Authors: William W. Johnstone

A Rocky Mountain Christmas (20 page)

BOOK: A Rocky Mountain Christmas

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C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-SIX

Sugarloaf

“It’s been two days. Do you think the train will get in before Christmas?” Sally asked as she took two dried-apple pies from the oven. “Because, if it doesn’t I’m going to have a lot of extra food to get rid of.”

“Oh, I’m sure the train will get here before Christmas. But even if it doesn’t, you don’t have to worry about getting rid of the extra food. Duff and I can take care of that for you. And we may as well start by having a piece of pie.” Smoke picked up a knife and started toward one of the pies.

“Absolutely not!” Sally said authoritatively. “The pies haven’t even cooled yet.”

There was a knock on the door, and Smoke smiled. “I’ll bet that’s Eddie telling me the train got there and Matt is waiting at the station.”

Smoke hurried to the door and opened it. “So, Matt’s here, is he? What time did the train get in?”

“No, sir, he ain’t here and the train ain’t got in,” Eddie said. “And it ain’t goin’ to get in.”

“What do you mean, it isn’t going to get in?”

“They’ve done sent a rescue train for it. They’ll be takin’ ever’one back down the mountain to Buena Vista.”

“Oh,” Sally whispered. “That means Matt for sure won’t be here for Christmas.”

“No, it doesn’t seem likely that he will,” Smoke said, disappointment in his voice. “But at least, if the rescue train takes them back to Buena Vista, he won’t have to spend Christmas Day trapped in the snow on the top of the mountain.”

“Eddie, it is nearly lunchtime. Won’t you stay and eat with us before you start back?” Sally invited.

“Yes, ma’am!” Eddie replied enthusiastically. “And thank you, ma’am.”

The table was laden with food; roast beef and gravy, mashed potatoes, stewed carrots, and green beans Sally had canned. She had also made a loaf of bread, which disappeared quickly. For dessert they had hot apple pie, over which had been put a piece of melted cheese. Sally had prepared a much larger meal than normal, partly in anticipation of Matt’s presence. The meal did not go to waste, though, as the two men and Eddie showed their appreciation by eating second helpings of everything.

“Well, I’d better be getting back,” Eddie said after he finally pushed away from the table.

“I appreciate you coming out here to tell us about the train,” Smoke said.

“Yes, sir, well I thought you might want to know.”

“You will come tell us if you get any more word about the train, won’t you?”

“Yes, sir, you can count on that.”

“Eddie, would you like to take a bear claw along with you to eat on your ride back?” Sally asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. I ate so much, I hate to take anything else.”

“Well, I can understand if you are too full.”

A broad smile spread across Eddie’s face. “Only, I’ve near ’bout always got room for another bear claw.”

“I swear, Sally, I’d hate to see this boy and Cal in an eating contest,” Smoke said. “I don’t know who would win, but they’d likely run us out of food trying to determine a winner.”

Duff and Sally laughed, then Smoke walked outside to see Eddie off.

“It is cold out there.” Smoke came back in, clapping his hands together. “And it is getting colder. No telling how cold it is up at the top of the pass.”

“Oh, those poor people,” Sally moaned. “I wonder how much longer they’ll have to stay up there.”

On board the rescue train

Doodle Reynolds, the engineer of the rescue train, moved the Johnson Bar and the train came to a stop.

“What is it, Doodle? What’d you stop for?” the fireman asked.

“Look up ahead of us, Greg, and tell me what you think.”

The fireman leaned out the window and looked ahead. His gaze carried along the side of the engine, the brass work, the green paint of the boiler, then past the snowplow attached to the front. Fifty yards ahead of the train was a pile of snow across the tracks as high as the engine itself.

“Jehoshaphat, Doodle! I don’t think we could even make a dent in that. How far up the track do you think it goes?”

“I don’t know.” Doodle put the train in reverse. “But I don’t plan to get a second train stuck up here.”

“I hate we can’t get them out.”

“They aren’t in any trouble yet,” Doodle said. “They probably have enough food to last a couple weeks, anyway. For sure by that time, they’ll either be able to leave, or the snow will be melted enough that we’ll be able to get through to them.”

“The folks back in town are goin’ to be mighty disappointed.”

“No more disappointed than I am.” Doodle laughed. “I would love to come to the rescue, just so I could lord it over my brother-in-law for a while.”

“That’s right. Don is your brother-in-law, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he didn’t have any more sense than to marry my sister.”

“She’s going to be upset and some worried, I reckon,” Greg said.

“I reckon so.”

The train beat its way back down the track toward Buena Vista, leaving behind an impenetrable wall of snow and the Red Cliff Special.

On board the train

Every passenger on the train, plus the crew, were now gathered in the last car, making it very crowded, but Matt was convinced they had enough fuel to last for a while. He’d already decided wood pieces from the car would have to be the next fuel supply. Of course, he would dismantle the car ahead.

