rest in. "Wanted to make sure you brought your canteens. I didn't see them when you came in."

"Yes, sir. We got them. It's nice of you to check we had them," I answered. We hadn't holstered our guns but held them at our sides. His eyes and light were on the Kid's gun.

"Glad you have water. Make yourself comfortable we…er, I'll see you at three," he told us. I moved slightly to the side again and could make out a figure in the doorway, but not a face.

"Sir, if you want to wait until six or seven tomorrow morning, we won't charge you no more," I told him.

Startled, he started to look at his companion but stopped. "No, three will do. Good night."

HEYES

Our apothecary, Louis Maday, drove Aiden to Bridgeport to catch the train east. Maday was taking the train west to Denver to attend a conference of his peers and hear the latest developments. I'm sure he talked Aiden's ear off about that all the way to Bridgeport.

Chrissy had indeed seen a mouse and he, or they, have avoided being caught. There are mouse traps all over the Kid and Chrissy's room and several possible mouse holes have been covered up. Chrissy settled into one of the downstairs bedrooms. I think she's actually happier there. We moved the little twins in with her for now so she can watch them without climbing the stairs. I know she doesn't like to be alone…it brings back nightmares of prison. Me and Angie watched her for signs that the baby was coming but she seemed normal, just worried about and missing the Kid.

Steven and Stephanie were both working on projects and papers for school. Mrs. Kolmand called it independent study, so they weren't at school. Stephanie excels in this type of work, but we have to keep reminding Steven to work on it. Rocky has taken on this responsibility and he's serious that his brother does well in school.

I had the time today, so I took Ruth Ann and Nettie with me to pick up Michael, Martha, and Joy from school. I know it makes the little ones feel special to do this and I enjoy their company. They are all growing into their own personalities. Joy is quiet and reserved. She's made a few friends at school, but I'm told often follows Martha and her friends. Ruth Ann is a handful…a good handful. Now that she can sign more words, she asks about everything and has an opinion on everything. My Nettie is very social and acts like a middle child. She wants to be with her cousins just older than her yet enjoys teaching little Catherine how to do things. And by that, I mean she teaches her how to get into trouble.

Today Ruth Ann and Nettie are full of questions about the letter that came the other day. They found the picture Charles McNamara sent and want to know who the little boy is. They decided he's too young to be Michael and too old to be Josiah. I'm not going to tell them today. That's a family discussion for when the Kid returns. I looked around to find something else to catch their interest, but Ruth Ann changed the subject first.

"When's Papa and Uncle Lom coming home?" she signed, and Nettie repeated the question out loud for me.

"Can't say exactly. When they finish what they went to do," I answered and realized I shouldn't have phrased it that way.

"What Uncle Jed go to do?" Nettie asked.

I was thinking about an answer and was saved by the sight of the schoolhouse in front of us. Something was wrong. Miss Duhamel… er, Mrs. Kolmand was standing in front with her arms crossed, talking to…no, it looked more like scolding Michael, Martha, Joy, and three other boys I didn't know. All were covered in mud We've had some new people buy around here lately. I used to recognize all the kids even if I didn't know their names. Now I don't.

"Stay in the wagon," I told the two little girls with me and was met by hurt faces. But that was nothing compared to the black eyes, blackening jaw, and black and blue marks forming on my nephew's and nieces' scowling faces.

"Mrs. Kolmand," I said. I removed my hat and stared at all the children. It looks like our family had given more than they took.

"Mr. Heyes, I need to discuss these kids with you," the teacher said firmly.

I used to be afraid of her. She's a teacher. She has authority. I thought I'd gotten over that, but my heart was beating faster and, for a fleeting moment, my words disappeared.

"Yes, ma'am," I managed to say, staring at the six kids lined up. "I assume you're going to talk to these boys' parents when they arrive, too."

I heard the boy next to Michael whisper, "You're gonna get a bad whipping at home from your outlaw uncle."

I tensed but forced a smile on my face. Now I understood why my kids had been fighting; these boys had insulted me and the Kid about our past profession. Me and him can take people insulting us, looking down on us, still thinking of us as outlaws and convicts. We admit to both freely. But never, ever take it out on our kids.

Looking at Mrs. Kolmand, she knew I understood the situation. I felt a tug on my pants. "Papa, you have a scary look on your face," Nettie said from my side. Ruth Ann signed the same thing.

The tallest boy standing in front of the teacher guffawed, "Look at that, two more outlaw whelps and something's wrong with that one there. She's a freak. Heard she can't hear."

