Cody walked out of the bunkhouse, and even though spring had finally arrived according to the calendar, the morning air was damp and crisp as he made his way over to the barn, coughing and hacking up his lungs with every step he took toward his destination. Over the last couple of weeks he had been rising out of bed even before Lou's rooster awakens the rest of the ranch, he had been trying his best to avoid any trouble with his Pony Express family. For months he had been secretly working with Charlene on manipulating his family because Charlene vowed her undying love for Buck, and he allowed himself to be taken in by Charlene's lies and deceit because he truly is in love with Jane. Thoughts and images of Jane preoccupy his mind almost every waking moment of his day, and she invades his sleep with dreams of their life together and with nightmares of her sharing a life with Buck.
He had to stop his relentless pursuit of Jane when he was notified through a messenger that all the manipulating that he had done would be revealed to his family. He has no idea who could have figured out what he and Charlene were up to, but someone had written to him a very descriptive account of what he had done to get time with Jane when he falsely accused Buck of the murders that were happening around Rock Creek. His family suspected that he had arrested Buck to keep him away from Jane, but Teaspoon, Jimmy and Kid had no proof that he was wrongfully holding Buck at the jail and risking Buck's life. If a judge had tried and convicted Buck of those murders, he would have hung. Cody shivers involuntarily just thinking about what the end result of his scheming could have cost his family.
Cody stumbled into the barn to saddle up his horse in the midst of a severe coughing spell. He stopped his progression to his horse for a second to clear up his dry irritated throat. Kid walked out from behind a stall where he is leading two horses out to graze in a nearby corral.
"Cody, you've had that cough for days. Have you been over to see Doc Barnes about it?" Kid asked wondering if Cody will take time from his busy schedule with the army to see to his own health.
"Doc told me that I would just have to suffer for about two weeks until the cough decides to subside," Cody mumbled in between coughs.
Kid hides a smirk and instead presents a confused look to Cody as to why Doc Barnes would just let Cody suffer for weeks with a bad cough. "I'll talk to Buck, maybe he knows an old Indian remedy that can cure your cough a little quicker than two weeks," Kid stated as he starts to walk away from Cody to search for Buck.
"Kid, wait up a minute. I don't know if I should trust Buck," Cody spoke his voice almost hoarse from trying to subdue his cough by clearing his throat and spitting out all the junk onto the barn floor for someone to step and slide into.
Kid stops his progression to search for Buck and faces Cody watching intensely as he spreads his germs on the floor of the barn. With a disgusted look on his face over Cody's bad manners he speaks frankly to Cody. "Why is that Cody? Buck never did anything to you."
"I know Buck has never done anything to me, but I sure have caused a lot of grief in his life. I've apologized many times for my behavior, but I think Buck still wants to choke the life out of me for everything I've done to him and Jane."
"I don't think Buck has revenge on his mind. He and Jane are starting a family and they are going to be married soon. Believe me Cody, revenge is the last thing on Buck's mind," Kid stated humbly unable to hide the smirk on his face, but lucky for him Cody is under the weather and doesn't pick up on his own thoughts of revenge. "Perhaps you should forget about army work today and just go back to bed."
"Well…I guess you can talk to Buck about a remedy for my cough," Cody said wearily as he leaves the barn and a trail of spit behind him.
Kid watches Cody practically crawl back to the bunkhouse. He gathers his thoughts and heads over to the Hunter household to speak with Rachel. Rachel will know exactly what he will need to teach Cody a lesson.
Kid stops Buck in mid stride as he's releasing horses from the barn into the corral that is a grazing area for their horses just outside the barn. Kid is holding a book that is worn and faded inches from Buck's face. "This is your perfect opportunity to get back at Cody," Kid stated trying to convince Buck that their scheming would be a lot less harmful then what Cody had done to him.
Buck stops what he is doing and looks seriously at Kid. "It sounds to me like you want this revenge a whole lot more than what I do."
Kid hands Buck the book. "Just read the book where I have it marked. I'm sure that you will agree that what we are about to do to Cody is perfectly harmless, but it should make him think twice about ever being deceitful again."
"Who did you get this book from?" Buck asked flatly as he opens the page that Kid has marked and begins to read silently the home remedy that Kid has in mind to teach Cody a lesson about honesty.
"Rachel gave me the book, with her blessings I might add," Kid spoke waiting anxiously for a reaction from Buck.
