Drena
Hills
-
Sir James Barrie
MISSING
SCENE- WRONG TRAIN TO BRIMSTONE
Just after
they see the Sheriff and before they get on the train…. what they did that
afternoon as they hid out and waited for the train to leave.
“I
sure wish we had spotted that sheriff after we had lunch,” Kid sighed tossing
his saddlebag down on the pile of hay in the loft of the deserted barn they had
commandeered.
“Just
be grateful we saw him before he saw us,” Heyes said trying to ignore the fact
he was hungry too by opening his pocket watch to distract himself. “Now the train leaves at 8:17 so we just
have….” He sighed. “8 hours and 17
minutes to wait.”
“Wonderful,”
Kid sighed flopping down on the hay and wondering how much of that he could nap
away.
“Well
at least we are out of the sun…” Heyes stopped as Kid’s gun leapt into his
hand. Kid put a finger to his lips and
motioned down to the floor of the barn.
Sliding
across the floor on their stomachs they peered over the edge in time to see a
plank of wood slam against the side of the far loft across from them.
Giving
each other a confused look they watched in amazement as a little girl on a
bicycle appeared at the edge of the ramp and gave every indication she was
going to attempt to go down it.
“Wait!” Kid yelled jumping up.
Heyes
put his face down in the hay, he couldn’t have stopped Kid getting involved,
but there were times when he did hope the instinct for survival would take
over.
The
little girl looked up and two young boys approximately 10 and 13 appeared from
out of the shadows at the bottom of the ramp.
“Who
are you?” the oldest asked politely.
“Who
am I?” Kid said annoyed holstering his gun.
“Who are you letting her do that?”
“She’s
our sister,” the youngest boy said as if that explained everything.
“Oh
and that gives you the right to send her careening to her death?” Kid said down
the ladder on his side and glaring at the boys as he walked past them to climb
the ladder on her side.
“She’s
the lightest,” the oldest explained.
“For
what?” Kid asked helping the girl off the bike.
“We
wanted to see if we could make the bike fly over to the other side.”
Heyes
sat up on that one looking down fascinated.
“You’d
need more of a running start,” he said thoughtfully.
The
three children looked over realizing for the first time he was there.
“Yes
we thought that,” the oldest said.
“That’s why we brought the ramp, this was just the first test run.”
“You
need to start it outside maybe coming off that tree and through the window,”
Heyes continued.
Kid
looked at him, “Joshua are you trying to kill their little sister too?”
“No,
I was just trying to point out the flaw in their plan,” Heyes said dangling his
feet over the edge and looking no more than ten himself.
“They
don’t usually kill me,” the little girl said smiling up at Kid.
“It’s
a brother’s job to look after his sister,” Kid said fiercely.
“We
are!” the youngest brother said indignant, “We let her play!”
“Why
the barn?” Heyes asked interested.
“Landing
softer with the hay and the only two close high points….” The oldest started
and then stopped looking worried.
“Where
no grown ups would see what you were doing,” Heyes grinned understanding.
Nodding
he took the ladder to the floor and walked over to the bicycle Kid had carried
down.
“Never
seen one like this,” he said impressed with the design.
“I
made some modifications,” said the oldest proudly. “Faster, utilizes its frame and weight for speed.”
Heyes
nodded and then studied the distance between the two lofts. “You got your calculations?”
The
two boy’s eyes lit up at his interest.
“Yes
sir!”
“Would
you like some lunch?” the little girl asked Kid. “My name is Katherine.”
And Kid fought a smile as she managed to curtsy in overalls.
“Thank
you Katherine, but I wouldn’t want to take your lunch.”
“Oh
no Mama always packs ever so much and those two always forget to eat.”
And
if to suggest she would not hear of him refusing she took him by the hand and
led him over to a pile of hay where a large basket sat waiting.
“Please
be seated and I will set out supper,” she said formally.
Laughing
now, Kid obliged and watched impressed as she laid out a white cloth and
systematically began setting out fruit and bread and cheese.
“How
old are you Katherine?” he asked.
“I
am 8.”
“Your
brothers?”
“10
and 13. I have four brothers.”
“And
you’re the youngest?”
“Yes,”
she sighed with a great suffering expression that made him laugh again.
“You
are a very good hostess,” Kid said as she poured him a cup of water, obviously
enjoying herself tremendously.
“Yes,
usually I just have dolls, you are much nicer, you talk.”
Heyes
looked up on this line and a grin began forming across his face, but the look
Kid gave him made him swallow it down.
“Looks
like its lunch time boys,” Heyes said
deciding it was safer to turn as he did.
“Oh
that can wait,” said the oldest.
“We
can do both,” Heyes said firmly and planted the two down, one on either side of
him.
“Good
afternoon sir may I pour you some water?” Katherine asked Heyes.
“Why
yes thank you ma’am, and may I say how lovely you are looking today,”
he responded with every ounce of charm God had
given him. A lady was a lady, no matter
what the age.
Katherine
experienced her first, but by no means last blush.
“Thank
you sir. We have cookies, I helped make
them.”
“All
you did was pour the raisons in,” the youngest brother said rolling his eyes as
food was pounced on as everyone realized they were indeed hungry.
“Never
discount the little contributions,” Heyes said firmly. “They can make all the difference between
success and failure.”
“We
are here on vacation visiting a friend of Papa’s,” Katherine said making polite
conversation since her brothers had become engrossed in their blueprint
again. “I live in Indiana, have you
ever been to Indiana Thaddeus?”
