Chapter 15

The rushing Pecos river wound noisily southwestward towards the Rio Grande.  Fluffy white clouds floated lazily eastward against a brilliant blue sky.  A westerly breeze set the surrounding trees into a synchronized swaying dance.  And the late afternoon sun shone down on two weary ex outlaws as they rested by the fireside in the clearing, waiting for the unconscious young woman lying nearby to awake.  Heyes watched  her, while the Kid watched Heyes.   Kid had taken a short nap and lay awake now observing his friend.

Hannibal Heyes was in love.  There was not question about it. He'd never said the words out loud, but just like Evangeline had told him, some things didn't have to be said, they were understood.  And Kid Curry understood.  After saving her life twice, his feelings for Evangeline had gone from theory to absolute fact. At least from Kid Curry's view.

"Hey, Kid?  You awake?" Heyes asked never taking his eyes of Evie.

"Yeah, I'm awake, Heyes."

"Do you think she's gonna be mad?"

"She might be a little upset at first, but when she understands that you had to get her clothes off to...."

"No, no, I mean about you and me.  Who we really are.  Me  lying to her this whole time.  I think she's gonna be mad."

"You've  saved her life, Heyes.  Twice.  Don't you think that's gonna soften the blow just a bit."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Not to mention the fact that I think she's just about as in love with you as you are with her.  So I'm pretty sure she'll forgive you."

Heyes head snapped sideways to stare at his partner.  Could it be true?  Could Evangeline be in love with him?  Women had claimed to be in love with him before.  But they had really been in love with their romantic notion of being in love with an outlaw.  He didn't think any of them had ever really loved him.  None of them had ever really taken the time to get to know who he really was.   They had always been swept up  in the glamour and excitement of being romanced by the most wanted man in the west.  The leader of the most notorious gang  west of the Mississippi.  But Evie.... she had only known him as Joshua Smith. She had no prior knowledge of who he really was or the things he'd done when she met him.   He knew she felt gratitude towards him, but love?

"I don't think you're gonna have to wait much longer to find out."

Heyes turned his eyes from his partner to the sleeping girl.  She was starting to stir. Had it only been a week ago that he'd sat by the fire in the night waiting for her to regain consciousness, just like now.  Only this time, he wasn't bracing himself for hysterical grief.  He honestly didn't know what to expect from her this time.  "Considering we did save her life, maybe she won't be too upset."

                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She had been out for a couple of hours when she started to stir.  She blinked her blurry eyes open.  She felt incredibly warm.  And light, like a feather on the breeze.  She was so warm.  There was a fire nearby, the early evening sun beat down on her, and she was wrapped tightly in a blanket.   She moved to sit up and throw the blanket off her.

"No! Don't!"  The two familiar male voices shouting in tandem halted her movements.

"Joshua?  Thaddeus?  What's the matter?"

"Don't take the blanket off just yet,"  Joshua said.

She glanced down at the blanket.  Then lifting the edge of the blanket she peeked underneath.  Her mouth fell open.  She turned wide eyes on the two men sitting there with guilty yet apologetic smiles on their faces,  and gaped at them.  "I'm.....naked."  She whispered the last word.  She saw her clothes and shoes hanging near the fire to dry.

"You were all wet remember.  After we pulled you up from the bluff over there,"  Joshua explained.

Everything came back to her now.   She remembered it all.   The death of her parents and her brother.   The week with Joshua.  The last two days with Harlan Mathis.  Mathis falling to his death.    "He's dead, isn't he."

"Yes, he's dead.  He won't hurt you or anybody else ever again."

She gazed up at the face of the man speaking to her.  That face.  She also remembered that face.  She loved that face. How had she ever thought him merely handsome.  He wasn't handsome, he was beautiful.   How could a person so sweet with a face that innocent and beautiful,  possibly be responsible for countless train and bank robberies?  Especially with those dimples.   Yes, she remembered that too.  What he'd told Harlan.  Who he and Thaddeus really were.  She hadn't wanted to believe it.  She had thought he was making the whole thing up just to intimidate the evil man he faced.  But when she'd asked him if it was a lie, she had seen the truth in his eyes.  It all made sense.  Everyone knew Heyes and Curry were extremely loyal partners, never far apart.  That Heyes was a near genius at the poker table.  And Curry was faster than anybody with a gun. She had witnessed all three of those points. And the stories about being in Devil's Hole.  Yes, it all fit.  But what was she going to do about it?  Did it really matter? That they were notorious outlaws, wanted dead or alive?  No, not really.  She loved and trusted both of them.  She knew she would always be safe with them.  That they had lied to her all this time?  Yeah, that one kind of ticked her off.

