Daniel didn't know before, what had happened with Sully's family. Now he began to understand why his friend talked about getting married and raising children so often. However, Daniel understood it only by his mind - he never knew what a family is.


"I 'd rather be free!" he sometimes argued with Sully, "If you are married, you must stay with all this routine for the rest of your life, and forget about any adventures. It's like putting yourself into jail!"


"It's not a 'jail', Daniel!" Sully always objected, "Everyone needs somebody to love and take care of, and somebody who loves him."


"If you need a girl, you always can go to a saloon!" Daniel disagreed


"I don't need a saloon girl!" Sully replied, outraged, "I mean a FAMILY, wife and children. When you get tired of all your adventures, how will you spend the rest of your life?"


"I'm still too young to think about it!" Daniel said.


They argued like this many times, more often, when they became older.


Their money for mining quickly ran out, so they needed to search for work again. Sully, when he still was at the mining camp, learned some carpentry, and now he could repair some furniture, or fences, or even build a barn. ("Why do you do it? It's for your future family?" Daniel asked mockingly. "Yes, indeed!" Sully seriously answered)


Sully was right, learning this - his skills brought them some money from time to time.


One winter they reached a small town named Colorado Springs. Fortunately, they found a job here - one of the newcomers engaged them to help to build his homestead.


This town was kind and friendly, except for the local storekeeper, Mr. Bray, who didn't like them. However, they didn't have much money, and visited his store very seldom. But once they saw the pretty dark haired girl, standing at the counter instead of Loren or Maude Bray. This was Abagail Bray, their daughter. She just returned to Colorado Springs from her aunt's ranch.


Neither Sully, nor Daniel had much experience in flirting, so they both became confused.


"Can I help you, gentlemen?" the girl asked.


"Two pounds of nails, please!" both answered at the same time.


"Just a minute, I'll take it from the upper shelf." she smiled. Then she turned to Sully and added, "Mister, would you please help me with this stepladder?"


Sully was very embarrassed. He looked at Abagail, then at Daniel, and finally muttered: "Sure…"


He dragged out the old and heavy stepladder, and the girl began to climb it. Suddenly, the stepladder began to creak, and its upper stair broke under her foot. Abagail lost her balance, but Sully caught her.


"Oh, thank you!" she smiled at him, "I could have broke my leg, but you saved me! How I can thank you?!"


"What about a picnic this Sunday?" Daniel asked. The girl was cheerful and pretty, and he thought just about a little flirting. But Sully looked at her unable to take away his eyes and utter any sound.


"I'd be glad to," she answered, "but I can't. I was engaged this November, and the townsfolk would be shocked to see me with two young gentlemen. This is a small town, and…"


"And the best pastime of the townsfolk is gossiping!" Daniel finished


"I'm afraid so!" Abagail agreed. She didn't pay much attention to Daniel's courting, instead she turned to Sully again:


"I've heard you're a carpenter. Could you please repair some furniture for us?"


Sully reddened and after a long pause said: "Sure…sure, I can."


Daniel suddenly felt a kind of discomfort, noticing his friend's reaction.


This moment Loren Bray came in. He gazed at them unfriendly, then grumbled at his daughter:


"I left just for few minutes, and you're already flirting with some vagrants!"


"I'm not flirting!" Abagail objected, "They were buying some nails. Besides that, this gentleman, Mr.…"


"…Sully." Daniel prompted. Sully himself stood silently looking at Abagail.


"Well…Mr. Sully is a carpenter. He was so kind to agree to repair this stepladder, our chairs and shelf."


"Two bucks!" Loren growled out.


'Three, Pa," Abagail said, "It's too much work!"


"Well, three!" Loren agreed reluctantly, "Now get out you both, I'm going to close!"


"Seems you fell into a trap!" Daniel noticed, as they left BRAY'S MERCANTILE. Sully just lowered his eyes and said nothing, and Daniel understood he was right in his anxiety.


