by Layla
Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program
"Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and
have been used without permission. No
copyright infringement is intended by the author. The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.
A Little Man Tate/Good Will Hunting meets the Barkleys tale. Let your mind go on this one. I did. Eugene exists and I NEVER do that!
The house was abuzz with excitement on this Friday
afternoon. Victoria scurried around
putting the finishing touches on the table setting and reminding Silas of tasks
to be done. Silas accepted the repeated
reminders with his usual good-natured grace.
“Yes ma’am, Mrs. Barkley, I’ve taken care of that, too.”
Victoria sighed.
“So you told me the last time I asked you. Forgive me, Silas, but it’s just so rare that Eugene comes home
anymore. And with his hopes of
attending medical school back east after he graduates from Berkeley, every
visit is an extra special occasion for me.”
Silas offered a brilliant smile. “I know just how you feel, Mrs. Barkley. I miss Mr. Eugene, too.”
“Mother?”
“In here, Audra.”
Audra bounced into the room smiling. “I’ve got the guest room ready. Did Gene say much in his letter about the
friend he’s bringing home?”
“No, dear. Only
that his name is Richard Miller and he’s a senior at Berkeley as well. Eugene mentioned that they are taking
several of the same classes.”
“I wonder if he’s a good dancer. There’s a social tomorrow night and it would be wonderful if
Gene and Richard would go.”
“Invite them, of course, Audra, but don’t pressure
them. Eugene said in his letter that
they have final examinations starting Monday and although he’ll be home, most
of their time will be spent studying this weekend.”
Audra’s disappointment was evident, but she managed a
smile. “Well, it will be nice to have
Gene home, even if the only time I get to spend with him is at the dinner
table.”
Victoria smiled wistfully. “Yes, let’s just savor our moments together as a family. Jarrod is driving them to the house and I
expect them home anytime now.”
There was no more time for reflection. As if on cue, the front door flew open and
the sound of suitcases being dropped on the floor rang through the foyer.
“Mother!
Audra! Where is everybody?”
“It’s Gene!” Audra
squealed with delight and ran to greet her brother. Victoria followed close behind and paused to watch Audra throw
herself into Eugene’s waiting arms.
“Eugene…” Victoria said teary-eyed. “Welcome home, son.”
“It’s good to be home, Ma.” Eugene whispered as he hugged
her tightly. “Mother, Audra, I’d like
for you to meet my friend Richard from Berkeley. I’d probably be flunking History right now if not for Richard.”
Richard stepped forward and extended his hand. “That’s not true, Mrs. Barkley, although I
would definitely be flunking Biology if not for Eugene.” An easy-going, jovial smile spread across
his pudgy, bespectacled face. “And we
are both struggling in Mathematics!
It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Barkley, Miss Audra.”
“Welcome to our home, Richard. Silas will see to the bags.
Where is Jarrod, Eugene?”
“He’s having Ciego take care of the buggy, Mother.”
“Well then, shall we go into the Parlor?”
Audra noted the odd waddle in Richard’s gait and
sighed. Perhaps it was just as well the
boys would spend the weekend in the library studying. But Richard did have that strange Elmo Deifendorfer cuteness
about him!
* * * * * * * *
Victoria’s eyes sparkled with satisfaction at the sight of all her children gathered in the Billiard Room after dinner. Richard appeared bashful and a bit overwhelmed. He seemed to be particularly intimidated by Nick and could be seen to flinch visibly when caught off guard by Nick’s volume. But Eugene was obviously in his element basking in the attention of all his siblings.
“Well, Mother, it appears that my youngest brother will be
following in my footsteps in pursuit of higher education at Harvard.” Jarrod raised his Scotch glass in toast to
Eugene.
“I don’t intend to go anywhere close to the Law
School! I only hope no one around the
Medical School has ever heard of Jarrod Barkley and his amazing memory. It’s not everyone who can quote Law books verbatim! You left some mighty big shoes to fill back
at Harvard. Richard, my brother Jarrod
graduated summa cum laude and first in his class!”
“I’m very impressed, Mr. Barkley.” Richard’s eyes widened.
“Jarrod, please.
No need to be so formal, Richard.”
“Oh, Mother! Won’t
it be wonderful having a lawyer and a doctor in the family?” Audra enthused.
“Yes, dear. I am
very proud and happy that you’ve settled on your true calling, Eugene. Medicine is a very noble profession.”
Heath nudged Nick.
“Kind of balances out the two cowpokes, huh, Nick…” he whispered.
“Don’t start your ‘poor, simple cowpoke’ bit again,
Heath.” Nick whispered back.
“Even a couple of underachievers can have a little
fun.” Heath winked.
“Shut up, boy. I
mean it!” Nick growled back as quietly
as possible. “We run one of the biggest
family enterprises on the west coast. I
don’t call that underachieving.”
Heath only smiled and shrugged his shoulders. He had goaded Nick just enough and now he
turned his attention back to what Eugene was saying.
“This is all still a bit premature… I mean, I have applied to Harvard, but I
haven’t been accepted yet. They want to
see my final semester grades before they make the decision.”
