The bunkhouse door opened as the riders finished cleaning up after supper. A cheerful Teaspoon entered and placed a large bag on the table explaining to the surprised riders that he had successfully persuaded the widow Booth that his riders would be an excellent addition to the upcoming church play. He optimistically let the riders understand just how important it was for them to be incorporated into the daily social life of the town and then went over the tale of Noah’s ark, the biblical story to be presented.
“What exactly have you said we would do?” Lou hesitantly asked the grinning stationmaster. She feared for the worse. She preferred watching the play, instead of being on a stage. Nervously waiting for Teaspoon’s answer, she hoped they were just going to help with the sets.
Teaspoon had other plans.
“You will represent the rainbow which will light up the sky after Noah’s safe return to firm land.” Teaspoon thumbed his suspenders and a proud smile crept over his face.
“That’s all?” Cody said with a hint of disappointment. Cody wanted to play Noah himself, but kept his own ambitions to himself after seeing the apprehensive looks on his friends’ faces.
“Not really. You will each choose a color and then make a short speech of what that color represents. Here,” he held up a bright red hat that looked more like night cap than anything else,” red – the color of love.” His smiling eyes wandered among the boys. He tossed it over to Kid with a wink.
“Orange – religion.” Teaspoon tossed a bright orange wide rimmed hat on the table. “Yellow – nature.” Something that looked like a round ball ended up on the table. A round hat with a funny brim, like an oversized cap and at least a few frowns were shown on the boys faces.
Ignorant of their feelings, Teaspoon continued explaining the colors for each hat he brought out of the bag. “Green – immortality.” Teaspoon paused for a second before he leaned down next to Lou’s ear and handed her the green hat.. “The circle of life,” he whispered cheerfully.
“Blue – fidelity.” Jimmy found himself wearing a brimless blue top hat. With a grimace, Jimmy tossed it onto the table.
“Indigo – patriotism and finally violet – service.” Teaspoon held the last hat and looked at it thoughtfully. “Maybe we should have something in this color representing the Express,” he muttered more to himself than to the riders to himself, as he discarded the last items of the bag onto the table. The riders looked defeated as they realized that each hat came with a matching robe.
Before Teaspoon could order them all to ride in purple robes, Jimmy opened his mouth. “What shall we do with all this then?” Jimmy waved his hand at the pile on the table.
“Pick a color and what it represents – and think of what you would like to say in the play. I know you won’t disappoint me.”
*What about me?* Ike looked worried. *I can’t deliver a speech.*
“Don’t worry about that,” Teaspoon assured him. “You just write down the words and we’ll make somebody read it for you. It will be just as if you said them. You can use signs as well.”
“Where are you going?” Kid placed the red hat as far away as possible from where he was standing.
“Well, I’m needed in town. Sarah…ehrm…Mrs. Booth asked if I could help her out with a few things.” He winked and walked out the door.
The door barely closed before seven pairs of hands grabbed for the items on the table. Each of the riders fought to get his, or her, hands on a color acceptable to them. They all knew there was no way of getting out of the play, regardless how much they disliked the idea of being pushed onto a stage in the ridiculous hats.
However, Teaspoon must have sensed it, because the door was re-opened immediately and he stared sternly at them. Teaspoon’s stern face poked through the re-opened door. “Don’t rip those to pieces. If them hats and robes don’t look brand-new on performing day, I’ll have all of your hides.”
The table in the bunkhouse was piled with colorful bundles in the shades of the rainbow. Huddling in their bunks, the morose gang of Express riders eyed the bundles distastefully.
“He’s sweet on her,” Jimmy muttered sullenly.
“Who?” Cody sat up.
“Sarah Booth. Teaspoon is sweet on her. If he wasn’t we wouldn’t have to be in this stupid play.”
*It ain’t that bad,* Ike stated. *It’s just a church play. It’s one evening and that’s it. I’ve done them before, at the orphanage.*
The mentioning of the orphanage rendered him a snort from Buck. “Yes, they were real cheerful.” His memory of the short plays the nuns made them performed as a way of learning the bible were quite different.
“Well, we might as well get over with it,” Cody shrugged and walked up to the table. “Orange.” He held up the bright hat. “Not for me – never been much of a religious man.” He let his eyes roam over his friends who had joined him at the table. “I think this one is yours, Buck,” he said casually and tossed the hat at the Indian rider.
