Melinda Heads West (17 page)

“I can just imagine a houseful of kids underfoot, little boys and girls who are constantly getting into mischief. My brothers and I were terrors growing up, but we had fun together. We played in the log pile and made our own whistles and rolled hoops, and were constantly playing tricks on one another.

“Sounds like you
were
a handful!”

“I suppose. But Mother handled it with great aplomb. Even without a father, we grew up terrified of our mother’s wrath if we had gone too far.”

“I was an only child. Your life sounds exciting.”

“It was. I can’t wait for a houseful of my own. Though my mother has warned me that things have a way of coming even and I will probably be paid back for the woes I caused!”

“I’ve thought about children, Mindy, but decided I’m too old at this point. I like the idea of me and my wife working together side-by-side.”

“But that sounds so lonely,” Mindy said.

“Not if you have the right wife,” Lucas replied.

• • •

At the gravesite, they were met by Mrs. Boone, Becky, and Terese. The little girl carried a large bouquet of wildflowers tied with a pink ribbon. Mindy was touched at the thoughtful gesture. Bending down, she gave Terri a kiss on the cheek and thanked her.

“That’s all right,” Terese said with a mature air. “We wanted to help your feelings.”

“Well, you sure did. These are the loveliest flowers I’ve ever seen.”

Terese smiled and then tucked herself behind her mother’s skirt.

The small group gathered around the two silent graves under the oak tree. Lucas said a few words and then led a prayer.

Terese pulled on her Nonny’s skirt. “Why is Miss McCorkle crying? Is she sad?”

“Yes,” said Mrs. Boone, swinging the child onto her hip. “So we have to give her lots of love to help cheer her up. Can you help do that?”

The little mop nodded. “I like her.”

“Me too,” said Mrs. Boone. “Me, too.”

Boone and his companions were on the trail of the Byler brothers, hoping to bring them in for murder and robbery. They had been hired by the stage company, and authorized by the marshals’ office.

The men passed through lonesome gorges and wide open fields. They galloped past buffalo grazing in tall grasses and they scared rabbits from their happy warrens. They cantered through small towns, stopping only long enough to ask if anyone had seen the Bylers. When their questions were answered in the negative, they returned to their horses and flew back into the wind.

The men lived off beef jerky and dried fruit. They ate beans cooked slowly over an open fire with cornmeal cakes and coffee. At night they made their beds under a canopy of glittering starlight.

Micha, the oldest man in the group, had a beautiful baritone voice and his songs accompanied them wherever they went. In the dark evenings, when all was silent, his voice was a peaceful, dreamy background to the men’s thoughts.

As the three men crossed the state of Kansas, Micah sang:

In a cavern, in a canyon,

Excavating for a mine

Dwelt a miner forty-niner,

And his daughter Clementine

Oh my darling, oh my darling,

Oh my darling, Clementine!

Thou art lost and gone forever

Dreadful sorry, Clementine

Boone, Jake, and Micah rode for four days before reaching Dodge City. Barreling into town, Boone gave a signal at the sheriff’s office and the men stopped, hitching their animals to the post outside. They stretched, muscles aching.

The office was a frame building, like the others in a long row. The windows and doors were open to allow for circulation of air. Boone’s boots echoed across the boardwalk and onto the wood floor of the office. “Hello?” he called.

A medium-sized man came from the back of the building. “Hello, yourself. How can I help you?”

Boone answered, “I’m Gary Boone.” He gestured to the men with him. “This is Micah Powers and Jake Myers. We’re looking for three men we think may be holed up near here.”

The deputy held out his hand. “Bat Masterson. Good to know you.” He nodded at Micah. “I think I know you.”

“Yes, sir. I came through here last year. I found your town right hospitable.”

“Glad to hear it. Not all the comments we hear about this place are good. My partner and I are trying to fix that.”

At that time, another fellow came through the front door. He glanced past the men, speaking to Bat. “Everything’s fine at the Lone Star. It was just a drunk causing a dustup. It didn’t take much to put him back in his place.” He turned to Boone and his companions, and then stuck out his hand. “Wyatt Earp.”

Both of the deputies wore white shirts and dark pants. They had coal black hair and inset eyes. Both sported mustaches.

