The Blue Ridge

Brett Buhler was just turning the horses around at the end of a row nearest the house when he heard his mother scream. He knew Dan was beating her again so he dropped the reins and ran for the house as fast as he could run.

As he came through the door he heard Dan saying, “Now I’m going to give you what you have coming,” as he walked toward Barney.

Brett stood spellbound as he saw a look on Barney’s face that he hand never seen before. It was a look that contained great hatred. Barney’s one hand was behind his back and when Dan got to within three feet, Barney’s hand moved like a cobra striking. It was just a blur. Brett didn’t know what happened until Dan turned toward him and saw the hilt of the butcher knife protruding just below Dan’s sternum.

Dan said, “He killed me……,” and sank to his knees then rolled over on his back. Blood began to color his shirt a bright crimson. Brett just stood there in disbelief.

Brett looked at Barney and shouted, “You shouldn’t have done it. It was me that should have done it, I’m the oldest!”

Barney just stood there expressionless and hunched his shoulders as if to say who cares who killed him. Their mother, Ruth, lay motionless on the floor.

Brett noticed the swelling that had begun on her bruised face. Her right eye was nearly closed with a nasty gash above it Her lip was also cut badly.

When Brett laid Ruth in her bed he said, “ Barney, I can handle Dan. I’m going to bury him so far down no one will ever find him. You just stay here and tend to mom. I don’t want you knowing where he’s buried. We’ll tell mom he just left. No use her caring this killin’ around with her. She has enough problems without knowing we done ‘em in.

Brett dragged Dan to the porch by his boots. He then went back into the house and brought out a blanket. He removed the knife from Dan and carefully wiped it clean on Dan’s shirt. He returned to the house and laid the knife back on the counter of the kitchen. With the blanket wrapped around Dan, he lifted Dan to his shoulder and walked to the wagon which was just outside the barn. He laid Dan in it and pulled the blanket over his face.

Brett returned to the house with a gunny sack and put Dan’s clothes and personal belongings in it. Dan had a small wooden box that he kept locked. Brett looked at it curiously then threw it in the sack and returned to the barn. He caught up Dan’s sorrel and put the bridle on him. He tied him to the back of the wagon and then returned to the barn for Dan’s saddle and saddle blanket which he threw into the wagon. He put a shovel and pick into the wagon on his next trip.

Brett caught up Blue and hitched him to the wagon and drove out toward the hill that bordered the farm. Brett remembered a place on the other side of the hill where his Dad had half dug a cistern then had abandoned it when he could only divert a small amount of water to it.

Brett ground hitched Dan’s sorrel in a grove of trees nearby then started digging in the cistern. He spent the next two hours digging. He was over six feet down when he pulled himself out the hole and returned to the wagon. He pulled the wagon near the hole and rolled Dan’s body into it. He then threw Dan’s saddle and saddle blanket in also. He pulled out the small box from the gunny sack and smashed it open with the pick. Inside was three twenty dollar gold pieces and forty dollars in folding money. Brett put the money in his pocket and threw the box and the sack of clothes into the hole. He spent the next hour covering the hole. He carefully put rocks and a bush in place so it looked like the surrounding area.