Actually, Sully fell in love with Abagail, and she with him. Her fiancé, Martin Anderson, was not a bad guy, but she was bored to death listening about his ranch, and cattle, and grain prices. Certainly, Sully who read books, and was able to talk about a lot of things, was much more interesting for her. Besides, there was one more reason. Sully was very gentle and tender with her, and it was so different than the local guys' way of flirting.


Meanwhile, the winter was gone. It was the time to move further, but Sully unexpectedly refused.


"Is it because of Abagail?" Daniel asked him.


"Yes!" Sully confessed, "I want to marry her and stay here, in Colorado Springs."


"Wait.." Daniel was taken aback, "Do you mean, you MUST marry her?"


"Certainly not!" Sully retorted, outraged, "How can you even think I would do that?! I just want to ask her to marry me."


"You're crazy!" Daniel got angry, "She's already engaged, have you forgotten? Her father would never allow her to marry a ragamuffin like you."


"But it's 'Abagail' who will choose!" Sully said.


Daniel knew how stubborn his friend could be sometimes, and just sighed gravely.


Something was going to be changed in their life, and these changes were unpleasant for Daniel.


Sully became very embarrassed with his friend's words. Actually, Martin, Abagail's fiancé, was the owner of a large ranch, but Sully had no property, just his hands, and his head…and his love for Abagail. What would be better for her? He was doubtful, if she would agree to marry him, so he didn't go to the store for a few days.


When Daniel came (they still needed something for the building), he saw Abagail crying.


"What's wrong?" he asked


She raised her eyes to look at him:


"Daniel, please tell me the truth - why hasn't Sully been here for 3 days? Doesn't…doesn't he love me?"


"Certainly! Sully loves you with all his heart!" he sighed, but continued: "and he wants to marry you. But he doesn't know how to tell you…. because you're already engaged."


"It was just my father's decision!" she exclaimed, "not mine! I'll never marry Martin, because I love Sully! I'd be happy to be his wife!"


Daniel managed a smile. Truth was, he hoped that she finally would obey her father. But this hope flew away - nothing could stop them from marrying…nothing could stop Sully from destroying their friendship.


He noticed Loren walking through the square to his store, and left hastily. Abagail stopped crying and looked happy. But Daniel was absolutely not happy this time.


Sully finally asked Abagail to marry him, and she said, "Yes". Loren became furious, but his wife, Maude Bray, liked Sully more then Martin. She secretly gave them a piece of the Bray's land, and Sully began to build a homestead there. Daniel managed to help him, after all, Sully still was his best friend. But they began to quarrel very often.


"You're a traitor!" Daniel yelled at him, "Do you remember - we vowed to be friends for the rest of our life, and now you betray it! We're going West to search for gold together!"


"We were kids!" Sully objected, "but now we're growing up. Just imagine - we may spend our life for nothing with this searching. Have you ever seen such folks? When they understand that their life is almost gone - without home, family, friends - it 's too late. They begin to drink hard, and finally die from it. I don't want us to do the same…Daniel, why don't you stay here too?" he suddenly asked.


"Never!" Daniel cried, outraged, "I'll see what say when I become a rich man!"


(Sully just shrugged his shoulders.) "What are you going to do with your 'family' without any money?" "I have my hands and my head, so I could find any job to feed my family!"


Sully looked at Daniel almost pleadingly:


"Daniel, once you get tired of all this running, searching…You'd better think about this while you're still able to think about something besides the gold…"


"Forget it!" Daniel yelled, "Now we're goin' by different ways, if you want it - fine!" He slammed the door behind him.


Daniel was walking along the town square, when he met Abagail.


"Evening," he muttered, as he continued walking. But she stopped him.


"Daniel, I need to tell you something…"


He guessed what she was going to tell him, but stayed obediently.


"Daniel.." she began, "I know, you're angry with Sully…Don't blame him, please, but a family is what he was dreaming about for a long time."