Boone and the men introduced themselves again, and then Boone came to the point. “We’re looking for a couple of fellows by the name of Byler. You know ’em?”

Bat looked at Wyatt. “Yeah, we know ’em,” he said. “Nothing but troublemakers, the lot. Not a single one out of the four is fit to shoot at when you want to unload and clean your gun.”

“Well, there’s just two now,” Jake said. “Boone here had a shootout with them a while back, over a small thing like a stage purse. Two of the Bylers didn’t make it. One of the others got shot up.”

Wyatt laughed. “Can’t think of a better bunch it could happen to.”

Bat said, “Them and their maw got a little farm out past town about five miles. I imagine that’s where they are. The oldest one, Lee, and one of the middle brothers, Rich, I think, were in town just a few nights ago. I guess they were celebrating their good fortune.”

“Y’all feel like accompanying us out there?”

“I don’t mind,” said Bat, “but we need to leave someone here to mind the office. We got prisoners that have to be minded.” He looked over to Wyatt, who nodded.

“I’ll stay back this time. Wear ’em out.”

Boone replied, “I
hope
they’ll come in without a fight.”

“Not those boys,” Wyatt said. “And look out for the mother — she’s as mean as the boys, if not more so.”

The men exchanged glances. “Might explain a lot,” Boone said.

The ride to the Byler farm took about an hour. The men stopped before they reached the house to reconnoiter and devise a plan. When they were approaching the homestead, they took in a peaceful scene. Since it was almost noon, there was a lazy curl of smoke arising from the small frame shack, evidence of a cook stove in use. Lee Byler was out behind the house chopping wood. The riders pulled up for a moment, allowing him to finish and load his arms. Micah, Jake, and Bat detoured to take positions surrounding the house. Then Boone rode into the yard alone.

“Lee Byler!” Boone shouted, as he stopped his horse in the dusty backyard. “You had to know we’d find you. I’m here to take you and your brother to jail for murder and armed robbery!”

Byler, with his arms full of wood said nothing, but his eyes met Boone’s as if sizing him up for a fight.

“Call your brother,” Boone ordered.

From the corner of his eye, Boone saw a movement at one of the windows. The barrel of a shotgun poked out. With a curse, he slapped his horse on the rump and took off just as the gun discharged, the shells missing him by scant inches. Lee Byler threw down the firewood and ran for the safety of the house.

Boone rode for cover. He stopped at an outcropping of rocks just to the side of the house, then caught Bat’s eye and shook his head in disgust. They had figured it would go this way.

“Lee Byler! You and your brother are coming with me today, whether it’s alive or dead. It’s your choice!”

A voice shouted out the window. “Well, that’s right neighborly of you folks! But I’m sorry. I believe we’ll decline your fine offer.”

A female voice hollered, “You’re lucky I didn’t kill you just now. I reckon you’re the man that murdered my sons and shot up my boy!”

“There’s no reason for anybody to get hurt. Come on out and let’s settle this peaceably!” Boone hollered back.

“Byler! This is Bat Masterson, deputy sheriff of Dodge City. You boys have got more trouble than you can handle. You ought to come on out and save yourself some grief. Your momma don’t want to bury no more boys!”

“Don’t be talking for me, Sheriff!” the lady of the house shouted. “My boys ain’t going anywhere. You just come on in here and try to take ’em!”

Boone inched his way across the rocks, sliding to Bat’s position. “Do we go for the plan?”

Bat said, “Hang on a minute. We need to — ”

At that moment, a hail of bullets passed over their heads, causing them to drop down. Bat reached up and removed his hat, fingering an inch-sized hole near the crown.

“Now, if they keep this up, they’re gonna make me mad,” said Bat, with a frown. He looked Boone square in the eye. “We go with the plan.”

Boone raised one arm to signal the other two men. At the sign, Jake took off his bandanna and climbed back on his horse. He guided the animal to the blind side of the house, where he stopped and stood up in the saddle. Wadding the piece of cloth, he placed it in the ventilation hole for the stove. Then he rode quickly back to his position and ducked down.

After that, it was simply a waiting game. As smoke filled the house, the men could hear the occupants coughing and wheezing. Soon, the door opened and the two boys came charging out, guns blazing. Their mother followed, collapsing just outside the door.

