The Railroad War by Wesley Ellis Page B

streets that bordered the courthouse. All of the stores were closed, and except for the loungers on the saloon veranda, she’d seen no one on the street.
    Puzzled by the absence of activity, Jessie asked Bobby, “Aren’t there any people in Hidden Valley except those loafers in front of the saloon?”
    â€œWhy, it’s suppertime, Miss Jessie,” Bobby replied. “Folks will be coming out again after while.”
    â€œAnd they’ll stay up as late as eight or nine o‘clock, I’ll bet,” Ki said with a smile.
    â€œSome of them will. And there’ll be some men in the saloon until real late.” Bobby turned at the corner they’d reached while he was talking. He led them past two houses and up the brick walkway and onto the porch of the third. Without knocking, he opened the door and said, “Go on in, Miss Jessie.”
    Jessie started to enter the hallway beyond the door just as an aproned woman appeared at the other end of the passage. She saw Jessie and gave a small startled cry, then said sharply, “I was taught to knock at a stranger’s door before—”
    â€œMa!” Bobby shouted.
    â€œBobby? Is it—oh, yes! Yes, it is!” Turning aside, she called, “Father! Hurry, Father! Bobby’s come home!”
    Bobby had already raced past Jessie down the hall and into his mother’s embrace. A tall, white-haired man with a short, square-cut beard and brilliant eyes of startlingly deep sapphire blue limped into the hallway behind the pair. Bobby saw him and answered the old man’s shout of welcome with a loud yell, as he exchanged his mother’s embrace for the Captain’s. Jessie and Ki stayed outside the door, watching silently, hesitant to intrude on the Tinkers’ family reunion.
    Bobby’s mother left the boy with his grandfather and came to the door. “You’d be Miss Starbuck, and I’m Martha Tinker. Bobby forgot his manners, he’s so excited. Do come in, please.”
    â€œThank you. This is Ki, Mrs. Tinker. Both of us feel we know you and the Captain, Bobby’s talked about you so much.”
    Seeing Jessie and Ki move into the hall, Bobby remembered them at last. “Grandpa,” he said, taking Captain Tinker’s hand and pulling him toward them, “this is Miss Jessie Starbuck and this is Ki. They came with me all the way from Texas.”
    Captain Tinker smiled and extended his hand to Jessie. “I can’t find the words to say how pleased I am to see you at last, Miss Starbuck, and I thank you for taking care of Bobby as you did. He shouldn’t have run away in the first place, but Martha and I are so glad to see him back that we’ve agreed to overlook that.”
    â€œI’m just glad we were at the ranch when he got there,” Jessie said. “There are times when we’re away for weeks.”
    â€œIt’s all worked out well, I’d say,” Tinker replied. He was talking to Jessie, but she saw his eyes focused beyond her, on the front door. He went on, “Anyhow, I thank you as much as Martha does for bringing Bobby back to us, safe and sound.” Taking his eyes from the door at last, he asked Jessie with a worried frown, “I guess Alex couldn’t come with you?”
    Jessie replied softly, “Father’s dead, Captain Tinker. I should have mentioned that in the telegram I sent telling you that Bobby was safe and I’d see that he got home. It just didn’t occur to me that you might not know. But I’m sure he’d be here too, if he were still alive.”
    Her words seemed to stun the old man. He swallowed hard and his brilliant blue eyes grew misty. For a moment, Jessie could see him transported almost physically through years of memories to a past when he and a young Alex Starbuck had shared adventures of which she knew little or nothing. The moment passed, and Tinker looked at her and shook his head.
    â€œNo.