The Return of Wildcat Kitty and the Cyclone Kid Page 4

Henry Tolliver, sometimes known as Chief Two Owls lowered the newspaper he was reading. His dark eyes behind inch thick round eyeglasses peeked over the top edge of the page. . He was a thin, spindly man, wearing a denim jacket, buckskin trousers, knee high moccasins, and a flat brimmed black hat with a domed crown. Three eagle feathers were fitted into a wide red hatband.

  "Something wrong, Sugar?" He asked as Kitty almost passed him by. He was sitting on the bench outside their cabin. Since the cabin was on the east side of the street, Henry was still taking advantage of the coolness provided by the morning shadow.

  Kitty was almost startled; coming out of her thoughts and reverie by the suddenness of the old man's voice. "Oh. Chief," she said with a bit of surprise. "I didn't see you there." She still had the envelope in her hand. She had been deep in thought.

  "Well, I was probably hidden by the paper," he said jovially.

  Kitty glanced at the paper and noted that it was The Thimble Creek Tribune. Must have come in the mail, she mused.

  "Just keeping up with the news back home," Chief offered, almost as an excuse.

  "I didn't know you could....could..." Kitty stammered.

  "See that well.? You'd be surprised just how well I can see." Henry smiled and set the paper down beside him. Then motioned to the other side of him. Come on¸Kitten. Sit down and keep an old man company for a while."

  Kitty half smiled and shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

  Henry saw a bit of the burden Kitty was carrying lift momentarily.

  Kitty sat close, next to him.

  "Now, I can see you real good, sweetie," he said.

  "You really can see better than you let on, Henry?" Kitty asked.

  "Of course. I can read and do all sorts of things up close. At a distance, I'm not so good. But I can get by."

  "Why do you let Rap pick on you so about it? He keeps saying you're so blind."

  "And I just go along with him. I know he's just funning and I fun with him back. I know he really likes me, even though he's kind of in competition with me. But I don't let that bother me none."

  "Competition? Whatever for?" Kitty asked.

  "He fancies himself your grandpa's new partner ever since you sprung them both out of that Sonora jail. All those dime novels have me as The Cyclone Kid's faithful Indian companion don't you see?"

  "Oh, and you hadn't been riding with Grandpa for quite a while."

  "That's right Kitten. And old Rap figured he was tougher than me and should be your Grandpap's partner instead of me. After all, he was bit younger and still had the bark on. And he sure does have that. Hell, I never did have the bark on."

  "You shouldn't say that, Henry. I've seen you in action, remember. You're very capable."

  "But not like Rap."

  "But, still Grandpa wouldn't toss you aside for Rap," Kitty said.

  "Of course not," Henry said, dismissing the notion. "I never intimated that he did or ever would. Your Granddaddy and I go back a long ways. As much as Rap would like to think he's replaced me and as much as your Grandpa thinks of Rap, your Grandpa and I are still partners and will be beyond the end of the trail. Just don't you worry about me and Rap and your Grandpa. We're all right."

  "How did you and Grandpa meet up, Henry?" Kitty asked. She suddenly wondered why she had never enquired before.

  "Oh, that was a long time ago. Your Grandpa helped me out of a bad time. He was like that. Always helping people out of trouble. He always said it was his way of forgetting things he didn't want to remember, but it was just his nature to help others, right wrongs, and see that justice was done. He never really wanted to forget what he said he wanted to, anyways. He really wanted to remember forever. It was all he had."

  "You mean, my grandmother," Kitty said.

  Henry nodded. "His life was empty when he lost her. He knew his son didn't understand when he rode off. That just made the burden worse. He drifted about aimlessly, helping people along the way and building a reputation for himself with a gun."

  "I came west, from Boston, on a wagon train with my wife and son."

  "I didn't know you'd been married, Henry," Kitty said.

  "Twice," Henry said. "Cholera broke out on the train. It started with my family. My son got it first. They made us leave the train. Left us stranded in the middle of Utah. My son died shortly afterward. I started to build a cabin. Then my wife came down with the fever and died too. With both of them buried there and the cabin almost built, I decided to stay. I didn't want anything to do with so called civilized people again.