She took in a lung full of the cool evening air, and exhaled it slowly.  Then she turned accusing eyes on her two companions.  "Which one of you undressed me?"

The two ex-outlaws looked nervously at the ground and hemmed and hawed until finally , "I did,"  Heyes admitted while Kid pointed at his partner and mouthed the words "He did."

"But I didn't see anything,"  Heyes added quickly  in a less than convincing tone.

"Well are you two going to sit there and squirm or are you going to get me something to put on so I can get up and fix us some supper."

Both boys exhaled, having avoided a tantrum that most women would have thrown.  "I'll get you some clothes,"  Heyes said smiling.

"I'll get the cooking vessels,"  Kid said with a hungry look on his face.

                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were enjoying their meal in silence.  Evie hadn't said a thing to them about being Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry.  They were beginning to think maybe they were off the hook.

"Hey, Kid, do you think maybe she forgot about who we really are?"  Heyes whispered around a mouthful of food so only the Kid would hear.

“Is it difficult?”  Evie asked, surprising the ex-outlaws.

Both men stopped chewing and looked in unison first at her and then at each other.

“Is what difficult?”  Kid asked.

“Robbing a bank.”

Heyes began coughing as he choked on the mouthful of food he had been chewing.

“Well I guess that answers that question,”  the Kid said  so only Heyes could hear.

"And what about the trains.  Is that difficult as well?"

Both men sat mute with their heads lowered like two children caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"And what about telling the truth?  Is that difficult?  Apparently it is because I've been with the two of you for three days now, and with you for over a week  and it never occurred to either of you to mention the fact that you're Hannibal Heyes and you're Kid Curry?"

 Thaddeus was the first to get the nerve to speak.  "That's not exactly the kind of information we go passing around to just anybody, Evie."

"I didn't think I was just anybody?"  She looked Heyes dead in the eye, before throwing her half eaten meal to the ground and storming off.

The partners eyed each other briefly before Heyes rose to follow after her.  She was walking briskly, arms folded across her chest towards the river.  She stood near the edge and shuddered a little remembering how it felt to dangle over that edge not long ago,  when he came up behind her.

 "I know you're mad, but..."

"Mad?"  She turned to him, a wounded look in her eyes.  "I'm not mad.  Well, maybe I am a little but mostly..... I'm hurt.  Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't ever tell people who I really am when I meet them Evie, surely you can understand why."

"Even after all that we've been through together.  And it's not like you didn't have plenty of opportunities.  I even asked you how you knew so much about outlaws, and  you told me it was because you knew some.  Knowing the whole time you were one.  And not just any outlaw. You're one of the most wanted men in the country.  Responsible for God only knows how many robberies.   And you let me go on about being afraid to go to Devil's Hole.  You could have told me then that you lived there.   What were you afraid of?  That I would turn you in?  I hope you know me better than that by now."

"I know, I'm sorry.  There were times I thought about telling you, but you were dealing with so much already."

"All the things you told me about your childhood, and your parents being killed and being sent to the home....was any of it true?"

Now he was a little hurt, and it showed in his eyes.  "Yes, it was all true.  The only thing I told you that wasn't true is that my name is Joshua Smith and that his name is Thaddeus Jones,"  he pointed to the Kid with his thumb over his shoulder.  "Everything else was true."

She turned away from him.  She wanted to be mad at him a little longer.  But the hurt look in his dreamy brown eyes was weakening her resolve.  Now she wanted to throw her arms around his neck and kiss his dimpled cheeks all over and forgive him and tell him how much she loved him.  But she didn't. "When were you going to tell me?  Were you ever going to tell me?  Or were you just going to let me go on making a fool of myself forever?"

