We Knew Them When...

By NellyPledge

MIDDLE KIOWA, COLORADO – JULY 1890

The town banker, Robert Barry, and his family were relaxing after a hearty breakfast before setting about their own daily tasks. After handing the local newspaper to her husband, Lilly, his wife of thirty years, had started to collect the dishes, as their twenty year old son, Jack, was finishing off the last honey-soaked pancake. Grandma, seventy-seven year old Mollie Marsh, had already moved to an easy chair to resume her darning.

As Robert shook out the local paper, The Middle Kiowa Post, a headline caught his eye: 

OUR LITTLE TOWN MENTIONED BY NOTORIOUS OUTLAW!

He got the family's attention by stating loudly, “Will you look at that!”

Turning to his son he exclaimed, “Well, here’s the proof, Jack. Didn’t we always tell you we had met your dime novel heroes, Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry?”

Robert went on reading:

In an interview given by Hannibal Heyes, following the controversial Amnesty granted to the notorious pair, when asked what had started them on their nefarious path, he answered,

“It was a matter of survival at first, then being tutored by experts who had spotted our potential. We just got better and better at it — with the unwitting help of a kind family in a small town in Colorado — Middle Kiowa, was it Kid?"  

He raised his eyebrows questioningly to his partner and carried on after receiving an affirmative nod.

“We wouldn’t have got to those experts without their help. In our defence, we didn’t know for sure what we were getting into, although I had my suspicions,” he said, showing a glimpse of his dimpled grin to his mischievously grinning partner. “So, our apologies and thanks to them.”

DECEMBER 21st, 1866 – A FEW MILES OUTSIDE OF MIDDLE KIOWA

Fourteen year old Hannibal Heyes was practically carrying his younger cousin, twelve year old Jed Curry, by the time they had put some distance between them and the last town they'd been run out of. They had been making their way from Kansas to Denver on a promise of board and training from a Mr Saunders. Heyes, as he had insisted on being called for the past two years, was getting increasingly worried about Jed.

Suffering badly with the grippe most winters for as long as Heyes could remember, Jed had been feverish when he woke up earlier. They had taken refuge in the livery hayloft for the night and it was Jed’s coughing and sneezing which had alerted the livery man to their presence. He promptly sent them on their way, threatening them with a sharp looking pitchfork.

By the time the sun was going down, a few flurries of snow had started to fall and Heyes knew he had to get his cousin to some warm shelter soon. On the point of collapse from cold, hunger and exhaustion himself, Heyes noticed a tiny twinkling of light ahead.

Hardly aware of the last few torturous miles, they staggered into a small barn not far from the main homestead cabin. Here, Heyes got his barely conscious, shivering cousin into an empty stall and set about getting him warm and comfortable, covering him with clean, dry hay, and an old horse blanket. It was only then that he realised they were not the only unhappy occupants of the barn.

The sound of a cow mournfully lowing her discomfort at her over-full udders came from one stall. Another was occupied by a horse, stamping his feet and grunting his displeasure at not being fed. A large brindle farm dog was making his way slowly on his belly towards Heyes, whining piteously and wagging his tail hopefully. He could also hear the sound of agitated clucking coming from the adjacent hen house. The only creatures not complaining were several barn cats who were eyeing him suspiciously, whilst managing to look self satisfied at having caught their own supper. Their close scrutiny also suggested they’d take anything else this stranger had to offer.

Realising that something was amiss, Heyes quickly set about the neglected chores, bringing both sweet and painful childhood memories to mind.

He fed fresh hay to both the horse and cow, milked the cow, fed the chickens, and collected the eggs. After putting aside some milk and eggs for himself and Jed, he broke two eggs on the ground and poured some milk on a couple of tin platters for the dog and cats.

Moving quickly away from the hissing and growls, he made his way to the cabin with the remainder of the milk and eggs, leaving them on the porch by the door. He then set about chopping some wood and collecting water from the well. A light was visible through a small gap in the curtains, but there were no other signs of life, and after rapping loudly on the door a few times with no response, he tried the door handle. It was locked. In a few years a locked door wouldn’t be a problem, but still being more good than bad at that time, he had not thought to use his developing skill to pick the lock.

Trying one more loud knock, he put his mouth as close to the door as possible and yelled, “Hi in there!  Do you need help? I’ve brought eggs, milk, wood, and water to you. We don’t mean no trouble. All we ask is to shelter in your barn for a few days and take some milk and eggs in payment for doing the chores. I'm Heyes and my cousin is Jed Curry. He's got a touch of the grippe. We’ll be on our way as soon as he’s better — got somewheres to be.”

Heyes waited another half a minute for a response, but hearing none he turned away with a sigh and made his way back to the barn.

Inside the cabin, fifty-five year old widow, Molly Marsh, had woken with a start from her fitful sleep at the first loud knock. Feeling unwell, she had fallen asleep in her armchair hours before. Although not fully awake she was still mindful of being cautious — living alone she had to be — so she kept quiet and still while she listened to the pitchy yet confident voice of what sounded like a young teenage boy. She waited until she could hear his fading footsteps heading for the barn before slowly making her way to the door. On opening it, she caught a fleeting glimpse of the back of a gangly youth with a thatch of unruly brown hair just as he disappeared into the barn. Looking down, she saw that he had been telling the truth about the provisions and lifted them into the kitchen with a grateful sigh. She had not quite believed his confident tone of voice, thinking it a ruse to get inside. Shivering, she put a few logs on the fire and went to bed very grateful for the stranger’s kindness.

When Heyes got back to the barn he smiled to himself on seeing the large dog laying across his cousin, gaining mutual benefit from the extra layer of warmth. After a long drink of milk, he snuggled up close to the warm bundle created by boy and dog.

