Tombstone.
This morning I walked over and talked with Mr. Joe and Miss Reb. He asked if I was working at the library still and I said I sure was. I waved to them as they headed down the street and then I waved to Jimmy as he came over yawning.
“Natalie! How yous tis mornin? Reedin more on mines?”
“Uh huh. I been tellin Miss Trin about it and she’s been more tough cause of it. She told me last night bout how the marshal man brought that lady into the bank and she stood guard outside.”
“Oh yah, I see it...I talk Miss Trin las nite when dat hapnin...I also talk Miss Pet, she tell me wha tis stone is.”
“Oh wow. What is the stone?”
“She call it Apache tear, she say it meen I blessed by Apache.”
“Ooooh she told me all bout that at the mines somewhere’s! You wanna see the caves?” I jumped up.
“An wen I get older, it protet me if I encouner Apache. Shore, I wanna see.”
Benson.
We headed out to the caves and I showed him inside. I made sure he had his slingshot and he took it out as well as his mining cap that had a light on it. He said that I could get one the next time we go to the mine. I told him all about what happened that Pet had told me about the Renegade Apache. I taught him how to spell ‘bats’ and then we looked at all the drawings on the rocks outside the cave.
“Where apache?” I asked him then, wanting to know where their village was.
“They pas bad place, Miss Pet say I wuz lucky I alive afer goin der.”
“Ooooh so we shouldn’t go there?”
“She call it Two Guns.”
“Cos why?”
“We can go, jus no tha par...I dunno...she say bad place, no kids allow.”
“Oooh.”
“I thought spook town, nuttin der.” He looked over at the box on the ground and asked, “Ooo wha dat?”
I looked down and picked up a round thing and looked at it. “I dunno!”
“Thers lots of em!”
“Uh huh! Wonder what it is?”
“I gettin sevral..” he reached down and grabbed a bunch and I got some too.
“We should ask someone in town what they is,” I giggled.
“Yah, they might be worth sumtin.”
Pearce.
We walked down towards town and then saw a man standing in front of his house beside the mine in Pearce. We said hello but then he said, “Hi Mister!”
“I may be deaf.. but are you blind?.. you know you are on my property, right?” the man asked.
“We found something. Maybe they yours?” I jumped back.
“Yah, we don no wha they are,” Jimmy nodded.
“Well where did you find it, and what makes you think it’s mine?” he asked.
“What is they?” I held out the things to him.
“Oh I see and you just ‘found’ those?” he asked.
“They in a box up near caves,” Jimmy held out a handful of them. I stayed close to Jimmy, not sure we could trust him.
“And who gave you permission to go up there?”
“Miss Pet said we could explore,” I looked down and set the things down on the ground nervously.
“Well Miss Pet can let you explore her house, not mine.”
“You live in caves?” I asked.
“We no in yore house Misser...we wer in caves..we foun dese on groun in box,” Jimmy said.
“Those caves are a mine, that is posted, and owned, by me.... you can go talk to a law person and learn about trespassing,” the man said firmly. “They put people in jail for that.”
“But Miss Pet said…” I looked at Jimmy, scared, and backed up.
“Do I look like I care what Miss Pet said?”
“Maybe we go home Jimmy,” I cringed.
“And I suggest you stop playing with bullets, too,” the man said.
“Bullets?” I looked around.
“We not playin with bullets Misser..we jus explorin,” Jimmy said.
“Those come from a gun…” the man said.
“Misser, wha yore name?” Jimmy asked and our eyes went wide.
“You’d better watch what you pick up around... they bite, they explode, and they hurt people,” the man said.
“Come on Jimmy, let’s go,” I bit my lower lip.
“Yeah, let’s get outta here...he meen ole man.”
Tombstone.
I asked Jimmy if he wanted to go to school and we looked around for an adult but we couldn’t find any. Jimmy showed me where the Apache village was, while holding my hand the whole time, and then we walked back home. We found a dog and played with it as we talked with Miss Reb.
When Mr. Jimmi Rubble came over, I told Jimmy, “Jimmy tell big Jimmi what happen.”
“Yes little Natalie?” Jimmi looked down at me.
