Tombstone.
This afternoon I walked into town and saw Uncle Irish with a bunch of horses, talking to Miss Enloa and Mr. Chris and and a few others. Mr. Chris joked that we could have church in the street with so many people there. Mr. David was there too and it was good to see him again. I noticed a little boy and walked over to him, greeting him. His name was JC and Miss Enola said that he was setting up at the blacksmith shop in Benson. They called me forward ‘cause I had asked him his name, and they teased me of flirting with him. Mr. Dave and Mr. Chris kept teasing me and I told them I wouldn’t interview them for the paper, but then Mr. Chris said he wanted me to ask him questions. He was ready to be questioned now and they kept joking about how I was so forward.
“Mr Chris what’s your full name?” I asked, folding my arms as they kept teasing.
“Christopher Louis Lyric.”
“How long have you been in Tombstone?”
“Hmm... Around 4 or 5 years.”
“Why’d you come to Tombstone?”
“It’s Christopher Bacon Man Lyric,” Miss Enola smiled at me and I giggled.
“Mr David you next,” I looked at him. “So get yer answers ready.”
“I can here just like most folks... To find my fortune,” Mr. Chris answered.
“I’m next?” Mr. Dave asked.
“Did ya find it Mister Chris?” I asked, trying to focus.
“I sure did find it, Natalie.” Mr. Chris nodded and smiled big.
“Wow... so you came to Tombstone and became rich?” I asked as he sat down.
“He sure did find it Natalie…. on the desk at the church,” Miss Enola said and laughed.
“Rich is a relative term. I found my treasure, Natalie.” Mr. Chris smiled.
“What do ya mean, Sir?”
“My treasure is named Zannza. And she makes me the wealthiest man I know.”
“Aww…” Everyone said around us as they listened to the interview.
“What do you do for work? In your own words?” I asked him.
“I tell folks about the good Lord. I try to help folks get along better. And funny thing, I used to be a bartender.” Mr. Chris chuckled.
“That’s when ya met my ma right?” I giggled.
“Back a couple of years ago, yes.”
“Where do you live Mister Chris? Oh wait, I know that one already. You live in Benson right?”
“Correct.”
“What do you do for fun in town?” I asked as Mr. David and JC wandered off, and Miss Jess came over.
“For fun... Hmm…”
“But Mister Dave!! You’re next!!” I called after him before he left.
“Next for what?”
“To be interviewed. For the Bee.” I said and he sighed. “I’m almost done with Mister Chris. What you do for fun?” I asked Mr. Chris.
“Mr Irish and I were already interviewed remember Natalie. At Mr Irish’s ranch,” Miss Enola said.
“Uh huh yup ya were.” I nodded to her.
“For fun... I eat. I play with Leo. I play with Miss Zan. Umm, wait. I mean we play games and stuff.” Mr. Chris blushed. “We go to dances…”
“Do you have a favorite place? Like a building or a town?” I asked.
“Besides home and the new church… I enjoy seeing the kids at the orphanage and dancing at Kate’s.”
“I really need to go Natalie, maybe another day?” Mr. David looked at me.
“Okay Mister Dave. Do you have any pets Mister Chris?” I asked him.
“I have a pet monkey named Mr. Nelson. And an appaloosa named Speck.”
“You do??? I gotta meet him sometime! What’s an appaloosa?” I asked and waved to Miss Enola and Uncle Irish as they headed out.
“Big splotchy horse. Black and white.”
“And I know you’re married.. and you got a son named um... Leo.”
“Leo Weston, that’s right.”
“How old is Leo?”
“Leo is nearly a year.”
“Any other family nearby?”
“I have a sister named Deb who comes around on occasion.”
“That’s all the questions I’ve got! Thanks Mister Chris!” I smiled.
“She’s crazy as a loon,” Mr. Chris whispered.
“I won’t put that part in.” I giggled.
“Thank you Natalie!” Mr. Chris smiled.
I looked around and wondered where everyone was. Mr. Jy said he was going to play Poker in the Oriental and he said I could play too. We went into the saloon and I asked if Pa would be mad about me playing, but they said it wasn’t real money, just chips. We played Poker and it was lots of fun.
After we finished playing, I headed out and waved to Mr. Chris and Jeff who were standing in the street. I told them that Mr. Trent won and that we had a lot of fun.
“I jes hope pa not gonna get mad,” I said to them.
“Why would be get mad?” Jeff asked.
“Well Mr Trent’s pa didn’t like no cards. He said that his pa always told him he had to be workin’. So I jes hope my pa not like that. ’sides... I’d jes interviewed Mr Chris for the paper.”
“Yay!” Jeff grinned.
“Uh huh! I got lots of interviews! Still givin’ em to ya a couple at a time though.”
