“Why can’t she just leave me alone?” Jimmy grumbled as he sat down on the barrel outside the bunkhouse. “I don’t want to go to church and she needs to quit gettin’ on me about goin’ with her. I don’t like her tryin’ to force her religion on me.” Walking up to the bunkhouse and leaning against the post, Buck shared his sentiments. “She tried to get me to go again too. Emma knows I don’t believe in her god…I don’t try to get her to believe in my people’s ways.” Teaspoon had been sitting on a chair, leaning against the bunkhouse wall listening to the boys complain. “You two realize by the things you said to Emma you are doing exactly what you claim she’s doing to you? You two, through your words were trying to get her to believe in what you do…Emma ain’t tryin’ to turn you to her beliefs. If’n ya haven’t noticed in the past, each week, she asks each of you boys and myself if we’d like to join her at church. She never gets upset when you or I say no; she just smiles and tells you she will see you later. All Emma’s doin’ is bein’ considerate and askin’ if we’d like to join her. Kinda like when she’s goin’ to town and asks if anyone would like to go along…” “I don’t think this is the same thing Teaspoon…” Jimmy began, his back going stiff at the thought that Teaspoon was about to take him to task about not going to church. If he did, it would be like the pot calling the kettle black, seeing how the stationmaster tried to stay away from church as much as he and Buck did. Buck wasn’t to happy either and said so. “Teaspoon, I’m just sick of whites trying to get my people to change their ways and believe in their god…why can’t we just be left in peace and pray as we want?” Nodding, seeing Buck’s point, Teaspoon looked at the two young men and said, “This reminds me of a group of men that I’d once fought with and against…” Jimmy looked confused. “How can you fight with and against someone Teaspoon? You ain’t makin’ sense…” Tipping his hat back on his head, Teaspoon told him, “Just hold you’re horses there son and I’ll explain.” Seeing this might take a while, Buck sat down on the porch and leaned against the post. “It was back when we was fightin’ the Mexicans in the war. Now you know that Mexico is considered a Catholic country…well, we had a large amount of soldiers that were from Ireland who were also Catholics. These men had a hard time fightin’ against a country that was Catholic, but they were doin’ it for the time being. That is until many of their fellow Protestant soldiers and senior officers refused to allow them to attend Sunday mass or to practice their religion freely. This was something that reminded them partly why they’d left Ireland…that and the famine.” Clearing his throat, he looked at the two young men and was surprised to see them anxiously waiting for him to continue. “The combination of fighting against fellow Catholics, being unable to practice their religion freely and the offers of 300 acres of free land in Mexico soon became to much for many and they deserted the Army and joined the fight helping those they’d been fighting against. It was at the Battle of Monterrey back in the fall of ’46 that I met up with some of my former fellow soldiers. I have to tell you, I didn’t want to go up against men that had been my friends and hung back during the fighting. I might not agree with all that happened and I did believe that they had a right to pray to whom they liked, but I just couldn’t go up against them. It was after that battle that word got back to us about the San Patricios…or Saint Patrick’s Brigade as they were being called. It consisted of the Irish, German and other immigrants that had fled to Mexico and were now helping in the fight against the Americans. We ended up fighting against them at every major battle and let me tell you, them boys were something fierce…they fought without fear and were ruthless….if the Mexicans had a few hundred more like them, I truly believe that Mexico would have won the war.” Teaspoon went on for an hour telling Jimmy and Buck about Saint Patrick’s Brigade finishing his story on a sad note. “At the end of the war, when Mexico surrendered and ceded almost half of it’s territory to the States, every member of the San Patricios left was interned and given an individual court martial trial. Many were set free but a select few were made example of and executed. I have to tell you boys, it was one of the saddest days I ever witnessed…see, I was there.” Not understanding why Teaspoon told him and Jimmy the story Buck asked in confusion, “Why did you just tell us about all this Teaspoon?” “Because son, freedom of religion is important to each of us. What you believe in is different from what Jimmy believes in and what you both believe in ain’t the same as Emma. But Emma, out of kindness to you boys, asks if you’d like to join her, knowing neither of you will accept. Instead of fighting her, like the men in the Army did the Irish…you need to be accepting that everyone is different and allow them to do their own thing, as Emma does with you two without trying to ‘push’ her religion on you…” Standing up and stretching, Teaspoon tilted his hat further down on his head. “I think I’ll leave you boys alone now…I’m sure I’ve given you a few things to think upon. Don’t let Sunday’s turn into a battle field around here….remember, I was there and I’ve seen how different beliefs can tear apart those we love…” Drop me a note and let me know what you thought!