He smiled as he walked up behind her.  She was softening up, he could tell.  "A fool is the last thing I'd call you."  He boldly put his hands on her small waist.

"You didn't trust me enough to tell me.  That hurts my feelings. And you didn't answer my question.  When were you going to tell me?"

"Alright, I honestly don't know when I was going to tell you."  He took his boldness a step further and encircled  his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.  "I was just waiting for the right time.  But now I don't have to wait for the right time because you already know that I'm Hannibal Heyes."   He placed gentle lips to her temple and to her swollen bruised jaw.

She let her head fall back against his shoulder as she folded her arms across his that enclosed her waist.  She closed her eyes as he  gently swayed her slightly back and forth  She hadn't realized how much she had missed having him so close to her until he was there, enveloping her in his warm embrace.  "What were you planning to do, just drop me off at the next sheriff's office and leave me behind?"

He spun her around to face him and looked deeply into her eyes,  "Hey,  I hope you know me better than that by now.  I would never leave you like that."

He was doing it again.  Probing into her soul with his eyes.  How could she possibly stay mad or hurt at him.  She knew now why her mother forgave her father anything.  If he told her right now he was responsible for the entire civil war and the Lincoln assassination she would have forgiven him.  And she believed him.  And she trusted him.   "You promise?"

"I promise."

She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly to her.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" he asked, hugging her tightly back.

"Yes, I forgive you.  But from now on no secrets.  I would never do anything to hurt you or betray your trust."   And I love you, she wanted to add.

"Doesn't it bother you even a little bit that I'm a wanted man?"

"I guess it will only bother me if you get caught."

"Well, we'll have to do our best to keep that from happening."

"We've got a lot of things to figure out don't we?"

"We'll figure 'em out together, alright?"

She nodded and smiled up into his dimpled face,  before he lowered his lips to hers sealing his promise with a tender kiss.  They walked back to the fire hand in hand.

The three sat and watched in awe as the sun put on a breathtaking display of color before it finally disappeared behind the trees to their west.   Evie sat flanked by the two ex outlaws as they explained their amnesty deal with the governor of Wyoming.  Now she knew everything.  And she was delighted that they had made the decision to go straight.  Although she didn't think it would have made any difference to her if they would have told her they were going to clear out the entire Denver Mint tomorrow.  In fact, as she looked at Joshua's beautiful face beside her, she figured she  would have probably asked them what she could do to help.

"I've just got one dilemma though."

"What's that?"  Heyes asked  her.

"What do I call you?"  She looked at Kid,  "I don't even know what your real name is.  Unless your mother was extremely unimaginative."

"My real name is Jedediah.  Everybody called me Jed until I was about nineteen.  Heyes still calls me Jed when he's feeling particularly nostalgic. "

"I don't think I want to call you Heyes.  And I got the distinct impression that you don't want anybody calling you Hannibal."

"No I don't,"  he said emphatically.

"Aw, come on, Heyes, don't you want her to call you what Laura Thompson used to call you back at the home."

"Shut up Kid."

"What did she call him?"  Evie asked with amused enthusiasm.

"Kid...don't."

"She called him 'Hannie'."

"Awww, that's so sweet.  May I call you Hannie?"

"No, you may not,"  he glared at his partner to  let him know pay back was inevitable.  "Anyway I think it's best if you just keep calling us Thaddeus and Joshua.  That way we won't have to worry about you letting it slip in front of the wrong people."

"Alright then, Joshua and Thaddeus it is.  I guess we better get some rest now.   I don't know about you two but I'm exhausted. "

Kid yawned.  "Who takes first watch?"

Heyes reached into his pocket and produced a silver coin.  "Call it."

Minutes later,  she crawled into her bed roll and waited for Hannibal Heyes to crawl into his behind her, while Kid Curry watched over them as they slept.  She had never felt this safe and protected in her entire life.  Or this happy.

"Good night, Jed."

"Night, Evie."

“Good night, Hannie.”

She heard his exasperated huff.  “Now see what you’ve started?”

“Aw, come on Heyes, she’s just joshin’ with ya.”

“Well, how would you like to be called that stupid sounding name?”

“It could be worse Heyes.”

“Oh yeah. How?”