“Misser, we wen explorin caves overn Benson...cus Miss Pet say we can..and we fine these things in a box on da groun...then meen man try put us in jail.”
“You got that box?”
“He said it was his pooperty,” I said.
Jimmy held out a couple of the bullets and said, “We foun dese..he call em bullets.”
“The caves???!! Is that safe??!!” Reb blinked.
“He live in Caves. Miss Pet said…. We no go to jail do we Mr. judge?” I looked up at him.
“He say we trepassin,” Jimmy said.
“I can’t believe Ms Karu would allow you to explore the caves!!!” Reb exclaimed.
“You might be tresspassin if its his cave or mine,” Mr. Jimmi said.
“But we no know!” I exclaimed.
“Where is this box you found?” Mr. Jimmy asked.
“Up nere the caves..jus sittin groun.”
“I no say more. I no go jail,” I said.
“I don’t mean to interfere Mr. Jimmi but I don’t think its safe for the children in them caves,” Reb said.
“Let’s see these bullets,” Mr. Jimmi looked closer and I sat down beside the dog and pet it. “Those spent, I think,” Mr. Jimmi said. “Kind of old, could be a single shot musket.”
“Is it an old bullet Mr Jimmi? From here it seems very old,” Miss Reb said.
“I don’t know, you better show these to the Sheriff when she gets in town,” he told us.
“All we do is stop ask man wha dey wer..he git all meen,” Jimmy said.
“I no go jail,” I whispered to the puppy who tilted her head curiously.
“And as Miss Reb says, stay away from that cave,” Mr. Jimmi told us.
“Yessir, I give my word, no more cave,” Jimmy promised and I frowned.
“I don’t throw kids in jail, thats for sure but iffin you is trespassin the man is by all rights to give you a rod or stick to teach you a lesson,” Mr. Jimmi said.”So stay away from the cave alright?”
“That goes for you too Ms Nat!” Miss Reb said and I cringed at that.
Jimmy backed up a bit and Mr. Jimmi said, “See the Sheriff with those bullets, she may be interested.”
“It’s for your own safety from mean men out there,” Miss Reb insisted.
“Yessir...yes ma’am. no caves,” Jimmy looked down at the ground.
“I swear she said…” I looked over at Jimmy, remembering Miss Pet had given us permission.
“Now is one of you kids gonna pump that horse trough for the dog? She looks mighty thirsty,” Mr. Jimmi said as the dog continued to try and tug at her collar.
“I bes go ten horses at stables, Miss Pet be angry if I no care for Daisey…” Jimmy waved and walked back towards the stables.
“Well Nat be a dear and get some water for the doggie,” Miss Reb suggested.
I went into the kitchen to find a bowl and filled it with water, trying not to spill as I set it on the ground for the puppy. She drank up the water and I went off to find Jimmy.
I found him crying in the back of the store room and I went over to him, sitting down beside him. I refused to let myself cry. “I sorry we got in twouble.”
“I no wanna go jail...an I no wan whoopin eeder,” Jimmy cried.
“We won’t,” I shook my head.
“Why Miss Pet say we explor cave if we git in truble?”
“I dunno. I dun get it eider. She told me I cud explore wit you.”
“No body talk bout whoopin Jimmy since my pa.”
“I sowwy.,” I hugged him tight as he wiped his tears away. “It okay. We keep each oder from jail and woopin.”
“I jus don unnerstan...we do wha we spose do..explor and hav fun.”
“I dunno eider. We just explore and get in twouble.”
Jimmy took the bullets in his pocket and threw them in the corner on the ground as I hugged him tight.
The dog came back towards us and we played with it as we threw a stick for it to fetch. Jimmy held my hand as we kept playing fetch with the dog who seemed to be having lots of fun. We went over to the pump and fed it more water as we kept playing with it.
***
I walked into town this evening and saw a big group in front of the hotel. Miss Baylinda was there yelling about alcohol and I went over to tug on Mr. Chris’ sleeve.
“Well well! Miss Natalie! How are you?” Mr. Chris asked as we listened to the yelling going around and the talking in Apache.
“What going on?” I asked.
“That loud woman is at it again,” he laughed.
“The one who don’t get Jesus?” I giggled.
“Zan, this is my friend, Miss Natalie,” he introduced me to the woman beside him.