“But of course you’ll be accepted, Gene!”
“I don’t know, Audra.
I don’t have near the academic record that Jarrod had at Berkeley. I don’t fool myself. I am nowhere near as smart as Jarrod. It seems I have to grind out everything I
get.” Eugene smiled wistfully. “That’s the real reason I’ve rarely made it
home in the last four years. It takes
nearly all my free time studying to make the kind of grades that I hope will be
good enough to get me into medical school.”
Victoria reached out and clasped her youngest son’s
hand. “And that is why I will be all
the more proud of you, Eugene, when you do get accepted to Harvard.”
“I wish I could be as certain, Mother.”
“How are your classes going, Gene?” Jarrod queried.
“Pretty good…” a pensive expression crossed Eugene’s
face. “Mostly A’s and B’s.”
“Mostly?” Jarrod prodded.
“You know how I always struggled with mathematics? Well, I still do.”
“Calculus is kicking his tail!” Richard chimed in.
“OUR tails!” Eugene shot back.
“Our tails.” Richard conceded. “I didn’t even need the class for my major, but I let Gene talk
me into signing up.”
“You told me you were good at math!”
“I meant basic mathematics, Gene! Adding and subtracting!”
Eugene rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I feel like I’m drowning in that class,
Jarrod, and all my hopes of a decent grade point average this last semester are
sinking right along with me!”
“Face it, Gene…” Richard shook his head. “Our only hope is that someone will show up
with a solution for that Weierstrass equation.
Then it’s an A for everybody!”
“An A for the entire class?” Jarrod’s interest was piqued.
“Yeah, that’s right, Jarrod.” Eugene affirmed. “See, this German fellow Weierstrass put
forth a Calculus problem and he claims to have solved it, too, but he hasn’t
published the proof. It’s an open
challenge to Mathematics departments all over Europe and America. The professors at Berkeley have been working
at it several years. They give a copy
to the senior Mathematics classes each year.
If any student brings back the solution, any way they can and with
whatever help they can find, the whole class will get an A.”
“Must be some problem…” Jarrod said.
“Show him, Richard.”
Eugene motioned to the textbook Richard had left on the table
earlier. Richard pulled a folded piece of
paper from the middle of the book and handed it to Jarrod.
Jarrod whistled.
“No help here, Brother Gene!
This is Greek to me.”
Richard grinned.
“You’re right. The word
‘calculus’ comes from the Greek word for stone. It sure fits for a subject this darn hard!”
Nick peeked over Jarrod’s shoulder and rolled his
eyes. “How do you know this German
fellow isn’t just having some fun with everybody? If he knows the answer, he ought to publish it! Maybe there ain’t no answer and all you poor
suckers can just quit dreaming about an easy A!”
Heath grasped the edge of the paper Jarrod held and tilted
it where he could scan the page. His
brow furrowed for several seconds and then a half-smile crossed his lips. “Naw, Nick.
If those math professors just wanted to stump every senior class, they
could have given them Fermat’s Last Theorem.
It’s been open for over two hundred years.”
“Say what?” Nick
threw Heath an incredulous stare.
Heath felt suddenly uncomfortable at the silent stares his
remark had drawn from all in the room.
He let go of the edge of the paper and shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, ah, I remember my sixth grade teacher
telling us something about that. I
don’t know where she got her information.”
The chatter in the room resumed and Heath smiled. He put his hands in the front pockets of his
jeans and walked back over to the pool table to effectively take himself out of
the conversation. Heath sat on the edge
of the pool table and absently began rolling the balls off its felt-covered
sides at differing angles. Nothing but
vectors, he thought.
* * * * * * * *
Early Sunday afternoon, Heath wandered into the
library. Eugene sat in a wingback chair
near a window reading intently from his Biology book. Heath glanced around the room.
“Hey, Gene! What happened to
Richard?”
Eugene nodded toward the window. “Audra has him down at the corral showing him some of the
stock. He said he was going to take a
few hours of leisure time before we have to go catch the train back to
Berkeley.”
“Aren’t you about ready for a break from those books
yourself?”
“What I’d like to be doing and what I need to be doing are
two different things, Heath. I would
have loved to taken you and Nick up on the offer to go riding yesterday but I need
to put every spare minute into my studies.
I realize you don’t know anything about university level academics but
the pressure is very intense. There are
only so many slots in Harvard’s first year Medicine class and the competition
is fierce! My whole future depends on
the outcome of these final exams.”
Heath sat on the edge of the large mahogany desk. “Mama used to always remind me ‘as you sow,
so shall you also reap’. You’ve put in
the work and the hours of studying.
You’ve been very disciplined, Gene.
You’re gonna do just fine on those exams. Just wait and see.”
Eugene smiled at his brother’s matter-of-fact faith in
him. “Thanks, Heath. I do feel pretty good about my grasp of most
of the subject matter. Well, everything
except Calculus that is! But if by some
miracle I can get out of there with a C, it may not hurt my chances at Harvard
too badly.” Gene laughed. “Of course, a C seems about as remote as an
A right now!”
