The Boxcar Blues (14 page)

Back at the hotel he wrote his family and
told them about getting his pilot’s license. He also mentioned the
conversation he and Sam had had about getting married. He didn’t
mention the return of deputy Jones.

One week after returning from Albuquerque,
Catwalk, Curly and Sam were in the hangar working on the Jenny.
Catwalk yelled to Curly, “Throw me a feeler gauge.”

Curly looked up from the tool box and said,
“Coming up.” He then turned toward Cat and froze—Alton Jones was
standing just outside the hangar with a rifle pointed at
Catwalk.

Catwalk saw Curly’s expression and turned to
see what had spooked him. He saw Jones, wiped his hands and laid
his rag on the wing. Then he slowly walked away from Sam, who had
been at his side.

Sam saw Jones and shook her head, softly
mumbling, “No, no. It can’t be.”

Jones said, “I finally got you, you son of a
bitch. Did you think you could throw me in a shithouse and get away
Scot-free. Well, you was wrong because you ain’t getting away from
me now.”

Jones walked slowly toward him.

Staring down the barrel of the rifle pointed
at his chest, Catwalk stood stock still wondering if the deputy
planned to kill him on the spot or was going to take him somewhere
else.

He said, “If you’re going to shoot me here,
you better kill me with the first shot. Because if you miss, I’ll
shove that rifle down your throat.”

“
Don’t worry, boy. I never
miss from this close.”

Curly saw that Jones was focused in on
Catwalk. With his eye on Jones, he slowly reached behind him and
picked up his rifle. He watched Jones intently, knowing the crazed
deputy might pull the trigger any second.

Jones motioned Catwalk out of the hangar. In
doing so, he turned slightly and Curly saw his chance. He snapped
the rifle to his shoulder and fired, hitting Jones in the left
shoulder.

Jones yelled and went down. He then rolled
over, raised the rifle with one hand and fired wildly. The bullet
hit Sam in the chest. She cried out, grabbed her chest and crumpled
to the floor.

Catwalk yelled, “Sam!!” He rushed over to
her.

Curly fired another round, hitting Jones in
the thigh. He walked toward Jones, intent on emptying his rifle
into the bastard.

Barney had been close by and came running
into the hangar. When the deadly scene registered, he grabbed
Jones’ rifle and then stepped in front of Curly. He said, “Don’t
shoot, Curly. He’s bleeding bad, he won’t last long.”

“
Get out of my way,
Barney. I’m going to finish him off right now.”

Barney looked at Catwalk bent over Sam’s
body. He said, “No, Curly. No more shooting.” He then took the
rifle from Curly and threw it under the plane.

Barney knelt next to Catwalk and said, “How
bad is it?”

Amid tears, Catwalk said, “She’s not
breathing, Barney.”

Barney looked at Sam and knew at once he
wouldn’t find a pulse. Hoping he was wrong, he placed two fingers
behind her ear, praying with all his heart that he’d find a
heartbeat even if it was weak. He didn’t. His eyes welled with
tears and he said, “Oh my God.”

He laid a hand on Catwalk’s shoulder, but
couldn’t bring himself to tell his friend that the love of his life
lay dead before him. Barney and Catwalk cried openly.

Jones moaned, “I’m hit, God damn it, someone
help me.”

Curly said, “I’ll help you, you rotten
bastard.” He then kicked Jones in the head as hard as he could.
Jones blacked out.

Curly then knelt beside Catwalk and said,
“Help me load her in the truck. I’ll drive her to the doctor.”

Barney looked at Curly and shook his
head.

Curly whispered, “Oh, hell no. Are you
sure?”

Barney nodded his head.

Catwalk stood up and looked at Jones. He
walked over to a tool bin and picked up an axe. Knowing what he had
in mind Barney rushed toward him. “No, Cat. It won’t help. If you
do anything to him, you’re just as bad as he is.”

Curly took the axe from Catwalk and said,
“He’s right, Cat. Jones ain’t worth it.”

Catwalk hung his head with tears dripping
off his face. He said, “I’m taking her up to the house.”

Barney told Curly, “Put Jones in the truck.
Take him to Doc Crandall’s place, but drive slowly. Then find the
sheriff and tell him what happened here.”

