Chris’ Box
The others watched Ezra move over to help Chris unload his box, and, their curiosity getting the better of them, they all gathered around to help.
Chris cracked a wry smile which Ezra returned before dipping into the box for the next item.
“Most of what I know of the Seven comes from the journals one of them left behind. This Chris Larabee also lost his family in a tragic fashion. They were murdered and the house burned down around them while he was away at a horse sale with Buck. This locket,” Ezra had pulled a small padded pouch out of the corner. Opening the pouch he slid an antique gold locket into the palm of his hand. “This was found in the possession of the miscreant that ordered them killed, some two years after the Seven came together. It was Chris’ wedding present to Sarah.”
Amid the exclamations and chatter, Chris was silent in empathy for the man that had lost as much as he had so long ago. Carefully Chris took the locket from Ezra and examined it. On the back was the inscription, “To Sarah, My beautiful bride, Love always, Chris.” Turning it back over, he found the catch and opened the locket. Inside was a miniature of a beautiful auburn haired woman and a small boy of about three years. While they had a passing resemblance to his Sarah and Adam, they were not identical, for which he was glad. It would have been a bit too spooky for that to have been duplicated too.
Ezra accepted the locket, then passed it to Buck and the others to look at, saying, “We can look through the boxes today, but most of it will have to be packed back away. I’m having glass display cabinets built in here to protect every thing, and they start construction next week.”
“That’s a wise idea, Ezra,” Josiah said as he handed the locket back.
Ezra quickly slipped it back in its protective pouch and back in the box. The next thing he pulled from the box was an oddly shaped, cloth wrapped bundle. Peeling back the cloth, he revealed a black holster with a bone handled revolver. Buck gave a low whistle as he hesitantly reached for it. Ezra readily gave it to him, knowing Buck wouldn’t do anything foolish with it.
“The gun is original, but the holster is a reproduction my father had made. Larabee’s holster was damaged at the time of his death and by the time my family got a hold of it, it was falling apart.” Ezra explained as the other six men gathered around where Buck was standing, even Chris had stood up and joined them.
Nathan was the first to finished looking at it. While he was interested in all things Old West, he was curious about something Ezra said. “Ez, how did he die?” When they others heard him, they quickly gave Ezra their attention.
As Ezra accepted the gunbelt back from Buck, he explained,
“Larabee was killed in a gun fight in
Replacing the gunbelt, Ezra let them think about what he had told them. He was maneuvering the next item out of the box when JD piped up, “Sound he had more in common with our Chris than just his looks.”
Vin gave his trade mark lopsided grin as he agreed, “You said it, Kid.”
“Damn straight,” Buck tossed in, as he clipped JD across the back of his head, purposefully sending his cap to the floor.
An indignant squawk of, “Buck!” ended the tense moment and they went back to investigating the contents of the box.
Ezra’s collection also included a reproduction of the black duster Larabee was wearing in the painting, his hat, a few small sketches of Chris in various places, come with other members of the seven. There was even one of him riding a black gelding that looked for the world like Chris’s horse, Diablo. However, when Chris noticed Ezra trying to secret one of the sketched back in the box without looking at it, he pounced.
“What you got there, Ez?” he asked, bringing the others attention to what Ezra was doing.
Ezra swallowed hard, but before he could say anything, buck leaned down and took it out of his hand.
“What ya’ tryin’ to hide here, Pard?” Buck asked as he flipped the picture over and took a look at it with Josiah, Nathan, JD, and Vin all gathered looking over his shoulders. When they all burst out laughing, Chris was up in a flash to have a look for himself.
It wasn’t exactly what he expected.
It was a sketch of him marrying a blond woman that bore a striking resemblance to Judge Travis’ now widowed daughter-in-law, Mary. The only person he knew that could get on his nerves faster than Standish!