“Me?” Buck shook his head. “Why do you think I should represent religion in a Christian play about a Christian story?” He grimaced. “I might as well offer myself as practice target.”
“Well, you know about at least two religions, right?” Cody objected. “That would make you the most knowledgeable here.”
“Don’t think that is what counts,” Buck placed the hat back on the table. “Kid, what about you?”
“I could do it I guess,” Kid said hesitantly.
Noah picked up the hat. For some reason he didn’t see the Virginian as the best choice speaking about religion. He had let go of his prejudices, but he had heard enough of slave owners confessing to their Christian believes and how their faith endorsed their behavior.
“I’ll do it,” he said firmly. “Cody’s got a point about the people needing to hear about religion from someone different. I am, and I don’t have Buck’s problem. I was brought up in a Christian home.”
A sigh of relief went through the others. Most of them didn’t mind speaking about religion, but there where others subjects that were more attractive to speak about. All but one. For now, they merely avoided it, as if they had a secret understanding.
*You’re probably the only one who can wear this hat,* Ike laughed and placed the bright orange thing on his head. His whole face looked orange.
Noah took a step back and viewed him critically. “You look like an orange,” he nodded and took the hat. “This color needs another color to go with it,” he teased. “I’m afraid none of you can match that.”
“I’ll take this one then.” Cody reached for the green hat. “Goes with my hair,” he added lightly with a grin.
“Immortality?” Jimmy frowned. He thought about that one for himself. “Why would you get immortality?”
“Because I will be immortal one day,” Cody replied with a smug grin.
“How?” Jimmy leaned forward. “Just how do you plan on being immortal, Cody?”
“Maybe he knows some secret trick.” Noah turned to Cody. “What is it? You’ve got a deal with the devil or something?”
*That’s why he said he couldn’t do religion,* Ike grinned.
“Bet he thinks about using a rabbit’s foot,” Lou remembered the time when Cody found it best to resort to superstition to protect himself against angry Kiowa spirits.
“You don’t know anything,” Cody sighed. “I plan to be made immortal in books! Books – you do know what that are, don’t you?”
“How will a book make you immortal?” Buck gave Cody a doubtful look.
“Well, you know all those heroes, I’ve been telling you about? I learned about them from books. The books about them will be here long after we’re gone. If that ain’t immortality then I don’t know what is!
“And just how are you going to be in one of these books?”
“By doing great deeds!” Cody proclaimed.
“Will probably just fall flat on your face,” Jimmy shook his head. “That ain’t good enough to get that green hat, Cody.”
*Jimmy should have it,* Ike suggested. He grinned mischievously. *After all he’s already in a book, or rather two.*
“Don’t mention that,” Jimmy growled back but without serious threat. Secretly he was quite happy that he had stolen the theme of immortality from Cody. Somehow he knew what it would mean to live forever.
“That leaves us with fidelity, nature, service, patriotism and…” Cody took a deep breath, “…love.”
The remaining boys looked hesitantly at each other. Noah and Jimmy smiled. They were off the hook and very happy about it. Standing up in front of the townspeople and all the eligible young women there and talk about love was just not, well, masculine enough.
Lou saw their looks and feared they would try and assign her love. Desperate not be the rider dressed in red she quickly reached over the table and grabbed the violet hat. “I’ll do service.”
“Why?” Cody, Buck and Ike looked at her. Kid fiddled nervously with the top button on his shirt. He had a bad feeling of the outcome of this.
“You heard what Teaspoon said,” Lou defended herself. “Service – it might as well be about the Express. I’m the fastest rider here, so I should be representing service.”
“I should be representing the Express,” Cody saw a new prospect that he hadn’t thought about before.
“You should do patriotism. Why settle with the Express?” Kid teased. “Why not speak for a whole nation?”
Suddenly finding himself with two good options, Cody hesitated.
“Why not you?” Buck asked Kid. He heard Kid talk enough times about his love of his native soil and the need to stand up for what he believed. If that wasn’t patriotism, then what was?
“I would not mind,” Kid replied sadly. “But there is a conflict coming and I think I would be considered speaking for what many here believe is the opposite side. And even if they would agree, I fear that my speaking would only cause trouble.”
