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Authors: William W. Johnstone

A Rocky Mountain Christmas (22 page)

BOOK: A Rocky Mountain Christmas
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“Oh, that was a wonderful poem, Jenny,” Millie said. “And you spoke it so beautifully.”
“Yes,” Clara added. “And I think the children really enjoyed it, didn’t you, children?”
“Yes, ma’am, I liked it a lot,” Timmy said. “I just wish that Santa Claus could find us on the train.”
“If he could find us, what would you have him bring?” Jenny asked.
“Something to eat for us.” Timmy looked at Becky. “And some medicine for Becky, so she wouldn’t be sick anymore.”
“That is a wonderful gift to wish for,” Jenny said.
“That won’t happen, though,” Steven said.
“Oh, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if it happened.” Jenny smiled. “Sometimes, wonderful things happen on Christmas. Christmas was the day Jesus was born, you know.”
“I know,” Timmy said. “He was borned in a barn.”
“Why was the baby Jesus borned in a barn?” Molly asked.
“Because they didn’t have hotels way back when Jesus was borned,” Timmy said.
“Yes they did,” Barbara said. “But they didn’t call them hotels then. They called them inns. And Jesus was born in a stable and put in a manger, because there was no room at the inn.”
“How do you know that?” Timmy asked.
“Because it’s in the Bible,” Barbara said.
“That’s right. The whole Christmas story is in the Bible.” Luke began to tell the story.
“‘And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 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. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’”
“Wow! I’m impressed!” Jenny said with a smile. “How were you able to do that?”
“I’ve spent many a Christmas at sea,” Luke explained. “And I’ve often been called upon to read the Christmas story to the sailors. I’ve read it so many times that I finally memorized it.”
“You know what?” Timmy said. “I think that, even if we are still on this train, it will be a good Christmas.”
“Now why on earth would you say something like that?” Senator Daniels snarled. “We are stranded here, with no food.”
“But we have friends,” Timmy said with a broad smile. “And friends are about the best things you can have.”
“Timmy, you are wise beyond your years,” Luke said.
C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
-
NINE
Big Rock
Again, Smoke and Duff took the sleigh into town. This time, though, Sally went with them. Smoke let Sally off in front of the Big Rock Mercantile, Duff got out in front of Longmont’s, then Smoke drove on to the livery barn. Stopping just outside, he unhitched the team, then led them into the barn.
Liveryman Ike Shelby was just inside the barn talking to three other men—Sheriff Monte Carson, Dan Norton the prosecuting attorney, and Allen Blanton, editor and publisher of the
Big Rock Chronicle.
“Gentleman,” Smoke greeted. “Ike, I’d like to leave my team here for a while so they are somewhat out of the cold.”
“Sure thing, Smoke. Billy, take Mr. Jensen’s team,” Ike called to one of his employees.
“What’s going on?” Smoke asked.
“We had a murder here, last night,” Sheriff Carson said.
“A murder? What happened?”
“When Billy came to open up this morning, he found Corey Calhoun’s body lying over there.” Ike pointed to a spot in front of a stall.
“Shot?” Smoke asked.
“He had been stabbed,” Sheriff Carson answered.
“You knew him, didn’t you, Smoke?” Blanton asked.
“Yes, I knew him.”
“How well did you know him?” Norton asked.
“I knew him fairly well. He worked for me from time to time. He was a good man, and he, Pearlie, and Cal were friends. Stabbed, you say?”
“Through the heart,” Ike said.
“Do you have any ideas on what happened?”
“According to some of the boys over at the Brown Dirt, Calhoun had a pretty good night at poker and won well over a hundred dollars.”
“Let me guess. You didn’t find any money on him,” Smoke said.
“Not a cent,” Sheriff Carson replied. “My guess is that someone saw him leave the table a winner, followed him over here, and killed him.
“What about footprints in the snow?” Smoke asked.
Sheriff Carson shook his head. “No help. There are hundreds of footprints everywhere, none that will do us any good.”
“I hope you find him,” Smoke said.
“We will.”
Leaving his team with Ike, and his sleigh parked outside, Smoke walked down to the depot to see what he could find out.
“The rescue train tried to get through to them,” Phil said, “but it failed because the tracks are blocked by snow.”
“How do you know they failed?”
“These stories were wired to the
Big Rock Chronicle
.” Phil showed Matt the newspaper.
Special to the
C
HRONICLE
by wire, from the
B
UENA
V
ISTA
N
UGGET
RELIEF EFFORT UNSUCCESSFUL
T
RAIN
F
ORCED
T
O
T
URN
B
ACK
 
The train that was to relieve the trapped Red Cliff Special was forced to return to Buena Vista when a wall of snow presented an insurmountable impediment. Doodle Reynolds, the engineer, stated that, not even with the plow affixed to the front of his engine could the snow be removed.
Hodge Deckert has assured those who have loved ones on board the train that the passengers are in no danger or great distress as the diner carries extra food for just such a contingency. It is expected the snow will be sufficiently melted within a few days to allow another rescue attempt to be made.
Amon Briggs Removed From Bench
M
AY
F
ACE
P
RISON
T
ERM
 
