A Rocky Mountain Christmas

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Buena Vista

Everyone in town had heard that the train was trapped at the top of the pass. About a hundred people were in the depot, most out of concern and curiosity. Those who had relatives and loved ones on the train had the greatest concern. Although they knew Deckert had no more information than they did, being at the depot made them feel closer to the people on the train.

The Chaffee County Times had put out a special edition extra, and they sold more copies than ever before.

Red Cliff Special Trapped in Pass

Word has reached this newspaper that the Red Cliff Special, which left the Buena Vista Depot at nine o’clock post meridiem two days previous, is now sitting at the top, or near the top of Trout Creek Pass. It is the normal procedure for a train unable to proceed farther through the pass to retrace its path and return to the station last departed. That the train in question has not done so is a disquieting indication it is probably entrapped.

There are forty people on board the train, not excepting the crew of engineer, fireman, four porters, and the conductor. State Senator Jarred Daniels, his wife, and daughter are said to be among the passengers. So too is Deputy Sheriff Braxton Proxmire with two prisoners, the infamous Michael Santelli and Luke Shardeen, a local rancher.

That Shardeen is aboard is an irony, for while he was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to four years confinement, the charges against him have been dropped. Though Shardeen did kill Deputy Gates, his defense was that Gates and Sheriff Ferrell attempted to rob him. Sheriff Ferrell was subsequently killed while he was in the act of robbing a stagecoach. That incident has provided sufficient veracity to Shardeen’s defense claim to warrant the dropping of all charges.

Hodge Deckert, the Buena Vista stationmaster, says a rescue train has been assembled and will leave today.

An engine, a tender, and two passenger cars sat on the tracks ready to rescue the passengers stuck at the summit. The weather was fair, though it was exceptionally cold. By the time Deckert was ready to dispatch the rescue train, considerably over half those who had come to bear witness to the rescue effort had given up and returned home.

Although railroad personnel were confident the special had enough food, the rescue train was carrying food, anyway. In addition, they rightly figured fuel for the heating stoves would just about be exhausted, so they were also carrying a lot of blankets. Additional fuel for the heating stoves was not taken as the passengers would be returning on the rescue train.

The Buena Vista Fire Company band played as the rescue train got ready to leave. Finally, with salutes from the locomotive whistle and waves from the train crew, the throttle was opened and, amid chugs and great puffs of gleaming white steam, the engine got under way.

The departing whistle of the train was heard in every house and business establishment in the entire town. Those who had given up waiting breathed a prayer of petition that the train would get through and all on board would be returned safely.

Deckert watched the train leave, then he went back into the depot and walked over to the telegraph operator. “Send a telegram to Big Rock. Tell them the rescue train just got under way.”

“I can’t go directly to Big Rock. I have to go around.”

“Send it however you have to do it, but just do it,” Deckert ordered.

Big Rock

The telegraph instrument at the railroad depot began clacking. The telegrapher responded, then smiled as he began writing the message on his work pad. When he was finished, he signed off and took the message to the station agent. “Mr. Wilson, this just came in.”

BV RESCUE TRAIN TO REACH STRANDED TRAIN

NOON STOP WILL UPDATE STOP DECKERT AGENT BV

Phil read the article then nodded. “This is good to know. I’m not really worried about those people up there; they have enough food to have a comfortable wait until they are rescued. But they are bound to be more comfortable and less apprehensive if they are back in Buena Vista, even though that may not be where they want to spend Christmas.”

“Mr. Wilson, do you think I should take word out to Mr. Jensen?” Eddie asked.

“Yes, I think that would be a very good idea. I’m sure he would like to know what’s going on.”

“All right, I’ll saddle up and go right away.” Eddie smiled. “I probably won’t be back until after dinner.”

Phil knew that, by dinner, Eddie was referring to the noon meal, and he chuckled. “You’re going to hit Miss Sally up for dinner, are you?”

“Why not? You know anybody that’s a better cook?”

On board the stalled train

With the bright sun reflecting off the snow and pouring in through the windows of the car, the temperature in the car had risen so that, even with the smallest of flames, the stove was able to keep the car comfortably warm.

“Folks, I suggest that we put the fire out for now,” Matt advised.

“Now, just why would we want to do a thing like that?” Senator Daniels protested. “We are all starving to death, but at least we are warm.”

“Think about it, Senator,” Matt said. “With the bright sun out, we’re getting some heat in the car without the stove. But tonight, when the temperature drops several degrees below zero, we will need the heat the stove can provide. We have to save fuel to be certain that we will have it at night, when we need it.”

“We’ve got extra coal now, and my daughter is ill,” Daniels whined. “I’ll not have you make it worse by putting out the fire in that stove.”

“We’ve got some extra coal, yes, but I don’t know how many more days we will be here. It’s best to be as conservative as we can.”