“For the Etipath?”
“Nu uh for you!”
“Ah okay. Thanks.”
“Are people likin em?”
“It not matter if they like em or not long as we do.”
“Most of my articles happen on Saturday though. School, payroll… Then School again.”
“Ain’t no one ever commenting on the bee. Not a single soul.”
“Mr Chris do you read the Bee? My pa said he reads it all the time and loves it. He said he really liked my articles.”
“Cept Mildew and sometimes Nora and maybe Mr. Wise sometimes,” Jeff said.
“Miss Nora still reads em?” I asked.
“I read it every week.” Mr. Chris smiled.
“Some folks, they don’t read the Bee,” Jeff said. “Course she does. I send her one!”
“I like it better than the Epitaph,” Mr. Chris said.
“Yay! It comes out more than the big person paper does.”
Aspen came over and we talked more ‘bout the Bee and the big person paper. I asked Jeff if there was a clubhouse where the kids hung out and Jeff went on bout how great the Epitaph was and how I could maybe write in the big person paper sometime. I told them I wanted to write in it like Ma used to before she came to Tombstone. Jeff said I could write about the clubhouses and I told them how we moved to Bisbee to be closer to work. Jeff and Mr. Chris said they liked Pearce and Benson.
“Hey Natalie... I have a story for you and Jeffery to research on for the Bee.”
“Oh yeah? Bout the new church?” I asked.
“Ask Mister Cas about the frogbuzzards of the mines!”
“Really, Mr. Chris?” Jeff asked.
“Frogbuzzard?” I blinked.
“Uhm… What’s that?”
“Frogbuzzards I have to talk to Cas now,” Mr. Jy said.
“You have to talk to Mister Cas about them,” Mr. Cas said.
“Wow… The mines in Pearce?”
“Yes Natalie ask him,” Jeff said. “Yes, there is mines there.”
I pulled out my notebook and made a note. “I’ll ask him. Yeah I remember. I broked my arm there.”
“Don’t forget!” Mr. Chris exclaimed.
Jeff looked over at Mr. Chris with a slight shake of his head. “Uhm but we shouldn’t go to no mines. Nope. There used to be mines in Black Diamond…”
“Well I won’t go in the mines Jeff. I’ll jes ask Mister Cas.”
“Oh, no... That’s why I said just talk to Cas.” Mr. Chris nodded.
“He’ll be here later at Annie’s I guess cos I remember the telegrams but we not s’posed to go in.”
Mr. Chris went for a nap and then I looked over at Jeff and Aspen when we were alone. We wondered where we’d find Mr. Cas and Jeff said the best place was probably Pearce. Jeff, Aspen and I headed down the street.
Jeff showed me the girl’s hideout and said that I could write an article about it. “So Jeff anything really fun happen here that I can write ’bout?”
“Well me and Mildew sticked a dead rabbit all bloody in here once,” Jeff said. “We got in big trouble.”
“Ya did? What girls found it?”
“Jamie. We even had to clean it.”
“What else happened here?”
“Hmm… Well… Uhm… once me and Max had to wear sailor suits here and play tea with Jamie. Um… That was ‘barrisin’. But we did.”
“How come you had to wear sailor suits?”
“Well cause she wanted us to.”
“A dress up party!” Aspen exclaimed.
“What other pranks did ya pull here Jeff? That can’t be all of ’em!” I looked at him.
“If we make you and Mill a dress, will ya have a tea party with us Jeff?” Aspen asked.
“Sure,” he said.
Jeff took a couple pictures for me and I thanked him. Jeff told us that Mr. Adrian was going to be moving the clubhouse closer to town so it was easier to find it. I asked him what else happened at the clubhouse but he said he didn’t really bug the girls much when they were playing there.
We followed Jeff to the boy’s clubhouse, though he made sure to tell us that we couldn’t go in because it was boy’s only. He said that the girls always wanted the boys at theirs, even though it didn’t make sense to him, ‘cause girls are always real friendly. I tried to get him to let us in but he wouldn’t let us. Jeff took some pictures for me and I grinned, happy that I at least would get to see pictures of what it looked like inside, even if other girls couldn’t go in.
Jimmy came over then, wearing his Davey Crocket hat, and I grinned and hugged him. “Jimmy! You found ya new hat!!” I giggled.
“I doin great… yeah, thank ya sis for my hat!” Jimmy exclaimed.
“Well it’s yer birthday! You gotta get somethin’!” I grinned.
“It’s yer birthday?” Aspen gasped.
“Where me a bear, I wanna choot it!” Jimmy giggled excitedly.
“And pa told me the story ’bout Davy Crocket last night and I thought it was perfect gift!”
