Black Diamond.
This morning I waited in Black Diamond and then saw the big horses ride over with the rangers for payroll. I greeted them and Mr. Wedge warned that Miss Rikki was running around with her dynamite again. Miss Bree told me to be careful and I rode at a distance, noticing two bad people following us.
Pearce.
I jumped off in Velvet when we got to Pearce and went to the clinic, waiting to see if I had to help anyone. I heard Miss Rikki shouting about dynamite by the bridge. I ran over to the bank and Mr. Tully told me, “Child, you have no business here..... I suggest you go somewhere safe. And do it NOW.”
“But I gonna help in the clinic and I had to come and warn someone and.. They gonna blow it up!!”
“OUT!” he shouted and I frowned, running back out to the clinic.
“Run right now to the doctor’s office Natalie!” Miss Angeles shouted to me.
I ran to the doctor’s office and cried a bit, not wanting them to get hurt. I watched from the window, ‘cause I couldn’t help but watch closely. Rangers started to put hands on their guns as the other rangers did their work at the bank. All of a sudden gunfire went off, making me jump. I knew I would be busy soon and waited to see who would be the first one into the clinic.
Miss Angel brought Miss Suzy in and I looked over, “I here to help, Miss Ang,” I told her.
“Natalia please we will have some more have ready cottons and clothes,” Miss Angeles instructed.
“Beds all ready, ma’am,” I nodded.
“Bring the wounded at the doctors office, soldiers!” Miss Angeles shouted and I went to get the pile of bandages and brought them onto the table as Miss Angeles worked on healing Miss Suzy. Mr. Spin brought in Mr. Free and I continued to wait for instructions as Mrs. Starling came in.
“Natalie could you get me some fresh water please,” Mrs. Starling asked me and I nodded, getting the fresh bowl of water and setting it on the table.
“There you go, Mrs. Starling.”
“I need some water Natalia and please gives a the next who come some clean to the blood with clothes and water ok?” Miss Angeles asked me.
“Put it down there please,” Mrs. Starling said.
I nodded and went to get another bowl of water, putting it beside the one I put down for Mrs. Starling. I looked over at Miss Rikki and said, “Lay on table behind the curtain there. I clean wound with blood and water.”
“Blimey a gaggle of healers,” Mr. Joe muttered as I went to make another bowl of water. I set it beside the other one on the table.
“Natalie, help her to lay on that bed and Spin arrest her too,” Miss Angeles said and I went to help Miss Rikki onto another bed.
“Mr Joe, there some water there for you to clean her wound. And some cloths too,” I told Mr. Joe.
“Good thing the rangers are here they can both go to trial now,” Miss Suzy said.
“Hello Joe my dear glad to see you and can give us a hand too,” Miss Angeles greeted Mr. Joe.
“Could you get me some extra bandages please,” Mrs. Starling requested and I nodded, going to get the bandages and putting them on the table for her.
“Miss Suzy you want tea?” I asked her. “I can make some willow tea.”
“Good idea Natalie,” Miss Angeles said. “We have some tea herbs at the Saloon Natalie. If you need.”
“We have lots of tea here miss Angeles. It part of my job,” I told her and went to boil the kettle for some hot water.
“Very good,” Miss Angeles said as I made the tea and handed it to Miss Suzy.
I watched the others work on their patients and then Mr. Joe said, “Yep, could still do with a bottle of whiskey.”
I started working on a file about today and Mr. Joe complained again, saying, “I still need that whisky and some bullet forceps.”
“I gave you some whiskey Mr Joe,” I told him. “It on the table.”
“There you have Joe,” Miss Angeles said.
“Is anyone else hurt?” Mrs. Starling asked, looking around.
“Just him against the wall, honey,” Mr. Jimmi pointed at the skeleton.
“That’s mr Bones!” I looked over and grinned. “Mr Jimmy did you know Mr Bones has 206 bones all together?”
“Really?" Miss Angeles asked.
