“A baby is born with a
need to be loved and never outgrows it.”
-
Frank A. Clarke
1878
Kansas
Hannibal Heyes was
restless. The stress and the tension of
the robbery should have all but slipped away from him by now. He had left the posse and any trail out in
the rain and Flo and her girls’ welcome should have been distraction enough to
make him keep to the warm bed he had just stole away from.
He knew he would not see Kid
till morning and feeling oddly lonely he stepped out into the hall wondering if
he could get anyone still awake into a conversation.
A sound made him pause and retreat back.
Stopping at the back stairs he listened and knew he had heard right, a baby,
crying. Intrigued he tapped on the
door and when he got no answer was still enough under the affect of the night’s
whiskey to peek in without worrying about consequences.
The room was dark, except for a
single candle on the dresser, which gave enough light to show a young black
woman in bed alone, the baby beside her crying mournfully.
“Ma’am?” he said.
When he received no response he
took a step in and knew then something was wrong.
“What is it?”
He turned to see Kid in stocking
feet wearing only a hastily donned pair of jeans, six gun in his hand.
“I don’t know….how did you know
I was up?” Heyes said going over to the woman.
“Just knew,” Kid mumbled.
His partner turned to stare at
him, “Just knew?”
“All right I tipped the house
boy to tell me if you left your room.”
“You what?!”
“You make me nervous when I
don’t know where you are, especially with a posse out there.”
“How did you know I would…”
“Heyes you have the shortest
attention span of anybody I ever met,” Kid said matter a factly. “Gonna take more than one of Flo’s girls to
keep you occupied all night.”
“Kid I can look after myself…”
“Course you can, how is she?”
“We’re gonna talk about this
later.”
“Course we will…what is it?”
“Kid she’s dead.”
The two men stared at each other
horrified.
“She pass on?”
It was Flo yawning in the
doorway, her tall red headed frame filling it.
“Yea…” Kid said.
“Shame, best housekeeper I
had. Her momma is due in from Richmond
on the morning train, she wrote her she was sick.” She turned and moved to leave.
“Ah what about the baby?” Kid
asked.
“No concern of mine. Gave them a roof when she got sick and a bed
when she wasn’t working, but I got no time for a baby, especially that color in
a town with a long memory of the war.”
“The body?” Heyes said stunned
by her lack of concern.
“Jackson will bury it out back
in the morning, don’t fret it ain’t going anywhere,” and she was gone.
Heyes looked down and realized
the baby had stopped crying and had taken hold of his finger.
“Looks like you made a friend,”
Kid grinned, but his eyes were troubled by the woman’s callous attitude.
“Hey little fellow?” Heyes said
picking the baby up with ease and holding him against him.
“Heyes I didn’t know you liked
babies!” Kid laughed.
“Don’t,” he glared.
“Oh yea I can see that, my
mistake,” Kid grinned.
***************************
1854
Kansas
Hannibal Heyes stared
down at the small bundle of baby and skeptically studied it. He sure was small. After all the fuss they had made about his arrival he at least
expected something a decent size, why the dog was bigger. And how was he suppose to play with it? No, he was not impressed.
“Han
what do you think of your cousin Jedediah?” his mother smiled.
He
shrugged trying not to look too disappointed and hoped they had not paid too
much for this cousin. Maybe there was
still time to trade him in for new soldiers.
He looked hopefully over at his grandfather who was beaming as he held
the child.
“Look
at those eyes, he’s a Curry! Strong
hands too!”
Heyes
fidgeted not liking the way his grandfather was taking to this…baby. He would have to make sure this little thing
understood he was his grandfather and he was not sharing him. Everyone knew grandpa loved him best, they
said so all the time.
“Come
and sit on my knee young Jedediah and I will tell you a tale of the old
country.”
To
Heyes’s horror his grandfather sat down in the rocking chair and snuggling the
baby up next to him began to spin him a story.
Running
to his father he began pulling on his pant leg trying to make him understand
the crime that was occurring.
“Han
you go play with you soldiers, leave folks be, been a long day.”
Heyes
stared up at him feeling alone and betrayed.
His grandfather and now his papa.
He looked around for his mother and to his disgust he saw she was
sitting by her father laughing as he told the baby the story.
They
were treating this useless thing special.
Didn’t everyone know he was the special one?
He
started to cry and was promptly shushed in case he disturb the baby.
Rejected
he crawled over to the corner to sulk.
This baby had been a bad idea.
***************************
“Got
the undertaker up, all taken care of,” Kid said coming into the parlor of the
bordello an hour later to find his cousin sitting with the baby. “Found a wet nurse too, she’ll be over as
soon as she gets dressed. This is
costing us a pretty penny you know.”
“He
loves that piano,” Heyes laughed as the baby gurgled happily to the music. “Louder and livelier the better. Cries if you stop the music.”