“Yeah, I learny about him when I visited Texas and the Alamo… he was a famous fighter! Yeah, I turned 11 today!” Jimmy said.
“Hey you gots a bb gun too!” Jeff beamed. “I gots one too!”
“Yeah, I got it for Christmas from ma and pa!” Jimmy said.
“You kilt any rabbits yet Jimmy?” Jeff asked.
“Naw, I been chootin tin cans and I shot an armadilla but it bounced off his shell,” Jimmy said. “So what what ya’ll doin’?”
“We was getting info for the bee,” Jeff said. “Natalie was.”
“Alright jeff you ready for this article?” I grinned, finishing what I was writing.
“Jimmy you in the Arizona landlubbers club? That’s the boys club in Tombstone,” Jeff said to him.
“The who what?”
“Welp you can be in it if you want. Our club house.”
“Oh yes, I wanna join!”
“Yay okay!”
“But ya can’t show me the clubhouse cause only boys allowed even though WE girls invited Jeff inside,” I glared.
“Yeah member the club is NO girls allowed. Ever. Just boys.”
“Why you want let my sis in Jeffery? Just to see,” Jimmy says.
“That really ain’t fair, Jeff. Is it Aspen?” I looked at her.
“Don’t ask me that. I’m okay with it,” she said.
“Well how come we gotta let boys in ours?” I asked.
“My pa use to have to have his own little space too where no gurls were allowed.”
“Uh huh. Well then I gonna get a no boys allowed place.”
“Cause girls can’t go inside, Jimmy. They just can’t. It is against the rules,” Jeff said.
“Because girls keeps their places cleaner,” Aspen said.
“Make my own clubhouse away from boys.” I folded my arms across my chest.
“Yeah us boys gotta have our own place to do things,” Jimmy said and scratched his butt.
“Well where ya gonna make a club anways Natalie?” Jeff asked.
“Not gonna tell ya Jeff,” I told him.
We kept talking about girls and boys and about kissing and how Jeff wasn’t ever gonna kiss a girl. I got real embarrassed and didn’t look at anyone and then Aspen looked over at me. “You kissed a boy Nat?”
“I uh…” I shifted on my feet, looking around.
“You did Natalie?!?!” Aspen blinked.
I shook my head and put a finger to my lips and Aspen kept looking at me.
“Why don’t ya wanna look at Jeff? She’s beet red!” Aspen said.
“Uh… I uh…” I blushed, thinking about my dreams about Jeff.
“You what Natalie?” Jeff asked.
“Erm.... nothin’ Jeff. Jes nothin. You won’t let me in your clubhouse even if I told ya,” I said.
“Well naw Natalie, I can’t let ya in my club house. The boys’ rules.”
Jeff and Aspen talked then to Jimmy about his birthday and I almost started to tell Jeff something, but then Jeff changed the subject and pointed out the gargoyle on top of the clubhouse. “Mr. Cas saids it is to protect us but… sure looks like it is gonna eat us.”
“Well no one else is allowed to go in it so... we girls don’t need protectin’ I guess,” I said.
“It looks like a flyin’ monkey or something,” Aspen said.
“Guess we gotta just sit in our wagon and cook and clean. And not get protected by nothin’,” I said.
“Welp if’n ya want you can make it look different. Ask for things to be taken out,” Jeff said.
“I protects ya sis,” Jimmy told me.
“Ain’t the point,” I told him.
“Make it what you want, Natalie. Well what’s the point anyways?” Jeff crossed his arms.
“I want somewhere where’s I can hang out with all of ya together. Not separate. It’s bad enough we gotta sit on different sides at school. Now this. What’s next? We gonnna have to walk on different streets? Go to different churches?”
“Why not that spot we find in the library sis?” Jimmy asked.
“Yeah! Come on to the library, let’s see!” Jeff said.
We headed to the library and I told them that the spot upstairs was our spot to hideout. I asked Jeff to take a picture of the spot so I could put it at the end of the article. Jimmy gave me some candy and I wondered about putting the library a secret place. Jeff suggested the bat cave in Benson and then we started to walk downstairs and Jeff hugged Aspen but not me. I got a bit jealous and then he hugged me as we walked outside so I felt better. He said that he was sad when his friends like Nora went away.
We went to see Aspen’s house with lots of games and stuff and thought it was the perfect place to hang out as boys and girls. Jeff told us about the recreation spot in Goldfield where there was lots of games and we went in and hung out there, arm wrestling and playing other games. I added this place to the end of the article and Jeff said he’d think up a name. Jimmy teased me and Jeff about getting married and I tackled him, tickling him to the ground till he finally stopped.