She didn’t hear Kid’s response.  She was drifting off.  The sound of their lighthearted bickering was like a lullaby to her and she drifted off into the most peaceful, dreamless sleep she had ever known.

                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ragtag threesome rode into the small town of Alpine at dusk the next day.  They had decided to take their chances with the sheriff, hoping he wouldn’t be anyone they had ever come across.  And they were all so road dusty and saddle soar they didn't really care.  But to their surprise, as they rode through town, they discovered that Alpine had no sheriff.  There was a sheriff’s office with a one cell jail, but the sheriff had died last year and the town had not bothered to hire a new one.  They all breathed heavy sighs of relieve as they rode through the dusty streets toward the only hotel in town.  They would wait until they got to Red Rock to inform the sheriff of all that had happened.

The sinking sun was the cue for the local ladies of the evening to come out onto the balcony of the rooms they inhabited above the only saloon in town, which was across the street from the hotel.  A town as small and remote as Alpine, rarely had strangers visiting, especially two young handsome men like the ones who just rode in with a girl.  Sally and Lucy watched as the three rode wearily into town and towards the hotel.  “Howdy, boys,”  they called to the two strangers as they waved their feather boas and batted their painted eyes.

Evangeline eyed the two painted ladies with the skimpy clothing with reproach.  Were they speaking to Joshua and Thaddeus?

The boys dismounted and Heyes came to help Evie from Jenny’s back.  When she was safely on the ground his hands lingered at her waistline a moment and he flashed his beautiful dimples down at her.

“Hey blondie,  if you’ve got the money honey, I’ve got the time.  Why don’t you come up and see me?”   the dark haired Lucy crooned.  Kid just smiled and waved.

“You, too, Dimples,”  called the blond haired Sally.

“Is she talking to you?”  Evie inquired, a little miffed.

“Don’t pay any attention.  They always do that when it starts getting dark.”

“Hey, Dimples,”  Sally called out again, “you ever feel like trading in that raggedy little thing for a real woman, you let me know, you hear.”

“She’s talking about me, isn’t she?”  Evangeline glanced down at her disheveled, dirty self.  No wonder she'd called her raggedy.  But they didn't know her or what she had been through.  It made her angry.  And how dare she flirt so blatantly with a man who, for all she knew, was hers.  She gave the woman a “how dare you” stare with her hands on her hips, that only produced a barrage of laughter from the flirtatious soiled doves.  When she opened her mouth to really let them have it, she was silenced by Heyes hand over her mouth.

“Don’t bother.  They’ll just keep laughing at you. Besides we’re used to it.  Happens in every town we stay in.  Forget about them.  Let’s go in and get a room then find Mr. McCreedy.”

“I can’t wait for a bath,”  Evie said.

“I can’t wait for a thick steak and soft bed,”  Kid said.

“I can’t wait for a cigar and good stiff whiskey,”  Heyes said.

                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three hours later, they sat in the hotel dining room, all bathed and changed, eating steaks with all the trimmings, courtesy of Patrick McCreedy.  They shared with their bespectacled benefactor the harrowing details of their adventures out on the trail.  Mr.  McCreedy had in turn informed them that the two surviving gang members had been apprehended a couple of days ago and were now awaiting trial in Austin, as soon as they both healed up.  Mac bought the hotel’s finest wine to celebrate their safe return.   Evangeline, not accustomed to drinking alcohol, after two glasses was quite tipsy.  And after a third was down right drunk.  The boys escorted her back to their adjoining rooms, where she collapsed on her bed in a wine induced sleep.  She had managed to bid them both a slurred good night before she succumbed to her intoxication .

“Why don’t you go on over.  You never did get that whiskey you wanted,”  Kid said to his partner who now stood at the window  watching the saloon across the street.

“Nah, I don’t want to leave her.  She might wake up and need something.”

“I’ll be here.  I’ll watch her.”

Heyes walked to the door that led to the adjoining room where Evie was sleeping.  The door was ajar as she had requested.  He peeked in and she was sound asleep.

“You’ll keep an eye on her?”

“Sure.  I won’t let her out of my sight.”

“Alright.”  He grabbed his hat from the hat rack on the back of the door.  “I’ll just have one.  Or maybe two.  I’ll be back soon.”