  "I turned the cabin into a trading post and began trading with the Utes and Shoshones. I built up a good trade and the post grew. Soon wagon trains were stopping to stock up on supplies and trade. Eventually, some travelers decided to stay and build their own businesses. Years passed and a town grew up. My trading post turned into a general store and emporium."

  "But, how did you meet my Grandpa?" Kitty was getting impatient after the long dissertation.

  "I'm getting to that, sweetie," Henry didn't seem rushed by her impatience.

  "While I was trading with the Shoshone, I met the Chief's daughter. Her name was Moon Star. By this time I had been alone for a long time and I was quite taken with her. Well, the long and the short of it is, I married her and brought her to town to live with me at the store. You can imagine what the good people of the town that I started thought. Oh, they still wanted to trade with me and still wanted the goods I provided, but they were down right mean to Moon Star. One night, some drunken cowboys broke into the store. They beat me up and did awful things to Moon Star before setting fire to the store.

  "Your Grandpa came rushing in, shot those bastards, pulled the two of us to safety and saved what he could of the store. The townspeople just looked on. Well, your Grandpa took us both out to the Shoshone tribe where we could be taken care of by decent folk and he stayed with us. My eyes were singed by the fire and I never could see that well again. As for Moon Star, she had been badly burned all over and she was never the same. She never even knew who I was, again. I never did go back to the town and what was left of the store. I stayed with the Shoshones a long time and learned a lot about their ways and such. Your Grandpa stayed awhile too. He was a good friend.

  "When the time came for him to ride on, I asked if I could go with him. He said, if I could keep up, but he rode slow enough. We bummed around ever since. It was because of the Indian clothes I wore that the dime novel guys invented that Chief stuff about me, but I never did anything to brag about. Hell, most of the stuff they wrote about your Grandpa isn't true either. They don't know the real stuff and that's a whole lot better."

  "So, how come you quit riding with Grandpa?" Kitty asked.

  "I didn't. He quit riding with me. He said I was getting too old. I should be doing something easier than traipsing around old dusty trails and sleeping on hard ground during cold nights. I told him I didn't mind. Hell, it wasn't half as bad as that darn medicine show. Dancing around and chanting. Hell, I'm no good at dancing. Almost fell off the tailgate of that damn wagon a couple of times."

  Kitty laughed. "So, why? Why did you split?"

  "Cy thought it would be best. He thought he might be bringing problems my way and he didn't want that to happen."

  "What kind of problems?"

  "Well if your Grandpa hasn't told you about it already, I might be telling tales out of school."

  "Well, I won't tell him, you told me," Kitty was eager like a school girl.

  "Maybe you should know," Henry said after thinking about it a moment. "Just in case a situation comes up.

  "Well, what is it?" Kitty was just about bursting with curiosity.

  "It seems, there's a bounty hunter on his trail."

  "A bounty hunter?" Kitty exclaimed. "What for? You don't mean for what we've been doing?"

  Henry was silent for a moment. He had a more recent reason for how to answer the question, but answered it in the context of the current conversation. "No. I'm not sure it's even a val
id charge anymore. From what I gather, it's something very personal. It's something you're going to have to hear from your Grandpa.

  "Now, young lady," Henry said, sitting erect, changing his tone, and the subject of conversation. "I've been doing all the talking. Are you going to tell me now what's been bothering you; making you look so glum?"

  Kitty slapped the opened envelope she was holding in her hand against the palm of her other hand and sighed. "I got this letter today," she said. She sounded tired and defeated. Henry waited for her to continue. "It's from my friend Paco. He used to work for us on the ranch, but when I sent my mother to Sain Louis for her health, I sent Paco with her to look after her. We put her in a home for care. According to Paco's letter, my mother has taken a turn for the worse. She needs more care in a more expensive home and we are nearly out of money. I've been sending what I could. You know we didn't come out with anything from that last go around with Price."

  "Are you saying, you think it's time we got back in business?" Henry said. "That's never made you so glum before."

  "It's not that, Henry. I just hope I'm not too late in getting the money to her. Besides, I'd like to go to Saint Louis and see her, at least one more time."

  "Have you talked to your Grandpa about this?" Henry asked.

  "No. I didn't know how he might feel about it. Things were strained between him and my father. I didn't know how he felt about my mother."