“Jarred, you know he is right.” Millie laid her hand on her husband’s arm. “You know how cold these last two nights have been. It will be worth being without heat in the daytime, if we can keep warm at night.”

“We aren’t going to be here much longer. Maybe not even tonight. I’m absolutely convinced a rescue train will reach us today,” Senator Daniels said stubbornly.

“I certainly hope you are right, Senator. But I don’t think we should take that chance.”

“I don’t, either,” Luke put in.

“And you can count me in with Mr. Jensen,” Bailey said.

“Mr. Purvis, what about you?” Senator Daniels asked.

“I’m sorry, Senator, but I’m going to have to go along with Mr. Jensen on this one.”

“I’m not going to let my daughter get cold and get worse.”

“I’m not so cold, Daddy,” Becky said in a weak voice.

“All right, all right.” Senator Daniels threw his hands up in frustration. “It is obvious I am the only sane one here. But I can’t stand up to all of you. Put out the fire.”

The fire was extinguished, and within fifteen minutes, the temperature began to drop.

“I told you it was going to get cold in here,” Senator Daniels complained.

“It will be much colder tonight,” Matt said.

During the discussion a man had come in through the front door.

Troy noticed him first and pointed. “It’s one of them! It’s one of the men who took over the dining car.”

“Troy is right. This one’s name is Morris,” Pete said.

Morris reached out and grabbed Timmy, who was standing the closest to him.

“Mama!” Timmy called, trying to twist out of Morris’s grip.

“Timmy!”

Morris tightened his grip and held his pistol to the boy’s head. “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, boy.”

“What do you want, Morris?”

“We want the whore. Give us the whore, and we’ll give you somethin’ to eat.”

“If she didn’t go before, what makes you think she is going to go today?” Luke asked.

“Because it’s been two whole days since any of you have had anything to eat,” Morris pointed out unnecessarily. “And if the whore will just come along with me, why, we’ll feed the whole train.”

“How you goin’ to do that?” Pete asked. “There ain’t no cooks left.”

“Oh, we’ll let one of you boys do the cookin’,” Morris offered.

“She’s not going,” Luke insisted.

“Wait a minute,” Abner Purvis interrupted. “The other day, I was on the woman’s side. I figured she shouldn’t have to go if she didn’t want to. But now I’m thinkin’, why not? I mean, we all know this is what she does anyway. So why not go ahead and do it again? Especially if it will get her and all the rest of us something to eat. There’s no tellin’ how long we’re goin’ to be sittin’ here. You know if the rescue train coulda got through, it woulda come for us yesterday.”

“She’s not going,” Luke repeated.

“Let me make it a bit easier for you to decide,” Morris said. “If the whore comes with me, you all eat, and the boy lives. If she don’t come with me, none of you eat, and I’ll kill her, and the boy, and go back by myself.”

“Morris, what makes you think you’re going back with or without her?” Matt asked quietly.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the young lady isn’t going anywhere, and neither are you.”

“Are you blind? You do see that I’m holding a gun to this boy’s head, don’t you? Now, I’m going to count to three. And if the whore don’t say she’s goin’ back with me by the time I get to three, I’m goin’ to kill this boy.”

“I’m warning you, Morris, don’t do that.”

“Ha! You’re warnin’ me? One, two . . .”

Morris glanced over toward Jenny, and that was all the opening Matt needed. He drew and fired in one lightning-fast motion. The bullet hit Morris just above his right eye, and dropping the pistol, he was slammed back against the front door of the car.

The four women in the car screamed in shock and surprise.

“Wow!” Timmy cried. “Steven, did you see that?”

“Are you crazy?” Senator Daniels shouted. “You could have killed the boy!”

“No,” Edward Webb said. “Morris could have killed my son, and I believe he would have, if it hadn’t been for Mr. Jensen. Mr. Jensen saved Timmy’s life.”

“Wow!” Timmy said again. “Wait until I tell all my friends!”

“What difference does it make?” Purvis asked. “We’re all going to starve to death anyway.”

“Purvis,” Matt said. “We may get hungry, but we aren’t going to starve. I once went ten days without eating, and I’ve heard of people going for as long as a month without eating. In order to survive, first we need heat, so we won’t freeze to death. Next, we need water, and with all the snow, we have plenty of that. The least important for our immediate survival is food.”

“That might not be the most important, but my feelin’ is we’re goin’ to get awful hungry before too long,” Purvis complained.

“I’m hungry now,” Troy said.

“Like I said, I’ve been through this before. We will get through it,” Matt promised. “As long as Santelli and the others stay in the dining car, they are more trapped than we are. We are the ones who are going to be rescued, not them. When the rescue team comes, Santelli and the men with him will go to jail, and they will hang.”

“Troy,” Julius said, starting toward Morris’s body. “Come help me take out the trash.”