The Way Home

Jess slept all morning and finally woke up around noon. Andy and I were out in the barn where Andy was brushing Tuck down for the third time that morning. Andy had figgered out about Abe bein� gone. He was a mighty bright boy and he was tellin� me about his friend Abe, when Slim called us into the house.

When Andy and I walked into the living room, Jess was sitting up in a chair by the fire. He was real pale and still looked real tired, but he smiled when Andy and me came in. It looked like he�d put on a clean shirt. It was white, but he was whiter.

Andy went an� sat on the foot stool in front of Jess� chair. �You feelin� better, Jess?�

�Yeah, Pard, I�m better. You been takin� good care of Tuck?�

Andy nodded, but I answered for him, �Tuck ain�t never been so took care of, Jess. He thinks he done died and went to horse heaven.�

Mort had been standing by the fireplace sippin� coffee, and he finally went over to the table and pulled a chair over to where Jess was sittin�. �Jess, I need you to tell me what you remember about that sheriff you met up with on the trail.�

Jess looked over at me. I don�t know if he was mad at me fer tellin�, or just tryin� to remember what Mort was askin� about. �You remember, Jess? You told me you thought you�d met up with Cal just before Early and Jake found you?�

He rubbed the side of his head where the gash was healing. I reckon it musta been itchin� a bit. �Uh, yeah. We were ridin� slow �cause of the rocky ground and we met a fella comin� down the trail from the opposite direction. We stopped and talked for a few minutes and then rode on. I didn�t think anything of it.�

�What do you remember about him, Jess?� Slim asked.

Jess looked like he was thinkin� real hard. �He said his name was Cal. Said he was headin� south.� He squinched his eyes up tight and then relaxed. �That�s about all. He and Abe talked a little bit about a town in Colorado they�d both been to. You know Abe can�could�talk to anybody about anything.�

Mort stooped down so he could be on eye-level with Jess. �Was he carrying anything, Jess? Did he have a pack horse?�

Jess shook his head slowly from side to side. Then he stopped suddenly and looked up at Mort. �He had a bag. It was hanging off the far side of his saddle so I didn�t see it good, but as he rode away I turned and looked back at him and saw it. It was a dirty white canvas bag.�

�Hmmm, coulda been the payroll.� Mort rubbed his chin thoughtfully. �You didn�t see anyone else?�

�No, not until the two deputies came into our camp.�

The look on Jess� face changed. It was subtle, but I noticed a flicker of rage. A hint of smoldering resentment, but he kept silent.

Mort and Slim saw it too. A look passed between them an� Mort stood up. �Jess, we�ll see that they�re punished for what they did.�

Jess still didn�t say anything. In my admittedly scant knowledge of Jess� personality, I couldn�t say if he was mad, sad, or just tired, but if I could trust my instincts, which I usually could, I�d say he was planning.

Slim squatted down next to Jess� chair and put his hand on the arm of the chair. �Jess, I know what you�re thinking and I want you to forget it. This is a matter for the law to handle. Mort�ll see that those two pay.�

Jess� blue eyes flashed as they met Slim�s, �I don�t want revenge for myself, Slim, you oughta know that.�

�I do know that, Jess. They killed Abe. He was my friend too.� He lowered his eyes and shook his head. �I never should�ve let him go with you. I should�ve gone myself.�

Jess snapped out of his own wallerin� and turned to Slim, �No, Slim. He wanted to make that trip more than anything. You lettin� him go was real important to him. He said so more�n once. He wouldn�t have had it any other way.�

Slim smiled a kinda sad smile and rose up to his feet. He cleared his throat and then spoke to Mort, �Okay Mort, what do we do now?�

Mort scratched his head, �Well, Jess is in no shape to ride anywhere for awhile. I�ll go back to Laramie and wire Trager to come here. I�ll tell him we have his man, but he has to come personally for extradition. When he gets here, we�ll tell him our story. I gotta warn you, he�ll probably still want to take Jess back for a hearing.�

Slim stiffened and started to say something, but Jess stopped him. �No, Slim, he�s right. I should go back and testify. �

Slim deflated, �Alright, but this time, I go, too.�

�Me, too, � I said.

Mort smiled as he put his hat on. �I�ll send word when I hear back from Fort Collins. Jess, you take it easy.�

�I will, Mort. Thanks.�

Mort shook my hand, �I�m sure glad you were there Macy. You�re a good man.�

�Thank you, sir.� Was all I could manage. I was a might embarrassed, but still, awful grateful that I�d fallen in with good people.

After Mort left, Jonesy put lunch on the table. Jess sat up with us and ate some. He told Slim he wanted to go over tomorrow to Abe�s parent�s house and tell them about their son. Slim nodded noncommittally. After lunch Jonesy told Jess he orter go back to bed, but Jess refused. He said he�d slept enough for two people. They finally compromised, and Jess settled down on the leather couch under the window in the front room.

Despite all the goings-on, Slim had said, this was still a working ranch, and there was work to be done. He and Andy took off for one of their cattle grazing pastures to patch up a gate that was hanging on its hinges. Slim said they�d be back by dinner, but if they didn�t go, they stood to loose a bunch of cattle.

I said I�d stay behind and help Jonesy with the four o�clock stage that was due. Slim and Andy had no sooner left, than Jess was sound asleep and Jonesy was in the kitchen baking a pie for supper. I wandered outside to look around and check the stock.

The four o�clock stage came and went. Jess was up by then and he and the stage driver, Mose had a few minutes of friendly conversation. Mose had heard about Jess, probably from the sheriff and had brought him a couple of newpapers and a small bottle of sippin� whiskey from town.

Jess and I played a couple of games of checkers, and he even went out to the corral to visit with Tuck an� take him an apple. I must have a woman-streak, as my pap used to say, �cause I hovered like an ol� mother hen �til he was back on that couch and tucked in. That was hard on Jess, I could tell. He was movin� slow, and when he got back to the house, he was wore out, but I think it was good fer him. It was good fer Tuck, too. He loves folks an� if he could, he�d be inside the house with the rest of us.