Angela

Slowly she awakened.  Stretching she reached as high as her arms would reach.  She yawned hugely.  Then she realized, Henry was gone.  She was not frightened.  Delight streamed through her body.  Henry terrified her on a continual basis.

She had witnessed how coldly he had shot the woman who he had hired to help him carry off his ruse to adopt her.  He told Angela that the woman had to die because she could identify them to the police.  Henry loved to use this as an example to keep Angela in fear.

Angela never considered trying to run away from Henry.  He was a master at tracking and hiding his tracks.  She knew that he would find her.  She also knew that if she proved to be too much trouble for Henry, he would kill her and find another orphan to be his slave.

Caves were Henry's favorite place for them to live.  A cave kept them away from society.  Henry had no desire to interact with humanity.  He believed that he was far superior to any other human being.  As a superior person he eschewed any habitation that would connect either of them to other humans.

They would stay in a cave for a month or two while Henry sent Angela out on a crime spree.  By day he would do research about the town's people.  At night Henry would send Angela into homes to steal money, or precious gems.  Henry would then take them to another city where he would sell them to pawn brokers.  He used different pawn brokers for each town that they had plundered.

They had lived in the Midwest for awhile.  Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska, they moved swiftly across that part of the country.  When the law grew a little too close to them for comfort, and winter's unbelievable icy chill spread across the land, Henry stole two horses and away they rode.

He headed to Portland.  He had grown up there, an illegitimate child of a maid.  He felt justified in stealing from the town that had made his growing years so hellish.  Through the years he had plundered Portland many times.

Henry was a master of disguise.  He knew how to change his features completely.  He used this skill set to keep from being recognized.

One day Henry told Angela, "I don't care if YOU are recognized.  You are completely disposable.  A throw away orphan that nobody gives a damn about!  I can easily get another throw away orphan.  The only reason that I keep you now is because I don't want to go through the work to train someone new!"

It was a long trip across the country to Portland, Oregon.  Angela had been abandoned in Portland as a baby.  She had spent six long, lonely years in an orphanage.  Sometimes she wondered to herself which had been worse, the orphanage, or being Henry's slave.  She could never decide.  It seemed as though they were both equally awful.

Angela had enjoyed traveling through the Midwest.  It excited her to see new things, and new people.  She was frightened by people.  Having no experience of normal interaction with humans had left her frightened to simply speak to them.  Henry never allowed her to attend school.  He did not attempt to educate her himself.  He did train her to steal in many difference manners.  She was expert at picking pockets.  Cracking a safe was rarely a challenge for Angela.  She had two qualifications.  Her hearing was excellent.  Her fingers were nimble, agile, and able to perform whatever functions she required of them.

Henry came striding into the cave holding a piece of paper.  "Damn and double damn those Pinkerton's!  Life was so much easier before they started their business."

Angela remained quiet.  She had learned from long experience that when Henry wanted to rant about something it was best to let him rant, until he was finished.

"It's getting so that a body can't steal anywhere and escape notice.  Those damn Pinkerton detectives use the telegram to send messages all the way across the country."

Henry threw the sheet of paper at Angela.  Carefully she picked it up.  She made certain that she didn't rip the paper, or wrinkle it.  Both of those actions would result in her not eating for a meal, maybe two.

Staring back from the paper was her own face.  She was in a plaid shirt, baggy trousers, and had a cowboy hat on top of her head.  The wanted poster labeled her as, "Kid Mysterious."  Henry was simply labeled as "Henry Butler."

"Damn and double damn."  Henry strode up and down the cave.  "I wanted to stay here awhile.  There are more people to rob, and this is a grand place to live.  Now we'll have to move."

"Where will we go Henry?"  Angela spoke in a very soft voice.  She was extremely careful to keep her tone from sounding like a whine.  Henry loathed whining, unless, of course, HE was the one doing it!

The coast.  They still are fairly primitive.  Maybe the Pinkerton's won't be able to follow us there.  After we gain enough money, we'll escape to Mexico.  Nobody will catch us there.  I heard that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid went there to run from the law.  The law will expect us to head to Canada.  That's another way to escape the U.S. law.  We'll fool them and head to Mexico."

