Emmaline left us in Dodge City. She had a terrible fight with Silas and told him Gwinnie wasn't his real kid. That hurt his feelings pretty bad. And the way she told him was kind of mean, right before leaving like that."
"You mean, Gwin wasn't Silas's natural daughter?"
Arthur nibbled at his lower lip. "Well, see, Gwinnie explained it to me. It all happened a long time ago in New Orleans before Silas and Emmaline got married. Emmaline was with Sidney then."
"Sidney?"
"Silas's brother."
Cole wasn't sure he understood Arthur correctly. If the boy was saying what Cole thought he was saying ... "You mean, Gwin's father was Silas's brother?"
Arthur nodded, drawing a card and laying off a six on Cole's original trio. "Emmaline and Sidney must have, uh, you know, done the thing to get a baby, but before Gwin could be born, Sidney and Silas had a big fight. Sidney got so mad he left for California."
"What ever happened to him?"
Arthur shrugged. "I don't know. No one ever heard from him again." The boy fell quiet as Cole drew from the deck and discarded, then, "Cole?"
"What?"
Arthur's face was pink. He didn't speak.
Cole straightened. "What's the matter? What's wrong?"
The kid swallowed hard. "Could you answer me a question?"
"I can try."
"Well, did you ever do the thing? You know, with a girl?"
Cole was taken aback by the question. He debated whether or not to lie. Seeing the strained, earnest expression on the boy's face, though, he decided against it. "Yes, Arthur, I have."
Arthur's face went from pink to scarlet, but he forged ahead nevertheless. "Did she get a baby?"
"No, she did not get a baby."
"Why not?"
Cole shifted position, uncomfortable with this line of questioning. "Because not every act has that outcome. It only happens sometimes."
The boy contemplated this. About the time Cole began to hope that the subject would be dropped, Arthur cleared his throat. "How do you know when it'll happen?"
Why had Arthur picked Cole to deliver the birds and bees sermon? Cole glanced toward the rear of the car where Gwin still waited her turn. He caught her eye easily even though there were over a dozen other passengers moving around in the fifteen feet that separated them. She was watching him, looking guilty as original sin, and Cole wondered what was going on behind those beguiling blue eyes. Was she planning another escape?
Cole returned his attention to Arthur. Gwin was the boy's only family now, and she was a woman. Cole had to sympathize with Arthur. The kid was at an age where he was naturally curious about sexual matters, and this entailed questions that no boy could rightly be expected to ask his own sister.
Cole laid his cards face down on the table. "You don't know for sure when it'll happen, Arthur, but there are precautions that can be taken to lessen the odds. You understand about odds, don't you?"
"Yeah. Like in cards and roulette, right?"
"Like in cards and roulette. Exactly."
"What precautions?"
"That's a complicated question. There are a few different ways. One has to do with timing."
The boy seemed to accept this and moved on. "When you do the thing with the girl, you're supposed to love her, right? So ... did you love her?"
Cole sighed. His gaze was drawn again to Gwin. There had been a few women in Cole's past, most of them fleeting, impulsive affairs of the moment, but only one where the word love had crossed his mind. "I thought I did, Arthur, but it turned out I was wrong."
"Like Silas."
Cole looked back at Arthur curiously. "Like Silas?"
"Yeah. He loved Emmaline, but he was wrong. She loved Sidney. He was her Sir Lancelot."
"He was her what? "
"Sidney was her one and only true love, her Sir Lancelot. That's what she told Silas the night she left."
This Emmaline must have been some woman, Cole thought. Time enough to spout fairy tales but too busy to check behind her own son's ears. "I'm sorry, Arthur. That must have hurt him pretty bad. And you too, huh?"
Arthur shrugged. "Nah.
"You mean, Gwin wasn't Silas's natural daughter?"
Arthur nibbled at his lower lip. "Well, see, Gwinnie explained it to me. It all happened a long time ago in New Orleans before Silas and Emmaline got married. Emmaline was with Sidney then."
"Sidney?"
"Silas's brother."
Cole wasn't sure he understood Arthur correctly. If the boy was saying what Cole thought he was saying ... "You mean, Gwin's father was Silas's brother?"
Arthur nodded, drawing a card and laying off a six on Cole's original trio. "Emmaline and Sidney must have, uh, you know, done the thing to get a baby, but before Gwin could be born, Sidney and Silas had a big fight. Sidney got so mad he left for California."
"What ever happened to him?"
Arthur shrugged. "I don't know. No one ever heard from him again." The boy fell quiet as Cole drew from the deck and discarded, then, "Cole?"
"What?"
Arthur's face was pink. He didn't speak.
Cole straightened. "What's the matter? What's wrong?"
The kid swallowed hard. "Could you answer me a question?"
"I can try."
"Well, did you ever do the thing? You know, with a girl?"
Cole was taken aback by the question. He debated whether or not to lie. Seeing the strained, earnest expression on the boy's face, though, he decided against it. "Yes, Arthur, I have."
Arthur's face went from pink to scarlet, but he forged ahead nevertheless. "Did she get a baby?"
"No, she did not get a baby."
"Why not?"
Cole shifted position, uncomfortable with this line of questioning. "Because not every act has that outcome. It only happens sometimes."
The boy contemplated this. About the time Cole began to hope that the subject would be dropped, Arthur cleared his throat. "How do you know when it'll happen?"
Why had Arthur picked Cole to deliver the birds and bees sermon? Cole glanced toward the rear of the car where Gwin still waited her turn. He caught her eye easily even though there were over a dozen other passengers moving around in the fifteen feet that separated them. She was watching him, looking guilty as original sin, and Cole wondered what was going on behind those beguiling blue eyes. Was she planning another escape?
Cole returned his attention to Arthur. Gwin was the boy's only family now, and she was a woman. Cole had to sympathize with Arthur. The kid was at an age where he was naturally curious about sexual matters, and this entailed questions that no boy could rightly be expected to ask his own sister.
Cole laid his cards face down on the table. "You don't know for sure when it'll happen, Arthur, but there are precautions that can be taken to lessen the odds. You understand about odds, don't you?"
"Yeah. Like in cards and roulette, right?"
"Like in cards and roulette. Exactly."
"What precautions?"
"That's a complicated question. There are a few different ways. One has to do with timing."
The boy seemed to accept this and moved on. "When you do the thing with the girl, you're supposed to love her, right? So ... did you love her?"
Cole sighed. His gaze was drawn again to Gwin. There had been a few women in Cole's past, most of them fleeting, impulsive affairs of the moment, but only one where the word love had crossed his mind. "I thought I did, Arthur, but it turned out I was wrong."
"Like Silas."
Cole looked back at Arthur curiously. "Like Silas?"
"Yeah. He loved Emmaline, but he was wrong. She loved Sidney. He was her Sir Lancelot."
"He was her what? "
"Sidney was her one and only true love, her Sir Lancelot. That's what she told Silas the night she left."
This Emmaline must have been some woman, Cole thought. Time enough to spout fairy tales but too busy to check behind her own son's ears. "I'm sorry, Arthur. That must have hurt him pretty bad. And you too, huh?"
Arthur shrugged. "Nah.
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