Catwalk bent over Sam, kissed her cheek and
smoothed hair. Then he picked up her lifeless body and carried it
to the porch. He lay her on the divan where they’d spent so many
pleasant hours reading and talking. He knelt beside her and kissed
her again, hoping he’d hear a moan escape her lips. He felt again
for a pulse, only to feel the stillness of her death. He lay his
head on her chest, next to the ugly hole where the single bullet
had blown the life out of her, telling himself she just couldn’t be
dead.

When he heard footsteps, Catwalk turned to
see Barney. Through his tears he said, “Maybe she’s in a coma. My
Momma told me about those people who get in a coma and lie still
for many years and then wake up.”

Barney hung his head, knowing he had to tell
Catwalk what he didn’t want to hear. “Cat, I wish to God she was,
and I wish we could breathe life back into her, or perform some
sort of operation to bring her back to life.”

Barney turned away for a few seconds, then
said, “She’s gone, Cat. And I’ve never been so sorry in all my
life. I know how you feel because I felt the same way when I lost
Mary. I know the hell of it; I know that there’s nothing more final
than death.”

Later that day an ambulance from the morgue
picked up Sam’s body. Catwalk went down to the creek and sat where
he and Sam used to have their long talks. Unbeknownst to him, Curly
was watching him from a distance. Curly didn’t want to intrude upon
him during his time of grief, but he felt he should keep a vigil
over his closest friend during the darkest time of his life.

Catwalk was still stunned and in denial
about Sam’s death. He was incapable of thinking any clear thoughts;
he just sat there and stared into the creek. When it started to
rain, he didn’t even notice the drops. Nothing could affect him
more than the loss of the only woman he’d ever loved. At times he
started to question the ways of the Lord; taking someone so
precious from him, just as they were starting their lives together,
then he decided that was futile. Divinity be damned, there was no
reason for this to happen. There couldn’t be any explanation for
something so cruel.

Catwalk spent a cold, wet and dreary night
by the creek. He didn’t want to face anyone and he didn’t want to
talk to anyone. He had to be alone, regardless of the
circumstances.

From a distant hill, Curly sat through the
rainy night, taking a break only to tell Barney about Cat, then
walk to the barn to get his pint of rye. When he thought of the
anguish his friend was experiencing, he often came to tears
himself.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

On an overcast, windy Monday afternoon they
buried Sam beneath the spread of a large oak tree, not far from the
grave of Barney’s late wife. A local pastor came to the farm to
perform the services that were attended by several people from
neighboring farms who’d come to know Catwalk and Sam. From that day
on Catwalk visited her grave daily and often told her of his work
on the farm, just as if they were sitting in the kitchen.

Life was difficult for Catwalk in the weeks
after Sam’s death. Tragic events affect everyone differently and
the time it takes for tragedy to morph into the routine of a normal
life can be measured in years. In Catwalk’s case, everything on the
farm reminded him of Sam. Whenever he went to read, he found he
couldn’t concentrate, because his thoughts kept turning to her.
Barney made sure he kept busy so he’d keep his mind occupied and
everyone on the farm made a point to talk to him whenever he seemed
despondent, which was often.

One month after her death, Barney and Curly
were changing the wheel on a wagon, when Barney said, “Have you
noticed any improvement in Cat?”

“
A little, but it’s slow.
I actually saw him smile the other day.”

“
I don’t know what else we
can do. I guess we have to let time heal the wounds.”

Curly drove the wheel onto the axle, then
stopped to light a cigarette. “They’ll never heal completely. He’ll
carry his grief for her to his grave.”

Proving that some people are just too ornery
to die, Alton Jones survived his injuries. He was remanded to the
Colfax County jail until he was healthy enough to stand trial.
Barney knew the chances were good that Jones would get a light
sentence, because the person he’d murdered was black. With this in
mind, he made sure that the prosecuting attorney knew all of Jones’
crimes in the past. Barney also made it a point to attend the trial
every day. Whether his efforts were the reason will never be known,
but Jones was convicted of charges of first degree murder, two
counts of auto theft and escaping from jail. He was sentenced to
the Collinsville Federal Prison for twenty four years. He would be
eligible for parole in eight years.

