The Birthday Party
By Heyes's Girl
It was wintertime in Hazzard County and at the Duke farm Uncle Jesse Duke was reading some more of his ancestors diary to his nephews Bo and Luke and his niece Daisy. When a car drew up outside sounding very sick and two men got out. One was tall with curly blonde hair and blue eyes and the other had dark brown hair and brown eyes.
Jesse went out to greet them,
“Howdy, who are ya?”
“Hello, sir I am Detective Lieutenant Jed Curry Jr the third and this is Detective Lieutenant Hannibal Heyes Jr the fourth of the L.A.P.D”.
“I’m Jesse Duke, come in out the cold”.
“Pleasure sir” said Lt Heyes.
“You’re far out of your jurisdiction” said Uncle Jesse.
They all went inside and warmed up by the fire.
Lt Curry said, “You’re sorta right about us bein’ out of our jurisdiction but we have written permission to be here on official business by the Governor of Georgia”.
“Oh, I see why are ya here?”
“We’re here because we’ve had some information that a man, we’re lookin’ for in connection with the case we’re workin’ on is here in Hazzard County.”
“Oh, right, well this here’s my niece Daisy and my nephews Bo and Luke” he said.
“Nice to meet you” said Jed Curry smiling at Daisy.
Heyes could see where this was going so, he said,
“Kid one-word Lizzie”.
“Oh, yeah maybe you’re right”.
“This Detective Hannibal Heyes and Detective Jed Curry from the L.A.P.D”.
Just then from outside they heard Cooter Davenport turn up. He came inside and was introduced to the Heyes and Curry.
“Well it seems I have turned up just in time” said Cooter.
“So, have these two boys and I’ll tell you why”.
Uncle Jesse picked up the diary and continued to read,
“December 10th, 1882, Jeremiah and I went out into town to get some groceries and see if Jeeter Davenport had got any more lamp wick for we have nearly runout.”
Sheriff Rufus. Z Coltrane came out of the saloon and went into the telegraph office to be told that Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry had been seen in the vicinity of Sleepy City and that they might have robbed the train yesterday. He went and told Thaddeus Hogg the news.
“Boss I think we’ve found out who robbed that train?”
“Who?”
“Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry”.
“No, then I’ll never see that money again oh this is terrible”.
“Now, now don’t cry my little fat buddy. If they come into town, I’ll cuff ‘em and stuff ‘em.”
“How, when no one knows what they look like”.
“Oh, you got a point there but there are descriptions of them on the wanted posters back at the Sheriff’s office”.
The stagecoach rolled into town and a pretty girl got out along with a young man with blonde hair and moustache. Jeremiah and his wife Jenny went over to the Stagecoach.
“Howdy there, Joe and Dixie nice to see ya again is Hank comin’ or not?”
“Yeah, he’ll be along is it me or are there more people in Sleepy City than there was last time we were here” asked Joe.
“Yeah, there is it’s cause, they found silver up in the hills and it’s done the town some good but in other ways not so good” said Jenny.
“Now you young ‘uns are comin’ out to the farm with us” said Jeremiah as he directed them to the buckboard and then they got in the back and went home.
They got back to the farm to find Hank Duke waiting for them. Jeremiah smiled as he got down off the buckboard and hugged his nephew.
“Hey how ya doin?”
“Just fine thanks”.
They all went inside and had lunch together.
Heyes, Kid and Soldier Kid’s dog were indeed riding into Sleepy City they had been chased and shot at by a posse out of Atlanta and were on their way to Sleepy City to recover from the scare of almost being killed. They were riding by the Duke farm when Hermes let out a cry of pain.
Heyes pulled him up and dismounted,
“Hey boy what’s wrong?”
Heyes looked at his leg and then let Kid look and the sigh he gave made Heyes realised it was serious.
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s pulled a muscle Heyes it’s already swellin’ we’re gonna have to find somewhere stay while he heals up”.
“There’s a farm over there let’s see if they could lend us a horse just to get into town.”
“We could try” said Kid.
So Heyes and Kid went up to the door and knocked Jeremiah Duke answered the door.
“Yes, what can I do for ya?”
“Sir, my horse has gone lame he’s pulled a muscle and we need to get into town to see a friend of ours do you have a horse we could borrow just to get into town” said Heyes.
“Well, I’m afraid I don’t you’re welcome to stay here with me and my family until your horse heals up”.
“Well, that’s mighty kind of ya sir” said Kid.
Then he turned to Heyes,
“Well Joshua what’d ya think?”
Heyes thought about it and decided it was a good idea seeing as they didn’t have a lot of money between them.
“Very well sir I am Joshua Smith, and this here is Thaddeus Jones”.
Candy whined and threw her head,
“Oh, and that’s Candy, Hermes and Soldier” said Kid.
Soldier came over and greeted everyone.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you too Soldier” said Uncle Jeremiah.
Then everyone went inside for it was time for supper. How Kid’s mouth watered as they went in and saw all of the nice things that Mrs Duke had prepared.
