That’s What Friends Are For

By Heyes' Girl

It was the fifth December in Devil's Hole, and one Hannibal Heyes was planning a robbery this was the biggest one they’d done this year. But it had to be done before the snows came and they couldn’t get out until spring. But they couldn’t do this alone they would need help for this one, so Heyes mounted his horse Hermes and went along to another part of Devil’s Hole to see Jenny Crawford the leader of the Crawford gang.

As he got closer he could feel all of the beautiful pairs of eyes watching him. So, he took out his gun and fired four time instead of three. Jenny was told that Heyes was here and wanted to see her.

“Alright take his firearm and let him in.”

So, they did as Jenny told them and then Heyes was allowed to see her. He came in and smiled at the sight that met his eyes. Jenny Crawford all five foot ten of her, blonde hair, blue eyes with a beautiful body to match her beautiful face.

“Now Mr Heyes what do you want?”

“Jenny I need your help I’m planning a robbery but me and the boys can’t do this alone for the guards on the train will be ready for any trouble we cause but they won’t be expecting trouble from a group of pretty girls now will they”.

Jenny smiled and hung her beautiful head she chuckled as she brought it back up and said,

“Oh, Heyes now it all depends on what those girls look like”.

“You’re thinking of Jasmine aren’t you?

“Well quite frankly yes”.

They had no sooner finished talking about Jasmine when she appeared.

“Hi mamma, hi Heyes did ya bring the Kid with ya?”

“No, I came on my own”.

“Oh, I see” she said looking a little crestfallen.

Jasmine Crawford was her mother’s daughter by that she was tall, blonde, blue eyed and beautiful. She was the gunfighter in the Crawford gang, and she was head over heels in love with Kid Curry. Heyes turned to Jasmine and said,

“You’ll be seeing him shortly if your mother agrees to my plan.”

“Smoothly done Heyes.”

“What plan?”

“Heyes is planning to rob the train with three hundred thousand dollars going to the Union Pacific company”.

“It’s the usual payroll plus their Christmas bonuses” said Heyes smiling a mischievous dimpled smile. Jenny smiled back then she said,

“Oh, alright Heyes we’ll do it, but we better get some of this money”.

“Oh, Jenny you’re a good girl and of course you’ll get some of the money I’ll make sure of it well must be going if you come to our hideout we’ll finalise the plans tomorrow ok”.

“Ok, we’ll be there won’t we Jasmine.”

“You bet mamma.”

So Heyes left and went home he was met by Kid Curry who was out walking his dog Soldier. Heyes dismounted and another member of the gang Kyle Murtry took him back to the stable.

“Thanks Kyle”.

“You’re welcome Heyes.”

“Now where have you bin’?”

“I have been to see Jenny Crawford.”

“Without me oh Heyes I could have seen Jasmine.”

“I know but I need to see her by myself.”

“Why?”

“Well, I needed to see her about my plan for the payroll train.”

“Why can’t we do it ourselves?”

“No, for there will be more guards than usual for the payroll will contain their Christmas bonuses so they will be expecting us to hit the train. But what they won’t expect is the attack to come from inside the train from a group of pretty young ladies.”

“Oh, Heyes that’s ingenious you’ve out done yourself this time.”

“I know oh I think I might have to go and have a lie down”.

Meanwhile at Wells Fargo Company the shipment was being readied for transport it would go to the station under armed Guard and then four guards would take possession of the box with the money inside. Then the train would go on its way to Omaha, Nebraska to the headquarters of Union Pacific Railroad Company in time for them to get their Christmas Bonuses.

The Head Cashier said,

“Yeah if the Devil’s Hole Gang leave it alone which I doubt.”

“Oh, now not even Hannibal Heyes would deprive people of their Christmas Bonuses” said the Manager.

Everything went according to plan their end, the shipment was put aboard the train and then the train moved off. It picked up passengers in Nevada and Utah before heading to Wyoming. In Wyoming, in Devil’s Hole Heyes was explaining his plan to his gang as well as the Crawford gang.