Buck smirks wickedly as he reads over the home remedy to cure Cody's cough. He glances up from the book. "Revenge has never tasted and smelled so foul," Buck exclaimed delighted that Kid has found such a humiliating plan to get back at Cody. Buck hands the home remedy book back to Kid. "When do we get started?"
"I think this evening will be a good time to start Cody on his medicine. We wouldn't want Cody having to suffer any longer than he needs to."
"Lucky for Cody that you bought Lou several milking cows," Buck smiled uncontrollably as he and Kid walk over to get Cody from the bunkhouse.
"Are you sure this is the right remedy for a cough?" Cody questioned as he, Kid and Buck are walking into the barn that evening after they had eaten supper.
"We're sure," Kid stated assuredly as he guides Cody over to Betsy, one of Lou's milking cows. "Here is a bowl you'll need to catch the cow dung in when Betsy decides it's time," Kid said matter of fact as he watches Cody kneel down on the barn floor close to the rump end of Betsy. At first Betsy is a bit displeased to have Cody kneeling down beside her evidence to her sudden moving around in her stall. Her swaying tail hits Cody several times in the face as he waits for her to deliver what is to be his medicine for his annoying cough.
"Kid, you don't have to try and sweeten up what I'm about to collect from Betsy. It is called cow cramp plain and simple," Cody spoke annoyed that he has allowed himself to be talked into a home remedy for his persistent hacking cough.
Buck is standing close by trying desperately to hold in his laughter. He holds his sides tightly as they are about to burst as he watches the torment that Cody is enduring at the rear end of Betsy. "I'll go over to the bunkhouse and get the pot of boiling water ready for the medicine," Buck said pleased at himself and Kid as he quietly leaves Cody and Kid in the barn. Once outside he lets out the laughter that had been bottled up in the pit of his stomach. He stumbles all the way over to the bunkhouse unable to catch his breath from his continuous roaring laughter.
As Betsy finally releases cow dung for Cody's medicine mixture he coughs and hacks even more as the cow dung plops heavily into his metal bowl that he is holding underneath her tail. "Do you think I have enough?" Cody asked as he pinches his nose closed with his free hand.
"We need to get over to the bunkhouse right away. In order for the remedy to be effective the cow dung has to be fresh when preparing the mixture," Kid spoke sincerely rushing Cody over to the bunkhouse with his bowl of fresh cow dung.
Buck opens the door to the bunkhouse as Kid and Cody rush inside. "The water is already boiling Cody," Buck spoke as he watches the excruciating look on Cody's face as he places the bowl of cow dung next to the pot of boiling water.
"Are you absolutely sure that I have to put fresh cow cramp into a pot of boiling water? I'll never be able to get the smell of Betsy's cramp out of the bunkhouse," Cody whined anxiously as he waits for an answer from Kid and Buck.
"Kid opens the remedy book up to the page on home remedies for coughs. "It says right here on page 30 that to relieve a person from a bad cough the person suffering from the cough must put cow dung in boiling water."
Kid, just call it what it is! It is cow cramp! Betsy cow cramp," Cody whined disheartened as he spoons Betsy's cramp into the pot of boiling water.
Kid and Buck quickly slip bandanas that they had around their necks over their mouth and nose. The fumes from the cow dung mixture begin to choke and gag Cody uncontrollably. The interior of the bunkhouse is surrounded by steam from Cody's boiling cow dung and water remedy.
"Cody, the directions say that you'll need to stir the mixture thoroughly before taking the pot off the stove," Buck stated barely able to contain his sincerity.
"I can't even get near the pot," Cody bellowed as he tries to get close to the pot of boiling water and cow dung with the fumes enveloping around him.
"That should be good enough Cody," Buck stated wishing to get this over with so he can escape from the foul smelling bunkhouse.
Cody quickly takes the pot off the stove and immediately the fumes begin to disappear from the bunkhouse, but the odor of fresh cow dung remains poignantly in the air. "There is no way I'm going to be able to sleep in this bunkhouse tonight with it smelling like this," Cody whined loudly as he takes the ladle from the cupboard and begins to pour a full ladle of the liquid into a cup.
"Remember Cody, you only have to gargle with the liquid. Whatever you do don't swallow it," Buck stated hoping that he can contain his smirking until Cody has gargled with the cow dung mixture.