Heath stared intently out the window, his mind
whirling. He sighed. “Listen, Gene, I’d like you to take a break
for an hour or two.”
Eugene looked up at him quizzically.
“Gene, you’ve been holed up in this library all weekend
except for meals! Mother had hoped you
would come to church with us this morning and…”
“But…”
“I know, I know!
You needed to study. Gene, it
would mean so much to Mother if you would spend some time with her before you
go back to Berkeley tonight. Study on
the train ride back. Stay up a couple
hours later tonight, Gene. I don’t care
how you have to cram to make it up.
This is just as important as anything in those books. One day, and I hope it is many, many years
from now you’ll understand what I’m saying.
You’d be willing to trade every worldly possession you own just for a
little more time with her.”
Eugene looked into the deep, gentle blue eyes and the
barely contained emotion there.
“Thanks, Heath.” He said quietly.
“She’s in the garden.” Heath said as Eugene threw the
Biology book on the desk and hurried out.
Heath smiled as he thought of Victoria’s happiness at
having Eugene’s company for the afternoon.
He noticed the Calculus book Richard had left on a table beside one of
the chairs. His eyes locked on the
folded sheet of paper that protruded an inch or two beyond the pages. Heath walked over to the library doors and
listened for Eugene to exit the back door.
He closed the doors quietly and turned the lock.
* * * * * * * *
Jarrod paused at the door to the Dining Room and watched
his mother polishing a silver candelabrum.
“Tarnish doesn’t stand a chance around here. I do believe you’ve polished every piece of silver in the entire
house in the last five days!”
Victoria smiled at his good-natured teasing. “It’s been a long week, Jarrod. I’ve thought so much about Eugene and how
he’s faring with his examinations.” She
glanced over at the clock. “It’s nearly
6 o’clock so I’m sure they’re all behind him now. There is nothing to do except wait for his final grades and hope
they are good enough for his acceptance to Harvard.”
“You are amazing, Mother.
You want this for Gene as much as he does. Yet you know if he attends Harvard, he’ll most likely continue
living back east, if not in Europe eventually.”
“I love him, Jarrod.
What a mother wants most for her child is that he find his place in this
world and be happy. That is what I wish
for each of you. I want to see Eugene
realize his dreams, Jarrod, no matter how far away those dreams take him.”
Jarrod kissed her on the cheek and looked into her gray
eyes. “Did I ever tell you what an
excellent choice I made when I chose my parents?”
“No regrets?”
“None whatsoever, lovely lady!” As they shared a laugh, they did not hear the front door open.
“MOTHER!”
“It’s Eugene!” Victoria
laid down her polishing cloth and walked quickly to the foyer. Jarrod followed at her heels.
“Eugene! We
weren’t expecting you…”
A distinguished looking gray-haired gentleman stood at
Eugene’s side. “I know, Mother. This news couldn’t wait!” Victoria had not seen Eugene so excited since
he was a boy on Christmas day. “Mother,
Jarrod, I’d like to introduce you to Professor Carlyle, Chairman of the
Department of Mathematics at Berkeley.
Professor, this is my mother Victoria Barkley and my brother Jarrod.”
“My pleasure, Mrs. Barkley!” The gentleman stepped forward and took her hand. He turned to Jarrod. “Mr. Barkley.” He breathed in reverential
awe as he clasped Jarrod’s hand with both of his. “I could hardly wait to meet you! We have checked and double-checked the solution to the
Weierstrass problem. We can find no
flaws in the mathematics, Sir. It will
be sent to Karl Weierstrass himself for the final determination, but I am
confident your proof will stand! I have
heard of your reputation as one of the most formidable legal minds in the
country. But frankly Mr. Barkley, I am
astounded that you solved in two days a problem that has baffled mathematicians
in Europe and America for over three years!”
Jarrod pulled his hand from the Professor’s firm
grasp. “I’m sorry, Professor
Carlyle. There has obviously been some
misunderstanding.” He glanced over at
Eugene. “I didn’t solve the Weierstrass
problem! What made you think it was
me?”
“But, Jarrod…” Eugene interjected. “Richard found the problem solved in his
Calculus book!”
“When Gene?”
“Wednesday morning.
Just before our final examination in Calculus, Professor Weber asked
everyone to hand the problem back in.
He said he wanted to examine any and all attempts at the solution. Richard had planned to turn his back in
blank, but when he pulled the problem out, there were two other sheets of paper
folded with it.”
“The entire proof was worked out on those three sheets of
paper, Mr. Barkley.” Professor Carlyle stated flatly. “When Professor Weber brought the solution to me, we both knew
enough of Richard Miller’s performance in Mathematics to know he was definitely
not the author! The boys know that the
proof was not in the book prior to their visit to Stockton… I was so sure it must have been you, Mr.
Barkley.”
“But Gene, you two were studying in the library
practically the entire weekend. When
would I have had access to the book?”
Eugene’s brow furrowed.