Again, some of the men were playing cards. Bailey was napping, the three porters were talking together, the five active children—Becky remained on her mother’s lap—had found a game to play, Ed Webb and his wife were sitting quietly, while Senator Daniels sat in the seat facing his wife and daughter. The scowl had not left his face. Luke and Jenny were cuddled together in the front seat, and looking at them, Matt smiled. He could almost believe they were enjoying the situation.

Matt was still smiling as he looked out the window, then the smile left his face, replaced by an expression of surprise and hope. Alongside the car, in the area right by the track, was a coyote, probably looking for food and to get out of the snow.

He pulled his pistol and started to raise the window, thinking to shoot the coyote, but changed his mind. A gunshot outside the car might bring down more snow. He quickly devised a plan and looked back into the car. He was going to need help, and had to figure out which of his fellow passengers would most likely be able to help him.

Looking over everyone, he decided and called, “Julius. Julius, come here.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Look out the window, right down there,” Matt said, pointing.

“It’s a coyote.”

“No it’s not. It’s a small deer.”

“Mr. Jensen, you done gone crazy from not eatin’? That ain’t no deer. That’s a coyote.”

“Shh,” Matt hushed. “Once when I was very hungry, I barbecued a coyote, and it tasted like deer meat. As far as these folks are concerned, it’s a small deer, and by the time they see it, they won’t be able to tell the difference.”

“You goin’ to shoot it?”

Matt shook his head. “I’m afraid if I shoot, it might bring down a lot more snow. I’ve got another idea, but I’m going to need your help.”

“Yes, sir,” Julius said enthusiastically. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“I’m going out on the back vestibule. You go out on the front. Then I want you to chase the coyote toward me.”

“Yes, sir, but what if the coyote runs under the car?”

“Let’s just pray that he doesn’t,” Matt said.

“Yes, sir. I’m a prayin’ man, sir.”

“Good. We better get started.”

“Yes, sir,” Julius said again.

Matt went out onto the back vestibule, then leaned around just far enough to see the coyote. It was still there, sniffing around. He pulled out his pocketknife and flipped it open

Julius climbed down from the vestibule at the front end of the car and slowly walked toward the coyote. Matt watched and, as he had hoped and planned, the coyote started in his direction.

Matt moved to the edge of the vestibule, then, timing his jump, leaped off, landing in a belly flop into the snow. That he was successful was evidenced by the fact that he could feel the coyote under him. The coyote was moving rapidly, squirming around trying to get free, and Matt knew he had to be very careful that it not get away.

Carefully, Matt lifted his body just far enough to reach his hand under, grab the coyote by the back of the neck, and cut its throat. He lay on the creature until it stopped moving.

“Praise the Lord, Mr. Jensen! You got ’im!” Julius shouted.

Still holding the coyote, Matt rolled under the car to prevent anyone inside from seeing what he was doing, then he cut off the head and legs, and skinned it. When he rolled back out from under the car, he was holding an unidentifiable carcass.

Julius carried the carcass into the car and held it up. “Mr. Jensen kilt him a small deer!” he shouted, to the joy of the others in the car.

“How big is the small deer?” Don asked.

“He’s about this big,” Julius said, demonstrating with his hands.

“Oh, my, that is rather small, isn’t it?” Clara asked.

“Yes, ma’am, I reckon it is. But we’re goin’ to cook him up and ever’one is goin’ to get some of it.”

“I hate to deflate everyone’s joy,” Senator Daniels said. “But there are thirty of us. How is a deer that small going to feed all of us?”

“We’re going to make a soup,” Matt said, coming into the car just in time to hear the Senator’s question. “And we aren’t going to waste any of it.”

“It’s going to be an awfully thin soup,” Senator Daniels complained.

Matt smiled. “Trust me, it’ll be the best thing you’ve ever eaten.”

“It won’t be all that good,” Bailey said. “We don’t have any vegetables. We don’t even have any salt.”

“Oh, yes, we have salt.” Matt smiled. “I learned from an old mountain man friend of mine to never be without salt.” He pulled a little cloth bag from his pocket.

“And I’ve got some pepper I brought from the diner,” Pete offered.

“All we have to do now is gather up some snow, melt some water, and start cooking.

“What are we going to cook it in?” Purvis asked.

Bailey smiled. “I have the perfect stew pot for it. There is a brand-new chamber pot in the toilet that hasn’t even been put out yet, so it hasn’t been used. It’ll be just right to cook this in.”

“A chamber pot? We are going to make soup in a spittoon?” Barbara Lewis made a face.

“Trust me, it hasn’t been used, not one time,” Bailey said. “It’ll make a fine pot for cooking.”

“It’ll be all right, honey,” Anita said to her daughter. “Why, if it’s never been used, what is the difference between it and a stew pot?”

“I guess nothing.” Barbara looked at her brother and Timmy. “But don’t either of you dare ever tell anyone we cooked soup in a chamber pot and actually ate it,” she demanded.