"Tomorrow we will heat the mixture back up and you must gargle with it three times," Kid spoke pleased that it has been so easy to get Cody to believe them.
"If I have to gargle with this remedy three times tomorrow, then why am I gargling with it tonight?" Cody asked wearily.
"Buck thought that you would get a good night's rest if you gargled with some of the medicine tonight," Kid spoke quickly trying to think up a good answer for Cody's curiosity.
Cody blows on the hot liquid attempting to get himself ready for the awful taste that is about to consume his mouth.
"Stop stalling Cody, Buck and I need to get home. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow," Kid exclaimed coaxing Cody to take a big gulp of the mixture.
Cody is hesitant about gargling with the cow dung. A look of despair appears on his face as his coughing increases. "Are you both sure that this is the correct remedy for a cough?" Cody asked again hoping that a sweet glass of sarsaparilla is actually the cure for the common cough.
"Come on Kid. We need to get some sleep. If Cody wants to continue to suffer there's nothing more we can do about it," Buck gestured toward the door as both he and Kid make their way toward the door.
"Alright, I'll gargle!" Cody whined in pain as he slowly brings the cup of liquid to his mouth and swiftly tilts his head back to engulf a mouthful of the now warm liquid.
Buck and Kid watch intently as Cody's face becomes distorted with the residue of cow dung pasted to the inside of his mouth as he tries to gargle with the foul liquid!
Cody gargles with the liquid for a few seconds before stumbling around the stove with his hand for the cup that he drank the liquid from. When he can't find the cup he becomes overly skittish to release the liquid from his mouth.
Buck and Kid both suspect that Cody can't contain the liquid in his mouth any longer, and they try desperately to make a run for it out the front door of the bunkhouse! Kid has his hands hurriedly trying to turn the knob of the door as Buck is pushing for Kid to get out of the bunkhouse.
"Hurry Kid," Buck shouted as he intently listens to the grumblings of Cody's insides from behind them.
"I can't get the door open," Kid grimaced in pain from Buck's pushing his face into the door.
At that moment Kid is able to get the door open and both he and Buck stumble onto the porch of the bunkhouse as Cody releases the cow dung mixture from his mouth shouting out past both men and onto the wooden porch of the bunkhouse just inches from Kid and Buck's face!
Kid and Buck struggle to get themselves up off the porch floor while they listen to Cody painful gagging in the bunkhouse. Kid is afraid that there is more inner liquid from Cody just waiting to be poured out onto the bunkhouse porch in the exact spot where he and Buck now occupy.
Buck turned his head toward Kid with an utter expression of despair and helplessness. "Why is it Kid that whenever anyone is out to get us it is always successful, but whenever we try to get revenge on someone for doing us wrong it always comes back to bite us in the behind?" Buck asked with a grim look pasted on his face. "I mean is it because we are idiots and we just simply believe anything anyone tells us."
"I think we're just supposed to take it, but we aren't supposed to dish it out," Kid stated wearily as the two men are finally able to pull themselves up onto their feet.
Cody rushes out of the foul smelling bunkhouse. "I think you're home remedy has given me a fever," Cody moaned as he wipes the sweat from his face.
Buck places his hand on Cody's forehead. "I think you're right Cody. Kid, what's the home remedy book say about curing a fever?" Buck asked sincerely.
Kid opens the page to the home remedy for a fever. "We'll need rabbit dung to make a tea and then…"
"Forget about it," Cody bellowed as he turns away from Buck and Kid and starts to walk toward town. "I'm going to see the doc."
Kid and Buck watch as Cody walks toward town. "Thank God we don't have any rabbits," Kid stated matter of fact.
I think Thompkins might still have a few old rabbits at his place," Buck stated grimly.
"I think it's best if we just get some sleep. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow," Kid stated as he picks his hat up from the ground.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Do you think we should tell Cody that he's walking into town?" Buck asked calmly thinking that they should remind Cody that it is a long walk into Rock Creek and that he might want to take his horse.
Kid looks ahead as Cody continues to walk further and further away from them. "I think the walk might do Cody some good. Besides he should be home in time for breakfast.
Both men smile immensely and walk toward their homes.
TO BE CONTINUED…As part of The Rock Creek Adventurous Tales
This story is part of The Rock Creek Adventurous - part 4 "If We Are Lost…Love Will Find Us", but if you want to read what lead up to Buck wanting revenge on Cody you can read part's 1, 2 and 3.