Word has reached the Nugget that Amon Briggs, formerly a district judge located in Pueblo, has been removed from the bench by order of Governor Davis Hanson Waite.
According to Sheriff McKenzie, Briggs, who is now a guest of the Pueblo County Jail, was involved in a nefarious scheme with Sheriff Ferrell of Bent County. Briggs would inform Ferrell when money was being transferred, and Ferrell and his partner in crime, usually one of this deputies, would rob the victim so identified.
The latest attempt at robbery failed when Ferrell and his deputy were both killed by the heroic action of Mr. Nugent, who was riding shotgun guard.
Though Sheriff McKenzie has not yet disclosed the incriminating evidence discovered as a result of the failed robbery attempt, it is sufficient to result in the incarceration of Briggs until such time as a judge can be made available to try the case.
“Ha!” Smoke thumped his fingers on the paper. “That doesn’t surprise me about Briggs. I never have trusted him. But what about the train, have you heard anything? Do you know if they are going to try again?”
“I’m sure they will when the some of the snow melts.”
“I hate it that Matt and the others are trapped up there. But I figure they haven’t run out of food yet.”
Phil laughed. “They’re probably having a good old time. I mean, what else can you do under a situation like that?”
“I guess you’re right,” Smoke agreed. “Listen, Phil, I’m probably going to be in town for the rest of the day, so if you get any further word about the train, you’ll let me know, won’t you?”
“Yes, of course I will. Where will I find you?”
“I don’t know, at Longmont’s I suppose. Sally came into town with us, and she’ll want to have lunch, probably at Kathy’s Kitchen. But if you don’t find me, I’ll be checking in with you from time to time.
“That’s a good place for lunch, I often eat there myself.”
 