“Hello there,” the woman nodded to me.
“Hi Miss Zan. You match Mr Chris,” I said, seeing their outfits matched and Mr. Chris laughed.
“Actually, he matches me,” Miss Zan whispered to me and I giggled.
“So... after the show is over, anyone want to go to the Russ for dinner?” Mr. Chris asked then as I greeted Payton and Poppy.
“Dinner? I hungry!” I nodded excitedly.
“Think that’s a yes,” Miss Zan smiled.
“That is a perfectly good yes,” Payton nodded.
“How about you?” Mr. Chris looked at Zan. “Dinner?”
“Why don’t we get them out of here before anything ugly happens..? Or before I take back my agreement to keep a low profile,” she said under her breath.
“Oh.. she is coming too.. have to keep track of her,” Payton smirked.
“Good idea. Girls? Are y’all ready?” Mr. Chris asked.
“Oh count me in.. my stomach is throwing a fit to find something to eat,” Miss Zan said and we headed into the kitchen. Miss Nim said something to miss Zan and we went to sit at the table.
“Ladies first,” Mr. Chris said when we were at the table with our food.
“Well.. I waited a bit .. he said ladies first..” Payton said as miss Zan started to eat.
“I meant all three of you, Payton.”
“Well.. I am only a lady when I have ta be .. I am fourteen after all,” Payton smirked.
“I ain’t no lady eider. Dat why they put me on train and sent me here,” I said then. “Mr. Chris? You want sit across or beside Miss matchy lady?”
“Umm... How about across,” he said and Payton and I giggled. “So I can look at her.”
“So I can kick your shins if need be,” Ms. Zan said softly back.
“Shh. You din hear that. Hmm…”
“This place is gettin mightyyyy familiar,” Miss Zan looked around the room.
“I wonder who’s cooking…” Mr. Chris grinned.
“Mr. Chris, I ask question?” I looked down at the table.
“Sure Natalie.”
“Jimmy and I won’t go jail will we?”
“For what?”
“Cos mean ole man by the caves said we was treppasin and Mr Jimmy said that we would maybe get a whoopin’ fer it by the man if he see us again. We wern’t in the mines do. In da caves. Miss Pet said it okay. Mean ole man said we cud go jail.”
“Caves?? Which caves?” Miss Zan asked.
“Did the man have long stringy hair and a dirty old floppy hat?” Mr. Chris asked.
“Mean ole man,” I nodded.
“Lot…” Miss Zan looked over at Chris and he nodded.
“We found bullets in a box and he said dey weren’t ours but dey was just in box. He said he live in caves.”
“We’ll discuss this in a minute. For now, looks like I’m the chef for the evening,” Mr. Chris stood.
“Dey his caves. But Miss Pet said dey Apache caves.”
“Whoooaa.. you mean the ones with the big wooden doors on em?” Miss Zan asked.
“But if we can’t go to da caves with da bats, even when Miss Pet say we can... What can we do??? Dey jus want us to sit around and read all day? Fish? Go school once a week?” I folded my arms across my chest.
“Well.. ya know there is a lot to do.. if you know where to look,” Miss Zan looked at Mr. Chris as he mouthed something to her. “Did you know theres a movie theatre? And a bowling alley?”
“We get in twouble,” I frowned.
“Hmm I am trying to think of what caves you are talkin about..” Miss Zan said as Mr. Chris went into the kitchen to cook dinner.
“Da ones with bats. Wit tha apache tears.”
“The only one I recall with bats.. is over by Pearce and Benson. Theres a few folks live near that one but.. not in it.. maybe he’s hiding something in there.”
“Speaking of.. I need to see if they got a new show at that theatre..”
“My ma.. I use ta go to the theater back in Boston,” Payton nodded then.
“Well I like to go now and then.. maybe some evenin we can go, you know where it is? You might be able to sneak in.. I uh,” she coughed, “Did that a few times when I was younger but don’t tell anyone.”
“Hey Miss Zan?” I asked her.
“Yes?”
“What you do here?”
“I keep secrets,” Payton nodded and smirked.
“Well.. um.. I.. well.. dang.. I really don’t know.. see I lost most of my memory.. but pieces is comin back.. slowly,” Miss Zan tapped her chin.