I didn't move except to stand up taller. I ignored his words and tried to let them roll off me. I looked at the three Curry kids standing in front of me. I ignored Ruth Ann and Nettie, who had signed what the boy said to Ruth Ann.

"What have you three got to say for yourself?" I demanded. Nettie was right. I had taken my outlaw stance and mean face. I relaxed both now.

Michael spoke for them all. "We're sorry, Uncle Heyes. These boys were bullying Joy and calling her an outlaw and convict's whelp and…"

Martha cut him off. "It was real bad and they pushed her back into the mud. They said only honest citizen's kids could go to this school. So, I pushed him into the mud, too."

"And I told him he was not a nice boy," added Joy.

But now our kids were looking past me to the little girls. Michael, Martha. and Joy each was trying to control a laugh. Martha signed something to Ruth Ann. Evidently Mrs. Kolmand had read Ruth Ann's hands and got a firm look on her face. "Fighting is never fun," she signed.

I realized that my niece had signed, "Did you have fun?" Ruth Ann looked down and used her voice to say, "Sorry."

Controlling a smile, I got back to the matter at hand by saying, "And…"

Michael pointed at one of the boys. "He hit Martha, so I hit him." Then he pointed to the next boy. "And he went over and hit Joy." He winked at me. "And she hit him back and gave him that black eye."

"And we all started fighting in the mud," Joy finished.

I had to look at the sky not to laugh. They were so intensely sincere. But I had forgotten about the little girls again. My sweet daughter went up to the biggest boy that had insulted Ruth Ann and kicked him hard in the shin. "Don't you talk about my cousin that way. She's smarter than you. She can read lips and talk with her hands. Can you do that?" She finished by putting her hands on her hips, a stance Angie takes when she's mad.

I lifted my daughter into my arms. "Nettie, apologize," I told her.

She put one arm around my neck. She glared at the boy. "Sorry I kicked you." I felt her take a deep breath. "Momma says we should be nice to dumb people."

I turned my mean face on her and she didn't say anything else. That wasn't exactly what Angie had told her. It was more like we should be kind to those who are different. But I liked that Nettie stood up for Ruth Ann. But now I had to deal with the three who had fought at school. Two men, parents of the three boys I assumed, approached us. I addressed Mrs. Kolmand quietly, "Do you trust us to discipline our children?" I asked.

"Implicity, Mr. Heyes," she answered with a slight grin.

One of the fathers went up to the two middle boys and cuffed them on the ears. "You were fighting at school!" he yelled. "You better have won!"

Looking down instead of answering the question, one boy said, "They started it!" He pointed at Michael.

The man's face showed a hard life in the sun, probably a farmer. His features looked pushed in, like a bulldog. "You let the Curry whelps beat you? Two of them are girls."

The smallest boy answered, "Martha hits harder than me. She ain't like no girl I ever met."

Mrs. Kormand stepped forward. "They are the Curry children. Their father and uncle are distinguished citizens of our town."

"Their pas ain't nothing but robbers and convicts. I saw them rob a bank once. They're criminals," he said, taking a threatening step toward the teacher.

I saw this as a chance to show our kids how to turn the other cheek.

"Sir, my name is Hannibal Heyes." I put Nettie down and held out my hand for him to shake. He ignored it. "You are right. We were the leaders of the most successful gang in the west, but we saw the error of our ways and went straight. We did our time in prison and now are free men building a life for our families."

"Heard you have a huge ranch. You pay for it with the money you stole from poor people like me?" Now the man was approaching me, and the other father was backing him up. I don't want to get into a fistfight. I couldn't beat either one of them. And I don't want to.

"Not a penny of the money was stolen." I used my outlaw leader tone, and the man took a step back. "Now I am taking my nieces and nephew and going home." I turned and looked at the biggest boy. "They will NOT be getting whippings, just extra chores." I faced his pa, "And I expect you teach your son not to push little girls into the mud." I waved to the Curry and Heyes kids and nodded to Mrs. Kolmand. "Good day, ma'am. Have a good weekend. I'm sure the kids will be looking forward to school on Monday."

And we got into the wagon and left. I waited until the schoolhouse was out of sight until I stopped the wagon. I turned around and faced the kids. "You know fighting is wrong," I said harshly.

"Yes, Uncle Heyes. Yes, Papa," came the replies.

"Good. Remember that." I let my expression soften. "But I'm proud of you for sticking up for each other. That's what families do."