  "You mean you haven't told your Grandpa what you've been doing with the money you've been taking? Child, your Grandpa adored your mother and I'm sure he'd like to go to St. Louis and see her too."

  "He would?" Sunlight glinted on a tear and her eyes brightened.

  "Gospel truth," Henry smiled and squeezed her shoulder.

  "Then I'd better go tell Grandpa we're heading back to Thimble Creek right away." Kitty jumped to her feet.

  "Hold on there, girl," Henry cautioned. "Don't be in such a hurry. We don't have to go back to Thimble Creek. We can always pull a job somewhere else."

  "What? Somewhere else? No! That would be stealing."

  "Isn't that what we do?" Henry said.

  "Not when it's from Simon Price?" Kitty said indignantly. "He's already stolen it once. It doesn't belong to him."

  "But the law still calls it stealing when we do it too." Henry said.

  "Are you getting squeamish, Chief?" He was no longer Henry.

  "I'm just saying, there are other places to get money. There's a lot of trouble in Thimble Creek right now." He indicated the newspaper in his hand. "It might be best to steer clear for a while."

  "What kind of trouble?" Kitty asked warily.

  "Those four boys we ran into the last time. One of them called himself Frankie the Kid. They've been captured and tried. They're being held in jail until the twentieth of this month when they will be sentenced. You know Price will be looking for you to come get them out."

  "Well then, I' not about to disappoint him." She hurried off.

  Chief stood up and slammed the paper down on the bench in exasperation and stormed back inside the cabin. He had deliberately not told her what else he had read in the paper. There was even bigger trouble awaiting Wildcat Kitty, The Cyclone Kid, and the Wildcat Gang in Thimble Creek.

  “Hey, Kitty! Wait up!” A young man’s voice called to her from behind. She was practically running and was more than halfway to the café where she was sure Cyclone and the others would still be breakfasting. Her step faltered for a split second, but not wanting to be held up, she continued on without looking back.

  The call came again. “Kitty! Please! I’ve got to talk to you!” Suddenly, there was a hand on her arm, tugging at her sleeve.

  Kitty slid to a halt, spun around; her green eyes flashing. Then seeing the boy standing before her, she calmed and mellowed. His face was paled and there was total embarrassment in his light blue eyes. “Willis!” Kitty exclaimed in surprise. “What is it? I’m in a terrible hurry, you know. I don’t mean to be rude, but…….”

  “I’ll only be a minute, Kitty. I promise.” His Adam’s apple bobbed nervously in his throat. “But I had to see you. To say good by.”

  “Good by. But.. but. How could you know?”

  “Pop Dawson kicked us out. We have to leave. So I guess I won’t be seeing you any more.”

  “Kicked you out? For heaven’s sake. What for?”

  “My brother Red. He got ragging on your Grandfather and there was some trouble, so Pop threw us out. We have to get our gear and get going in the next few minutes.”

  “Trouble with my Grandpa?”

  “Oh, it wasn’t his fault. Your grandfather didn’t want any part of it, but that big Arapahoe Brown mixed into it. Red got what he deserved. And now we got to go.”

  “What about Rap and Grandpa.”

  “Pop’s overlooking Brown because he’s a friend of your Grandfather. Your grandfather said that wasn’t right and he even tried to keep Pop from kicking us out, but Pop said we were trouble makers anyhow and he didn’t want us around.”

  “Well, you’re not a trouble maker, Willis.”

  “No, But I’m their brother and I ride with them. That makes me just as bad as them.”

  “Well, I don’t believe that, Willis and I never will. I think you’re a kind, wonderful boy.”

  “I…I was hoping you might see me as a man, Kitty,” Willis stammered shyly looking down at his boots and avoiding her eyes.

  “Oh, Willis, I do.” She brushed his cheek with her hand and lifted his face. “I know what you’ve been hoping, but we ride separate trails. There’s nothing for me to hope for right now either. We’re leaving the stronghold too, just as soon as possible. I have things to do. Maybe someday our trails will cross again. Maybe you’ll find someone else to hope for. Whatever, I hope you get away from those brothers of yours and find a good life for yourself.” She turned on her heel and ran off toward the café leaving Willis standing there, watching her go.

  Chapter Three