“Take your time.  I’d say she’s out for the night, so play a little poker if you want.”   Heyes didn’t hear that last part.  He was already out the door.

                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was nursing his second whiskey as he leaned with both elbows against the bar.  The first he’d downed in one quick shot.  Boy, he’d needed that.  And it was good to have some time alone.  He closed his eyes and absorbed the smells and sounds that came standard with all saloons.  They were familiar and comforting.  Familiar was good.  Because lately, everything he’d said, done and felt were vastly unfamiliar.  He had never felt for anybody what he felt for Evangeline.  And he’d needed these few quiet moments to himself to come to terms with just what and how he felt.  But even though the time alone was much needed, he found himself even now, wanting to hurry back across the street to be where she was.  To watch her while she slept.  To be there if she awoke and needed him.  He turned briefly and scanned the room.  The smoky room was filled with two of his greatest weaknesses,  bad poker players and voluptuous women.  But tonight neither one held as much appeal as watching a slightly tipsy nineteen year old poetry reading young woman sleep.  What was it about her?  He didn't know.  He just knew that when he had first found her, he was waiting to get rid of her so his life could continue like it always had.  But now....he was dreading to be apart from her and he felt in many ways like his life had just begun.  He turned back to lean on the bar.  He was anxious now to get back to her.   As soon as he finished this one, he’d head back to the hotel.

He was just downing the last of the whiskey when a pair of female hands came from behind to caress his shoulders, and a warm soft body was pressed against his back.  "Hello, there, Dimples. Remember me?  My name’s  Sally.   I knew you'd be around to see me sooner or later.  I'm sure glad you made it sooner and not later."  The deep, seductive  female voice belonged the the busty blond that had called to him from the balcony earlier.  She brought her mouth close  to his ear and purred  "You know it ain't everyday that men as good lookin' as you and your friend ride into this town.    Why not come up to my room and let me take care of all your worries?  I don’t think that little thing you rode in here with knows how to handle a stud like you.   Whadda ya say, Dimples?"

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Evangeline awoke to a dark and silent room.  How long had she been asleep.  She stretched and rubbed her eyes.  "Joshua?"  she called out. Ouch!  The sound of her own voice made her head woozy.

When silence greeted her she rose and the room tilted sideways.  With a slight stagger she made it into the adjoining room the boys shared.  Thaddeus was sitting in the chair next to the window sound asleep.  Joshua was not here.   Where could he be?  She looked at the pocket watch lying on the bedside table.  Eleven p.m.  Where would he go this time of night?  She walked to the window and pulled back the curtains.  The saloon.  She glanced at Thaddeus and knew he was out for a while.  She crept back to her room, donned her stockings and shoes and slipped silently out the door.

She approached the saloon doors with only slight trepidation.  She glanced nervously down the street in both directions.  Her mother would have been appalled to see her even standing in front of a saloon. But for some reason she didn't care what her mother would have thought.  It must be the wine in her veins, she decided.  Or perhaps her father's gambling blood in her veins was finally revealing itself.   She could hear the sounds of talking and laughter, and a twangy piano that was in bad need of tuning.  And she could smell the beer and whiskey.  Her heart was pounding as she dared to sneak a peek over the top of the heavy wooden bat wing doors.  Several tables were surrounded by men playing cards.  The twangy piano was in one corner, being played by a middle aged man, while a heavy set red head wearing a gaudy low cut dress attempted to sing along to "Beautiful Dreamer."   Several men stood at the bar drinking or ordering beer and whiskey.  And about half a dozen women in revealing dresses caroused about the room in search of any man who would take an interest.   An angry scowl washed over her face when she spotted the blond who'd spoken so rudely to her  and flirted so vulgarly with Joshua earlier that night.  She had herself draped all over some poor man, who obviously wasn't interested in her affections.  Hey,  he had a hat just like....her vision went green and then she saw red.