"Abagail," he said, "Sully was my best friend…more than a brother since we were 10…."


"Why are you saying "he 'was' " - I think he still is your best friend, it doesn't matter that he's getting married. If you're really more than a brother to him, you must try to understand his feelings and respect them. You're very close, but you're two different men in the same time."


She looked at Daniel's eyes:


"Sully is suffering so much about how you're blaming him for his decision. Help him, if you wish the best for your best friend…please."


"I..I'll try." Daniel said.


"Thank you." Abagail answered and walked to the store.

He thought about her words for the rest of the day. Abagail was right, they were different, in spite of the fact that they were friends. He didn't need to force Sully to do, like he, Daniel Simon, wants - just as Sully must let Daniel go by his own way…And they 'll still remain best friends..


So, a few days later Daniel finally brought himself to talk with Sully:


"Sully, I have something to tell you." he said. "I've talked today with some folks in town…They're going to move to Nevada, for gold. They have a good map, and asked me to go with them…" Daniel stopped, then continued:


"Well…I'm sorry that I couldn't be your best man at your wedding, but I want you to be happy with your wife and children."


"Thank you, Daniel." Sully just said, "You'll be my best friend for the rest of my life. Can I name our son in honor of you?"


"I'd be glad!" Daniel answered, "Sully…I was stupid, forget all this rubbish I've told you."


Sully looked at him with gratitude and said:


"I'll miss you, Daniel…"


"I'll miss you too, Sully… would you please write me sometimes about your family? I'll find a way to receive your letters. I 'm not so good in reading and writing - I thought, you'd always be somewhere nearby. But I'll ask someone to read your letters for me."


"Sure, Daniel. And ask him to write me back, I want to know about you…"


They couldn't sleep that night, talking, remembering their childhood and their journey to the West…The friends felt they must say good-bye to each other like men, but they didn't know how. They were still too young …

Daniel paused. At that moment the window slammed with the wind. "Brian, would you please come upstairs and check on Katie?" Michaela asked, "I'm afraid this noise could wake her."


"Sure, Ma! Don't finish the story without me!"


"OK, Brian, we'll wait for you."


When Brian went upstairs, Daniel leaned to Michaela and said quietly:


"We bought a bottle of whiskey this night - we wanted to look like 'men'!"


"Daniel!" Sully sounded outraged, "It's not a good subject for talking about!"


But Daniel didn't pay attention:


"Can you imagine the awful headache we both had the next morning? We didn't have much experience with drinking!" he grinned.


"Actually, we were still kids!" Sully finally smiled also, "but we thought we were grown men!"


Brian returned and reported:


"Katie's asleep. Did you tell any more of the story while I was gone?"


Michaela shook her head, and Daniel continued:


"Certainly, I missed Sully very much. He wrote me about the wedding, and about his life with Abagail. Loren never even visited them, but Maude was there often…Sully was working at the mine again, and in his last letter he wrote that Abagail is pregnant, and the baby will be born in September. The Christmas passed, but there were no more letters from Sully. I tried to write him, but didn't receive any answer. After the winter was gone, I began to worry about Sully and finally came to Colorado Springs."


Nobody remembered him in town, just the blacksmith, Robert E., said "hello" passing by. But when Daniel tried to ask him about Sully he just sighed gravely and went away.


Then Daniel made his way to 'Bray's Mercantile'. There was Maude Bray, standing at the counter, dressed in black, and Daniel guessed that something awful had happened here.


Maude recognized him and, through the sobs, told him that Abagail died in labor, and the baby died also. Sully disappeared the next day after the burial.


"I felt so sorry for him," Maude cried, "when I saw him at the cemetery standing aside alone…I know, he loved our Abby with all his heart, and mourned so much. I was going to ask him to live with us just for a while - but Loren forbade me even to say a word to Sully. Loren blames him for Abby's death. Reverend Johnson said he saw Sully sitting near their graves all the night along, but next morning he was gone, nobody knows where…"


Loren Bray became furious when he noticed Sully's friend, talking with his wife.


