SEPTEMEBER 19, 1861

Desiree went into the mercantile. She needed some material to make her a new dress. She wanted something special to wear on Caly and Buck's wedding day, especially since she would be standing in front of everybody singing a song that she was writing especially for Caly's wedding.

"Good morning, Desiree," Simon put some ammo back in it's place. He was taken inventory and writing down what he needed to order from his suppliers.

"Good morning, Simon. I need some material to make a beautiful dress."

"Oh, what's the special occasion?" Simon came around from behind the counter. "Are cloth is over here. I hope you can find something you'll like."

"It's for Caly and Buck's wedding." Caly has asked me to sing at her wedding, so I need something special to wear."

Simon went back to taken inventory while Desiree looked at the cloth.

Several days ago Zee had left the train unnoticed, and she had been sleeping in the alleyways, doing her best to stay inconspicuous. She had also been stealing food from the mercantile, hotel and the restaurant whenever she could and luckily she hadn't been caught yet. But today was a very bustling day in town, especially for all three businesses. It seemed like everybody was picking up their supplies, eating at the hotel or the restaurant. Her tummy was beginning to growl. She needed food soon. She would have to try the mercantile. There were as a barrel of apples out in front of the store. As long as no one was on the street, and as long as no one could see her from the inside of the store then she could do it. She could get her an apple or two.

So Zee started strolling down the boardwalk, she kept watching the street making sure that there wasn't anybody who could see her. She glanced in the store window and saw the storekeeper over at the side of the store very busy doing something, so she knew that he wouldn't see her. So she started stuffing a few apples into her pockets while keeping her eyes roaming the street to make sure no one else saw her. She would only take a couple of apples and shift the apples around in the barrel, so that the storekeeper wouldn't notice that any were missing. But just as she was about to pick up the last apple to store in her pocket, Desiree opened the door to the mercantile and saw her.

Zee didn't noticed Desiree and Desiree very quietly and calmly walked over to Zee and grabbed her by the arm. "Simon, I think you better get out here." She hollered as Zee tried to struggle out of her grasp. Seeing the door open and hearing Desiree shouting for him, he ran down the aisle and out the door. He saw Desiree had a hold of a youngster, a kid that he had never seen before. So he came over and grabbed the youngin's other arm. "Simon, I saw her pocketing an apple."

"Alright keep a hold of her, Desiree." Simon searched the young girl's pockets and found three apples.

"Now what do we do?" Desiree asked while still keeping a hold of the girl.

Teaspoon happened to see the display as he was standing in the doorway, so he walked over to see what was going on. He saw the apples in Simon's hands. "Teaspoon, this youngin' was stealing my apples until Desiree caught her. Is she one of the orphans?"

"No, I don't think so. I've never seen her before. Where's your ma and pa? Ok, if you're not going to talk, I'll have to take you and put you in jail."

"Oh no, not with those outlaws!" Desiree exclaimed.

"I don't want to go to jail." Zee stomped her foot.

Teaspoon grabbed her arm, so that Desiree could get a more secure hold on her package that she was carrying.

Jesse had just got off the train and was heading over to Teaspoon's office to let him know that he was back, but he saw Teaspoon over in front of the Dreamville Mercantile with Desiree, Simon and a young girl. The girl looked somewhat familiar to Jesse, but he couldn't quite figure out who she was, but as he got closer, the realization dawned on him.

"I'll have to take her to jail unless she tells me where her ma and pa is." Teaspoon stated because he just couldn't let her run around town stealing this and that.

"Why are you going to put my cousin in jail, Teaspoon?" Jesse asked as he came up the steps.

"Jesse! Jesse!" Zee wrestled free of Teaspoon and threw her arms around her cousin. "Oh Jesse don't let the mean sheriff throw me in jail."

"Teaspoon?"

"I wasn't really going to throw her in jail, Jesse. I was just trying to get her to tell me where her ma and pa was, so I could speak to them about her stealing apples from Simon, here." Teaspoon explained.

"You stole apples." Jesse pushed Zee back some to look at her.

"I'm sorry, but I was very hungry, and I don't have any money." Zee tried to defend her actions. "Would you rather I starved to death?"

"No, but you should have came to me and asked me for an apple instead of stealing it." Simon didn't like seeing young children go hungry. "I would have gave you some apples if you would have just asked." Zee shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know that he would have done that.

"Zee, where's your folks?" Jesse asked. Looking around the town in hopes to see his Aunt and Uncle.

"They're not here." Zee looked down at her feet.

"You came here on your own?" Jesse hoped that Zee hadn't run away from home. As far as he knew, Zee's folks, his aunt and uncle were nice folks.

"I . . . yeah . . . I did." Before Jesse could ask her why, she clarified. "My ma and pa were killed. I saw these bad men do it. I was afraid they would see me and try to kill me, too. I ran and kept running. I saw the train, and I got aboard and came here."

They all heard Zee's stomach growl. "Let's get you something to eat, you poor thing. Come on over to the hotel. I'm the cook there, and I'll fix you up a nice breakfast, you and Jesse."

"That's a good idea." Teaspoon agreed with Desiree. "You take the kids over and give them some breakfast, and I'll be over in a little bit to see if we can sort out what to do with Zee. In the meantime I'll have one of the riders head to . . . where is it that Zee lives?"

"She lives in Kansas City, Missouri." Jesse supplied the information because it didn't seem like Zee was going to respond.

Teaspoon continued, "Kansas City and see what they can learn about Zee's folks being murdered."

Desiree led the kids over to the hotel, Simon put the apples back in the barrel, and Teaspoon saw Lou coming into town, so he stopped her.

"Hi Teaspoon, is that Jesse going into the hotel with Desiree and that girl?" Lou inquired.

"Yes, it was. That girl is his cousin, and she says that her folks have been murdered. I want you to ride to Kansas City, Missouri and see what you can find out. I've heard Jesse mention her before. Her name is Zerelda Mimms. Deliver the mail to the post office and then be on your way." Lou nodded and did what she was told.