Heaven's Gate Bridge two

Heaven’s Gate Bridge 2

Before the family sat down to dinner that night all of the members were in a somber mood. The girls attended to their regular responsibilities for assisting their mother in cooking, and other food preparation activities.

“You know I could not believe that Claire’s daughter thought that her mother was playing an April Fools joke last Wednesday. She just clutched at her heart when her daughter brought in a new kitten she had found. Claire had a nice sense of humor but, I think that she might have done something else like telling someone that their clothes had a spot on it or whatever.” remarked Mrs. Miller to Mr. Miller as he leaned over to smell their vegetable soup.

“Hm? Oh yes. I have heard that when she was younger that she could even make Mr. Stiller believe that his old hunting dog had jumped the fence and run away. Old Cleb was laughing still when he told us the story at the barber’s shop.” said Mr. Miller as he tugged on his handlebar mustache. He then put the lid back on the soup and gave his wife a small peck on the cheek, “Great soup dear? How long before we can sit down to eat?”

“I think we need to ask the girls how long it will be before they have the salad mixed and ready and the peas shelled and cooked. They were really mad when they came home from that funeral because little Billy sneezed in their faces. I really think you need to talk to the Noonans about Billy and his manners. He not only teases William, but I think that he picks on Timothy at school. “ uttered Frances with a spoon in her hand that accentuated the last sentence with her feelings.

“Oh? They never mentioned it to me. I will talk to them after dinner is eaten and the dishes are cleared. Mr. Noonan and I are not great friends but he does seem like a reasonable gentleman. I see many of the men when they need new suits but Mr. Noonan has not visited my shop.” said William as he went outside to clean out the pipe that he had in his hand.

The spring sky was clearing after the shower that occurred during the funeral. There were a few clouds left in the east. The back yard looked just the way that Mr. Miller had wanted it. He had a vegetable garden to the left . There was a nice fence that separated his house from the field that led to the small stream that the children often ran to play out without permission. He had to admit that he enjoyed walking their old dog,Willie, who was named after President McKinley, along the banks of the stream. He also remembered that soon after that, Frances found out that she was pregnant. He never imagined that the stork would bring two beautiful girls instead of one. Willie was fourteen and very old. Sometimes the black lab would sniff out a rabbit in the field but the arthritis would keep him from chasing the little animal too far. He was afraid that soon it would be time to say ‘good-bye’ to his and the children’s good friend.

“Woof! Woof!” Willie seemed to be outside the yard with another animal.

“Father! Father!” screamed William. “Help. There’s a snake here and I think that Willie got bit!”

Mr. Miller picked up the hoe that was near the vegetable garden and ran to the gate in the fence. On the other side, was Willie standing with blood coming out of his face. The canebrake rattlesnake was moving as fast as it could to get down the field and away from the nest of people he had encountered.

“Father. Willie jumped at the snake before it could bite me. He saved my life. He saved my life! Please help him!” screamed William Jr.

Willie looked around for the snake and then started walking towards his best friend who he just saved. He took about four to five steps then fell down and jerked for a few times. His breathing then became rapid and then suddenly stopped. He became limp and moved no more.

“WILLIE!” cried the others as they had raced outside to see what the commotion was all about. Catherine and Harriet grabbed each other and started crying out loud. Mrs. Miller ran to them to comfort them. Timothy ran through the gate and with a big stick started running after the snake.

“Timothy. Stop! You don’t want to mess with that snake and besides I think it got away. Go down the street to the horse doctor Farmer’s house and see if he will look at Willie. But I am afraid that he is gone but we can try.”

“Yes father. “ and Timothy ran into the back yard, and around the house to the street where he knew his favorite friend lived.

Dr. Farmer came to the house immediately with his little black bag and confirmed the observation of Mr. Miller. “Best darn dog of the whole litter. I would have given ten bucks for that dog if you hadn’t latched on to it so quickly. But I think you need to watch out for those snakes. It is warming up now and they have not bitten anything in a few months. They have been hibernating and the first bite is usually a big one.”

“Thank you Dr. Farmer. I know that Willie always liked walking by your house. He just had a feeling for good people. “

“Yea. He died giving one last gift of love to the one he loved the most. And that was you William. “ he said as he reached to put his hand on William’s shoulder. “You bury him proper. And don’t grieve too much. He will always be with you in your heart. “

“Yes sir. I will.” responded William as he wiped his nose on his shirt and choked back more tear.

“Son, let’s pick out a nice spot and I’ll help you dig. Willie and I were friends too and I owe him for saving your life.” said Mr. Miller as he went to the shed to get the bigger shovel to dig with. “Honey, we’ll be a little late so keep the food warm. We might even eat light. Maybe you and the others can come out when you are finished and we can say a prayer for Willie. ”

“I understand dear.” replied Frances as she turned the other children to go into the house. “Let’s go children. Willie is with Ms Claire tonight. Maybe God wanted a great dog to keep her company. “