End of a Era Pt. 04

"We had come out onto the porch and the man turned his rifle on us." Pulling back from Red she asked, Remember how you told me that big grizzly just kept coming at you after you'd shot him?" Red nodded. "Well that's what Johnny was like, a big grizzly that refused to die."

"Johnny roared something awful and charged the man. His left arm was useless but he beat the man with his right." Danni hesitated remembering the fight. "He pulled that big knife of his and stuck the man so hard it pinned him to the wall. Then Johnny slumped to the ground."

"It was almost like now that the danger was past he could rest," Sarah said shaking her head.

Inside the house, Danni pointed to the closed door of the downstairs bedroom. Josh walked over to the door and started to turn the door knob.

"That'd better be you Josh," Johnny yelled from the other side of the door. "Ifin it ain't I'm gonna put a bunch of holes in you."

Josh smiled. "It's me and Red Johnny. Danni and Sarah would be a mite upset if you shot us." He slowly opened the door.

Leaning against the headboard, Johnny lowered his pistol when he saw his friend. Josh looked around and saw most of the children huddled in the back corner. But to either side of the door Daniel and William stood with rifles in their hands. Daniel had Johnny's Winchester and William carried the small caliber varmint rifle he used to hunt rabbits and squirrels. In front of the huddled children John faced the door holding Johnny's big Bowie knife.

Red looked through the doorway and said, "Man would have to be crazy to try and force his way in here."

The boys put down their rifles and knife and rushed to their fathers. The rest of the family entered the room and gathered up the children. The room was full of people laughing and talking, all at the same time. Finally Sarah shooed everyone out. Josh and Red stayed to talk to Johnny.

"You find that Jackson fellar?" Johnny asked. "Looks like he sent more than those first two."

"We found him," Red answered. "He won't be sending any more after us." Giving Johnny a grin he added, "Nor no one else either."

Josh told Johnny about meeting Jackson and the deadly results. Johnny nodded after Josh finished his story.

"Reckon Jackson got off easy," Johnny said. "Ifin I'd a got hold of him I would have scalped him and then tied him on a red ant hill."

Josh started to laugh and then realized that Johnny was dead serious. Not a man to get on the wrong side of, Josh thought.

After the confrontation with Jackson, Dillon made it his mission to make sure that Clay Allison wasn't elected.

Dillon's wife Elizabeth had an aunt who lived in Colorado Springs. Tillie Clark had a special spot in her heart for Dillon. Her husband Ted had been shot down during a bank robbery and it was Dillon that tracked the outlaw gang down and dealt with them. Aunt Tillie thought it was biblical justice that none of the bank robbers made it back for trial. Her exact words were, "An eye for an eye and I hope they rot in hell."

'Aunt Tillie" was one of the most influential women of the social register in Colorado Springs. She used her position and power to support Dillon's mission. Tillie told all the ladies of the social scene, the wives, mothers, and sisters about Clay Allison's background and history in Virginia. She also made sure they knew of his connection to Jackson and Jackson's attacks on the families of Dillon, Josh, and Red.

These wives, mothers, and sisters passed the information along to their husbands, sons, and brothers; who were some of the most influential men in the soon to be state of Colorado. They persuaded their men to pass the information on to their friends. The editor of the Colorado Springs newspaper as well as the editors of the two papers in Denver printed articles about Allison's history of abuses in Virginia and his promises to the killer Jackson. This word of mouth campaign and the newspaper stories all but destroyed Allison's support in Colorado Springs and Denver. It also hurt him greatly in the rest of the state.

Clay Allison never realized his dream of being governor. His political career was destroyed, at least in Colorado, by Dillon Gallagher and his friends.

********************

Johnny's shoulder was almost healed. It had been two months since the attack and he was getting restless. Sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee late one evening he thought, I sure do like Josh and Red and their ladies. I even like the kids, especially my little pal Clint. But being around this many people all the time makes me uneasy. Guess I've spent too much time on my own. Time to move on.

Josh came out to join Johnny carrying his own cup of coffee. Danni followed with the coffee pot and refilled Johnny's cup. Johnny nodded his thanks.

"Reckon I'll move on in a couple of days," Johnny said to his friends. "Don't want to be a bother and besides I've been in one place bout long enough."

"You're welcome to stay with us," Danni said. "We've grown very fond of you."

"Thank ye Danni. But I don't want to be a bother."

A friend is never a bother Johnny," Josh said. "Especially a friend that puts his life on the line to save my family."

"That goes for me too," Red added as he joined them on the porch. "Sides you and me ain't got in near enough trouble yet."

Johnny smiled and shook his head. "Maybe all the more reason for me to travel. Don't know if the world could stand the two of us together."

Sarah also came out to join them. "Don't you worry Johnny, I've ridden herd on Red for all these years I think between Danni and I we can keep you both in line."

Watching Johnny and the others tease each other Josh had a thought and asked, "What's the real reason you want to leave?"