 
Smoke stepped into Longmont’s a few minutes later. Duff sat at a table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. Smoke joined him.
“The rescue train was turned back,” Duff said, thumping the paper with his fingers.
“Yes, Phil told me that.”
“There is an interesting story here. The deputy sheriff from Pueblo County is escorting two prisoners. One of the prisoners has had all the charges against him dropped but he doesn’t know that, and there will be no way for him to know until they are freed.”
“Who are the prisoners?” Smoke asked.
Duff referred back to the paper. “Michael Santelli and Luke Shardeen.”
“I hope Santelli isn’t the one who has been pardoned,” Smoke said.
“Na, ’tis Luke Shardeen. Do you know Mr. Santelli?”
“I’ve never had the displeasure of a personal encounter with him, but I certainly know who he is. And he is a bad one. I don’t like to think of him being on the same train, trapped in a snowslide, with a bunch of innocent people.”
“Aye, the longer one has to hold him in custody, the greater the mischief he can create.”
Louis Longmont brought Smoke a cup of coffee without being summoned. “Did you hear about the murder we had here in town last night?” Longmont asked.
“Murder is it?” Duff said looking up from his paper. “I’ve nae heard a thing about it.”
“It happened over at the livery stable,” Smoke informed him. “I was talking to Monte and a few others about it. Corey Calhoun got killed.”
“Och, ’tis sorry I am to hear of it. Did you know him?”
“Yes, he worked for me from time to time. He was a good man, and a friend of Pearlie and Cal. They’ll be upset to hear about it.”
“I haven’t talked to Monte since I heard about it,” Longmont said. “Does he have any ideas as to who might have done it?”
“Only indirect ideas,” Smoke said. “It seems that Corey won quite a bit of money in a card game over at the Brown Dirt. Sheriff Carson thinks someone may have seen him win, then followed him from the saloon. He killed him in the livery stable.”
“That means nobody saw it.” Duff leaned back and crossed his arms.
“Yes, I’m afraid that is exactly what it means. And if nobody saw it happen, I think the chances of finding out who actually did it are rather slim,” Smoke sipped the hot coffee.
“I’ll keep an eye open,” Longmont promised. “Oftentimes, when someone comes into an unexpected sum of money, they’ll come in here and be big spenders all of a sudden.”
A couple of Smoke’s friends came in then and invited Smoke and Duff to join them in a friendly game of poker. They were still playing three hours later when Sally came into the saloon.
“Sally, ma belle, bienvenue à ma place,”
Longmont greeted effusively.
Sally smiled. “Thank you, Louis.” She turned to the poker players. “Smoke, Duff, are you two getting a little hungry?”
“Hungry?” Smoke glanced over at the wall. “Oh, oh. It’s one-thirty. Uh, we were supposed to meet you at Kathy’s at noon, weren’t we?”
“That was my understanding,” Sally said, though her response was ameliorated by her smile.
“Sally, you should leave this man who so mistreats you,” Longmont said. “If you had chosen me over him, never would you be disappointed by such forgetfulness.”
“Louis, I would be impressed, but I know you say that to every married woman in town.”
“Only to the pretty ones,” Longmont assured.
“And only to the married ones,” Sally replied.
Smoke laughed. “Louis, she has you pegged. You only carry on so with women you know are safe. You wouldn’t dare say such things to a single woman for fear she would take you up on your offer.”
“Ah, how well my friends know me,” Longmont replied. “Enjoy your lunch at Kathy’s. And tell her that I long for her.”
“You never give up, do you, Louis?” Sally said with a laugh.
On board the Red Cliff Special—December 24
Bailey was looking through the window of the car, and called Matt over.
“Yes?”
“I’m sure they’ve tried to reach us, but gave up when they couldn’t get through. They probably aren’t that worried, figuring we have enough food to last. But if they knew our situation, I think they would make more of an effort.” Bailey pointed toward the telegraph wire. “If I could reach that wire, I could send a message back to Buena Vista telling them of our serious condition.”
“You could send a message? You mean you know telegraphy?”
“Yes, before I was a conductor, I was a telegrapher for Western Union.”
“But, how would you send a message? We aren’t connected.”
“I am pretty sure the wire going forward is down. But it looks like the wire going back toward Buena Vista is still up. I can see it over the top of the snowbank behind us, and if it didn’t go down here, I’m sure it is up for the rest of the way. All I have to do is connect to it.”
“Connect what to it?”
“I have a telegraph key,” Bailey said with a smile. “But I don’t know how to get up there.”
Luke had overheard the conversation and he went over to join in. “Did I hear you right? You can send a telegram?”
“If I could connect to that wire I could. But in order to do that, I would have to climb that pole, and it is covered with snow and ice. Climbing it would be impossible.”
Luke looked at the pole for a moment, then he shook his head. “It will be difficult,” he agreed. “But it isn’t impossible.”
“Wait a minute,” Matt said. “Are you saying you think you can climb it?”
“Why not?” Luke replied. “I’ve climbed ice-slickened mainmasts before, and that’s with the ship rolling in the sea. Yes, I think I can get up there.”
“Oh, Luke, no,” Jenny put in. She’d followed Luke. “That’s much too dangerous.”
“Ha! I laugh at danger,” Luke said, thrusting his hand out in an exaggerated fashion.
“I’m serious,” Jenny argued.
“Don’t worry, Jenny. I’ve done this kind of thing before.”
Matt and Bailey went outside with Luke to see how he would attack the pole. Worried about Luke, Jenny trailed behind. They studied the pole for a moment or two, rising as it did from the midst of a huge drift of snow.
“How are you going to even get to the pole?” Bailey asked.
“I don’t know. That does seem to be a problem.” Luke looked at the pole, then looked back at the train and smiled. “I’ll climb up onto the top of the car, then leap over to the pole.”
“Luke, no, you can’t be serious!” Jenny cried.
“I don’t have to leap onto the pole, just into the snowbank close enough to it to be able to grab hold,” Luke explained.
Matt smiled. “You know, I think that might work. I wouldn’t want to be the one to do it, but I think it might work.”
Luke climbed to the top of the car, then stepped to the edge to examine the pole for a moment. Satisfied with what he saw, he moved to the opposite side. With a running start, he leaped across the opening and disappeared into the snowbank at the foot of the pole.
“Luke!” Jenny called in fear.
After a moment of anxious silence, Luke appeared out of the snowbank, his arms and legs wrapped around the pole. They watched as he climbed to the top, threw a leg over the crossbeam, and pulled himself into a secure sitting position. He looked down and threw his arms open with a big smile.
“Oh, Luke, hold on!” Jenny called.
“I’m all right. Why, this pole isn’t even moving. Mr. Bailey, what do I do now?”
“Cut the wire,” Bailey instructed. “And toss it over here so I can get to it.”
“Will I get shocked?”
“No,” Bailey explained. “Telegraph works by direct current. There’s no danger.”
“If I cut the wire, won’t it mean you can’t send a signal?”
“It’ll be fine, as long as there isn’t another break in the wire between here and Buena Vista.”
Luke cut the wire as Bailey instructed, then tossed it down. Matt caught it and handed it to Bailey, who attached the cut end to his instrument.
Luke came back down the pole about halfway, then leaped into the snowbank. Again, he disappeared, but reappeared a moment later, covered in snow.
“I’m going to have to quit doing that,” Luke teased as Jenny helped brush the snow away.
Bailey got the wire attached, then sent a BV signal.
“Is it working?” Matt asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten a reply.” Bailey sent a BV signal again.
There was no reply.
He tried it a third time, then, with a sigh, looked up at Luke. “I’m sorry, Mr. Shardeen. It looks like I sent you up the post for nothing. We may as well get out of the cold. It was—”
Clackclackclackclackclack
.
“We’re through!” Bailey shouted excitedly. “We’re through!” He listened to the clicks for a moment, then chuckled. “Bernie is apologizing because he was away from the key. He wants to know who is calling him.”
Bailey began sending a message, his fingers moving rapidly as the clicks went out over the line.
BOOK: A Rocky Mountain Christmas
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