Angela said softly, "May I go to school in Mexico Henry?  I've a powerful hankerin' to learn how to read and write."

"Yeah, yeah.  We'll get you learnin' when we get to Mexico.  Now pack up.  The coast of Oregon will not even know what hit them!"

Angela began the tedious job of organizing and packing their things.

Angela

My mind wandered off the topic with the brilliantly colored butterflies.  I did my best to ignore the droning of Henry's voice.  Today I seriously would like to just go to sleep and never wake up again.

Even though I now cook the meals, Henry still only lets me eat rarely.  I don't know how old I am anymore.  The first two years of living with Henry I knew how old I was.  Then Henry started mixing me up.  He would tell me for a month that I was 8.  Then he would say I was 9.  Just as I started to believe him about that age, he would suddenly tell me that I was only 7, and why couldn't I keep track of my own age?

He feeds me very little so that I stay very small.  The last thing that Henry wishes to have happen is for me to start showing signs of becoming a woman, whatever that means.  He says that a lot.  "You will be no good to me if you start getting big, or show signs of becoming a woman."

When I ask him what it means, "Becoming a woman," he responds crossly, "You're not so dumb that you don't know that little girls become women, and little boys men, are you?"

"Dumb, stupid, lazy," these are the words that I hear the most coming from Henry.  I try not to believe what he calls me.  After all, he has a small child to do his stealing.  Doesn't that make HIM lazy?

We had a close call yesterday.  It was a very busy day in a very small town.  I don't even try to remember the names of all the towns that we travel through any more.  So in Mud Wallow, Oregon I was supposed to be stealin' wallets from the towns finest.  Henry has me dress in my one and only dress.  He has me braid my hair the night before.  Then for that day I take out my braids and brush my hair until it shines.  He says, "You're uglier than a wart covered toad, but people won't believe that you could steal, cuz' you are just a dumb, ugly, girl."

I was doing really, really good.  Then it happened.  Just as I was putting a wallet into my secret skirt pocket a man came up from behind.  "Little lady, did you just take this man's wallet from him?"  I immediately began to cry.  "Mr. I don't know why you say something so terrible about me?  I don't have no brains.  I am just in town to get my new baby brother some milk.  Ma is turrible sick.  She don't have no milk to feed my brother.  We don't have no cow or goat, so I was just hopin' that somebody could help us get enough milk to feed the baby until Ma gets better."

"Pa left us to go east and get some work.  That was about 5 months ago.  He ain't never came back.  He ain't sent us any money.  We ain't got a single idea 'bout how to fetch him home.  The baby just cries all the time.  Poor little thing he is most hungry."

"Never mind your story.  You'll be coming with me now little Miss."

"Where you takin' me?  Ma needs me.  None of the other ones are old enough to help.  Ma has a high fever.  She be talkin' out her head for a whole week now.  Little Petey's cries are gettin' weaker all the time.  My other 6 brothers and sisters ain't helping at all with nothin'."

The law man dropped his hands off me.  "What sickness does your Ma have.  Is it real contagious?"

"Nah.  Only four of my brothers and sisters got it.  They ain't got no pox.  There is red blisters...small...all over their bodies.  They talk out their heads most of the time.  I guess we be lucky that the babe ain't have it no more.  Of course, he was the first one to get the sickness."

Now both men were stepping away from me.  The lawman says to the other man, "I ain't touchin' her again.  She could be talkin' the measles.  People die from the measles.  We'd have to quarantine the whole town."

"Don't worry Officer.  I didn't have much money in that old wallet anyway."  Both men turned and started to walk away rapidly.

I held my arms out to them.  "Where are ya goin'?  We need help!  The babies gettin' a little better but he'll starve soon unless..."

"Sorry kid, can't help you.  I've got my own family to think about."

Henry like to laughed his fool head off when I told him the story.  When I took out the wallet from the 'Family man,' there was a bundle of $20.00 bills.  Quickly I sneaked one of them bills out from the rest.  I slipped the one bill into my sleeve.  I was amazed that Henry didn't seem to notice.  Most times that snake of a man has got more eyes in his head than is strictly natural.

Henry bought us potatoes, onions, and a great big roast beef.  We feasted that night.  Henry even let me eat lots of food.