Johnny looked out over the valley for several seconds and turned to Josh. "Can't fool you can I boy?" He asked with a grin. "I've grown right fond of y'all and your youngins. But being around this many people all the time makes me froggy."

"Froggy?" Danni and Sarah asked at the same time.

"Yes em. I feel like I'm gonna jump outta my skin," Johnny replied. "It's not y'all," he hurriedly added. "It's me. I've been on my own for too long to live with people. So I reckon it's time to ride on."

"But where will you go?" Danni asked.

"Thought I'd head up to the Canadian Rockies for a spell. Maybe they've learned how to talk by now."

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes after Johnny told them his plans. Josh spoke and asked, "Will you stay for a couple of more days old friend?"

"Suppose I could hold off for a few days," Johnny replied with a nod. "That's the thing about being a mountain man; you got no schedule to keep."

"Bedtime," Danni said. As the group started into the house Josh said, "Red walk down to the barn with me."

Red looked at Josh's face. "Guess I could use a walk before turnin in." The two partners walked down to the corral.

********************

It was two mornings later after breakfast that Josh asked Johnny to take a ride with him and Red. They saddled the horses and quickly on their way. The rode three abreast toward to northeast corner of the ranch until the trail narrowed. Josh led them single file to the high butte and up the trail on the backside.

Right pretty place but Red brought me up here before, Johnny thought. Wonder why the boy's leading me back up here again?

The three men reached the flat top of the bluff and pulled their horses to a halt. Josh motioned and they dismounted in front of the cabin. "Johnny, Red and I would like to give you this piece of land and the cabin."

Before Johnny could speak, Red continued, "We've got real fond of you being around. Like for you to stay."

"You could stay up here and drop down to see us once in a while," Josh said. "If you get to needing a home cook meal you can come down and spend a day or a few days with the families. When you started feeling froggy you could come back up here to your place."

"Ifin you want to go back to the mountains at least you'd have a place to come back and spread your bedroll," Red added. "I know the women and the kids feel the same way."

"We and our families care about you," Josh admitted. "Our boys," he said pointing to Red and then himself, "need to learn the same things you taught me." Josh paused for a few seconds. "Not many can say they've been taught by a real mountain man."

Josh and Red didn't say any more watching as Johnny looked back and forth at them. After a minute Josh said, "Please stay Johnny."

The old mountain man took a deep breath and walked to the edge of the bluff. He looked down at the valley below him and the mountains in the distance. Josh and Red waited quietly for his answer.

They heard him say, "Sure is a pretty part of the country." Johnny turned to Josh and Red. "Reckon I could stay around for a spell," he said. "Them boys are gonna need teachin."

Epilogue

Johnny Burrows named his bluff top home, Aerie, for the eagles that nested in the nearby mountains. He would frequently come down to the valley to see Josh, Red and their families. During the late summer and fall he taught Josh's oldest William and Red's sons Daniel and John about living in his wild country. Johnny spent extra time with his little cub, Clint.

He taught the boys the fine points of tracking and wood lore. They learned to walk through the trees, mountains, and flat land without making a sound. They learned about plants and herbs and their uses that the Indians had known for hundreds of years. The youngsters gained a deep respect for the animals, the land, and the ways of the mountain men.

For twelve years Johnny used Aerie as a base camp. During the summers he made long treks into the mountains for days, sometimes weeks at a time. Johnny never did make it back to the Canadian Rockies; he said he was too busy to go teach them how to talk proper.

He always let Josh know when he was going on one of his long treks. Most weeks the families saw Johnny at least once for supper. Sometimes he stayed until he said he was feeling froggy and would go back to his mountain top. Sometimes he was only there for a day before he left.

In late Fall Josh and Red made the ride to Aerie; they hadn't seen Johnny for almost two weeks and he hadn't mentioned going on one of his adventures. It's not like Johnny not to come see the boys, Josh thought.

"Johnny, you here?" Josh called. He and Red dismounted and looked inside the cabin. The door was open, the wood stove was cold, and there were the remains of a meal on the table. The boys came back outside and began to look around the area.

After a few minutes Red called to Josh. "Over here Josh," he said. He motioned for Josh to join him at the edge of the bluff overlooking the valley. Josh walked over and Red pointed to a tree at the edge.

In his old buckskins Johnny was leaning up against a big pine tree with his legs hanging over the high drop off. Josh knelt down beside the old man. Looks like he's been dead for a couple of days, Josh thought.

Red knelt down too. Looking at Johnny then at his valley view towards the mountains Johnny loved Red commented, "Sure looks peaceful."

"Could be worse ways to go," Josh offered.

It took two days to hollow out a grave in the rock shelf at the edge of the cliff. They hauled a big piece of thick flagstone as a top for the rock coffin. No animal could move that they thought.

As all the families solemnly gathered around the burial site, Clint said, "Bye Bear". That moved everyone to think of what Johnny had done for them.

At the head of the coffin they put a rough cut piece of granite. A simple testament was hand chiseled into the headstone.

Here Lies

Johnny Burrows

A Real By God Mountain Man