“I guess you’re right, Jarrod.
The book was hardly out of our sight here. The only time we didn’t have our noses in the books were at meals
and when we went to bed at night.
Everyone else was at the dinner table or in bed as well.”
“Was the book left unattended after you arrived back at
Berkeley prior to Wednesday morning?”
“Well, we were practically camped out in the university
library Monday and Tuesday nights. We
took a break to go get dinner each night and just left our books on the table
until we got back. We were gone an
hour, maybe an hour and a half each night.”
Jarrod rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “That’s long enough for someone to have
slipped the problem out of the book on that Monday and placed it back with the
solution on Tuesday.”
“But Mr. Barkley, why would a Berkeley student be so
secretive? Eugene mentioned that he
told you the entire class will be given an A.
Did he also tell you that the author of the proof would be awarded a
full scholarship by the Department of Mathematics?”
Jarrod shook his head.
“Now we are delving into the arena of ‘motive’. The workings of the mind of a college boy
are sometimes nothing short of an enigma if I recall my own college years. Perhaps he plans on coming forward at a time
of his own choosing.”
Professor Carlyle smiled.
“You mean let us sweat it out awhile, Mr. Barkley. Let the mystery reach a fever pitch before
he reveals himself. You may be
absolutely right. Some of my most
intelligent students have also been some of my most notorious pranksters…
always trying to give this old man a few more gray hairs. Eugene, it appears this chase has netted us
nothing more than a wild goose! We’ll
catch the train back to Berkeley tomorrow afternoon. I am sorry to have inconvenienced you, Mrs. Barkley.”
“Not at all, Professor!
I am always happy to have my son home and it’s a pleasure to have you as
our guest as well. Eugene, you and
Jarrod can entertain our guest in the Parlor while I check on dinner.”
* * * * * * * *
Nick and Heath entered the house to the sound of Jarrod’s
voice carrying from the Dining Room.
“We’d better wash up in a hurry, Nick! Sounds like they’ve started without us.”
“I don’t care so long as they haven’t eaten all the roast
beef!”
They hurried up the stairs and returned to the Dining Room
a few minutes later.
“GENE!” Nick boomed.
“I thought you were going to spend the summer at Berkeley taking an
extra class!”
“Avoiding Ranch Work 101, Nick.” Heath deadpanned and
smirked at Eugene.
“Nicholas, please keep your voice down! Heath, no teasing! You two are quite late already and we have a guest for dinner
this evening.”
“Sorry, Mother.” Heath said quietly as he and Nick took
their seats at the table.
“Professor, these are my brothers Nick and Heath. This is Professor Carlyle from Berkeley.”
“Hello.” Heath said simply and started filling his plate.
Nick gave the stranger a hard stare. “So, what’s going on around here? What’s he doing here? Is there an anthrax outbreak I haven’t heard
about?” A perplexed look crossed the
professor’s face.
“Nicholas! Can’t
you find a more polite way to inquire about Professor Carlyle’s business
here?” Victoria focused a stern look at
Nick.
Heath elbowed Nick.
“Maybe they’ve found a cure for Hoof-In-Mouth disease and he’s come to
vaccinate you.”
Victoria cut her eyes at Heath. “Heath, I said…”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Heath said quickly and gave her his best
repentant look. He noticed that she was
trying very hard not to smile.
Jarrod could see by the look on Nick’s face that he was
still expecting an answer. “You have
absolutely nothing to worry about, Nick.
There’s no anthrax outbreak in the valley! Professor Carlyle came home with Gene hoping to find the author
of the calculus proof.”
Heath’s fork stopped in mid-air and he lowered it
slowly. He lowered his eyes and stared
intently into his plate.
“What are you talking about, Jarrod?” Nick asked.
“Nick!” Eugene blurted.
“Someone did it! Someone solved
the Weierstrass problem!”
“Gene gets his A in Calculus!” Audra added, beaming at
Eugene.
“Well, well. What is
it you’re always saying about Barkley luck, Jarrod? Wouldn’t you know it?
Somebody up and solves that problem just when Gene needed it most!” Nick shook his head in disbelief.
“I’ll say! Looks
like I’ll be sending Harvard straight A’s from my final semester!”
“Well, I guess we can forget about getting those future
surgeon’s hands all dirty. Right,
Heath?”
“Huh?” Heath had
not taken his eyes off his plate.
“Yeah, guess so, Nick.”
“Heath?” He raised
his eyes only briefly to meet Victoria’s.
“Is there something wrong with your dinner?”
“No, Mother.” Heath said quietly.
“I STILL don’t see why the professor followed Gene
home!” Nick would not be sidetracked
for long.
Jarrod chuckled.
“Apparently, our little brother led Professor Carlyle to believe that I
had solved the problem.”
“What did you do a thing like that for, Gene?”
“Richard found the proof in his Calculus book Wednesday
morning, Nick. Honestly, I thought
Jarrod had put it there last weekend!
But as usual, Jarrod has put us on the right track.”
Heath shifted uncomfortably.
