Chapter I
By Angela
The morning's glorious sunrise brought the young man gazing upon it a joyful feeling. The sun's arrival was beautiful, and it promised warm and enjoyable weather. A soft breeze brushed against him gently, making his confidence soar. The day was beautiful for his love. Along with mother nature's gift, the young man had several treats for the special lady that had captured his heart. Presents, food, and love were all waiting for her beside a beautiful pond. The romantic picnic was fully prepared for her arrival. The young lady was sure to be surprised by his charming deeds.
"Two riders, right now," Rachel announced from the bunk house door way. The four riders gathered around the room's small table greeted her with puzzled looks. "Teaspoon discussed this run with all of you last week!" She cried impatiently.
Reluctant glances were passed around by Cody, Buck, Noah, and Lou after remembering the extra run. No one wanted the special assignment to Fort Laramie. Teaspoon had discussed the issue last week, but failed to assign the unlucky pair.
"Who's the next two up for a run?" Buck asked, in attempt to settle the issue fairly.
"Noah is and-," Cody blurted out to Noah's annoyance.
"Was up," the accused corrected. "I switched runs with you earlier in the week, remember?"
A trapped look crossed Cody's face. Like a wild creature, he searched desperately for an escape. Finally, one came to him. "But the run I switched with you was actually suppose to be Buck's." He had just successfully transferred the heat.
"But I had to cover Jimmy's run since he's visiting kin!" Buck justified. The young gunfighter was spending the whole week with his expecting sister.
"It doesn't matter-" No one listened to Rachel. Instead, they continued with their argument.
"Actually, Jimmy's run was meant to be Kid's run-" Lou pointed out, adding to the mayhem. "But then Katy hurt her leg."
"If memory serve me correctly, Kid's run was actually your run, Lou," Cody finished. All eyes turned to the now silent lady rider.
"But I had just returned from covering Ike's run!" Lou stated to the gentlemen.
"Where is Ike?" Noah asked.
"On a run," Buck answered. The chaotic schedule left the riders momentarily silent. All were out of excuses.
"Fine, I'll go," Lou muttered. Unhappily, she began packing her gear. "Oh, but that makes you up too, doesn't it Cody?" A wicked smile crossed her lips.
"Yep, I believe the lady's right," Noah said. He didn't bother hiding the smirk that rested on his face. Cody just rolled his eyes and prepared to ride out.
"You two need to get a move on," Rachel declared. The riders really knew how to make her head hurt! She placed her palm against her temple and let a sigh escape her lips.
Frustrated, Skeet Mullins sank down beside his friend in the tall grass. He sensed the strong grasp of the law drawing near, eager to end his fourteen-year-old life. His partner in crime, being three months older, managed to handle his frustration with cool calmness.
"Manny, what are we gonna do?" Skeet cried nervously. His friend's silent manner wasn't soothing! "Manny?!"
"I'm thinking," his friend replied. After barely escaping the law in Willow Springs, Manny Walsh felt the danger lashing at his feet like a wild prairie fire. He was afraid, but kept his fear hidden behind a mask like any strong man would do.
"I ain't never been in this much trouble!" Skeet wailed. He placed his beaten hat securely on sandy blonde head. Strong regrets dogged him. Running away from the orphanage now seemed like a very foolish thing to do. "Think we'll be able to escape the law?"
The oldest shrugged. "It would help if we still had a horse," Manny stated, slightly bitter.
"I didn't mean to lose him Manny," the younger, skinner boy cried. "He just spooked and I couldn't hold him." The runaway horse was the property of the orphanage until the boys stole him. His name was Old Jed, and all the kids loved him. The old horse was kind and gentle, and usually not flighty. But, the longer Jed was away from the orphanage, the more skittish he became. Thinking of the horse brought a haunting question to Skeet's attention. "Do you think they'll hang us for stealing Jed?"
"Only if they catch us," Manny answered. His words brought no comfort to his companion.
The knock on the marshal's door, woke him from the light sleep he was enjoying. After permission was given, the visitor entered the tiny office. He pushed his sinking spectacles back into place and approached the marshal.
"Here's those posters you wanted drawn up," the man said to the law of Willow Springs.
"Thanks Chester," Marshal Curtis Foster answered. He looked the drawings over carefully. "This ought to help us catch those boys."
"The reward offered ought to help even more," Chester pointed out. The sooner the boys were found the better.
"Yeah," the marshal agreed. "Why don't you have a few more of these drawn up?" Chester nodded. "Then we can distribute them throughout the territory." One way or another, the marshal wanted the young bandits found.
"Good night ladies, goodnight ladies! We're going to leave you now!" Cody sang as the express horses moved along at a leisurely pace. "Goodnight ladies-"
"Enough already," Lou interrupted. Normally, she didn't mind the young man's singing, but after hearing the same song twenty times over....
