The Way Home

After about an hour on the Laramie trail, we did come to a ranch. The house was in the distance, but I found a man and a boy working fences and stopped. I asked if they knew Jess. The older man stepped up to Tuck and squinted up at Jess. Said he�d met him in town a couple times and he works at the relay station up the road. Not more�n four miles. I thanked him kindly and turned Tuck in the direction he pointed. I glanced back at the boy who was still standin� there with his mouth hangin� open. Reckon he ain�t never seen the like of ol� Tuck.

About a half hour later I started seein� fences. I must be getting� close to the relay station. Then I saw a sign that said �Sherman Relay Station�. I turned Tuck down that road. I rounded a bend in the road and headed downhill toward the ranch house. It looked like a nice spread. Nothin� fancy, just a house an� barn and some stock in the corral. But it looked homey.

There was a stage coach parked in front of the house, and a couple men standing beside it talking, it looked like. After a minute, the stage pulled out and the man waved to it and started back to the house.

I guess he saw me out the corner of his eye, �cause he stopped and turned around and stood waiting for me to come up. A minute later another feller in a hat came out the house and stood beside the first feller, then another small feller came right out too. I guess seein� two men ride up on a real big horse didn�t happen just ever� day.

I wanted to let them know I was friendly so I raised my hand and waved at them. It took another few minutes for Tuck to walk down to where they was waitin�. By then, they recognized Jess and came out to meet us. I guess I found the right place.

The tallest feller came around Tuck and looked up at Jess and spoke to him. Jess didn�t answer. He hadn�t been talkin� for a few hours now. I said that to the feller. �He ain�t been talkin� for a few hours now.�

The worry was written all over the feller�s face. By now the other two had joined him. I figgered I better explain pretty quick �fore they get upset with me.

�I brung him home �cause he�s real sick. Hurt too.�

They allowed me to bring Tuck up to the hitchin� post in front of the house and then I slid down and turned around to get Jess off. As I pulled him off, the tall feller wanted to help, but I stopped him. �Better let me carry him. His ribs is real bad and holdin� him around the middle hurts him.� He stepped back and let me pull Jess down and I picked him up and turned with him. The three of them lead me into the house and the feller with the hat opened a bedroom door and went ahead and pulled the covers back on one of the beds in there. I put Jess down easy and then stepped back.

�Who are you, mister?� That was the tall feller behind me.

I turned around and stuck my hand out, �I�m Macy Poe, sir. You must be Slim.� I was just guessin�, but he looked like a Slim.

�That�s right.� He took my hand and shook it. �Slim Sherman.� He pointed at the feller bending over Jess, �This is Jonesy, and that�s my brother Andy over there.�

The boy was standing on the other side of the bed lookin� real worried. I thought he looked like he might cry.

�Don�t worry, Andy, he�s gonna be alright. He�s made it this far. All he needs is a little doctorin� and a lot o� rest.� I smiled down at Jess. �He�s gonna be just fine.�

Andy mustered a smile at me. �Where did you find him, mister?�

I took off my hat, �Name�s Macy. I ran across him in a town in Colorado called, Kane. There was a speck of trouble.�

�Jess left here with a hired hand, Abe. Do you know where he is?�

�Yessir�, I glanced at the boy. �I can tell you all about it, but I sure would be obliged if you�d let me go take care of my horse first. He�s walked a mighty long way the last two days.�

Slim glanced at Jess, then back at me. �Uh, sure, come with me, I�ll show you where you can bed him down.� He paused, then turned to hat man, �Jonesy��

�It�s alright, Slim, you go on. Andy and me�ll take care of him.�

Slim nodded and then went with me outside. I could tell he�d rather be back inside seein� what was goin� on.

Outside I picked up Tuck�s lead that was just layin� on the ground, and Slim and I walked him over to the barn.

�I didn�t want to say in front of the boy, but your man Abe is dead. At least Jess said he thinks he was dead when he last saw him.�

Slim stopped in his tracks. I saw his jaw tighten. �He was just a kid.� He started walking slowly to the barn again. Slim was a patient man. I could tell he was willing to wait for the whole story.

�You say you been ridin� for two days?� he said.

�Yessir. Ol� Tuck here got us over them hills pretty as you please.� I patted Tuck on his neck. I could tell Slim was worried. Real worried. I stopped walkin� and looked at him. �Mister Sherman, Jess is gonna be alright. He�s sick, sure, but he�s strong and he�ll put up a good fight.�

Slim�s face relaxed and he smiled. �You seem to know him pretty well.�

�No, sir, not really, just met him two days ago, but he�s a tough�un alright.�

�He sure is, Mister Poe. C�mon, let�s get this horse of yours taken care of so you can tell me all about it.�

After I had Tuck all curried and bedded down with all the hay an� oats he could eat, I took myself back to the house to check on the patient. Reckon I�d have to tell the folks how Jess got in this mess.

It looked like ever� lamp in the house was lit. I stood on the porch and looked in the curtained window on the front door. The door to the bedroom was open and I could see Jonesy rubbin� Jess down, cleanin� him up and coolin� him down I reckon. Slim and Andy was standin� over watching. Slim had an arm around Andy�s shoulders. I reckon I�m an awful sentimental fool �cause my eyes got all watery. Jess sure had himself a nice home here and a pack of folks who cared about him.