“The big one on the top that makes up the head, that the skull. It also called the cranium. The bottom of your mouth is the jaw, or the mandible. Then the bones down the spine are the vertebrae,” I remembered. “They connect together the spinal cord and hold up your body. The Shoulder blades... the flat one is the scapula.”
“Natalie, if you have sat down and counted these bones, you have too much time on your hands,” Jimmi said.
“Mr. Alex taught me. I wrote notes when I started being helper to doctors. We went over all the main bones. We only learned 47 of em.”
“Well don’t forget his teeth, Nat,” Jimmi said. “And his ear bones.”
“Well yeah… Oh yeah those. The tiny bones inside. They called the hammer, anvil and stirrup.”
“We have three main bones in our ears,” Mrs. Starling said.
“Did you know there’s a bunch in the feet too?” I asked them as the others continued to heal the wounded people.
“Ears?” Jimmi asked.
“Uh huh. In the ears we learned those three little ones. Mr. Jimmi?”
“Nat, there must be a dead thing somewhere around for you to look at somewhere,” Mr. Jimmi said then.
“Mr. Jimmi, I heard miss Rikki talkin’ outside before the Rangers came.”
“Well don’t tell me, tell the rangers.”
“Miss Angeles!” I shouted for her and she looked over at me.
“Yes Natalie, what happends?”
“I heard em talking before you guys got here.”
“Really? And what they said?”
“I got here and Rikki smiled cos they were here before you… She said… ‘Maybe I’ll place some dynamite out by the bridge, then after they get the payroll, and just as they reach the bridge, shoot the dynamite to set it off’.”
“That kid will find herself bound up and stuffed in an empty barrel one day, floating down stream,” Mr. Jimmi muttered.
“She is a good helper in the clinic,” Mrs. Starling told him.
“Then I saw her take out a couple bundles of dynamite and half buried em by the bridge,” I went on as Mr. Wedge ran out. “She told Free to bundle one side and she did the other. I ran to go tell Mr Tully but he told me to get out.”
“Not for outlaws, and they are dangerous,” Mr. Jimmi said.
“Then the guns started. I was inside watchin’. From the clinic, so I was safe.”
“Tully told you for let’s go out to bank, huh?” Miss Angeles asked.
“Mr Tully told me to leave the bank and go be somewhere safe. But I had to stay and help cause I knew somethin’ would happen.”
“Ah I see,” Miss Angeles nodded.
“So I watched from the clinic. And had the window open so I could hear em.”
“Such an active imagination. Which window, Nat?” Mr. Joe asked.
“This one,” I pointed tot the one I was looking out of.
“Well, that help and much Natalie,” Miss Angeles said.
“I could see em by the bridge. And I’d opened it so I could hear em talking.”
“I don’t see a thing… All clear,” Mr. Wedge said.
“I know I just a kid but it’s true!! I not making it up!!”
“I believed you Natalie and let’s see if the Colonel find the dynamite at the bridge ok?” Miss Angeles asked.
“Rangers, someone on their feet inside,” Mr. Jimmi announced.
“Nothing… We can’t hold her,” Mr. Wedge said as we went over to the bridge.
“Well maybe they removed that after some shout about,” Miss Angeles suggested.
“Sorry…”
“But it’s gotta be there! They were shoutin’, Mr. Joe. Hard not to hear em.”
“Yeah… but there’s nothing there,” Mr. Wedge said.
“But if…” I looked around, confused.
“Natlia, you can write all that you said me in one note and gives that to me?” Miss Angeles looked at me and I nodded, going inside to write. I was glad someone finally believed me.
I continued to write as the others were still talking outside and then walked back to hand her the statement. “There you go Miss Angeles. I know I only twelve but… I know what I saw. And what I heard.”
“Very good Natalie, you may have some future like lawmen too,” Miss Angeles smiled, reading the statement.
I went inside to clean up the clinic and change the bed sheets and swept the floor. I walked back over to the others and said goodbye after asking where Ruby and Sabi were. Joe told me as I left that he wouldn’t require my assistance in the future and I headed home, mad and confused.
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