"Aww, come on Lou," Cody exclaimed. "Singing's good for the soul!"
"Not your singing," Lou corrected.
"Nice of you to offer such pleasant traveling company," Cody muttered. He couldn't wait to drop this 'package' off. Although, his friend probably wasn't going to like the mood she was in.
"It's not so much your singing I mind," Lou informed her co-worker. "It's just hearing the same song over and over and over and over and-"
"You made your point," Cody exclaimed. Then a mischievous smile crossed his face. Moments later, he was wailing 'Oh Susanna'. Lou just shook her head, pacified by the change in tune.
The young man stretched the blue cotton blanket out next to the calm pond. The cool waters were not bothered by the gentle breeze that hugged the air. Not one ripple was forced upon its smooth surface. It was breath taking. In fact, the whole scenery was beautiful. Weeping willows guarded the area while the wild flowers made it cheerful with their soft lilac color. She was bound to love it! Kid couldn't wait to see the look of joy that would wash over her face when she realized the wonderful getaway he had created for them. Soon, she would arrive, and the romance could begin.
"Where are we gonna go?" Skeet asked Manny. He was growing tired of sitting. They needed to run! Run for dear life! Unfortunately, his friend didn't share his feelings. He remained fixed in the grass, searching for the perfect plan. In Skeet's mind, there was no such thing! They were desperate men, and it was time they started acting that way. "I bet they wouldn't follow us all the way to Mexico."
"We'd never make it there on foot," Manny said. Skeet's girlish panic was riding his nerves. He has no stomach for the life of an outlaw!
"We can't just stay here!" Skeet exclaimed. "They'll find us for sure!"
"Skeet! Would you stop being such a momma's boy?" Manny snapped. "Your fool-" The young boy grew silent as a voice drifted through the air. Skeet heard it too.
"The law?" the youngest questioned fearfully.
Manny shook his head. "The law wouldn't be singing 'O Susanna'." At least, he didn't think so. The song didn't exactly fit the lawmen image he held. Unfortunately, he couldn't spy the approaching company to be certain.
"What if they see us?" Skeet asked.
Manny looked at his friend, with a scheme brewing in his head. "I'm counting on it." Quickly he whispered his plan to his friend. In order to succeed, they would have to act fast.
Chapter II
The marshal of Willow Springs barely picked at the late breakfast his wife had set before him. The young 'desperadoes' prevented him from enjoying the warm eggs with little bits of ham cradled in them. Finally he couldn't stomach the waiting around. Something had to be done to find those boys.
After pouring himself some bitter coffee, the marshal came and stood before his deputy, bringing a halt to his aid's religious gun cleaning. "Benson, I want you to get a posse out after those boys."
"You can't be serious?" Benson cried. Chasing a bunch of boys would be a waste of time.
"I'll lead it myself," Marshal Foster stated in a manner that couldn't be challenged. "Just find me two good men to go with."
The deputy nodded. Finding the boys was obviously a very personal matter for the marshal. One he didn't want to push. While his friend was gone, Benson would be the sole force governing over Willow Springs.
"Cause I come from-" Cody stopped his cheerful singing as the image of the motionless boy unfolded before him. Solemn looks were exchanged as the riders dismounted to examine the child.
Relief washed over Louise once she spied the gentle rise and fall of his chest. "He's alive." As she moved closer, the boy moaned in pain. "What happened?" Lou asked as she assisted the boy in sitting up.
"I fell off my horse," Manny answered, wobbling as he tried to stand. Predictably, the concerned traveler tried to help steady him. Once he did, Manny made his move. "Back it up," he ordered after successfully drawing the weapon.
Lou glared at the young boy with evil eyes for stealing her gun. "What to you think you're doing?"
He tried desperately to hide the nervous feelings consuming him, but this was nothing like stealing Old Jed. "I need them horses," he managed to sputter out.
Cody rolled his eyes at the robber. "Give me that," he demanded before reaching for the gun. As he did, a figure emerged from the background.
"Cody, look out!" Lou cried.
Her companion barely dodged the big stick being swung at his head by a thinner lad. While Cody wrestled with the smaller boy, Lou went to disarm the robber. After struggling over the weapon for several minutes, Lou finally struck the boy roughly in the mouth. Her forceful actions convinced him to surrender the gun. He sat in the dirt, staring fearfully up at Lou. Cody, threw the smaller lad beside him.
Clutching the confiscated stick in his hands, Cody towered over the wanna-be thieves. "Mind tellin' me why you tried to steal our horses?" The boys remained silent.
"We oughtta turn you two over to the law," Lou pointed out to the boys with no such intentions. Well, at least not yet. She wanted to know the motive behind their actions first.
"Do you boys know what the penalty for horse thievin' is?" Cody inquired. His temper insisted the boys suffer. However, he almost laughed when the skinny lad guarded his neck with his hands. Almost.