“The plan is simple the girls go into Cheyanne at night just after Sheriff Guthrie has gone home to beddie byes and catch the train at 11.50pm precisely. Jenny you will have put on board the train a case of whiskey. Then you sit in the car next to the baggage car then once the coast is clear you go back and start to get the guards drunk.

Once they’re good and drunk you go and open the box with the money in, when the train is coming into Harris crossing you open the door and throw the money out and then you get off the train when the train stops for water, get on your horses and ride back to Devil’s Hole where we will be waiting for you with your cut of the money ok”.

“Fine, come on girls time to go to work.”

“Not just yet mamma please” said Jasmine looking starry eyed at Kid mind you he looked at her with the same starry-eyed look.

“Oh, alright five minutes you two” said Heyes and Jenny together. They went outside to be alone.

She said to him,

“Kid, I do love you so much before you say anything I will be careful tonight I promise”.

“Don’t do anything stupid ok for I love you too and you know it come on let’s go and do some practising of our fast draws”.

“Ok Kid Curry let’s do that.”

So they went to the clearing, set up some empty bottles and fired their guns at them, they broke everyone in a matter of seconds. Heyes and Jenny went out to watch them. Jenny said as they fired again,

“They make a lovely couple don’t they?”

“In a lethal kinda way” said Heyes.

The train was on its way towards the Wyoming state line. So, the girls mounted up and rode out towards Cheyanne. They arrived a little early, so they went to the hotel to change into their dresses. Jasmine put her small calibre Derringer in her garter, so she was armed just in case of an emergency. Then it was time to go the train the train arrived at Cheyanne station exactly 11.50pm right on time.

The girls boarded the train and sat down in the car next to the baggage car just like Heyes wanted them to. The station master blew his whistle and waved his flag, the train’s whistle blew, and the train started to move they were on their way.

Another group of people were on their way The Devil’s Hole Gang they had mounted up and were riding towards Harris crossing Heyes had told the boys the train would not stop all that would happen is that Jenny would throw the bags out as it slowed down to take the crossing.

The boys understood even Kyle which made a change. Everything was set the girls on the train Heyes and his boys riding towards Harris crossing. Heyes thought to himself what could possibly go wrong.

The girls were halfway through their journey when Jenny turned to Jasmine and said,

“Jasmine did you have the whiskey put on board?”

“No, I thought you had oh mamma if they’re not good and drunk the plan won’t work”.

The train stopped to take on coal, so Jenny went to the baggage car and to her absolute relief there were the four crates of whiskey that Heyes had given her to put on the train. So, who had done it she went back to the girls and told them that the whiskey was there.

“Of course, it is I made sure of it” said Flossy.

“Oh, Flossy thank God you remembered”.

It was now time to get to the guards on the train. The next time they stopped was when the girls went in,

“Hi, boys how are ya?” Asked Jenny.

“Ma’am you and the girls can’t come in here.”

“Oh, why not?”

“Cause we’re hauling a lot of money and The Devil’s Hole gang might try for it and you ladies might get hurt”.

“Not with you big, handsome men to protect us Hannibal Heyes wouldn’t dare to harm me and my girls he’d be scared of you”.

“It’s not Hannibal Heyes you have to worry about it’s Kid Curry, he’s a gunslinger and who knows what he might do to you.”

Jasmine stepped forward and said,

“I think you might have the beatin’ of him and no mistake.”

Well, they arrived at Summit, and nothing happened so the girls got the boys to open the box of whiskey as small celebration that danger point number one had been successfully passed without any sign of the Devil’s Hole Gang.

The boys were about halfway to Harris crossing when Hermes started limping, Heyes pulled him up and got down. Kid came up on Candy and also dismounted he had a looked at Hermes’s right front leg. He had bad news for Heyes,

“Heyes, he’s pulled a muscle”.

“Oh, no can I ride him or not?”

“I would rather ya didn’t but if you take it slow I can bind his leg and see how he goes.”