Lee Byler carried two revolvers and was shooting indiscriminately. Rich followed, with his right hand bandaged and a gun in his left. He was having a hard time handling the weapon, but managed to fire off several shots. The Byler brothers ran for the barn, but Bat, Boone, Jake, and Micah opened fire. Rich fell to the dirt and was still. Lee whirled and dropped low, firing at the rocky shelf where Bat and Boone were positioned. A bullet coming from the other angle tore through his arm. He grunted and fell back, dropping both pistols as he grabbed his wound.

Micah and Boone stepped cautiously away from the rocks and toward the last living Byler brother. Boone kicked the guns away and bent to help the man to his feet. As he did, bullets started to fly again. He heard a muffled grunt and spun to see that Micah was down. Boone plopped into the dust and spied Mrs. Byler holding a revolver in both hands. When the gun finally went
click, click, click
, Mrs. Byler crumpled to the packed clay with wrenching sobs.

Bat walked over and jerked her up by the arm. “I ain’t never arrested a woman before, but I’ll warrant today looks like a fine day to start!”

“My babies! My boys!” she screamed.

“Your boys got exactly what they deserved,” Bat said with a growl. “And so will you.” He jerked her over to his horse where he grabbed some rope.

Boone squatted to check on Micah. He looked to the other two men and cursed, shaking his head. “He’s gone.”

Jake bent to see about Lee Byler’s wound. It was a through and through. “You’ll live, more’s the pity.”

“You’re all worthless pigs! You’ll never get me to jail,” Lee shouted as he was hauled to his feet.

Boone walked over and put the still warm nozzle of his pistol against Lee’s temple. “We can make sure right now you never get to jail, if that’s what you want.”

Byler swallowed hard, his eyes darting between the gun and Boone. “Ss … s’all right. I’ll go.”

“I thought you might see it my way.” Boone released the hammer and lowered his weapon. “Just remember you’re outnumbered. Any crazy stunts and you won’t make it to tomorrow. As far as I’m concerned, you wouldn’t be missed.”

Jake went to the barn and came out with three horses. He had them saddled and prepared for riding. Bat picked Mrs. Byler up and threw her onto the back of one of the plug horses. He had tied her hands together while she cussed him to heaven and back again.

Bat glanced over to Boone and indicated the woman with his head. “She’s so mean, I think she’d fight a rattler and give him first bite.”

“She’s an evil one, that’s for sure.”

Boone stripped off his bandanna and tied it around Lee Byler’s injury.

“Oh … I’m hurting bad,” Byler moaned.

Boone balled his fist and punched Lee in the arm at the direct site of the bullet wound. He started to say something, but Byler passed out. Boone shrugged instead.

It took a while for the men to get everything handled. After removing the piece of cloth from the vent, Boone waited for the smoke to clear and then ventured into the house. He threw water on the fire in the cook stove and then searched the home until he found a canvas knapsack with the cash and documents he was after. Rifling through them, he saw pretty quick that part of the money was missing. He cursed again.

When he exited the house, Boone found that Jake had thrown Micah and Rich’s lifeless bodies over their horses, and that both the remaining Bylers were bound and sitting on horses as well. Mrs. Byler continued to rant, her voice grating on the nerves as the men headed out of the yard.

• • •

When they arrived in Dodge City, Bat, Boone, and Jake swung down from their horses in front of the sheriff’s office. They’d had all they could stand of Mrs. Byler and had a greater understanding of how the boys turned out as they did. Bat grimaced and said, “Maybe you boys ought to go ahead and take this she-devil on with you to Tipton.”

“Sorry,” said Boone with a half smile. “This is where her crime was committed. You know the rules.”

Boone and Jake helped load Lee Byler and his mother into jail cells and then they took the two other horses down to the undertakers. They delivered the dead bodies and paid for them to be buried.

Then both boys went in search of a bath, a drink, and a bed.

• • •

Two exhausted men and one prisoner headed out of town the next day, after thanking Bat for his help.

“It was nothing,” Bat said. “Part of the job. Y’all come back when you can enjoy yourselves. We got a nice little place here … most of the time.”

On the trail again, the boys found they missed Micah’s singing. They tried a halfhearted rendition of “Clementine,” but let it go after a couple of verses. Most all they could remember was the chorus, and the singing made them miss Micah even more.