Jeremiah stood at the head of the table and said prayers then they were all allowed to eat. Dixie asked Heyes who was the friend they were meeting in town.
“Oh, she’s an old friend and it’s her sisters birthday in three days’ time and she has invited us to her birthday party.”
“Really, what’s her name?”
“Louise Hunter and her sister’s name is Sandra I’ve heard she’s engaged to a French Officer who is in charge of the guard at the presidential palace since the revolution.”
“Oh, I see Louise is new in town people don’t really associate with her for she runs her own saloon and Thaddeus Hogg don’t like it and people know it” said Jenny.
Louise was getting everything ready for her sister’s birthday party when Thaddeus Hogg and Rufus. Z. Coltrane came calling.
“Miss Hunter, I hear you’re fixin’ to have a birthday party here on Saturday is that right?”
“Yes, not that it’s any business of yours it’s for my sister who is travelling from Boston to be here with her betrothed and I want everything to go smoothly.”
“I didn’t know you had a sister you’re more than welcome to use my saloon for this party for a price”.
“No, I want it here this is my saloon, and everyone has been told it’s here so you and your sidekick Sheriff can go whistle dixie now get out”.
Thaddeus turned to Rufus as they left and said,
“I want that saloon to be a distant memory I want my saloon to be the only one in town do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand, and it will be done”.
The Duke family drove the boys into town Hermes and Candy trotted on behind the buckboard.
They pulled up outside the Wily Outlaw Saloon that belonged to Louise.
“Louise you here?”
“Yes, I am who’s that?”
“Joshua and Thaddeus”.
Louise realised that Heyes and Kid had company, so she came out from where she was.
“Joshua, Thaddeus it’s lovely to see you, and I know who these are it’s nice to see you Jeremiah, Jenny, Joe, Hank and Dixie” said Louise.
It was while they were all there Rufus. Z. Coltrane came in with a closure order that the building was unsafe.
He took one look at Heyes and Kid and drew his gun,
“Alright you’re under arrest Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry for robbing the train three days ago that was on its way here”.
“Rufus, this is Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones you’re outta ya mind” said Dixie.
“No, they ain’t for they fit the descriptions that I have on the wanted posters in my office”.
Heyes gave a smile and said,
“Are ya sure?”
“Are you kiddin’ me of course I’m sure.”
“Sheriff Hannibal Heyes has a mark on the left side of his neck I have mine on the right side of my neck and Kid Curry is the fastest gun in the west right.”
“Right.”
“So, you try and draw your gun against Thaddeus, and I guarantee you’ll beat him” said Heyes giving Kid a look that said let him win if you don’t want to go to jail.
So, Sheriff Rufus. Z. Coltrane went for his gun and he did win.
“See Sheriff now if he was Kid Curry, you’d be dead by now right.”
“My apologies gentlemen I can see now I was wrong to accuse you of being outlaws. But the closure order still stands good day to ya”.
Louise hung her head Joe and Heyes went to her.
“Hey, come on there’s only one way to talk to a man like that” said Joe.
“Yeah, there is and that is money” said Heyes.
Heyes went and had a bath, put on his best suit, and went to see Thaddeus Hogg.
“Sir am I addressing Mr Thaddeus Hogg? I am Mr Joshua Smith from Utah and I happen to be in the market for a Saloon”.
“Well, Mr Smith I happen to know of one that is currently going to be up for sale right here in town.”
“Really, could we go and see it”.
“Yes of course,” he said as he got his hat and went out with Heyes. They went to the Wily Outlaw and saw Louise.
“This gentleman wants to buy your saloon”.
“It’s not for sale, I’m sorry sir”.
“Ma’am I am Mr Joshua Smith from Utah. Mr Hogg has got it wrong I don’t want to buy it I want to enter into a partnership with the owner. I realise that you don’t want to give up your dream of owning a saloon. So, I want to have an equal partnership with you”.
“Oh, I see well then Mr Smith I’m sure we can come to some arrangement,”
“What are all of the decorations for?”
“My sister’s birthday she should be here any day now.”
“A birthday party how splendid just the thing to celebrate our new partnership”.
Well on the 13th of December Sandra arrived with her Fiancé Captain Olivier D’Athos she greeted her sister warmly and the Duke family and Heyes and Kid.
The party started, everyone were dancing and singing Heyes and Louise danced together too. At the end of the night Sandra thanked everyone for coming. When everyone had left Heyes took Louise to one side and said that he and the Kid better go but he would leave word of where she could send his cut of the money.
Uncle Jesse put down the diary and looked at the two officers and said,
“What do you think of that?”
Heyes smiled and said, “My four times great grandfather had a Journal, and he does mention about his trip in it. I’ll go and fetch it.”
Heyes went out to the car and fetched his four times great grandfathers Journal. He came back in and read what Hannibal Heyes the first had put.
"December 13th, 1882
Dear Mother and Father
Jed and I went to Sleepy city where we met a nice family called the Duke family, helped out Louise Hunter who I have mentioned before and then we went to her sister Sandra’s Birthday party. That’s all for now love you and miss you your loving son Hannibal."