“Heyes
did you hear one thing I said?”
“Yea
you got milk and a funeral.”
“Mr.
Curry?” the sleepy woman said hesitantly from the doorway.
“Oh
thanks for coming, Heyes this is Gretchen, she’s gonna take care of Bill.”
“Bill?”
“Yea
I figured he needed a name.”
“Why
Bill?”
“Looks
like old man Loomer that used to drive the mules when we were kids,” his cousin
grinned.
“Kid
if you ever marry let me name your children.”
“What?”
Heyes
smiled at Gretchen and handed the child over.
“He’s…”
the woman said looking up shocked.
“Hungry,”
Kid said his eyes cold. “Which is why I
paid you $20 gold.”
“Yes
Mr. Curry,” she said frightened and hurried over to the couch to begin suckling
the child.
“You
gonna threaten the whole town like that?” Flo said angrily coming down the
stairs. “I just heard how you shook
down the undertaker Curry and the minister.”
“You
shook down a minister?” Heyes said impressed.
“Woman
deserves a Christian burial,” Kid said.
“You
told him he’d be going to his own if he didn’t do it!” Flo yelled. “Now I want
you two and that brat out of here before you cause me more trouble than you are
worth!”
“Flo,”
Heyes said slipping an around her waist and pulling her to him. “Not even for me?” His words caressed her with the same skill his hands were
demonstrating.
“Well…”
The
baby suddenly let out a cry and she broke free furious.
“Heyes
I want him out now!” she shrieked and then softened and smiled seductively, “But
I guess you can stay.”
“Flo
in case you haven’t noticed it’s raining?” Heyes said becoming annoyed. The baby was not hurting anyone, and they
had paid more than generously for their stay.
“Yea
well the war ain’t been that too far gone and people got long memories around
here,” Flo spat. “Ten minutes Heyes and
then I call the law.”
Heyes
caught her as she moved for the stairs and spun her around sharply.
“No
Flo you are not. You are gonna let the
baby stay here till his grandma arrives and when I see that safely done the Kid
and I will be leaving, but until then let it be and Flo? Don’t ever threaten me.”
She
stared into his hard dark eyes and shivered.
This was the Hannibal Heyes the wanted posters talked about. This was the outlaw leader she rarely caught
a glance of and it terrified her.
“Sure
Heyes, whatever you say, your money.”
“Good.” He let her go and then turned dismissing her
completely.
“I
ain’t keeping no baby though.”
“Not
asking you to,” Heyes said quietly.
“Wouldn’t trust you.”
It
was a slap in the face and she almost moved to get angry again, but the look in
his eyes was smoldering now and she decided on retreat.
“What
are we gonna do with a baby?” Kid asked quietly.
“Well
she said the grandma was coming on the morning train,” Heyes said running his
hand through his hair trying to think.
“Yea
and what if she don’t?”
“She
will.”
“All
right, but who’s gonna look after him tonight?”
“We
will.”
“And
what do you know about looking after babies?” Kid said stunned.
“I
got experience,” Heyes said indignant.
“Now stop asking questions your scaring Bill.”
************************
March
made way to summer, it was a hot one and his mother had brought him to visit
his cousin while they worked on canning.
“He
don’t do nuthin’.” He complained sulkily staring at the baby smiling up at him
from the small floor cradle on the porch.
“Of
course not Han, he’s a baby,” Rachel said.
Being four gave her a far wider range of knowledge and she was always quick
to make sure her younger cousin was aware of that. “Now you watch him while I help the women.” And with that she trotted off to the barn
where they were fetching jars.
Heyes
glared at her and then transferred it down to the laughing child smiling up at
him.
He
tried to keep the glare, but the baby only laughed and smiled harder. He sure did have blue eyes. Just like his mom and uncle, they were. Hesitantly he put out a finger and the baby
grabbed it delighted.
Heyes
smiled, “Silly baby, I can get free,” he said and did.
The
baby laughed and Heyes found himself laughing back and giving the child his
finger again. The baby seemed to think
this was wonderful, that he was wonderful.
It was a nice feeling.
Maybe
he ain’t so bad, he thought. Ain’t his
fault he’s little, not everyone can be grown like me.
It
was then he saw the snake. It had
slithered on to the porch seeking shade; its rattle sounding warningly as it
encountered the cradle.
Heyes
froze; the cradle was directly in its path and the snake sensing something
interesting was moving towards it and the baby.
“Mama!
Mama!” he yelled backing away afraid.
The
baby startled began to cry.
Heyes
took a step to run to the barn and his mama and then stopped and looked
back. Jed was so little; the snake
would get him for sure.
Suddenly
resolved he moved back and tried to lift the child up and away, but it was
impossible and he only got so far as to get him on the porch, knocking the
cradle on its side as he did. Truly
scared now he saw the snake close in on them and then he had it, he knew what
to do.
