ever stop going. Brie giggled, as she lay there watching me in the moonlight.
“You don’t know how often that I’ve dreamed of you, just like that in the moonlight.” She said.
“Dreamed of me? It couldn’t of been very much, we’ve only met yesterday.”
“Oh, I’ve dreamt of you for years. The only thing different, you didn’t have the beard. You did have the mustache tho. But your thing wasn’t as big in my dream, I’m glad I was wrong on that.” She said, reaching for me.
The next time we woke up the moon had gone down, and it was just the starlight that pushed back the shadows in the room. This time it was her waking me up. We were cuddled down in the feather bed. We lay there awhile talking:
“Tre`, you know we really don’t know too much about each other. You never really said, where you came from. Or anything about your family or even how old you are?”
“Alright, but you go first. How old are you?”
“I’m twenty five. I’ve been a widow for five years. He got killed in a mine accident. We were only married for a few months. My Father and Mother didn’t want me to marry. But they did give me a dowry, I bought this house with it.”
“Alright, where are your parents?”
“Chicago. He’s a meat packer, Dad is. Mom’s a housewife. I have two brothers and three sisters. I am the oldest.”
“How come, you just didn’t go home when your husband got killed?”
“I was going to. But then I started having those dreams about you. You certainly took your time getting here.” Brie said, then playfully hit me on my arm. Of course one thing led to another…
But when that was over, I asked. “You say that he was killed in a mine accident? I didn’t know the mine was in operation five years ago?”
“It wasn’t, he was prospecting on his own, he had sunk a shaft about twenty or thirty feet in. He said, the color looked promising. Anyway, it caved in and killed him.”
“What happened to his claim?”
“I don’t know. It was where the Wise River is now.”
“Did he ever officially file on his claim?”
“Yes, he went to Helena about a month before he had his accident.”
“How soon did they, whoever they were, move in on his claim?”
“That same week I believe, I went over there to get some of his things and they were already working it. Why what are you getting at?” Brie said, as she rolled over on top of me, looking into my eyes.
“Well, I don’t know too much about mining law, but it seems to me, if he had legally filed the claim, that it would belong to you upon his death. Did you ever see his body?”
“No,” Brie said, as she rolled back off of me. “They said, he was too badly broken up, it was a closed casket.”
“Then you really don’t know for sure, just what killed him. Or if he was even in that casket? Now think back, you were newly weds, did he act like a newly wed? I mean was he head over heels in love with you?”
Brie laid there, then she said, “Yes he was, we both were. I’m sure he is in that casket. But like you said, I didn’t see the body, so I don’t know really how he died.”
“Was any of that bunch that now runs the Wise River, among those that were working the mine right after your husband died?”
“Yes, a few them. And those two you ran out of town, they showed up two months later, they weren’t here before though.”
“Did you keep a copy of your marriage license? You didn’t throw it away, did you? I said, as I kissed her.
“No, I kept it. Along with other keepsakes. I even kept his clothes, I guess I’m too practical. Waste not, want not.”
There was a knock on our door. “Brie, are you alright. It’s past six.” It was Brona’s voice.
“Come on in Brona, we’re awake.” Brie called out.
Brona opened the door and took a step in, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” She started to back out.
“Don’t be silly, it’s alright, Trego and I are to be married. Has the cook got breakfast about ready?”
“Yes, but she said that you’re usually down there by five. We thought you might be sick.”
“No, we’re fine. We’ll be down shortly, have Caitie milk the cow will you?”
“She’s already out there.” Brona said, as she closed the door behind her.
We both jumped out of bed and did a quick wash in the washbasin. Brie started to put her corset on. “Honey, why don’t you leave that thing off, you don’t need it. You’re perfect just like you are.” I said.
“But what should I wear, my dress’s won’t look right without a corset.”
“How about just some pants and a shirt?”
“You mean like a man wears?”
“Sure why not?”
“Well, the only clothes that might fit, belonged to my ex. Would you mind if I wore some of his?”
“No, of course not. I’m not jealous of a dead man.”
Brie went to an old wardrobe in the corner of the room. She took a pair of Levi’s sail cloth pants out, pulled them on. ‘Wow’, they fit every curve, like they were made for her. Then she put on a shirt, then pulled a sweater over it. Even the bulky sweater couldn’t hide her attributes. She turned around,
“Aren’t you going to get dressed?” Brie said, as she came toward me and hung a towel over my protruding member. She winked at me as she left the room.
It took me a few minutes. But I wasn’t too far behind her. They were just taking the food into the dinning room, I followed them in. When they all seen Brie, they gaped. A woman in man’s pants? How shameful! That was what the women were thinking, but the men sure weren’t. Then they seen me. I could see them sort of shrink. Was that fear I seen in their eyes?
“Uh, Brie, perhaps I should eat in the kitchen?” I said.
“No, you set right down there,” Brie was standing with her hands on her hips. “you people should be ashamed of yourselves. Trego not only put the run on two killers, he put another killer in the ground. You should be thanking him!”
They dropped their eyes, Henry’s wife spoke up, “Yes, he helped us, he gave us money and also got Henry a job, he’s a saint.”
I said, “Well Mam, thank you, but I’m no saint. I put my pants on one leg at a time just as you all do.” That pacified them, to some extent, but they were still looking askance at me.
They