"The law can't hold us," Manny told them with growing defiance. His hands clutched at the soft dirt. Skeet's did the same.
Overshadowing the juveniles Cody demanded, "Is that so?"
Manny's answer was the signal for the attack. "Yep," he admitted before their secret weapon was fired. As the loose dirt blinded the riders, the boys headed for the horses.
"Get back here!" Cody yelled. With blurred vision, he raised his gun.
"No!" Lou cried. Instinctively, she grabbed at her friend's drawn weapon. Her efforts were in vain. A shot rang out and the smaller boy fell to the ground. The other boy fled after witnessing his comrade's fate, taking Lightning with him.
Two Hours Later......
Noon rolled around and still no sign of his love. Kid knew instinctively that something in his scheme had gone wrong. Terribly wrong. Why am I not surprised? Trouble always had the nasty habit of showing up unannounced and uninvited. "Of all days!"
The coal black mare was the only one that heard his frustrated cry. She neighed her two cents in, though she didn't understand the strange tongue. The same gibberish came from others of his kind. For some reason they liked conversing more with her and her stall mates than each other. Frequently they were answered with soft whinnies, but rarely understood. However, all the horses agreed that whoa means stop and hay means eat!
"Come on Velvet," Kid encourage the gentle mare attached to the carriage. His precious picnic setting was packed up and placed inside the little rig. "Let's go find the others." What mischievous stunt had Trouble pulled now?
The posse halted after an hour of tracking to examine the ground once more. Marshal Foster had two reliable men with him. His best friend Steven Grey and Daniel Evans, a former army scout. Both men eagerly volunteered for the hunt, but only Steven understood the marshal's desperate need to find the young boys.
"Looks like they lost their horse," Evans informed the group after studying the prints imbedded in the earth.
Steven stared at the faint marks resting on the ground, but they told him nothing. "How can you be sure?"
"Because I have two sets of tracks and they ain't headin' in the same direction," Evans explained to the curious man. This wasn't the first time he had spotted tracks like these. Many times, he had hunted outlaws suffering from the same misfortune.
"Let's get a move on then," Marshal Foster commanded. He wanted those boys found before the day was through.
Despite the fierce beating of his heart and strong urge to flee, Skeet remained where he had fallen. With his best friend gone, Skeet didn't know what to do except lie in the dirt like a dead animal. He wanted to cry, but he didn't. Fear wouldn't allow him.
"Think he plans on moving anytime soon?" Cody asked Lou in a hushed tone. He didn't want to alarm the boy. Not when he was enjoying the kid's suffering. After all, the little want-to-be horse thief needed a little fear installed in him.
Lou peered at her companion through dusty glasses. "He's probably afraid you'll shoot if he does."
The boy had fallen the instant Cody's gun had pierced the air. Of course, what the possum playing boy didn't realize is that the only target Cody had aimed at was the clouds over their heads.
"We'll be waiting here all day!" Finally Cody's lack of patience took hold of him and he approached the still boy. Lou tagged along intent on making sure their last horse wasn't stolen. Standing over the boy, Cody announced loudly, "Yep, this one's dead. Better bury him."
The suggestion made Skeet gasp fearfully. Buried alive? Could there be a worse fate? Being shot wasn't sounding half bad no more. Not compared to being trapped in a dark enclosure. Having a serious disease like clistro...no...clostro...Oh! He couldn't remember the fancy title Sister Mary gave his life threatening condition, but he never forgot the fear of little places it installed in him. With terror-crazed feelings attacking him, Skeet longed for an escape from his dangerous predicament. What was he going to do?
Filthy hands wiped at the tears menacing his eyes. Boys didn't cry! They didn't act like babies! Manny shook his head, trying hard to regain some control over his emotions. It wasn't his fault! He didn't pull the trigger! Those thoughts didn't chase the shame away. He had left his best friend. That made him a coward.
"It ain't fair!" Angrily he struck an old tree with a jagged stone. Things weren't suppose to turn out this way! Grabbing a bigger, rougher stone Manny prepared to make another assault on the oak tree when he sensed eyes watching him.
Kid eyed the troubled youth before him. "Are you all right?" It was a stupid question really. Something was obviously wrong with the boy.
"I'm fine," Manny mumbled. The man's presence made him nervous. "My horse picked up a stone is all."
Amazingly, Kid hadn't noticed the grazing horse when he first arrived. For a moment he doubted his eyes. Lightning? Yep, it was his love's faithful steed dining a few feet from the boy. Looks like I found trouble.
Lou moved closer to the boy, intent on ending his charade. "You can get up now." When he refused to stir, she nudged him with her boot. "We know you're not dead."
Slowly, Skeet faced his captors with fear crushing the urge to scream. It took all his strength to beg, "Please don't shoot me!"