"Maude!!!" he yelled, "MAUDE!!! What the hell are you doing?! I told you before to throw them both out, if they even show their faces here!"


"What do you want?" He turned to Daniel; "You're looking for your friend? I don't know where he is, AND I DON'T WANT TO KNOW! I hope he's dead also!"


He stopped short noticing the look of Daniel's face, but finally yelled again:


"Get out of here before I get my rifle! If it weren't for both of you, everything would be different!"


"You're right!" Daniel became furious also, "Sully might be safe …If he's dead also, as you wish him, it would be your fault!"


Daniel slammed the door behind him, but still heard Maude crying while he passed the town square…


He made a big mistake, coming to Sully's homestead. It was very painful sight - the empty and abandoned house that was once the home of a happy young couple just several months ago. The wardrobes were opened, and the clothes were scattered all over the floor, the windows were open and some broken…Sully even didn't lock the door when he left.


Daniel closed the door and rode away. He went to the small cemetery near the church and put some flowers on two new graves - large and tiny.


"Abagail." he whispered, touching the wooden cross, "you know, you and this little one were all he loved…I promise, I'll do all I can do to find him…I hope he's still alive."


He was not sure about this, however. There was the war, and Daniel was afraid that Sully would try to enlist in the Army, wanting to be killed and join his family.


Leaving the town, he asked the local midwife, Charlotte Cooper, to write him in case she learned something about Sully…


A few years passed. Daniel was travelling through all the West, still searching for gold. He changed a lot of jobs, once even thought about getting married, but couldn't bring himself to do this.


When he already lost any hope of ever finding Sully, he unexpectedly received a letter from Charlotte Cooper.


Sully was alive. The Cheyenne Indians found him half dead in the woods, and Sully joined their tribe. A few times he came to town to put flowers on the graves, but never spoke a word with any of the townsfolk ….


Daniel still missed his friend very much. But he was alive - and this was the main thing. He understood that Sully needed some time to heal his soul, and it's not right to bother him.


Almost a whole year passed until he finally heard from Sully again. This was a very short letter, just a few lines, but it was written by Sully himself. He just wrote that there are negotiations between the Cheyennes and the Army, and he is a kind of mediator and translator. He, as before, visited the town very seldom, but Charlotte Cooper gave him Daniel's address…


There were just a few lines in this letter, but Daniel understood with great relief, that his friend is still mourning, but at last has found the courage to continue to live…..

"You know the rest of this story." Daniel finished


"Well," Michaela joined in, and "then the female physician from Boston arrived in Colorado Springs, and noticed the crowd of Indians in the meadow near the church…"


"And she was so amazed with this sight, that she suddenly tumbled right into the mud…" Sully added.


"Sully!!" Michaela shouted in mock outrage.


"What?" he asked innocently, "It's the truth."


"Yes, it's the truth…" she agreed


"But it's not all I was going to say," Sully continued, "Then she gave me the best family in the whole world!" he leaned to Michaela and kissed her cheek.


"That's much better!" Michaela complimented him.


Brian laughed, and Michaela and Sully joined him, remembering the first time Michaela arrived in Colorado Springs.


Daniel looked at them unusually seriously, and when they stopped laughing, said:


"I was just thinking…you're right, Sully…"


"About what?" he wondered


"Once you told me that one day I'll get tired of all those endless travels and adventures…That's right."


"What do you mean?"


"Having a family is not as bad as I once thought it was…So I decided to stay here and have my own family with time…"


"That's great!" said all three at the same time…


"Ma! Papa!" they suddenly heard from upstairs.


"You'll see how wonderful it is to have a wife and children!" Sully said, rising from the chair. "I'm coming, Kates!"


He turned to Daniel, and smiled "… even those children, who don't want to sleep at night!"


"Well…I think so!" Daniel said. This time he was absolutely sure about this.

THE END