“That’s right, Mr. Barkley.” Professor Carlyle spoke
up. “Your brother has expertly deduced
that the author had opportunity to place the solution in Richard’s textbook
while it was left unguarded in the library at Berkeley. We’ll be returning to the university
tomorrow afternoon. I’m afraid my trip
was for nothing. But, I must say not a
total waste! Mrs. Barkley, this dinner
is marvelous!”
“Why thank you, Professor.”
“It is delicious, Mother!” Heath said as he
enthusiastically speared a piece of roast beef with his fork.
“Leave it to Jarrod…” Nick mused. “Gene, if you just become half as smart a
doctor as Jarrod is a lawyer, you’ll still be a cut above the rest!”
“I expect he’ll do better than that, Nick.” Jarrod raised his glass to Eugene. “Gene, I know you’ll make us proud.”
Eugene smiled as the other glasses at the table were
raised in salute.
* * * * * * * *
“Thank you for
driving us into town, Mr. Barkley.”
Professor Carlyle and Jarrod stood on the train platform while Eugene
purchased tickets at the depot.
“My pleasure, Professor.
I don’t imagine it will take you very long to ferret out the guilty
party among your mathematics students.”
“Oh, he’s not in my department!”
“What?”
“Of that much I’m quite sure, Mr. Barkley. You see, I already know very well the
capabilities as well as the limitations of the students in my own
department. While some are quite gifted
students, none even approach this degree of mathematical genius! He has to be a student in one of the other
disciplines whom I am not familiar with… perhaps in the department of Physics
or Chemistry.” The professor laughed.
“Either that or it’s the fellow who sweeps out the library!”
“The fellow who…
But Professor, wouldn’t the man who solved this problem have to have a
background in higher mathematics?”
“Not necessarily, Mr. Barkley. There is a young man by the name of Ravi Desai currently studying
Mathematics at Oxford University. His
background is absolutely fascinating.
He was an uneducated orphan of the lowest caste begging on the streets
of Delhi. He would do math tricks –
actually instant calculations in his head – for pennies from the British
officers. One officer recognized his
raw genius in mathematics and sent him to England from his native India. You see, Mr. Barkley, the vast majority of
mathematicians such as myself are akin to the vast majority of pianists. We work very diligently to achieve some
degree of proficiency and what some might even consider mastery. Ah, but a Mozart… Only God can create a Mozart!”
Professor Carlyle smiled and looked past Jarrod. “Here comes Eugene with our tickets. Do thank your mother again for her
hospitality.”
* * * * * * * *
Jarrod’s mind churned relentlessly as he drove back to the
ranch. It just can’t be, he
thought. And yet, the professor’s words
had ignited a spark of suspicion that had refused to die. If he had learned anything in his years as
an attorney, it was to never dismiss a possibility prior to investigation. The gut instinct that had always served him
so well seemed intent on fanning this particular spark into a flame. Why was it so hard to be open-minded in this
instance? Perhaps he did not want to
believe that seeing, he had failed to see.
Jarrod reined the carriage to a stop outside the barn as
the sound of familiar whistling reached his ears. He stepped inside the barn and watched the back of his blond
brother as he brushed Charger.
“Is Ciego around?”
Heath turned and smiled.
“Nope. He rode down to the
orchard. Did Gene and the professor get
off all right?”
“Yes, they did.”
“Good. Don’t worry
about the buggy, Jarrod, I’ll take care of it for ya.” Heath turned and resumed the grooming.
Jarrod took a deep breath. His poker-playing younger brother wasn’t the only one who knew
how to run a bluff. There was no time
like the present to confirm his suspicion or forever lay it to rest.
“Last Sunday evening I drove Gene and Richard into
Stockton to catch the train. Gene told
me that Richard had spent the afternoon with Audra and he had spent the
afternoon with Mother. Is that when you
put the proof in Richard’s Calculus book?”
The brush stopped mid-stroke. Heath turned and faced Jarrod, one set of blue eyes searching
another. “You knew?”
“No Heath, not for sure.
Not until just now.” Jarrod’s
gamble had paid off.
Heath walked over to a bale of hay and sat down. He leaned back against the side of the barn
and absently picked the horsehairs from the brush and let them drop to the
ground. “I don’t want you saying
anything about this to anyone, Jarrod.
I want your word on that.”
“Heath, you know I’d never divulge any information you
wanted kept confidential. I just don’t
understand why you would want to keep this secret!”
“There’s no need for anybody to know.” Heath didn’t look up, watching the wisps of
horsehair fall to the ground.
Jarrod took a seat on a bale opposite Heath. It was going to be a test of his skills of persuasion
to make Heath see where he truly belonged.
“Heath, maybe you don’t feel that you’d fit among academic circles, but
that’s not true. What you have is a
gift… a very rare gift according to Professor Carlyle. Don’t hide your light under a bushel. Can you honestly tell me that your mind
doesn’t hunger for a challenge?”
Heath’s head snapped up.
Jarrod could see the storm building in his eyes. “Challenge?