“No
ma’am I haven’t,” Kid said accepting another cookie. She seemed to like feeding him, which Heyes didn’t miss and this
time the grin did escape.
“So
what do you gentlemen do?”
She
said it so properly that both burst out laughing.
“I
was not aware my question was amusing,” she parroted from some past overheard
conversation.
“Just
ignore her,” the younger brother sighed.
“So you think if we use that tree outside it might work?”
“Should,”
Heyes said. “You want some help?”
It
was Kid’s turn to look up surprised as the two boys answered yes with a cheer.
“Well
we got an afternoon to kill,” Heyes said defensively.
“Course
we do Heyes, you go play,” Kid said leaning back and putting his hat over his
eyes, sleepy now he was full.
In
that position he missed the look of disappointment his partner gave him. Heyes was enjoying himself. He liked things that needed figuring out,
always had.
“Mr.
Jones?’
“Yes
Katherine,” came the muffled reply from under the hat.
“Do
boys really have all the fun?”
Kid
pushed his hat up to look at the serious and freckled face before him.
“Only
when they have pretty girls like you around.”
She
looked down, “I’m not pretty.”
“Who
told you that?”
“My
brothers,” she gave him a heartbreaking sigh.
“Besides I’m only a girl.”
“Katherine,
I promise you there will come a day when ‘only a girl’ will do for them.”
He
smiled.
She
smiled back.
“Your
nice.”
“So
are you,” he said and pulled the hat back over his eyes.
It
got quiet and he thought she had left until he felt a pressure against his
arm.
Raising
the hat ever so slightly he saw she had curled up next to him and was now fast
asleep.
Pretty,
smart, made cookies and knew when to let a man take nap.
“Katherine
you are gonna be a heart breaker,” He smiled and closed his eyes.
***********************
Heyes
studied the hastily revised blue print frowning as the two brothers watched him
hopefully. They almost had it, but the
last bit was eluding them despite how good their ideas. This required a practical touch.
“What
should we do Mr. Smith?”
Heyes
grinned wickedly, “Go hammer on the barn wall.”
“How’s
that gonna help?”
“Trust
me.”
*****************************
The
nap didn’t last but twenty minutes not with the amount of banging going on and
finally muttering Kid got up and went outside.
The
two brothers and Heyes turned as one, frustration across their faces.
“Having
a little trouble with the integrity,” Heyes said. “I know what I want, but I
don’t know how to get it there.”
“It’s
that left corner,” Kid said eyeing up the ramp running from the tree down into
the window. If you use that old stump
and that wagon over there…here let me show you.”
“Your
right he is good,” the youngest whispered to Heyes. “I’m glad you got him to help.”
“Just
had to get him out here,” Heyes winked back.
Kid
turned and looked at them. Both
responded with innocent smiles.
Kid
sighed and got the wagon.
Two
hours later it was done. An amazing
testimony to ingenuity, spare wood and imagination. It careened down the huge oak tree into the window of the loft at
a dizzy angle.
“Go
wake Katherine up,” the older boy said nudging his brother.
“No,”
Heyes said before Kid could get it out.
“If we’ve got this right it will work with a man’s weight.”
“Which
man’s weight?” Kid said dubious.
“Mine,
I always wanted to fly.”
“You
never grew up Heyes.”
“Thank
you. Now get on the other side and wait
for me.”
Waking
Katherine so she would not miss it, Kid and the boys climbed to the far loft to
await Heyes’s arrival.
“Ready?”
he yelled from the tree.
“Ready!” Kid said.
And
then everyone watched in awe as the bicycle sailed through down the ramp
through the window and then off the edge of the loft.
Everyone
gasped as it sailed through the air and then the first wheel connected with the
far loft and then as they held their breath the second wheel landed and Heyes
crashed into the wall of hay and went down with the bicycle on top of him.
“You
okay?” Kid asked worriedly pulling it off as everyone hurried over.
“Kid
that was incredible…I was flying!” Heyes said sitting up dazed, but smiling.
A
cheer went up from the children.
“All
you need is wings to maintain the lift you get…” Heyes said.
“Here
you are Mr. Smith,” Katherine said handing him a cookie. “We must celebrate properly.”
“Thank
you,” Heyes said accepting it as everyone flopped down to talk and once.
“I’m
serious if you…” Heyes started to say.
“Katherine! Wil!”
came a woman’s voice.
“That’s
my mama,” Katherine said.
“Uh
we gotta go!” the younger boy said
grabbing the bicycle and then added as an afterthought. “Thanks mister. Your okay for a grown up.”
“Yea
thanks,” the older one said.
“Your
welcome Wil,” Heyes smiled.
“Here
for supper,” Katherine said passing Kid the remainder of the lunch basket and
then on impulse gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you for making me pretty Thaddeus.”
And
she was gone.
The
two outlaws sat dazed at the sudden departure and suddenly started to laugh.
“Wings
huh?” Kid grinned.
“Could
happen.”
“Ya
know Heyes maybe with those two it could.”
HISTORICAL
NOTE:
It was indeed possible with
those two. With proceeds from their
bicycle shop in Dayton Ohio, Katherine’s brother’s Orville and Wilbur Wright
made the first successful flight on December 16, 1903 in Kitty Hawk North
Caroline. No mention if there were
cookies in the celebration that followed.