A Frontier Christmas (25 page)

Just as Elmer had promised, the shadows were there and the four men were able to move through the darkness. For the moment, the very snow that would give away their tracks also deadened the sound of the hoofbeats so that they were not only unseen, they were also unheard as they approached.

Once they reached the base of the hill, Elmer assured them they were out of the line of sight from anyone who might be standing the lookout position on top of the pinnacle. Staying close to the stone wall, they continued on through the narrow pass until they were inside.

They ground-hobbled their horses in a natural pocket that would keep their mounts safe from any shooting that might take place.

Duff cocked his rifle, then moved out of the shelter provided by the rocks. He had a view of an open expanse of white undisturbed snow. Across the open area he saw four buildings, one considerably larger than the other three. From the chimney on the largest of the four buildings, a rope of black smoke climbed into the sky, turning quickly from the dove gray of dawn to the bright blue of a crisp, winter day.

Duff also saw a stable, which was about three quarters of the way across the open area. If he and the others could get there without being seen, he was pretty sure that he would have a clear view and a commanding position, not only of the main building, but of the other three, as well. However, there was no way they would be able get there without leaving a trail through the snow, one that would lead directly to them and give away their position.

“Lads,” he said. “If we can get to the stable, we'll have a tenable position,” he said.

“We'll be leavin' tracks behind us,” Elmer said.

“It cannae be helped. We cannae do anything from here. The medicine is here and I don't intend for us to leave without it. We've come too far to give up.”

“We're with you, Duff,” Smoke said, his voice calm and reassuring.

“All right. Let's go,” Duff said, starting toward the stable.

They were halfway there when Duff heard a voice from behind.

“Skye?”

There was an urgency to the voice, spurring Duff into doing exactly as the voice warned. “Run!” he urged. “Someone is about to come out of the house.”

None of the others questioned how Duff might know such a thing, and broke into a run behind him. The running was difficult. The snow was nearly knee deep, meaning that it not only made footing difficult and slippery, its very depth also impeded their progress.

Finally, they reached the stable and moved behind it so that they were out of sight of anyone who might step out from the house. Someone did, and stepping no more twenty feet from the back of the house, he began urinating.

“Damn. That's Nitwit Mitt,” Elmer said quietly.

“A friend of yours?” Duff asked.

“Hardly a friend. I never could prove it, but I think he killed a woman friend of mine.”

“How did you know he was about to come out?” Matt asked.

“It was just a lucky guess,” Duff replied.

“Hey, fellers! Don't eat the yeller snow!” Nitwit Mitt called out. Cackling with glee, he followed the deep rut he had made in the snow back into the house.

“Your friend Nitwit Mitt must be half blind,” Matt said. “How could he not have seen the trail we just left?”

“Yeah, we're lucky. I guess he had to pee so bad that he wasn't paying any attention,” Smoke suggested.

“I reckon so, but I don't see how . . .” As he was speaking, Matt looked back in the direction from which he had just come, and gasped. “What? That isn't possible!”

“What is it?” Duff asked.

“Look!” Matt pointed toward the snow. It lay behind them in an unbroken pristine whiteness! But, how could that be?

Duff looked back at the snow. Though he had heard her voice before, for the first time Skye appeared before him. “Did you do that?”

“What do you mean, did I do it?” Matt asked. “How could I do something like that?”

“I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to her,” Duff said, pointing to the glowing image of Skye.

“Talking to who?”

“I'm talking to her,” Duff said again, pointing to Skye once more. “Do you not see her?”

“Good Lord, Duff, have you gone daft on us? There's nobody there,” Smoke said.

“Never mind,” Duff said. “'Tis time to call the blaggards out.”

The four men took positions in the stable. Smoke and Elmer climbed up to the hayloft, while Duff and Matt remained on the ground.

“Dingo!” Duff called. “Dingo, you and all your men come out with your hands in the air!”

“What? Who the hell is calling me?” Dingo shouted back from inside the house.”

“They're in the stable! I see them!” another voice said.

Duff saw a window go up and the barrel of a rifle protrude through the opening. He didn't wait for the outlaw to shoot. His round crashed through the window, then he heard a scream.

“My arm! My arm! That bullet took off half my arm!”

From the hayloft, Smoke saw somebody kneeling at another window. Whoever it was had a rifle, and Smoke snapped off a shot toward him. The man tumbled forward, crashing through the window and lying facedown and motionless on the front porch.

Two men came running out of the back of the big house, starting toward one of the smaller houses.

“I'll take the one in the lead, you take the next one,” Duff said, raising his rifle to his shoulder. Both Duff and Matt fired at about the same time. Duff's was a head shot, and even from that distance Duff could see blood and brain detritus spurting, fan-like, from the outlaw's head. The man Matt shot grabbed his stomach, then fell forward, flipping over onto his back before he hit the ground.

Nitwit Mitt got a shot off from the front door of the house, but before either Duff or Matt could respond, they heard Elmer shout from the loft above them. “Don't nobody shoot him! That nitwit is mine!”

Elmer took Nat Mitchell, alias Nitwit Mitt, out with one shot, the doctored bullet causing a huge wound in his chest.

Duff saw T. Bob drop down out of a window on the side of the house and try to crawl away. Matt saw him as well, and aimed.

“No, Matt. This one is personal.” Duff shot T. Bob, and saw a pool of blood turn the snow red. The outlaw stopped moving.

“You kilt my brother!” Jesse yelled. In his anger, he ran from the front door toward the stable, firing his pistol. Duff lay down his rifle and stepped out of the stable, holding his arm crooked upward at the elbow with his pistol in his hand. Then, as if fighting a duel, he presented his side to the charging outlaw.