Do you know how easy it was for me to solve that problem? Those professors have been sitting in their
ivory towers for three years trying to figure it out! I look at it maybe three seconds and the solution pops into my
head. The hardest part for me was
sitting still long enough to write out the proof!”
“But there are other calculus problems…”
Heath shook his head.
“You look at a Calculus book and see one thousand different pages. I see two fundamental ideas and nine hundred
ninety-eight pages of variations and examples.
I just can’t see myself in some stuffy classroom standing at a chalkboard
writing out math problems all day long.”
“Heath, then you tell me what IS a challenge for you.”
“That stallion out there in the far corral is giving me a
run for my money…”
“You know what I meant!”
Jarrod wasn’t about to let him off the hook.
“So you want to know where my mind strays off to if I
don’t have something to keep me busy all day long or I haven’t worked hard
enough to fall right off to sleep?”
Heath laid the brush on the bale beside him and crossed his arms. “Alright, Big Brother, here goes… I reckon some of the most profound insights
have come from the most humble beginnings.
Kind of like Newton sitting under an apple tree and getting hit on the
head by a falling apple and coming up with his theory of gravity. He came up with his three laws of motion,
too. But forces and movements in nature
needed to be measured against some reference system, so Newton conceived the
notion of absolute space and absolute time.
He assumed that there were ‘fixed’, very distant stars, which did not move
and provide a reference frame in space.
Absolute time, according to Newton, ‘flows uniformly on, without regard
to anything external’ and enables us to assign a unique date to every event. Seems pretty common sense and I never had
reason to question it. One night Mama
was reading from the Bible out loud to me and she read where the Lord
‘stretched the heavens like a curtain’ two different times. Well, it was like an apple fell and hit me
on the head! I realized that if the
heavens were stretched, time was stretched as well. Change the fabric of space and you change time. The two are not separate and independent,
and they certainly aren’t absolute!” Heath pulled out a stem of hay straw and
chewed on it with a self-satisfied look.
Jarrod stared hard at his brother. “So you’re saying Newton was wrong? That they are… relative?”
“Uh-huh.”
“But Newton’s concept of space and time is completely
accepted in Physics…”
“I guess it all boils down to who’s version are you gonna
believe: Newton’s or the God who created it all. It’s kind of like that Bible story where the sun didn’t move in
the sky for an entire day because God made the earth stand still so Joshua
would have light until the battle was won.
Scientists say that couldn’t be true cause everything would go flying
off into space. But hey, I figure God
made the earth so not only can He stop it… He can spin it around backwards if
He wants… put on the brakes and spin it forward again!”
Jarrod chuckled.
“I can’t argue with that, Brother Heath. But this notion of yours about space and time is quite
radical! And yet, I can’t discount
it. If there is one thing I’ve learned
from history it’s that sometimes one radical thinker will come along and
dislodge the established dogma. But it
is always a struggle. I can understand
your reluctance to take on that challenge.”
Heath flicked the hay stem away. “Who wants to challenge their dogma? Not me. And I haven’t
even got to the part that stumped me!”
“There’s more?”
Jarrod was incredulous.
“Yeah, unless you’ve heard enough. I got other things I need to be doing.”
“I’m all ears, Little Brother!” How much stranger could this day get?
Heath took a deep breath.
“Just for a while, Jarrod, I want you to set aside your commonsense
understanding of time. If space and
time are relative, then their measurement would depend on one’s frame of
reference. This fourth dimension,
space-time, is the ‘stage’ in which events occur. Let’s say it takes sunlight eight minutes to reach the earth and
a flare on the sun happened four minutes ago.
Is it in the past? If your frame
of reference is as an observer on earth, the answer is no. That flare can’t influence the present
moment on earth. We’d judge the present
moment as coming before the flare. But
another observer out there in another frame of reference might judge the two to
be simultaneous. Again, it’s
relative… I can make that leap pretty
easy. But here is where I hit the
stump, thanks again to Mama and her nightly Bible reading! She’d say ‘Heath, prophecy ain’t nothing but
history written in advance’. So I got
to thinking, Jarrod… Could I conceive
of a model that could explain the Divine frame of reference? A frame of reference literally outside space
and time as we know it… completely independent of time… able to see what we
judge as in the future as though it were past.
Sometimes it seemed like I was close, you know. I told Mama what I was trying to do and it scared
her. She said that I shouldn’t even be
thinking about such things. She said
that we were created by God to be creatures bound within ‘time’ and the other
realm is His alone and beyond human understanding. She told me if I kept on pursuing this, I might go crazy like
some of the other Thomson geniuses did way back.”
“Your mother was aware of your gift?”
Heath gave Jarrod a lop-sided smile. “Yeah, although I’m not sure she thought of
it as a gift. It worried her. Some people think there’s only a fine line
between genius and insanity. This
‘gift’ as you call it has turned up in the Thomson family before and a few have
crossed that line. I don’t worry about
that, though. I simply realized Mama
was right and I put all that stuff out of my mind. I got some distant relatives over in Europe who seem to have
inherited the gift. Names are William
and Joseph Thomson*. I’ll leave the
theories and discoveries to them.”