"If we were gonna do that, you'd already be dead," Cody informed him. Oddly, he sensed the boy found little comfort in those words.
"We're not going to hurt you," Lou reassured the frightened boy.
"Nope," Cody added. "We're gonna turn you over to the law so they can!" Terror filled their prisoner's eyes, providing Cody with such amusement.
Lou just looked at her fellow rider disapprovingly. "What are we going to do? Take him along to Laramie?"
Cody shook his head, hating to spoil the surprise. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I was the only one actually heading to Fort Laramie."
"What?" Lou cried in confusion.
Cody took a deep breath before confessing the little stunt the riders had successfully performed earlier. "The whole fight this morning over the runs....well, it was just to pull the wool over your eyes."
Oh that helps so much. His knack for avoiding to the point explanations (as well as work) rode Lou's temper. "Cody, what are you talking about?"
With a roll of the eyes, he furthered the story. "Bringing you along was part of Kid's romantic scheme." Being Lou's escort was his official duty, one that got him out of a ten dollar debt. "He had a special picnic planned beside a pretty little pond..."
"He didn't?" Lou exclaimed in disbelief.
"Did," Cody assured her. "He even ordered me to pack your pink dress in my bedroll."
A joyful smile captured Lou's lips, then quickly vanished. "You little pest," she hissed as she lunged at Skeet. It was her turn to play the punisher.
During the law's search, haunting memories dogged Marshal Foster. His torment all lead back to the summer of 1852. He shuddered, remembering how the fights, the drinking......all had cost him the most precious gift God had ever bestowed upon him.
During the late spring of that horrid year, Foster moved his wife and two children to the small town of Plum Creek. There they opened a general store, and lived in the growing community happily until the disastrous month of July rolled along, bringing unbearable sadness into their lives. Cora, their babe of fourteen months, was taken away by small pox. Not long after, a ferocious fire wiped out their business along with part of their home.
Soon, Foster turned to the bottle for comfort, leaving his wife and fourteen-year-old son frightened, needing the guidance he refused to give. He hated himself so much for it! Booze was no cure, it only instigated fights between his son Matthew and himself. As August came, the battles got worse.
Tears flooded his eyes as he remembered the last time he saw his son. It was a typical August night, the air hot and sticky, when he discovered Matthew pouring his precious whiskey all over the ground. Never before had he gotten so angry or so violent. That night was the first time he had ever laid a hand on his son. The next morning, a note was discovered lying on Matthew's bed. A goodbye note.
"Marshal Foster?" Evans received no answer from what seemed like his hundredth plea. "Marshal!"
The stern voice demanding his attention chased away the painful memories. "Yeah?" Desperately he tried to avoid the worried eyes resting upon him.
"It shouldn't be too long now," Evans replied, truly puzzled by the Marshal's strange behavior.
"Good," Steven, the eldest of the posse stated. "Maybe will find 'em before sundown." Marshal Foster nodded, encouraging his horse to trail behind his companions. Silently, he made a promise to himself, took an oath really. These boys needed guidance, a father figure to keep them on the right path. This time, he was up for the job.
Time seemed to crawl slowly along as they held each other captive with suspicious eyes. Finally, wanting news of his love made Kid abandon the carriage, trying carefully not to alarm the troubled youth. Getting a hold of Lightning was his main objective since no horse would kill the boy's chances for a speedy escape. "Why don't I have a look at him for ya?"
Living by the motto 'trust no one', Manny backed farther away from the approaching stranger. "My horse's fine, mister!"
"He might have a stone bruise," Kid justified as he continued on his quest. Before he could reach the black horse, a stone struck the back of his head.
"Stay away from my horse!" Manny warned with fists raised, stones ready to sail.
"He ain't your horse!" Kid shot back. "That horse belongs to a friend of mine."
Luck, which had always been bad for him since his parents died years ago, only got worse with the stranger's news. How he'd escape this tangled mess, Manny wasn't sure. He just knew he'd die trying.
Her hands had almost grasped the boy's tattered coat when strong arms encircled her waist, killing her attack. "Let me go!"
"I thought we weren't gonna hurt him?" Cody asked as Lou struggled to free herself from his embrace.
"A lady's got a right to change her mind!" Lou hissed. Then, she calmed herself and allowed Cody to hold her until he was convinced she was in control of her anger. Once his mighty grip released, she paced back and forth in front of their prisoner with eyes shooting sparks of fire at him. "So what are we going to do with him?"
Cody was about to respond when horse hooves beating the ground, took his attention away. Their prisoner, after spying the approaching group, made a desperate dash to the side only to have Lou tackle him to the ground.
"You're not going any where," she said, forcing the boy to his feet. It was time they got to the bottom of things.
to be continued...Chapter IV--The Conclusion
Copyright 1998-This work is not to be reproduced without the permission of the author
The Way Station
Campfire Tales