We heard Mr. Lot shouting all of a sudden then and I ran inside, hearing Mr. Ansar yelling about letting the sheriff go. I started to get a bit scared and suggested we stay inside. They convinced me that Mr. Lot wouldn’t hurt a kid and I said that Ma and Pa told us not to trust him.
There was a knock on the door then and a man walked in and I jumped back nervously. “Hey kids. You guys playing anything fun?”
“Well we was,” Jeff said.
“What’s yer name mister?”
“All my friends call me Clint,” the man said. “This is such a nice game room.”
Jimmy stepped outside as we introduced ourselves to the man, but I walked out towards Jimmy protectively and asked, “Everythin alright brother?”
“Seems ok sis. Nobody else round,” Jimmy said.
“Say where are all your parents?” Mr. Clint asked.
Jeff and Aspen said they didn’t have any parents and I put a finger to my lips sayin’, “Not tellin where ours are.”
“Well you kids sure are lucky to have each other,” Mr. Clint said.
“We know it too.” Aspen nodded.
“Yes sir. Say… Where you come from mr?” Jeff asked.
“I bet you are really smart too!” Mr. Clint said and pointed back towards Tombstone. “Back towards town.”
“Where ya from afore Tombstone?” Aspen asked.
“Decided to come out here and maybe make a new friend,” Mr. Clint said.
“Where you hiding, Clint!” Mr. Ansar shouted from outside then and I blinked, hearing the man’s name.
“Back east,” Mr. Clint said.
“Mr Ansar!!!!” I shouted as I ran outside.
“Yeah?!” Mr. Ansar replied.
“Come over here!!” I shouted to him.
“Where’s over here?!” Mr. Ansar shouted.
“There is this really mean man Ansar. Nice meeting you all,” Mr. Clint said and then ran out of the game room.
“Mr. Ansar! He runnin towards Tombstone!” I shouted to Mr. Ansar, getting really scared myself and trembling a lot.
“He was a real bad guy! We got to talk to a bad guy!” Jeff exclaimed.
“Mr. Ansar!!!” Jimmy shouted.
“He said his name was Clint,” I told Mr. Ansar.
“Thank you,” Mr. Ansar said and ran off after him. I watched him and took a few breaths, trying to calm down.
“Wooweee that was excitin!” Aspen exclaimed.
“Jeffery, Aspen, sis, maybe we best be getting somewhere safe,” Jimmy said.
“I ain’t scared,” Aspen said.
“I just not wanna go out cause of bad guys runnin’ around. It skeers me,” Jeff said.
“He was big too.” Aspen nodded.
“Ya guys know there’s some bad people who don’t like ma and pa?” I asked.
“You think he was gonna trick us?” Jeff asked.
“I knew something up when he called Mr Ansar mean,” Jimmy said.
“Somethin’ happened before Christmas at our house but ma won’t tell us what.”
“Maybe but we’re too smart for that don’t ya think?” Aspen asked.
“There is Natalie?” Jeff asked.
“But they told us that there’s some people who jes don’t like what ma and pa do. So we gotta be real careful who we talk to. That’s why I wasn’t gonna tell him who our parents were. I dunno what really happened over Christmas but it was enough to scare ma a lot. And she a Pinkerton so it had ta be bad.”
“Wow,” Aspen said.
“So when people call law people bad…” I nodded. “It scares me. Ya know?”
“Yes,” Jeff said and looked at Aspen.
“He didn’t do that till he ranned out tho,” Aspen said. “How was we to know?”
“But Aspen we ain’t so smart we just little,” Jeff said.
“I know.”
“I ain’t so smart. I didn’t even know he was a bad guy,” Jeff said.
“But how do we no if they bad guys?”
“Well I’m twelve. And I jes knew I shouldn’t trust strangers,” I said.
“I’m nine I think…” Jeff thought about it. “Sis is twelve. We smart enough together.”
“I thought you said ya was eleven.” Aspen looked at Jimmy with confusion.
“We should make a group of the four of us, to look out fer one another,” Jimmy said.
“Yeah,” Aspen said.
“And this be our hideout. And no grownups allowed,” I said.
“I not know how old, I somewheres between nine and eleven.” Jimmy chuckled.
“I’m eight. I will be nine soon,” Jeff said.
“I’m eight too,” Aspen said.
“I jus no yesterday I was so old, and today I a year older.” Jimmy smiled.
“Think it’s settled down enough we could maybe go to Bisbee?” I asked.
“Ya’ll headed home?” Jeff asked.
“Ya want me to walk ya home?” Aspen asked.
“I think we might go home, or go see if pa at the jail in Bisbee,” Jimmy agreed.
“Yeah Jimmy. Maybe ya could Aspen. I jes don’t like bein out here when there’s all those bad guys. It’s scary.”
We talked about bowling then and went to the place in Goldfield and had fun bowling together.
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