Jarrod shook his head in disbelief! He had to make his hardheaded younger
brother see that he couldn’t turn his back on scientific endeavor. “While YOU do what? Heath, even if you came to the end of your
human understanding, there is so much more in between where you could
contribute to scientific achievement and advancement!”
Heath shrugged.
“You know not everybody sees scientific advancement as such a great
thing. Remember my friend Charlie
Whitehorse? He never viewed time as
linear like we do. He told me his tribe
saw time as a circle and it is represented by the ‘Sacred Hoop’. Mankind starts out primitive and travels
that circle of time becoming more and more advanced. Man becomes advanced enough to almost completely destroy himself
and his environment. Then after the
apocalypse, man must start over on the circle again, primitive once more. I’m not saying that’s right, but it explains
why they just wanna live simple.
They’re in no hurry to see the hoop completed.”
“But Heath, that’s ridiculous! Any civilization that intellectually advanced would never wreak
that kind of havoc on its self or their environment through their own
inventions!”
Heath never blinked.
“Maybe you ought to read Revelation.”
Jarrod marveled at the surprising mix of shrewd intellect
and simple faith. It would be hard to
argue his way past this wall. “Brother
Heath, what may come to pass in the very distant future is no reason not to
contribute your talents to the present!
We all owe it to our fellow man to advance the realm of human endeavor
in any way our God-given talents allow.
You could be ranked among the great mathematicians in the world instead
of wasting your life as a cowpuncher!”
Hurt and defiance appeared in unison in the blue eyes as
Heath rose to his feet. “Looks like the
value my life has could be considered ‘relative’, too. Well, you’ve got a right to your opinion
Jarrod, but the life in question is mine!
I’ll do with it what I want – including waste it!” Heath turned and stormed out of the barn.
* * * * * * * *
Victoria watched Heath’s stride eat up the ground as he
walked toward the far corral. She knew
that walk well: his hands clenched into fists, every muscle tense and taut
rippling with barely repressed energy.
Victoria didn’t have to see his eyes to know that he was angry – very
angry! Heath would need a little time
to himself to cool down. In the
meantime, she would go talk to Nick – the likely protagonist – and see what
this was all about.
She walked into the barn.
“Oh, Jarrod!” Victoria spoke with true surprise. “You’re back!”
“Yes… Excuse me,
Mother, but I need to go talk to Heath.”
“I saw Heath leaving in quite a huff. Did the two of you have an argument?”
“More of what I’d term a difference of opinion, Mother.”
Victoria gave Jarrod a knowing look. “Over the fact that Heath doesn’t want
anyone to know that he solved the Weierstrass problem?”
“What? How did you
know, Mother?” It was Jarrod’s turn to
be surprised.
“You’re not the only one around here capable of solving
that mystery, Jarrod.”
“But how? When did
you know?”
“When did I first suspect Heath knew the solution? That evening when Richard showed you all the
problem!” She smiled. “I saw it all clearly in his eyes: that look
of intense concentration for a few moments and then triumph when the solution
came to him. When Eugene brought
Professor Carlyle home yesterday and announced the problem had been solved, I
immediately thought of Heath. My
suspicions were confirmed with one look into his eyes at the dinner table last
night. He was obviously relieved when
no one seemed to suspect him. I
honestly thought he had gotten away with it and you believed the author to be a
Berkeley student.”
“I certainly did, Mother, until Professor Carlyle informed
me that these mathematical geniuses aren’t schooled, they are born! I played a hunch and decided to bluff
Heath. I must admit that I was still
shocked when he confessed. It seemed so
far-fetched… Heath is one of the most
humble and unassuming men I’ve ever come across.”
“So what did you do to turn your ‘humble and unassuming’
brother into that angry young man that I just saw cross the yard?”
Jarrod’s blue eyes were sincere. “I had hoped to convince Heath that he should come forward as
author of the proof. He would be
welcomed with open arms at Berkeley or any other university in the
country. Professor Carlyle likened the
level of talent he displayed to a Mozart among plunkers. I simply wanted to make Heath see that the
world would have been a far less rich place if Mozart had simply refused to
compose. But he showed no interest! I’m afraid I only succeeded in angering and
offending him… I told him he was
wasting his life.”
“I see.” Victoria said coolly. “It appears Heath wasn’t inclined to agree. Nor do I!”
“But Mother, Heath should be using his talents to advance
science! We live differently than
people did one hundred years ago thanks to men of vision and intellect. One hundred years from now, people will be
living far better for the same reason.
Now what if those men simply turned their backs on science? Surely we all have a duty…”
“Jarrod, you are not arguing a case in the courtroom! I have always respected your lofty
ideals.” She reached up and stroked his
cheek. “They make you the man you are,
the man I am so proud of. But tell me
Jarrod, if Eugene had decided to drop out of Berkeley and follow Nick’s
footsteps instead, would you have insisted that he go back and go on to medical
school?”