“Ok, thanks Kid, cause we’re losing time if we’re not there when the girls throw the money out the whole plan goes up the river as do we.”

So, Kid bound Hermes leg and then he walked around on it before Heyes remounted. Once Kid was satisfied Hermes was putting the majority of his weight on that leg Heyes was allowed to remount him. They took it slowly for the next ten minuets and then when they were nearly there Heyes gave him the hurry up and he responded as normal.

On the train the party was in full swing the girls had danced and sung for the guards who were by now good and drunk. They were coming up to Harris crossing and they still hadn’t all passed out two or three were still with the girls, so Jasmine took her Derringer and hit them over the head with it.

“Right girls get this box open” said Jenny as Harris crossing was fast approaching. Heather found the keys on one of the unconscious guards and they opened the box, took out the money bags and opened the baggage car door just as they came to Harris crossing and there was Heyes and the boys waiting for the money. The girls threw it out and then closed the door and put the bags of news paper clippings they’d brought along in the box, locked it and then left the baggage car and the sleeping guards.

Kid sent Soldier to pick up the money bags which he did and brought them back to his master and his friends and then they all went back to Devil’s Hole to wait for the girls to return. Heyes was real proud of himself and the girls for pulling off this robbery. As the train was pulling up to the water stop. The girls had changed back into their usual clothes. Jasmine had put her gun belt back on and was just tying it down when the train pulled up to the water stop.

Jenny turned to the girls,

“Come on ladies this is where we get off.”

“Yes, mamma.”

First Heather got off then Flossy, Caroline, Kylie, Sally and then Jasmine and lastly Jenny. No one had noticed them get off for they had got off the other side from the water tower itself. Then they ran and hid until the train pulled out. Once the train had gone Jenny and her girls came out from their hiding place and found they had no horses.

“But Mamma Heyes said they’d be here what’s gone wrong?”

“I don’t know child, but I intend to find out.”

So, they started to walk in the direction of Devil’s Hole. They had only gone a few yards when there was a shout from behind, it was Heyes and Kid with their horses.

“Hi, Jenny here are your horses” said Heyes.

“Heyes you said they’d be waiting for us what happened?”

“I know Jenny I’m sorry some fellas were nosing around them, and we came up and said they were ours and that they’d run off”.

“Oh, I see” said Jenny as she and her girls mounted, they rode back to Devil’s Hole with Heyes and The Kid. They arrived back and that is when Heyes shared out the money. The girls got their share and then Jenny said that they would stay the night. Which pleased Jasmine and Kid no end. The other members weren’t fussed about it either, Heather went off with Hank, Caroline went to find Wheat, Flossy and Lobo went off together. Sally and Lean McClean sat together and held hands didn’t say much but then they never did. Kylie and Kyle went off to the powder store to look at the new boxes of dynamite that had just come in.

Jenny and Heyes sat together in the front room of the main cabin. Heyes then looked at Jenny with a mischievous look on his face.

“Heyes?” she said.

He looked at his bedroom door and then gave her a dimpled smile.

“Oh, that’s what you’re after what will your fiancée say if she found out?”

“She won’t first off I don’t know where she is and second Kid’s out with Jasmine.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Angel’s his twin sister”.

“Oh, now I get it come on Mr Heyes let’s go and have a good time”.

Heyes rubbed his hands together and said,

“Great.”

He followed her to his room, they shut the door and then they made love all night. In the morning they woke and had breakfast together then it was time to go home. Jasmine didn’t want to leave Kid, but she knew she had to.

He helped her into the saddle. She held his hand and looked into his eyes.

“I’ll see ya sometime soon Jasmine.”

“Yeah how about you come and see me at Christmas time sugar.”

“Yeah I will, and I’ll bring Soldier”.

Just as Jenny mounted her horse Heyes came close, looked up at her and said,

“Thanks Jenny for everything”.

She turned, smiled and said,

“Why Heyes that’s alright after all that’s what friends are for”.