I gave a little knock and let myself in. Steppin� into the bedroom, I took my hat off and bent down to peer at Jess. I reached out and put a hand on his head, too. He was hot again, but I don�t think as bad as last night.

I looked up at Mister Jonesy who was real intent on what he was doin�. He had got Jess� dirty clothes off him and now he was cleanin� him up with a wet towel. The dark livid bruises stood out against the white sheets, and the look on Mister Jonesy�s face told me he had some ideas about what to do to them what done this.

�Uh, Mister Jonesy�� I glanced over at Slim and Andy too.

�Just call me Jonesy, son. Everyone does.�

�Yes, sir, uh, Jonesy. I know a poultice that would help his chest iffen you have the stuff that goes in it.�

Jonesy looked up and smiled while he wrung out the towel. �Well, now that�s a fine idea.� He stood up and bent to pull the blanket up to Jess� chin. �You come on in the kitchen and we�ll see what we can do. You can tell me and Slim what happened while we work.� He cast a meaningful look over to Slim.

Slim got the notion and nodded. �Uh, yeah. Say, Andy, you stay here and watch Jess okay? You call us if he wakes up.�

Andy mustered a weak smile. �Okay, Slim.�

Jonesy moved around the bed and Andy took his place, sitting beside the bed and putting a hand on Jess� arm.

The three of us left the room and Jonesy led the way to the kitchen.

An hour or so later, Jonesy and I had concocted a highly aromatic, and probably flammable poultice for Jess to help clear out his chest and help him breathe. My Ma had made this for me when I was a boy. Sure, it smelled strong, hell it�d singe your nose hairs if you took a deep breath, but I always associate its pungent odor with Mama and gettin� well.

Jonesy had also whipped me up a meal fit for a king if you ask me. He had stew and biscuits left from dinner and there was even some apple pie. I never knew a man could cook like that. I sorta wondered where they was hidin� the lady around here.

By that time I had also managed to tell Jonesy and Slim the whole story that started in Kane, leastways, how I saw it. I could tell Slim had a cool head on his shoulders. He wanted to go to the law and get justice done. �We have laws that are supposed to protect the innocent,� he said. He sure was right. I couldn�ta said it the way he did, but I knew in my heart what had been done was wrong.

Jonesy was outraged and wanted to saddle up in the morning and head straight to Kane. I�ll bet he woulda too if it weren�t for Jess needin� him.

Slim said we�d have to decide later what to do. In the morning, if Jess was no better, he�d ride into Laramie and fetch the doctor and the sheriff. If Jess was better, he�d go fetch the sheriff anyway.

Jonesy carried the big black pot with the smelly poultice into Jess� room and set it on the table next to the bed. He stood back and allowed me to show him how it was supposed to be done. Andy watched quietly from the other side of the bed as I pulled the covers back. Jess was lying quietly, but if you looked and listened, you could tell his breathin� wasn�t quite easy.

I took a towel and put it down in the pot and got it wet with our mixture. By then it had cooled a bit, so I reached in and took it back out and wrung it out. I left it wet, but not drippin�. Then I laid the thing over Jess� chest. He reacted a little bit cause it was hot, but he didn�t wake up. Then I laid a dry towel over the wet one and pulled the covers back up. I wiped my hands dry on my pants, then stood back up. �Now, that oughta be changed about every hour. Ever� time it cools down.�

�That means one of us�ll have to stay up and keep changing them,� Slim said.

�I�ll stay.� That was all four of us, almost at the same time. Ever�one sorta grinned at one another.

�Andy, I want you to go on to bed. Won�t do any good for you to stay up, and you need your rest, � Slim said to his brother.

Andy stood up, a defiant look on his face. �I will not. I�m stayin� right here, Slim. I�ll take one of the bunks�

I guess ever�one wanted to stay close tonight. I looked around the room and saw there were four beds in that little room. The two next to each other, and a set of bunk beds on the other side of the room.

Slim looked too tired to argue. �All right, Andy, go on and get ready for bed though. We�ll be settling down soon.� Then he turned to me. �Macy, there�s a room next door you can have if you want since Andy won�t be using it.�

�If it�s all the same to you, Slim, I�d like to stay here. I come this far with Jess, I�d like to see him through.�

Slim smiled at me and nodded. He understood, I think. Then Jonesy spoke up. �Well, with all you fellas in here, I guess you don�t need me. I�ll be in my room, but I�ll leave the door open and the coffee pot on. You all holler if you need me.� With that he took one last look at Jess and headed off to bed.

Slim began takin� off his shirt and washin� up in the wash stand. �I can�t thank you enough for what you did for Jess, Macy. We�re all mighty grateful.�

I sat on the lower bunk and began takin� my boots off. �I was glad to be where I could help, Slim�� Andy comin� in the room saved me from further explainin�. I didn�t need their thanks. I didn�t do it for that. Andy was in a night shirt and went over to the bed beside Jess�.

Slim talked to him over his shoulder, �Andy, take the top bunk, okay? I want to be there so I can get up and change those poultices.�

Andy didn�t argue. I guess he figgered just getting� to stay was a victory. He�d better not push it. He stood for a second, then sat down on the edge of Jess� bed lookin� down at him. �I sure hope he�s better in the mornin�. He�s just gotta be,� he said to no one in particular. Then he got up and climbed up into the top bunk.