                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks ago, Sally's invitation would have been too much for him to resist.  Especially after a week like the one he'd just had, but for some reason her invitation just didn't interest him.  Who was he kidding.  He knew the reason and  that reason was sleeping in room 202 of the Alpine Inn across the street.  Heyes turned himself slowly, intending to politely refuse Sally's invitation.  He turned just in time to see Sally spin on her heels to face the person who had just tapped her on the shoulder.  Then he saw the right hook that caught her in the jaw and sent her flying side ways onto the floor at his feet.  All eyes in the saloon came to rest on the young woman who stood there in the middle of the room wincing and shaking her hand in mid air.

"Evangeline!  What the.....where did you....why the devil....."

He stepped over Sally's prone body, now surrounded by her fellow lady's of the evening.  He took some paper bills from his pocket and threw them on the floor beside the stunned women.  “Sorry ladies, this is for your trouble.”   Then he took Evangeline by the arm and hurried her out of the saloon.  They almost ran into Kid as he came running up on the board walk in front of the saloon.

"I thought you were gonna watch her!"

"Sorry.  I dozed off for a few minutes and when I woke up she was gone.  What happened anyway?"

"Take a look inside and you'll see."

Kid took in the scene inside and was able to fill in the blanks without any help.  Evangeline had come into the saloon just in time to see Sally offering her "goods" to Heyes.   Obviously not liking what she saw, and being filled with drunken bravado she had  punched the girl right in the jaw.  She was out cold.   Kid turned to see Heyes examining Evangeline's bruised right knuckles.

"What were you doing in there?"  Heyes asked her angrily.

"I was looking for you,"  she slurred.

"Well, you don't ever go into a place like that again.  And you don't go  around slugging people in the face."

"She had herself draped all over you,"  she threw back.  "And besides she had it comin' for the way she talked to me earlier.  And the way she was flirtin' with you.  Of all the nerve..."

"Was that right hook something else your father taught you?"  He found a tender spot on her hand causing her to suck in her breath.  "Sorry.  Maybe that will teach you not to go around punching innocent ladies in the face."

Her mouth hung open in disbelieve.  He was defending that....that.... oh she wanted so badly to say that ugly word, but she didn't.  "Innocent lady?  You  mean you're going to stand here and lecture me about how to properly treat a...a.....tramp...like that."

"Heyes we better get back to the hotel before people start taking an unhealthy interest and start asking questions."

They hurried back to the hotel room.  Once inside Heyes sat her on the edge of the bed where he leaned with both hands on either side of her.  "What I'm going to lecture you on is not drawing unnecessary undesired attention to yourself.  When you draw attention to yourself, people get curious and start asking questions.  That's something two wanted men can't afford. You understand?  Now we'll have to leave town first thing in the morning instead of resting here for a few days."

Her remorse at her actions was written all over her face.   She slapped both hands across her mouth, her movements exaggerated due to her inebriated state.   "Oh, no.  I'm sorry.  I didn't realize.  I've ruined everything."  She looked like she was going to start crying.

He was immediately sorry he'd lectured her at all.  In her inebriated state she was far too emotional.  He should have waited until morning.  He was just about to tell her it was alright and no harm had been done when she began to heave.

"Kid get me the pot, quick!"

Kid came with the chamber pot just in time for her to lose her supper into it.  In minutes she was out again.   Heyes removed her shoes and washed her face with a cool cloth.

"She's got a lot to learn, Heyes,"  Kid said as he leaned against the door jam of Evie's room watching his partner tend to the beautiful young woman with tender care.

"Yeah,  I know."

"Did she really lay that girl out with a right hook?"

Heyes cracked a smile he'd been suppressing since he'd watched her slug Sally.  "She sure did."

The boys looked at each other and busted out laughing.

"Well,  I think maybe I'd better go on over there and see what I can do to improve our relations with those ladies.  Kinda smooth things over, if you know what I mean.  Maybe we won't have to leave in the morning after all.   Besides, I don't think she's gonna be up to traveling tomorrow.  I think there's a hangover in her immediate future."    He waved silently to his partner as he left the room to go across the street to the saloon.

Heyes sat on the edge of her bed for a long time, thinking.   Living on the lamb with wanted men required certain knowledge and skills.  Was it fair to ask her to live this kind of life?  Right now, there wasn't any other choice.  But she was a smart girl and she would catch on soon enough. Yes, she had a lot to learn.  But she was in luck. Hannibal Heyes was an excellent and all too willing teacher.