“That’s different, Mother.”
“No, it’s not.
Eugene would have still had the innate ability to succeed in medical
school and yet he would have been making the conscious decision not to pursue
it. That decision would have been his
right. Do you remember what I told you
I wanted most for not only Eugene but for all my children?”
“That we find our own place in this world and that we are
happy.”
Victoria smiled.
“That’s right. Whether it is
Eugene’s choice leading him farther from home or Heath’s choice to stay right
here, I’ll love and support them both.
Nick and Heath are kindred spirits – they love the freedom of the great
outdoors. Ranching is in their
blood. Heath is happiest right where he
is, working by Nick’s side. He’d be
miserable anywhere else, particularly confined to a classroom!”
Jarrod nodded.
“Yes, he said as much himself.
Although if those professors had the slightest inkling that Heath was
their man, they’d probably storm the ranch, hog-tie him and take him back to
the University by force!”
Victoria laughed.
“At least until the storm that is Nick Barkley arrived to take the
campus apart brick by brick and bring his brother back home. We’d best keep Heath’s secret to ourselves.”
Jarrod chuckled, imagining for a moment Nick’s
rampage. “Yes, I suppose so. It would be a shame to see Berkeley
leveled.” His features grew
serious. “And Eugene can’t be told who
his secret benefactor was?”
“I believe that should be left up to Heath.”
“You are right, Mother, right about everything. And since you’re not the only one in this
family who loves Heath and wants to see him happy, I think I need to go clear
up a few things!”
* * * * * * * *
The late afternoon was slipping into evening as Jarrod
made his way out to the corral. As the
red-orange sun sank low in the west, a beautiful full moon had risen in the
east. Heath was leaning against the corral,
one boot resting on the bottom rail, his left arm draped over the top one. Heath’s right hand was outstretched, pointing
to the moon. Josh Adkins was standing
sideways next to Heath, gripping the top rail with his right hand. A look of perplexity shadowed Josh’s face,
as he’d glance at the moon for a moment and then back at Heath. Heath’s soft drawl was carried to Jarrod on
a gentle breeze. “… the sun’s light is
striking the moon’s surface parallel to our sight and it’s reflected back by
the entire surface so we’re seeing a full moon. If the earth and moon were in a position where the rays were
striking perpendicular to our line of sight, we’d be seeing a half-moon right
now…”
Josh caught sight of Jarrod and self-consciously cleared
his throat. “Evening, Mr. Jarrod!” Heath didn’t turn around. Josh sensed the tension. “Mr. Heath was just explaining a few things
about the phases of the moon to me.
Thanks, that was mighty interesting.
Guess I’ll be getting on back to the bunkhouse.”
Jarrod nodded.
“Have a good evening, Josh.” He
moved over to the corral to stand beside Heath, folding his forearms on the
rail. He beheld the bright, silvery orb
along with his brother for a long moment.
Jarrod broke the silence. “So,
is lay astronomy another hidden talent?”
“Nope. I’m just an
ordinary cowpoke enjoying a beautiful moon.”
“No, you’re much more than that, Heath, so very much
more. I spoke out of turn earlier. The Barkley Ranch and our family’s holdings
have tremendous and far-reaching benefits.
Our beef, fruits and produce provide food and our horses provide
transportation. There’s our timber for
construction and gold and silver from our mines is minted for currency… What you are doing, carrying on Father’s
vision along with Nick, I do appreciate greatly. You and Nick are the backbone of this ranch, Heath. A part of me wanted to experience the pride
of seeing a Barkley receive the recognition and accolades for solving that
problem. But know this Brother, whether
you ever come forward or not, you make me proud every day!”
Heath turned to Jarrod and smiled. The hurt that had been visible in his eyes
earlier was gone. “You know what I was
just thinking?” Heath gestured toward
the moon.
“I wouldn’t even want to hazard a guess…”
“If you could shoot off a projectile at a high enough
speed and appropriate angle to get it to just the right altitude where it
wouldn’t fall back to earth and yet wouldn’t break the bonds of earth’s gravity
either… It’d stay in a circular orbit around the earth just like the moon.”
Jarrod laughed. “That’s exactly why I didn’t want to guess!”
Heath grinned. “I
know what you’re thinking… more useless ramblings.”
“No, Brother Heath, I’m thinking what I don’t know about
you absolutely amazes me!”
* * * * * * * *
*I kid you not. Two
pioneers who helped usher in the era of “Modern” Physics were named Thomson.
Yes, spelled that way!
William Thomson 1st Baron Kelvin (1824-1907) mathematician and physicist.
-
Originator of the Kelvin temperature scale
-
Predicted and described the “Thomson effect”
-
Co-discoverer (with James Prescott Joule) of the
“Joule-Thomson effect” (1852)
-
Formulated (along with Rudolf Clausius) the Second Law of
Thermodynamics
Joseph John Thomson (1856-1940) mathematician and physicist.
-
Discoverer of the electron
-
Postulated “Thomson’s theory of the atom” (1907)