Catwalk found little consolation in the
conviction and prison sentence. He was glad Jones was behind bars
where he belonged, but no matter what happened, he just wanted Sam
back. He had tried, several times, to tell himself that he had to
quit thinking about her and go on with his life. Although they
didn’t come right out and say it, he knew everyone around him felt
the same way. He could see the looks in their faces that said,
“When are you going to get over her and move on with your
life.”

Unfortunately, everyone else didn’t know how
much Sam had become a part of him. Still, he knew, somehow, he had
to learn to live without her image haunting him every waking
minute.

A month later, on a rainy January morning,
Barney gathered everyone in the kitchen. He’d been gone for six
days and the news he brought home with him shocked everyone. “Crops
haven’t been selling well for several months now. I’m giving most
of the produce and some meat to the soup kitchen in Vaughn. I’m
going to keep the livestock for us to eat, but all we’ll be doing
on the farm is tending to the livestock and growing our own
produce. The rest of the land will lay fallow, except the field
adjacent to the hangar barn. That field is going to be leveled and
mowed so we can land larger planes out there. While I was gone, I
bought two Boeing Model 80s, and I’m going to start flying an
airmail route. Once it starts paying, I’ll start flying
passengers.”

A stunned silence fell over the kitchen.
Catwalk and Curly exchanged surprised glances. Julio, who’d known
about Barney’s plans, just smiled. Barney said, “I’ve applied for a
mail route between Albuquerque and Denver. I expect it to be
approved within three months. We’ll start with one trip to Denver
in the morning and a trip back to Albuquerque in the afternoon.
Julio is going to run the maintenance end. You guys will start out
doing maintenance and working at the airport to get a feel for the
business. Eventually you’ll be flying on the line.”

Curly spoke first, “Do we have enough
experience?”

Barney said, “Not yet, but by the time we’re
ready to start operating, you will have.”

Catwalk said, “But Barney, we’re in the
middle of a depression. People can hardly afford to eat, much less
fly on airliners.”

“
That’s the part that
you’ve seen. I just spent the last few days talking to people in
the airline business. Tom Braniff started with one Stinson
Detroiter and a route between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Now he’s got
routes to Chicago and Dallas. Walter Varney of Varney Speed Lines
started with a route from Elko, Nevada to Pasco, Washington. He’s
branched out all over the northwest. United Airlines has been
flying passengers coast-to-coast since 1927 and last year their
passenger revenue was almost four million dollars. This is still a
time of haves and have-nots. The people that can afford it are
flying and the airline business is going to grow. I can buy and
refurbish airplanes cheap, so now is the time to get started. This
way we’ll be established when the public starts flying
again.”

Barney looked at Catwalk, “What do you
think?”

“
Does this mean that Curly
and I are going to be airline pilots some day?”

“
There’s a lot of work to
be done, but in the end you should be airline pilots.”

Catwalk and Curly looked at each other with
wide grins of disbelief. Barney pulled the cork on a bottle of rye
whiskey and poured three fingers for everyone. He then raised his
glass to Catwalk and said, “Congratulation, son. It isn’t every day
that a black man from a sharecropper’s farm becomes an airline
pilot.”

Curly echoed Barney’s words.

Catwalk said, “No, it sure isn’t. I’m
looking forward to it.” He tipped up the glass of the rye and as it
burned its way down his throat, he said softly, “I just wish Sam
was here to share this momentous event with us.”

Two months later Barney and Julio went to
Denver to take delivery of the first Boeing Model 80. While they
were gone Catwalk and Curly worked dawn ‘til dark. They enlarged
the hangar barn to make room for the Boeing, so maintenance could
be performed out of the weather. They then installed the wiring for
additional lights and electrical outlets. They partitioned off part
of the building for a maintenance office, complete with built in
desks and file drawers. They mowed, leveled and installed a wind
sock on the landing field.

After dark Catwalk often listened to the
radio. He’d always been impressed with Barney’s wealth of knowledge
about the events taking place in the world and found his own
interest in current events growing. And he looked forward to the
different radio programs, such as Amos n’ Andy, The Lone Ranger and
Fibber McGee and Molly. One evening, after listening to President
Roosevelt’s fireside chat, he asked Curly, “What do you think is
going to happen in this country?”