The Blue and the Grey
Well, I won't back down
No, I won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of Hell
But I won't back down
No, I'll stand my ground
Won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from dragging me down
Gonna stand my ground
And I won't back downHey, baby
There ain't no easy way out
Hey, I will stand my ground
And I won't back downWell, I know what's right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushing me around
But I stand my ground
And I won't back downHey, baby
There ain't no easy way out
Hey, I will stand my ground
And I won't back downHey, baby
There ain't no easy way out
Hey, I won't back downHey, baby
There ain't no easy way out
Hey, I will stand my ground
No, I won't back down- Tom Petty
The grizzled old miner sat down at the piano and ran his hands over the keys. He played a few notes and smiled broadly. The sound of Red River Valley drifted over to the men in the corner. Buck grinned widely at Chris. "Brings back some memories, don't it?"
Chris had to smile back at his old friend. "Yes, Buck, it does." He raised his glass of whiskey in a salute to his friend and drained the glass. He glanced at JD and could see the kid was just itching to ask.
The miners had come into town for supplies and were spending the evening in the saloon. They gathered around the piano. The notes to Dixieland urgently filled the room and were quickly drowned out by the voices of the miners.
Ezra had finished his poker playing for the evening and was standing at the bar close to their table. As always, he was an elegant figure in the roughness of the saloon. He tipped his hat to his companions and raised his glass of whisky. He shouted to be heard over the raised voices of the miners. "Gentlemen, the South!" He drained the whisky and placed the glass on the bar.
The miners ended the song vigorously and the rebel yells reverberated from the ceiling. "That brings back memories, too." Chris's green eyes flashed momentarily with haunting memories of the war.
"It truly does," Buck agreed solemnly. His dark eyes echoed Chris's melancholy as he raised his glass. "To fallen companions. May they be in a better place."
"Amen to that, Brother Buck." Josiah raised his glass with the others. "And may we never see such a terrible conflict again." The three men drank their whiskey. JD watched quietly. They had all shared something he knew nothing about aside from what he had read in the papers. Buck never talked about the war except to tell him funny stories when he asked. He stopped asking when he realized that the stories were Buck's way of distracting him.
There was a shout from the crowd in the saloon. "Play Old Glory!"
"It appears tonight is for reminiscing, " said Josiah, his deep voice carrying over the music of The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Chris and Buck nodded in agreement. This was something JD knew. It was played at the rallies he went to with his mother. He remembered being impressed as only a young boy can by the soldiers in their dark blue uniforms and the sounds of the drums and bugles. Once there had been a cavalry unit. The sight of the men on horseback had awed him; sitting straight in the saddle with their tall boots and shining spurs. The sunlight reflected off their swords and the glossy coats of the horses. He remembered the sound of stamping hooves and jingling bits. He had wanted to ride with them so desperately and share the great adventure they were bound for.
"My mother used to read the stories in the paper to me. The reporters were always writing about the great victories and the glories that had been won on the battlefield." The men at the table turned to look at him.
"JD, when are you gonna learn to think afore you say something stupid?" Vin's husky voice cut through the air. "One of these days it's gonna get you killed."
Buck had forgotten Vin was there, he had been so quiet. He watched JD's face turn red and turned faced the bounty hunter. Vin was sitting with his chair back resting against the wall and a boot heel hooked over a bottom rung. He looked at Buck calmly from under his hat. Buck's eyes flashed with anger.
"What the hell was that for? The kid was just talkin'."
"There ain't no glory in looking into a man's eyes afore you kill him."
Josiah raised an eyebrow at Vin. "Is there a memory that you would like to share with us, Brother Tanner?"
The bounty hunter unhooked his boot heel. He's going to walk out of here, thought Josiah.
"Consider it your contribution to the kid's education," said Chris in a tight voice as he locked eyes with Vin. Vin looked into the green eyes and hooked his boot back onto the bottom rung.
"You boys remember what it was like." Chris and Buck nodded involuntarily. "Towards the end those poor devils were starving, their clothes were rags, they had no ammunition." His voice trailed off with the memories.
"We were facin' each other 'cross a green field somewhere in Virginia. After awhile they all looked the same to me." He paused for a moment. The next words came out slowly in his soft drawl.
"I was up a cottonwood tree,...waitin' for some fool Reb to stick his head up so's I could blow it off. All of a sudden like, they were yelling and running around. I could see they were chasing something...an' then this wild pig run out into the field and this damn fool climbed over the barricade and chased after it." He stopped again when he realized they were all looking at him.
"Go on, Vin." quietly said Josiah.
"The pig run under my tree and backed up. Johnny Reb follered and I could see he was carrying a knife. Damn fool was going to jump that pig." Vin shook his head at the memory. "That takes guts. Even bears won't mess with wild pigs. But I guess they hadn't eaten in awhile, 'cause if the pig didn't get him, a Yankee bullet was." Vin paused.
JD couldn't help it. "What happened next? Did he get the pig?" If Buck had been close enough, he would have kicked JD in the leg. The boy still had a lot to learn.
Vin looked at JD. "When I cocked my rifle, he heard and looked up into the tree. That's when I saw he was no more than a boy, 'bout my age. I was looking right into his eyes as I squeezed the trigger." JD was horrified and his disbelief showed on his face.
"You didn't kill him, did ya?"
Vin stood up smoothly and his chair thudded to the floor. "I shot the pig. The damn fool was my cousin Val."
He was gone from the table and out the batwing doors before they realized he had left. His words hung in the air above the table. Chris looked up and saw the saloon doors swinging gently. His gaze fell on Nathan standing next to Ezra. He must have come in during Vin's story. Both men were close enough to have heard. Their faces were unreadable but their eyes showed their distress. It was JD that broke the silence as he struggled to understand the experiences the men around him had been through.
"If the pig hadn't run under the tree, Vin would've killed his cousin."
Buck looked at his young friend trying to understand the reality of the war. "It was a terrible time, JD, " he said softly. "There ain't nothing glorious in killing another man." He stood up, his big frame filling up the space in the corner of the room. "I think we need another bottle of whiskey. Anyone care to join me at the bar?"
Chris and Josiah made noises of agreement and stood up to follow Buck. JD remained in his chair. Chris turned back towards him. "You comin', JD?"
The End