AT DAWN'S BREAK - CH9
Karen
At Dawn's Break--Chapter Nine
Morning soon came as Howie had no appetite, not even for the homecooked meal
that Kimbi had worked on most of the early morning hours, and so graciously
brought to his cell.
AJ, on the contrary, ate every bite, and even smiled as he ate it.
"Well," Kimbi says, returning to retrieve the trays, "I see who likes my
cooking."
Howie apologizes, "I'm sorry, ma'am, it's nothing against you. It's just
going to be a bad day for me."
Kimbi felt sorry in her heart for the two men that are before her, "I know,
and might I say that I don't think you deserve to be here, neither of you."
"Miss Huggs," Howie puts his hand up and grips the bar on the cell door,
while the other is in a sling, "Can you please tell Charity I would like to
see her?"
Kimbi knew Charity was upset that Howie was who he was, and didn't know if
she would see him or not, "I will tell her, but I am not promising she will
come, Howie."
"Thank you, and could you tell her one more thing?" He paused, "Could you
tell her, I love her?"
"I will," Kimbi took the trays through the slot in the cell door, as AJ
handed them to her, "I will tell her now." She left the holding area.
"Do you think she will come?" AJ asked, "Will she want to see her fallen
hero?"
Howie didn't say anything, he only sat on the cot, hoping to kiss sweet
Charity's beautiful lips, once more, before he had to die a thief's
unhonorable death.
AJ took a deep breath, and held onto it as much as he could, before letting
the precious air loose, as he listened to the clock on the wall cuckoo on the
eight o'clock hour.
- - - - - - - - - -
Upon dropping Stevie at school, before shopping for goods, Dawn overheard
Kimbi telling Charity of Howie's request. She swallowed hard and fought her
tears, knowing that the worst has happened.
"What has happened, Charity?" She asked, "Where are they?"
Charity's voice quivered, "They are to be hung at noon, in the town square.
We have to do something, I can't lose Howie."
The two women were now in tears, as Kimbi joined them, "What can we do?"
Kimbi asked, "Maybe I can talk to Nick? He is the Mayor's nephew and he can
get a trial."
"Yes," Charity said, "You talk to him, please?"
"I will," Kimbi hurried off to see her beloved fianceé, Nick Carter.
"We must go and see Christina," Dawn said, "She will know what we can do, as
far as, the law goes."
"Yes," Charity gained her composure, "But first, I have to get Anna, to keep
class for me. She should be at home."
The two women rushed to Reverend Littrell's house on the other side of town,
hoping the Mrs. was home.
"Anna," Charity said, as she went through the gate, "You must come at once!"
Anna dropped her watering pitcher, "Charity, what's wrong? What's happened?"
Charity began to lose control of her emotions, "Howie's been arrested, he is
to be hung at noon."
Dawn had heard this said before, but hadn't realized the truth, until hearing
it now. If Howie is to be hung at noon, as so, is AJ, and this broke her
heart. She hadn't had the chance to even let him know how much she loved him,
nor had ever told him. "So is AJ," she said, "and they haven't had a trial,
as far as, we know."
Anna removes her gloves, "That doesn't seem fair, does it? Have you talked to
the sheriff? What did he say about all of this?"
"Hi, honey," Reverend Littrell came through the gate.
"Brian," Anna said, as she greeted her husband with a peck on the cheek, "Has
the sheriff requested your services, today?"
"Yes," he smiled at Anna, "At 11:30, I am to read the last rights to some
prisoners."
"Brian," Anna says, "Those boys haven't had a trial." The reverend is
interested in this information and is off to see the sheriff, as Charity and
Dawn go to see Christina and Anna is off to the schoolhouse.
"Charity," Christina says, after hearing what has happened, "I can't believe
that Kevin would hang two innocent men."
"I know," Dawn says, "But, they haven't had a trial."
"Well," Christina says of her husband's defense, "Was there a confession?"
Dawn and Charity are quiet, because they do not know. Christina, then goes to
see her husband at the jail, as Charity and Dawn follow, so they can see
their unfortunate men.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Nick," Kimbi pleads, "It is already ten-thirty, you have to go and talk to
your uncle."
"It won't do any good, Kimbi," Nick says, "They confessed to everything, they
did it!"
"What did they do?" She wondered, "Robbing a stage isn't a hanging."
"They were part of the gang that robbed a train up in Dry Gulch, where a U.S.
Marshall was killed, Kimbi," He said, "And, they admitted to killing two men,
over the money from it."
"What?" Kimbi pointed out, "Two outlaws that if the law would've caught, they
would have been killed anyway?"
"Okay," Nick says, "I will talk to Uncle Melvin, but I know only one of them
might get out of this, because only one of them really confessed, and he says
the other wasn't involved."
They rush over to the Mayor's office, to see Nick's uncle.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Charity," Howie says, gripping the bar tight, "I am so sorry it has come to
this, I didn't want this to be the last time I saw you."
Charity is crying, "Oh, Howie! What will come of us?"
"Darling," Howie says, "I can't keep any of my promises I have made you, and
that is the worst part of all this." He looks down, in shame, "I am not proud
of the way I used to live, and I am not proud of the way I am here, or how I
came to be here, but I am dying a proud, happy man, today, because I was
lucky enough to have known you."
Dawn and AJ visit on the other side of the cell.
"Dawn," AJ asks, "How will you ever take care of that boy and a big farm? You
will have your hands full. You'll have to find you a strong husband, who can
handle you all."
Dawn turned away to hide her tears, "I don't want another husband," she
sniffed, and wiped her eyes.
"Well, at least find someone to help you," AJ said, "You need help."
She turned back towards him, grabbing hold of his collar through the bars,
and pulling him as close as, possible, "I don't want another husband, because
I have you!" She then, leans over and kisses him. When she pulls away, she is
afraid to look into his dark brown eyes, but takes the chance and does
anyway.
He leans down and kisses her, a long and passionate kiss, full of love.
"Okay," Sheriff Richardson walked into the room, "You all just got lucky."
Everyone looked at Kevin, standing next to his wife, Christina, who was
smiling from ear to ear.
"You just got a stay of execution," he smiled, "The judge will be here in the
morning to give you a trial, and you will also be given a jury of five men."
He gets close to the bars, "Now, how lucky are you, anyway, Alex? Can you get
out of this one?"
AJ looked at Dawn and smiled, then, he kissed her through the bars, once
again.
Howie and Charity hadn't stopped kissing from before, and Charity was getting
a 'feeling' she had never had before this moment, a feeling that she wanted
so much to act on, but the bars wouldn't allow her.
--
Karen
AJ's Fan Site:
http://homepages.infoseek.
com/~ajsfansite/
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.