Jesse continued to fire away as he charged toward Duff, and one shot was so close that Duff could hear the pop of the bullet as it passed within an inch of his ear. He returned fire, one shot. One shot was all that was needed. Jesse tumbled forward, where he lay facedown in the snow.

Four more men came running out of the house then, all four shooting and screaming curses at the top of their voices. It wasn't necessary for Duff to assign targets. The selection seemed to come naturally, and after an exchange of fire, all four men went down.

“Dingo! Dingo!” someone called from inside the house. From the sound of the voice, Duff knew that it was the first one he'd shot, the man who had been hit in the arm. “Dingo, me 'n you is the only ones left! They's only the two of us now!”

“Shut up, you fool!” another voice called.

“I'm goin' out!” the first man called. “I'm givin' myself up!”

Shortly after that exchange, someone stepped out onto the front porch. He was holding one dangling bloody arm with his other hand. “I give up! Don't shoot, don't shoot! I can't put my hands in the air!”

“Come on. We'll nae be shooting ye,” Duff said

The man started across the open area between the house and the livery.

Duff, who was still standing outside, held his fire.

Suddenly there was a shot from within the house, and the man who was giving himself up fell forward.

“Sure 'n 'twas not very smart of you, now, was it, Dingo? You're the only one left.”

“I'm comin' out,” Dingo called from within the house. “Don't shoot.”

“All right. Come out. But if your hands aren't in the air when you step through that door, you'll be shot.”

The door opened and Dingo, following Duff's orders, walked out into the front of the building. Amazingly, he was smiling. “I expect you boys have come for the medicine.”

“Aye, 'n we'll be takin' it now,” Duff said.

“Hello, Dingo,” Elmer said.

When Dingo saw Elmer, he laughed. “Elmer Gleason. Well, I'll be damned. I thought you was no longer ridin' the outlaw trail. Decided to go out on your own, did you? I know why you're here now. You boys are plannin' on takin' the medicine, then gettin' the twenty thousand dollars for yourself.”

“Where is the medicine?” Elmer asked, not bothering to correct Dingo's assumption.”

“I'll tell you what,” Dingo said. “I was in for one third of this, but seein' as you boys sort of have the upper hand now, I'll make a trade with you for one fifth.”

Suddenly, another shot came from the house, and Dingo, with a shocked expression on his face, fell facedown into the snow. There was a bleeding hole in his back.

Duff pointed his pistol toward the front door of the house. “I'll be asking ye to come out now, with your hands up!” he called.

A woman came out, holding a pistol in her hand.

“Drop the gun, lass,” Duff ordered.

“He had nothing to trade,” the woman said as she dropped the pistol.

“Sal,” Elmer said. “You're still here? I thought you had left, long ago.”

“I wanted to,” Bad Eye Sal said. “I tried, but he wouldn't let me go.”

“What did you mean when you said Dingo has nothing to trade?”

“He doesn't have the medicine,” Sal said. “I do.”

With the quarantine lifted, and the afflicted cured, businesses had reopened, and everyone agreed that the decorations in Cora's shop were the best. Even the men of the town came around to see the figures displayed around the Christmas tree.

On the morning of December 25¸ the entire town was gathered at the school, which was presenting its Christmas play.

Laura Hastings, wearing the angel costume Meagan had designed and sold, appeared to speak her lines. “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

After delivering her lines, Laura made a quick bow, then withdrew to give the others the opportunity to play their roles.

The rest of the play continued without a hitch, then Miss Foley thanked everyone for coming and invited them to have cake, coffee, and cookies supplied by the parents of the schoolchildren.

“You're not upset with me for missing the dance?” Duff asked, after they took a piece of cake and a cup of coffee over to one of the tables that had been set up.

Meagan smiled. “Duff, how can I be upset with you? If you hadn't brought the medicine in time, I wouldn't even be here now.” She took in the others with a wave of her hand. “A lot of these people wouldn't be here now.”

“But ye are aware, lass, that 'twas not just me. Elmer, Smoke, and Matt were there, too.”

“Yes, and we can't forget Sally. She was there with all of us for the whole time. It's a wonder she didn't come down with the illness herself.”

Laura came walking over to them. “Mama told me to tell you thank you for making my costume. But she didn't really have to tell me to do that. I was going to do it anyway.”

“Well, you are very welcome, sweetheart,” Meagan replied. “And don't you look beautiful in it?”

“Thank you,” Laura said, beaming under the comment. She began looking around the room as if trying to find someone. “I wonder where she is? I thought she would be here for the Christmas play.”

“Who are you looking for, honey? Are you looking for Miss Ensor? She's here. She's right over there talking to Miss Foley,” Meagan said.

“No, not her. I'm talking about the lady who came to help me when I was really sick and couldn't breathe. She said she would find you, and you would tell the doctor.”

“What did the lady look like?” Meagan asked.

“She was a very pretty lady. You know what I think? I think she was a angel. I mean a real angel, not just someone pretending to be an angel like me.”

“You know what I think?” Meagan replied.

“I know,” Laura said. “You think I'm silly.”

“No, I don't think that at all. I think you really did see an angel, with gleaming red hair, shining blue eyes, and a glowing silk gown.”

“You saw her, too, didn't you?” Laura said excitedly. “You're right. She did have red hair!”

“Yes, I saw her.”

“I'm going to tell Mama that you saw her, too.” Laura hurried back across the room to find her mother.

For the entire time Meagan and Laura were talking, Duff said nothing, but he did squeeze Meagan's hand.

“I know you think I just told her that I had seen her angel to make her feel good,” Meagan said.

“No, I don't think that at all. I think you did see Skye.”

“Skye? Wait a minute. Duff, are you telling me that you saw her, too?”

Duff smiled. “It would appear that Skye has had a very busy Christmas.