“Why not?” Steven replied. “I think it’s funny.”

“Oooh!” Barbara thumped her thigh in frustration.

“They aren’t going to tell anyone, are you, boys?” Matt looked the boys straight in the eyes.

“All right,” Timmy agreed. “We won’t ever tell anyone.”

“All right, so we can cook,” Purvis said. “But how are we going to eat it? We don’t have bowls or spoons.”

“I have a knife, a spoon, and a collapsible cup,” Matt said. “We’ll pass the cup around, and eat one at a time. The children will go first.”

Using his penknife, Matt began to cut up the carcass.

Troy also had a knife, so he went to the back to help. He started to make a cut, then looked up at Matt with a questioning expression on his face. “Mr. Jensen, I have to tell you, this don’t look like no deer I done ever seen before.”

“You don’t say.”

“It looks more like a dog.”

“In some cultures, dog is a delicacy.”

“But this ain’t no dog, is it?”

“No.”

“What is it? A wolf? A fox? A coyote?”

“You’ve heard of mule deer, haven’t you, Troy?”

“Yes, sir, but I know this ain’t no mule deer.”

“It’s a coyote deer.”

Troy laughed. “We ain’t goin’ be tellin’ the others this, are we?”

“No.”

Troy laughed again. “I expect this will be the best coyote deer I done ever ate.”

While Troy was cutting up the rest of the carcass, Matt went back up to the front of the car. “You men, go outside and start gathering snow. Use your hats. Oh, and stay behind the train as much as you can, there’s less chance Santelli and the others will see you that way.”

“I want to help, too,” Timmy declared.

“Me, too,” Steven added.

“If it’s all right with your parents, it’s all right with me,” Matt said.

“Are you sure they won’t get in the way?” Ed Webb asked.

Luke smiled at the two boys. “I think they would be a great help, Why, I wasn’t much older than these two boys when I went to sea for the first time.”

“All right, Timmy, you can go with them.”

“Mama?” Steven asked.

“Go ahead,” Mrs. Lewis said.

“Miss McCoy, if you would, please get the fire going a little hotter, at least hot enough to boil water,” Matt asked.

“All right,” Jenny agreed.

“I’ll help you,” Mrs. Lewis offered.

An hour later, the entire car was permeated with the enticing aroma of the soup.

“When will it be ready?” Timmy asked. “I’m really hungry.”

“Soon, I think,” Matt said.

“Matt, I have a suggestion,” Luke said. “It’s something we did a few times on board ship when our rations were running low.”

“I’m open to any suggestion,” Matt said.

“For the first time, we’ll just have the broth. It will be nourishing enough to maybe take some of the edge off. Then we can put more water in, cook it a second time, maybe even three times before we eat up all the meat.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“You know somethin’? What is happenin’ to us now, has all come right out of the Bible,” Troy pointed out.

“What do you mean, it’s all come out of the Bible?” Daniels asked. “I don’t remember reading anything about a trapped train in the Bible.”

“Well, ’cause there weren’t no trains then. But the rest of it.” Troy quoted, “‘
For I was hungry, and you gave me food.’
Well, ain’t that what Mr. Jensen has just done? Provide us with food? ‘
I was thirsty, and you gave me drink.’
That’s what all the snow is, givin’ us water to drink. ‘
I was a stranger, and you took me in.
’ That’s me ’n Pete and Mr. Stevenson and Mr. Evans. We was strangers, out in the cold, but you good folks took us in. ‘
I was naked, and you clothed me’.
” Troy put his thumbs behind the serape and held it out. “That’s what this here thing is.
‘I was sick, and you visited me.’
That’s the sweet little girl that’s lyin’ over there now. She is some awful sick, but we done ever’ one of us took her into our hearts.
‘I was in prison, and you came to me.’
Well, ain’t we all sort of in prison now, I mean, what with bein’ trapped in this car and all? So that last one, the part about bein’ in prison, is for all of us. Yes, sir, ever’thing Jesus said in that parable just fits us.”

“What parable is that, Troy?” Beans asked.

“That’s from the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew, Mr. Evans. It’s the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.”

“Troy, how come you know that?” Julius asked.

“I thought I told you, Julius. My daddy is a preacher man.”

“No, you ain’t never done told me that. If you know all that stuff, how come you ain’t never become a preacher man your own self?”

“My daddy is a godly man,” Troy said. “I don’t reckon I ever met a man who is finer ’n my daddy. But I ain’t never been nowhere near as good a man as he is. I’ve done lots of things that ain’t nowhere near godly. I just don’t figure I’m fit to be a preacher man.”

“Maybe being here like this is some kind of test for you,” Don suggested.

“I don’t mind Troy being tested,” Pete said. “Only if he’s the one bein’ tested, how come the rest of us has to be with him?”

The others laughed, and it was the first good, deep laugh any of them had had since the ordeal began.

BOOK: A Rocky Mountain Christmas

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