December 9, 1900

Tombstone. 

I was sitting by the pond near the orphanage watching the fish in the pond. Jimmy ran over and hugged me tightly. 

“Did you see the big fat one yet? He likes to pop up and spit water at people,” Jimmy said. 

“Ya!” I giggled. “But we have an agreement. He not gonna spit at me and I not gonna catch him.” 

“Why don’t you tell him to let me catch him, and I promise to not eat him but just get a picture of me holding him? Then I can tell everybody I caught the big one.” 

I giggled, looking over at him. “Don’t forget to breathe when ya talk, little brother. And no catchin’ fish. They didn’t do nothin to you.” 

Jimmy chuckled and sat down beside me. “But how can we eat ’em, if we dont catch ’em?”

“Um.. I dunno. I hadn’t thought of that…” I waved at Miss Abi as she came over and we gereted her. 

“Catch anything?” Miss Abi asked. “Or just sitting?” 

“Nah, just watchin the fish… Natalie won’t let me catch nuttin, cause she say they not do anything to us,” Jimmy told her. 

“Well Jimmy, if if you get hungry there is food on the stove,” Miss Abi said and giggled at me. 

“Awww thank you Miss Abi, we might need it if ma keeps trying to cook us dinner…” Jimmy nudged me. I nudged him back, trying not to push him in the water. “Sis, you thought bout what ya gonna get ma and pa for Christmas?” 

“Oh man no... I hadn’t had any ideas. What about you?” 

“I dunno...I asked pa, he trying to find her some new something to help her in being a detective… but I not know what to get her.” 

“Maybe we can get her some cookin lessons from Miss Pet…” Jimmy chuckled. 

“You’re awful Jimmy. You should try to be nicer to ma. She feels bad bout that turkey. OH!! I just got an idea!!!! WE could make Christmas dinner!! And clean it and everything so that ma and pa don’t gotta do nothin! Cause they work so hard all the time.” 

“I know, and I told her I loved her turkey no matter have burnt it was. Pa said she couldn’t help it, ma knows I just playin with her. Make Christmas dinner?! Well I think I know how to cook the ham, but do you think pa let us cook in the kitchen?” 

“Okay well what if we get pa in on it... and he helps us cook some of the harder stuff... but we do all the serving and setting the table and everything and then we clean it all up afterwards so that they don’t gotta do nothin?” 

“I like that...we do all the prep, and setting up, and serving, and stuff, then the clean up after. All they gotta do is set back and relax,,,right?” 

“Yeah!! Oh and guess what. Ma said we got two doggies now. Her dog Shadow came back today!” 

“You know what we could do, maybe we could get Miss Pet to help us make it a total surprise for ma and pa. She had a dog named Shadow?” 

“Uh huh. From way back in Wyoming and she came all this way to find Ma. Oh that’s even better! Miss Pet could help us cook the meal.” 

“Oh wow...thats a long way… how did she find her way to here to ma?” 

“I dunno but I guess she’s a good track dog to find ma.” I looked at the door of the boy’s room at the orphanage and sighed, seeing Jeff wasn’t coming out. “You wanna go wander?” 

“She must be to come all this way...have you seen her yet?” Jimmy looked down and saw a frog near the edge of the water. “Hey froggy froggy!” 

I jumped back then, running backwards away from the frog. I held my arms around my stomach and shuddered at the sight of the frog.

“What’s wrong, sis?” Jimmy looked over at me. “What is wrong with you Natalie… It’s just a frog! Want me to get him so you can pet him?” 

I shook my head, staring in fear. 

“Ok ok...I won’t touch him…let’s go roam around town. See if any stories pop up for the Bee.” 

I nodded and walked away, not answering him out of fear. We walked down the street and stopped in front of Annie’s. 

“Hey sis, you ever been in there?” Jimmy pointed at Annie’s. 

“You ever wonder what really goes on in there? My ma worked at a place like that... my real one I mean.” I giggled as we both thought the same thing. “Like one mind, little brother.” 

“Yeah I know. What kind of place is it sis?” 

“Well I know my ma was shot and killed while she was workin at that kinda place. Miss Trin told me bout it when she told me what really happened to em. We found this out when we got papers from my orphnage finally.” 

“Oh my. Is this where Miss Reb and Paisley work?” 

“Miss Paisely told me all bout it,” I said with a nod. “They dance and have fun with men. Miss Angi told me that if I wanted to keep hanin out with Miss Paisley I’d become a bad girl like her. But Miss Paisley said she just like to dance for people.” 

“Oh! My pa use talk bout a place like that… called it a cat house.. he say he ummm played with the ladies all the time there… I don’t know what he mean by play, you think they gambled or something.” 

I shrugged and said, “Well I know they dance and stuff but I dunno what else... but whatever Ma did... she got killed while doin it at a place like this. And then when pa found out about her bein killed... he wouldn’t help the Pinkerton cause they were blamin’ him.” 

“Well it don’t sound like a place for us… I ain’t lettin you get killed for a dance.” 

“So the Pinkerton shot at him to make him scared but ended up killin’ him too,” I said with a sigh. “I never even really knew em. I was little when they was killed.” 

Jimmy came over and hugged me. “It will be ok sister. We got ma and pa now, and they love us very much.” 

“Then hadta go to the orphanage cause Aunti Winter couldn’t take care of me.” I nodded and hugged him with a smile. “And we got each other too!” 

“Yes we do...they want us to stick together too...so we not get in trouble.” 

“I really needta get a story for the Bee. I can’t jes keep givin him stories about Payroll and interviews.” 

“Where do you think we can get one?” 

“Hmm… We could talk bout the different buildings in town… Show a different one each week. I jes don’t know what else to write about. I want somethin like Sherlock..” 

“But what do we know about all these buildings?” 

“I dunno but we could find someone who does know. We could even write bout buildings in all the other towns where there’s people at em.” 

“Yeah, but who would that be? Mr. Wise, Miss Pet, who?” 

“Anyone I guess,” I said and shrugged. “Come on!” 

“Grant, you leave that lady alone!” Miss Rikki shouted then. 

“Maybe we should um... go to Black Diamond first,” I suggested and we headed to Diamond. 

Black Diamond. 

We walked over to Diamond and saw a nativity scene on the hill along the way. “Jimmy!! Look!” I exclaimed. 

“Wow sis… That’s ummm a what do they call it? The baby Jesus on Christmas!” 

“Yeah!! The shepherds and there’s Mary and Joseph and the angel and…” I went right up and looked down at the baby Jesus. 

“Sis how long ago you think it was baby Jesus was born?” 

“Hmm.... Ma says it was bout two thousand years ago . I hope they read us that story at Christmas. OH!! I have an idea!” 

“Wow, that’s old.” 

“WE can read it! As part of our gift! I can narrate and you can do all the voices!” 

“Oh wow, that would be so neat… do you really think Jesus’s head was that big? That baby has a big head.” 

I giggled and shook my head. “I don’t think so.” I nudged him and said, “You not s’posed to make fun of baby Jesus.” 

“I ain’t makin fun of baby Jesus...but that baby has a big head...looks, it’s almost as big as me..” Jimmy chuckled. 

“Come on Jimmy!” I giggled and we headed on towards town.