Heyes awoke as dawn broke on 22nd; having hardly slept due to his worry for his cousin and Jed’s frequent coughing fits. Jed, however, having had a few more hours of restful sleep between coughing fits, woke up feeling a little better.

“How you feeling today?” Heyes asked, eyeing his cousin with concern. “Are you ready to move on out if’n they run us off?"

“Do you think they will Heyes?  I’d ‘preciate a couple more days, but I’m ready to go if we have to.”

“Well — they haven’t yet and I think that’s a good sign,” Heyes said, trying to reassure himself as much as his cousin. “I’ll get the chores done and check how things are when I take the milk and eggs up to the house.”

As Heyes was about to leave the barn, Jed looked at him with some concern and said, “Be careful, Heyes. They might be waitin' out there with a shotgun.”

“Careful is my middle name,” Heyes replied with a touch of bravado.

“No, it ain’t; it’s Joshua,” said Jed, making them both chuckle and breaking the tension a little.

It wasn't long before Heyes was back, and with a dimpled smile showed Jed the blankets, ham, and slightly stale bread and cookies that had been left on the porch for them.

“I think this means we can stay,” he said.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Jed answered through a mouthful of bread.

While Jed slept some more and Heyes busied himself around the barn, Molly was also recovering from her own illness. After sleeping for most of the day, she gratefully opened the door to more provisions and set about making herself a light supper. Tomorrow morning she was determined to be up and waiting at the door.

The 23rd December saw both Jed and Molly feeling much better, and while Jed helped Heyes with the chores, Molly set about preparing a pleasant welcome for her two young guests.

As soon as she heard the familiar knock to say the supplies were there, she quickly opened the door startling the two boys.

“You must be Heyes," she said to the slightly taller boy with the dark hair and startled brown eyes.

She turned to the younger boy with dark blonde curls and sparkling blue eyes, which even the dark circles of illness and lack of sleep had failed to dim. “And you must be Jed.”

They were a bedraggled pair, their clothes ragged, their boots worn, standing here staring at her open mouthed, their bodies tense and ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.

She smiled reassuringly at them, “Come on in, boys, breakfast is about ready. Sit yourselves down.”

After a cursory sideways glance at each other, the boys hesitantly went in, their eyes growing wider at the sight of fresh baked bread, bacon, eggs, a stack of honey covered pancakes and steaming cups of coffee set out on the table.

As the boys tucked in, Molly thanked them both for saving her life. She told them that her daughter would not be aware of her illness until she failed to arrive at her house in Middle Kiowa the next day, Christmas Eve. Molly was going to spend Christmas with her daughter Lilly and bank manager son-in-law, Robert.

Molly insisted they sleep in the cabin that night and spent the day altering some of her late husband’s clothing for the boys. Her husband had been a small man, so this was accomplished fairly quickly and with the aid of some thick woollen socks they even managed to fit into some old boots.

Although very different, not only in looks but also in personality, Molly did not fail to recognise the strong bond the boys shared; the love and protectiveness for each other clearly showing in the looks between the expressive brown and the intense blue eyes. She also wondered at the content of their often silent communication. Although the dark-haired Heyes did most of the talking, she knew he had gained the full approval and confidence of the younger boy beforehand.

That evening after supper, Heyes explained to Molly how they had been run out of numerous towns after being caught thieving food to survive. Having no luck finding any type of work, they had resorted to stealing more often than not. Unbeknownst to them, in one such town in Kansas, a dapper looking gentleman had seen one of their rare successes — Jed creating a diversion while Heyes quickly lifted a couple of apples from a display outside the grocery store. As they were hastily disposing of the evidence he had approached them, and much to their surprise, offered them his hand instead of the usual physical menaces or threats to get the sheriff. The man introduced himself as Mr Saunders, and having seen some potential in the boys, had suggested a way out of their current struggle for survival.

If they could get to his home in Denver by the first of January, using only their wits, he would take them in and have them work for him. Heyes wasn't exactly sure what his line of work was, but the man was friendly, smartly dressed, and had treated them to a couple of hearty meals, so it seemed like the best option — if not the only option — for them. So, they had made their way across Kansas into Colorado and were hopeful they could make the New Year deadline.

To their great delight, Molly told them that Denver was about fifty miles away so they just might make it, and that night following a tasty, filling supper, the boys had their best sleep in a long time on two comfortable pallets by the stove.

After giving it some thought, on Christmas Eve morning Molly proposed a plan she believed would benefit them all. Still weak from her illness and feeling unable to drive the buckboard on her own, she suggested that the boys accompany her to her daughter's house where they would stay for Christmas.  It being the season of goodwill, she was sure she could then persuade her son-in-law to fund their onward journey to Denver by stagecoach.

As the pair started to protest, she silenced them by saying it was her way of showing how grateful she was for their help, as well as her desire to see them get on in life.

“You do scrub up well” Molly declared after scrutinising the freshly bathed pair. How handsome they were, she thought, looking at the beaming, dimpled smile of Heyes and the cherubic blue-eyed Jed. “You’re both gonna break some hearts, that’s for sure!”

BACK TO JULY, 1890 – MIDDLE KIOWA

“So that’s how we met your dime novel heroes, Hannibal Heyes and Jed "Kid" Curry," Robert told his awestruck son. “Little did we know back then that we were helping them on their way to a notorious life of crime!”

“Wow, wait till I tell…” but Jack was interrupted by his father.

“Oh no, no, no — you can never tell anyone!  Can you imagine what would happen if the town knew that their banker, and now mayor, had helped to create the West’s two most successful outlaws!”

*************************************************************************************

Can be read as a separate work or belonging to the same universe as three more of my Advent Stories:

It was 21st December

A Quiet Christmas

A Christmas Surprise