“You did? How you lose memory? You jes forget?”
“He says I fell off my horse.. she got spooked by a rattler… I say he whacked me with one.”
“DOES EVERYONE LIKE CHICKEN??” Mr. Chris shouted from the kitchen.
“Yup.. and she was double crossed by the banker.. I didn’t know he was a lawman too .. got tricked into bein trapped,” Payton nodded and then shouted, “YES!” to the kitchen.
“Ohh… Whacked you with one?”
“WRAPPED IN BACON?” Miss Zan shouted.
“That’s my girl! I mean... Umm... Great idea!!” Mr. Chris shouted back.
“Well. Maybe he’s telling some truth.. that horse is a cantankerous cuss,” Miss Zan said.
“Chicken is better than when we have lizard at the orphanage thats for sure,” Payton smiled.
“HOTHOTHOT!!!” Mr. Chris shouted in the kitchen.
“He keeps saying we are married. See? And uh I know I ain’t the marrying kind.. so I figure he whacked me with a rock..” Miss Zan explained.
“Your horse made you ferget?” I asked. “Oooh…”
“You okay in there?” Miss Zan called out.
“YEP! Just… WOW! Just got it too hot I think,” Mr. Chris called back.
“Nah he said I hit my head on a rock when I fell.. sure was enough blood for it.. scar on my face now,” Miss Zan sighed.
“Mr Chris don’t touch oven! It hot!” I shouted back at Mr. Chris.
“Ya think??!” Mr. Chris called back.
“I try help Mr. Chris!” I grinned.
“Yes it’s hot,” Miss Zan looked down at her hands.
Mr. Chris brought the food into the kitchen and handed it to us all. I folded my hands and prayed, “Tank you fer da food. Please help Jimmy and me not go jail. Please help Miss Zan scar go away and her remember. Please help Mr Chris not touch oven. Amen.”
We started to eat and I looked at Mr. Chris and asked, “How come Mrs Chris don’t remember she Mrs? It really cos she falled off horse?”
“That’s right. Miss Pet helped me with her and then Doc Jess sewed her noggin up,” Mr. Chris nodded.
“So she remember long ago tings?”
“Kind of like that, Natalie.”
“Like who her mommy and daddy is? Miss Zan ever go jail? It scary in der? I no wanna go.”
“Christoph... er.. Paul doesn’t know, don’t think anyone does.. might be best that way,” Miss Zan said.
“Who Paul? Dis is Chris,” I said and miss Zan pointed at him and I nodded. “Dat Chris.”
“Yea.. Christopher.. that’s what I meant… sorry,” miss Zan nodded.
We talked about the food and I looked down, knowing that no one answered my question about jail. We talked about the orphanage and I pushed my food around as Payton talked about coming from Boston.
“Natalie, aren’t you hungry?” he asked me.
“I came from near Boston.. ma and me were on our way over lookin for my brother.. bandits attacked.. ma didn’t make it,” Payton sighed. “I came on ahead.. wound up in the orphanage after I got better from gettin hit with a stray bullet.”
“You was shot Payton?” I looked over at her.
“That’s quite a story,” Mr. Chris said.
“Oh my, that’s a long way… I am sorry about your ma..” Miss Zan said.
“Have you ever been near Boston, Zan?”
“Yeah.. Got hit in the hip. It’s why I sit funny,” Payton finished her dinner and nodded to Miss Zan.
“Sorry about that. Still bothers you?”
“That was wonderful. Boston? Close yes.. I came here from New York," Miss Zan finished her meal and nodded. “Born in Montana.. folks decided it was too rough to raise a kid so…”
“Hip still bothers me a bit.. doc that worked on me said that the hip bone cracked.. but that I would be wigglin my hips soon enough.. he was right.. just sittin is a bit hard still…” Payton looked at Miss Zan. “New York is a big place .. busy too.. pa learned ta be a doctor in New York.”
“Very big place, Payton. You moved to the big city. What did your father do, Zan?” Mr. Chris asked and I listened to them talk, wanting to find out more about them than to share about myself.
“Yes it is ... my father,” Miss Zan smiled and nodded. “He was an investor ..but his love was Paleontology and Archeology.”