Buck nodded. He could see Kid’s point. Maybe Cody was the best to speak about patriotism. “Ike should do nature,” he suggested and changed the subject. He felt the gentle rider was the one most likely to deliver a speech worthy of the beauty of nature.
Ike shook his head. The others joined him.
“No, that’s your subject,” Kid decided as Lou handed Buck the yellow hat. “Besides, as Noah said, you and Noah are the only one who can wear those colors.”
Smiling faintly and a little relieved, Buck accepted the yellow hat. Love was off the table for him and that was all he really cared about.
“I’ll do patriotism.” The risk of getting stuck with the dreadful color of love had made Cody certain. If the others thought he could do patriotism, then he’d do just that.
Seeing the ring slowly close in concerning the red hat, Lou became desperate. She had a feeling the boys would gang in on her and reassign her with the dreadful prospect of holding a speech on love.
“Ike should do love,” she quickly suggested, feeling only a hint of guilt. The problem was she had also trouble seeing Kid delivering anything on the subject of love.
Ike stared at her as soon as her words were spoken but Lou didn’t care. They would not get her to talk about love in front of the town.
*Why me?* Ike signed angrily.
“Because you don’t have to say anything,” Lou said. “Teaspoon said somebody would read what you had written - that’s much easier than talking.”
*That’s not true – I still have to stand there, and I have to sign. I’m not doing love. It’s bad enough to have to sign in front of everyone.*
“Ike should do fidelity.” Buck rushed to his friend’s defense. “He is the most loyal of all of us.”
Lou looked around her to see if anyone would challenge Buck’s suggestion, but she was met with a solid wall of silence.
“I’m still doing service,” she muttered and glared at the boys.
Kid cleared his throat. “Actually Lou, I think I should do service.”
Lou stared at him. “Why’s that?”
Kid looked nervously around him but for the moment he was on his own.
“You know, you haven’t really been visible to the townspeople. If we should talk about the Express concerning service, it should be somebody that they feel they know, that’s all.”
“Rubbish.” Lou looked at her fellow riders. “You’re just doing this because neither of you wish to be stuck with red, or love.”
“Well, Lou, you are more suited to take red,” Cody said with a friendly smile. “After all…”
“So it is because I’m a girl?”
“Noo, not just that…,” Cody turned to the others and this time Jimmy decided to give him a helping hand.
“You don’t understand Lou. There will be girls there, listening and watching. If one of us gets up there and starts talking about love, we will be ridiculed.”
“But it is all right for me to be laughed at?”
“You ain’t gonna ask any of these girls to a dance now are you?” Jimmy countered.
“Neither is Kid. Or are you Kid?” she asked innocently.
“No, I’m not,” Kid muttered. “But you would be much better representing love, Lou. You’re everything love represents,” he added softly.
Lou frowned, but in her heart she knew the battle was lost. ‘Damn Kid, why did he say the last sentence as if he meant it?’ Grabbing the red hat, she left the bunkhouse, and slammed the door as she left.
“I think she got mad,” Cody stared at the door.
“Would you like to after her and volunteer to take love instead of her?” Jimmy challenged.
That was the last thing Lou heard as she marched over to the house.
Lou knocked on the door and when Rachel opened it, she stormed into the kitchen. “They stuck me with red!” she complained and shook the red hat. “Those double-crossing, low-life…”
“Hold it,” Rachel laughed. “Talking about love, how can that be bad?”
Lou sank down on a chair. “What am I gonna say about love,” she sighed. “I don’t know what to say.”
Rachel handed her a cup of coffee and joined her by the table. “Then use the boys. It would only be fair, wouldn’t it?”
“Use the boys – how?”
“Tell about their love.”
Lou shook her head. “I can’t do that,” she muttered.
“Sure you can. How about starting with, everything you know of love you have learned from your fellow riders?”
“But I don’t know what they love.”
“The love of animals, that would be Ike right? Buck’s love of nature, Noah’s love of freedom, Cody’s love of fame and Jimmy’s love of danger. And then you have Kid’s love.”
Lou blushed. “The love between man and a woman.”
Rachel smiled at her. “Somehow I think the boys didn’t choose so badly after all.”
A/N: A big thank you to GypsyWitch71 for beta reading and doing so very quickly!