Tipping the cradle the
rest of the way over it completely
covered Jed and he smile satisfied. The
snake couldn’t reach Jed hid in there.
Jed
safe he started screaming as he realized the snake had now turned its attention
on him.
His
uncle had just entered the gate and was crossing the yard with his gun and a
rabbit shot from hunting. He stopped
and took in the scene just as the women ran from the barn to see what the commotion
was about.
“Jedediah!”
the baby’s mother screamed at the upturned cradle.
“Hannibal!”
came the second cry as Han’s mother noticed the snake.
The
shot from the gun blew the snake’s head straight off its body and smacked it
into the wall.
Heyes
watched as the women ran to the porch and hurriedly freed Jed from his hiding
place as his uncle scooped him up to make sure he was unharmed.
“You
shoot good Uncle,” Han said impressed.
“You
think to put the cradle over Jed, Hannibal?” his uncle asked crouching down to
look at him.
“Yes
sir.”
“Smart
thinking boy, you are gonna be a clever one for sure. My son is lucky to have a cousin like you looking after him.”
And
then he offered Heyes his hand and Han shook it feeling very brave and very
much a grown-up.
“Oh
he could have been…” the women were crying and fussing over the baby as the two
men folk watched embarrassed for them.
“Rachel you never should have left him!” his aunt scolded hugging the
crying baby to her.
“I
didn’t know mama!” Rachel was crying now too and her mother pulled her close
and hugged her.
“It’s
all right wife, he had his cousin looking after him,” his uncle winked down at
Heyes who puffed up even taller as his uncle explained.
“Oh
thank you Hannibal,” his aunt said hugging him until he couldn’t breathe.
“Han
that was a very clever thing you did,” his mother said tears in her eyes as she
hugged him as well. “I think that
deserves a cinnamon stick.
Heyes
brightened even more, this looking after your cousin had unforeseen rewards.
“Here
you sit and I’ll get you one,” his aunt said and his uncle picked him up and
set him down in grandpa’s chair by the fireplace, the honor not lost on him.
“Can
I hold him?” he said suddenly as his aunt went to put the baby down.
The
women looked at each other and then his uncle.
“Sure
ya can Han, about time you two got to know each other. I get the feeling you
are gonna be good friends,” his uncle smiled and taking the baby from his wife
placed it in Heyes’ lap where he wrapped his arms around it.
The
baby instantly stopped crying and looking up at him laughed.
“He
likes you,” his mother said delighted.
Heyes
considered this and finally made the same decision. “I think I’m gonna like him
too.”
************************
“Thank you for what you
done,” Mrs. Robinson said quietly. It
had just been her and them at the gravesight, the minister having fled once his
work was done. She had asked to go straight to the station having no wish to
remain a moment longer.
“You
gonna be able to manage?” Heyes said concerned as he helped her and the child
aboard with all their supplies.
“I’ll do, always
have.” The old, bent, ex-slave looked
up suddenly trying to understand their kindness. “You boys knew her?”
“No
ma’am,” Kid said understanding her meaning.
“Just found her, wanted to make sure the baby got took care of.”
“Even
got me a room at the hotel, done never stayed in a white man’s hotel, how did
you do that?”
“My
friend had a talk with the owner on his rooming policy,” Heyes said innocently.
“I
bet he did,” the woman chuckled. “I
can’t never repay you for this. Maybe
somehow little Luther can by growing up to be something good and right for this
world.”
“Luther?”
Kid asked not liking it.
“Yes,
good Christian man’s name.”
“We
call him Bill,” Kid admitted.
The
woman laughed. “I’ll tell him that when
he gets older.”
“Oh
and if he starts to cry, play music, I think he wants to dance!” Heyes said
helping her get settled.
“Young
man I intend to see that my grandson has nothing to do with no music and
dancing! Why the very idea!”
“Yes
ma’am,” Heyes grinned and saying their good byes they exited the train.
“You
think he’ll be all right?” Kid asked.
“Hope
so, got a good grandma there, though I think she’s wrong about the music.”
“You
sure are the expert on baby’s all of sudden,” Kid said grinning.
“Yea,
I started at an early age.”
Historical Note:
“Bill” did indeed go back to live with his
grandma, an ex-slave in Richmond, but ran away early. It seems he couldn’t heed her admonishment that ‘A slave dances,
a fool dances, the devil dances, but not a good Southern Baptist boy!” Luther ‘Bill’ Robinson or better known as
‘Mr. Bojangles’ became an American legend for his dancing in vaudeville, Broadway,
the Cotton Club and Hollywood (You might remember him best dancing down those
steps with Shirley Temple in ‘Little Rebel’).
He fought for the right to dance no matter what color you were and won
the hearts of a nation.
In 1919 he coined the word, Copasetic, which
meant everything is better than all right, better than fine and dandy, it’s
copasetic!