“Paleon_what-ogy?” Mr. Chris wondered.
Payton tilted her head to the side and shifted in the chair. “That’s a scientist that looks for fossils and ancient ruins,” she declared.
“He studied old stuff.. fossils and such, right Payton,” Miss Zan smiled.
“Smart young lady, huh?” Mr. Chris smiled at Payton and then looked into Miss Zan’s eyes.
“Well.. I always liked sciences .. and medical stuff.. pa got me a alchemy book .. and I have his medical stuff,” Payton explained.
“James T. Hensley…” Miss Zan looked away and blushed. “Even had a little sign with his name carved in it. Always did want a little sign like that someday.”
I finished eating my meal and pushed the plate away, no longer hungry. “You girls all full?” Miss Zan asked and I nodded quietly. “Natalie? Are you ok?” she asked me but I looked away.
“Natalie,” Mr. Chris said simply and I looked over at him.
“I think I will get the plates to the kitchen,” Miss Zan said and stood, going to the kitchen.
“Be careful this time, Zan. You know what happened last time you went into that kitchen,” Mr. Chris warned her.
“I no want to go to jail! I no want to go to place where bad people go like people who killed Miss Ashley! I don’t wanna…..” I cried randomly, revealing what had been on my mind during the entire meal.
“Natalie?” he looked at me and I looked down. “You’re NOT going to jail…”
“But dey said… If we no go jail we getting whoopin’. With stick. But Miss Pet said we could!!!!”
“Then there is nothin ta worry bout Natalie.. Miss Pet’s word is law ya know that,” Payton sighed softly.
“But Mr Jimmy was judge and… And Mr mean ole man said he don’t care what miss Pet said. I didn’t do nothin! We just looked! We didn’t even take no Apache tears!”
“Then nothin to worry about ..no one crosses Miss Pet Natalie,” Payton shook her head.
“You’re ok Natalie,” Mr. Chris promised.
“Jimmi scary man and he made me and Jimmy cry,” I said.
“I’m gonna see if Miss Zan needs any help,” Mr. Chris stood. “Payton? Would you mind trying to cheer Natalie up a bit?”
“An mean ol men get whats comin ta them eventually,” Payton nodded assuredly.
I heard someone calling for Jimmy and asked Payton if she wanted to come with me to find him. I thanked Mr. Chris for the food and we ran outside to look for Jimmy. I found him and he ran to cling tightly to me, and I exclaimed my relief that he wasn’t in jail.
“No, I hidin doc office,” Jimmy explained.
“Why you hidin?”
“No one is goin ta jail Natalie.. trust me,” Payton rolled her eyes.
“Miss LaLuna take me there, and say stay, I think bad stuff gonna happen,” Jimmy said.
“Oh. I missed you.”
“Peeple overdugen on drinkin in saloon,” Jimmy said.
“Oh dat lady with sign back?”
“No! but peeple may get wild like she say, dey drinkin down street.”
“Oh. We go theatre tonight? Dey might do play!”
“I miss ya too...Wha thater...wha play?”
“I dunno.”
“I think Miss Pet gonna hav mess tomorrow,” Jimmy looked back towards the kitchen in the hotel as we heard Mr. Chris and Miss Zan talking.
“Mr. Chris!” I shouted back into the kitchen. “You shouldn’t touch oven den not in heat too much!” I heard the adults chuckling and talking and said, “Maybe we go somewhere else?”
“Oh Natalie...I wanna tell ya..Miss Trin say it ok we go cave, I tole he bout wha happen.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, let’s let them be… am sure they will be safe,” Payton said.
“Yeah, she say we safe,” Jimmy told me.
“Dat mean mean ole man no put us in jail?” I looked at him.
“Nope...his ole name Cas sumtin I think.”
“Cas? What kind of name is Cas?”
“Dat wha Miss Trin and Miss Paisley say. Cas Ion or somtin.”
We continued to talk for a while and then played hide and seek. Miss Paisley and Adriana found us hiding above buildings and warned us to be careful or we’d get hurt again.
Tonight we went to the theater and watched the improv show. It was real funny and we had a great time and then Jimmy came over for a sleepover.
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